The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, April 01, 1900, PART THREE, Image 25

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PART THREE
PAGES 25 TO 32
TO
VOL. XIX.
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Long before the sun pokes his flery rays
over the jagged crest of the Cascades this
morning, when the mists that hang along
the deep canyons begin, to drift slowly
down the watercourses, the swish of trout
lines will mingle with the roar of the
mountain streams and the lusty trout will
find at their noses the most tempting
breakfast they have partaken of this year.
Today the law that prevents any man, wo
man or Child, of any race, color, or pre
vious condition of servitude from taking
trout In any of the streams in Oregon will
be granted a "vacation, and he who is
skillful enough to land a reelful of
(pcckled beauties is privileged to do so,
provided he doesn't capture any under five
Inches long and sells none of his catch.
It is too early for the fly season, so the
extreme sticklers for pure sport will not
be out In large numbers this morning;
but if one walks out along any of the
country roads this afternoon he Is pretty
sure to meet a straggling stream of fisher
men, returning on foot, awheel or In cars.
And most of them ought to be fairly suc
cessful, for the small streams In which the
trout abound are not swollen" with recent
rains, and, except for the bluish cast,
which Is always their habit at this season
of the year, arc as clear as a sportsman
could desire. '
Ye Alert Conakry Lad.
Most of the anglers who fish In the Im
mediate vicinity of Portland that Is, with
in fifty miles will find that the enterpris
ing country boy has anticipated them and
the law, and will notice broken willow
boughs and empty worm cans along the
margin of their favorite streams. But
the country lad Is a sparing fisherman at
best, now that he cannot sell any of bis
catch, and he has, withal, a wholesome
dread of the Deputy Game "Warden, ever
lurking near, which keeps him from loot
. lng the streams completely. So today's
sport will depend largely on the skill of
the fisherman and the size and Juiciness of
his -worms, unless he stoops to employ
that murderous bait, salmon roe.
"While some of the streams near Port
land have been pretty well fished cut of
late years, men who know just where to
go this morning can land a considerable
catch and get home by noon. The small
streams are the best for very early fish
ing and there are a few on the western
elope of the ridge that divides the Willam
ette "Valley and the Tualatin Plains that
should bo found full of speckled beauties,
and all of them not under five Inches in
length either.
Up toward the waters of the Clackamas,
where Kipling caught his salmon, and on
Eagle Creek, in the same neighborhood,
"will be the Mecca of many an angler's pll-
grlmage today. Others will go down the
river and fish the streams on the Wash
ington side of the Columbia, which have
been open for a month, but which have
thus far not yielded very glittering re
turns. Still others will try Dairy Creek and
a number of streams near It, In Washing
ton. County. The Trask and the Wilson,
which are considered among the finest
trout streams in the world, are not fished,
as a rule, till later in the season. They
nre ideal streams, for fly fishing, and the
limit to the stories which .can be told 01
the size of the trout to be taken there has
never yet been reached.
As the season advances, the Xecanlcum,
flowing into the Pacific at Clatsop beach,
will receive Its share of attention from
the anglers, and Its near neighbor, the
Lewis and Clark, will be visited by those
whose enthusiasm is equal to a rather dif
ficult tramp over a rough trail. The "Ne
canlcum is one of the most beautiful
streams that ever chattered over stony
ways, and has probably more ardent nd
ralrers than any other creek In the state.
Flnhed for Tears.
On It is located a favorite summer re
sort, and Its waters have been fished sine
Lewis and Clark built a salt cairn on iu
banks, more years ago than the oldest
Indian on the beach remembers. Early
In the Spring the trout come down nearly
to the first riffles, which are about a mils
above the Junction of the stream with
the Pacific, but in the gentle Summer time,
when the denizens of the hotel prowl along
Its banks, rod In hand, the fish acquire an
aversion to society which drives them to
the seclusion granted by the tall Umber
nnd high hills miles up stream. In the
Fall, the salmon trout enter the Necanl
cum and then the banks are lined with the
natives of the village of Seaside, with cans
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of salmon eggs at their sides and long
bamboo poles.
