Lost by One Step 



Mr. Guy A. Baker, of Syracuse, New York, gives 

 us a Tragic Moment of his boyhood, and though he 

 has fished in many waters since he has had no ex- 

 perience so poignant as this one. His story is beau- 

 tifully told, and you will enjoy every word of it. 



As I think and remember my different experiences 

 in fishing, I find they are as varied and as thrilling as 

 a man could wish for. I have fished for salmon in the 

 waters of British Columbia, and for bass and trout 

 in the Adirondack Mountains. Three months in Flor- 

 ida gave me a taste of salt-water fishing and added to 

 my store of yarns. I have had moments of joy and 

 of despair, but the only moment I consider really tragic 

 was one in my early youth. 



My father was an enthusiastic fly-fisherman and 

 scorned to catch fish by any other method. One day 

 while teaching me the intricacies of the art of fly- 

 casting, he said : " My boy, the man who will use a 

 worm or a grasshopper or any kind of a live bait to 

 catch a game fish is little better than a savage." 



I am now inclined to disagree with that statement, 

 for I believe that a man can catch a game fish with a 

 live bait and do it in a sportsmanlike manner. At 



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