In About Two Hours I Caught Sixteen Beautiful
Trout, Which Weighed, En Masse, A Little Over Twenty-Five Pounds!
I
cast in the very places where I had lost hooks, and almost every time
caught a fish.
I left them in the shade in various places along the
stream, and Faye and a soldier brought them to camp. A fine display
they made, spread out on the grass, for they seemed precisely the same
size.
The general caught two large and several small trout - those were all
that day. It was most remarkable that I should have found the only
good places in the stream at a time when the water was not clear. Not
only the right places, but the one right day, for not one trout has
been caught there since. Perhaps with the high water the fish came up
from Snake River, although trout are supposed to live in clear water.
We can dispose of any number of birds and fish here, for those that
are not needed for our own large mess can be given to the soldiers,
and we often send chicken and trout to our friends at Fort Bridger.
The farther one goes up the stream the better the fishing is - that is,
the fish are more plentiful, but not as large as they are here.
About sixteen miles up - almost in the mountains - was General Crook's
favorite fishing ground, and when he was in command of the department
he and General Stanley, who also is an expert fisherman, came here
many times, consequently General Stanley is familiar with the country
about here. The evening after my splendid catch, General Stanley said
that he would like to have Mrs. Ord and me go with him up the stream
several miles, and asked if I would be willing to give Mrs. Ord the
stream, as she had never used a fly, adding that she seemed a little
piqued because I had caught such fine fish. I said at once that I
would be delighted to give her the lead, although I knew, of course,
that whoever goes second in a trout stream has very poor sport. But
the request was a compliment, and besides, I had caught enough fish
for a while.
The next day we made preparations, and early on the morning of the
second we started. The department commander had gone to Omaha on
official business, so he was not with us, and Faye did not go; but the
rest of the party went twelve miles and then established a little camp
for the day, and there we left them. Mrs. Ord and I and General
Stanley, with a driver, got on a buckboard drawn by two mules, and
went five miles farther up the stream, until, in fact, it was
impossible for even a buckboard to go along the rocky trail. There we
were expected to take the stream, and as soon as we left the wagon,
Mrs. Ord and I retired to some bushes to prepare for the water. I had
taken the "tuck" in my outing skirt, so there was not much for me to
do; but Mrs. Ord pulled up and pinned up her serge skirt in a way that
would have brought a small fortune to a cartoonist. When we came from
the bushes, rods in hand, the soldier driver gave one bewildered
stare, and then almost fell from his seat. He was too respectful to
laugh outright and thus relieve his spasms, but he would look at us
from the side of his eye, turn his face from us and fairly double
over - then another quick look, and another double down again. Mrs. Ord
laughed, and so did I. She is quite stout and I am very thin, and I
suppose the soldier did see funny things about us. We saw them
ourselves.
I shall never forget my first step in that water! It was as chilling
as if it had been running over miles of ice, and by comparison the
August sun seemed fiery; but these things were soon forgotten, for at
once the excitement of casting a fly began. It is almost as much
pleasure to put a little fly just where you want it, as it is to catch
the fish. My rod and reel were in perfect condition - Faye had seen to
that - and my book of flies was complete, and with charming companions
and a stream full of trout, a day of unusual pleasure was assured. We
were obliged to wade every step, as the banks of the stream had walls
of boulders and thick bushes. Most of the stream was not very deep,
but was a foamy, roaring torrent, rushing over the small rocks and
around the large ones, with little, still, dark places along the
banks - ideal homes for the mountain trout. We found a few deep pools
that looked most harmless, but the current in them was swift and
dangerous to those who could not always keep their balance. It was
most difficult for me to walk on the slippery stones at first, and I
had many a fall; but Mrs. Ord, being heavy, avoided upsets very
nicely. At times we would be in water above our waists, and then Mrs.
Ord and I would fall back with General Stanley for protection, who
alternately praised and laughed at us during the whole day. Mrs. Ord
was very quick to learn where and how to cast a fly, and I was
delighted to let General Stanley see that grasshoppers were not at all
necessary to my success in fishing.
We sat upon a big, flat rock at luncheon, and were thankful that
General Stanley was a tall man and could keep the box of sandwiches
from getting wet. When we toppled over he always came to our
assistance, so at times his wading boots were not of much use to him.
Mrs. Ord was far ahead of me in number of fish, and General Stanley
said that I had better keep up with her, if I wished.
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