The Monroe journal., 1919-10-28
FISHING IL COLUMBUs Is
TOO EASY SAYS sCAPEGOAT


Times ON WaNhaw and Twelve Mile
Greeks.
Whiteville. Oct. Everybody
dowa home who was in the least ac-
quainted with me always knew my
propensities for loafing around and
for going fishing. As | look back
over my earlier days spent in the Re
hobeth community below Waxhaw i;
seems TO me that | never did much
of anything else. | never had any
too much love for hard work. proba
bly,. because l had never found any
work OF a sort that could love ard
feel a real interest i'm. \ fellow has
10 find himself before he can do any
timing and in some cases II takes q
long time 10 each your niche.
| worked about as much as the
average fellow of my age but what
I did was done in only half hearted
way and with little interest on my
part in whatever task was on nand.
| Grifled along slowly. Gi%ays learn
ing little that would prove useful
10 me in after days. and N the mean
tine. nothing was half 80 interesting
or alluring TO me as an opportunity
10 slip of some evening and nit the
tlail for Waxhaw or fwaive-Mile
creek with big can Of bait and a
supply of hooks that would require
almost a wagon load of poles. had
yet TO learn that work was work and
I tlat everybody had 10 work i, some
thing or other. Ny dreams of what
| would do later were few and | was
always solely intent or the fish. On
those rambles and sclitar: iishins ex-
riditions il never entered Ely lead
that some day would have TO leave
those loved surroundings and all and
become the g"v who was responsible
for putihg the news in The News
Reporter nearly two hGalred miles
away.
Usually, went fishing alone.
battered LiNself that ! aon'd 90 ana
stay all night o nthe creek and catch
more fish by my unaidel efforts ;han
| could with half a dozon helpers. The
results generally bore ne out in this
bit of eeotism and wheh wen alu ie
generally brought home with me q
string OF great yellow cat fish thai
would create envy in the minds oI
| all who got TO see them. Comrades
| for those expeditions We're always
| available. yet, when some eff he boys
went with me there nearly Away
seemed TO be jinX on the eNpldi,ior
| and the capture would be salan An
other peculiar feature OF those trips
on. which | had company Nas tha
my Comrade would always accident
ally fall out of the boat, or ii Woul,
upset with him OF he would fall OF
the bank into the stream. This wa
another feature that distinguished
The jnN that was on Us when | Lac
company. 2y some strang dispcAsa
tions of providence or something llN
that never fell overheard or ha'
| ANYTHING TO happen TO ne. II wa
| always on the other fellow that tn
| evil results came and | came cica
| with no harm done except for a pal
| in my side that may have been cause,
by laughing. | especially ehJcNe
having company when the water wa
cold and il is reasonable to suppos
that there are half a dozen OF NOR
! fellows around home who are read
to inwardly cuss at the memory 4
having gone fishing with me on sem
cold night. Even Mr.. Beasley X. Z.
was not proof against the l'hN thi
attended those who accompanied m
and which followed me out here. Tw
years ago when he was spending
few days here with me he Went VII
me one night and the boat mysterious
" sank with him and left him stant
ing in water up to his neck. My end
the boat was near the bank and
jumped out.
Since coming here have lost NJ
/ love for fishing TO large extent. I'll
\ snort is not so enticing when the
! are so easy to capture and then, to-
! now have other things to do ina
7 fish and am trying to do them. y
though | cannot get out after the
much now there are some fish up hel
that are beauties enough TO TEN
anyone. They do not bite at IN
season of the year but during u
spring and summer they Will rise
our creeks and rivers for an allu
ing grasshopper in a way that W
send a thrill through anyone. The
fish are known locally as "R'
Breasts" They will weigh anywhe
from one to two and three poun
and | never saw a prettier kind
fish than they are. Their sides al
breasts are of beautiful, almo'
blood red. They belong to the per-
family and are much like the orc
nary perch save for their red col
and thicker. chubbier appearanC
Fishing for them in the ordinary WI
won't bring you any results. lo
bait has TO be on top of or entire
out of the water and grasshoppe
and insects are the best baitt. II !.
halt is alive, so much the better. II
hooks used are very small and almo
invisible: the line used is no larg
than a common sewing thread. /
poles with the line and hook are :
with lust enough slack in the II
to permit the grasshopper or oth
bait to drift idly about on the ST
face of the water The fisherman go
along the stream putting out me
hooks and lines and pretty soon
N returns rebaiting the hooks and
curing what they captured during
absence. Sometimes the bait does !
drift about more than a minute