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
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"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.
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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 ,
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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
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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