Litchfield enquirer., 1855-06-07
Miscellany.
/ CHAPTER ON TRoUT1xG.

A CHAPTER ON TROUTING.
Henry Ward Beecher in his new book, the
SrAR PAPERs, published by ]. C. Derby-gve.
his experience with Salisbury trout 4s3,r-
Where shall we go, Here is the More
brook, the upper part running through bushy
and wet meadows, but the lower part flow
ing transparency over the gravel, through
the pasture ground near the edge Of the WILL
age. With great ingenuity. 1t curves and
winds and ties itself into bow.knots. 1t
sets out with an intention of flowing tow
ards the south. But il fingers on its errand
70 coquette each point Of the compass, and
changes its mind at length, just in time to
rush eastward into the Housatonic. 1t is a
charming brook to catch trout in, when you
can catch them but they are mostly caught.
Nevertheless, they are herein Salisbury, as
in every village, those mysterious men who
are In league with fish, and can catch them
by scores, when no one else can get nib.
BILE. Il IL peculiarly satisfactory to ones
feeling to have waJed, watched and fished,
with worm, grasshopper, and ny. for half n
day. for one poor, feeble little trout, and
-four dace, and At evening to fall in with a
merry negro, who informs you, with a con-
cealed mirth in his eye and a most patroni.
zing kindness, that he has been to the same
brook, and has caught three. dozen trout,
several Of them weighing hairs pound! We
will not try that stream to-day.
Well, there Is the Candy brook. We will
look at that. A man might walk through
the meadows and not suspect its existence,
sunless through the grass he first stepped
Into Il. The grass meets over the top OF il,
ind quite hides II through the first meadow;
and below, through The iron tinctured marsh
land, Il expands only little, growing open
hearted BY degrees across a narrow field /;
and then II rnnA Tor the thickets-and he
that takes fsh among these alders will GER
calmly earn them. Yet, for its length, it is
not bad brook. The trout are not numer-
GUS, nor large, nor especially fine but ev-
cry one you catch Tenews your surprise that
you should catch any in such ribbon Of a
brook. But for the first time in our lives
did we even.
= Il is the upper part Of the brook that is
most remarkable, where it flows through
moving meadows, a mere slit, scarcely
foot wide, and so shut in by grass that at
two steps distance You cannot tell where it
flows, though your ears hears the low sweet
gurgle Of its waters down some pet water
tall. Who ever dreamed Of fishing 10 the
grassl Yet as you cautiously spy out an
opening between the red top and toxtail, to
let your hook through, you seem to yourself
very much like man fishing in an orchard.
One would almost as soon think Of casting
his line into hay NOW, or Of trying for a
fish behind winrows or haycocks in nea.
idows Yet, Il the wind IL only still so tina,
the line shall hang plum down, we can, by
some dexteri.y drop the bait between grass
leaves, and spikes Of aquatic flowers. No
sooner does Il touch the invisible water than
che line cuts open the grass and rushes thro'
weeds, borne oil BY your speckled victim.
Still further north Is another stream, so.ne-
thing larger, and much better or worse nc
cording to your luck; il is easy Of access,
and quite unpretending. There is bit Of
q pond. some twenty feet in diameter, from
which il flows and In that there are FIVE or
six half pound trout who seem to have re-
tired from active life and given themselves
70 meditation in this liquid convent. They
were very tempting, but quite untemptable.
Standing afar Of, we selected an irresistible
hy. and with long line we sent it pat into
the very place. Il fell like snow fake.
No trout should have hesitated moment.
The tnorsel was delicious. The nilnblest
of them should have flashed through the
water, broke the surface, and with grace
full but decisive curve plunged downward,
carrying the insect with him. Then We
should, in our turn, very cheerfully lend him
. hand. relieve him Of his prey, and, admir-
ing his beauty, hut plying his untimely fate
bury him ia the basket But he wished NO
translation. We cast our Az again and
again; we drew il hitller and ,hither; we
made Il skip and wriggie we let il fall
splash like ! laundering bug or futtering
moth; and our placid spectators calmly be-
held our feats, as if all this was mere ex.
ercise for their amusement, and their whole
duty consisted In looking on and preserving
order.
Next we tried ground bait, and sent ouI
.yermicular hook <wn TO their very sides.
With jndicious Ikvity they parted. and
slowly sailed toward the root Of an old tree
on the side Of the pool. Again, changing
place, We will make an ambassador Of .
gfasshopper. Laying down or rod We pre-
pare - catch the grasshoppcr. This Is in
iteelf no slight feat. Atthe FIRST step you
taks = least forty bolt ont and tumble head
long Into The grsss; some clinR 16aheatema,
some ass creeping under the lseysSs snd mol