The American Fly Fisher - American Museum of Fly Fishing · as examplcs of professional skill. One of the panels was ex- hibited fir over a year at the Amon Carter Art Museum in Texas

The American Fly Fisher

CELEBRATING THE BICENTENNIAL

A Precious Heritage

'I'lic ~i iany progrn~iiscof the A~ncrican Kcvoli~tion K i - ccntenni;~l Conlmission iriclutlc the recognition of the cultural dcvclopment of the American people. For the Ameri- can fly fisher this Illcans a looking Ixtckwards to \\,hat fly fishing h:~s contributed to our pursuit of happiness. It's not strange this o1)jcctivc is a priniary reason for the founding o f o i ~ r Muscr~m for without rccrcation, lifc would be a series of Inonototlous i~icitlcnts and a dctcriorating of m e n t ~ l health. Our cduc;itive tlircctions and our sccking to preserve

the memorabilia of a way to happinesz is important and should he recognized for its true value.

The cultural enrichment contrihutcd by anglers is ex- preswd in a very tangible way by the prewrvation of our own traditional life quality and the preservation of the arti- facts which are an integral part of fly fishing. Becoming a niember of the Museuni helps assure a continuance of our ol>jectives. Please refer to page 24 for information as to how t o become a participant.

This panel display o f trout, salmon and bass flies is ~ n - dozihtcdly one o f the highlights o f t h e Musc!umls collection. Designed b y Charles I:. Orvis for World's /:airs and Inte?- national Exhibits, it displays jblio and quarto browntone photos of fishing places and peo j~ le b y the fbremost photo- graphers o f the 1890's. T h e flic!s wcrc tied b y Mary Orvis Marhzlr,y. Still lzlstrous and beautiful, t h e y are unequalled as examplcs of professional skill. One of the panels was e x - hibited f i r over a year at the A m o n Carter Ar t Museum in Texas. 1;unds arc needed for i ts special care and prescrva- t ion.

Ilonbr: T h e Orvis Company , Inc.

i PI- 1 /

Charles Murphy is credited w i t h being t h e first t o make a practical split bamboo f(y rod, about 1863. A s a custom- malrcr of j'inef1.y rods, he never received the crcdit d14e h i m f i r t h e many technical innovations he brought t o the trade whichalmost imnwdiatc1.y capitalized on hisgeniws. Murph.?, rods ure cxcecding1.y rure. 7'I~is orrc is in revzal.lzably f i~zc condition. O n permanent displa-y at Manchcster it will he '7 source for rc~.vcr;rch b y t h e Museum stajy:

D o m r : William M. Wright, 111

~ h c American Ply Fisher I'ul)lislicd by 'I'hc Museuni of American Ply Fishing

for the plcasurc of thc mcmbcrship.

WINTER 1975 Vol. 2., No. 1

ADVISORY ROAKD

Kcnncth Gqmcron Kockport, Mass.

Arnold <;ingricli New Yorlc, N. Y.

Dr. Alvin Grove Statc Collcgc, 1%.

Ihirtl llall Ilytlc P:trl<, Vt.

John 1'. Orrcllc Shcrwood, Orcgon

Leigh I-I. Pcrlciris M;tnchcstcr, Vt.

Stcvc liaymond Scattlc, Washington

Mrs. Anne Sccor Arlington, Vt.

Ilonald Zahncr Dorsct, Vt.

Austin S. 1-lopln Cambridge, Mass. Rcscarcli & Liason

'I'AHLli 0 1 ' CONTIIN'TS AIITICLES

'I'hc Ilistoric Anicrican Grayling by Austin S. Ilog;~n p. 3

lily I;isliing on the Manistcc and 'I'rolling on I'ortagc Lalcc I)y 'l'1i;~ddcirs Norris p. 6

Alllong tlic Fisli of the Rocky Mountains by William C . Ilarris P. 9

'I'111< TOTAL EXI~EIIII<NCE L ~ d i c s in Carnp p. 1 0

'1.1-IE MARKET PLACE Tlic American Editor and the Complete Angler

by David Ledlic p. 1 4 MUSRUM AFI'AIKS

New Acqrrisitions by Kenneth Cameron 1). 17

'I'IICI-INOLOGY 'I'hc Motlcl Fishing 1Iod ant1 Line 1). 19 Letters to the Editors p. 20

IIHGIONAL MIS'l'OKY 'I'lic Most Killing Ply p. 22

Thc Ilistoric Post Card 1). 2 3

MEMRERSI111' INFORMATION p. 2 4

'TlIll AMEIIICAN FLY I ~ I S l l l ~ K , the magazine of 1'1117 MUSEUM O F AMERICAN FLY IiISIIIN(;, is pub- lishcd quarterly by tlie MUSliUM a t M:~nclicstcr, Vcrmont 05254. Subscription is frcc with payment of mcnil~crsliip ducs. All corrcspondcncc, Icttcrs, manuscripts, p h o t o p ~ p l i s and materials should I)c forwartlctl care o f thc Cirrator. Tlic MUSI'UM and MAGAZINE arc not rcsponsil)lc for unsolicitctl ~nanuscripts, draw- ings, photographs, materials or ~iiemorabilia. l'hc Muscnni cannot acccpt responsibility for statcmcnts iintl iritcrprctations which arc wholly the arrthor's. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be rctilrnctl unless postilgc is provided. Contributions to TI-IE AMERICAN FLY PISII17R arc to be considered gratuitous and 1)cconic thc property of tlic MIISCLII~~ i ~ r i l c ~ ~ o t h c r w i ~ c rcqllcstcd by thc contributor. I'i~blication d i~ tcs arc Janu:vy, April, July and0ctol)er . Application to mail i ~ t Sccond Class I'ostitgc liatcs is pcnding at Manclicstcr, Vcrniont.

@ Copyright 1975, '1'111 AMElIlCAN FLY I;ISllER, Manchcstcr, Vermont 05254. Original rnatcrial :~p- 1)c;tring niay no t I)c reprinted without prior permission.

CKlr1)l'I'S: Muscun~ photos by Kenneth M. C;~riicron. 1)rawings by Ailstin S. Ilogan, C~rr;itor. I'rinting I)y 'l'honipson, Iric., Manclicstcr Ccntcr, Vcrrnont.

THE FISHERMAN Boutelle was born in Troy, New York suggesting a familiarity with the trout streams (1876) of Vermont and upstate New York. His oils (this one is 50" x 40") were exhibited

by in major exhibitions in Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. He was an De Witt Clinton Boutelle Assistant Professor in the National Academy of the Arts in 1851. Paintingin the

1820 - 1884 collection of Bernard & S. Dean Levy, Inc., New York Photo courtesy of the Galley.

The Historic American Grayling

To most American sportsmen, the grayling is a fish they will never see. They know of it only in the ancient literature and the nostalgic stories of an earlier time. Famed for its beauty, it's a small fish, still flourishing in the Arctic but still not a game to sportsmen who would rather expend their dollars on a fish more exciting and more in what they consider the trophy class.

Originally, the North American gray- lingswere separated into three classifica- tions, Thymallus Signifer (Arctic), Thy- mallus Signifer Tricolor (Michigan), and Thymallus Montanus (Montana). It was found, however, that the latter two are the same. The Michigan grayling is now virtually extinct in its original waters, but the Montana fish breeds sufficiently in the wild to maintain an identity and is used for artificial propagation. It has been stocked in a number of states and British Columbia. The very particular environment required governs whether or not the stocking will be successful.

The grayling has a long history as a delectable dish in Europe where it is common to most of the countries with clear, cold streams. The several historic names . . . graveling,grayling and Umber were often quite confusing to sportsmen who knew only their regional species. Is- aac Walton writing in the 17th century noted that on the continent, the Umber and the grayling were considered different fishes but he believed them the same in England. He also wrote that the French called the Umber of Lake Le- man, Un Umble Chevalier and that they valued the Umber or grayling so highly they say "he feeds on gold; and that many have been caught from their famous River Loire, out of whose bellies grains of gold have been taken." The name Umber it was thought came from its gliding out of sight like a ghost and that it fed on water thyme and smelled of it when first taken out of the water. St. Ambrose of Milan named the grayling, the Flower of Fishes.

Walton was apparently familiar with its habits and response to an artificial, recommending a fly "made from the red feather of the Parakita,a strange outland- ish bird; and it will also rise at a fly not unlike a gnat or small moth, being much bolder than the trout and rising twenty

by AUSTIN S. HOGAN

times to a fly." The tender and small mouth made the grayling difficult to hook,"oftener lost than any other fish."

British angling literature offcrs a large number of books about the grayling and it seems to have been quite acceptable as a game fish worthy of the fisherman's attention. What is particularly strange concerning the history of the American grayling is that the lore and romance sur- rounding the European fish never crossed the Atlantic. Little attention was given to its original discovery by naturalists by early American sportsmen and when eventually it did receive some publicity in Michigan during the early 1870's, the sportsmen and others stepped right out to slaughter the fish as quickly as possible. By 1890, few were left in that state. The first mentions of the grayling in America was made by Alexander Mac- Kenzie, the Canadian explorer (1796), John S. Franklin (1819), and the first taken on the fly by the British natural- ist Richardson who gave this short account in his Fauna Boreali Americana - "in the autumn of 1820 we obtained many grayling by angling in a rapid of the Winter River, opposite Fort Enter- prise. The sport was excellent, for the grayling generally springs entirely out of the water when first hooked, and tugs strongly at the line, requiring as much dexterity to land it safely as it would to secure a trout six times its size." Dr. Richardson further commented he had named it Thymallus Signifer or Back's Grayling, The Standard Bearer. '"The Esquimaux title, Hewlock Powak, al- ludes to its magnificent dorsal; it was in reference to thissame feature I bestowed upon it the name of Standard Bearer (Signifer) intending also to advert the rank of my companion Capt. Hack, then a midshipman, who took the first speci- men we szzw with an artificial fly."

First mention and possible discovery in the United States was in Montana by John K. Townsend, a British born mem- ber of the American Academy of Natur- al Sciences, who wrote in his "Narrative of a Journey Across the Rockie Mount- ains" that June 30th, 1834 they caught grayling in the Green River where they camped. The fish was also found in the Siskadee and Hear Kivcrs. Prof. E. D. Cope identified the Michigan grayling in

1860. Undoubtedly natives of Michigan,

from pioneer settlement, were familiar with the grayling, particularly so because of the absence of trout where grayling were present. Dr. J . C. Parker, Grand Rapids, presenting a paper,"Brook Trout in the Lower Peninsula" before a Michi- gan sportsman's association in 1882 flat- ly stated there were no brook trout in the Lower Peninsula "twenty-five years ago" and the " t r o ~ t " of the hunters and trappers were grayling. This fish was known as "Michigan" trout, the true brook trout not a-ppearing until about 1880. It was also noted that where brook trout were becoming known the grayling was beginning to diszppenr.

The simple fact that grayling could be caught in Michigan briefly captured the imagination of the fishing public with an attendant interest in who actually were its discoverers. It wasn't until 188k however, that the full story was presented to the public by "Wildwood's Maga- zine." R e d E. Pond, the editor, in its first issue, initiated a series of articles entitled, "Our Game Fish and Fishing," the first, "The Grayling" by "Norman," gave a short history:

"The first introduction of the grayling to American anglers has been claimed to belong to Mr. D. H. Fitzhugh and a party of gentlemen anglers from Ray City, Michigan who sent specimens of the fish to the Forest & Stream office in 1871. As before stated, Professor Cope found specimens of the grayling in collections of several educational institutions of Michigan in 1864, '65, naming it Thy- mallus Tricolor.

"The claim ought to be conceded to Mr. Edward Martin, R. R. Clarke (a Chi- cago pine and land capitalist),and Dr. E. E. K. Carpenter. Mr. Clarke was interested in timber lands on the Jordan River, known as being in the Grand Traverse region and often spent months up there. -They camped on the Jordan just below what is known now as ~ c e r - c r e e k . Dr. Carpenter, as was his custom was up with the sun, taking a line and cutting a switch from the .undergrowth, he was soon fishing for the breakfast of the company. ~t the creek he put on a grass- hopper and was soon pulling in a mess of 'Particular looking trout' - fish whose

name a t that time were unknown t o him. Taking them up to the tent, Dr. Carpen- ter and Mr. Clarke began dressing them, ready for cooking, and Judge Martin, sticking his head ou t of the tent exclaimed, 'Where did you get the grayling?, Scotch grayling-.' After an argument, Mr. Martin who had some angling books with him compared the Amcrican fish with a n illustration and description of the English fish, counting fin rays and noting the resemblance. This was in the summer of 1862."

"Hcfore me lies a letter from Mr. L. D. Hoard of Ogdensburg, N. Y., a former Chicagoan who says there are now five witnesses now living who can testify that specimens of grayling were sent t o Thad Norris of Philadelphia for classifi- cation; the first by the Hon. J . V. Le- Moyne and L. D. Hoard in 1864. This reached him in such a decayed condition as t o be useless, the second in 1865. Carefully packed they reached him in good condition and were turned over t o Prof. Meycrs who classified them.

"Dr. M. L. Leach of Traverse City, Michigan says: 'David L. Parish settled a t thc mouth of the Jordan in 1862. At that timc a Methodist itinerant named Amos Williams was living there and the Jordan was full of grayling, and bu t few trout caught, the proportion being about twenty-five grayling t o one trout.' Dick Cooper, mine host of the Fountain City House, Dr. Leach and his brother, I-Ion. J . M. Leach, caught grayling in Pine Riv- er in 1863 and found abundance of them while brook or speckled t rout as every- body called them were a rare fish. Pine River a t that time was full of snags and stumps but a rapid stream. With the clearing and deepening of the river, the grayling disappeared.

"According to Fred Mather, Daniel H. Fitzhugh was credited with being the discoverer of the grayling in Michigan waters, but this he properly disclaimed: he merely sent some species t o New York City, where they were the subject of a hot debate among the English anglers and epicures who frequented Suther- land's Cafe, where the fish were shown and served in 1872. He wrote to a New York journal that Dr. J . C. Parker, of Grand Rapids, Michigan had classified

the'fish some five years before in a letter to the late Prof. E. D. Cope of Phila- delphia, t o whom he sent specimens and correctly diagnosed them as true grayling."

Fred Mather, a fish culturist with a hatchery a t Honeoyc Falls, N. Y. was the first t o at tempt the artificial breed- ing of the grayling. At the invitation of Dan H. Fitzhugh, Mather went t o the Au Sable with Fitzhugh, Fitzhugh's nephew and the famous guide Leonard Jewel. Canoes and scows with fish-wells were put in the upper reaches March 28, 1 8 7 4 in a snow storm. No eggs were secured but by April 3, 1874, Mather had obtained 200 live fish for his ponds. An account of this journey appeared in For- est & Stream, Vol. 2 , No. 11, April 23, 1874. May 2 1,1874, he reported through Field & Stream that the grayling had not spawned in his ponds and were developing a fungus.

