Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1906-07-19
Yarns Of Vermont Anglers.

opening Of the Vermont fishing sea-
son folks expect to hear some rather
big yarns as well as to see fine strings
Of trout. They have not been disap-
pointed this year. The trout have
been big and the tales bigger, and
altogether the nimrods have been
having a happy time Of it.
"Talk about your queer experien-
ces !" said Will Snyder when he got
back from the Slab City streams.
"I'll bet I'm the only man in Rut.
land county who ever caught trout
with an ak. Maybe you don't believe
it, but l did. When l left here l
was, of course, looking for anything
over six inches that would bite, but I
was particularly anxious to get a
whopper that to my ceEtsir.-bapwl,
edge had been stealing -Az.bait- for
eight years. He was in deep cir
cular pool, right by big spruce
stump that stuck ten feet out of the
water, and the line would always
break before you could get his nose
out.
"Well, this spring l tried new
way. When he bit l let the line
slack and crept over to the stump.
What saw nearly took my breath
clean away, for on peering into the
pool made out the nose Of the trout
sticking out Of a two-inch hole in the
base of the stump. The hook was in
his mouth and the water was boiling
where he threshed it with his tail.
l went back to camp as quick as l
could, got an ak, knocked the trout
on tie head and then chopped the
stump off level with water. 1t was
level all the way down, and l had no
trouble in lifting out the fish. He
weighed nearly three pounds and
was sort Of bumped up from living in
such close quarters. also got back
three rusty hooks that were sticking
in the wood. 1 suppose the trout
got washed into hole by freshet
while he was email, and that stone
rolled against the hole and kept him
a prisoner until the next freshet came
along and washed it away. By that
time he was too big to get through
and had to stay in prison eating what
drifted his way"
One of the biggest trout ever taken
in the Otter above Dandy was caught
few days ago by George j. Flske, a
lumberman, who is student of fish
and their habits. He knew where
trout had raided his bait for several
years and made up his mind to get
him. The fish lay in a cauldron-
shaped hole, and his favorite trick
was to nip of the end Of worm
without touching the hook. Fiske
knew this, and he conceived novel
way to fool the old trout.
Taking block of sod about a foot
square, he cut slit in it and then
laid in the cut his hook and several
inches of line. The hook was baited
with fat angle worm, and this was
allowed to stick out of the fresh earth.
The rest of the line was coiled on top
of the sod. After clouding the water
with mud Fiske set the sod afoat, and
with fish rod in hand followed its
course down the stream, letting the
coil unwind as he progressed. When
the old trout got his eye on the worm
he thought it had been washed in by
a storm and picked it out of the earth.
He also picked the hook, which mo-
ment later had been driven in the
tough jaws. When he was finally
landed, after battle royal, he weigh
ed close to four pounds.
Dalton Burroughs, of Mendon, tried
the small brooks that flow down the
west slope Of Killington Peak, and at
noon became disgusted because he
could get few trout Of legal length.
Finally, while on what is known as
the Eddy Brook. he came to an old
mill dam. There was big pool be-
low this and, thinking that ne would
certainly find fair fish here, he ap-
preached carefully and dropped in
his hook. A moment later there was
a slight tug and, cautiously pulling
up, Burroughs saw that he had hooked
a 6ve-inch trout. He was trying tt
shake it of, when there was a mighty
splash behind him, and mink swal
lowed trout, hook and bait.
"Talk about exciting times, saie
Burroughs. Il certainly had one
L