Year: 1875

SIR: Your correspondent lett Washington
short time since and travelled ss rapidly a. steam
Would allow towards the good old Pine Tree
State" and is now ruraliring in dead earnest
among the hills and mountains in the vicinity OF
Union river. To one shut up for eleven months
Of the year in close, iiIyentilated, dusty ONCE,
the transition to q cool, fresh, mountain farm
house, within sight Of snow-capped hills, WITHIN
the caring Of gurgling trout-brooks, and thrown
tght into an atmosphere Of health and vigor II
SELF is to say the least delightful and gratifying
In the extreme. I do not think ever felt happier
IN my life than when the old maiiiooach landed
me one afternoon at the door Of tho Archer farm.
house, on the east side of Peaked mountain, and
when I bundled out with all my traps, consisting
of very small satchel, an immense hsh-basket,a
trout rod snd pair of rubber boots, and stood
there on the hillside looking down INTO tne pfoaa
valley hundreds of feet below me, and the
pure, wholesome air, laden with the


FEnPrME OF IHE BALsAN
and tbe7ir. How my heart leaped for joy at the
thoughts Of the morrows sport! HOW coraiay N.Y.
shook hands with all the folks, and kissed little
a tumble and roll with Win, and boxed and shook
up old Bose till he howled for mercy! how l
chased the gobblers about and patted tae ms,e, ~.
very exuberance and overhowing Of my spirits!
How stirred around ami got things sll hxed for
to see that my flies were all right and joints Of my
rod perfect


What is there that can compare to country
dinner How mealy the potatoes always are; now
fresh and juicy the lamb and peas; what delight
fuI brown the baked beans always have; now rlcn
the pork; how mellow the corn-oresd, sna, onr on-
withered things that have lain In the market Io5
weeks, and none of your watery milk, arsggee
fresh from the field the very door-yard, in fact,
and cream right from old brindle, Just up HUN
the rich meadows. .
the law and one in


THE HAPPIRsT FRAMR OF MIND


imaginable. living in anticipation of some glorious
epoch, are very much alike, for neither can sleep
the night before the great event. found TINS 70
be SO In my case, and lay that night for hours,
the thoughts Of trout.fishing driving slumoer
away from my eyeids. At last, far into the night,
a big salmon / had hooked, and was about land
ing MIN, when George shook me smartly by the
shoulder and said: ''Come, come, get up! IT'S
not need to be told this q second time. l think
four minutes and half win amply cover the time
occupied in making my toilet, and In hVe minutes
ing air, and started down the mountain side for
the trout stream with rods over our shoulders and
baskets BY our sides. rapid Walk 81 I'VE Tnes, Wss
brook, which runs into the west branch OF Union
river, and here We adjusted our flies and COM
passing that there are other kinds Of flies that you
meet with in


TRoUT-FIsHING


not quite so desirable as trout flies. refer OF
course to black flies and mosquitoes. At this
and unless some means are taken to protect your
self from their attacks fishing is simply tmpossi-
bic. They will swarm around you by the million,
and fairly cover your hands and face, and even
stick their bills through your clothes: The mus
quitoes are very large, vigorous and healthy this
sea son, and l might throw in the saying that
many Of them will weish q pound This bright
observation has been inflicted on me every season
since came into existence, and mean to pay


Fortunately there is a remedy for this evil in
an article composed OF sweet oil and the Oil Of
pennyroyal, sold at any country store uRder the
pleasing appellation of "Sportsman's Comforter"
There is also another remedy, equally as good,
composed Of sweet oil and some preparation OF
tar, called "Soccabasin's Swarron," said to be
name, one Of the remaining few Of


THE OLD PENoBscoT TRIBE.


BY Supplying either of these compounds literally
TO the hands and face few times during the day,
one need have no apprehension Of trouble from
said, we adjusted our flies and commenced fishing.
At the first two or three throws got nothing,
but on casting my hackls alongside Of an old log
q sudden whirl and splash that nearly startled
me out Of my boots, and my bait was seized and
IncS he en- 1Ss seHs
line tightened suddenly, and up out Of the water,
ten yards away, leaped handsome half pound
around, In vain he came to the surface and
Eplashed and wriggled and fumed. My line was
q stout silk one, and hook securely snooded. No
getting away from that rigging. In few mo-
nents had him reeled In and deposited In the
bottom Of my basket on the dsmpened grass.


person p1eeeustOmed to trOuting may go the


Aeoop BROOK


ard get few or none, while one used to the sport
aTd acquainted with the habits of the fish can ]
capture many Of them. Who would ever think Of
his hook in among lot Of old bush and
inches Of water is visible? But try It carefully.
and If you do not bring out q trout-and good
one, too-then know nothing Of their habits.
pies where the water is only an inch or two deep.
and running like a sluiceway over rocks and pep-
bles? Try It, and If you understand handling fish
against current, you may land big one. Who
would think Of allowing his fly to float down the
current side OF the bank and disappea- with three
four feet Of your line under the projecting roots
of some old stump? Try 1t, and II you are skill
ful in dragging the fish out, you may get your
biggest one right there. More than once have
. great racket in picking out all Of tie big holes
anu cc"rne out at night with nothing but q sickly
little string c:


uNrER SIZED FIsB.


An experienced hand will follow right after such
q one and fill his basket by noon. Soon after
catching the halfpound trout as described, cast
in'o the current where the water was running at
terrific rate so that my fly finally danced on the
surface, and in an instant, seemingly before the
hook had struck, savage fellow seized 1t aud
slot down the rapids like fash. By quick
loosened the reel, and twenty feet
Of ny line spun out like thread from bobbIn. My
captive this time proved to be one Of the
largest brook trout ] ever caught, and had
some little difficulty in reeling him in, SO madly
and furiously did he struggle for liberty. Thus
taking out trout here and there, and by eleven
O'Clock We arrived at the west branch or Union
river. Here at the mouth Of the brook we found
q deep wide hole. and commenced casting our
flies, but could bring nothing out After whip-
ping tho place for q while i attached a small
cork float to my line about five feet above the
Look, resled of some fifteen yards, and then


LAUNCHED THE TACKLE
out into the Fiddle Of the stream. Tho float had
nsrdly settled into position when it suddenly
disappeared beneath the surface, and my line
commenced to tighten. As struck the hsh my
pole bent beyond its depth, so to speak, and snap
It went went short Of at the upper joint: Quickly as
throwing the broken reed behind me, and started
to drsg my victim in, when found that I had
brook trout this time. Twenty.five thirty, torty.
five, fifty feet more Of my line few of the reel,
till my fingers fairly burned. l got terribly ex-
walked into the water up to my middle. Now
making for the shore. Now the line tightens~off
surface and darts up into the air twice his
length. What beauty! Oh, If can only se-
cure him, what triumph twill be! George
alone or not at all. Now, the fish shoots up
river, and


GIVE HIM LINE;


now be rises again, leaps into the air and shakes
bimself as If to free the hook Suddenly he turns
for the mouth Of the brook and runs IN like an ar
row, and 1t requires my utmost exerttons to take
in the slack line. Farther and farther up the
brook he runs, and follow after in great excite.
ment, till at last, BY rapid and even pull, land
my victim, quivering and dancing, on the sand, q
shining, glfstening, three-pound salmon trout.
Words cannot express the joy and pride / felt At
that moment. Such trout had never caught
before. My most extrayagant dreams Of trout
fishing had never pictured anything so fine and
large as this. spliced my broken rod, and tried
the place again, but caught only few small ones.
An hour from that time my big captive was laid
packed in sweet meadow grass, ready to be sent