Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-04-07

originally intended, and in spite of snow and
ice and cold wind they fshed the creek for
two miles. The result was a combined
catch of one hundred trout. OF these the
guide took ten with his worm: The largest
fish was killed by Harry Woods. Is was ff-
teen inches long. The one hundred fish
weighed nearly twenty-five pounds, which is
much less than the same trout would have
weighed two weeks later. They were far
from being in their best condition. The
catch is considered a remarkable one, be-
cause the best portions of the book, through
the alder thickets and the still water could
not be fished, owing to the impossibility of
wading. None of the natives remember
when trout were ever taken with fly in this
region when the conditions for any kind of
fishing were SO entirely unfavorable.
'1 never waded through snow before to
fish for trout, said Harry Woods, land I
never want to again. I wouldn't have cared
for the discomfort of it if the trout had
shown disposition to act up to their nature.
Even that big fellow I caught showed no
more fight than a sucker, and the smaller
ones were lifted out of the water like so many
sticks. The fish took the fly with so little
show that sometimes I wouldn't know my
feather had been touched by any effort the
trout would make. One time I stood on
bank probably ten feet above the water
There was splendid hole just below it. Be-
fore made cast the sun came out, and
shone SO brightly in the water that 1 could
see trout lying all around on the bottom of
the hole was also in full sight of them.
Now, if this had been a month later those
trout would have disappeared in less than
flash. But not one of them moved. I tried
my flies in the pool. When they struck the
water the trout nearest to them came leisure
ly up and took one I hooked it, but it only
settled back to the bottom and lay there 1
reeled it up to me and it made scarcely any
resistance. In that wap I stood there and
took out fifteen trout. Then I became dis
gusted with the whole business and put up
my flies. The other boys had similar expe-
riences. We have satisfied these local fisher
men that trout will take an artificial f5 long
before any natural ones have appeared on the
brooks, and we have also satisfied ourselves
that there can be no genuine sport in fishing
these mountain streams before May, and not
too early in May at that"
The streams generally throughout this re-
gion are still much swollen by the recent
rains and the melting snow, and it is doubt~
full If any fishing could have been done in a
majority of them, even if anyone had de-
sired to try them. The open season for that
begins on the first day of April in all the
counties of this State except in Pike In
that county a special law prohibits fishing
until May 1. The wisdom of this law is an
nually becoming more apparent in these
northern counties. When the season opens
in Pike county the trout are lusty, gamey and
in the very best condition, while the streams
of the neighboring counties have had thou
sands of their fish taken out at time when
their condition is such that to kill them it
requires no skill nor care in the angler, nor
peculiarity in lure or tackle. There is
growing feeling among the sportsmen of
northern Pennsylvania that law prohibiting
the fishing for trout before May Is, and af-
ter July 15, would be wise and beneficial
measure, and an effort will doubtless be made
to procure legislation to that effect.