Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-01-03

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WHY S'vk%4 ever go trout
HEM AlNA fishing on the
dead water" Of
W Alder run, in
M, - the Pennsylva-
~ MIA he m o ck
belt, be careful
as you m Q
your casts, and don't hook wildcat,
for IL you do you may be put to good
deal of annoyance, and as like as not
have your days fishing spoiled. That
Is, II your wildcat should happen to
have disposition like the one had that
my friend Harry Cavanaugh hooked the
time he was fishing these dead waters.
He was in charge at the time OF gang
of men who were at work constructing
one Of the tram roads that the big lum-
Der operators OF the hemlock belt had
then just begun to build in the isolated
and mountainous forest tracts.
81 had heard" says he, "a good deal
about the dead water OF Alder run, and
the big trout that had their home there.
which were likely to always have their
home there, because Of the difficulties
that lay in the way of anyone who
sought TO fish those waters. The
dead waters extended for nearly n mile
over level stretch of the streams bed,
and were nowhere less than four feet
deep. They were bordered on each
side by an almost impenetrable thicket
of alders, growing close to the edge,
and in some places, where the stream
was narrow. closing over 1t and hiding
Il from view. There were many mar
row openings In this thicket where deer
sought the creek TO drink, and among
the alders many hemlocks and other
trees grew along the stream. In some
places the dead waters were ffty feet
wide, but the most of the stretch was
narrow.
"Ip those days enjoyed nothing SO
much as trout fishing. I had found ex.
cellent sport in the many wild streams
In that locality, but felt that I could
never 60 away from those woods en-.
tirely satisfied without trying what the
dead waters Of Alden run were capa.
BILE of, and as the season grew my de.
termination to get into those waters
grew withit Atlast had ono of my men
make me q small, rude, hatbottomed
boat out of hemlock boards, had 1t car.
miles distant, and one humid, overcast
June day ] started in the rather I'M
steady and not entirely water-tight
craft to fish through that virgin trout
ground. The capacity Of the dead
waters was even greater than had an
ticipated, and before I had fshed one
quarter of the way through the dark
stretch of stream l had landed q score
or more of the biggest trout had ever
seen come from any brook-all OF them
of dark color with the crimson spots
almost as brilliant as sparks of FIRE.
my boat had drifted, aided by an
occasional movement of the paddle, in.
TO part Of the creek where the alder
borders were at least fifty feet apart.
This big pool grew very narrow at its
lower end, and hundred feet from Its
head. and there the thick alders inter-
locked their branches over and in the
water, and the creek disappeared from
view as completely as II it had been
swallowed up by the earth. On the
right side of this broad extent Of wafer
was one of the deer openings in the
thicket, and the soft dirt at the top Of
the creek showed by myriad tracks
that deer were frequent visitors there.
Just above that opening hemlock tree
reared it's big stem, some of the lower
branches on the upper side extending
several feet out over the water.
81 had drifted along beneath these
branches, and twenty feet below the
tree. There ] stood up In my boat TO
make a cast at the edge of bunch of
alders, some of whose limbs were
stretched out on the surface Of the
water. As threw my rod forward my
l.. L. -.