Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-08
DN A GLASS R5oF
Tcc Fishing on Lake CbampIain.


Zee Fishing on Lake ChampIain.
TRoNlard r. Robinson In the February Lippincott.
Winter fishing in Northern attitudes is
not the perfection of the sport of angling.
1t lacks many of the things which con-
tribute to make that almost n fine art and
50 delightful pastime. The fine tackle
Of the ny-fsher and tho ekill to handle it
properly, the lOng-contested and exciting
fight between man and fish, are not for
him who goes fishing ia winter. Neithct
FOR him IS ths ha!ny air that watts the
odot OF blossoms and voices of song
birds and babble of free streams, nor ver-
dant sward nor leafy woods, nor CLINT of
sunllt waters, In fact, it savors some
what of the pot for, it is not to be de
MED, It is oftener more The object to get
nsh than sport. But any fishing is better
shsn no fishing and when we remember
that our fishing-days are growing fewer
rs the path behind US grows longer, it
hehooves us to make tho most of those
that are left us. Furthermore it may be
laid in favor of this fishing that in one
respect it eXcels all others, that is, in
the proportion which the pleasure of get
ting ready for it bears to the actual sport.
Though there are no flies to be artistical-
ly tied, nor fine rods to be inspected nor
reels to be oiled, the simple tackle must
be overhauled and made ready in its way,
and proper hooks and lines provided. If
one ir to try for pickerel through the ice,
he must make his "iacks," or tilt-ups," 3"
and have them SO nicely balanced that
they will give no sign Of the struggles OF
.he live bait yet rise at the 1rst touch of
Long Faces Jaws Over all these pre-
parations one will have good time with
himself and his thoughts, whether or not
he, at last, gets any result from his pleas
ant labors. One must have the provi-
dent foretheught to dig his worms in the
fall aud store them in his cellar if he in
tends to go perch-fshing IN winter, and to
catch his minnows while the brooks are
open, and keep and feed them in water
trough or spring hole till the winter day
That he takes them pickerel- fshing. One
need. net to go far for the bait for snlelt
ind herring, for the pork barrel furnishes
that till the first fish of each kind is
caught, when an eye or undercut of the
tail of the smelt and bit of the chin of
the herring are used to lure their breth-
ren to the upper world, where death and
the frying-pan await therr,
7 do rot know how many times l had
promised to take myself a. fishing the next
winter and had made some preparation
toward fulfilling the promise. More than
once had dug quart of W orms in the
latest pleasant, unfrozen days Of fall, and
put them in big box of earth in the Gel
lar but among all the short days of many
q long winter the day wherein to 90 fish
ing had never come, and in spring the
rrorms, their destiny unfnlflled. were set
!iee, TO bore to the core of the world if
they chose. had once laid in stock of
minnows, caught with mutual pains, of
which the only good got in winter was
in watching and feeding them, and by
June, when l might have used them for
hens eait, cuch itiendly relations had
grown up between us that l could not
mud it in my heart to treat them SO cruel
", and so turned them out in the nearest
ttresm for nature to deal with as she
would, let them grow to the utmost OF
minnowhood, OF feed them to her big fish,
or let them be twitched out by the pin.
hooks Of her boys. 1t was tough ten
der ,heartedness, l confess, s,-like turning
adrift kitten one dislihee to kill
60 winter after winter had come and
melted away, adding nothing to my expe
Nience but little to my knowledge OF
winter fishing, got verbally from old tish
ermen, and, with that, strength to my de
termination that 1 would some time GO
At last the day came, March day, witt
promise of spring in the soft sky thai
endomed the winter landscape, when
found myself fairly started, we'll outfit
ted With ar 'ce-slick for cuttinr holes
wOIms Tor perch, lat pork Tor smelt anG
herring, and tackle for all three.
The air was sharp and frosty, though
the sun had got good hour above tn,
Green Mountains, white enough now,-
end there wns q firm orpet that woul,
BEAR which makes the best of walking
as a crust that will not bear makes til,
worst. On such good footing, with al
my outfit pocketable but, the ice-slick
and that almost as good shoulder. ballas
rs gun, | got on so speedily that wa
soon on the "Crik. . hropd and leve
roadway to the lake. AT the last turn o
this l found a couple Of men fishing fo
pickerel, and stopped for little chat Will
them and to SEQ what sport they wer
having. Our conversation was mostl
carried on at long range, fired back an,
forth across the ice,-for they had lin
OF holes cut two rods or so apart for fit,
rode along the channei, aud Inc Jack Sc
nt the farthest hole was rs likely as an,
to point skyward and start them racing t
1t. Then |, at the farthest up p-stream hole
would watch them as they reached til
jack, snatched it up, and quickly over
hauled the line, pulling out sometimes
pickerel, sometimes a naked hook whic
The pickerel had got the better Of an
robbed of its minnow. They wou
shout back the tidiugs of their luck
good, or roll it back in a growl if bad
and then come leisurely toward me til
another jack arose to beckon them nor
swiftly forward.
AS stopped to examine the fashion c
Jack, the tip of it flew up and nearl
bumped my nose, resenting which I lai
hold of it and caught three.pound picl
erel, or rather the hook caught him, an
only pulled him out onto the drier sid
Of the Ice, for the hook and line and lac
and the tortured minnow do most Of th
fishing. The angler only bats the hool
and sets them to fishing, while he watcht
them aud pulls ont their catch.
These jacks were two slender pieces {
wood, about fifteen inches long, turnin
on eaoh other on pivot at the middl,
When In use, the ends Of the under piet