News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-06-26
AFTER THE FINNY TRIBE.
CATCHING HIS FIRST TROUT.
The Liyeliest Days Sport that an Amateur
New York Fisherman had Ever Enjoyed.

ST have friend in Sullivan county,
says a well known New Yorker. HE
wrote me that he was about to be mar
ried, and desired me to be present on the
occasion. 'hh ? said l, heres my OPP
portunity. 1 will go condOle with my
friend, and at the same time WOO the
pleasures of the rod 1 saw my friend
sacrificed, and then said Now l VIII
seek the mountain brook My friend
fitted me out with all the arrangements
that were necessary for the enjoymentof
fine gentle art. He drove me to the brook
and showed me how to cast the cruel
barb. tipped not with the deceptive fly,
but entwined by the gyrating denizen OF
the fresh turned turf. He also instructed
me in the proper way to act when lured
some credulous trout upon nay hook.
Then he left me and I started in. 1t
was nice creek. 1t flowed through
meadow at the place where l began.
The sun was a trihe bright and genial, as
YOU may have observed by this reflected
light in my countenance. 1 whipped the
stream for several rods without coaxing
anv trout to try the bait, but suddenly 1
got bite. Licky-te- brindle down the
off the reel, and then took ME. Down
the creek / went after it. l was on shore,
for the water looked cold, and / thought
l might do Just as effective killing from
the shore as by wading. After 1 had
run down stream something like an
eighth of mile the fish suddenly
doubled and tore up stream. Then up
went as fast as had gone down, until
thought would have to drop the roc
and let the fish have his own way with it.
just then the fish stopped, and L reeleC
back the line, little piece of work il
the way of angling that hadn't occurred
to me before. had the line well take1
in and stood close on the edge of the
brook when the fish started for shore to
ward the spot where / was standing. Ii
never stopped, but climbed right up Oh
the land, and before I recovered my head
my leg was being neatly wound up in 6
water snake that could have been sold
for a yard, good measure. took some
of the best steps the Highland fling can
produce, dropped my rod and made rail
road time toward a fence that doomed
gratefully up on the further side of the
field. The snake dropped me then, and
after / had gone half way across the field
it occurred to ME that it might not be
quite the proper caper to leave my
friends tackle to be gorged by snake,
and went back. The snake was NOV
ing off with line, rod and all. drew my
knife and cut about four feet of the line
off and gave it to the snake.
swell, that tussle ratified me little. but
made up my mind it must be only a
touch of tishermar's luck and I tied on
another hook, tangled it up with worm
and once more went for the ripples. By
and by had bite, l guess, and yanked
the book. It came out of the water with
swish, and sailed up in the air like a
sky rocket. / gave the rod a twitch to
throw the bait in again. l felt it come to
a sudden pause in the air, and then
'whi-z-z' my reel began to go. / looked
back. If / was real, genuine trout
fisherman of course 1 wouldn't expect
you to believe this, but what should ]
see but a swallow travelling skyward with
my hook in its mouth. 1t had swoopeC
down on the worm as it was in the ali
and had hooked itself. 1t was the work
of few minutes to reel the swallow in
like pulling down a kite. 1t was only
hooked In the bill and freed it without
much trouble.
And this is trout fishing p I re
marked to myself. 'An hour on the
brook and all the trout I've bagged are
snake and a swallow Then l lasheC
the brook some more. came to a nicj
toamy pool that swept along the edge o
high bank on the opposite side of thu
creek. / thought surely must catch
big trout there. And l did. It scared
me when L got It out on the ground. A,
L was admiring its beauty I heard
voice behind me. See here, young fel
Ter, 1t said, do you know what You'll gi
If you don't make tracks off O. this her,
land. If ye don't, l kin tell We.
--5s s- fsslIaiaa IL lie awRer OF thS
voice WIS u horny listed son of the pillow
He told me he'd give me five minutes tc
vacate the premises. As he was backed
up by fellow-tiller of the soil / said
would depart at once. 1 started to re.
trace my steps, bat that was against the
rules of the property, and do you know
those farmers made me give them the
trout had caught and wouldn't allow
me to get off their land except by plung,
ing across that brook, which was up to
my neck, and clambering up the high
bank on the other side? / had beer
AOCPAhS hAg al Tile
water was so cold
''That settled it. The charm of trout
ing was washed away entirely. Arcadiar
simplicity had won the day. / followed
down the creek until | came to a road
that my friend said would lead to his
place. | sat down on a rock in the sun
and busted myself in wringing some O
the water out Of me. As [ sat there cogi
tating and making some very EN-
phatlc remarks connected with trou
fishing and its devotee5, I was attracted
by noise in the bushes off to my right
/ looked around. There, standing in tn,
middle of the road not thirty feet away
and all three of them looking as if the,
were laughing at me, was big bear witt
two cubs. They said it was two mile
from where l sat by the roadside to m,
friends house. That may be, but
never travelled two blocks quicker thai
1 covered that distance. They wen
back and got my boots and the FISHING
tackle. Trout fishing in Sullivan count
Is exciting, but bobbing for eels over i
the Haekensack is good enough for me.
Another Charley Ross.