New-York tribune., 1903-06-10
DAY OF TROUT FISHING.
Spr1ngtime Sport IN the Land OF
Lorna Doone.


~. II he Is a couaparativelN free agent he ma9
annortion them more or less according 10 ms
Measure For own part we incline 10 ioi
night in spring. the last week OF Aprh anu INC
frst Of MAY and the rest divided between August
and September. This is. Of course. ohlE oui o""
Individual preference AID is inspired by the fact
that We must have spring trout hshing' even
AZ the cost Of suffocatns in London during JuiE-
There are many people who agree win US ~ Apou'
the middle of April you shall often see 'ohte"s
la.fe ,,yson sta ndisC with his back to the busy
throng and his face to a fishing tackle shop- "
z-o1, are in gloomy mood YOU may morah1e al '''e
sizhr Of him on the vanity of human Wishes any
,icti,re 10 Yourself the horrid gnawing at lhe sou
~ -be man the regret for the holidays IN past
,-ea-s never 10 be enjoyed again. hut IT, on the other
hand YOU are cheerful and pleased with the worlo'
vou NAV look him pretty picture OF PleaS
ant indecision merely perplexed as TO whether ne
viii want two dozen large March Browns or tnIee
dozen, and wondering whether the bushes are going
10 be as deadly flies this year as they were last
We believe that this cheerful view is the rlsnl one
20 take for if he cannot get his holiday. your
znrier becomes norose and avoids tackle shops ana
eli thai NAV remind him of what he is losing.
,lninio~s differ as which part OF the country
offers most attractions the trout fisher IN spring
Fsut we ourselves. though we love II, wei "oulu
not 20 TO Cumberland for our May Day. Rather GO
we hasten as fast express train can bear Us 10
,hs ancient town OF Taunton, and thence by
quaint simple minded line ithe fo-erunner OF the
sU1tchbact) to the other ancient town Of Dulver-
ton and therce by road up the valley OF the IKE
TO the prettiest village in Somersetshire
For about a mile the river and the road separate
with the whole breadth OF the valley between them
Afterward the valley narrows they are never
very far apart and sometimes they are so close that
the bank Of the road is also the bank OF the river
Here our traveller look down and see every
pebble on bottom of the stream so clear is the
water But look as he may he cannot see what he
IS chiefly anxious TO see-fsh- The trout OF
mountain stresrn to the eye accustomed TO pave
raeuts practically invisible, except In the deep
etiu pools On q chalk stream. with little prac-
ffoe snd with the sun e proper angle, you can
see every movement OF the fish you are stalking;
but n the mountain stream you have TO hsh IN the
hope that he IS there But, We have said, In the
deep still pools 1t is generally possible to see two
or three elderly nsh swimming about near the sur
face on the lookout for flies. An elderly fish in
che Exc IS not giant like his cousin OF the ltchen.
He attains his half pound in weight and is proud
OF IL: and the fisherman who catches him is PROUD
too for the Exc half lfpounder conpels respect both
by OF his scarcity and OF bis fighting pow
ers II a brace OF half-pounders is IN ones basket
at the end Of days fishing 1T is matter for con-
graduation. and reason enough fo- displaying the
catch to the passeroy. and yet there are big hsh
even IN the Exc There is, was. one In weir
pool which our friend passes. fish that would
not make an inconsplcuous figure in the Thames
We have had a glimpse Of him ourselves ss ana we
he was trout His dimensions and weight. If we
gave them, would only be guesswOrk; and as we
might not be believed, will refrain
The Cuarrne is q lively little which runs
into the Exc at the point where two valleys meet,
for here the Exc turns shaTP corner ana ,o CONES i
out OF valley to the @ lef Ihe re arm # is diff
1icult to fish. being much overgroRn. both SAe
obtaire6 leave TO fish as much water he
cover in fortnight. for the hospitality Of txmoor
& to niles 70 the preftiest village in someT
,; slOal w. I,- % frse15s 5Psfination where is the
prettiest ina in the world and the warmest wei
Eight o'clock is full early enough for Londoner
TO breakfast on May Day down mere. tor . II mas mas
been almost if not quite freezing In the nignt anG
the trout viii not begin TO rise much before 10
o9a dish Of ees and Saoon foio%ed by pesfy
homemade bread and jam and cream, are none too
mach for the appetite OF a who has slept a
noe ~ Foor or T.afep after II Moreover he must
20 on the strength Of that meat practically the
whole day. because he is anxious TO tighten his
se ssnd%iehes viii I'f be but snail We know nothing
that increases mans benevolence so much as the
feeling mat he has eaten a huge hreakIast, ana m
that every particle Of il agrees with him; and as
in Norfolk Jacket knickerbockers and shooting
boots. waiting for his sandwiches he is in case to
on this fair world" In a short time the sand
light creel over his shouider his landing net slung
his belt, and his sombrero hat OF his head. His
cast has been soaking while he was his break
fast and he is ready 10 Legin TO fish so soon as he
As this his first days fishing he proposes to
more or less easily Later when he is in better
o g. ne MIN VI" dive % rroe SO Ie S an5 sb the
Parle and then he viii wade: but to-day he does
the Sest poois no stream Wit,ont wa5ing II he
viii take our advice he will not begin close to the
village but will take thc lare leading up hill past
the church. and droP down through the e0pse on
p slight bend there is tho most delightful pool
possible. The stream turns sudden corner round
"a nSs al @ 49, 80 A ~ 4t Iib, % ' o.+r H., - deon
water running swiftly, which really gives the hon
To-day the river is running good height for
there may he touch Of east in the wind. its main
Characteristic is south The sun is shining, but
fhere are light clouds here and there which give
promise Of intervals OF shade and altogether 1t is
could desire our friend makes the first cast Of
of the rravitT Of fle occasion The first cast Of
the 1,ear is I,rdoJbted Z solemn thing and n has
been the subject of much previous meditation: in
HIS London chambers he mas wasted many valuable
:. ,...L rlea+ ros,I+ -!l-a -as,1+ b.s .aiso-,
been much under a pound But authorization
the first cast Is not entirely successful The leader
resSnss me %5e It's u is tre on[ IT Is sFnonq9eq
MIth Wl.aR S,'hae 4''s'S au1oIltH 'dIS oedu' u
but useless coil- Of gut. and % course no fish
cast however ne IS more fortunate; and there is
fash Of yellow n the neiel horhood Of the second
= seems. but as he makes his next cast he hears
hard he mrrnurs and pulls his line in hand over
hand 10 see the extent Of the damage As he sus-
himself with the thought ttat he is little out Of
practice. and that he must expect TO strike OF
Eis new dropper fastened. our friend begins to
flsh aealn. IN a lev easIs ne eets anotner rise
It shows splendid sport. and its first might be
that OF q two pound FISH. However. there are no
dangerous stumps in TIE pool and II is not long
before he lands 81 in his net. lovely little trout
OF Where half Founders the
limit of ones aspirations fish Of six ounces IS
decidedly good beginning and angler IS pleased
with himself As he unhooks his first capture he
notices that the hook has fastened in the corner
Of mouth and wonders whether there Is anything
IN the old T-Nnoor adage that all the fish caught
IN DAYS fishing viii be hooked exactly IN the
same spot Out Of this pool he catches two more
FISH one under three ounces (the limit size which
he sets himself and Therefore returned other
about a quarter Of a pound. Then he gets Up from
ba-k