FisJi and Fisliins:; in A inerica. 



125 



carp-like — except in superiority of flavor 

 as a table fivSh, nothing conies amiss to 

 them, but this gluttony is condoned by 

 their rising freely to surface lures, par- 

 ticularly to the artificial fly, which in 

 clear running water they prefer to any 

 other lure, and, like the trout, they rise 

 viciously, at times, in the swift rushing 

 waters of rapids against the seething 

 currents of which they poise motionless, 

 or breast swiftly without apparent 

 effort. Their first surge when hooked 

 is fully as strong and fierce as that of a 

 trout, but they succumb more quickly, 

 and, unlike fontitialis, when brought 

 to creel, they do not struggle when be- 

 ing unhooked. I have had a pound 

 trout, which, when netted, lay relaxed 

 and motionless in the net, apparently a 

 dead fish ; but when taken in the hand 

 to be put into the basket their muscular 

 contortions were such that I could by a 

 great effort only hold them. In this 

 particular no other fish known to me is 

 equal to the trout except, perhaps, 

 small specimens of the mangrove snap- 

 pers and cavalli or jack. In the spawn- 

 ing season the chub builds mounds of 

 stones and pebbles near the banks, or in 

 little bays, and lay their eggs thereon. 

 At such times they are as fierce in 

 attack as a parent black bass, and will 

 seize angrily any foreign matter that 

 passes over or falls on their beds. It is 

 then, when their flesh is flaccid and un- 

 fit for table use, they become an easy 

 prey to the foraging pot-hunter. Being 

 somewhat leather-mouthed, the chub 



(To be Continued.) 



can be "yanked out" to the taste of 

 the meat-fisher. These fish are not 

 particular as to form or color of artifi- 

 cial flies, but rise freely to any dressed 

 on No. 4 to No. 12 hooks. But every 

 angler has his pet theories on this sub- 

 ject, and one from Canada writes me 

 that a fly with a green head and brown 

 wings is a sure killer. Another be- 

 lieves that hackles — black, red, brown 

 and yellow — are most serviceable ; but 

 it is at the Outlet of Canandaigua Lake 

 (N. Y.) that fly-fishing for chub is re- 

 duced to an exact science, and one of 

 the most accomplished and ardent 

 anglers of that section, Dr. C. T. Mitch- 

 ell, wrote me on the subject : 



" They seem to take almost any kind 

 of fly on some days, then again you can 

 not tempt them to rise, except to the 

 best selection. The fly I get most on 

 is the gray miller, which has gray tur- 

 key wings, white hackle, red tail and 

 white chenele body (large), on a No. 4 

 hook. The largest chub, and the only 

 one of that size I ever caught, was 

 seventeen inches in length, and weighed 

 one and a half pounds. I prefer those 

 from eight to ten inches long, for, when 

 fried nicely, the little bones are not 

 noticed. These fish are biting freely 

 now (September 26th), and I usually 

 get from fifteen to thirty in two or three 

 hours' fishing, say from 3 to 6 p. m. I 

 use a very light rod and silk enamelled 

 line, gut leader with three flies, each 

 differentlv dressed." 



