Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-05-12
Correspondence of Tho Vermont Phnnlx.l
FISHING IN NORTHERN VERMONT

COVENTRY, 7th May, 1860.
Mr.. Editor: This village is situated at the
head of sucker navigation on Black River. The
suckers, inhabiting Lake Memphremagog by
myriads, come up the river in April and May
to deposit their spawn, and are stopped at this
point by the falls, which gave origin to the vii
lagc and supply it with water-power. Here
they are caught in immense numbers. The
river is all alive with them and in the course Of
few weeks many thousands are taken. But
good old Izaak Walton would turn away with
disgust from mode of fishing so rude and in
artistic as that by which suckers are caught
No bait is used, but a naked hook, or, more ac-
curately speaking, three hooks joined back to
back, are dropped into the water and jerked in
to the fish whenever a point may happen to
touch him. 1t is somewhat 'udicrous to see, as
| have seen from my window, fifteen or twenty
men and boys in a row on the river bank, each
one jerking at the rate of about three times a
minute.
But catching fish one at time when they
can as well be caught by the hundred, does not
accord with the Yankee genius and according
ly netting is the favorite way of taking suckers.
For this purpose people resort hthcr from all
the region round about. Half dozen persons
are needed TO do the work thoroughly. Two
or three hold the net, while the rest go into the
river some rods above, and beating the water
with sticks drive the fish into the net, as flock
f,f ebno, 1r;vo, nj yo,I Gnn,at,poo, n
party will take as many fish as horse can draw.
A few evenings since party took five bushels
in the course of few hours. The sucker is a
favorite fish with the old settlers hereabouts,
not SO much on account of its quality, for it is
coarse grained fish, but because in early times
it supplied them with food when they could
procure it from no other source. In 1916,
when every crop failed, and starvation was real
ly apprehended, this fish saved many person
from the pangs of hunger One old woman
told me that for three weeks there was not a
morsel of bread in her fathers house, while
suckers for meat and boiled nettles for vegeta-
bles were the staple food of the family "Shark
Thompson" one of the early settlers, was bless
Ell WIN an immense NOUN, Wnlcn was declared
by his ncighbors to be regular "sucker mill,
the fish entering at one side, the bones flying
out at the other while the remainder disap.
peared down his capacious gullet.
Suckers are by no means the only or the bes
fish taken in our river. The "shad-waiter, ;
which bears very agreeable resemblance, bott
in appearance and flavor, to the Connection
River shad, is quite abundant, and is often TAX
en- by those who are fishing for suckers Near
ly fifty were caught in single evening not lon.
since. Splendid trout also find their way int
the nets occasionally. These fish, weighing al
much as five pounds, once aboundcd here, bu
are now very rare. have heard of none takel
this Spring weighing more than three pounds
Probably there is no part of Vermont in which
fish may be found in greater number and varie
ty than in Orleans County. 1t is certain tina
no part of New England is more abundantl
watered with rivers, lakes, and natural ponds
and when the railroad shall have advanced
little farther into the County, fishermen iron
the South will find it pleasant and profitable Il
try their luck in these popular waters.
p. II. w.