In spite of freezing weather icing the lines, Mather and party used artificial flies t o capture the fish. Patterns: brown hackle, stone wing with yellow body, scarlet ibis.

Forest & Stream, May 14th, 1874 reported Seth Green, N. Y. State fish culturist, had departed for Michigan t o gath- er grayling eggs. Green always got a good press and "'l'he American Angler" commented that "Fishbreeders, fishcatchers and fisheaters will be interested in know- ing that a substitute for brook t rout have been found. It is the grayling. Psicultur- ists have wished that it could be transferred from Europe and now comes the discovcry it is already here. I t is similar in all respects to the t rout but morc hardy, is identical t o the English grayling and abundant in the Au Sable and other streamsof Michigan. Seth Green has taken the matter in hand and will soon pro- ceed t o experiment with the Au Sable grayling."

Mather commenting in his "Angling Friends," wrote, "at the end of my first grayling trip a fine lot of Thymallus were swimming in my trout ponds. Seth Green had declined Fitzhugh's invitation to get eggs, bu t when a rival brought the fish so near him, came and looked mine over, found they had not spawned, and the next day started for the Au Sable. He

was too late, the fish had spawned bu t he dug some 200 eggs from the gravcl, took them t o his partner Mr. Collins, who hatched the first grayling eggs in a trough in America; but none raised from the& eggs."

In 187 5, Mather did obtain eggs near Grayling, Michigan. Rigging a jack light he discovcred the grayling were night spawners in April. This was reported by 1:orest & Stream, May 13, 1875. The same year Fitzhugh prevailed upon the Michigan legislature to set an opening date for grayling after April 1.

Mather wrote several articles on the grayling for sporting magazines, once being censured by a Dr. Pratt who stated the grayling was an inferior fish and often thrown back by anglers "in disgust because it was an inferior fish."

Again he wrote "I have been on the Manistee three times this summer (with Fitzhugh) always with good success but not such as wc had a few days ago. Wc had t o work hardcr and it is morc satis- factory. The vandals have invaded our pleasant water with bait and all other devices to lure the gentle grayling. One party from Chicago took 5,000 from the Manistec this summer - fish from 1 0 07. upward - salted them, and then shippcd them home to count. Then they have dammed the river a t Grayling and arc going t o put dams on the Manistee next spring. I think I can see two more seas- ons of reasonable good fishing in those streams and then in my old age seek ncw fields." (1877). In 1879 Fitzhugh turned to t rout fishing.

The diwppraranrr of the grayling was reported by Emerson Hough in his 1;zcld & Stream column "Chicago and thc West" (1897); he wrote:

"It was interesting to hear our friends speak of the disappcarance of the grayling in all the above mentioned streams, (Haldwin Creek, Dannaher Creek, Forks of the Pere Marquette, Little Manatec, Pine River), in which it once swarmed. Mr. Mershon who knew every pool on the little Manatee, told me time and timc again of the wonderful catches of grayling he had made in that river. Mr. Brown spoke of when he and friend took 1 6 3 grayling in one day's fishing. In the old days the catches of grayling were meas-

T H E GRAYLING - Salmo Thymallus - LINNEAUS

DANIEL H. FITZHUGH (1826 - 1896)

In spite of all his efforts to protect the Michigan gra yling by legislative action, both the public and the law makers allowed the commercial and sporting interests complete freedom until the ultimate extinction o f the Michigan grayling.

ured by the bag, basket or bucket full. Yet it seems to have been not all together the fishing that destroyed the grayling. It is commonly supposed that the trout pushed them out of the streams to which they were formerly native. I ex- pressed the wish that I might have seen this country fifty years ago when it was a virgin wilderness; but Mr. Mershon told me I would have found no trout in the streams a t all that were inhabited by grayling. The trout is purely an artificial ~ r o d u c t in these south ~eninsula streams yet, Mr. Brown and other old-time fishermen think the grayling would have been destroyed even if the trout had never come into the waters. Every con- siderable stream is used for logging purposes and during the drive the bot-

tom is continually being torn and stirred up. The brook trout is a fall spawner and it deposits its eggs chiefly on rocky bot- toms where they are less apt to be dis- lodged by the shifting of the natural bottom. Upon the contrary, the grayling is a spring spawner and leaves its cggs upon the sandy bottom. When the spring drive of logs comes down a sandy bottomed stream, such as the grayling loves to frequent, the whole bottom is torn up and shifted so the eggs are destroyed."

The history of the Montana grayling is much more obscure than that of the Michigan grayling. Apparently its geo- graphical location helped keep a thund- cring horde of sportsmen from depleting the western waters in such a short time span and the disinterest of editors of

BACK'S GRAYLING

The Arctic Grayling

sporting magazines who printed so few articles about the fishing, suggest the grayling more of a ghost than a game fish. An 1885 report notes the deplction of the grayling by commercial netting, over 2,000 pounds of the delicate fish being taken from thc South Madison a t one haul. These werc taken to Ycllow- stone Park where they wcre sold to thc hotels and wide mouthed tourists who accepted them as trout.

Following are two accounts of grayling fishing, one by Thaddeus Norris to Forest & Stream and the other by Will- iam C. Harris publisher of the American A ngler.

'The North American grayling never seems to have had much of a chance in either Montana or Michigan.

Thymallus Signifer; Richardson, Cuvier - Hewlook-powak; Esquimaus -Poisson Bleu; Can. Voy.

Ply Fishing on the

Manistee and

Trolling

Portage Lake by

THADDEUS NORRIS

"Old man, I would rather have bccn with you on the Au Sable than hooking and landing big s ~ l m o n on the Littlc Mar- guerite, whcre we had iced champagne a t dinner and slcpt in a luxurious log housc." Thus wrote Dr. l im Wood. o f

had died ou t , he allowed business and other matters to interfere, forgctting the glorious maxim "pl?~sure bcforc business." I drew a long s ~ g h - had laid down his letter, informing mc of his diszppoint- ment, and was again a t my fly tying, whcn a young limb of the law came in, szt down by me, and with his wontcd familiarity, picked up Dr. Jim's letter and read it. He had nevcr killcd as much

tween the two last namcd cities. We spent a day and a half with Dan Fitx- hugh in llay City, and on the evening of the 12th of August arrived a t Crawford. Dan and I had conccivcd the Utopian idea of trolling and fly fishing Portage Lake for bass, maskinongc and lalrge Northern pickcrel for a fcw days, and then running down the outlet, which is one of thc sources of the Manistee, into

Poughkcepsic, after reading my account of running thc strcam just named; he wrote me also that all the animose of former days had died out . Killing big sdmon was only hard labor. We hat1 as a half crcel of trout on our closcly-

fished Pennsylvania streams; nor had I since I had taught him the art. "Unclc Thad," said he, "1 would give my forc- finger t o go with you. I'll givc up that cricket match." I nevcr had, as you know a 'belly full' of fly fishing in my life. "Done," I replied.

This boy Jay is not only a lineal dcs- cendant of John Jay, of lcgal cclehrity, but his Uncle Eusebius, now a pcaceful

the main stream, and coming ou t whcre the Indiana and Grand Kapids Railroad crosses it, and thence back t o Ray City with our boats by rail. - Vain mortals that wc were. We asccrtaincd from the best sources of information that a m c within our reach, that thc outlet was

both come t o such conclusion as early as the Summer of 2869, whcn we cxplorcd the Grand Cascapediac and killed only one fish undcr twenty-five and up to thirty-five pounds. (Writing this imdcr my own name, I can take my "affydavy" t o it.) Dr. J im said, "Let's go t o some river where there arc nice little twelve pounders." After such confession, I thought I would take compassion on Dr. Jim and ask him t o go with Dan Fitz- hugh and me, and run the Manistee this Summer, whcre the lazy superannuated salmon slayer could seat himself in the

small, with no more water after it lcft tlic lakc than would float a very lightly hdcncd boat, cven of Danicl's admirable modcl, and much obstructcd by 1)ruSh and fallen logs. So wc reluctantly aban- doned our progr.zmmc, and dctermincd t o fish the longer and largcr branch of thc Manistcc, thrcc milcs wcst of Portage Lake, and after a surfeit of grayling fishing t o cross thc lcvcl land 1)ctwccn with our boats on a wagon and fish the lakc.

A few words geographically as to this noble river. Thcrc is a strcam - also with

citizen of Westchcstcr, and an ancicnt chub fisher, was a renowned Jay-hawker in Missouri during thc war of the rebcl- lion and, of course, Jay has double right to the name. He had never camped ou t - the innoccnt child! We started for Ray City on the 9th of August by thc way of Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit, taking the comfortable night stccuncc bc-

bow of a fairly little boat, ncver rising from his seat, and kill pretty grayling to his hcart's content. Hc jumpcd a t my invitation, mid "coi~nt me in - b o o k mc for the trip." When July came tlic spirit

niitny sources - flowing fro111 the south- c:tst ;incl uniting witli the main rivcr, antl which is callctl tlic Little Manistcc. A gooti Inap of tlic State shows four br:tnch- cs of the lilrgcr strcaln flowing fro111 tlic nortli; tlic sources generally rising in laltcs. 'l'lic most easterly rises in Portage illid flowing sonic twelve or f iftcen miles unites witli that irnnicdiiltcly west, which is a rivcr twice as long antl niuch larger, ; ~ n d rising mrlcli futther nortli. Wcst of this longer srrcarn antl flowing ncarly p:~ri~llcl is ;I rivcr with ;I morc soutlicrly Iic;~d ;rnd so~ncwliat longer than that flowing from I'ortage 1,;tltc. 'l'hc most westerly of the four is cvcn longer antl, ;IS I 1i;lvc heard, 1:trgcr tlii~n any of tlic thrcc alrcatly ~ncritionctl. All of tlicsc 1)r:lncIics al)ound in gr;~yling - most of the watcr being rnaidcn t o tlic angler. It is the secontl 1)rancli allutled to tliilt Mr. I). 11. liitxli~rgli, Jr . , cxplorcd by making two trips cilrlicr in tlic sunlmcr, onc o f tlicnl in co1np;lny witli liis fatlicr, Mr. D. I I. I~itzliugli, senior ;In oltl s l>ortsn~i~n, now in his riintli tlcc;~dc, and still lii~lc ; ~ n d full of the :lrtlor of f o r ~ n c r years. 'I'liere is a sort of ;I ro;~d to this br:tnch, wliicli is seven or eight ~ni lcs distnnt from Crswford, :111iiost levcl, ovcr s;rndy, I~nrrcn plains, iincl through sparsc til t~bcr with littlc or no undergrowth. Dan's first c;unp wits north of' the p;~r;illcl of Port- ilgc I ~ k c , his sccond just opposite, and his tliirtl south. In tlic tlircc trips inclod- ing tlic last, in which Jay :~ntl I accomp- :lriicd him, lie lias fislicd at)out twclvc niilcs of tlic river. Just opposite tlie mid- dlc of thc wcst shorc of I'ortage Lakc, a man by tllc name of Rabbit, whosc home is a t Crawfortl, (or Grayling, as it is now called) lias cstablislicd it c:tnip for tlic purpose of catching grayling witli hook antl line and sending t l i cn~ to tlic I k ~ y City and Dctroit ~n i~rkc t s . It is illcgal to spcar or takc t h a n with nets.

It was to Ra1)hit's camp o n thc morning of the 13th that we made our way witli a two horsc wagon loatlcd with our tcnts, provisions, ctc. Dan and I riding or walking, as fatigue or a wish to strctcli our legs prompted us. My yorrng fricnd Jay scorning the intlr~lgcncc which wc found so convcnicnt, f'ootcd it all thc way. Wc found a t Habhit's Chlnpt it large Norway pine trec on tlic I)anlc of the rivcr, one sidc of wliicli issniootlily liewn for a foot or so, ; ~ n d tlic figures 1840 still plainly Icgible on the snrfacc.

Note: f l would bcrc, s1r.y that anglcrs or huntc~rs wishing to sccr~rc good mc.11 fi)r the river or J i~rc~s t , I[y addressing I.. 1'. l iomsdell , or .I. I:. I<ubbit, ur Gn~.yling, (:rilwford Corrlit.~, Micb. can d o so. Notb of t h r m havc boots ujtcrr Mr. I~itzhrrgh's modr.1, and o i ~ , or b o t h , (Rabbit being morc ~encml1.y at hon7c) arc rruri-y t o go w i t h t h e m , if eiigogcd a wcek or so prc7v- io us t o sturting.