The Lewis and Clark, while difficult of
access, repays the trouble It takes to gain
It, by furnishing an almost unlimited sup
ply of trout They rise to a fly In July,
and catchca have been reported which are
altogether beyond the credulity of the or
dinary mortal.
All the streams along the Coast. In fact, .
both the larger ones and their tiny tribu
taries, arc so full of trout that one might
Imagine the supply would never bo ex
hausted. Such has been the greed of tho
dynamite pot hunter, however, that the
last Legislature found It necessary to abol
ish fishing for the market altogether, and
now, to the disgust of the epicure, no
trout can bo had for money.
The interior of the state is as plentifully
supplied with trout streams as the Coast.
So many are there, in fact, that but a few
can be mentioned, and among these few,
first of all, comes the Mackenzie, a swift
and deep tributary of the Willamette,
which Joins near Eugene. Portland fish
ermen have been going to the Mackenzie
every summer since they can remember,
and those that go one season always re
turn the next and the yarns they spin their
friends are calculated to make the latter
drop everything, buy a rod and prepare
for the Journey.
Famoui "Williamson.
Then the Williamson River, in Klamath
County, has gained for Itself a reputation
as a trout stream which has passed far
beyond the confines ofuhe State. J. R.
Moore, of New York, who has fished every
stream from China to Peru, whipped the
Williamson some years ago, and when he
left Oregon he declared It was the finest
trout stream he ever visited. And he
showed he was in earnest, too, for since
then he has been back every year with on
elaborate trouting outfit, and he has be
come a familiar summer figure to the na
tives along the stream
To the well-directed energy and Intelli
gence of the late Fish Commissioner, Hol
llster D. McGulre. which have been ably
seconded by his successor, F. C Reed, the
trout fishermen of the State owe a great
deal. Mr. McGulre. while his principal
duty lay In fostering the commercially im
portant salmon Industry, never during his
lifetime neglected an opportunity to urge
the necessity of legislation protecting
trout, and it was largely through his ef
forts that the present excellent laws were
passed. The Oregon Fish and Game As
sociation, organized a little more than a
year ago. Is composed chiefly of enthusi
astic anglers, and leaves no stone unturned
to assist In the enforcement of the law
and hunt down offenders.
Such wholesale methods of slaughter as
the explosion of dynamite In streams and
seining the pools have been stopped almost
altogether since the sale of trout was for
bidden, and the punishment of a number
of pot fisoermen has discouraged the In
dustry. The members of the' association
have composed a body of voluntary deputy
game wardens, and as they scatter widely
during the summer among the many trout
streams of the state, they are pretty sure
to find out where and by whom the law Is
being violated.
Of the varieties of trout In Oregon, much
has been said and written, and there are
many anglers who make bold to dispute
with naturalists concerning the Identity
of many species. The most common spe
cies Is the black-spotted trout, which Is
found nearly everywhere. The rainbow
trout, found In the Mackenzie and the
streams of Eastern Oregon. Is one of tho
most beautiful of the finny tribe, and Is
eagerly sought after by sportsmen and
epicures.
Cntthront nnd Lake Trout.
On the Mackenzie the cutthroat variety
of trout also abounds a large, gamey
fish that requires considerable skill to
land. In Klamath Lake, and some of the
jother large Inland bodies of water in
Southern Oregon, lake trout are plentiful.
They are lured from their deep lairs by
the fly or trolling from boats, and furnish
exhilarating sport
But with all the Information that science
has supplied on the subject; with all the
observation old fishermen have employed
to learn the difference between the dif
ferent species, this matter of the Identity
of trout Is one on which fishermen
scarcely ever agree. The same varieties
differ so widely in different waters that
they aro frequently mistaken for separate
species, and In the creel of a fisherman
will sometimes be found trout of as many
different colors and markings, as tho
members of a feline family. "When they
who have caught them come into camp,
there ensues a discussion as to their
species, and then there. Is trouble, for If
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING,
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there is one thing an angler prides him
self upon It Is his ability to call off the
names of the fish he has captured.
