Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-02-27
THE FIGHTING TROUT OF THE CAS-.
Plan,

The following Is an account OF the big
trout caught in Caspian Lake, Greensboro,
| by Il. III. Sanborn, of the Boston publishing
firm of Leach, Shewell & Sanborn. The
story appeared In the February number of
Recreaton:
/ Up among the Green Mountains of YER
mont Is a lake whose waters, fed only by
springs, are too cold for the usual trash
found In our smaller lakes and pounds 1t
IS the natural home of the brook trout.
RMS lake. higher than the Crawford Notch
| OF the White mountains, has upon its
banks the highest cultivated land In the
state For many years the oldest in
habitant" has told the story OF enormous
trout, too old and too wary to be caught /;
but at last one of them has come to the
net. Up to this time tradition has given
SIX pounds as a maximum weight of any
ever caught, and no one would swear to
this figure. The story was always quoted
and the catch was made back in the sos
by some ones father when fishing with a
small fir.
This time 1t took a Boston publisher and
Vermont dentist TO do the business
At some period before II a. M, July G.
1925, tho trout struck, and then, on a Coz
rod, the battle royal began. At first he
was to be landed In the usual time Hrom
five to 20 minutes). Then word was sent
TO the cottages TO postpone lunch or din
ner, and every boat, with It's occupants
came out to see the contest and to make
suggestions. Some of the men. accus-
toned to FISH with a hog-hook tied to a
clothes-line would "yank him into the
boat In jest two minutes" Another would
gun for him with a ten-bore. Others
would drag him into a boat house and lock
him up. Still others would tow him down
to the sand beach and kill him with an ak.
Good suggestions all, but hardly the thing
ttsft t- ~ l.
rod
On went the fun. Sometimes the old
patriarch would go down, vertically,
hundred feet, to the music of the reel;
then out, hundred and fifty feet from the
boat, he would break water and shake his
head. hoping to get some slack"
Not for a moment did he cease to send
his messages TO the Sbat and Indicate his
perturbed sthte of mind
When, at the fourth hour he came to the
surface, near the boat. no angler ever saw
grander sight His bright red spots glls-
tened In the sunlight. Boat after boat
came up to see this unusual fighter as the
publisher led him alone on dress parade.
But the battle is not yet over and again
the reel sings as the monster goes down to
his familiar haunts in the depths of the
lake. Not to Stay, for he Is at last weary
and begins to yield to science and skill.
At Just $3.50 p m. he came to the net after
hve-hour's fight. Can you beat this, We
tarpon cranks at Tampa bay, or we salmon
fishers of the Restigouche?
The trout was just % inches long, G
inches deep, Is inches In circumference and
tipped the scales al SiR pounds.
This is true story, and in reply to ques-
tions that l know will come from a thou
sand readers of Recreation, the place is in
northern Vermont; the lake, one of nearly
1900 acres. Four years ago four men In
one day caught 10i trout there. the small
est weighing six ounces and the largest
2is pounds.
There the air is the pure7., the spring
water the sweetest. the farmers produce
the freshest. The campers and cottagers
are the most kind and neighborly, and,
best. OF all. there are no black flies nor
mosquitoes.