It had I~ccn an old landmark of carly srlr- vcyors and tlic figurcs wcrc ncatly c l ~ t with onc of thci; instrumcnts. It wits from this plcasant camping place that they niitde tlic "czlrry " to I3ort;1gc l a k e , which is aborlt four ~ni lcs lone. 21ntl from ", thcncc,aftcr c~ossing tlie laltc, it is a distance of thrcc or four ~rlilcs ;lcross a low divitlingridgc, to the upper wittcrs of thc Au Sa1)lc. 'l'lius wits a p:lssagc m:itlc by boat from 1;rltc Michigan to 1,;1kc Iluron and tlou1)tlcss it was :In old traditional passage ~lscd I)y thc Intlians. 1);un had lcft two of Iiis I)o;tts ilt I$al)l)it's camp on a f o r ~ n c r trip, so we 1i:ltl none to wagon ovcr from <;r;~yling. K;~~nstlcll, one of tlic pr~shcrs, hat1 liis I)o:~t :~lres~tly thcrc. We lunclictl witli Il;~bhit ant1 his fricntl Jones, wlio kept carlip with Iiinl and for an hour enjoyed thc rough playfi~lncss of his littlc hear, "l<illy." I)an, wlio prc- cctlcd us with as ~nucl i lugp~gc in liis hoat as Len Jewel tliought it would he safe to carry, dropped clown four miles wlicrc we found him, Lcn i ~ n d Ritl)l)it ;11)orlt six o'clock, pitching tcnts and niaking bcnches, and ;I tahlc. We eni- I~arkctl al)ou t 1i;tlf a rliilc I)elow I<al>bit's camp, :tnd I lingcrcd a little to scc Jay milkc liis first cast. "Not tllcrc," I cricd; "but over aptinst thc othcr shorc by that log." Jay tlroppcd liis flies lightly; up citlnc a fish, and "sug!" hc hat1 him. Af- ter a sharp scl~fflc and a hart1 strain on his rod, 1)cntling it almost tloublc, hc landcd and licld up a grayling of nearly a pound and :I half. "Well; wliat d o yon think of it?" I askcci. " l~ i~ l ly , " rcplicd Jay. Wc tlroppcd downstrcani, passing and repassing cacli othcr ;tlternatcly ant1 not stopping to fisli onc-third of the likely places, for we had a long way to run bcforc wc rcached the srrpposcd a m p - ing p o i ~ n d . I arrived a t camp first. Prcs- cntly Kamsdcll pushed up with Jay. "What sport?" I Iiallowcd. "Kcd hot." rcspondcd Jay. Wc had eacli a little short of four tloxcn grayling in our wclls, all alive and kicking. Lcn had llis tea and potatocs on tlic fire, ant1 soon it big fry- ing pan sizzling, sputtering, nnd a dozcn gr;tyling 1)rowriing I)cautifully in corn 1llci11. I had partaken of hut 21 slight lu~icli of I)rcad i~ntl cl~ccsc, with a cup of tea, a t I<al)l)it's citnip, and 1)eing very l iunk~y of course, rn:lclc a pig of mysclf witli the grayling. '1'0 such :In extent, cvcn, tliitt I got up i ~ t one o'clock, f;~nnccl the s~nouldcring coals, put on fresh wood :lnd somc old piric knots, and soon hat1 3 rorlsing fire. I took a motler:~tc "nip" from tlic flaslt on the tablc, lit nly pipc, :~nd 1i;itl scarcely sniokcd it ou t when Jay , who I liatl lcft ;~slecp at my sitlc, crcp't out of the tent : ~ n d joined nic. "Why, Uticlc," Iic silitl, "I woltc up, ;lnd not fincling yorr c;lnic ou t to see if you hacl gone ;l(,wn to the rivcr and fallcn in." 'l'hc truth is tliat lie had cutcn thrcc grayling of al)out tlircc-quivtcrs of a

pountl c;tcIi, ;lnd was too full to sleep sound. Soon :~ftcr, I)iln joincd US, itnd then the or;~cular Mr. I%i~hl)it. Our con- vcrsation wokc u p Jolinny Sliarp, a. 1:1d itgcd sixty-eight, wlio, like 1)ogl)crry's old fricntl Verges, "woul(l bc talking." Ilc :~lw:~ys told of a man's occupation and Iiistory llrl'orr tclling the story con- ncctcd with him, and I'rcqucntly forgot p:vt of it, and broke down in the mitl- tllc. Ilc renlindcd nlc of J im I4cnry 011

t~roadlicatl's Crcck, who woul(l cocll- nicncc: "Well, 'l'liatl, I 'll tcll you. There conics a fellow 'long hcrc one clay, pcd- dling tomb-stones." Wc clii~ttcd until tlirec o'clock in the morning, then turn- etl in and slcpt until 1.~11 wokc us up for 1)rcalcfi~st.

Augcrst 14th - Wc got into our boats a t 2 a.m., Jolinny Sharp and Unclc l'liatl taking the first milc of tlic watcr hitllcr- to unfislictl; Jay and liamstlcll tlic sccond milc, and Ilan and Len the third. 1);1n rcturnctl a t 3 p.m., his wclls full of fisli. I overtook Jay , and agirin got tlic prcccding tlay's itnswcr to lily qucry as to liis sport, "rcd hot." 'Plic sctmp, through mistake, had fislicd it great part of tlic strcam allottcd to me. We knock- ed off i ~ t 4 p.tn., Jay having ovcr six (107- en and I about fivc dozcn - all over half it pound and averaging about thrce-quar- tcrs, for wc rcturncd t o thc water all un- cler a hillf pountl. l%csidcs what wc ate of tlicm, Jolinny Sharp s ~ l t c d down - licatl off and entrails ou t - thrcc cadtlics of twenty-fivc pounds each, and wc had some to put into Dan's big hamper, tlircc by four fect and ciglitccn inclics dccp, which from a lugg!gc rcccptaclc was im- provised into a llvc box and partiillly sunk into the stream.

August 1 5th hcing tlic Sal~hntli was, as I havc alrcildy said, it clay of ccssiltion from our sport, and was givcn to rcnding, lounging and eating.

August 16th - WC C ~ I I I I I I ~ I I C C ~ two rliiles I~elow our camp, wlierc Dan 11:1tl lcft off on S a t ~ ~ r d a y , Dan taking tlic first milc, Jay thc sccond, ;lnrl I tlic thirtl. It was deadly slauglitcr, the fisli rose so frccly, antl yct we pricked many or licl(l tlicni only for a few moments. Ry tlircc o'clock, although wc had stopped a t noon to take a Icisurcly Ii~ncli, our wells wcrc chock full, m:my of thc fish "l)clly up." Wc pr~slicd h:tclt to camp. Jolinny l i c ;~ded ,g~~t tcd and silted ilnotlicr caddy o f those that wcrc "bclly up," ;~ncf we put a goodly number of livc fisli into the li;~mpcr for I%abbit. And so it wcnt on for four clays and a half. We thrcw h;lck morc th:m we put into our wclls, and computed that wc Iiad rltilizcd, as already tlcscril)cd, about nine Iiundrcd, weighing, b~oss , fivc liuntlrcd and sixty pounds, I%;~bbit taking 2111 we could not salt dowti or cat. We packed, net weight just one Iiundrcd ant1 fifty pounds. We cxtcndcd our explorations and fishing -

cuttirig our way occasionally through trees that hat1 fallen from e:ich sidc of the rivcr - ; l l~out six milcs I)clow our camp, milking in all of its sinuosities and horse shoe I)cnds, as alrcatly stated, a- 1)out twclvc miles by water from the camp Dan m;idc on his first trip. It is 1i;irtlly five ~nilcs 11y land. 'l'liis rivcr is much ohstructcd by "swcepcrs," i. c. whitc cetlars, which growing o n the miv- gin, their rootsarc ~~: i t luaI ly undcrniincd I I ~ the current, ant1 they incline a t a sliitrp angle fro m tlie bank, causing very frcquc~itly the f;lmili:v cry froni the ln~slicr "low 1)ritlgc." 'l'liesc ccdars ap- pear never t o rot ; if a largc tree falls a- croqs a clccp pool it forms an excellent hitling pliicc for tlic "big uns," and here we generally fountl our I~cs t fishing, taking them "at long 'Taw" from upstrcztm, with little more tlian the ciglit foot Icatl- cr extending beyond tlic tip of the rod.

Our flics were larger tlian those uscd on the Au Siil~lc last year. I concluded that mine ancient friend Scth Grccn has uscd, and, I think, recommended much smaller Iiooks than are necessary, I)asing his theory, likely, on such as he fishes witli on Gllcdonia stream in New York. We found Nos. 6 :inti 8 (O'Shaughncssy) with Icgs;uid wings proportio~iatc, equally asattractivc ant1 niorc ccrtiiin of hooking and Iiolcling. If not too gaudy, ;tlmost ilny fly will takc. I in Inore than one in- stnticc r~sctl one that liad been rcdr~cctl to only thc hackle, and somctinics the 1)arcst covering of dul)bing was killing. 'l'lic whitc and Ic;~tl wing coachman, the silvcr witlow, the Jcwcl fly, iind the pro- fcssor, with light yellow dicd hackle, werc mostly usctl. In fact,:iny fly on the sized hooksjust nicntionccl whicli we use on l3cnnsyl"ania and other clear streams will kill. 'l'hc flics tictl for Maine or the Iiikc Superior region arc too largc and too gautly. We did not use a lancling net, I ~ u t lifted tlic fish in - a brace on thc tlroppcrs and frequently one on tlic strctclicr - with tlic feeling that if one slior~ld regain its liberty thcrc werc plenty Iiiorc ready t o take holtl as soon :IS we offered our Irlrcs.

Our evenings were passed in thc usual jolly way, telling stories ant1 ;tncctlotcs, :inti discussing thc known or heard-of angling capabilities of tlie Michipin lakes and strcalns, :tntl then there were songs in grciit v:iricty. Johnny Sharp sang nii1riy doleful ditties; Uncle 'That1 gavc the "Niggcr Cinr;ll," with banjo accom- paniment; J a y gavc us several good ones, t ~ u t Ilan, with his sriatclics of lrisli song iu~tl Irish nianncr, was inimitnblc. Onc I sh'nll ncvcr forget, tlie first verse of wliicli was: -

"Ye gcrris that arc pr i~t t ic , Antl Iiids that :we wuttic, Conic list to my dittie While I d o rclii-a-.i-ate

Concarning a visit to Pair 1)ul)lin ccttic, Where I was dccaivcd I3y a damsel of la-a-a-ate."

I3ut we'd had a glut of grayling fishing, so we struck tents, stowed our luggage one morning, and while thc hoat- men pushed up t o Hahhit's camp, we footetl thitherward two miles by land. llcrc wc passcd an hour with Joncs and I%illy, when Mcade, who was cutting hay in 2 1 wild mcatlow close by, camc by ap- pointment t o tlic camp with his wagon. We put on two of our I~oa ts , stowing our baggage inside, and set ou t for the west sidc of Portagc Lake, threc milcs cast- ward. Wc soon crossed tlie Icvcl, wndy plain and cntercd the woods, where Jones, bcing a professional engineer, took the lead, ;uid Len, Mcatlc, and Ramsdell with their axes clcarcd thc way, chopping down s~pl ings and cut- tlng off fiillen logs, J a y and Johnny Sharp following and p i ~ l l ~ n g thcm aside, Mcade blazing thc road as we went through, Ilan iind Uncle Thad cngincer- ing tlic wagon and tcani. Within two hours from the timc we left Ilabbit's camp we came t o Portage Lakc ant1 we lunched on its beautiful margin. Mcadc and Joncs hadc us goodby; I<amsdcll cleaving a slab from a cedar log soon fashioned it into a paddle, witli the aid of whicli, and Len's setting pole, in one of our boats thcy matic thc passage to Kamsdcll's camp on tlic cast sitlc of the Iitke, anti by 5 p.m. rcturncd, after beat- ing against a head wind witli a sail boat. Wc c~nl)arkcd with our luggage, and liav- ing a fair wind back, landed in less than ;I lialf hour ant1 pitclictl our tents, prc- fcrring them to the largc log house Rams- dell has put up here. Jay and I trolled for lialf an hour and captured enough bass with the spoon for supper and for brcakfast. This is a l,cai~tiful cariiping place, clcvatcd a h o i ~ t fifteen fcct a l~ovc thc lake ant1 surronndccl by it finc p r k of towering Norway pines. The brisk winti from the sor~tli c;tr~scd the mimic brcilkcrs to give forth a pleasant lullaby :is thcy hrokc on the gr;ivclly shorc, ant1 soon :iftcr supper we were asleep, ilnan- noycd by mosquitos ant1 flics, which had cai~sctl 11s somc tlisco~nfort on tlic Mani- stec.

We spent :i clay ;mtl lialf here, killing as many bass as rcasoriahlc Inen coultl wish, si~pplying our t:lble, leaving some in a live box, and taking with us for Ilartwiclc, the landlord a t Grayling, fifteen lmss averaging about four pounds each, 1,csidcs a largc Nortlicrn pickerel of twelve pounds, captured by Jay. IIc hooked, but failed t o get into his boat, a or rnaskinongc of more than twice thc size for want of a gaff hook; supposing that he would meet only with bass he liad only a wide-~nor~thcd tand-

ing nct. Trolling we found dull sport after hooking and playing grayling. Wc also found that the fisliing in this lake had been ovcr-rated. Wc wcrc told, howcvcr, that a grcat many had been takcn thcrc during the last two winters through holes cut in tlie ice; for when the snow and frost makcs a direct linc from Grayling practicable the distance is not more tlian threc miles. During the month of Mav when bass and pickcrcl come into ths shallow water near the shorc, and fish havc not as much caution a s in summer, largc numbers of hoth kinds had been speared during thc spring of 1874 & '75.

We made our way to Grayling with our boats and canip cquipmcnts one ilf- tcrnoon, :tnd ncxt morning were on our way to Ray City by a poor "one horse" branch of tlic Michigan Central Railroad traveling on a freight train, (for thc pass- enger train docs not now run as far up t1i;it road as Grayling) stopping frcqucnt- ly t o hitch on luml,cr cars, arid occupying nearly ninc ho i~rs in running ninety- two miles - a grcat contrast to the facil- ities to anglers afforded by tlic Indiana. and Grand Rapids on the Lakc Michipan sidc of the statc.

If I should cvcr go to Michigan for trout or grayling fisliing agzain 1 wor~ld try thc Western Hranch of the Manistee, approached from Fife Lakc Station, on tlie Indiana and Grand Rapids liailroad; for those of tlic cast, as wcll as thc Arl SalIlc, are being rapidly depleted for the Hay City and Detroit markets, so readily d o grayling rise a t the angler's lure or takc thc biiit, ant1 so soon arc they fislicd out. Most of the branches of the Man- istcc, on thc western sidc, :ire not vcry far from the railroad last named, and arc still virgin waters, and around Little 'Tra- vcrs Ray, approached by the same road, the streams contain 110th trout and grayling, and many of thcm arc a s yct rlncx- plc;rcd. I have a numhcr of pamphlets with maps tlcscril~ing and illr~stratirig the route named, and can s i~pply any one wishing t o avail himself of t h e adviint- ages so clcarly set forth. There is no statc in tlie Union where thcrc is so finc and so great a variety of fishing, and tlic time and money spent in a trip to that Statc is not any more than in going t o thc hackneyed and ovcrfislicd watcrs of the Adirondacks and Maine.

FOREST AND STREAM September 9, 1875

Fish of the Rocky Mountains Among the

At Gallatin, Montana, A u g ~ ~ s t 26, 1886, 2,330 miles from New Yorlt, the rivcrs Jcffcrso~i, Madison :tntl Gallatin, join with the Missorlri River a t a point a short tlistancc frorii the st:ltion. 'l'hcrc I)cing insrrfficicnt accom~iiotlations a t the stittion for torlrists, wc cng:igetl teams ;trid soon reached the pretty town of I;our Corncrs al)out four miles from Gal- littin. llcrc we found tlic most excellent fare, comforta1)lc rooms and genial cor~r- tcsics a t the Iii~nds of Mr. J~rlicn Ilorst, proprietor of tlic ho tcl, and his loqua- cious but obliging liorrsckceper.

Within ;I short distance, soon w;tlltcd from the Iiotcl, the tlircc rivcrs :tl)ovc n;t~iictl - flow close together a~i t l itrc in- discrirninatcly fishcd by the local anglers. Among tlic most promising arc Dr. S. N. Kelly ;tntl T. R. Iloltlcr, who kindly act- cd its it~igli~ig escorts to our party tluring tlic I~ricf st:ty a t I'our Corners. In a11 the rivers, the grayling ('/ '~~.ymalltts s(qrlzfir); tlic Rocky Mountain t rout (Sa1vcli~ru.s p t t p ~ ~ ~ r a t t t s ) and white fish ( ( :or t~ga i?~s Wzllzanzsorrii) c:ln be found htrt the Gal- 1;ltin is tlic rivcr of my drca~iis. In its watcrs the tlircc fish veritably swarm.

