April is the time for opening day of trout season. It is also the time for big fish stories, and “The One That Got Away.”

This story is taken from the memoirs of the Owasco Lake Anglers Society. It is called “The Judge, The Hermit of Owasco Lake and the Big Fish Battle.”

An odd character, called “Billy Claxton the Hermit,” a bachelor and a veteran of the Civil War, once lived in a shack at Conklin's Point (Koenig's Point) and did a good business by renting boats and selling bait to fishermen.

He was reputed to know where every fish “lived” and was personally acquainted with every respectable trout in the lake.

Judge Woolsey R. Hopkins was an out of doors lover, who often bought bait from Billy, and he tried to find out some of Billy's secrets by hiring the hermit on his fishing trips.

Hopkins, a man of truth and veracity, was chosen as the guest speaker at the annual Owasco Lake Anglers Association fish fry at the close of the fishing season.

The annual fish fry was held at Mike Carmody's Island Hotel (later to be called Deauville) where the fishermen would gather and tell fishing stories.

On the day of the event, Hopkins told of a remarkable battle between a monster trout, the hermit and himself.

It seems the king of fish had been unsuccessfully hunted by Owasco Lake fishermen for months, and it came to pass that the judge and the hermit swore to get that “snooty” trout. After a little investigation, it was discovered that a favorite haunt and lurking place for the monster was a small cove just south of Peacock's Point, where a spring brook came down the bank and emptied into the lake.

Billy stated: “The only way to get this bull fish was to play upon his feelings.”

The judge and the hermit conspired a plan.

The judge was to row down past the cove some quiet evening dragging a trolling line. Naturally the trout would sneer at such a ruse, and it was hoped he would swim inshore where Billy would be waiting.

Billy, hiding in some adjacent bushes, would lure the fish into shallow water by making noises like a female trout.

They both hoped the fish would get close enough for Billy to hop in the water, get a line about the fish's gills and hang on until the judge could row up from the rear and help him in getting the fish on shore.

Well, they did just that.

The judge drifted down past the cove's mouth twirling a feather spoon. He said, “I could hear Bill, on shore, sighing like any female might under the circumstances. And suddenly, close to shore, I saw a giant fish make a leap or two like showing off for his girl.”

The judge then rowed swiftly shoreward. He saw Billy leave his hiding place and leap into the water.

“I dropped my oars, and leapt too,” he told the delighted sportsmen, “the water was waist deep.

“That slippery fish put up a real good fight. We could not get a strangle hold on him no how. The first thing we knew we were rolling in the shale on shore with that fish. Next thing, we were struggling with him in that dang burned long grass well up on the hillside.

“That fish knew where he was going,” the Judge intoned seriously to the laughing crowd. “On top of that hill is a big spring with two outlets. One runs westward down the hill to Peacocks Point. The other runs eastward to empty eventually into Skaneatles Lake. We wrestled him and reached the spring just as that slippery, wily trout slipped from our grasp, and the next thing we knew, he was leaping like a greyhound down the brook that led to Skaneatles Lake.”

The judge and Bill were chagrined. Disconcerted, to say the least. Nevertheless it was reported to the gathering they had experienced a wonderful adventure and felt in a measure compensated for their efforts.

Now who would dare question the judge? As the article stated, “he was a man of truth and veracity.”

Now as to Billy, any man who would serve skunk as lunch fare to my father as a young boy and my grandfather, well his reputation is checkered with all kinds of scenarios. After all, he was a hermit and did as he pleased.

Note: If anyone has not seen the two Veterans displays at the Owasco Town Hall, they should do so soon. It will be dismantled in mid April to make way for the Korean and Vietnam display. I am still gathering names of all veterans and will update the list in the paper.

- Sources: Owasco Lake Anglers Association Memoirs and interview with George Ruetsch, 1976

Laurel Auchampaugh is the Owasco historian and can be reached at the Owasco Town Hall from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoons or at nowthenwasco@aol.com