Putnam patriot., 1930-04-17
Tired, Hungry, Half Frozen, Thousands of Fishermen
 Wend Way Homeward
Real Old Timers Win Bring in the
 Big Ones

As the gray dawn appeared Tues day morning the approaching daylight disclosed thousands of fishermen with partially numbed fingers trying to string wiggling nighterawlers, or their smaller relative. the angle worm, on trembling iishhooks. With teeth chat tering and bodies shimmying the thousands of sportsmen had but one object in view-to get the first line into the water and to land the first legal-sized trout on the first day of the season.
 These fishermen went to bed carly the night before, or they should have. Beside their pillows were loudly tick ing alarm clocks set for anywhere from four to five o'clock Tuesday morning. While the ticking watchers kept vigil, and were ready and willing to do their duty by loudly jingling the alarm bell when the minute ar rived. few of them really had to per- form that service. lt is safe esti- mate that of thousands O. alarm pro- teeted fishermen all but scant few beat the clock to it and were wide awake when the alarm really did go off
 Then cup of coffee, possibly a couple of sinkers. the kind New Eng landers breakfast on, and then out to the garage to crank up the waiting bus. This done and the fishing tackle and boots safely placed on board the sportsman's day of pleasure had be- gun. They're off.
 Ten Hours Elapse
 Ten hours have elapsed. Tired, hungry. half frozen and with wet feet the enthusiastic fishermen wend their weary way homeward. Some were displaying q fair-Eized string of fish. Others had one or two that just measured an eighth of an inch over the necessary six inches. A few had landed a sucker or more for good measure. But here they came, the army O. offense against the thousands of trout that the State Board of Fish, cries and Game deposited in state leased streams. All that mattercd was that they were good enough sportsmen to lay down their knitting and go out the first day and at the first peep of daylight, when the law said they could No alarm clocks were sci that nigi,t They would have been as useless in their efforts as they were unnecessary the night before. Thus opened the trout season of 1880.
 Homer ]. Judd. field agent of the state fish and game commission. es- tmatos that 20.000 trout were talk cn from state leased streams on Tues day. How many were taken from private streams Is unknown. On the stream between Pheonixville and Chaplin there was not room to park a car. Every taxieab man in Willi- mantle had calls for daylight. They flocked to the banks of the Natchaug. a state leased stream, from all points of the compass. It was like the rush to possess government land in the old days. Each fisherman staked out his claim. so to speak. If he moved few rods he would encroach on his neighbours preserve. The poor trout didn't have a sporting chance. Many of them, it Is said, turned up their toes, turned over on their backs. and let the fishermen pick them up as they floated down stream, rather than 10 feel the prick of the barbed hooks.
 A Great Day
 However, it was great day. Thousands of dollars were put in cir- culation through the medium of fish- ing tackle stores. automobile hire, pur chases of gasolene and here and there new alarm clock, The fish hatch- cries will receive new orders and be- fore next April rolls around there will be still more fish and more fish ermen.
 When it get warmer the real old- time fishermen will wander off by themselves and then we shall see some real trout, those beautiful fish that run from three quarters to a pound and half Those the state puts in the streams never grow up. They don't get q chance. The army of offence. in it's April 18th drive, sees aL..a