Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-04-05
TOM wENTwORTH's BIG TROUT.

"THERE he goes again"
! And as | followed his eye to the moutl
of a little trout brook, about thirty yard
off, saw
L LTremuloas circles go spreading away.
"What is it, Tom :"
"Why, its that darned aggravating bis
trout, that Pve been trying to catch fo
the last week but its no use, he's had hi
eye teeth cut, and I've about given hin
up. Though he might take one of then
fancy things of yours"
Now Tom meant flies when he spoke O
fancy things" and as we had had innu
merable discussions on the subject of bal
and tly-fshing, without budging, either
an inch from his own opinion, and as HI
was really good fellow, pitied his igno
rance and forgave him the covert sneer.
Permit me to introduce to you Ton
Wentworth, crack shot, successful fisher
man and good fellow. He couldn't cast
fly against friend Pitchard, for as 1 have
limited above, he was bait fisherman
neither could he cast bass line agains
the "genial Genlo," for his saltwater
fishing was confined to two or three visits
each year to Cohasset, to catch cod with
hand line bllt he knew and had fished
every hole in every brook for miles
around, and followed out his preconceived
notions with persistency and success
which excited my wonder. He had in an
eminent degree, that art so rare Of
cumerthering the fish.
SO as we stood on the little bridge cross
ing the Neponsct River, that pleasant Sun
day afternoon, smoking our pipes and
chatting over old shooting and fishing
scrapes, he fell considerably in my esti
nation when he avowed that he had
friu ho,
my mind that | would steal march on
him and catch that fish if such thing
were possible
There he goes again"
p Yes, flash of golden light as the sun
slanted on mis- polished sides, whirl in
the water, a few drops of spray and a
four-pounder at least had given US tan.
talizing glimpse, which served to drive
the blood at race-horse speed coursing
through my veins. Yes, had the buck
ague when l shot at my first deer and
missed him shamefully. I had the trout
fever when | caught my first fingerling.
and ran home mile TO show it, as proud
as a kitten with it's first mouse; and now
! had 1t again, and had it bad; and hence,
forth there was no peace of mind for me
until that fish should grace my creel
Fortunately for the sanctity of the day,
a hurried emptying of pocket-books dis.
closed the fact that we had no hook,
though Tom persisted that it would be OF
no use If we had twenty; so we were
compelled to come to the conclusion that
I'VE didn't want that trout much, any
way" |.
The next morning, before sunrise, after
! brisk walk of two miles, beheld me,
with trout boots and "fast thick pants, y
(Coleridge,) standing eedeep in the
river, and casting my flies so that they
fell lightly upon and all around the spot
where L had seen him break the day be-
fore "There's rise" Yesl little
fellow, about three ounces, who, after q
gentle reprimand, some good, fatherly ad-
vice, and an injunction to remember me
to his grandfather, was quietly dropped
back into the water.
Noon came and found my hy-book ex.
hausted of its variety, and no resource
left but to commence and try them all
over again.
| shall never forget that day as long as
l live; slightly overcast with gentle
breeze from the southwark, just sufficient
to carry out the cast and enable me to
drop the flies in any spot l desired, each
fly making little cOncentric rings of its
own as it lightly fell upon the water.
Blue Hill, famous for his whortleberries
and rattlesnakes, looking bluer than ever,
in the distance, with the cloud shadows
Hitting over its sides, the river winding
through the meadows, delicately fringed
on its edges with pond lilies, from which
an occasional pickerel leaped with anoise
like the swapping of steel trap. The
English snipe that came within thirty feet
of me, searching in the Shiny ooze of the
opposite bank for lucious niorsels, until
started by the click of the reel, as length.
ened my cast, rose and gimbleted away
with that peculiar Escape" more musical
to the ear of the sportsman than the
sweetest notes of the song birds. Nc
better day could have been selected ]
fished with untiring patience, and al
though short trip up the brook had add
ed a few of the tinny beauties to my bas
ket, there was still room in it for the pa,
triarch Of all, and as evening came the
last sorTowful cast was made, the rod
carefully put in its case, and as l turned
to leave for home, as | live, that
fish made jump nearly out of the water
as though like SheheTazade of old, he
wished to keep up my interest in him foi
another day.
Gan right, my beauty; you needn't have
done that. I'll try a change of diet OF
you tomorrow"
l go, but when come again,
come with minnows, gentle Trout,
AS one who seeks to snake you out.
That evening, tired as was, was spen
in making preparations for a change O.
tactics. On the following day the fly
hook was discarded few smell hooks
carefully tested as to the strengh of the
gut, one of the farm boys bribed to have
good supply of worms, and scalp-ne
for minnows, improvised from barre
hoop and piece of mosquito netting, So
that when | started off HeXt morning thu
early risers must have thought that thu
ghost of Robinson Crusoe had got caugh
over night and was fastening home to hi
hole. had not considered it necessary
to say anything to Tom of my intentions
as dreaded laugh unless could hav,
1t on my own side.
Well, / tried angle-worms, and sool
had the bank covered with sun fish ant
sinners; tried minnows without bite
skittered frogs leg over the water, an,
caught pickerel. And last Of all trie,
that succulent dainty which it is said N
aldermanic trout of epicurean taste cal
possibly withstand-a live mouse, but a
far rs any result was concerned, nigh
just as well have used an old boot.
AT last in state of complete menta
Decentralization, my rod held with linn
fingers, the worm lying oarelessly on tn
bottom, | stood cogitating on the unceI
taiRty of human affairs with few mora