The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1917-12-13
FISH AND WATCHES


for Penobscot salmon, was the favor
ite pastime when Charles Day was
boy and lived at East Holden. Charles
had a nice new watch. One cold
February he lost 1t In the snow.
Search failed to locate 1t, 30 when the
ice melted In the spring 1t sank to the
bottom.
THE following year Charles and his
comrades went ce-hshing In the same
place. Charles got big one, 80 big
they had to enlarge the hole to get him
I'D thru the ice AS Charles was look
Ing his prize over, after getting his
breath, he heard a peculiar ticking
sound. The thing was 80 odd that
they cut the fish open. The autopsy
discovered the watch, lost by Charles
the year before safely slowed away
In the fish's stomach.
ut would be nice to say that 1t had
kept perfect time, but inherent and
deep seated regard for the truth com
i pels us to admit this was not so-the
watch was two minutes fast, Show
hogan (Me) Independent-Repo
All. how true 1t is that truth Is
stranger than fiction!
The above little incident, which no.
| body OF course doubts, reminds me OF
q somewhat similar experience | once
had. Isn't 1t curious how one little fish
story told by one gentleman will re-
mind another gentleman OF another
little true fish story?
On the 22d OF February, four years
ago (the reason | happen to remember
the date 30 distinctly is because 1t was
George Washington's birthday
az was saying, on the 22d Of Febru-
airy Bill Sykes land who doesn't know
Bill Sykes? II you don't believe what
l am going to tell you ask Bill the
next time you meet him)-Bill Sykes
and l went fishing thru the Ice on
| Squam wisset Lake. Everybody, OF
course, knows where Squamwisset
Lake Isl
The ice was about foot thick and
as transparent as glass. We were fish
ing for pickerel thru hole in the Ice
and swimming around beneath was a
very large pickerel measuring three
feet, eleven and one-half inches. (The
fact that | would not lie for half an
inch by calling this pickerel four feet
long proves concluslvely that every
wsrd of this story ia true)
f1shed especially for this big fellow
and finally got him on the hook. Just
as l pulled him up thru the hole and
landed him on the ice, my line broke,
leaving the hook In his mouth. But
before l could get to him he stood on
his tail, sprang into the air and blam-
cd II he didn't dive right back thru
the hole into the lake rushed to
the hole and while bending over 1t my
handsome gold watch dropped out OF
my pocket and fell into the lake! As
my watch sank to the bottom the big
Ash turned, took a look at 1t, then
swan ieisurely away.
or course the loss OF my watch
spoiled my whole day. Bill and |
went home early. Well, | didn't
have the heart to go ice-fshing again
until the following spring when one
day Bill and | returned to the same
lake to fish thru the Ice. Below us as
we fshed we could see various fish
swimming around and among them we
thought we recognized the same big
pckerel l had lost the year before.
think the big fish also recognized
me, because he came up two or three
times right under me and looked me
steadily In the eye until I almost be-
came embarrassed. Then he swan
off very rapidly and forgot all about
him.
Ten minutes later that same fish
came swimming back and stuck his
head up out OF the hole. And what
do you s'pose he was holding In bis
mouth?
Yassir, my watch
| took 1t gently out of his teeth and
patted him on the head. but he
wouldn't go away-he still kept his
head up thru the hole and looked at
me In a pleading manner
"Bill", says l. "wot do you s'pose
that fish wants."
why" says Bill, The wants you to
take that old hook out OF his mouth
which you left In his jaw year ago."
Bill was right. l lifted the big fell
low up thru the hole and laid him on
the Ice so | could work better The
operation must have been very painful
to the fish, because | had to use my
knife to cut away the hook. He bore
1t bravely, however, altho twice he
groaned audibly and the tears ran
down his cheeks. Just as | got the
hook out OF his mouth the poor pick
erel tainted dead away!
But this was due to his being out OF
the water SO long, and not from the
operation. Bill bailed some Ice water
from the hole In the ice and dashed 1T
into the pickerels face. Presently the
noble creature came to and | shall
never forget the smile OF gratitude he
gave me as he looked up into my face.
Then Bill and | lifted him tenderly
and put him back into the water, All
that day he fingered around the hole,
encouraging other fish to bite-and as
a result we caught approximately half
a ton OF pickerel, or, to be exact, 1904