The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-28

Made Expert with Tackle and Gun by Life
in the Big Woods-A Before-Breakfast
Catch of Trout-How She Brought the
Maine Camp to the Sportsmen's Show.
IN. Y. SUM-
One of the handsomest, most popular,
and best managed camps at the Sports
mems Exposition in Madison Square
Garden, which closed en- Saturday, was
the Maine camp, in charge of Miss Cor
nelia T.. Crosby, the noted fly fishing AK
pert. "Flyrod Crosby" is the name that
she goes by from one end of Maine TO the
other, and every guide in the State calls
her "Miss Flyrod." Many guides do not
know that she has any other name. She
brought seven of her favorites with her
to help boom the fishing and hunting
interests of their nativs State, and they
all had fine time and furnished enter
tainment for great many persons dur
ing the week.
''Why, Miss Flyrod's the biggest half
of this show, and she's big boom for
the State of Maine, too,'' said Ed Grant,
one of the guides, and he spoke double
truth.
ooh, Pm inEmy element here talking
to all these people about the delights of
fishing and hunting" said the young
woman herself, as she slipped away from
the.people who were constantly claiming
her time and attention, to have quiet
talk with visitor. "No, I'll take that
back, on second thought, Pm in my
real element only when I'm in the forests
of Maine, wandering up and down by
some lake or mountain stream. How
long have been SO crazy over hunting
and fishing? Oh, only two or three
years, but I've always loved the woods
and the water, and learned.to manage
boat SO young that I don't remember
the time when I couldn't.
II was born at Phillips, near the
Rangeley Lakes. under the shadow of old
Mount Blue. Several years ago my health
failed, and the physicians said that if
did not give up my position in the bank
where was working and go out into the
open air, that would die. I knew that
was perfectly true for inherited con-
sumption, and all of my family had died
of it, except my mother and myself.
''Well I went up to the Rangeleys,
where was accustomed to spend my
vacations, and some one gave ME an ele-
CANT four and a. half-ounce fly rod.
Women didn't fish with fly rods in those
days, and when met with such success
in handling mine was simply carried
away with the sport and have been ever
since. began to write for various
papers. signing myself Flyrod, and now
everybody calls me that.
"For two years I've literally taken to
the woods. Starting out the 1st of May,
of November, as fancy leads me. Some
times go with friends sometimes alone.
and really do n1t much care whether
have any one with me or not, for its the
sport that am after. After staying at
place until get tired, take my rifle
and tramp to the next camp, the distane
often being twelve or fifteen miles, but
l make that in morning with little
fatigue. or get into my boat and make
the trip by water.
eff person knows how to fish, when
to fish, and where to fish, hunting is
tame in comparison, though that is good
port. too. We hear a great deal about
the oou ntry boy who with Irvine string
for line. an old nail for a sinker, and
bent pin for a hook can land more trout
than those who have the proper tackle
do not believe any such fish story, and
take great pride in owning six fine fly
rods. My favorite is a dainty one which
weighs only 8 IA ounces. 1t is made in
six sections, and each section of as many
pieces of split bamboo. This rod was
presented to me by party Of ladies from
Washington last season, and cost S1C0.
use very small hooks and delicats tackle,
and prefer the Burtis fly to any other.
There is nothing in which the money for
value received is better invested than in
good tackle. Why, 1 know many an an
gler who brings to the Rangeleys each
season from one to three thousand dollars
worth of tackle, and have noticed that
they are the ones who know how to fish,
and catch the fish, too.
81 don't fish for anything except
square tailed, speckled trout, and land
locked salmon, and I know that I've
taken more trout on the fly than any
other woman in the world. don't think
anything of taking from fifty to hun
dred in morning, but the best catch
ever made was ffty-two in forty -four
minutes in the Rangeleys. One Of the
most enjoyable times l ever had in my
life was at Tim Pond In the Dead River
region. One evening about dark last
August I walked into one of Julian
Viles's camps. situated on this, the most
beautiful sheet of water In all Maine. !
had walked over ten miles from another
camp, anu was pretty tired, but the next
morning at O'Clock was up.
Where are you going, Fyrod?' asked
Mr.. Viles.
&c 'Oh, thought I'd go out and take a