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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1914)
PACITC STX WDFOTCT) MATT, TR1RUNTJ. MFJTKOttn. OKKCJOtf, TTTTmRTUY. .TANUAfiY 1. l!)U. The Rogue River Country a Sportsman's Paradise (By Walter P. Backus.) J If you want to know what real fishing Is, )oa must go to Southern , OrcKon ami tackle an eight-pound sleclhend trout In tlio Hoguo river, j It will make you forgot nny other fishing you ever hod, nntl If you nro I lucky enough to Rat several dns of thl roynl sport, It will spoil you for nny other kind of angling. At least, that's what It (ltd for me. Kvorythlng Is on n big healo. You linvo to wade to tlio very limit, cast every foot of lino jou can possibly get out, and then handle five or ten pounds of tho gnmest trout flesh that ever broke man's tackle. There' nothing easy about this stcelhead fly fishing. It's hard work, every min ute of It, but for tho man who enjoys fishing n big fish on a fly rod, It's worth nil the energy It costs. Strcllicait Trout Pishing Pulque lu tho first place the fishing is qulto different from ordinary trout fly fishing. Tho stcolheads are fcund In u different sort of water, and take tho fly In a manner quite unlike the rainbow or cutthront trout. You may bo a successful fly fisher man on the average mountain stream, and then fish the Itogue for a week without hooking a single stcelhead. Tho experienced Hogue fisherman will walk along the stream, complete ly Ignoring places thnt look ery promising to the amateur, and pick out spot after spot where the steel heads are sure to bo hiding. You don't find them In ordinary gravel bottom riffles, nor in deep, swirling eddies, but nhcrever there Is a solid bedrock bottom, with crack and grooves scattered through It, and six or eight feet of water running over It I at a moderato pace, then look tor trouble. Cast your fly straight across the current, and let It swing quietly around until It straightens out be low you. Don't try to skip it alons the surfaco or glvo It nny motlei: whatovor. Just let it sail quietly along, until it suddenly disappear, and you feel a tug that makes you. blood tingle, clear down to our toes. Afternoon's Sport Is Croat 1 V . , .V oiTJBJ- v jftrpu-.H. -- r -.. .. sw Ki3w . - miH'&-tsiiiiiii&x j v - r tititH ?itifeS Ftj -? - - "- " 'P' I .JU." imh. 1. m.- "-x -rJSip4 .. .- MTMr 'mJ'JT i- "Tiiggcry Kill at the Ulieel." I ly. l'islilng in the Itogue Ithcr fur Stt-I-head (ItnlnUm) Tiiiut Is tho l!et In I tlio World. The Smaller Stmims Abound in Ilnxik and Cutlinmt Trout. The Camera Caught the Splash of a Sex en Pound Stecllieail After n I-iiis P1ght. The Angler 1 W. V. Isaacs. Photo by Gcrklng. M irfjr li AHHflb?;. ItvftjnSijiKvk-'sM I had a grand afternoon's sport I just then, but after hanging up in on the Hoguo about ten nillos above Mcdtord. At this point there was ct unusually long and heavy rapid, and Just above this fast water was tho finest lot of "bedrock I havo ever seen. Tho channel hero was probably a hundred feet across, with an avcrago depth of perhaps eight feet. Thcro was quite a swirl to the water, but 1 could dimly seo n berles of crevices in tho bedrock that looked very good Indeed. So I put on a No. 4 Grizzly King, and sent it floating over tho pool. No response at first, so I grad ually lengthened tho lino until 40 feet was flying through tho air. Then the fly settled a little farther out, drifted a yard or two when bang! and my rod bent double and the resl began fairly to scream. Out of tho water he came, looking so big that he fairly scared mo, and theu he mado a straight shoot for tho rapids below. Down he went to the very brink, taking out lino until my reel looked pretty sick. Hero ho stopped long enough to let me wado nshoro, and I was then ablo to fight him on even terms. After ten min utes of plunging, during which he threatened to go over tho falls sever al times, I finally drew him ashore. 1 had uo scales at hand to weigh him , imm - :z?rv sa&&r -jk. rLr lJMfi ,V?r-; f ' ftT.-fH ZA rv. c - .ar" ' . - r tr . ". nv y . r 9 xrr i ... " - ----' liwwl ttf iLJ " ' mf . -fs "r,c-"."; .