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Show Fish Lake, A Unique Resort By I.ORIN HALL Author of 250 Stories on Outdoor Life. Maybe you won't believe me, but I've caught fish in four of the world's seven seas, many of the rivers in the Pacific northwest, including Canada, in New Zealand waters, at Tahiti, in Sidnes harbor, Australia, in Pacific waters from Santa Cruz to Cape San Lucas, but I never enjoyed a trip more than the one I made to Fish Lake recently. It might have been I was more or less emotional after a lone; absence from my home state of Utah, or it might have been the ideal weather conditions, but most likely it was just Fish Lake itself, all aglow in the sunshine, disturbed only by huge circles made by hungry trout, which gave me a fresh and deep thrill. I watched from the shores that first morning watched with all the hunger and longing outdoor men enjoy, and I saw a man from the east take a large trout on light tackle that fully demonstrated the fighting ability of gamesters in these waters. I said to myself, "I have been going away too far to exercise my prowess with rod and line this is the place!" Of course, I knew about Fish Lake many years ago knew it contained native trout then, but my recent knowledge of its finned population was meager, until 1 realized that right now it contains as many or more big trout than any other lake in the Rockies. No wonder its fame is fast spreading among anglers from coast to coast. There must be something Utah people possess that is found lacking with most western people. What is it? Tourists go to Utah with doubt and wonder as to what they may find and how they may be treated, but come away with high recommendations recommenda-tions and words of praise. I know this from various conversations I've had with fishernnen far and wide. One man from New York I met in Oregon told me he had just been through Utah on a fishing trip. He said he had always thought Utah was a good place to steer clear of, but he made it very plain he had changed his mind, and that he'd certainly change the mind of others as he traveled about. But we must not be misled by praise, and ever be on the firing line to see that our our.ioor attractions are kept intact; the fishing waters unpoluted; the wild life protected, and this is a duty every man must perform. We mu t restock the streams and lakes, reforest the ranges, rang-es, replant and tend the pastures and waste places so they will continue to bloom and flourish and attract. Our local fishermen must not catch trout just to be catching, or kill game just to be killing. Obey the law, and see that the other man does ilikewise. The strict observance of game laws in Canada have made her lakes, streams and forests the most attractive attrac-tive on earth. To destroy is not only unlawful but dangerous, and to rebuild re-build and replendish is progressive, profitable and pleasing. Under the latter conditions, Utah will continue to attract outdoor people, who in turn will advertise in a manner that will proclaim its wonders far more than some of us realize. It was three years ago I was asked ask-ed to write a story upon Utah's fishing fish-ing waters for one of the outdoor magazines. I knew but little about the facts then, so I put the bed-roll and grub-box into the old bus, bundled bund-led up the tackle and turned toward the Beehive state. That summer I fished far and wide, Puffer lake, Na- j vajo lake, Weber river, Logan canyon, can-yon, etc., and at last finished at Fish Lake in company with George Cock-ett Cock-ett of Beaver. Well, Cockett is perhaps one of the best fishermen that ever cast a fly over blue water, so I was in expert company. I saw him hook and land a 19 'a pound Mackinaw in deep water wat-er and right then I began to realize what Utah waters ogered the ardent angler. I wrote the story, il was published and circulated and I soon received dozens of letters asking about Utah outdoor attractions, all of which I answered and which brought many fishermen from far and near to try their luck. Several of these men visited Fish Lake and afterward wrote a few lines to say they were not disappointed which made me pleased, indeed. JBut there are other things that satisfy outdoor people in addition to hooking trout. These are varied and many; the timber, the keen scented ozone, the mountain peaks, the wild life, the plant and vine growth, ledge and crag and trail! And still there are other pleasing facts; the friendly spirit of Utah folks, the good roads, the camping sites, the fine fruit and vegetables all make the tourist feel that he is in a fairy wonderland. |