, 1889-06-18


lieve then that there Is no healthier or moro
restful out OF door sport than fly fishing for
speckled trout.
While bait fishing may afford sport TO
many, and possibly at times kin more fish, IL
does not compare with the higher art of fly
fishing. We do not all fish for the sake of
the fish alone; were it so We would find it
cheaper and easier to 60 to tho nearest mar
kct and purchase what we need. 1t is the
skin required, tho beautiful scenery, the mu-
sic Of the birds, the perfume of the flowers,
and, nbove all, the health giving exercise,
that go to make up the sum total OF the pleas
ures of fly fishing.
People tire of bait fishing and as they grow
older lose their interest in 1t, but when they
advance TO the high art of fly fishing, par
tcularly for trout, they never give 1t up as
long as they can WELD the rod. OF salmon
fishing, unfortunately, l cannot speak, as i
never have had the happy chance to enjoy
that noble sport; but even salmon anglers
tell me that they do not lose their taste for
trout fishing and often resortto it while on
salmon streams, and enjoy the quiet relief
from the more exciting sport
/ had the good fortune last fall to receive
an invitation TO spend a week with a friend,
who is part owner Of n royal tract Of wilder
ness In tho Adirondack country. While
there he suggested ono day that l ought TO
visit an outlying pond, some five miles back
In the woods, famous for its trout. 50 the
next morning Reuben Cary, ono OF tho best
guides | ever met, and l made an early start
The weather was very threatening and the
tramp n hard one, but still the long walk
through the silent forest was not without its
charms. Tho startling flight of the runled
grouse, the discovery of n fresh deer or bear
truck where thcy crossed the old wood road,
and many other little incidents kept us on the
alert until the glimmer of tho lake told us
that our journey was at an end
Reuben hunted up his well concealed canoe,
which we carried to the shore from its hiding
place and we were soon nfioat. / had riggcd
for my cast a futtering Brandreth, Lotto
md bright Montreal dressed on Nc. o sproat
hooks. Silently we glided out from among
the lily pads on tho deep lark water, and l
commenced casting. For the first hhlf hour
my efforts were in vain, and a feeling Of dis
appointment began to creep over me, when,
without a moments warning, n good pound
trout broke with a mighty splash, and /
struck sharp and quick.
A fierce struggle for a few moments that
disturbed the intense quiet of the place, and
he was melted. Again l cast for some time
in vain, when suddenly there was a double
splash and l wRs fast to two. They had 1t
pretty much their own way, particularly
when soon after n third big trout took the
remaining hy. Fortunately there was plenty
Of clear water, so that al / had to do was to
lot them fight 1t out. This took some time,
and such rushing and splashing l have seldom
seen; but patience has Its own reward and
l let them pull and haul TO their hearts con-
tent, often carrying my tip under water.
When tired, Reuben netted them with great
skill, and / had three superb trout, each
weighing over n pound.
In the month Of September, 1887, l mnde
my first acquaintance with the black spotted
trout of Idaho. / was the guest of a jolly
party OF prominent sportsmen, mostly from
the good city of Brooklyn, led by Gen. Rod
ney c. Ward. After a delightful trip of six
daysin the private car ''Wanderern we found
ourselves at Sand Point, Idaho, situated on a
beautiful lake named Pend d'Oreille, pro-
nounced Pend do Ray by the inhabitants.
This magnificent sheet of water, rome forty
miles long, seemed more like an italian lake,
with its bright green water, purple noun.
tains and deep blue sky. This is the home of
the black spotted trout. AT first / thought