Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1881-06-09

have tested the metal of the greatest
philosophers, we will simply say that
we found their flying dragons innu-
merable, each ones weapon sharpened
for sanguinary work, and their thirst
for blood excelling that depicted in tile
familiar lines,
"Fe, n, 10, fun,
smell the blood OF an Englishman,
Dead or alive will have some,
Fe, n, 10, FUN.
In their insatiate thirst they respected
neither age, nor sex, nor profession.
Indeed, they seemed to have special
hankering for clerical and editorial
blood, and, in their determination to
taste it, broke through bristling abat-
tis of netting and waded rivers of the
oil of pennyroyal and of other smells
vainly used to ward off their attacks.
How many of these ventursome and
desperate assailants We slaughtered in
our brave self-defence we will not ven
ture to assert; suffice it to say that we
left hecatombs of their carcases to fat
ten the voracious grayling, or to fertil-
ize the pine plains which skirt the river.
But the caption of this article prom
ises something about graylng fishing.
1t was next to a new experience to the
writer. He had for years cast the fly
for the shy trout in Maine and Michi-
gan waters, and had felt the thrill of
delight which a true son of Izaak Wal
ton never fails to experience when a
large speckeled beauty rises with a
swirl, sieZes the hook, and, with a flash
of his golden fins, disappears in the
rapids TO struggle for liberty, making
the reel sing i'm strains sweet as Or
pheus' Tyre and the rod bend like an
aspen in the gale. How does the cap
ture of grayling compare with such
rare sportl 1t was to decide this ques-
tion that we sought the Au Sauble.
After two days of sporting such as is
rarely enjoyed, we feel competent to
testify from experience. Starting down
the river, the boat guided by the deft
hand of the editor of the AVALANCHE,
and two of us handling the rods, we
descended the first day about fifteen
miles, fishing only the last two or three.
The grayling were in biting mood,
or, at least, they could not resist the
tempting brown hackle, yellow May
and white typical flies that we cast
above them. Though we put back in
the river the smaller ones, we found
our catch TO number Ga at the end of
several hours fishing. The next day
the weather opened favorably, and we
floated down the river from the point
where we ceased fishing the previous
day, and from late in the forenoon till
five o'clock our thrilling sport was sus-
long incoming we took to crafty our
whetted APPETITE, and admire the charm
ing scenery of the Au Sauble. Beside
every log where the current ran strong
and deep, as well as in every eddying
hole, the lively gray ling would rise al.
most as soon as the fly struck the water,
often leaping out in their eagerness,
with n movement more graceful than
that of a practised acrobat, and sieZing
the fly as they dove back into their ma
tive element Going down the river
about five miles, and reserving only the
grayling of good size, we found 10l
in the boats well at the finish.
As to the comparative gaminess ot
grayling and trout, the former carry of
the palm in quickness and strength
, though the trout has greater powers o.
endurance or its wind" is better thar
that of the grayling. 1t is a sharp bu'
/, not long struggle to weary out one o.
these with a fly rod, and the sportsman
must play with them more carefully
as their mouths are tender and hool
will easily tear out, unless firmly set il
the upper jaw. But when a pound
and quarter grayling IL securely hook
ed i'm the rapids, then there is high spor
for the one handling the rod. For i
will run out the reel and resist captur
with the strength and pluckiness of {
l two pound trout. What n three o.
5 four FOUNDER would do we cannot tell
? but judging from the tested powers o
, its undeveloped children, we can easil!
I conceive that it would test the strengt.
$ of tip and smell and make the waite
{ boil and foam far more than did fou
| pound and three ounce trout that W
: once took out of the rapids at the out
let of Moosehead Lake.
, As to the comparative flavor of thes
!, two favorites of the sportsman, whe
/ asked to express an opinion, we fin
i ourselves i'm the dilemma of a husban
j. who has enjoyed the society of two al
A gelic wives, and is requested to decid
$ their comparative merits. He was pei
n fectly satisfied with each. Or, in TN
v expressive language of Artemus Ward
e leach is 20 much like both you san
Z tell tother from which.
n The trip was not without excitin
s incident apart from the capture @
? grayling. The most noteworthy wa
| Il Il