The Washington bee., 1895-08-24
DO FISH FEEL PAIN,
An Experienced Angler Inclined to D.o..
In the Negative.


In the Negative
Last fall, while trouting T o
across a shady pool of considaN
able size and depth, wherein I
certain lurked some of the aged dons
zens of the creek 1t was in the o,,au
ing. and / was fishing up stream 7 ooa.
my dies under the oyerhanging bongSs
and hardly had they touched on ,IS
water before / was made aware oS -.
presence of luSty trout in a hsar.
strike. was kept pretty busy for ~.
few minutes keeping out of the roo ss
which lined the banks, when nv Iino
suddenly slaekened and drew it in -
discover that my lower fy-a brovD
hackle-had been broken off whore ~.
hook joins the gut / repaired the braaI.
and made another cast, being immaai
ately rewarded with a second srril,a
which, from the disturbance created :
concluded must be the same fish u
in some manner, failed to hook himsol,
but second later my line straig5tensd
out and whiZZed through the water IN
ward the right bank, and not wjsbin,
to lose my prize, turned the butt To-
ward him, when the hold again broke
depositing my flies in the tree tons
overhead. In trying TO dislodge them
| broke the gut, and, as usual in such
cases, my flies remained in the fraa
top-probably do yet-and there | was
discovering, to my dismay, that nv
fly book was in my coat pocket in
camp, a couple of hundred yards down
the creek.
AS to the time it took to reach camn
l cannot say; but in a very brief per-
i0d | had returned to where nv rod
was lying, and affixed new fy. Again
a cast was made, and again the fish
responded in fine shape This time he
was successfully landed-a beautiful
specimen, tipping the beam ct triRe
over two pounds-and upon examina-
ton | found my brown hackle lodged
in the roof of his cayernouS mouth.
also strip of skin, about one and a
quarter inch long by one-half wide.
torn from his side, and a very ugly
wound exposed from which blood was
still dripping. In striking the second
time he had probably snagged himself
on my lower fly.
Later, we were fishing in the Mesa
Lakes-a very beautiful group of mir
ror-like ponds that are the delight of
the disciples of Walton from all over
the country-and gradually worked our
way round to where a small creek
it's crystal waters into the lake
We were having splendid success. hay
ing landed thirty-four in nearly as
many minutes, and then we had to fish
after that, managing to secure some
very beautiful trophies. Where the
creek enters the lake it falls over a SIX
foot embankment, leaving a shallow
stream of about twenty feet between
the falls and the main body Of water.
Several large red fellows were seen
lazily moving about in the shallow wa
ter, and we took great caution lest We
should be observed.
They would not take the fly in the
creek with any great activity, so my
companion could not resist the temp
tation, and, pulling his SO Smith &
Wesson shot at a fine large fellow,
which he hit. After considerable
he started down the stream
like flash, leaping clear out of the
water at one time. My fly was rest
ing on the water at the mouth of the
creek, dancing on top of the current,
when suddenly my reel began 20 sing
and about thirty yards Of line spun out
into the lake, which was Immediately
hauled in after A slight struggle with
4 trout of considerable weight on the
end. Blood was running out of him
very profusely, and we found a large,
Jagged hole torn through him, made
by the revolver ball.
A short time ago young friend Of
nine was fishing in the Grand river.
4 short distance from the city. and
anded twelye-pOund whiteish with
4 big steel hook fastened in his belly,
10 which was attached about six feet Of
inc tied in the centre of twig three
,r four feet in length. Some boz had
evidently fastened his line over night.
md the stick had pulled out Of the
,ank when the fish became snagged-
# he could have felt pain he certainly
would have felt it pulling against
hat four-foot stick through deep wa
.er. The hole, which the hook had
orn nrettv badly, was apparently very
much iGflamed.
Several other instances have occur
ed to me, but / will not recount them
1t present. But whether fish feel pain
lnder such wounds l am at a loss TO
if they do, then their in
tinct for preying on insects is FREEDOM
nant over all others, and they lose
heir greed.-Forest and Stream.