112 Thirty-ninth .liiniKil McctiiKj 



A jug of wine, a lishing pole, a liodk — 



Waiting for nibbles in contented ease. 



Oft have I seen him at the set of sun, 



Wind slowly home by devious ways at niglit, 



Clasping in ecstacy a sucker one, 



x\nd sink to rest before the tavern hove in sight. 



Bill note it is only the hoafy-headed swains can tell about 

 this, for the average fisherman sows his wild oats in the days 

 of his youth and as he gets older reforms and only glories in 

 his past wickedness. To hear him talk ^on wonkl thinlc that 

 he coukl still make his hand at fishing, l)nl in truth and in 

 fact, most of us old retired fishermen are really frauds, and 

 we lack the time, the inclination, the skill and energy to make 

 a real fisherman. Wt can very well remember the times 

 when to get the mountain trout we would suffer all the peril 

 and privation of an explorer. \\'e would |)enetrale the wil- 

 derness and reach some rough brawling mountain stream, 

 and sleep out on the hard ground and say we liked it. Bui 

 with age comes disinclination to rough it, and sleeping on the 

 ground has lost most of its charms. Mdie air which comes 

 over the yard fence and through the window screens has all 

 the ozone that we require, and when we claim that we can 

 still make a hand at fishing, the truth is not in us. We are 

 back numbers when it comes oiu^ time to make good. 



Perhaps to make this thesis more \aluable and con\'enient 

 as a reference work, we should treat the subject by sub- 

 divisions, and we will therefore consider the economic value 

 of the sportsman from the following ^•iewpoints: (1) As a 

 faker; (2) as a spender; (3) as a producer; (4) as a 

 l)rotector. 



Idle faker is generall}- a sportsman who in his early days 

 was a well-known terror to the game fishes of his habitat. 

 In the winter or at au}- time when his particular ])rey is not 

 in season, he is longing for the time to come when all legal 

 bai-s will be down and he can go a-fishing. At these times, 

 this animal, being provident by natiu'e, lays in great stipplies 

 of fishing tackle and spends much time and money. His 

 thoughts and his conversation turn to his favorite sport at all 



