The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-05-29
rnE ry1L on rRour FIsHINa.

An item floating about in the papers
states that 200 pounds of trout wer6
caught out of certain brook in Hard
wick in one day, says the Orleans County
Monitor. We presume that the facts
would show that several hundred
mounds of trout have been caught in
many towns in the State during the first
two weeks in May. This shows that the
fish viii grow in Vermont streams and
ponds. but it does not prove that fish
culture is profitable, or that it can be
made so by the efforts of the National
or State governments. We are of the
opinion that fishing in Vermont as
business or employment is not prohta'
BILE. Some experience in trout catching
has taught us that, take the season
through, each pound of this best of fish
costs dollar, and that the more fish
there really are the more protitless and
expensive fishing becomes. few days
passed with mary bite will usually
soon subdue the fishing fever in the or
binary fish maniac, while small success
will keep the fever up and send the VIC
tim to the stream or pond, day after
day, when the result is protitless, in the
catch, and eXasperating in the enjoy
ment received.
llefG Is Il large CldSS VI pplbllib iiNh
in all places who will leave their bust,
ness, their stock and their wives uncared
for, if they can only catch now and then
a fish, and the wear and tear of clothing
muscles and patience are such as would
drive man forever out of any Other
business equally hard. =,
Fishing is usually wicked business; II
requires bottles and jugs; it invites
deal of swearing, and it always ends IN
lying-as to the size and number of fish
caught. d provOkes Sabbath breaking
Nine out of every ten fishermen will fish
SUNDAYS: and some pretty good men,
otherwise, will steer straight away from
church during the suckering and trout
season. Under the present law there is
much law breaking, both in the time
when fishing is done, and in regard 70
the length of the six inch measure. we
venture to say that not one man in ION
has come or will come within two inches
of the siX-inch limit in the length OF
trout from May l to October l, A. d.
1891.
There is much fruitless effort in the
line of stocking the streams OF Vermont
with fish. The piSciculturists write fine
ESSAYS on the subject, and the legislt L
lures struggle hard over the subject tOr
two months blennially. while the fish
commissioners issue touching and fam.
ing circulars and post glaring bills re,
garding the law. Meanwhile there will
be dozen or more fellows to every brook
or pond in town, who will let their land
and work 90 to "Shemung,n leave their
cows unfed and unmilked, leave then
wives at home chopping stove wood
while they fish, fish, until every gudgeon
worth catching is taken from the water.
1t is great deal easier to cultivate lazy,
shiftleSs fishermen than to cultivate a
trout. People may legislate, expatiate,
illuminate on filling up the stream with
fish, but it practically amounts to moth
ing unless it be to encourage idleness
and vice on per cent of the population
large enough to catch all the fish. Fish
culture is one of the beautiful things in
theory that amount to very little in fact
or in practice.