Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1853-08-11
took a coach west up through the noun

took coach west up through the noun
tains.
AT night, we stopped at a country inn,
aud on inauirinr of the landlord if there
was a trout brook near, | was informed that
there were a dozen or more in the neigh
borhood, but that most on 'em were hshed
clean out. The blasted boys, you see,
said he, goes aud keiches 'em fore they git
Of any bgness.'
Il, isn't probable that they are all caught,
though, |, as | got into bed well see about
that Tomorrow
Ia the morning very tall man, with
tattered str aw hat. aud an extremely sheep
lsh look whom the landlord addressed as
jed (short for Jedediah, as afterwards
ascertaiued,) informed me that he'd hern
tell as how wanted to 60 fishing, ana so
he'd bin digging some angle worms IN the
gardIng he added that he'c ketched
tro0ls IN them paris sence he ~ss knee
high to a grasshopper, and knowed the
holes where the old settlers lay ef anybody
did
After breakfast, my guide got me what
he called first rate rod It was the tip OF
an ash sapling, with the bark peeled of,
and was iancliully decorated with alternate
rings Of red and green paint.
You don't use fly, do you ? said he,
as we tramped along.
No. said |, Pm not much of fisher.
man.
There was some fellows here spell
ago. said he. that hshed with what tley
called drter:fsh-dH flies, aud they ketched
slew. There was one on EN- ketched
two hundred IN one night. true as live
They had rods that they took all to pieces,
aud they carried em round in bags, when
they waren't using 'em. And they had
brass reels, that they htched on To their
rods TO wind up their lines on, and when
they ketched big Teller, instead of hauling
him right out, they played him round and
round spell, Till he was most dead, and
then took him out gentle. | cal'iate the
reason why they couldn't pull 'em right ont,
cause the man that made them rods had
kinder dee, at the time, that he was max
in whip storks, aud SO you see, he didn't
get EN- nigh stiff enough; a half pound
trout could bend one o. them rods almost
double. | tell ye what twas curious to see
how them fellers worked IT, They'd 90 up
kinder sly to within praps twenty foot of
the brook, and then they'd kinder lay off,
and swing the rod over, and bring that ar
ter-ish-alI fly right down on The top of the
water, and they'd make the darned thing
jerk along, I'LL blme-by the water'd kinder
surge up; the Teller he give little jirk, and
there was a trout hooked eff twas a big
one, he'd play the crItter little afore he
fetched him out. ii seemed to come natral
TO them fellers to play fish fore they fetch
ed him ashore. see one plsyin trout
under difficulties. and I'll bet, in that par
ticier line, that Teller couldn't be beat
You see twas down 10 tho gls2. and the
trees hung 50 sose down, thero wasn't no
chance TO throw your line. Yos was ob!g-
ed to 90 up close, aud drop right down in.
Well, this Teller he come TO one of The great
deep basins, that's all along through there,
and after he'd tried above and below. aud
on both sides, and crept into all sorts of
places, trying to throw his line, after he'd
climbed three pines, maple aud hem
lock, to onlangle II, where he go, !, ketch-
ed when he throwed, he had to give it up
for a bad job, and getting on an old rotten
log, that stuck out about twelve foot above
the water, he dropped IN his line. The
mint it touched-kersplssh the grand fa-
ther of all the trouts took the hopk in his
mouth and put. Well, the Teller he gin
him line, aud let him run for mint, and
then he d wind up little and bring the fell
Ter to a sense of his situation. aud all the
time his Timber jointed rod was bending,
and the old log he sot on was a shaking
Pretty soon the old trout gave savage pull.
and the log broke off, right under where
he sot. You should seen that Teller lift
his rod, and wind up his multiplying reel
as he went down; he was bound to have
that trout, aud he never give him an inch
of slacklihe but he didn't go down fur,
for the tail of his coat caiched IN the stump,
and held him swinging round IN the air
like big pendulum, and lie kept on play
ing that trout, as cool as a cucumber, ill
bIme-by the wind bowed him round with
his back to the basin, aud his nose aud eyes
Just ia the water, where IL fell over the
rocks, aud then he had to holleE for help,
but he kept on pullln' at the trout, and then
giving him line, the same as ever Well
got hold of his coat tails, and after little
slraining, hauled him up high and dry,
and when he got the trout out it weighed
three pound aud quarter
By tins time we had come TO where the
road crossed large clear. brook, which
ran below US through meadow, bearing a
liltle to the right, and passing near the road
further down.
You had better commence here, aud
will hold back and meet you IN AN hour aud
half, and then Ill take you to Kellogg:
brook. That dun'i get hshed much, he's
SO darned particular. Which way II you 90 2
concluded TO go up the stream, towards
that cool wood; aud climbing the fence
made my way towards deep looking hole
where hoped some of the old settlers lay.
Before starting in the morning. had
bought a finnish sheet of lead. aud put
on piece for a sinker. then batting nv
hook, and seating myself at some distance
on the grass, endesvored to throw my line
according TO my guides description OF the
operation. but the brook was narrow, and
my hand unsklled, and couldn't manage
to hit right. Ipersevered in my attempts
however, till my line caught in the branch
es Of an oak that grew behind me, wa,
up The tree in a minute, and at the immi
nent hazard of breaking my neck. | olsen
gagged my hook, and go, down with it
] Hhan I a. l. L..