The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-01-07
TALE OF A
BIG CATCH

They we're telling fish stories and sew.
eral accounts OF remarkable catches
had been given, when Capt. Kenny Of
The auxiliary sloop Jennie X. spoke up.
The Jennie II. is a stanch little YES
sci that takes out fishing parties, and
these parties are mostly made up of
devoted fishermen who know what
kind OF FISH are running at various sea
sons and what sort of tackle to bring
along with them. But once In a while
freak fisherman with freak tackle
turns up at the pier and goes along,
too.
Talking about big catches" said
Capt. Kenny. when he spoke up, THE
biggest catch ever saw made on a
single line was 81 ling and skate. II
was ON a Thanksgiving day. two or
three years ago.
I'VE started out about eight o'clock
in the morning with some 60 fisher.
men aboard, most OF whom had been
with me often and knew how TO catch
FISH. II was but little past low water
and In going out we struck the bar.
While we we're getting of there
was n commotion on the float. and a
skin put OF with a man In II who was
waving his hands excitedly and shout.
ing for me TO walt. He got aboard. all
right. for II took us Is minutes or so
TO get across the bar.
while we we're going down 10 the
bell buoy the fishermen oyerhauled
their tackle and balted up. The
stranger who had come out In the skin
also got out his tackle. You should
have seen Il.
with a fathom OF chain for n lead.
or II would have been Just the thing 10
catch sharks with. The line was a
small hawser. and the hook would
have anchored the sloop In n blow.
We'll. We came 10 down by the bell
buoy. and before the boat had tailed
out on her chain with the tide the
fishermen were pulling In lines. The
bay was alive with them.
IT was cast and haul In all the time
for everybody but our friend who had
come aboard in the skin. lie had
taken for himself a place In the midst
Of the others. baited his hook and sol.
EMMY lowered Il overheard: but he
wasn't getting a bite.
when Il was getting TO be time for
US 10 get up anchor and start for home.
because the fishermen had more fish
than they could carry. the stranger
got busy. Something was on his hook.
Ills line tore through the water
back and forth from stem 20 stern OF
the sloop. II described circles along
the side OF the boat and zlgzaggcd
here and there. The lines OF the iish.
ermen were wound up in skcIn and
some Of them were snapped from the
rods.
The stranger fisherman braced him.
self and the others began TO cut their
lines 10 save their rods and reels The
water fairly boiled.
AT length two or three lrlshmcn
went 20 the aid OF the stranger and
helped him TO bring up his line with n
steady pull. The catch was landed
on deck.
In the midst OF Il was a skate as
big as the top Of cook stove. and
twisted about the line that held him
were all the other lines that he had
cntangled while skating through the
water.
On the way NJ from the bell buoy
the fishermen untangled some OF their
lines. but most Of them had 10 be cut.
Every line had n ling on Il. and every
line was tangled up with the line that
caught the skate. and the total mum.
Der of fsh hauled up on that one line
was 81 ling and n skate-and I can
prove A.
The stranger said that his name
was Baxter. and he wasn't very used
20 fishing. lie was so gratincd over
his blg catch that he offered 10 pay
for all the damage his skate had done.
The fishermen good.naturcdly re-
fused 20 be compensated. and insisted
that he should take the ffiy.scyen ling
and the skate home. He left the skate
and the last saw Of him he was going
TO Harway avenue with the ling on his
back In a burlap bag. No: he never