196 
because the bass are too lazy to come 
out far after it. And also when still- 
fishing in some favorite hole, my punter 
has sometimes fished a neighboring 
hole by getting its depth, putting on a 
float and tossing over into it. But, for 
the general purposes of fishing, I fail 
to see that a sportsman has any more 
use for a float than a pig has for a slip- 
ping noose tied to his tail. When it is 
used in ordinary game fishing, the ang- 
ler may as well go to sleep until he has 
a bite—and if sleeping is what he wants, 
he might better stay at home and go to 
bed, though in tarpon fishing he might 
well take his bed out with him. 
The rod-holder is another one of the 
many ‘‘impedimenta”’ which the gen- 
uine sportsman has nouse for. A man 
who does not habitually hold his own 
rod, does not know what fishing is. I 
have often thought of making out a list 
or schedule or classification of ‘‘ bites ”’ 
or ‘‘rises’’—the former under bait- 
fishing, and the latter under fly-casting. 
There are almost as many different 
kinds of bites as there are different 
kinds of game fish. I heard once of a 
sea captain—an old salt—a kind of a Si- 
mon Fisher sort of a genius, I suppose— 
who would go on deck each morning, 
smell the air, and immediately tell the 
latitude and longitude. He knew the 
odor of every cubic foot of air from the 
equator tothe poles. He had breathed 
it all over and over again, and so often 
that he had all the varying marine 
odors regularly classified. A thorough- 
bred angler ought to have a like accom- 
plishment. He ought to know not only 
the pecular ‘‘bite”’ of every game fish 
that swims, but he ought also to be able 
to determine the state of mind of the 
fish from the manner and style of the 
‘ bite —that is; whether the fish is 
hungry and merely wants food, or is 

The American Angler 
vicious and rapacious like a wolf and is 
more anxious to kill the bait than to 
eat it, or is already sated, having a full 
stomach, or is an epicure, or is timid, 
or suspicious, or over-confident. He 
should be able instantly to recognize a 
nibble which is a mere nibble, and 
nothing more, and should distinguish 
between it and a full bite. He should 
also know a bite which amounts toa ’ 
grab, and should be able to recognize 
in advance a grab which is sure to be- 
come a gorge, and ought never to be 
caught napping when a gorge becomes 
arush. The study of piscatorial psy- 
chology is one of the chief delights of 
the happy art. And how can this be 
carried on with profit and success when 
the rod is stuck in a holder and the 
angler is asleep, or perhaps is dividing 
his time between spoiling the pure 
water of heaven and poisoning the fish 
with tobacco juice, and exchanging ob- 
scene stories with his punter. 
I had intended to say something 
about ‘‘ clearing rings,” but perhaps it 
were better not. If they have any use 
in angling except to constitute one of 
the numerous ‘‘ impedimenta ”’ which an 
angler is apt to load himself down with, 
I have fortunately failed to discover it. 
The last one I bought was a patented 
humbug—fearfully and wonderfully 
made. I use it now—when I use it at 
all—on a sounding-line’ The line is 
old and rotten, and will probably break 
some day—and may God speed the day! 
It would afford me positive pleasure to 
lose it. 
The finest exhibition I ever met with 
of an angler equipped with useless 
‘‘impedimenta,”’ was encountered one 
day on the upper Nepigon. His train- 
ing, as a troutster, had been among the 
six and eight-inch /fontinalis of the 
shallow, stony brooks of our northern 

