The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-07-14
BRU|N LANDS TROUT
Big Black Bear Arrives at Stream
(. Ahead Of Angler.
Old WhIpper Of Pools In WiIds Of
Pennsylvania Gets the Surprise
of His Life During His Last
Angling Expedition.

Er - nj AOAA ~
hshed the trout streams of the Pine
creek regions during the past few
days may boast Of their great luck
and their fine catches, but a fisher
fellow whom Harvey Splan saw on
Spring run, about three miles from
this place, the other day made a rec.
ord all his own. Splan had gone te
the head of Spring run before day.
light so as to be in at the early cast
He fished for about an hour with in.
different success, as the water was
so very clear and so low that it was
only In the biggest pools that any re.
suits were to be obtained. He finally
decided to give up fishing, save for
a trial at a big spring that is formed
by the head Of n of the tributaries
OF Spring run, a spring that is known
to lew of the fishermen, as it is near.
~ 100 yards up a ravine from the
main stream, while the creek thai
tumbles down over the big rocks from
1t doesn't appear big enough to be
worth investigating; hence it's infre,
quent visitations. Splan has always
caught trout there, some of the larg
est ever taken in this region, for the
spring is 10 feet acros and fully -four
feet in the pool, so that trout have
an excellent opportunity to thrive
there.
The other morning he took a cross
cut route to reach the coveted water,
going through the woods for a hall
mile or more. and approaching II
from the woods side. He was con.
slderably disconnected when he crept
within sight of the pool to find that
somebody had preceded him, and was
standing knee deep In the water. He
looked again. and to his dismay he
discerned that the angler was not a
man, as he had thought, but a big
black bear, that stood almost as high
as q man. The animal was standing
as quietly as If hetwere made of stone,
and intent in studying the depths OF
the pool to one. side of him. AS Splan
watched him he saw the bears paw
shoot out and into the water, and the
next instant a fine trout. was whisked
out of the pool and went flying on to
the bank. Without so much as look
ing where the captured fish had
alighted, the bear resumed his statu-
esQue pose, and remained in that fixed
position for several minutes, when he
repeated the diving process and an.
other trout as large as the first was
landed on the bank.
Splan, determined that the bear
should not deplete the favorite pool
yelled at the animal and flung a stock
toward him, which sent Bruin sour
rying into the bushes without even sc
much as stopping to find his caught
fish. But once the bear was out OF
sight Splan hurried to where the fish
were Tapping themselves to death in
the leaves and confscated the prizes
Then, fearing that the bear Nigh,
return and put up a fight, Splan con
cluded to scoot. But he played fail
with Bruin. Taking the lunch o.
sandwiches and cookies that his wife
had placed in a bundle for him thai
morning, he placed the food on the
edge Of a rock just where the beal
had thrown his trout far out upon thu
ground. thus assuring to the bear, i
he returned, a more delicious and ap
.petizing meal than the trout would
have been.