20 SALMONID^. 



of the sangre azul, which dignifies the cultivated sports- 

 man above the mere fisherman ; the man of honor above 

 the assassin, the Herod among the small fiy, the filler of 

 pots and defier of close seasons. Nevertheless, I cannot ad- 

 mit the implication that the man who habitually uses bait 

 is consequently a creel-stufier, or deficient in the scientific 

 accomplishments of the craft. Fly-fishing and bait-fishiug 

 are co-ordinate branches of the same study, and each must 

 be thoroughly learned to qualify the aspirant to honors for 

 the subhme degree of Master of the Art. 



Grant that fly-fishing transcendently illustrates the poeti'y 

 *of the gentle calling : is it becoming or wise to despise the 

 sterner prose, the metaphysics of the more practical school ? 

 The most dazzling accomplishment, that one which most 

 enhances individual charms, is not necessarily of the great- 

 est practical or sul^stantial worth. Each method of fishing 

 has its advantages ; one may be made available where the 

 other is wholly impracticable. The deftly-tossed fly, taking 

 wing on the nerve of a masterly cast, will drop gracefully far 

 out in the stream where the hea^Tler gear of the bait rod 

 would never aspire to reach. On the other hand, the bait 

 must supersede the fly on densely overgrown streams, and 

 wherever the locality precludes proper casting-room. More- 

 over fish do not always prefer the same diet.- They have 

 their times to eat and their choice of food, whether red 

 worms, small fry, maggots, or flies. They will take bait when 

 they will not rise to a fly. The red worm is notoriously the 

 most acceptable food of the lordly salmon. The Salmo fam- 

 ily do not feed upon insects and flies : they make no hearty 

 meal of such. These are merely the souffles and whipped 

 syllabub of their talle d'Mte — their superficial dessert, which 

 they gracefully rise to accept. Has it become the law of 

 Piscator that professional anglers shall pander to the pam- 

 pered epicure alone ? that they shall never tempt the trout or 

 salmon except when in his most fastidious mood? I might 

 even strain a pomt in favor of the bait-fisher, and hold that, 



