The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-15
ABOUT MAKING OF
A TROUT ANGLER.
Preacher Tells Finding Himself
in the Woods
ADVICE FROM OLD GUIDES
Love of the Woods the Real Secret of
Success in Catching Fish.
Trout Never Ending
Study.
ADVICE FROM OLD GUIDES
From the New York Sun.

N--N
These are a few observations on the
subject of trout from one who has just
concluded ten days ramble along the
purling mountain streams of a certain re-
gion of Pennsylvania.
The true lover of trout fishing passes
by the average trout story in newspapers
or magazines with as much disdain as the
old timer underneath the rock shows to-
ward bungllng cast of a fly out of sea-
son. Where to Catch Trout" and How
to Catch Trout are delusion and a
snare and such attempts are painfully ap-
parent They allure only the ragged be-
ginner and amateur, as the young fry
rise to almost anything that hits the wa
ter, from a dry twig to a hailstone.
The old fellows don't bulge. Time was
when these stories used to attract me,
but can see now they never did anything
but deceive.
The sum of the whole matter is this: No
man can be taught how to fish for trout
or where to catch them. He has got to ed
ueate himself, slowly and patiently, and
must ind out for himself the where, when
and how of it all.
It's a task of no mean undertaking and
that is the reason why, of all the hun
dreds of men who fish for trout, there are
very few real trout fishermen. An occa-
sional bit of advice may be of SERVICE but
that Is only incidental To Illustrate:
My first trout fishing trip was to pop
ular trout resort in Pennsylvania, visited
4 -. w..
and Philadelphia on the opening day of
the season. During the evening l was
much bewildered with the stories of trout
lore, the weather, the flies. the prospects,
the vantage points and comparisons of
reels, fly books, creels rods and lines
had picked up a complete outfit for
something less than six and when l sur
veyed the elaborate displays of my fellow
guests I put myself down as a rank out
slider. In the morning 1 felt more so, for
never were a set of men so wonderfully
| fitted out with rubber breeches, fishing
coats, belts and hats. They talked Of va
rious sections of brooks and runs as If
| they were the most familiar spots In the
world, while the country around the house
presented nothing but a wilderness to me.
I had several kindly invitations to Join
| certain parties but refused all out of pure
|
playing my ignorance. l was not in their
class and did not want TO have It rubbed
in any more than was absolutely neces-
| sary.
When the last man had gone I asked
| the proprietor to direct me to a stream
that none OF the men would be likely 10
use, as I preferred to go 1t alone I can
not tell now what I used or how I did It,
but in about half an hour I brought out
| of a pool and landed on the messy bank
my first mountain trout.
I guess I kneeled over him In admira-
ton fifteen or twenty minutes. I will
never forget the first effects of those brill
liant red spots on the brown and greenish
sheen of those symmetrical sides and the
wonderful unfathable blue of those large,
round eyes. The deep light like the azure
of the evening sky remained clear for a
long time after he had stopped gasplng
picked rhododendron leaves and put them
in the brook and made a cool clean bed
for him in the bottom Of my creel.
When I had caught my sixth trout I
suddenly realized I was hungry enough
to eat nails I could hardly believe my
| eyes when I found 1t was o'clock. The
day had gone like an hour.
Luckily managed to get back to the
hotel by dark. OF all the party I had
caught the largest trout. my first one
nine inches; only one man had more. He
had taken eight. The majority of the
men called It beginners luck. but the old
guide, who lived there all the year. said
mo, sir, he likes the woods"
AS each year of fishing rolled on I real
lied more keenly the truth underlying
the old guides remark. He had perceived
the quality Of which I was then but dim
! fOr h. L.
and without that man never can become
a true and genuine trout fisherman.
It forms the very starting point of his
education along trout lines He may not
fully realize 1t himself for several years
but II he has 1t he some time or other
wakes up to the fact that he Is In a class
by himself as compared with the majority
of his fishing companions.
There is a gulf between himself and
them which only they can bridge. Talk
is useless. He cannot bring them to him.
Great is his Joy when he finds one who
| has gone on before and who knows and
loves the woods as he does or perhaps
better. Gladly will he sit at his feet,
though the man wear ragged coat, that
he may increase his knowledge of this
never ending study. Therein lies its fas-
cinauon.
year, may be capable of making very
good casts and have a knowledge of the
flight and actions Of flies. They will have
certain amount of luck when the trout
are hungry, but there's an end to IT,
1t takes the man with the woods knowl-
edge to get the trout where and when
others fail. I know a certain woodsman
named George who can follow the average
good trout fisherman down any brook and
beat him out two to one or more
Several years ago George promised me
a trip I was delayed two weeks in get
ting up and found George away. / also
found he had been sending every amateur
fisherman from the city up to the run
to which he had agreed to pilot me-
He came home late that night and add
ed to my disappointment by saying he had
a job tht would keep him from going with
me the following day. but that he would
go the day after. / didn't know George
so we'll then and. somewhat nettled.
said had heard he had been sending a
lot of people over to the stream in cues
ton.
"Kind friend" he said, 1T did II a DUR
pose. By garry, there amt none of 'em
knows how to catch trout except nv
mistake an they've given the place such
a bad name there's no one thatll go near
It, There's been thirty men up there this
spring, but no real fisherman. I'll show
you as pretty trout as you ever see."
waited for George. When we struck
the stream he said:
Now you go ahead and don't mind ms
at ALL When you get hungry you walt ur