HASTY VISITS TO AMERICA 



On the face of it, Chicago, with its surroundings of 

 prairie and lake, would not tempt the angler. Yet it 

 is in this respect most fortunately placed, and I made 

 the acquaintance of many anglers of the right sort, 

 and enthusiastic enough for anything. It is a mar- 

 vellous city, of really magical growth and extent, and 

 the energy of the people is appalling. But it is nonsense 

 to call it magnificent in anything but its enterprise 

 and the size of its buildings towering to the sky, and 

 not beautiful. Moreover, it is smoky. Hence the 

 anglers are numerous ; they have many incentives to 

 flee from it. The lake yields no angling for the skilled 

 rod. The boys and loafers get, however, plenty of -lb. 

 perch. The nearest respectable sport for the fly or 

 minnow man is with black bass, in the smaller lakes 

 and connecting rivers within two or three hours' rail- 

 way journey ; and there are six or eight other percoid 

 forms such as striped, calico, and rock bass, and several 

 of the sunfishes, all of which take a fly. The game is 

 not of high repute all the same, and they are somewhat 

 slightingly spoken of as " only pan fish." But they 

 run from lb. to 3 lb., and rise voraciously. The next 

 best sport with black bass, which is the game fish most 

 sworn by in this district, is in Northern Illinois and 

 Indiana, fifty miles and more by train from Chicago. 

 Farther afield still are the streams and lakes of Wiscon- 

 sin, which may be brought into a day's work by 

 starting early. In Northern Wisconsin there are trout 

 in the streams, and muskalonge galore in the lakes. 

 Altogether it is a very fly-fishing state, and heavy creels 

 can be made from the streams falling into Lake Superior. 

 The Michigan and Montana streams enjoy the distinc- 

 tion of holding the indigenous grayling, which take 

 the fly freely, and have their enthusiastic admirers, 

 who protect and cherish them. They are, however, 



