Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-16
WINTER FISHING.
y Correspondent of the "Argus" Describes
the Trout Fishing of the Yellowstone in
the Winter Months.


Correspondence to Fargo Argus.
LIVINGSTON, Mont, March 3, 1SS3.-Ar-
irving at Livingston on the Sd of March
the ice is found to be all out of the river,
buildings going up rapidly, with laborers
working in their shirt sleeves, and the base
ball club playing a match game on the
common back OF the town. Cellars being
dug show no frost in the ground. On the
mountain peaks which surround the town,
snow is to be seen now, as it is on any day
in the year, but the valley is dry and warm.
The atmosphere is very fine
and invigorating, having all
the stimulating tendencies of
a blizzard without its severity. The doors
of the stores and houses stand open and
everything has the appearance of May.
Livingston is situated on the west bank of
the Yellowstone, just at the point where
the river gushes forth from the lower
canon. The town is on beautiful level
plain, which is from three-quarters of
mile to a mile in width. Just back of the
town runs one branch of the Yellowstone,
with an island between it and the main
stream, and beyond the river is an extended
elevated plateau or table land, stretching
away from one to three miles to the base
of the mountains, and running as
far as the eye can reach
to the southeast along the receding noun
tain base. To look from the town it is ap-
parently about on level with the eyes of
the spectator, as smooth and level as a bill
lizard table, and its yellow meadows form
striking contrast with the rough, gray
mountains beyond. Looking southwest
from the town, one sees two huge noun
tains whose bases seem to meet with
scarcely room for a mountain sheep to
find a footpath between or along their
steep sides. But out from between these
mountains flows the beautiful Yellowstone
over its pebbly bed, murmuring as it flows
like the sound of a distantly drumming
pheasant or the whirr of bevy of birds.
After substantial breakfast at the Park
hotel, the writer watches the stage load up
for trip over the mountains to Bozeman,
and the same curious crowd that always
watch the arrival or departure of a stage
coach are pleasing study in Livingston.
After a tour of the town in search of flies
and fishing rods, and securing driver
with q two-seated spring wagon and a
spanking pair of horses, the start Is made
for trip up the Yellowstone canon, to
view the grand scenery and try our skill
in the piscatorial art. From town it looks
only a five minutes drive to the
mouth of the canon, but
fully three-quarters of an hour
elapse before it is reached. AS the team
approached, what seemed to be an impas-
sible barrier. widens out into a beautiful
valley of about quarter of mile wide.
Entering the mouth of the canon the
scenery is grand indeed. On either side
the rocky bluffs rise towering three hun
dred feet above our heads. On the
right the mountain seems to be cut right
off like cutting off the side of q pineap-
pie, and the different layers of strata are
a grand study for the geologist. The
massive pile slopes in gentle
curve from the apex as high as you can
look, away down and into the ground at
the entrance of the canon as if the
weight of the mountain had sunk its base
miles beneath the earth. On the left the
formation is similar only more broken
and rugged. Many peaks and hills seem
to be thrown together as if by some
earthquake, and the massive rocks are
shufied together as if they had been
dumped from the DEVILS wheelbarrow in
a mad endeavor of his satatanic majesty
to block the way Of the majestic river.
The strata on both sides of the river slope
at an angle of forty-ive degrees to the
northeast, IS though they had been piled
in there to guard and brace the mountains
back of them.
Every foot of the canon brings new
wonders and beautiful sights to view. Here
the river widens out and ripples over a
pebbly beach or surrounds a bushy island
within its emerald clasp or there it dashes
II,-b
entirely from view amidst wild entangled
thickets and again widens out into placid
mirror IN whose still depths are pictured
the lofty cliffs and mountain peaks sur.
rounding it, forming a picture too grand
to be described and more lively than an
artists dream.
Here at an eddying pool in sharp turn
in the river, where the dark green waters
gurgle enchanting songs to the quacking
magpie on the tall cottonwood above, or
there just below the singing white-capped
rifles can be seen the willy angler throwing
his fly out and bringing in the speckled
mountain trout or silver-sided graylings as
fast as he can string them. There seems
to be no end to the fish in this enchanting
stream. At 6 in the morning or
again towards evening one can
see the speckled beauties Jump
ing or scudding through the water in every
direction searching for food, and it is
nothing uncommon for piscatorial wan
derer to bring in thirty to fifty pounds of
trout after two hours angling. And all
this lovely scenery and rich sport is within
an hours ride on horseback from Livings-
ton. In fact, plenty of trout can be caught
at the bridge below the town or within five
minutes walk up or down the river. L am
told that before the river broke up men
were making So to Sc day by fishing
trout through holes cut in the ice.
At point five or six miles up the canon
there is place for refreshments, and with
guns and fishing rods we put in a most en-
joyable afternoon, returning at shutdown
with fish enough for good supper for the
whole party at the hotel, and cooked as
they were. just fresh from the river, they
made repast for hungry, happy crowd
which will long be remembered.
The writer is told by those who have
travelled the mountains here for ten years
that the proposed branch of the Northern
Pacific railroad from Livingston to the
National park up the canon of the Yellow
stone is a feasible route, and the only