Discussions of this Wed. not -infrequently
lead to hard words, and usually to the
ransacking of piscatorial works and re
ports of the Smithsonian Institution, but
tho seekers after knowledge return from
these educational excursions about as
wise as they were when they Jerked their
shining captives from the riffles and ad
mired their beautiful markings as they
lay quivering on the bank.
One person has a theory that all small
trout are youthful steclhead salmon, or
salmon whose Inland voyages have tended
to hold down th,clr size; another believes
that salmon trout and brook trout are
brothers, whose flesh differs In color by
accident, and there Is another theory that
tho works that describe the trout of Ore
gon are all wrong. Whether the anglers
know more than the naturalists. It is not
the purpose of this article to say; It Is
only Intended to show that on fishing, as
on most other subjects, men's minds dif
fer and opinions vary.
Kir FUhln-r.
Of course, tho. true sportsmanlike way
to capture trout, and the one that gives
the angler the purest and greatest Joy ho
can know. Is fly fishing. In Oregon the
trout are shy risers to a fly in tho early
Spring, holding out for worms and salmon
eggs, if they can get them; but. as the
days lengthen and grow warmer, and the
Insects begin to skim perilously near the
surface of the still ponds, between riffles,
the splash of leaping fish Is heard by those
who are near the bank, and they know
that fly time has arrived. It Is then that
the farmers write to their city boarders
that- It Is time to come out Into the
woods, and it is then that the fly books of
the city anglers wax fat nnd their pocket-books
wax lean. For fly fishing for
trout is a pastime which costs some little
money, nnd the thoroughbred troutflsher
will not venture to the side of his favorite
stream unless he has a gilt-edged equip
ment of rods, lines, leaders and the other
tools of his gentle craft.
Most of the streams on which the fly
fishing Is good can be waded, and soma
fishermen prefer hip rubber boots for this
occupation. Others, however, merely
wear an old pair of shoes and clothing
which cannot be Injured by dampness, and
walk boldly Into the ley current, 'cleaving
the air with the sharp snap of their lines
as they cast.
The art of putting a fly In Just the spot
along the stream which looks as If a
trout might be lurking there is one which
requires a natural gift for that sort of
thing, and no end of practice. In the first
place, only the veteran flsheman knows,
from the look of It, where that spot may
be. He Is familiar with the habits of his
finny friends. Ho knows at Just what
time of day they aro most likely to be In
good appetite, and Just where they go to
look for careless Insects. Ho further
knows, by noting the bugs that are skip
ping along over "the water, the sort of a
fly that Is likely to prove most tempting,
nnd he selects two or three of theso to
place on his leader. Then, with a deft
turn of the wrist, and slight movement of
the arm, the line Is sent shooting across
the river, where It hovers for a moment
over the water and then settles down on
it, wriggling along as It Is drawn back
toward the angler with a motion that
would deceive even tho most wily and ex
perienced of trout.
A Strike.
There Is a sudden swish in tho water,
a streak of silver at tho end of the line,
and the reel begins tho song that the truo
fisherman .lores better than any other mu
sic on earth. It is no small task to
,N r ,'',( '. ft villlnlllln V8 f7F'y' ' species of trout recently Introduced Into
jU:i.'-! S rVifllllllllkr kid the etate br the State Fish Commissioner.
1 ' rN''!Cv,ll':,' rfiLIS sa A. -v and the pnltPd States Fish Commissioner.
.v ? ;-Cj"5'!vV flf llm" tr-. J& "ky- "Sec- u sha" bo unlawful t6 se. of-
,-T"n. .iifflV """ llMi-'T' y'&h'2 ' '" . ZK-i-r- fcr for rale, or have In possession for sale.
