72 AMERICAN FISHES. 



nearest to his friend. There is much art and tact necessary in this 

 kind of angling. The friend who is not entitled to the fish has as 

 much sport, and " work on hand," as the person in the opposit3 boat 

 he must play the fish with equal care but the nicety is, in man- 

 aging the flies. Suppose the fish has taken the fly next the cork 

 there are, then, say eight flies between the angler and the fish. Two 

 modes can be adopted. Should the fish be small, when the hand-fly is 

 drawn to the boat, it should be laid on the side, with the fly hanging 

 about a foot outside the boat ; and so on with each fly, until the fish is 

 captured. Should the fish be large, this mode is*dangerous ; for, 

 should the fish make a violent run, the flies laid over the side might 

 get fast in the wood, and play the deuce. To obviate this, all the flies 

 can be run up on the line, towards the fish that is, when the first fly 

 comes to hand, run the loop along the line until it meets the second 

 fly, and so on, until you have all the flies between you and the fish, in, 

 as it were, a heap. After the fish is killed, a few moments will suffice 

 to re-arrange the tackle. 



Upon Rackett Lake, Long Lake, Lake Piseco, and other large wa- 

 ters, this mode of fishing would afford great amusement ; and the only 

 objection to it is, that it is a deadly way of capturing fish. But it is not 

 half so bad, and is in fact honorable and legitimate, when contrasted 

 with the innumerable " infernal machines" used for the destruction of 

 game of all kinds. 



There is an advantage in trolling which I have omitted. You can 

 lay the trolling-rod on the stern of the boat, and use the fly-rod for 

 casting, and thus " kill two birds with one stone" troll with one rod, 

 and cast your fly with the other. In this way, I raised and killed with 

 iny light Trout-rod many of my best and bravest Brook Trout. 



I will close this subject by stating, that from the 15th of May to the 

 15th of June, and from the 1st to the 20th of September, are the best 

 seasons for trolling on the lakes in Hamilton county. 



The " black fly " seldom appears before the 1st of June he is a 

 most infernal tormentor ; but one consolation to the angler is, that, 

 unlike the mosquito, he is a sound sleeper, and is never seen, heard, or 

 felt at night. Every man going into the woods should carry a gauze 

 net, sufficiently large to cover the hat and tie round the neck, to pro- 

 tect the face, ears and neck from the black fly. 