We fishcd the Gallatin a t a point a- I)o[~t four riiilcs from the town antl as I dcsccndcd the 1);tnk to reach the stream tlic surface of the pool before me was niottletl with feeding fisli. Ilcrc a grayling, tlierc a trout arytl 1)etwccn a white fisli. It sec~iietl a s;tcrilcgc to the meni- ory of Hrotlicr Isilac to pl;tce a lurc he- tween them. Stifling our qu;tlms, c~tsily done, we walked al)out the pool and cast our two flics itt the lower end of tlic in- coming rapid. Two fisli, of course, one a plyl ing, the otlicr a whitefish; the first on a hrown Iiacltlc and tlie lattcr on a co:tcliman. Ag;lin a cast, again two fisli and so on for Iislf nn lior~r, ;iltcrnilting in species Oetwccn the trorrt, the white fish arid the payling, ilt the entl of tlic line. I did not move niore than ten yarcls from my first position in a half hour, upon wliich I grew sittetl and started upstream to fisli tlie unlikely places; recalling to mind a similar cxpcriencc on my firsr visit to h k c <;cobic bass, when io the surprise of my guide I told hi111 t o take me to :I place wlicrc the fish were not so plentiful. This satiated cry - "Enough cnough" - is tloul~tlcss a person;ll cxpcr- icncc witli many of my reatlers and it is :I sign rnanuitl that d i ~ t i n q ~ r i ~ l i c ~ the angler from the pot fisher. My angling corn- panions, Mcsscrs Iloyle and McGl~ire

WILLIAM C. HARRIS

had ;is many fisli :IS tlic mouths of tlie villagers could well liandlc. In the mcan- time, Mr. Pctric, the artist of tlic tour lias sccurcda portrait of each of the fisli catching tlie vivid coloration as they came in their life shce~i from the pclltrcid water.

'I'hc grayling of Montana, to catch wliicli I had travcllcd more tlian two tliousand miles did not tiisappoint my angling expectatio~is. It is I think, a stronger fish witli sturtlier fighting quill- ities than its coegcncr of Michigan waters. It has a tliiclc 1)ro;ttler body and a somewhat lo~igcr licatl, but is less 1)cau- tiful in color ant1 conformation. 'l'lie eastern fish is more clipper built, Icap- ing frcqr~cntly from the water when Iiookctl; in fact reminding one of the skipjack or Ladyfish of 1;lorida watcrs which is ;~lmost constantly ou t of t h r water, "dancing on its tail" when you arc bringing it to creel. The leap of the Montan:t p y l i t i g is not frequent, so tlie fish is disposed t o fight dccp niaking strong antl longer slrrgcs under the rc- straint of tackle, tliiin those of Micliigan. 'I'lic coloration of tlic fislics differ; the violet Oluc of the body seemingly trans- Incent, is of a niorc tint in the eastern fish a ~ i d more crier ally transfnscd. 'rlie tlorsal fin from which the grayling dc- rives their specific name - signiji,r, the? standard bcarcr - is not so high and rc- splcnclcntly colored as that of the Micli- igz111 fisli.

'l'lic striking differcnccscxist between hilbits and Iia1,itat of the Montana and Miclii~an graylings. The latter only lives in rivcr spring fed witli szndy I)ottorns, and a tenipcr;~tl~re seltlom exceeding fif-

FIN OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN GRAYLING

ty tlcgrccs. Our recollectiori of the Mari- atic in Michig:~ri o ~ i whicli \vc s p l i t scv- era1 (lays itrnong tlie ~mlyling two yr;lrs ilgo, is that we ditln't even see ;i pcl)l)lc 011 the bottom - in the (;;tII:ttiri the con- ditions arc reversed; the tcmpcriiturc often rc:ichcs sixty dcgrccs itnd the I~ctl of tlic rivcr for tlic most part is rocky.

Again, it is esta1)lishcd the Mic1iig:rri grayling callnot live ;~ritl incrc;~sc in illiy stream in wliicli trorrt or otlicr fisli Iii~vc cstal~lislictl tlic~iiselves. l'licy sccni to di- minish ritpidly ~ ~ n d c r sucli contlitiorisand strange to sky, the rcvcrsc is true in Ic~ig- lisli watcrs, where 'l'lytr~~trllits lioltls its own ag;rinst the brow11 trout. In tlic G;lI- latin, tlic trout, the gray lirig ;tnd the wliitc fisli live in li;tr~rio~iious 1)rotlicr- Iiootl. On one occitsion I ciruglit otlc of each of tlicsc three fish ;it the sitme cast, sliowing t1i;it they fcctl antl range together.

'l'hc ortlinary trout flics usccl in tlic cast, will under favoral~lc circurnst;mrcs lure the tlircc. The g;lyling s11ows;t slight preference for a fly witli some white iri its makc up - the Coacliriiim and the Hcavcrkill, wrapped witli silver tinscl ive killing. l'hc Ii;~cklcs, l)l;tck, 1)rown aritl gray should alw;tys be ill stock, ant1 tlic wingctl flics, the I'rofcssor, 1,ord I<;llti- more, A b l ~ y , Yellow Sally, Montrc:rl, ctc. arc useful.

I do not wish t o convey the i~iiprcss- ion tliat the Rocky Mourit;~in trout is not par cxcellcnce a game fisli. I si11il)ly say tliat he lias not the figl~ting intclli- gcnce of our native fisli. Ilc is a strorig fighter when liooltcd I)ut has no t tlic snap in striking the lurc, or tlie tlcspcr- ate leap zinc1 frenzied shake of tlic licatl when hookctl.

cquallcd my score and hcfore noon we

THI

In Camp, 2nd Pond, Bog River, N. Y. Wednesday, June 14,1876

We left Martin's last Thursday morning about sevcn o'clock and had a most delightful journey by lake and stream to Cronk's, a distance of fifty miles. Noth- ing can be easier than this mode of travelling with canoes. The guides arrange your shawl over the seat and a back- board, so that one sits as comfortable and easy as in an easy chair. If the sun shines an umbrella is serviceable - but Thursday was cloudy and just the kind of a day for a boat ridc. Along the Sar- anac, mountains loom up in every direction, and each turn of lake or rivcr pre- sents a different view, all of them im- comparably beautiful. We had a short "Carry" at Bartlett's, and another at Corcy'swhere we stopped to dine and to wait for a passing showcr. Both these

places are very pleasant and in thc way of guests one meets there, are anything but uncivilized - I make this remark because some of our friends thought civil- ization terminated at Martin's. The Ra- quette River had been dammed so that it overflows its banks and widens out into lakes at many places. We rowed through places that looked like immense orchards. The water was black and so smooth every tree was reflected as in a mirror. The trees were mostly soft maple with here and there a clump of dead ev- ergreens. Nature is doing her utmost to remedy the unsightliness of these dead hemlocks by covering them with a long grey moss that floats out like banners in the breeze. The wind came up in the morning so that it made hard rowing for the guides, so we stopped at Moody's about an hour to wait for it to lull. These

canoes are so'light one can scarcely a- void a feeling of nervousness when the waves are whitecaps as they say at sea. Moody's is a dismal place, some people don't think so however, for we found a party of gentlemen stopping here pre- paratory to camping out. Wc arrived at Cronk's about 7 p.m., that is 12 hours after leaving Martin's. Of this time, four hours were spent at carries and at Moody's - so that we made fifty miles in eight hours travelling. Cronk's is a dismal looking place and 1 think the "lonesomc bird" sings there most of the time. We left there about nine o'clock Wednesday morning having then our first and only "carry." It was three miles - first a short distance through a clearcd field, then on and on through a deep dark forest, where the trees looked hun- dreds of years old and the moss beside

the path sccmed a foot deep. Cheerful mosquitoes sang as they accompanied us and tried to inake our acquain~ancc. Then we took to the canoes for about twenty miles. We came t o a place whcrc the stream is so narrow the guides take their paddles and kneeling in the bow of the boat they paddled us swiftly and with much clexterity through almost as many twists and turns as a skillful skater makcs on ice. I hauucned t o be the last , . who entered this narrow stream and I was much surprised to have my guidc call my attention t o Eddy's boat on my right about forty fect from me going in just the opposite direction and way off on the Icft. J . 0. W.'s boat seemed to be crossing my path a t a right angle. Wc had four or five miles of this. 1 gathcrecl vio- lets and other flowers on the banks as we rode along without stopping. Wc found the camping ground in tolerably good condition when we arrivcd a t 2 p. m. We brought along four guidcs with thcir boats and thesc four men"fixcd up" everything in short timc. Thcy built shanties, madc tables, chairs, cupboards, shclvcs, etc. with an axe or hatchet, a fcw nailsand the timbcr thcy always had just a t hand. They cook splendidly and make the most delicioi~s biscuits, corn- bread and pancakes. Our shanty is sixteen feet each way and is fly tight. Oh, the flies! Thcy surpass anything I have ever encountered in that line before - but thcre is a balm of Gilead, madc of pen- nyroyal and something by one 1)ancy of Plattsburgh, and rejoicing in thc somewhat slanby name of "Shoe Fly." It is nearly colorless, is not unpleasant t o smell and washes off readily. We rub it on hands and face and the flies avoid us. The fishing is splendid. About an hour devoted by the head of the family each day to the business supplics the tablc. I caught a two pound trout on a fly rod yestcrday. Our "cuisine" is all that can hc desired. If it wcre not against thc law t o kill dcer I would say we had venison for dinner - as it is, our Mutton is delic- ious. Our table is large and there will be plates and chairs for you and Mrs. Kro- mer whenever you favor us with a visit. I sinccrcly hope you will come - wc arc so cosily scttled in this Hunter's Paradise. I know we could make you comfortable in camp and outside of that no one could makc you uncomfortable.

We havc had a number of visitors, all gentlemen thus far and the last one who called on us kindly voluntccrcd to call again this afternoon to take ou t the mail we should like to send. My guidc is wait- ing for me to follow the rest of the party for a little fishing so I must stop right here.

Anna Williams Rod and G u n Vol. 8 No. 15 Ju ly 5, 1876

In Camp, 2nd Pond, Bog liiver, N. Y. J u n e 20, 1876

During the first weck of camping ou t we fished only enough to supply thc tablc. We would take our boats and go down to the outlet of Second Pond and in an hour would take enough small trout to last a day. The fish rose steadily t o the fly, seemingly always t o prefer the one farthest from the end of the leader. One evening some gentlemen camping near us sent a guidc to borrow our scalcs t o weigh fish with. As the gentlemen had called on us previously, I wcnt over to scc their game. I d o not rcmcn~bcr thc weight of thc lot, though the largcst one weighed ovcr two pounds and thcy had nonc less than a pound. Thcy told mc they caught thcm trolling in Threc Pouncl Pond with spoons ancl minnow cangs. Thc next day we tried it, discarding thc heavy trolling lines and substituting fly rods and flics. It was good sport ant1 wc wcrc so pleased with it we caught tnorc than we necdcd. Nearly every lake and pond has a diffcrcnt kind of trout. 'I'liosc from Silver Lakc arc light colored and slcndcr, arlJ have vcry sriiall hcacis whilc those in Three Pound Pond wcre darkcr, more plump and larger; I)ut thcy wcrc all "spccklcd bcautics" and all that I tasted wcrc finely flavored. Onc afternoon, J . 0. W.'s guide was vcry busy shaping and polishing a stick which he called a jack-staff. This name puzzled mc still more did thc name written on it whcn finished. "Big Huck Jack Staff - No Docs Need Apply." However, it was soon ex- plained to me. We werc going ou t to look a t dcer that evening anel the stick was t o hold the ncw lantern, callcd a jack on the bow of the boat (whcre it soon aftcr shone like the headlight of :L K. R. cnginc). We set ou t about 6 p.m. J . 0. W. occupying the seat in thc bow and I the middle one. We were paddlctl up Third Pond into Mud Lake Stream six miles LID to Mud Lake. On the wav a brisk shower came up and we landccl a t an old camping ground and wcrc soon ensconced undcr the shelter o f the cab- in lcft by the visitors. Our guide madc a fire t o show the mosquitoes whcre we wcre, but almost before thcy found us the shower was ovcr and we once more took our places in the boat with many cautions from J . 0. W. as t o my sitting motionless when we saw a dccr, and holding my tongue from that time for- ward indcfinitcly. We entered the lakc ~ioisclcssly and found it a very shallow body of watcr almost overgrown with lily pads with innumerable bog islands a t thc western side. 'I'hc hills lie back from the lake; on the south side of it it looks likc an old marsh that has been overgrown with bcautiful firs, standing

far enough apart t o let each one develop finely and t o allow an extended view of the coarse grass and moss beneath. Hut we saw a dcer long before I saw all this. Passing between the points that form tlic outlct of the laltcs, wc irnrncdiatcly saw a decr standing o n the beach and looking a t us with some surprise, though he did not act a t a11 frightened. We kept still and he sniffed the air and after about five minutes g v c a whistlc and bounded away. Almost the same instant the guide saw two morc playing together, and p d - dled on up t o them. They were too much cngagcd t o sce us a t first and whcn they dicl scc 11s one bounded over the back of thc othcr likc a kitten and wcnt whistl- ing off into the dcnsc woods closely fol- lowed hy his frightened companion. We paddled o n perhaps a hundred yards and came to a fine fcllow quietly feeding. IIc saw us anci stcppcd up to look more closely. Ilis nlovcmcnts were graceful and very expressive as he looked intent- ly a t us, lifting first one forcfoot and thcn the othcr, giving impaticnt little stamps, with his fect and looking very wide awake ant1 playful. Our boat struck a bog and he gave the peculiar whistlc and I)oundcd away, swinging a whitc tail from side to sick in a most comical man- ncr. These four decr we saw in the twilight; thcn thc jack was lighted and we rnadc a circle of the lake sceing many morc, some fecding close in shore, others standing morc than knec decp in thc watcr, anci still others only showing a pair of big bright eyes throi~gh tlic hush- es. With that ncw jack there was no difficulty in sceing thcsc eyes, b i ~ t sometimes it happcns withan inferior light, that thc guidc will whispcr t o thc sportsman, "Do you sec the cyes?" and ;~shamcd t o say "No," thc sportsman will blaze away a t a couplc of wet Icavcs, only tliscovcring his error whcn the lusty whistle ~ n d cracking biishcs tcll whcrc thc dccr real- ly is. Wc arrivcd a t our camp about mid- night, having seen cightecn decr and bcing near cnougli t o touch sotnc of t h c n ~ with a pzddlc had we dcsircd to d o so. As bears arc quitc n r ~ m c r o i ~ s wc almost always took a gun with us and had one this time. 1,ct thc sportsnicn who read this judgc of thc forbcarancc ant1 self- denial that cnablcd us to come home without firing a shot or in any way frightening the dcer. Arrived at camp, wc found our friends alarmed a t our long stay but whcn wc told how plentiful the ciccr wcrc, thcy acknowlcdgcd thcy would havc stayed as long. If I havc time I will write again.

