FOURTH OR MILT1MORB LAKE. 19 



Do not make fishing all mechanical work, combing the 

 river from dawn till dark; investigate the wonderful 

 watery world in which fishes so strangely have their 

 being; learn there from reliable data which will assist 

 you in their capture. In wading, avoid splashing the 

 water or any violent.hasty movement ;advance stealthily 

 from one point to another. Should there be a slight 

 deposit of mud over a hard bottom, lift the feet care- 

 fully straight up from the bottom; this will prevent the 

 water in your vicinity from becoming muddy. 



"Bass have a keen sight, and are easily alarmed, hence 

 let the angler seize every advantage of natural cover; 

 the projecting corners of banks, sedge beds, sudden 

 bends and the like afford opportunities for approaching 

 unawares. Do not forget to sink the fly well; the 

 deeper the fly is in the water, the deeper the bass will 

 be when he seizes it, therefore the less chance he has of 

 seeing you and discovering the method of its presenta- 

 tion; about nine inches is usually as deep as a fly can 

 sink and clear the bottom growth of weeds. 



"Do not be too anxious to recover the fly from the 

 water. Bring it toward you slowly, without undue 

 haste, interposing its progress with slight momentary 

 pauses. Thus a not over-hungry bass is given a chance 

 to seize it; whei'eas, if pulled too quickly, a 'short rise' 

 will be the result. 



"Now a few words as to those portions of a water 

 in which to fish. Ignorance on this matter will render 

 the best flies and the utmost proficiency in using them 

 of little avail. All waters have certain portions par- 

 ticularly adapted as holding ground for bass, and other 

 parts where bass are seldom or never found. Waste 

 no time in fishing those dark deeper portions bordered 

 with sedge and clear muddy bottom. Fish places with 

 hard, irregular and rocky bottoms, here and there 

 dotted with a sufficient deposit of mud to encourage a 

 straggling growth of that variety of water grass which 

 seldom grows quite tall enough to appear above the 

 surface. This is a desirable formation, being sufficiently 