- ""-w-ri "' - w wm . - j r I . - .. JW.. " -j '. . .; -. nrx - v-iwl . f -'. - . &-40IV &jmm-m.vr . .iA, ' . t. ' '', '" " ' T Wtt 1?m1 ' V v A T)ilrul Seeiu In ltoKue Kiwr .Vuglfiii; JiiiIki a 7-llt. Stcflliead to Shim- After a luli Mriixgle. i:. ICeKy Is HrltigliiK the worm air alt day, he weighed a ' strong eight pounds In the evening, so you can see he was "some fish." Pour .More lr!zt Taken Then I went at it egaiu, using first the Grizzly King, and at times the yellow body gra hackle, nnd In tho next hour lauded four more out of the same water, none of which weigh ed less than four pounds. About this time they quit striking, and I went ashore to rest until the evening shad ows reached tho upper end of the poo), which I had not fished. This portion of the water was moro diffi cult to reach. After wading out to tho edgo of deep water I found that the choicest part of tho pool was still above me. The sun was now behind tho trees, so I put on a No. C Itoyjl Coachman, and began dry-casting It diagonally up stream. It settled Jurt beyond tho edge of a bedrock reef and came drifting down toward mo. Tho water was fairly clear and quiet, Talent has for tho past few yearn nnd I felt sure I could see nny fish ; grown from a small railroad station that might rise. But these big foi-.to a town of sevoral hundroddnhabi lows must bo as fast as thoy are j tants. Tho school census Is now 202. strong, for Just as I was about to re-J nearly three times what It was fiv trlevo tho cast tbero was a suspicious j years ago. Being botwuon Modfo.-d boll near tho fly, It disappeared, and ' and Ashland, with excellent rallro-1 t Ktrnrlf liiitt In limn tn lmnk n rnt?il. vnrvlrn nml In nnu nf tin. mnat fn. lar whopper. Straight Into the air j tlio sections of the Itoguu ltlver al- residences during tho past twelvo he wont, three times Within 10 sec onds, the last tltiio falling so e!o that ho splashed water all over ma. But tho llttlo hook hold firm, and ho came ashore In due order. Aftor a foA mlnuton' rest, I wont at it again, getting two more, onu on which i uomtthlng unusual for stcel head fishing. .Medford Is the homo of the major ity of the steelhoad fly fishermen, and thoy are n moKt enthusiastic lot. They think they have tho finest fly Mulling lu the United States, and 1 an upstream cast of fully 10 feet, jam Inclined to ngree with them. 1913 a Prosperous Year for Talent ley, It has many advantages ovor the Iocs fuvored areas. In splto of tho fact that conditions ovor most of tl'o country havo not beon tho best for tho past year or so, tho vlllago of Talent has been on tho upward move all the time. Besldrg tho building of numerous Rogue River Salmon Furnish Anglers Excellent Sport, Taking the Spoon Readily kkKTRk1 ' w3kkkkkkkkV HfeiujiHL. "tjki ' - jk r i t" t?vS'Bi iKSlHrV JHrwMiftsiViKiiiHaHlLtt m. a vaVFZHK 1ssa U Soutlioni Oirgou Is n SMirtsnuiii Parad se. Ilw nml Itrar Aio I'lenilful In the Hilts, While Moiiutnlii Mou nml Mhlrnt re l're,i eiitly Sliilu. (jmil! Abound In tho ulley. Top Pillule hlimts Hie IteMilt of it lln-r nml Bear Hunt by .1. 1 ( oilirnu nod (iiiy M. liiKratn l.its) iiiuiiui. Imrr I'd turn Sliotis an Afternoon's Catili In (he Itogue; Trout WVIgli rioiu I to S Pounds, nil Omnia With I lies, louihs, tho cannery Iiuh Increased, Although Talent I lu one of the pure. Ire cold wnlor A modern rotu :s capacity nearly ono-half, a socond ,"01'1 fzivorotl kectlons of tho West blniitlun siorm and sanitary sewei if,iu.Miti. .1,1.1, i..... i.,. ......i. lor the lirodiletlon nf ft till, tlio iipii- I m-iim,, tvlil, ,iu.in n,i.i ltn.,r,.i. ... ki P. 4, Suuiwhut of IapliiB Salmou at Uold liny Dam Cuiiiuierilnl Plslilng is Not Permitted lu JnvUsou County. mouths, the cannery Iiuh Increased Its capacity nearly ono-half, a second blacksmith shop has boon opened; tho Talent llnrdwaro company has moved to larger quarters anil aro now using the old store for u plum ber's uhop; tho Talent Lumber com pany hna Increased Itu quartern and has Increased In' stock; tho Wagner Creek nursery has put up an office to facllltuto tho handling of an In creasing business, in addition to tliu above a new Christian church has been built to take thu place of tho old ouo that represented onu of thu four principal religious denomina tions holding regular services lu thu town. Tho Talent school has undur gone a numbor of (Iiiiiikoh nnd Im provements. A Iwo-jenr high school course 1h now offered. An additional teacher Is emplojed this year; tt spe cialist lu employed to