The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-05-05
pATaoLLlNe THE STREAMS
Fishermen Hereabouts Appear to Be
Keeping the Law.

With the advent of warmer wealth
er and consequent improvement in
fishing conditions County Game War
den Higgins is finding his hands full
in keeping his territory well under
control In addition to his usual re-
sponsibilities he is now foster father
to some half million baby trout in vari
Gus parts of Bennington county. They
are still in the tender stage when
they have none but natural enemies,
but many others planted last year
are considered good prey by thought
less fishermen. Warden Higgins is
determined that the thoughtless fish
ermen shall take thought, and to this
end he is making all sorts of unex-
pected pilgrimages into outof-the-
way corners of the county.
Yesterday he went into Woodford,
south to Mud Pond, where North
Adams fishermen have camp, and
out by way of the old turnpike.
Striking the head of Beaver Mead
ows, Just south of Woodford, he
worked down the Beaver Meadow
brook to the second pond hole. Sud
denly his attention was arrested by
the sight of a fishermen, barely seen
through the thick bushes, who was
acting in a very peculiar manner.
This is one of the most isolated parts
of the southern end Of the county,
and one where intrusion might be
least expected. So Warden Higgins
worked carefully up, to observe the
strange actions of his man to better
advantage and learn if they had
anything to do with short trout.
They had. Reaching the bank, in full
view, he waited until the man should
look up. 1t was some time before he
did this. He was on his hands and
knees beside sandy bottomed pool,
peering intently into the crystal
water, and uttering delighted ejacul-
atoms. Suddenly he looked up, re
vealing the familiar countenance of
Uncle" George Knapp of Woodford,
veteran of over seventy fishing sea-
sons and close friend of every WELD
er of the rod who has ever tried his
luck on those mountain streams.
sight OF the Warden he
beckoned to him excitedly.
Come down here, Ed" he called,
land look in this hole. 1t beats
everything in the way of short trout
that | have ever SEEN"
CHANGING into the pool Warden
instantly recognized some of
his proteges, attending school in the
orderly fashion of all little trout.
Those are part of the ten thous-
and that we put in here the Other
day." he explained.
Uncle George knelt down and re-
garded them again.
There must be a full thousand
right there" he estimated. How
long do you figure it will be before
they are long enough to keep inside
the law"
Three years." replied the Warden.
"I'll be just eighty-one years old
then" said Uncle George, but I'll be
down here and drop into this hole the
day the season opens. I've fished
these streams for seventy years, and
I'm good for at least ten more. Then,
Perhaps twenty" he added, as he
took another squint at the gently
tanning tails of the baby trout.
Warden Higgins was almost out OF
sight down the brook when Uncle
George hailed him again.
Its going to be like the old days,
hecalled, before those short trout
ne called, before those short trout
in and spoiled the streams"
At Mud Pond were six high school
boys from North Adams, the first
fishermen of the year in there. They
had three trout about five and three
quarter inches long, sailed and care
fully preserved against their return
to the NATURALIZATION of North Ad
ans. Warden Higgins ascertained
that the fish were trout by scraping