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APRIL 1, 1900.
manage a swift swimming nsh. cent on
making his escape, and with 40 or 50 feet
of line between him and his captor. But
the expert angler asks for no better 'op
portunity than this, and Is never happier
than when he feels that, upon his skill
and patience, depends the landing of may
hap a three-pound prize. Tho cold water
that Is soaking Into every pore below hi:
things: the unsteady petition on the rocks
and pebbles, and the current that threat
ens, at every moment, to sweep him from
his feet, are all forgotten. He braces him
self as firmly as circumstances will per
mit; grimly puffs his pipe, and reel and
gives line until wrist and hand ache with
fatigue, and his legs tremble with the
cold and the nervous excitement of it alL
And when his trout Is landed, he stops
but a minute to unhook and admire It:
then hastens to get his tackle In shape for
another cast
On some of the larger streams, and on
the lakes of Southern Oregon, It Is possi
ble to fish from a boat. and. In pla'ces.
to cast directly from the river bank, with
out wading. This opens the sport to
women, the strongest and most energetic
of whom would not enjoy the rough and
tumble climb over sticks, stonc3, logs and
boulder?, the tearing through brush and
.the wading In Ice water that the ordinary
style of fishing Involves. Casting from a
boat Is by no means an easy matter, as
the proper management of a trout line re
quires skill under any conditions, but It Is
a far more pleasant port than wading a
stream, and is furthermore one In which
a woman can become as proficient es a
man.
Snlvcllnna Fontlnnlls.
Repeated experiments In the transplant
ing of the true brook trout, tho salve llnus
fontlnalls, from the East, have been made
by the United States Fish Commission and
by Commissioner McGulre. Speckled trout
and Loch Leven trout have been planted
in streams throughout the state to the
number of 23.000. Just what Is the result
Is not yet clear, ns the transplanted fish
havo not been taken In large numbers;
but fishermen hope that, in future years,
the Eastern fish will begin to swarm In
the streams, and supplement the numer
ous branches of the trout family Indigen
ous to Oregon.
The trout law now In force In Oregon is
brief and to the point, and in order that
Its provisions may be fully understood It
is reprinted. Here it is in substance:
"Section 1. From and after the passage
of this act it shall be unlawful for any
person to take, catch, kill, or have In po
scsa'on. any trout during the months of
November, December, January, February
and 'March.
"Sec. 2. It shall be unlawful for any
person or persons to take. 1:111 or capture,
or have In possession, at any time,- trout,
char or salmon of lesa than five Inches
In length.
"Sec. 3. It shall bo unlawful for any
person or persons to take, catch cr kill. In
the waters of the state, any trout, by any
means whatever, except by hook and line,
and any person with hook and line who,
-upon lifting the same, shall find that n
trout, char or salman of less than five
Inched In length Is entangled thereon, shall
Immediately, with care and the least In
Jury to the fish, disentangle the same and
transmit the fish to the water, without
violence.
TJnlnvrfal for Three Yenrs.
"Sec 4. For the period of three years
from and after the passage of this act
It shall be unlawful for any persons to
take, catch or-kill, by any means what
ever, or have in possession, any Eastern
brook trout, or Loch Leven trout, being
any species
time.
"Sec. 6. It shall be unlawful for any
person or persons to explode, or cause to
bo exploded. In any of the waters of this
state, any powder, Hercules powder, dyna
mite, nltro-glycerine or nny explosive sub
stance whatever, or place In any of tho
waters of .the state any lime or poison
for the purpose of catching, killing or de
stroying fish. Any person found guilty of
violating thi3 section shall be punished by
a fine of not less than $20 or mors than
$100, or by Imprisonment of not lers than
one, or more than three months, or both."
The penalty for tho violation of sections
1, 2. 3, i and 5 is a fine of not less than
$20, or more than $100, or by imprisonment
of not less than 10, or more than 30 days.
This law was approved April 20. 1SS3..
and has been very otringcntly enforced
since that time by Game Warden Qulm
by, aided, as has been stated, by the ef
forts of the Oregon Fish and Game Asso
ciation. It has proved just the legislation
that was needed, and Its strict enforce
ment will probably not only preserve to
the streams of the state their native fish,
but enable the transplanted varieties to
wax strong nnd large, and take a place
beside the Webfoot trout as a game fish
worthy of lodgment In tho sportsman's
creel.
Aneler's Paradise.
