Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-09-30
NEW FISH STORY
New York Man Has Remarkable Ex-
pertencc on Adirondack Lake

Fish stories have not been very plenty
this summer, and the Free Press Is glad
to print one sent by a New York man,
as follows:
New York, Sept. 20. 1920.
Dear Editor:
Knowing that you are somewhat of a
fisherman yourself, I write you an ex-
perience of mine last week. which will
have one or two results--it will either
make you give up work as an editor, and
become a professional fisherman. or it
will make you forswear fishing entirely.
The kind of swearing I did was some
thing more lurid.
Last week. while at Keeseville. N. Y.
heard some wonderful tales about the
large pickerel in Augur Lake nearby. 1
at once gave up all ideas of fussin about
apples. and decided to try my luck In
order to test It thoroughly, 1 left a re-
quest at the hotel to have me called
at five o'clock. which. being daylight
saving time. actually meant four o'clock
by Gods time. With the assistance of
three or four bell-boys, farmers. and
other old time bar-room hangers-on.
was finally pulled out of bed, and start
ed on my way with an Indian guide The
sun was just coming up over the Adiron-
dack mountains when we arrived at the
lake. The morning was crisp and cool,
and a gentle south wind was blowing.
just enough to ripple the waters in way
to delight the fisherman's heart.
We started of In a leaky old tub. ard
was equipped with the guides para =
phernalia, consisting Of a bamboo rod
about Is to % feet long. with a line at
tached about % feet, and good sized
spoon hanging on to the end. We fished
around for an hour or so without much
luck. except catching into eel grass here
and there. When just about breakfast
time. I got a good big strike. and after
some playing of the fish, pulled up close
to the boat pickerel Weighing about
five pounds.
Now a five pound pickerel is no small
affair. You would not very much like
to put your hand inside of his head, He
generally is not lifted from the water
except by a net or some kind OF a hook
or II you are minus both of those access
sories, the usual way is TO grab him by
the eyes. putting your thumb in one eye
and your fore finger in the other eye.
Grabbed in this way the fish is perfectly
quiet until you drop him in the boat then
he makes up for lost time. The whole
of this fish, however. never saw the in
side Of our boat. and my story does not
relate particularly to this fish. AS the
pickerel was more or less Hopping along
side Of the boat, and we were wondering
Just what method to adopt to get him
inside. there was a tremendous rush
through the water, and a real size pick
erel grabbed our five pound pickerel in
the middle, and made off with him for
distance of IL feet This full grown
pickerel was entirely visible, being more
than half out of the water and stretched
distance of nearly five feet long. His
head was more square than anything
else. and a six inch block of wood could
be about the nearest thing that would
measure up to 1t. When the big pickerel
in his wild dash got the small pickerel
off the end of the line. and seemed to
feel some resistance, he ended matters
by biting my small pickerel in half. and
disappeared in the murky waters of the
lake. I slowly NIlled in the head and
shoulders of the baby pickerel, and then
we proceeded to breakfast
During breakfast. the guide admitted
that he had fished those waters all his
life, and that while he was intimately
acquainted with the pickerel that stole
my bait. still he was really but one of
the under-grown pickerels, compared
with those who had in previous times
chewed up his tackle.
So II you are inclined now to go fish
ing, proceed by train to Keeseville. y.
Y. send for John Sausvlle. fisherman
and guide. and proceed with him to
learn what fishing can be. outside of
books and newspapers.
Yours sincerely.
e. n. LOOMS.