The Indianapolis journal., 1895-08-18
BROOK TROUT FEVER
NOW RAvAGEs of A SINGULAR SUM
MER AILMENT ARE STAYED.
Fi.hing for "Speckled Beauties I'm
the wiids Of Michigan and for
Treut in a wurtemberg Brook.

che hotel a few evenings ago / heard a
sulde and newly arrived tourist discuss
ing brooks and speckled trout The tourist
had a bad case Of trout fever. He is af-
nicted with the disease every year. he said.
and the only ameliorative is trip TO the
wilds OF Michigan. seven or eight hundred
miles from his home.
There is no cure for trout fever If the
disease once enters the system it's bacfIIi
stay there for life. The germs may be-
come encysted and remain dormant for
years but the mere sight of a trout or pic
ture OF one is sufficient to cause the disease
10 break out with consuming force 1t is
aggravated by the heat of summer and
reaches its worst stage about vacation
time, when the fevered temperature OF the
victim crawIs up 10 the danger mark 1t
Is then the wise doctor tells his patient he
can do no more and turns the case over TO
nature. The case at once purchases a
railway OF steamship ticket and is soon
speeding toward the cedars. pines and bal
sam frs that shade the trout-stocked.
spring-fed brooks.
As 1 passed the guide and trout-fevered
tourist the second time in my stroll the
former was telling the latter about the big
beauties to be caught in stream about
by sail boat. Now. knew this guide Like
all guides at fishing resorts. he had the
dollar mania His services were sels-valued
at s. a day with row boat and SO with
saiboat. He had promised TO take me
where / could lure a mighty muskalonge
from the depths of the channel connecting
the island waters with Lake Huron. did
not get the fish. and that evening, as I
paid him his unearned wage, he consolingly
remarked that he thought il was too early
in the season for muskalonge to bite, but
he was sure 1 could get any number If 1
came back in September. So when this
guide stopped me in my walk and asked
If 1 would go with party to the out-of-
the-way trout stream, hesitated before re-
plying. The expense for a three-day trip
would be about $50 This would inclule
boat, tent. guide. cook, provisions and
drinkabies. The party was TO be limited
to four, making the cost $3.50 for each
member-not much. the guide said, If hotel
bills in the meantime were deducted. My
vacation was nearing an end, and as had
heard OF brooks near by 1 finally declined
TO go with the party. Three days later
the trous-fever victim, three others and
tie guide returned with just five and half
pounds Of trout-pot a profitable showing
in either sport or fish for an outlay Of $50,
but fair exhibit if experience has mon
ey value. This incident is related merely 10
show that guides don't always fulfill their
promises and that the allaying of trout
fever is sometimes an expensive job.
A SPECIMEN TROUT BROOK
Many Indians daily make the rounds of
me hotels. clubhouses and camps located
on and about Les Cheneaux islands. They
hoal alxafG ha
made out of Eastwood. dyed in all shades.
Some of the Indians act as guides and all
know every traA in the woods. All paths
are called trails here. BY questioning
some OF the Indians 1 learned there were
ssreral trout. streams within five TO eight
miles of the hotel. Few people visited the
nearest. they said. because 1t was small
and had been fished to death few years
aeo- The trail TO it led through the dense
woods at the rear OF the hotel. and the
brook could be found easily, so
determined to fish as much
Of IL as possible. My case OF trout teVer
nv this time had developed to an acute
stage Thirty years ago, when schooi-
how had lured the 1ordly brooklings from
a stream near my home. and rememorahce
of the sport of those days has ever Deeh
fresh So when L knew trout were "ltnln
reach | lost no time IN preparing 70 oa'oh
them .,-,
The Row and a couple of ambitious TOUR
isTs from Pfttsbursy wanted to take part in
the snort. We took the tip OF our ry-cast-
tng rods and attached six-foot leaders TO
them cut the wings off some Imitation
flies laid in a stock of angle worms, anu
were ready Next morning. after drawing
on long rubber boots. we started oue' An0
trail was narrow. but fairly free from oo-
structions. and we reached the brook a1ter
an bopr and a half OF walking. Then the
real work began. The brook was small IN
deed and almost completely nioueh Dy h'e
cedars and frs and by fallen trees. Inc
weather was warm and suiIry. No'
breath of air was stirring IN the oehse'
dark woods. and the mosquitoes "ele %
numerous as sandhies on a warm spring
o,-oning We decided 10 fish up stream.
The Row and / took one side and the Pitts
burgers the other. Artificial flies could not
he cast in the brook TO advantage. and the
trout did not rise 10 them with the avlolty
expected. so we baited with worms. dere
/ nause 10 remark that / once belonged 10
a hv-casting club that did not permit It's
members TO use any other lure than the
av ! had come prepared to keep nay oD-
iigatson. and had tied two flies on my lead
er. but at the second cast nung oo'h ieao-
er and flies in the limbs of balsam nr.
The flies remained there. and in disgust L
fell back on angle worms. Taking ny
which had been robbed of its wings ueu
II 10 the leader and covered the exposed
part of the hook with despised worm.
Then l stealthily crawled to the bank OF
the brook and dropped the hook into dark
hole between two logs
THE FIRST TROUT.
Ouiclx as the hook touched the water there
was a swirl. and then a sharp jerk that
almost pulled the short rod out OF my hand.
Then I realized there was trout on my
hook. II had taken the bait as soon as II
saw IL. and had darted away like nash.
pulling the six feet OF leader and a part OF
the rod after Ii. Not a moment was 10 De
lost. for limbs and roots OF trees were
thick in the water. pulled. and the trout
started back as fast as 1t went but wnen
IL reached the open space between the iogs
/ ierked IL out with such force that II land
ed four or five feet above me on the orancn
OF a tree. 1t is needless 10 say that was
excited. It was my first trout IN thirty
years. and. though it was only eight incnes
long. IL was a ..speckled beauty" as writ
ers for sporting papers call the dainty den-
tzans 90 the hrook / admired the Deauti-