Anna Williams

Rod and G u n Vol. 8 No. 17 Jzily 22, 1876 p. 260-261

Schoharic, N. Y. July 1 2 , 1876

Fl:lving h;~tl no time to write i tp in from the woods, I resr~mcd my letters from horiie wlicrc we itrrivcd last Satur- tlity. Wild animals arc sufficiently numcr- orrs in the woods to rcntlcr tlic company o f ;in expcriencctl and fcarlcss guide dc- siri~l)lc. 1)c:~rsitrc morc plentiful than for many ycars; we seldom wcnt out from citnil) without sccirig fresh signs of tlicir prescncc, usually on tlic soft be;~cIi whcrc they had entcrcd or left the water. One day we werc sitting half way hctwccn camp and tlic wc~tcr's edge to get the brecxc from the pontl, when one of tlie guidcs witli a sutldcn slior~t of "'l'licrc goes a. bear" flew past us t o liis boat, liastily righting it and pushing it into tlic water. J . 0. W. in tlic mcantirnc was get- ting liis gun and liastcnctl to get into tlic I)o;it. 1 think they can row as fast as riiost horses can run, ant1 on this occ;lsion, J . 0. W. assistcd by paddling yet they wcrc not quick cnougli. 'l'lic [)car was swimming across the inlct of the pond and before the boat had niittlc half the distance to him, lie hat1 climl)cd ou t , clr~msily enough, zind wcnt leaping atway through the low shrubs and up ;i hill into the wootls. The guidc saitl thcre was a I~oun- ty o n I)cars itntl lie looltcd tlisappointcd i ~ t the loss of this one. I was often u r g d by the gcntlcmcn i ~ n d the guitlcs to shoot a dccr Ijut ncvcr felt thc slightest tlcsirc to do so. They werc so plentiful, and it was such a si~iiplc matter to get near them thitt it sccmctl n o pc:lt f'cat. On the contritry, their innoccnt playful way itntl tlicir confidence in us, :mtl ;tl)ovc illl, tlicir grcat pleacling cycs maclc nic pity them, so I could not cndure t o scc them shot. ISut a [)car is 21 different sul~jcct, ; ~ n d I would have been plcascd to shoot one. I tliink a I~car trap s l io~~l t l I)c part of an outfit for the wootls. We mw wolves' tritclts and my guidc clug o u t a few tur- tle's eggs wlicrc a wolf hat1 bccn digging but ;l few h o ~ ~ r s bcfore ( to show nic wlii~t they wcrc), tho~tgh lie evidently wondcr- cd in 111y interest in wolves, ;tntl regard- ed tlicm as ortlinary "no account ~ ~ i t -

tcrs." Mr. K. and his guide were tlic only oncs of our party fortunate cnougli to see ;r panthcr. Mr. K. was looking fo; tlccr all onc rainy clay, and wc wcrc k~owing anx- ious al)orct liis long stay, whcn we Iicard the report of his gun twice in succession. A short time ai'tcr hc arrived, having scoi no deer I think, I)ut hat1 uncxpcct- cdly co~i ic across a p:ttithcr. He said he had a good shot a t him, and his guide was confident lie had woundctl the crca- turc, I)r~t ncvcrthclcss lie had the morti- fication of seeing him hound away into the in~~~cnc t ra l ) l e forest where lie pro1)- ably "turncd in solitutlc to tiic." Deer and trout arc sr~pposccl to lose intcrcst as game, ;tftcr a sportsman gets a shot a t a panther. The gcntlcman madc a trip to Silvcr Laltc, taking two guidcs, blanltcts and provisions in onc boat. 'l'licy wcrc a- way two clays and rctr~rncci much fatigu- cd having made eight carrics tlic last (lily. They were dcliglitcd with thc sccncry and rcportcd finc fishing in Silver h l t c . This is onc of the most inacccssihlc placcs, lying in tlic wildcst part of the wildcrncss; in fact, so difficult of ;~cccss that tlic gamc will proba1)ly ncvcr I)c ex- liaustcd. It was licrc that J . 0. W. accom- plishcd tlic desire of his hcnrt. f'or 2 0 ycars lic has been trying to shoot ;I loon ( p c a t northcrn diver) and this y w r hc succccded i111d the skin is in tlic hands of a skillful taxidermist in N. Y. It is an unusually finc spccimcn. Iking much interested in the flora of tlic woods, 1 spcnt some of thc time looking for flowers ant1 questioning the g ~ ~ i d e s al)out them. 1 fount1 the ladies' s l ippa , ;I bcar~tiful pur- ple flowcr, something like the yellow moccasin plant that is found o n tlic mor~ntains around Scliohar ic. It is thc (,:y~wipc~divrn which is used in riicdicinc, so it is r~scful :IS well as I)c:lntifnl. I also for~ncl the side satltllc flowcr considcrcd hy botanists i1 k~c;tt curiosity. I Iiavc for- gotten why but can rcfcr one to tlic old ( :omstock 's I{otat7y, in usc twenty-five or thirty ycars ago. Thc 1c;~vcs of this pl:~nt arc pitclicrs ant1 arc always partly fillcd witli water. I Ixought ;L good spccimcn homc with me and it sccrns to I)c thriving a t thc present. Laurcl, a slirul)

of habits of growth similar to thc axalca (or pinkstcr) grows in great profusion on the shorcs of most of tlie stre;lms and ponds. It is that varicty known as IC~l t7 l i r l having clr~stcrs of small rosy I)losso~ns, tliat show vcry prettily anlid its rather dark foliage. 0x:tlic or wood sorrel is much morc luxl~rious than licrc, :lnd it sccrncd prettier to me than tliat purplc varicty so mr~cli cr~ltivatctl I)y Scho1i:tric ladics for hanging 1)askcts. I'ond lilies wcrc in thc hcight of tlicir l ) e ; ~ ~ ~ t y wlicn we came ou t of thc woods. They arc lovely flowcrs and I ncvcr I~cforc saw s i ) many or such large oncs. I saw many ncw to me - aqu;rtic plants, ferns and mosses - which I cor~ld t;iltc plcasurc i ~ i dcscribing if I had time and sp;tcc. I can only my that lovers of flowcrs will find enough to repay them for a jor~rncy to this wildcrncss in J unc. We werc in camp about four wccks wlicn our cngagc~iicnts callcd us home. Wc arose a t daybreak, took our last hrcakfast in the woods, and hastily packing up the fcw articles not pacltcd thc day I)cforc, we took our plitccs in our canocs and rcpctfully set out on our return. Wc Itcpt togcthcr and . . to qnotc a poetical sportsman of the north:

"With jest and song and rifle crack We rowcd along the Sar;toac." We stopped at Cronk'sfor dinncr. Not

bcing so much fatigued wlicn I stopped thcrc bcforc, and it bcing noon instc;~d of twilight, I did not think it a t all dismal. At 2 p.m. wc left Cronk's and Iiav- ing heard that Moody h ;~d a loon set up in liis pitrlor or reception room, 1 insist- cd on stopping :tnd seeing it. Wc wcrc disappointed to find it h;~d not ~):tsscd tliror~gli professional h;~ntls but wits only a "liornc~nadc" itrticlc so far as sctting up was coticcrncd. Wc were rcccivcti by Mart. Moody (a son I think of oltl Ilitr- vcy, Strcct's cclcl)ratctl gr~itlc) anti liis fair and hospit;tl)lc wife. 'This was the fifth of July : ~ n d Mart. informed 11s tlicrc has 1)ccn a dancc thcrc the night 1)cforc. Where tlic gr~csts carrlc from is a conun- drum. The 1;tkc is ;tlways rough licrc, l)ut we 1i:ttI grown ;lccustomctl to our canoes so that 1 ncvcr thought of I)cing :~fraitl.

I

BOG R I V E R FALLS, TUPPER LAKE

It was twilight whcn wc landcd on tlic old Iridianii Carry, onc niilc from Corcy's. Wind I)lcw fearfully, rain was falling ac- compitnictl by thunder and lightning. J . 0. W. Iiurricd on to I~cspcak i~ttention a t thc housc, the ghidcs stayctl by tlic I ~ o a t s to kcep thc Oaggagc dry, and to assist the tcamstcrs wlio'wcre coming to take our things ovcr. Ik1. started with nic I ~ u t rc- riicmbcring ~omcth ing the guidcs might ncctl ant1 not know wlicrc t o find, hc trlrncd tmck to tell thcm, and stayed with tlicrn, thinking I would soon ovcr- titkc J . 0. W. It grcw rapicily (lark, but 1 wcnt o n thinlting cvcry instant to hear lltl. coming I)chind nic, failirig that, hop- ing to overtake tlic one ahc;ld of me. I called first to one tlicn tlic othcr - no one :~nswcrcd. Vivid f l i ~ s h c ~ of lightning showcd the path, tlic s tu~i ips , I,or~ldcrs ;~ntl thc l)laclt ~norlr~tairis and lcft room for my im:lginiltion to conjurc up bcars i~ntl pitnthcrs in~iunieriil~lc. I walked tlic cntirc distance '~lonc - thc longest ~ni lc I cvcr walltcd - I)ut it spoilcd my tcmpcr so that I surprised Mrs. Corcy Ily tclling her from thc orltcr darkricss long 1)cforc she co~l ld scc rnc this was a pretty piccc ot 1)usincss. Slic was so cort1i;ll ilntl lio\p- itahlc ;1ntl I w;l\ $0 truly glad to cscapc New York i11itl Canilda K:~ilroad. WC pitss- thc outside terrors that I ditl not scold cd many pcoplc going in the woocis - a ~nucli. Ilow wit\ I t o know thcrc Ii;~(i gootl proportion of them ladics. Tlic rc- becri n o such wild animals seen thcrc for ~iiaindcr of our lionicward trip was too ycilrs and rliat this road was no more common placc to mcrit words. Wc found d;~rigerous than i ~ n y fiir rn road ;~rountl thc wcatlicr ;~lmost uncndurahly warm, Sc1ioli:tric ant1 that thc ~iioving objects I after thc dclightfr~lly cool and swcct air saw wcrc horses i111d cows in the pi~uturc? we liatl erijoycd in thc woods. l'hc trip A ~ i d , whcrc tlitl the I;tugh come in, coultl has hccn so dcliglitful to mc that I look .111y one tell 111123 'l'hc p c x t morriing we torwi~rd crncstly hopi~ig for a rcpctition left Corcy's al)or~t 8 a.m. and arrived at - indccd, our only r c v c t was t h i ~ t we Martin's tor a late dinncr. We restcd here corlld not stay longer. until 1;ridily ~norning, whcn we took the Anna Williams stage .it 8 i1.111. for ;I thirty-six ~iiilc ridc lioti t r i ~ d ( ; / t i t Vol X N o 18 to Ausal)lc, tlic present t e r~ i i in i~s of the . / 1 t 1 3 / 29, I876 11 2 7 7

A CARRY NEAR LITTLE TUPPER LAKE

THE MARKET PLACE

American Editor and the

Complete Angler

by DAVID LEDLIE

REVEREND GEORGE WASHINGTON BETHUNE

ti1 1830. His other pastorates included: Utica, 1830-34; Philadelphia, 1834-49; Brooklyn Heights, 1850-59;and the 21st St. Church in New York City, 1859-62.

Bethune, a classical scholar, musician, skilled orator and devoted angler author- ed a number of religious works as well a s a voiume of poetry during his lifetime. Howcvcr, he is most notably remember- ed a s the first American editor of Walt- on's The Complete Angler.

Cloaked in bluc cloth (which greens with aging) the bound demi-octavo trade edition (2 volumes in one) was published b y Wiley & Putnam. It was illustrated with woodcuts and engravings taken from Major's fourth edition (1844) of the Complete Angler. A sccond trade cdition, two volumes, brown papcr wrap- pers, on large papcr (8vo) was also issued in 1847 as well as a two volume imper- ial octavo De Luxe cdition with a duplicate set of w'oodcuts in a portfolio. Oth- er Bethune editions arc enumerated in the check list provided. Notable features of the American Edition are the erudite

ond and fourth editionsof Walton, Bowl- ker, Rest & Nohbes t o name a few.

At the time of the Bethune editibn the purity of Walton was unquestioned. It was not until the anonymous Arte of Angling 1577 surfaced in the hands of C. 0. v. Kienbusch (see Arte of Angling, 1577, Princeton, 1956) that serious stu- dent< of Waltoniana hegan to d o ~ ~ h t the literary propriety of their legendary "Old Izzak." The similarities between t h e two works are quite remarkable, and it is probable that Walton patterned his A ngler (165 3) after the earlier work. A live- ly and entertaining discussion as t o the degree of Walton's alleged plagerism may be found in. Arnold Gingrich's recent book The Fishing in Print.

While Bethune does no t question the originality of Part I of the Angler, he docs question Cotton's contribution. In an often overlooked entry in his append- ed catalog of angling books, Bethune mentions that Arte Piscatoris (De) Con- cerning Angling for Trout or Grayling b y Robert Noble is very similar to Part I1 of the Complete Angler. There is n o date on the manuscript: however, i t is bound with an essay on another subject dated 1669, seven years before the fifth Walton edition which included Cotton's contribution for the first time. However, con- tained with the manuscript is a baptis- mal record for Nobel's children with the dates ranging from 1669-1701. As Reth- une comments: "These [dates] throw uncertainty upon the date of the treatise [Nobel's] ; but , if i t be older than

"A brief dispatch, scnt f rom Florence to Paris just in time t o catch the last steamer . . . " begins the obituary of the Kevcrcnd Ccorgc Washington Bethune in the May l b t h , 1862 cdition of the New Yorlc 'Times. Hcthune, the American editor of the first Amcrican cdition of the Complctr A n ~ l r r , dicd of apoplexy in Florcncc, Italy on April 28, 1862 - thc day that Yankec forces captured the city of New Orleans. Rcthune was born March 18, 1805 in Ncw York of Divie and Joanna Rcthunc. His father, a n cm- incnt philanthropist of the day, and one of the founders of the Princcton The- ological Scniinary supplied his son with private tutors and a private cdr~cation a t an Academy locatcd in Salem, Ncw York. It was here that Rcthune fell in with the notorious and oft-timc inebriated rascal, "IJishcr Hilly" o f Cambridge, New York. I3illy gave young Bcthunc his first introduction t o the gentle art and in all prob- ability thc pair spcnt many happy hours on thc Rattenkill as it is located just a few miles from Salem.

