Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-04
~ THK -
Ak S'|ANANlASA,.s1,,

and the ripping rifles of the San
Gabriel in search of the beauties which
inhabit that stream.
1--WE separated as soon as we arrived
at the fishing ground and put In q
hard day of Ii fishing with Indifferent
luck and landing all told only forty
ordinary sized trout up to about the
time 1t was agreed we should all rem
devious at our machine for the return
home.
Just before started back counted
up my catch and found that l nad a
lot of fish ranging from ten to fourteen
inches In length, and l packed them In
my basket with some fresh green leaves
and was ready to put away my tackle
when l saw a muskrat hole in the CEN
ter of a quiet eddy in one of the turns
of the stream.
Takes Practice Throw
"Just as an experiment to test my
accuracy in casting threw at the hole
and my leader entered 1t squarely.
"A moment later l felt giant tug
at the line and l believed had hooked
inuskrat. In the struggle that fol-
lowed / was convinced that l had
hooked a muskrat. but finally dragged
| my catch from the hole and 1t proved 10
be the biggest trout l have ever seen:
'Tt was a beauty, a brook trout thir-
ty-one inches long. / measured 1t with
| II
| it with a certified scale which ! had
in my pocket, and 1t weighed exactly
nine and one-quarter pounds.
| "'You ARE too big to be true | re-
marked with sigh. Even If | took
you home and showed you to the crowd
no one would believe 1t. MY reputation
must not suffer and / threw the big
| fish back into the creek"
George Home was the next victim TO
relate his experience and he told a
story of his yesteryears when he did
nothing but fish each season.
81 had great reputation then as a a
! trout fisherman" he remarked. Il
gained 1t all by the exercise of little
| ingenuity.
Il had caught at one time giant
trout, which was quite young one
nevertheless.
Takes Catch Home
81 took 1t home and raised it In the
spring house and taught it any number
of tricks. l nursed 1t through the bot
| tie and soft food stage until it arrived
at lusty and vigorous age.
"Of the tricks l taught 1t not the
! least was one of holding Its BREATH and
finally | got It so that it could remain
out of the water for hours at a time.
Then | used to go fishing and take
1t with me. When was ready to come
| home would array 1t on bed or fresh
green leaves and display 1t to an ad-
miring multitude as the champion fish
of the season, and I always got the
prize, too for Billy, as l called him,
was big fellow by that time.
FINALLY, however the fish warden
got onto my game and made me put
the trout back into the stream. 1t re-
membered me, however. for l used to
visit 1t every once in awhile and feed
it from my hand and pet and caress 1t.
Each season 1 would go fishing
went aud got Billy and exhibited him
as the biggest fish of the year.
| "One time in hurry to get away
with party / had no time to get Billy
learned of this and then he just pined
away and died of grief because of my
neglect"
Jack Mart on List
Jack Mart was next on the list OF
story telers and he related his expert
ence with trout of considerable age.
"I had an argument one time with
number of fishermen" remarked Mart
"as to the age trout would reach.
contended that nothing but a hook
would prevent trout from reaching
the age of centenarian.
Now I was fishing one time in the
] Del Sur river when / caught trout
that didn't make much of fight de-
| spite the fact that he was the biggest
| Looking at him closely l observed
that he was very old. The spots or
him had turned gray and his teeth were
falling out. Then down near his tail
figured out the initials G. w. You car
figure out the age of that fish to suit
yourself, for the father of his country
has been dead long time"
That's nothing" spoke up Jimmie
Hosick the last of the candidates
when was a boy in Scotland had
the same kind of experience with ole
trout was fishing in a stream neal
my home with hickory pole and 9
bent pin hook and worms for bait wher
l caught tremendous big trout.
"It was late in the evening and this
fish didn't make much of fight and
when had landed him I saw he was
all of two feet long.
"T took him home and when / started
to clean him for supper I noticed 1T
tie metal tag attached to his dorsai fin
The tag was simply marked Noah.
But the amazing thing was to come.
opened the trout and you can believe
me or not. but inside was another
trout and it was labeled Private stock
! JONAH"