The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-20
THE PRESS.
A Curious Fishing-Rod.
Boston Hcrald,l

Boston Herald,
Resting upon hooks at camp Kennebago is a
very curious fishing rod, and that rod has a
history. The rod is stout maple tree nearly
as thick as ones wrist, and 10 or 20 feet long.
The ret / is heavy wooden wheel nearly as
large as a dining plate, and the line a stont
BEDFORD with hook OF iron to correspond and
q bob as big as mans hat. Some years age
novice, but would-be sportsman, stopped here
by invitation from the members of the associa-
ton, and in the evening he told some fish sto-
ries designed to enlighten the members then
in camp. He told of large trout caught with
ounce rods, and considerably embelished his
powers as sportsman. One of the members
hit upon the idea of playing off a joke upon
him. The novice was on his way TO Kenneba-
go lake for a day or two of fishing, and the
member offered to wager that, on the day af-
ter the return of the novice he could land
bigger fish, and that too with more wonderful
rod and line than the novice had ever seen or
would be able to catch. The bet was quickly
taken and the novice departed for the noun
tain lake, and preparations for catching the
big fish began. The members making TIE wa.
ger sent to Portland for the largest
warded intact to Indian Rock. Three
or four days after, it came, an immense speci-
men OF Goldfish, weighing some thirty pounds,
in a very nice state of preservation. That
night the novice returned from the upper lake
and it was arranged that the fishing tourna-
mont should take place next morning. The
above mentioned rod and reel had been con-
structed beforehand. Early in the morning
the wagering member took his position in
canoe on the stream in front of the camp. The
novel rod lay in the bottom of the
canoe with the 30-pound fish hooked to
the line over the side into the VIZ.
ter, SO that neither would be noticed The
member went quietly to work casting his flies
with another rod, while his guide kept the ca
noe in place. Soon the novice came down
from the camp clad in sporting suit and balanc-
ing his eight-ounce rod in his hand with a cast
OF handsome flies at the end. He seemed con-
siderably chagrined that his antagonist should
have attempted TO steal march on him by
getting ahead in the morning, but he soon
took his position, by the aid of his guide, in
another canoe, few rods from his rival. All
the campers, most of whom were in the secret,
came down to the shore to witness the contest.
Both parties made few casts, and each landed
few small trout. Soon the novice hooked
fair-sized fish, but he lost him by bad hand
ling OF his rod. AL at once, at given splash
from his uide, the member dropped his rod
and seized the maple tree with the bed-cord.
and drew up the fish SO that the novice could
see him, but quickly let him back again as
'though alive. The novice was nonplussed.
He laid down his rod, sat down in his canoe
and gazed in blank establishment, while tile
huge dead fish was reeed in. He did not come
to his senses and see that he had been badly
sold until the laughter of the members on the
shore and the sight of the ungainly tackle,
brought him to his wits. He acknowledged
the wager won without weighing the fish, and
has never since allowed himself to bet against
older heads,