Tragic Fishing Moment, s 



On the evening referred to I came to this large drift, 

 and there found two men fishing, who were in a great 

 state of excitement, for the water was literally alive 

 with fish, yet these men were having no success. The 

 red sides were jumping clear of the water, feeding 

 on " blue upright " flies, and seemed to be having a 

 real jollification in Fishville that evening. 



Knowing that I laid some claim to being able to 

 persuade the most crafty of the finny tribe to try the 

 dry-fly lure, one of the men offered me his outfit for 

 use. But realizing that to be at my best, I must use 

 the tackle with which I am familiar (a Thomas Spe- 

 cial 95/2 ft., 5^4 z - r d), I refused, but inwardly I 

 resolved that on the next evening I would be on this 

 drift to try my skill. Thanks to a kind Providence, 

 the next day at about the time mentioned, I was there. 

 I found again that some of the largest trout I had 

 ever seen were playing and feeding, and the scene 

 itself sent a thrill through me that only fishermen have. 

 I used all the skill at my command, tried different 

 flies, cast from different locations, but was only able 

 to land two trout one twelve and the other fourteen 

 inches in length. 



Finally, having located a place in the stream where 

 I was sure a large one lived, and after several efforts 

 to make the fly look as lifelike as the bug itself, sip! 

 I was connected with one of the finest fish a man 

 ever saw. He made the usual run, coming clear of 



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