The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-06-12
THE WILD ANGLERS.
ANIMAL FISHERS THAT ARE QUICK,
SURE, WARY AND shy.
Chtcf Among TheM Arc tho Heron,
tho k,n4aShrr. the Mink, the Wa
ter Snake aad the SnSpping Tur-
nc--AoN They Land Their Prizes,

uc--hoW They Land Their Prizes,
ANY one who can suppress for
awhile his rasSrrneSS with the rod on
Il trout stream and summon patience to
lie in wait and watch the ways Of
beasts and birds" said one who had
evidently nrrn able 10 do So "will dis.
cover that he Is not the only fisher In
those waters, Chief among the other
tiShsrS are the heron, the kingtisher,
The mink, the water snake and the
SnaNNu,& turtle.
AN angler passing down In 4 brook
intent on his rod viii rarely see any Of
these Wild fishers ut their work, for
they are MI wary and shy. perhaps
with the exception Of the water snake.
No Au&lrr has ever fiShcd between the
elder >kirtrd banks OF any trout stream
Without Discovering one or more Of
tnESr reptiles harmless except as to
their wVytul appetite for trout-twisted
around >ourr overhanging branch.
Watching for prey.
zone day While tshing in q Sullivan
county brook lay DOWN in the shade
W 4 IIHt'tt' w tiA NY hltlNt SHltht
pipe While thus III Quirtude l saw Il
blue heron drop down on the edge Of
the brook only a rod or two away. Aft
er a few minutes Of StatuesQue watch
iuG the long legged bird darted its
head DOWN into the water. withdrew 1t
with 4 lAvEr trout in its bin and flew
away.
"Nut more th?n hv: minutes after
the heron had disappeared a mink
came SwlmminG up the brook. In n
pool nearly within my reach the mink
d!yrI y moment later it appeared
with good half pound trout in Its
mouth.
"ThiS expert fisher had scarcely gone
Its way when harsh voiced uIgtisher
nN-htrd OH Il dead limb overhanging
the brook twenty yards from where |
lay The Nilh was not long on the limb
before down it went in tn" water and
came up with Il trout. | was trying to
figure our What the probable drain Oh
the trout population Of the country
might br from the inroadS Of these
Wild mNruuirr> when a water snake
came gliding up the stream carrying a
trout in its mouth that was hig enough
to talk about. Then ! thought 1t was
time 70" me tn get to fishing again be-
fore these expert and persistent wild
fishers had robbed he OF my chance
for sport
"IirronS. like swapping turtles, select
the largest trout for their prey. They
usually fish at the foot of some deep
pool. Poised on one long, slender leg,
4 in inn
carved from stone. waits patiently the
passing OF som" luSty trout from the
rapid water below into the pool.
"'rhc wait is seldom long one. Sud
denly the long neck shoots out like an
arrow. and the great bill is buried for
an instant in the water. The aim Is
rarely at fault. and when the birds
head appears in sight again Il large
trout usually comes up with it. The
| heron rises uZily from the creek, trail
ing lis >lndlinG legs, and flies home
with its SHv"ry burden.
| "Latc in the season. when trout begin
! to couGrr%a1" where small spring runs
| empty into the stream. the heron will
| he found fishing there, as 1t seems to
| know well. as does thc kingfsher, all
| feed upon. One heron with free scope
| on trout stream will likely take from
| IT thousand trout. many OF them
| heavy with spawn, during the time this
| big bird fishes. which is from the time
| the ice leaves the creeks in the spring
| until it forms Oh them again the fol
| lowing winter.
| "Ihr mink fishes all winter long az
| well rs in the SUMNER In fact, 1t 1s
| during the icrhound period that 1t Is
| most destructive to trout.
| 'Ihr kiu"tiShrr is not so certain in it's
aim as the heron. but one failure never
| diSCOurNgrS this winged muruuder. 1T
| Will rrSuln" lis perch on the dead limb
| AN outlook it seems to prefer-settle
| down with its watchmans rattle cry
| and watch and dive until the prize is
| won.
"'rhc iingtiShrr Is no stlckler for size
| in trout. but les for the first that
| comes along. 1t is Il greedy fisher, or,
| rather, perhaps the family that it feeds
has al unsuitable appetite, for the bird
| has been known TO return ten times to
the same place within an hour and
carry away Il trout every time. a
catch which it makes in that length Of
time the best Of anglers nowadays
world consider something 10 boast Of.
"Wntcr snakes, basking by the hun.
drcds along every trout stream, fish
with so much tact and cunning that
they number their prey by thousands
| from the time they come out Of theil
ALTERNATING places, which Ia as soon al
the weather. begins to get warm, unit
the approach OF winter drives then
back into their holes.
"Thcrr Is no knowing to how great
degree the trout rctaliate on the snake
for their warfare hut that they Il
make rcprisals is known to every NJ
Elcr, for many Il big troNt whe
dressed is found to have from one t
three Young water Snakes I'm his sion