Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-07-24

t are camped there on those occasions
!. There Is no camp, but good chance Il
: spread tent, and 1t is quite accessible tc
: Upper Dam Camp, two hundred rods dis
: tant. Across the head Of this lake, where
the water deepens-what we call the bank
is good place In August.
, / once met q school Of trout of several
J acres extent, making their way from the
head Of the lake down toward the inlet.
They were swimming near the surface, and
the water appeared to be alive with them.
| could see them plainly from the boat, and
they appeared to be OF all sizes, and among
them many very large ones. Some OF
them would break water occasionally, and
l made cast among them and landed sew
eral good ones. have several times seen
them on the move from one part of the lake
to another.
Mosquito Brook, on the east side, Is q
famous place, but is occupied by Mr.. Whit
ney, who has a very commodious hunting
|
or his family are not there. large
hearted man, on the best Of trout ground.
The Richardson Farm, so called, two
miles farther south, is good point for fish
or game. A fine brook makes its way from
the pond three miles away, down through
the farm; and Off this brook (called Met
allac Brook where the water suddenly
deepens, is a good place. The writer lived
with his family more than six years on this
farm before 1850, and one winter while
cutting ice Off this brook near the deep
water, the man saving the Ice said he felt
something rap his saw occasionally, and l
told him guessed 1t was a trout; so the
next load up got hook and line, which
he tied on to the end Of the saw and baited
it. During the day he secured several
large trout in this way, and some Of them
weighed five or six pounds.
Down one mile further in the Narrows
is the famous " cedar tree" where the last
OF October and month after, the trout OF
that name spawn, and have been taken
here forty years, Of my own knowledge, by
spear and hook in the open water and
through the Ice when it first froze over.
These trout differ In shape and color from
all others taken in the Rangely Lakes, and
spawn later In the season and In still wa
ter. thought they were another species
and sent sample TO the late Prof. Louis
Agassiz, with my opinion, but he assured
Inc that they were nothing else but simon
pure ISdln,o Fontanaiis.
Still farther down the Narrows, where
lower arm Of the lake begins, Is famous
place to take large trout in the spring.
Some days they will rise to fly, but more
often, as in most places Of deep water In
June, you will have to bait and sink.
Next in order, as we 60 down, we come
to the outlet into Rapid River, where is
situated Middle Dam and anglers Re-
treat" A public camp, built in 1860, is
still here, and q famous fishing point in the
spring, summer and fall; where board may
be had at two dollars day, and plenty Of
good boats and guides, II wanted; and
where the steamer touches twice day up
down from the South Arm to Upper Dam.
The above dam Is famous trouting place,
where the largest trout are taken, and also
where hundreds OF anglers resort from all
parts Of the country. and II each man could
catch one good trout q day, you could
hardly estimate the quantity that would be
taken. From morning till night the pools
in this river Gone mile long, are whipped
with elegant aud fancy and costly rigging
and the Industrious ones are those that
bring in good results. Many comfortable
trouting spots present themselves, and the
lucky man that secures one Of these Is
pretty sure to get good sport, and secure
prize.
Umbagog Lake has probably suffered the
most from winter fishing. 1t is the most
southerly Of the group, and It's outlet Is
the Androscoggin River, which, after
making a circuit Of some two hundred
miles, empties into the Kennebec at Mer.
rymeeting Bay.
A family by the name Of Stone settled
on the West side Of Umbagog, some FIVE
miles from the other settlers up the lake,
and having large family Of boys they be-
came great adopts at fishing and hunting.
Through the Ice they caught tons of trout
every winter for the Boston market. This
they followed up for more than twenty
years, and then we could readily see the
gradual decrease In the quantity each year,
and especially in the size Of the fish, as
they averaged remarkably less each year,
until finally the boys went on to the lakes
above and the ponds contiguous, continu.
Ing their winter fishing and making sad
havoc throughout. These Stone boys
were not the only winter fishers on these
lakes, but they were the most persistent,
and killed far more than all others. After
the trout law was made, they continued to
fish In the face Of 1t, and were prosecuted.
They swore vengeance, and threatened
to put pickerel in the lake. Not long after
this behold the lake swarming with the
latter fish; and for the last twelve years
the trout have been fast diminishing, until
now only occasionally large one is to be
got, and no small ones seem to be In that
lake.
think In 1850 Umbagog was as well
filed with trout as any other lake. 1t GER
tainly yielded great sport to all who came
in from the cities and elsewhere to fish. The
last trout caught from this lake was at
Sturtevant Brook, two years ago, and it
weighed three pounds. At the same time