100 FISHERMAN'S LURES 



generally responsive to any lure, though I am in- 

 clined to think if an exact imitation of their natural 

 food was moved within their vision they would 

 dart for it instantly. 



Some species of game-fishes have periods of in- 

 active feeding. This largely depends upon the 

 weather, the season, and the time of day, par- 

 ticularly is it so of trout, muskellunge and bass. 

 At times, they seem to be utterly indifferent for 

 a period; then, all of a sudden (as if a general com- 

 manded them to fall to), they begin in right good 

 earnest to feed; not isolated cases, but every one 

 of them. If you are at all observing you will often 

 notice, shortly after sundown, a strange dearth 

 of insects. Then the wind goes down, and all at 

 once the air is full of them, and the placid water, 

 so quiet before, bubbles all over with rising trout. 

 This does not only appear in a limited area, but 

 inquiries have revealed the fact that anglers fish- 

 ing at the same time twenty miles up and down 

 stream experienced exactly the change we had. 



I have noticed this same apathy in bass, when I 

 tried every means to induce them at the period 

 when I used live bait; and in disgust I determined 

 to quit when they suddenly responded and I 

 filled my basket in quick order. An instance of 