From the time the white man first set
foot upon Its soil, Oreeon has been ths
angler's paradise. And long before that,
when the Indian fished the streams with
his primitive but effective apparatus, ho
never lacked for a trout breakfast, when
he felt In the mood for It, In seaion -or
out of season. Sportsmen from all parts
of the world have fished the streams of
the state, and have felt so well pleased
with the result1 of their visits that they
have returned, year after year, to repeat
or try to raise then- large catches. Par
tlcularly high In the estimation of Eastern
fishermen Is the lake fishing of the state,
tho catches on Pelican Bay, Klamath
Lake, being world-famed. Among thosj
who have visited this favored spot 1s an
Englishman of title, who returned last
year, for the third time, to try his luck
in the clear waters of this magnificent
lake.
The fisherman who starts out today to
land a good-sized creel of fish must be
prepared for a gocd many hardships,
which, endured at so much per diem, he
would consider worth a very handsome
wage. In the first place, it Is not at all
certain that the rains will not descend and
the floods come. In which case he mljrht
as well go back, for, aficr a brief hour or
two of sharp rain, mnt of the smalt
streams, which are best Tor early fishing
become yellow with mud. and it is Impos
sible for Mr. Trout to see the bait. Even
If the weather is clear, the roads over
which he must travel, if he is so unfor
tunate as to be obliged to go on foot, will
be tolerably adhesive with mud, and he
will arrive at the stream he is bound for
in a condition which does not fit him for
the exertion he must put forth If he hopes
to catch any fish. For the trout streams of
Oregon, and especially tho smaller ones,
nre fringed with brush, and bordered with
bowlders end fallen logs, and, to make tho
ascent of them requires the strength of an
athlete and tho patience of a Job.
Some Dravrlmcka.
Fishing tackle, unless handled with the
utmost skill and care. Is Hkely to snarl
and tangle; rod3 will break at the least
resemblance of rough usage, and unfeel
ing trout will make no bones of biting off
snell hooks, and dcparlng with them for
regions unknown to the angler. It may
require patience to sit quietly by the bank
of some open country stream, after the
manner of Isaac Walton, and wait for a
bite, but It requires five times as much
to climb up the stony canyon through
which a trout stream flows, keeping n
complicated set of fishing gear straight tho
tho while and now and then dipping a hook
into a riffle or disentangling it from some
overhanging branch.
And it requires still more patience, and
this of the variety only distributed among
saints, to land a beauty: see him get free,
as he reaches tho bank, and, wriggling
Into the water, dart off so swiftly that you
can only see a streak where he went, and
then refrain from saying anything that, as
Mark Twain says, could not be put into a
Sunday school book without Injuring the
sale of It.
But the true sportsman cares nothing for
these troubles. They sit on him as light
ly as a wreath of roses on a May Queen.
He thinks only of ono thing, and that Is
Kettles that creel full of trout. And as
NO. 13.
the basket grows heavier and heavier,
the added weight Is an added joy. With
out lunch, without even a nip at som
thing warm and invigorating, he will fish
away as long ns he la catching, counting
the victims as they come In. and striving
first to raise It to ten, then to 25, then to
10)., and. finally, to 101, for no fisherman
could go home with just an even hundred
in his basket.
Fruition.
Ar.d when the fish are all In, nicely
overlaid with meadow grass, and arranged
with tho big ones on top. where they can
bo first seen by the friends he meets when
ho gets Into town, he would not trada
places with a king.
All that night he will see riffles bubbling
before him, hear the musical purr of the
mountain stream, and behold trout of as
sorted sizes dangling before his eyes. Ha
will live over the experiences of the day,
thinking how he might have got a coupla
more out of this riffle or how he fished
that ono a little too long. And the next
morning, when he goes rlown to break
fast, the smell of fried trout In his nos
trils will round out and complete tha
greatest happiness he Is capable of endur
ing. In this world.
HAZZAItn-S
Cn Ilazzanl'o hut was ncky and cold, T
Ben Hazzaril. half blind, was black and oil,
Ani he cobbled shoes for his -anty gold.
Sometimes he sighed for a lanrer store
Wherewith to bless the wandering poor;
Fcr he was not wise In worldly lore:
The poor were Christ's; he knew no more.
"Twaa very little tnat Ben could do.
But he peEBed his prayers In many a shoe.
