The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-06-23
MISCELLANY.
May TrOuting In the Snow.

my knees to fish for trout" said New
York sportsman, "and il was the mid
die of May at that, and not more than
half days journey from New York.
The stream was in the Pocono Noun
tains, and had gone there on purpose
to enjoy some early fishing. / got to
the little backwoods village at night
and woke next morning to find cold
northeast rainstorm on hand, and when
/ inquired for a guide 10 go with me to
the stream the landlord of the tavern
looked at me as if he thought was
crazy.
"TYou amt gon' to try to ketch trout
to-day, be your he asked. Why,
you can't git no fish worms yit, and the
woods is full o. snow and the creeks has
got ice on 'em.'
"I don't want any worms / re-.
piled, smiling at the thought. l fish
with fy.' / didn't believe his talk
about snow and ice.
"' But trout won't jump at fly yit,'
the landlord insisted. You've got 10
have worms
81 insisted on going to the creek, and
he went out and got a strapping big ma
tive to act as guide. The guide him.
self was staggered at the idea of a
mans thinking of going out on such q
day, with the streams in the condition
they were alleged to be, 10 fish for
trout, without worms for bait, but he
at last agreed to go on my paying him
SO and finding him in rum, and we
started. l found out from the guide
on our way to the creek that the local
angler in the trouting regions of north
ern Pennsylvania was always ready for
action in the streams with his bait and
tackle as soon as the law allows fishing,
and, if the conditions were favorable,
he was ready week or 80 before. He
used the worm not because he could
not cast the fly, but because from time
out of mind he had stubbornly chung to
the belief that trout would not rise
or jump, as he expressed it, to the
fly so long as there was snow water
in the streams nor until the natural in
sects had appeared on them. The
mountain region through which the
streams of that part of northeastern
Pennsylvania flow was so apt to have
winter lingering with it late that it had
been a rare thing for sportsmen from
the cities to risk the discomforts and
uncertainties of visit to it before May,
although the legal opening of the sea-
son was on April l. For this reason
the streams had been left to the inroads
of the local angler, with his pole and
worm, for weeks at a time, and the ma
tive had never seen anything to alter
his belief that trout would not jump to
fly under the conditions mentioned.
1t was my mission, l think, to correct
that old-time idea, and to show the ma
tive sportsman that he didn't know as
much about trout as he thought he did.
"We arrived at the brook about nine
O'Clock in the morning. 1t was in good
condition as to quantity of water, but
my heart sank within me when | saw
that the story about the snow and the
ice was only too true-and it was the
10th day of May, 1885. The most en-.
thusiastic angler never yet saw much
promise of an enjoyable days sport
while tying on his flies standing nearly
up to his knees in snow, and gazing on
a stream with deep borders of ice firing.
ing it as far as the eye could see, es-
pecially if one of The coolest and most
penetrating of transforms was pelting
furiously down upon him. My guide
tried to induce me to return to the
shelter of the tavern at once, but had
travelled more than one hundred miles
to enjoy some early May trouting, and
1 was bound to enjoy it-at least 1 was
bound to have it.
"Well, fished that creek more than
mile and half, and caught seventy
trout. But, bahl 1t was just like catch
ing suckers, pulling them out.
wouldn't have cared for the discomfort
of the days fishing if only the trout had
been capable of acting up to their ma
ture. l caught one trout that was fiji
teen inches long, but he had 80 little
fight in him that had no idea he wal
of more than ordinary size until land
ed him. The trout took the fly with 81
little animation that sometimes
wouldn't know that my feather hat
been touched, judging from any effor
the trout would make. Out of ont
pool, on the bank above which was TIT
remains of a snowdrift that reached
nearly to my waist, stood and tool
fifteen trout, one after the other, lik
so many sticks. Then l quit in dis
gust, and rejoined my guide, who ha
gone to bark peeler's cabin near b
and built roaring fire in the fire
place.
"When we got back to the tavern W
found group of woodsmen, and ha
hard work to convince them that ha
caught my trout with fly. The ev
dence of the guide alone establishe
l. my declaration. But that experienc
cured me of desire to enjoy earl
trouting in such region as that.
have been there many times since, br
: never before the first of June. But
find that the idea that trout will nj
jump at the fly while there is sno
water in the creek no longer prevail
among the natives up there, and the
} no longer wait until the ground is 6
\ they can dig worms before they go OF
to fish. So Pm little sorry l destro.
) ed that pet belief. New York Sun.