The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-02-19
BIG TROUT AND BASS.
A Veteran Fisherman on the Props
Methods of Capturing Them.

Methods of Capturing Them.
 G. W. B. writes to the Bridgeport Farmer: As the season for trout fish, ing approaches we think over the many mistakes we have made in want of skill and coolness when fish big or little, says "Hello," from our bait We the great grain dealing firm in Bridge port, how to land trout some ten years ago. It was on the well-known Half Way river, that starts near Botsford, and empties into the Housatonic about one-fourth of mile above Zoar bridge. We had lost half a dozen nice trout by not waiting a moment longer for them to swallow the hook. A stranger, MT. Wheelertit proved to be, overlook me and had ten or twelve fine trout in his creel. I had only four or five little fellows, and I was willing to let him go ahead. He very soon took in two half-pounders, having giv- en them the bait until said, You'll lose them," twice or thrice. He slow ly reeled them in, but had to cut out
 
 rather cut out the hook than to lose such bites. We'll, so had we! But nine out of ten fishermen get so exci- ted over a bite that they forget that the minnow, alligator" or worm is not down. It may well be said of sav- ing good fish that hook in the throat is half in securing big fish, as it is said of beauty "a handsome face is half married" A hook well down seems to take the life out. Now, the real Isaac Walton of Newtown, Flaw ley Jennings, who Is often telephoned to to get bait and big fish for Bridge port parties a day or two ahead, all most invariably Snakes fish right in," believing this to be the surest way He generally has two bobs each side of his boat and numerous hand lines be- sides, baited with every kind of bait to tempt the finny tribe There probably is not rod of ground in Taunton pond, or in the Chepaug or any place in the Woodbury river or Housatonic, but what he gets, or expects a bite. But sometimes old veterans like F. F. Glover, D. Taylor and McGrau, beat him. If we remember alright these three frequent visitors to Taunton Lake, or pond" caught eleven black bass one day about three years ago, that weighed thirty pounds! Some weighed over five pounds. But the biggest bass ever caught in Taunton Lake was by one Blackman of flaw leyville, with a night walker" the l father of all angle worms. The bass weighed over six pounds. Pope" Jud- | son, beat that? Never! The most | noted fishermen that enjoy the lake | have rods that will bend from tip to butt, and, instead of letting a bass run out fifty or hundred feet of line they | keep it taut by swinging the rod right and left We read in Forest and | Stream, of Walton, that he often ran out one hundred and fifty feet of line | to bring salmon or bass to the gaff or landing net. What is the reel and | this long line for, except to use? But after all a boy with chalk line and | alder pole will often get the biggest fish. It is hoped that no lease will, af- | ter this year, prevent boys from fish | ing in Potatuck brook.
 These trusts that are exclusive are creating another necessity, like the  1 Goths and Vandals that rode over old | aristocratic Rome, to show what 'per- l sonal liberty meant.
 We do not care so much about the most successful way to land fish as we do about this gobbling up streams and sections of our rivers. We hope that the time will come again when the old Elisha Lattins will come back upon the
 Housatonic, and electrify the boys, as he did us, by crying "Shad in, pull low upon the leads!" Just think of the | Water Go. on the Housatonic dam. ming back shad, lamprey eels, especial. ly lamprey eels, from getting up to the
 "old Millforden.''
 And now our friend Nicolas Staub i:
 Stating the commencement of the be-
 ginning" to dry up, at the upper end
 the Housatonic, like the Naugatuck Let us have waters for fish, then wei bet Newtown anglers will catch them G. W. B.