And only himself and the dear Lord knew.
Meanwhile he must cobble with all his might
Till the Lord knew when It would all be right.
For he walked by faith and not by sight.
One alKht a cry from the window came
Ben Hazzard wa? pleepy. and tired, and lame
"Ben Hazzanl, open." It seemed to say;
"Give shelter and food. I humbly pray."
Ben llazzard lifted his woolly head
To Ilrtfn. " "ns awful cold." he sold.
And his old bone.3 shook In his ragged bed,
"But the wanderer must be comforted."
Out from .his straw he painfully crept.
And over tre frosty floor he stepped
"While under the door the snow wreaths swept.
"Come In. in the name of the Lord." he crlea.
At he opened the door and held it wide,
A milk-white kitten was all he spied.
Trcmbllnir and crying there at his feet.
Ready to die In the bitter sleet.
ISea Hazzard. amazed, stared up and- down;
The candles were out In all the town;
The stout house-doors were carefully shut.
Safe bolted were all but old Ben's hut.
"I thought that somebody called." he oald;
Some dream or other got Into my head;
Ctme. then, poor pussy, and share my bed.
But tirst he sought for a rusty cup.
And gave hto guest a generous sup.
Tben out from the storm, the wind and the sleet,
Pu.13 Joyfully lay at old Ben's feet:
Truly. It was a. terrible storm.
Ben feared he should never more be warm.
But Just as he began to be dozy.
And pus3 was purring soft and cozy.
A voice called faintly before his door:
"Ben Hazzard. Ben Hazzard. help. I lmplorel
Give drink and a crust from out your store."
Ben Hazzard opened his sleepy eyeev
And his full-moon face showed great surprla.
Out from his bed he stumbled again.
Teeth chattering with neuralgia palri
Caught at the door In the frozen rain.
"Come In. In the name of the Lord." he said.
With irjch as I have thou shalt be fed."
Only a little black dog he saw.
Whining and ehaklng a broken paw.
"Well, well," cried Ben Hazzard. "I must cava
dreamed";
But verily like a voice It seemed.
"Poor creature." he added, with husky tone.
Ills feet so cold they seenjed like stone,
"TEou shalt have the whole of my marrow
bone." He went to the cupboard and took from tha
shelf
The bone 'that he had saved for hl3 very sett.
Thn, after binding the broken paw.
Half dead with cold went back to his straw.
Under the ancient blue bedqullt he crept.
His conscience was white, and again he slept.
But again a voice called, both loud and clear:
'Ben Hazzard, for Chrlsc'9 sweet sake coma
here!"
Once more he stood at the open door.
And looked abroad, as he looked before.
Th!a time, full sure, 'twas a voice he heard;
Hut all that he paw was a storm-tosta-d bird
With weary pinion and beaten crest.
And a red blood-stalnon its snowy breast.
"Come in. In the name of the Lord." he said,
Tenderly raising the drooping head.
And. tearing his tattered robe apart.
Laid the cold bird on b!fi own warm: heart.
The sunrise flashed on the snowy thatch.
As an angel lifted the wcoden latch.
Ben woke la a flood of golden light.
And knew the voice that had called all night.
And steadfastly gazing, without a word.
Beheld the messenger from the Lord.
He said to Ben with a wondrous c-mlle.
(The three guests sleeping all the while,)
"Thrice happy is he that blesseth the poor.
The humblest creatures that sought thy door.
For Christ's sweet sake thou hast comforted.
"Jay, 'twas not much," Ben humbly tald.
With a rueful shake of his old gray head.
"Who glveth all of his scanty store
In Christ's dear name, can do no more.
Behold the Master, who walteth for thee.
Faith: 'Given to them thou hast given to Jfe.
Then, with heaven's light on h!a face. "Ament
I come in tt-.e name of the Lord." said Ben.
"Frozen to death."the watchman said.
When at lart he found him In his bed.
With a smile on his face so strange and bright;
He wondered what old Ben saw that night.
Ben's lips were silent, and never told
He bad gone up higher to And his gold.
Ansa P. Marshall in the Animal Worsts,
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