Hcthnnc matriculated a t Columbia College in 1819 a t the age of fourtccn, remaining thcrc until 1822. Hc thcn transferred t o Dickinson College in Car- lisle, Pa. whcrc he was granted a bachel- ors degree in 182 3, and thcn enrolled a t Princcton Univcrsity whcrc he studicd theology. Ile was ordained on Nov. 10, 1827 I)y the Sccond Presbytery of New York and immediately took a pastorate with thc Dutch Reformed Church in Khincbcck, N. Y. where hc remained un-

bibliographical preface of some cighty- four pages which traces angling and angling books from antiquity to t h e time of Walton; the copious notes accompany- ing the text; and a n appendix containing probably the most complete list of angling books published before 1847. Many of thc works listed in the appendix were in Hethune's own library. Goodspeed rc- marks in his Angling in America that Bethune possessed some seven hundred angling titles among which were the sec-

AN ENGRA VlNG FROM BETHUNE'S "WA L TON" OF 1847.

TITLE PAGE OF THE BETHUNE FIRSTAMERICAN EDITION. . .

Photos ill~istrating this article are b y David Ledlie.

C O M P L E T E A N G L E R ; om, TII.

C O N T E M P L A T I N E MAN'S R E C R E A T I O N . BY ISAAC WALTON.

Cotton'sworlc, it accounts for the rspid- ity with which Cotton prepared his essay [ a b o i ~ t 10 days] ; the details on fly fishing being laid t o his hand. There are variations, slight indeed, but marked, from Cotton's book, which make thc treatise t o my eye appcar morc like a n original than a copy ." The whereabouts of Nobel's manuscript which was owned a t one time by Hethune is presently unknown.

The American Editor, prideful of his work (yet unwilling to associate his name with a sport considered idle by his col- leagues of the Church) gave us our secontl important American angling tome. It is a small, unpretentious book in both binding and paper -filled with thc warm- th and pcrson;llity pf Walton, the sage- ness of Cotton and the scholarship of Rcthune's first edition forms a corncr- stone t o any angling bibliophile's library. It isa delightful book, extremely inform- ativc and a monument t o America's first angling scholar.

1 AND

1 INSTRUCTION# HOW TO ANGLE TOR A TROUT OR GrAYLINQ IN A CLEAR LITREAM,

BY CHARLES COTTON.

WITH COPIOUS NOTES, FOR THE MOST PART OBIOIIIAL,

4, A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL PREFACE,

FISHING AND FISHING-BOOKB, TROM THE EARLIEBT ANTIQUITY TO THE TIME OF WALTON,

A N D

A NOTICE OF COTTON AND HIS WRITINGS, BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR.

T O WHICH 18 ADDED A N APPENDIXI INCLUDING ILLVITRATIVE BALLAD#, MUSIC, PAPERS ON AMERICAN FIBHINO, AND THE MOMT

COMPLETE CATALOGUE OF BOOK6 ON ANGLING, ETC., EVER PRINTED.

ALSO, A GENERAL INDEX TO THE WHOLE WORK.

--- PART I.

NEW YORK AND LONDON : W J L E Y & P U T N A M , 1 6 1 B R O A D W A Y -

1847.

THE FAMOUS BETHUNE PORTRAIT OF THE SCHOLAR IN HIS STUDY. . .

This daguerreotype was not reproduced unti l after his death.

PRICE LIST

THE COMPLETE ANGLER or the CONTEMPLATIVE MAN'S RECREATION by lsaac Walton . . . and Charles Cotton. With copious notes for the most part original. A Bibliographical Pre- face, giving an account of Fishing and Fishing Books, from the earliest antiquity until the time of Walton, and a notice of Cot- ton and his writings, by the American Editor. New York & Lon- don, Wiley & Putnam, 1847, Part 1, 249 ps.; Part 11, 210 ps. Illu- strated with woodcuts and enqravings. Also a large paper edition. (Wetzel).

Trade Edition. 2 vols. in 1. demi-octavo 1847 $ 75.00 - $100.00

Same. 2 vols. in brown wraps. $1 00.00 - $1 50.00 De Luxe ed. 2 vols., imp. octavo. Extra set of plates in portfolio.

Various Bindings. $150.00 - $200.00 2nd. Edition. Brown cloth, 1848 $ 35.00 -'$ 60.00 3rd. Edition. Black cloth, 1852 $ 20.00 - $ 40.00 4th. Edition. Black cloth, 1859 $ 15.00 - $ 30.00 5th. Edition. John Wiley & Sons. 8 vo. Blue cloth. $ 15.00 - $ 30.00 6th. Edition. John Wiley & Sons. Port. Bethune. Revised with additional notes. Large paper. 8vo. Various bdgs. 1880. 2 vols. in 1. $ 40.00 - $ 60.00 Same. Deluxe Editions. $150.00 - $200.00 7th. Edition. Same as preceding, lacks port. Some plates missing.

(1888) $ 15.00 - $ 20.00 8th. Edition. 1891 $ 15.00 - $ 20.00

D. E. N. (Brooks, the Rev. Alfred) lsaac Walton's "Complete Angler." From the Knickerbocker Magazine, Vol. XIII., No. 5., New Series. Nov. 1847. (1847) Brown Wrps. A review of the first Bethune edition. $ 15.00 - $ 25.00

MUSEUM AFFAIRS

New Acquisitions by

KENNETH CAMERON

"Mystery Rod," an unidentified four-strip split bamboo, c. 1870 or earlier.

H. L. Leonard Rod, c. 1890.

Adctitions to the Museum's holdings in 1974 have greatly expanded both the scope and the quality of the collections. Individual items of great rarity have bcen acquired, some filling out our r~nder- stancling of well known makers like H.L. Leonard, and author Theodore Gordon, while others arc the work of little-known but very interesting producers like the Rochester Keel Company and the upstate New York rod-maker, Lyle Sam- son. IJinally, we have been very fortunate in receiving important collections from individual donors, notable the Mer- ritt E. Hawes and the Letcher Larnbuth Memorial Collections.

Two rods from the early days of split bamboo rodmaking are of outstanding importance. The first is the gift of Wil- liam M. Wright, Ill , a rod bought in a- bout 1872 from Charles F. Murphy of Newark, New Jersey. The rod is the second Murphy to go on display in the Mus- eum; it was originally owncd hy a. mem- ber of the Wright family wlio had been an aide t o Cencral McClellan in the Ciyil War. It is eleven feet, three inches long, weighs slightly less than eight ounces, and is made of four strips of bamboo throughout. The four-strip construction suggests that it antedates the other Mur-

Chubb Rod, c. 1880- 1890. (Collection of the Adirondack Museum.)

phy rod by a few years. It is of superb quality.

The other early rod is a Leonard from the Merritt E. Hawes Memorial Colleet- ion, the gift of Mrs. Elsie Hawes. Marked "Bangor, Maine" on the but t cap - mean- ing that it was almost certainly made between 1870 and the move t o Central Valley, New York, in 1881 - it is also stamped "Abbey & lmbrie Sole Agents" on the ree l - r~ ta in ingr in~ . As yet, we cannot fix the date of the rod precisely, although it was probably madeabout 1875 the year when Leonard created the "Two Thousand Dollar liod" for Abbey and lmbrie and the Centennial Exhibition. (See,for example 1:orryt and Stream, 22 April 1875.) Normally, one would look to the ferrules of a Leonard rod for further dating evidence, since the patent dates were put on the female section after the 1875 and 1878 patents. This rod is most unusual, however, in being splic- ed instead of ferruled; it is a sixteen-foot salmon rod in only two pieces. In an earlier note on splices (American I;ly Iiisher, Vol. 1 , No. 2) 1 suggested that splices on split bamboo rods were rela- tively rare; I did not suspect a t that time that Leonard had experimented with them. It is probable that this rod, com-

ing from the Leonard-Hawes family, never left their hands, and it may have bcen either a prototype or a tourmmcnt rod for one of the talented distance casters.

Also in the Hawes Collection wcrc two unfinished svlit bamboo but ts of early manufacture. Besides revealing dc- tails of construction, they also show clearly the surprising thickness of the mis-named "female" cane usctl.

The Museum also acquired a second rod by William Mitchell of New York, the gift of 12oughton Cobb. It has the 1883 patent hollow handle, although it may have been sold by Mitchell's so11 after the father's death in 1887; it is not known how long the actual making of Mitchell rods went on after that date. The rod is very similar t o the Museum's other Mitchell, except for the grip, which is unusually large in diameter.

Other notable rods acquired recently include the Lyle Samson, a nine-footer made by a minor modern rod-maker and donated by Lester Doolittle; a. remark- ably handsome J . G . Landman given by Kenneth Aley; and a superb British greenheart given by Leslie Jones.

The liochester Keel Company reel donated by Mr. Charles F. Whittemorc is one of those items always welcomed by

tlic Muqcr~ 111, ;In ;tddition 1)y a 11ii1n r~f':rct- urcr w l i o ~ c work we had riot owned I)c- fore. I:roni the 1880's or e;lrlicr, tliis reel i \ of riiorc historicill than :\cstlictic interest, for it shows a sm;~ll niariuf;~ctr~rcr distant fro111 New York City trying t o work out ;I process - in this c;lsc, the mass ~ n a n r ~ f : ~ c t r ~ r c of inexpensive rccls I)y using prcssctl ~iictiil. IIccI-~iii~kcrs pro- lifcratctl l lo rig the Mohawk V;lllcy and tlic Ilric < : ; ~ t i i ~ l after tlic Civil War (H;lrn- urn ;~ntl Morcliorrsc in Syracuse, Rilling- l i ~ ~ r s t :md Y;~wriiiin and Rrhc in Kochcs- tcr, I'owlcr i r i Ith;lca, i~nt l so on) and they wcrc often innovative, altliough oftcn they wcrc ~~nsucccssful , as wcll, ;~n t l few cs:~riil~lcs of' so~i ic of tlicrii have s~~rvivcd.

'l'wo of the rccls from the Mcrritt I<. I l ;~wcs Mc~iiori;~l Collection arc of unus- ui1l iritcrcst, one :1 I,con;~rd sitlmon reel : ~ n d tlic otlicr : I I ~ unmarkctl brass and Iiartl-rrrl)l)cr trout reel of rare attractivc- riess. 'l'lic salmon reel is marked with the I.con;~rd tia~iic :~ritl tlic 1877 (I'Iiil1,rook) ~ ) i ~ t c ~ i t ; it is solitl I)rnss, vcry licilvy, :lnd t;~rnislictl. 'l'lic otlicr rccl, :lltliougli rrn- rii;~rkcd, is si~~iiliir to the Phil1)roolc pat- crit :111d 11;~s ~iiottled red and 1)laclt hart1 ri11)l)cr ~)l;ttcs. It licltl a mt~ch-dccxycd tournament ci~st i~ig line when received; tliis line has I)ccn ~~rcscrvctl and is I)cing studied, alorig with riotations for a co~i i - 1)o11ricl-t;1l)cr liric in iln carly Iliram I-lawcs

11otcl)ook. Other recently-i~cquired reels include

;I mint condition Julius Vom llofc tion- atctl I)y Martin R . 'l'ownscnd; six Mcisscl- baclis; and two Terry 187 1 patent rccls.

'The gift, from I'. W. lLndel,rock, of six sncllcd flies tied by Tlieodore Gor- don is a most wclcornc addition to the collection of flics by important fly-drcss- crs. As wcll, the Lctchcr Lirnbr~th Mem- orial Collection, tlic gift of Mrs. Lctchcr Li~ri i l )~~th, besides containing one of I,arnl,uth's un i~s i~a l twisted rods and his gluing form, also licld a most i~iiportant group of salmon and steellicad flics, put togctlicr by 1,etchcr I~ lmhut l i . Rcsidcs L~riil~rrtli 's own, thcrc arc flics by I'rcs- ton Jerinings, Tommy Rray shnw, Vi Thompson, and otlicr West Coast drcss- crs.

In an earlier issrlc of tliis m:lgxzinc, notice was given of the addition of the Leonard family portraits to the art lioltl- ings. In the past twelve months, the Mus- cum has also Ijcen given a n ctchcd glass fishing scene, now rnountcd in tlic MIIS- er~ni's new room, by Mrs. Komi Pcrkins; and ;in exccllcnt carly chromolitliograph "Lakc George" by Clifton Cornwall. Lewis Lionvale donatcci a stained glass panel with tlie c1ul)'s initials from the tloor of the Sari 1;rancisco Flycastirig Clr~b's building.

As mcntioncd ahove, a torrrnamcnt

line fro111 the llawcs gift has i~llowctl us to niakc a start iri stuclyirig fly lines. Wc . . . have, to ITC sure, many others, I)ut riiost arrive unriiarked as to origin or date (the exception being Iiillf-it-tloxen carefully marked llitrdy Coronas from the 1930's rcccivctl several years ago). We tiid rc- ccivc tliis year ;1 "Kair~-l<carr" line on its originitl spool -with ;l sonicwhat urir~srri~l logo o f ;I fisherwoman, nude except for her thigh-high watlers, half Izaak W;lltori and 1iaH' llclcn Gurley Isrown - of fairly recent vintitgc.

It is hoped that tlonors who send lines, or reels with lincs still on thcrri (in whatever condition) will inclrldc information on the date ant1 man~rfactrrrc of the lincs, when known.

The brief listing :tbovc liardly docs justicc to tlie amount and variety of items acquired in 1974. It shows highlights; a whole substratum of fascinatirig rods; Pflucger ilnd Mcck and Ilortori reels; Lyons ant1 Coulson sncllcd flics, old creels, Ixtchcr 1s~nil)uth's hand~iiadc net, Leonard's flute, Ic;itlicr fly boolts - cannot he touclicd on . Yet, in a vcry rc:d way, the less glamorous and less famous itcmsarc equally important. It is the collection as a whole that provides the opportunity for study and for expanded knowledge, and it is oftcn the every day item that reveals fly fisliing's past.

FLIES OF FRANCE, 1828. Tied for the editor o f the British "Sporting Magazine," accompanied by an article on angling, in French by the f ly tier, Monsieur Kresz . . . the whole thing turned out to be a hilarious hoax. These curly tailed patterns are for carp, which an editor shouldn't have believed.

TECHNOLOGY

The Model Fishing Rod and Line

Cane and cork grips on fly rods of Calcutta bamboo C. 1890. Before the advent of the dry fly, fishermen wanted their rods light and whippy yet with a strength capable of handling large trout, salmon and bass

In a very excellent article entitled "Fly-Fishing," in Harper's Magazine for April, our well-known correspondent, Mr. Henry P. Wells, gives some directions for casting the fly, and discourses in this way on the model fishing rod:

"The rod should be of the best, wliat- ever material it may be made from. Lancewood, greenheart, bethabara, and many other woods are capable of being converted into an excellent fly-rod, provided the material is good of its kind and it has been fashioned by the hands of a skilled workman. ~ e n t - a n d glued - or as it is now more generally termed, split - bamboo unquestionably stands firstas a material in the general estimation of experts in this country. In the fly-casting tournaments held year after year a t Cen- tral Park in New York, it has gradually supplanted all other kinds of rods, and certainly in its strength, lightness, and that steely spring which is the acme of perfection in a fly-rod are found t o a degree unequalled in any other known material.