teucii music; manual training, domestic ticlenro also requlromeutH to mako H a imc ognlicd high school, were introduced at thu beginning of the pigment term A largo two-story brick building, 70x 90, feet Ih how ueurliig (nuipletlou. Tho lower part of this building Is lu two parts and will bo occupied liy the Talent Moicautllo (oiupauy and the Talent Drug and Piirulturo company. Thu upper portion tonslstK of suvou teen offlco and private room;, ho kIiIch thu I. O. (). P. hall, kitchen and banquet mom, The Bagley Canning company Is an Institution which Iiuh In on lu opuia Hon hero two yearn. Dm lug the past seahou It hati handled nearly 101) tons of fruit and vegetables and employed aH high tui ninety worker during the busy reason, The output Iiuh been sold largely on this coast, hut this year murks Itu eutiauin Into i initial Htato markets. This company nlso nwinuructurcH puru apple ililer vine gar and lu bottling a very high clasu article, it Ih doiihtrul ir unj Institu tion lu tho valley la filling a greater need than tho llmslej Cannliii! com imny, tor the production of ft tilt, the pen plo me nut content with one source of Income. Kspeclally during the past year or so diversified fanning litiH been lu vogue. Considerable acreage has been planted to toma toes, potatoes, beans, onions, alfalfa and corn. The country is making It pohsllilo for thu town to mako a sane development. During thu past year the city has Installed an up-to-date water H)stem, ThuxtrcotH havo been supplied with eelctrlc lights, cement walks urn replacing wont wooden ones, and (ho streets havo retelved considerable attention. Tho retently organized Indies' Im provement or Community league, (.'niumercl.il club, public i ending room, voting people rocletleu, mill brass baud, nil claim a shunt lu mak ing Talent a pleasant place to live. bination storm and sanitary sewer system with mains and laterals cov ering almost nlno miles, provides purfeit military conveniences and makes possible modern living condi tions second to thusu of no city lu thu country. Paved streets have also been demanded mid secured by the people anil within the past fow months some ,'10,000 square yardn (covering II blocks lu the business section) of first-class asphalt having been laid. Eagle Point Central Point Hulqilo In locution and environ ment, Central Point posiicwux iuau advantages not eujnvod by othor sec tloriH of southern Oregon. While In no way a ilval of her sinter cltlou, tovvnn ami villages lu tho valley and with only good will for all of her ueighboiH and their iheilsheil hiquiA anil ambltloiiH, Iter people nro strung In thu heller that their town has u bright futiiio ahead, Where only a lew yon in ago wiih a struggling country vlllago "unknown, uuloltured nml unsung," without i Mi: prldn or public liupioveuntuiH, loday stands a modern little city of l.r,00 peoplo (third lu population and wealth lu .lan.son county), whose progieHM nnd rnturprlMi have made this iliaugn poHMblo A com Pleto unit model a water H item with Ight nnd one half iiiIIoh of stuel mains, supplies ivory plaited put Hun of thu city with mi -buiidanco of Dutiiiu' tlie evar lHUI lint town of Knglu Point nml vieiuity linn cnoynl a most iio)cimiH summon, During llio yeui' Ilia tonu Iiuh eoiiMtiuclcil one nml niif-lmlf inilen of i;iioi uiit eutlutiii.cil xlicuU vvltliiu Hie town limilH u u cost of ulioiit fHOOO. .Many of lliu eilvciiH liuve in vnri oii ways gienllv impiovctl llu-lr liomeH, fur uliieli linpiovciui'iilH lliey linvo e.vpcmlcil iuiiiiv IiiiiiiIiciIa of iIoIIiii'n. Tint lunik nml ineri'liuiiN have injo.veil one of the most prn.i- ieiuiih miiis since cugligiuu; in Iiiih- ! titeN heie. llm Hehools lire iloiur ' ""nil Hoik nntl have more nuiilln t'liiollcil lliun in uuy ptevioiiH yenr. 'I lie KieliuiilinlH mill fiuiuOiH linvo HMpeil lioiiuliful ciops nml ieuli.cl Kootl piieeri llieiel'or. Mine I'liiluinlri of ft nil, toiillry, cu'H, vcgetnlileH nml oilier t'n I in pi'iuluc n Iiumi been shipped out during III III than In any pievloiiu year lu the history of tho town. Over .f'JOOl) woilli of poultry iilonu wiih hliippoil lllllillU' (III) IIKIIltll of KiiM'inhep, Tim Iliilo Point & Hullo Pull Telephone couipuiiy linvo extended llieir lincH over fully mile i nml iiiHlulleil over 100 new pluuieri uuioiiK the funning community. til