The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-07

Ho! for the Maine lakes.

Ho! for the Maine lakes.
The annual exodus of Worcester
sportsmen to the fishermen's paradise
will be on in force this week unless all
signs fail.
Reports from the Pine Tree state pre-
dict the complete passing of the ice
that has imprisoned trout, salmon trout
and landlocked salmon since Novem-
Der. The first fishing after the ice goes
out is invariably the finest of the year.
The big specllled beauties that have
fed ON sluggish minnows and logy
smelts throughout the long winter
awake to new life in the early spring
and begin to look for tempting morsels
of food and a general change of diet.
Then is the time when the shining
spoon hook or the appetizing night
walker tempts the big fellows as at no
other season of the year.
From all the smaller ponds the ice
has gone out and the coating of the
lakes is combed and rotten and fast
dissipating. This intelligence is
enough for the average fisherman who
contemplates the trip to the Mecca of
Waltons to begin to brush up the
paraphenalia of the craft, prepare the
fly book and stock up generally
with the necessary tackle. Fishermen
are confirmed cranks and none may
tell the other how or where or when
to land a good one. The whole art of
landing the gamiest of all game fish
can be gained only by experience with
the rod and none who ever landed a
six FOUNDER will ever thereafter brook
the slightest word of advice from even
the authorities.
Last spring a half hundred Worcester
fishermen made the long trip to the
Rangeleys or to other famous Maine
lakes. 1t is estimated that at least that
number of devotees of the rod and reel
are now preparing for the trip. Last
year Worcester sent more fishermen to
the Rangeley lakes than any other city
in New England outside of Boston and
the outlook for a big pilgrimage is al
ready bright
There was time when few of the
more famous trout lakes of the Pine
Tree state were accessible for the fish
erman who steals a week from business
for a crack at the sport. Now, however,
since added railroad facilities have OPP
ened up a new section unsurpassed in
the world for magnificent trout water,
except perhaps in Canada and New
Brunswick, it is believed that the fame
of the Rangeleys is doomed to be out
Swallowed by some of the natural trout
waters farther to the north that TEEN
with virgin abundance of every variety
of inland game fish.
A prominent Worcester hunter Of
big game who annually visits Maine,
and who last fall brought to this city
one of the finest Caribou heads ever
dropped by a local hunter returned late
in October with tales of trout and their
abundance in Aroostook county that
ought to tempt many Walton to a
longer trip than the Rangeleys. Guides
all through the northern reach of the
Bangor and Aroostook railroad tell of
trout too plentiful to tell. They argue
that the region is not known as trout
section and therefore the old time ia
vorites are still popular to the exclusion
of the far superior trout and salmon
waters
Among the local fishermen who are
awaiting the going out of the ice on
Rangeley are: DR.. George McAleer,
John N Akarman, z. T. Smith, Will
liam H. Burns, Harry ]. Heslor, YER
non f. Prentice. Harry V. Prentice, F..
N. Harris, These anglers are annually
the vanguard of the Worcester regi-
ment to lay siege to the speckled beau
ties of Maine.
Locally the trout fishing season is
sadly in need of a liberal assortment
of rain. The sport lags on account of
the continued dry weather. After a
week of rain there should follow the
best week of trouting in Worcester
county that has been since the season
opened.