"These rods are made b y gluing six strips of Calcutta Bamboo together in such a way that a cross section of the completed rod forms a hexagon. The rind of the bamboo is placed on the outside, and is untouched in the manufacture, since therein lie all the virtues that

the material possesses. "The variety of bamboo used for this

purpose may be distinguished b y the charred markson its yellow cuticle, with- ou t which none seems t o be imported in- to this country. No one in the least familiar with this bamboo can have failed to remark these burns, always present, yet never alike. To the split-bamboo rod- mqker they are a perfect nuisance, forc- ing him t o reject altogether many a cane otherwise excellent. So every one, surprised that so much labor should be ex- pended merely, as far as is apparent, t o injure the cane, naturally asks why this is done.

"Reasons are as plenty as blackberries and so, of course, there is n o lack in this case. Here are a fcw .samples, assigncd by those who said they knew all about it.

"1. It is a religioiis ceremony. "2. They are roasted over a large grid-

iron t o kill the larvae of boring insects. "3. It is merely for purposc of orna-

ment. "4. The bamboosgow in jungles mat-

ted together with all manner of climb- ing and tenacious vines; before they can be extricated the jungle must be fired to destroy these creepers.

"5. That the canes are roasted over a gridiron to burn off thc leaves and creep- crs attached t o thcm, as the most simple

and expeditions way t o gct rid of thcm. "6. That it is donc with ;I hot iron,

each cane being trcatcd scparatcly, merc- ly t o straighten them.

"I Iiavc heard others, but tlicsc arc quite sufficient for a l i k r a l cxcrcisc of' pcrsonal prcdilcction, my own I)cing to- ward a combination of the reasons num- bered 4 and 6.

"Different specimens of cvcry vi~ricty of rod material vary grc;ltly in cxccllcncc . . . one sariiplc being good ; ~ n d another utterly wortlilcss. Therein thc integrity of thc rodmaker, and regard for his rcpu- tation, are thc only safeguards to tlic purchaser. Therefore, it is c1ic;ipcr in the end to buy from thc makcr liimsclf or his rccognizcd agent. If thcy liavc a re- putation thcy will d o thcir best to niain- tain it. Anonymous rods arc like anonymous letters; thcy may I,c uncxccption- ablc, but usually thcy are not. Ahovc all things, rcniembcr thcrc arc no bargains in fishing tackle. If an article is chcap in price, it is almost invariably chciip in quality as wcll.

"Con~fort in usc, cfficicncy in casting thc fly, and power t o control ;u1d t o land tlic fish aftcr it is fastcncd, all will admit, arc thc desidcr;~ta in a fly-rod; strength to withstand thc incitlcntal strain, and elasticity to recover on thc removal of tlic dcflection causcd thcrc-

by, being in all cases presumed. "It needs no physicist to assure us

that with two rods of equal weight, and respectively ten and twelve feet long, the former will occasion far less fatigue than the latter, since while thc shortcr arm of the lever is equal in both cases, the longer arm, which is to d o the worlc, is greater in the latter. Nay ,further, even though the shortcr rod exceed in actual weight, still it may retain its superiority in this respect.

"Killing power, and the ability t o control the movements of the fish, dc- pend not on the length, but on the pow- cr or stiffness of the rod; and this, other things being equal, must be greater in a ten than in a twclve foo t rod, since the leverage against the controlling power is less."

Of lines, Mr. Wells says: "The Amer- ican 'cnameled waterproofed lines alone are used in this country for fly-fishing. If Phariseeism is ever pardonable it is when a good linc of this kind is compared with the best produced in any other country. If not decrcpit through old age . . . and their longevity is far in excess of any other lines. . . in strength they leave nothing t o be desired. Smooth as ivory on the surface, they render through the rings with the minimum of friction. Their weight is sufficient t o cast nicely with- ou t being excessive, and a t the same time this is always uniform, while their flexi- bility is just as it should be - neither so great as t o foul the tip, nor so stiff a s t o cause inconvenience. In short, they are as nearly perfect as the work of man's

hands is permitted to be. "They are braided from the best Ital-

ian boiled silk, and water-proofedby a process the secret of which is jealously guarded. Their first cost is high, bu t in the end they are far cheaper than any other. The temptation to economize is great in the purchase of this essential, since lines in all respects equal, to the eye, may he bought at half price. Hut these are made from a thread spun from a "fluff" produced by disintegrating old silk stockings, umbrella covers, and such trash, in a machine, and are utterly wor- thless for any purpose except t o rob the unwary of their money. Therefore, buy your lines of areputable house. Take the best they have, and pay their price, and you will have n o reason t o regret it."

' 2 The original Royal Coachman.

Letters to the Editors Throughout the history of American sporting magazines, the letters to the editors are often entertaining and quite informative. In this one, the writer tells why a Coachman has a colored body. Not for color at all anrl how many fly tiers, professional or otherwise know o f this? Trivia has its moments.

In confirmation of the trials exper- ienced in procuring flies, spoken of by your correspondents, I will speak of my own, and how in consequence of them I came t o make flies. I had for many years made fishing rods and reels, and in filling orders for the same had frequent re- quests for other tackle t o be sent in the same pzcltage. 1 then ordered, t o supply these demands, small quantities of flies from the dealers - first ordering a com- pletc linc of samples with names attached. These I reeeivcd, but found it utterly impossible t o duplicate my orders. I was continually disappointed by the substituting of other flies or sizes than the ones I had ordered, and I, in turn, was forced t o disappoint and apologize to my customer. I then thought that if there was any way o u t of this dilcmma, caused by a confusion in names and a carelessness in copying exactly the pattern fly, 1 should seek it.

In time one of my family viewed with favor the idea of learning t o tie flies. To this end I employed one of the

best fly-tyers in the city t o come t o my house and stay until he had imparted his knowledge and skil1,and when I felt that we were competent 1 advertised t o fill orders exactly in accordance with directions. To this 1 have endeavored t o ad- here. I aimed only t o copy accepted patterns, bu t n o one who has no t made a study of it can realize the difficulty it is t o decide which is the "true and only Fiery Brown" or any other named fly. The Abbey had for many years been a favorite fly in my own use. I have in pos- session four varieties of the fly so called, all tied by New York dealers, but 1 felt that the fly which came from t h e firm of Abbey & Imbrie ought t o be adopted as the correct standard, and therefore have always tied an Abbey o r an lmbrie fly precisely like the flies sold b y that firm, feeling that they were the ones t o establisha standard for the flies t o which they had given their names.

In looking through my fly-case I often call to mind the history of each variety, and I sometimes wonder if a little mem-

orandum of the same would in time become of interest.

The royal coachman mentioned by "White Hackle" was first offered to pur- chasers by me. It did not , however, orig- inate with me. The fly-tyer I mentioned longago sent t o me a sample of t h e same saying, "I have just been tieing some flies t o order for a gentleman. He says he likes the coachman better than any other fly, but he finds-it very frail, and he wants me t o tic some with red silk in the middle, t o make them stronger, and he also wants a little sprig of wood duck for a jib (tail). I send you a fly t o see. I think it quite handsome."

The enclosed fly had a white wing, brown hackle, peacock body, bound in the center with red silk, and tail of wood duck feather with the black and white bars. I kept this fly for some time, showing t o several people. One evening a number were gathered around a table looking a t the flies. My family, Mr. Horace T. Dunn, of California, and Mr. L. C. Orvis bf Hartford, Conn., were present discuss-

ing the propriety of evcry fly having a name, numl)ers giving thcm little or no individuality. 1 said, "Rut what is one t o d o ? I d o not propose to namc flies. We havc too many names already." "Why not?" say they, "If you makc a new combination, namc i t . Else it will never be popular. No one can remcmber to dis- tinguish flics by numbers; thcy get con- fused. A name fixes a fly in your mind." "Well," 1 answer, "that may be; but look here is tlie fly, a handsome fly, it is similar t o a coachman, I ~ u t it is not a coachman. Thcrc is I,ut one coachman; that is the fly wc all know, with a whitc wing, pcacock bocly and brown hacklc."

"1 will tell you," exclaimed Mr. L. C. Orvis, "that is an extra fine coachman; all that scarlet makcs it quite magnificent - call it - call it - thc royal coachman!" This secmcd suitable, so the fly was christened. Not long aftcr I published a list of flies, and included thc "royal" coachman in the number.

Later I received a letter from an ang- Icr in Wagon Whcel Gap, Colorado, saying: "I wish you would make a coachman for mc with all thc gilt on it possible. I believe such a fly would bc strong- cr and morc taking."

We tied thc flics, making thc body of gilt, with only a ncck or ruff of pcacock hr~rl ,and it provcd most acccptal~le both to thc nlan for whom i twas designed and to the fish of Colorado. Wc have made riiany doxcns for that country, and it scemcd too goocl a fly not t o bc added to tlic list, so tlic "gilt" coachman re- ccivcd ;r pl;tcc.

Thc rctl-tip coachman and Icad-wing coachman had bccn known in thc tradc long hcforc I cntcrcd it, but I fccl rc- sponsiblc for the innovation of the royal i ~ n d gilt conchmarl, and h c ~ c confcss and itccount for thc same.

I makc a fly callcd the "flolbcrton," which was obtained of hini (Mr. Holbcr- ton) by a gcntlcman in New York as gcn- r~inc. This I call thc Ilolbcrton, and cn- dcavor to adhcrc t o the pattern in evcry shadc and ciroop of fcatlicr, and twist of silk and tinsel.

"Poke-o'-Moonshine" refcrs to a fly called "R.A.C." as follows: "From his description which says, 'It has white wings, dark rcti hacklc legs, and red body in fact, a coachman with a red body, if such ;I thing is possible.' We would here likc to interrupt 'I'oke-0'-Moonshine' with - No, such a thing is not possil)lc; with thc abscncc of pcacock hurl it is n o longcr a coachman; the royal coaclinia~i is not rcally ;I co:rchman; ncithcr is the so-cnllcd gilt coachman, but thcy still rc- tairi morc of tlic clcmcnts."

One delightful spring day, ;I fcw ycars ago,* worthy and r;ltlicr cltlcrly Orothcr- in-law of niinc citnlc to the housc, and with a most sittisficd smile on his joviitl

face, said: "I am going to drive t o Rennington,

and I know a stream where therc arc some fish and I'll show you people a string of trout that will make your eycs shine; bu t I want you first t o make a fly for me. You know I always use a coachman; it is thc only fly of any account anyway. I don't want any of your new, fancy flies; give me a coachman evcry time. Rut I always put on t h c hook a fin of a fish. You are not ap t t o catch fish unless you do. Now, 1 want you to make a fly just like the coachman, only don't put that peacock body on, that always wears off; but make the body of silk, the .same color as a fish's fin."

This we did, and he started off jubi- lant, believing this "the fly ." He rcport- ed grcat success with it, and it was after- ward tried by others to whom we sug- gestcd it, and so sprang into cxistcncc tlic fin-fly. 1 d o not know the history of the origin of the R.A.G. in Utica, bu t it may, too, have bccn from the old, familiar idca of thc efficacy of the fin of a fish a s an allurement.

I have only cited these examplcs to show you that new combinations may be made and there bc n o dcsirc t o con- flict with the old. I am most dcsirous of conforming with some established standard, and in thc fly-plates of the book called "1;ishing with tlie Fly," grcat care was tilkcn to tracc flics, as far as possil)lc to thcir origin and then to give thc original typc as introduced by its inventor.

D;: Hcnshall gave mc-formula for the Polka, Oriolc, Hcnsliall and "Oconomo- woc." They werc ticd according t o dcs- criptions and hc pronounced then1 cor- rcct. As he was thc originator of thesc flies, what bcttcr can we do than follow his prescription?

I think Mr. Wclls will vouch for his own "Parmachccnc Rellc." A flv in the plates which lie says is similar, was one made to order, and the one for whom it

was made callcd it a "Professor!! with ;t whitc wing." This wc could not bring ourselves to do , so we simply said it had no namc, until in timc it came t o be thc "no-name."

Mr. Chcney will undoubtedly defend the Chcriey bass and trout fly. Major Fer- guson, of Maryland, gave us a correct pzttcrn of the fly to which he lends his namc. (This pattern did no t reach us in time to be rcprcsented in fly-plates in "Fishing with the Fly." The 1;erguson there illustrated is slightly different from the fly givcn us by Major I'erguson, but it is likc the generally accepted design used and sold. The difference would not be noticecl by many.)

Mr. Thomas Williamson, of Lecshurg Acatlemy, Virginia, scnt us a fly of his own tieing, with fcathcrs, that we might copy it; and said hc found the fly a most taking fly for black bass in those waters, and should call it "thc acatlcmy," and so.

Wc had more difficulty in dctcrmin- ing upon the truc Montrcal than upon any othcr fly. Wc obtained flies of this namc from many dcalcrs and many fish-

Originally flies were tied with the hook held in the fingers. Was the fixed vise the next step in a development of tools for easier assembly of materials; or was the hand vise the intermediary between hand tying alone and a fixed vise? The tools shown were common before 1870.

ermen; thcrc wcrc numcrous varieties, but tlic majority sccmcd t o unite upon

T

a brown turkcy wing, clarct hody and hackle. We thcn wrote to 1;orest L(c Sons, ~ c l s o , Scotland, fecling that they might wcll hc rcfcrrcd to as of highest author- ity, for who tics a more I)c;lutiful fly o r duplicates morc cxactly than these art- ists? Tlicy rcplicd, indorsing the brown t i~rkcy wing, clarct body and hackle, and scarlet ibis tail (body wound with gilt). We thcn ~ n a d c the fly aftcr thc sample furnished by thcm, and in :tccorda~icc with thc gcnerally :tcccptcd rncthod in this country and C;tnacl;t.

For a whitc niillcr, whcrc can we I ~ c t - tcr go for a typc than td thc fat hody, tipped with orange, and the fluttering wliitc wings of the familiar insect? This can I)c wcll rcprescntctl by whitc silk chcnillc for the body and orange silk for thc tip of l)ody, and who ever saw :I white ~nillcr with othcr than white wings?

I am tcmptcd to writc on indefinitc- ly, but fear I havc alrcildy transgrcsscd bcyontl my proper spacc. I will tlicrc- forc add, that thc only way I can scc ou t of the dilcnima of confusion is for ;tII t o cntcr our flics, and havc their nalnc, pcdigrcc and points propcrly rcgistercd. I, for one will conform strictly to rulcs. I%ut seriously, why not announcc the ncw flics. If they prove good and wc find them worthy of a nariic, thcy arc worthy thc noticc and intcrcst of all fishcrmcn, and we will thcn know who is rcs~x)risil)lc and to whom to rcfcr for thc propcr typc.

