NEW ARTIFICIAL NATURE LURES 



eye. In a later chapter I shall describe the suc- 

 cessful tests — not so frequent nor so thorough as I 

 hope them to be another season, nevertheless suffi- 

 cient to convince anglers that these minnows are 

 worthy to rank as lasting lures. 



When dry, the shiny devils appear somewhat sim- 

 ilar to the regulation salmon flies; but it must be 

 remembered that these plumes, when wet, cling 

 close to the back of the lure, thus forming a dark 

 varicolored upper body that resembles a minnow 

 far better wet than dry. 



It is well known that two of the most deadly ma- 

 terials in use by fly-makers are shining metal and 

 peacock's harl; in fact, upon some English rivers, 

 the "Alexandra fly" and similar lures made from 

 these materials are not allowed in fishing, because 

 of the supposed "unfair" dead sure killing. 



In the manufacture of flies, minnows, and other 

 lures, many changes have been made during the last 

 forty years ; but, to my mind, they have not been im- 

 provements upon the old and better lures. I be- 

 lieve the tendency of modern lures is in the wrong 

 direction. Highly polished, vividly colored crea- 

 tures, of a hard, machine-made material, describing 

 all kinds of acrobatic water stunts, are directly op- 

 posite to and lack the artistic handiwork of those 

 beautiful lures which in bygone days gave better 

 results, I am told by well-known expert bass fish- 

 ermen of fifty years' experience. 



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