Army Letters From An Officer's Wife, 1871-1888, By Frances M.A. Roe

















































































































































 -  The flesh is
white and very firm, and sometimes they are so cold when brought out
of the water one - Page 94
Army Letters From An Officer's Wife, 1871-1888, By Frances M.A. Roe - Page 94 of 213 - First - Home

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The Flesh Is White And Very Firm, And Sometimes They Are So Cold When Brought Out Of The Water One Finds It Uncomfortable To Hold Them.

They are good fighters, too, and even small ones give splendid sport.

One night the camp was by a beautiful little stream with high banks, and here and there bunches of bushes and rocks - an ideal home for trout, so I started out, hoping to catch something - with a common willow pole and ordinary hook, and grasshoppers for bait. Faye tells everybody that I had only a bent pin for a hook, but of course no one believes him. Major Stokes joined me and we soon found a deep pool just at the edge of camp. His fishing tackle was very much like mine, so when we saw Captain Martin coming toward us with elegant jointed rod, shining new reel, and a camp stool, we felt rather crestfallen. Captain Martin passed on and seated himself comfortably on the bank just below us, but Major Stokes and I went down the bank to the edge of the pool where we were compelled to stand, of course.

The water was beautifully clear and as soon as everybody and everything became quiet, we saw down on the bottom one or two trout, then more appeared, and still more, until there must have been a dozen or so beautiful fish in between the stones, each one about ten inches long. But go near the hooks they would not, neither would they rise to Captain Martin's most tempting flies - for he, too, saw many trout, from where he sat. We stood there a long time, until our patience was quite exhausted, trying to catch some of those fish, sometimes letting the current take the grasshoppers almost to their very noses, when finally Major Stokes whispered, "There, Mrs. Rae there, try to get that big fellow!" Now as we had all been most unsuccessful with the little "fellows," I had no hope whatever of getting the big one, still I tried, for he certainly was a beauty and looked very large as he came slowly along, carefully avoiding the stones. Before I had moved my bait six inches, there was a flash of white down there, and then with a little jerk I hooked that fish - hooked him safely.

That was very, very nice, but the fish set up a terrible fight that would have given great sport with a reel, but I did not have a reel, and the steep bank directly back of me only made matters worse. I saw that time must not be wasted, that I must not give him a chance to slacken the line and perhaps shake the hook off, so I faced about, and putting the pole over my shoulder, proceeded to climb the bank of four or five feet, dragging the flopping fish after me! Captain Martin laughed heartily, but instead of laughing at the funny sight, Major Stokes jumped to my assistance, and between us we landed the fish up on the bank.

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