Charles F. Orvis Manchester, Vermont

REGIONAL HI STORY

The Most Killing Fly Articles concerning the early us? of the dry fly in America are hard to come by. This discussion in the 'Xmerican Angle? tellsof floaters in Lake Superior area trout streams in 1885 far from Catskill and Pennsylvania waters. A smattering of research by regional outdoor writers just might bring to light interesting facts about the dry fly in America and its early history.

It is a debatable question. The letters have all been interesting and instructive, but we are no nearer the point than at first, yet something has been learned from each one. Many a time have I come from the woods, determined that another season should find me fishing the same streams with an assortment of yellow mays and professors. I took them, but also an assortment of other flies, for reason prevailed over the enthusiasm of the past season, and 1 preferred not to be left with only two or three kinds of flies. At one time in a small stream the trout run on coachmen, in different form; put on cbachmen, either leadwing or royal, red tip or gilt, and I could in- sure killing some trout. In a stream within a quarter of a mile, inhabited by bright-colored trout, and whose home was among the shady alders and hazels, the fish would not look at a coachman, but put on a fire fly, or a small ibis, and you had plenty of fun on hand. A small red worm suited them better than either. We carried in our worms for the wife and boy's fishing, bringing them 250 miles, for no worms could be found there. In a cold, clear stream wllose ~ l l o u t l ~ was shallow, we tried in vain to find a fly to suit the captious denizens, though they were jumping by the dozen. We tried seven- teen kinds of flies and could not hook

one, though we turned over several. A minute fly was flitting on the surface of the water. I secured one and found I was without anything like it in my fly-book, but in the tent I had a few, sent me by R. B. Marston, Esq., of the London Fish- ing Gazette, resembling these flies, but so small I had been afraid to use them. This time I tried thcm, and I think I never crowded so much fun into an hour in all my fishing experience. They were reversed winged white flies with hackles.

Another time I was at a stream whose trout were a firm, hard fish, fierce fight- ers, but I could not seduce them. Day after day, hours after hours I tried them. The only trout I killed was with an Orvis floating may fly, or "caddis fly" as it is termed in his book. Did ever an angler attempt honestly to secure fish? I did, This caddis was a big fly. I caught one fine fish, and in casting again got hung to a cedar bough lying across the creek, and snapped my fly close to the head and lost it in the creek. I would willingly have given a dollar each for a few of these flies. They are always prime favor- ites with me. My only regret is they cannot be made or1 srr~all Ilooks.

While fishing the Superior Brule a party of gentlemen were using the fly. Some of thcm were having splendid luck, others could not get a rise. It was a pecu-

liar fly these fish fancied, something similar to the Montreal, but had not the long red tail feathers. A more killing fly could not be found. One of this party always keeps a supply of these flies in his book, and isready to swear by them every time when fishing Lake Superior waters. My opinion has been formed. from fishing in many different waters, and I conclude that to kill trout one must study closely the ephemera produced by the waters in which these trout live. If caddis worms are found in the water you may rely on the trout being gamy, of fine color and very fat. On such a stream when the may fly is rising you may cast any other fly ever so cunningly, from morn to dewy eve, and get no trout. Put on a floating may fly, handle it carefully, and you stand good chances of killing trout.

In streams running into Lake Super- ior the "Seth Green" and governor are standard flies, but you cannot be certain that the wily trout will look at them. Whip two strands unravelled from a piece of red flannel to a fair-sized hook, and the barbarians will jump for it a t most 2ny time. This summer I hope to trv the McNee ~ike-scale flies and the red tag, a new fly just coming into use.

Norman Duluth, Minnesota - April 1885

Historical Post Card

If you are bored but cannot do anything about it when dragged into the antique shop by the other half of the twosome, you might find it interesting to go through the boxes of post cards all antique dealers carry in stock. The Museum would appreciate the small gift of these sometimes quite revealing re- cords of the American on vacation. Post cards always tell a good story if it is only to note the length of a rod or the happiness of a fishing party. Clothing is of interest as are the fisherman's boats. So are views of regional fishing centers and the fish that come from them.

The Homer watercolor illustrated has its special interest. The figure in the canoe is that of the artist. Unfortunately, Homer never fly fished or if he did, his many biographers kept it secret, his con- temporary fly fishers never reported his casting a fly which is particularly odd nor did his brother speak of fly fishing although noting Homer to be a great angler. Homer's fly rod in the Museum shows little wear which proves nothing. We honor the artist for preserving a tra- dition.

The canoe used in so many of his watercolors was never painted on the limpid stream or actually shooting the roaring rapids. It was purchased in New Brunswick and kept in his studio at Prout's Neck. The watercolors of this period are purely imaginative. Homer was a ~rofessional. one of the first to disco& sportsmen would pay money for watercolors of fly fishers in action.

Both modern and antique post cards are desirable for the Museum files. We would appreciate sincerely donations of post card collections of any size including the single item.

Top: "Playing Him" by Winslo w Homer. Clothing dates the paint- ing as late in the 7890's. Middle: Like Gadabout Gaddis, nobody can do a thing without a hat. Lake Ontario 1907. Bottom: The trout will go about 6 pounds. This was about par at Rangeley in 791 1.

Rangeley Lakes, Malne, Dlxan's Island.

'1'111' AMI<IIICAN I'LY 1;ISl lllli is hut one of the Iiizlny benefits rcccivctl hy particip;~ting in the Muscutii affairs. Al- so incl~~clctl witli your nictnl)ersIiip arc the inforn1;ttivc c;~t;l- logucs, free rcscarch services, a direct line of cotiit~iunic;~tion to experts in history, litcratr~re and tcchnology, free ;~pprais- ills for donors of ~natcrials i ~ n d ;In opportunity t o individu- ally protiiotc a ricw niovcmcnt in the I'iel~l of fly fishing that is cotnplctely unique. Your ciolli~r support 1)ccomcs far more than financial help. It is the kccping of ;In nnspokcn prom- ise to f r~ turc gcncr:~tions that a heritage will not tlc lost. A brochure will 1)c forwiirdcd on request.

A tic t;tc is presented witli each nicm1)crship of $25.00 or Inore.

Associate $ 10.00 Sustaining $ 2 5 . 0 0 I'atron $1 00.00 and over Life $250.00

All 1ncm1)crsI~ip tlucs, contril~ittions and tlonations arc tax dcdr~ct i l~lc .

Plcasc forwartl checks to 'l'IIR TlIli.ASUIII<H, 'rhc Mus- eum of Arncrican lily Iiishing, Mi~nchcstcr, Vermont 05254 with your NAMII, A1)DIIIlSS and ZII' CODE; type of mem- bership desired and a statenletit of tlic amount enclosed. Upon receipt, a catalogue, magazinc ant1 mc~nl)crsliip card will bc m:lilcd imrncdi;~tcly.

The pages of TI-IE AMERICAN F1.Y FISIIEII arc open to all those who have a healthy interest in tlic pro~iiotioti of the Museum. Constructivc criticisnl is wclco~nc as arc sug- gestions which you feel will nialce for bcttcr reading. If you know of individrtals performing research relating to the history of fly fishing we would like t o malcc their acquaintance and if you have a question about the Museum, or historic fly patterns, or literaturc, or taclclc dcvclopmcnt, its almost a sure bct the staff will be able to provide just tlic right ;Ins- wcr. Extra copies of the magazine arc availahlc.

Since the Museum's inception, ;In cxccl)tion;rl nuni1)cr of rarities have I~ecn given the Muscc~~n. 'l'lic very f incst 11;lvc been placed o n exliil~it in sliowcascs gu;~rtlctl Oy lie;~vy plate glass and modern locking systems.

We consider our ex1iil)its to I,c :I precious 1icrit;lgc : ~ n d d o everything possible to let our many .visitors cx;ltninc thctn, yet, make ;is certain as ~x)ssil)lc thcrc is n o clii~ticc lor tlicl't or damage. I r i this way, visitors ~ i i i ~ y see rods I)uilt long 1)e- fore thcrc was any recognition tli;~t our wiltcrs co111tl I)c polluted or the i11)undancc of game fish seriously dcplctctl. llerc in our Muscurii ilrc ycstcrtlays rcmcml)crccI, ;I history of' fly fishing in A~iicric;i that is rc;~l, inl'or~native ;rnd cntcr- taining. You will see the finest in crafts~n;lnship, ant1 the many steps in ii developing tcchnology tIi:lt h;ls m;~dc Atncri- can tackle the finest in tlic worltl whiltcvcr its ;igc.

You as a. mcm1,cr o n your first or o n one of niilny visits will be proutl of what has 1,ccri ;~cco~iiplislied ; ~ n d ~i iost certainly be proud t h i ~ t you arc a nleml)er. Your continuctl contributions will t)e apprcci;itcd. I'leasc give your fricntls the opportunity to experience the same glow of satisf;~ct- ion I)y soliciting their hclp through 21 finitncial contri1)utioti that in turn will provirlc Octtcr cxhi1)itsand a I)cttcr Muscu~n.

Museum Catalof~ No. 1 is given free with all mc~nl)crsliil)s. Fully illustrated, ~t offers ;I Ijricf history of fly fishing in Anicric;~ t o 1870 by the Curator ant1 a listing of Muscu~n rods, rccls, fly patterns and mc~iioral)ili;t I)y (;. I)iclc lii t~l;~y. 'The explanatory notes arc particularly valual)lc \vhcn vicw- ing the displays at Manclicstcr. Irxtrn copies of tlic cati~logue arc available from the Museum.

PERIODICALS

A limited number of the Muscurii's "A Clicclc List of American Sporting I'criodici~ls" 1)y Austin S. Ilogan, who rcse;vchcd the su1)ject for ovcr a decade, arc ;~vailal,lc. Two Iiundred and more rnisccllanics wcrc'pul)lishctl 1)efore 1900. 'rhc most useful, to tliose intcrcstctl in the history of itngling in America have 1)ccri sclcctctl. In ;itldition the work l)oolc containsan historical introduction, the prtl)lic li1)rarics wlicrc the periodicalsarc on the sliclves and excerpts which cxatnplc the period literature. Soft cover, complete rcfcrcnccs :~ntl easily read;~hle, the listing is the only guitlc of its lcintl in tlir field of angling rcfercriccs. $5.00 postpaici, from the Museutn only.

FAMOUS BROWN UNIVRIISITY

ANG1,ING ROOK CATALOG UR

In 1968 Brown's I<ockefellcr Lilxary p ~ ~ t o n exhihit ;I selection of rare angling books. 'l'lic c;~t;rlogr~e, with its history of angling literatr~rc soon 1,ccamc it collector's item. An anonymous donor has contributed a limited numl)cr to I)c sold for the Museum's Ijencfit a t $3.00 c;lch. Malcc clieclts p;lyablc to the "Museum of American I'ly I'isliing."

The Museum of American Fly Fishing

Manchester, Vermont 05254

The Museum is a non-profit institution, chartered under the laws of the State of Vermont. As a n educational organ- -- ization it is directed t o the preservation and keeping of the traditions that bond the past with the present. The Museum offers a permanent public repository where the historic fly rod, reel, book, a r t work and fly pattern may be expertly guarded against the destructiveness of time. Contributions are tax deductible as established by the U.S. Revenue Service.

A descriptive brochure is available.

es The permanent exhibits at the Museum display the world's finest collections of fly fishing tackle.

OFFlCEKS AND TRUSTEES

Prcsidcnt Treasurer Registrar Honorarv Trustees Arnold Gingrich Leigh H. Perkins Kenneth Cameron

D. C. Corkran Vice Presidents Secretary Conservator Harry Darbee

Austin S. Hogan (Curator) Mrs. Laura Towslee Charles Olin Hcrman Kessler Steve Raymond Wesley Jordan

MEMORIAL CITATION

Albert I. Alexander Gene Andcregg Stuart C. Aptc Robert Harrett Joseph Spear Beck Stanley f<ogdan 51s. Kay Hrodney Henry Rruns Philip K. G o w c Grro l l C. Curtice Donald DuRois

Charles A. Fellows Arnold Gingrich William A. Glassford Will Godfrey Gardner L. Grant Dr. Alvin Grove, Jr. George W. Harvey Charles E. Jones Poul Jorgensen Martin Keane Raymond A. Kotrla

Bernard (Lefty) Kreh Dana Lamb David Ledlie Leon L. Martuch John Orrelle Mrs. Leigh Perkins C. Boyd Pfciffer Steve Raymond Kick Robbins Willard F. Kockwell, Jr. Theodore Rogowski

Library

Mrs. Leigh Perkins, Librarian Joseph Spear Beck Stanley Kitchell Ms. Kay F. Brodney Henry Rrilns Mark Kcrridge David Ledlie, Assistant Librarian

Technology

G. Dick Finlay

Joseph W. Brooks, Jr. 1901 - 1972

TRUSTEES

STAFF AND CONSULTANTS

Fly Rods

Kenncth M. Cameron Wcsley Jordan Martin Keane

Fly Reels

John Orrelle Archie Walker Arthur Walker

Ben Schley Berni Schoenfield Ernest G. Schwiebert Warren Shepard Milford K. Smith Louis Stoia Prescott A. Tolman Bennett Upson Kalph Wahl Archibald Walker Maxine Atherton Wykoff

Fly Patterns

George F. Grant Poul J orgensen

Public Relations

Donald Owens Dan Reid Tony Skilton Hen Upwn

"the angler - his avocation gives him no common opportunities for observing some of the most beautiful and curious forms of animal and vegetable life.

"Stealing along by the water's edge, his footfall lost in the murmur of the stream, or muffled by Nature's carpeting, he enters unsuspected the haunts of the shyest creatures.

"He sees the otter steal down from his cairn,or lift his sleek treacher- ous visage in the midst of the pool; he notes the general consternation of the salmonidae at the sinuous rush of the seal, whom hungry pursuit has tempted beyond the salt water; 'doe and roe, and red deer good' slake their thirst in his sight; he surprises the wild duck and her brood as they paddle around the sedges.

"Leaning back against the trunk of a willow, he sees the kingfisher - a living saphire - shoot close to his dazzled eyes - and as suddenly emerge with her prey; or hidden in the shadow of an overhanging rock, he marks the water ouzel glittering in a silver panoply of silver bubbles, run briskly along the sandy bottom of the burn."

- H. R. FRANCIS, 1856

Documents

The American Fly Fisher - American Museum of Fly Fishing · as examplcs of professional skill. One of the panels was ex- hibited fir over a year at the Amon Carter Art Museum in Texas