F L Y F ISHING IN THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER 



six-inch bass, retrieved rapidly, carefully unhooked, 

 and, while yet alive, deposited again in the river. 



The members of the club were not pot-fishers, 

 and never " fished for count," albeit they were not 

 sticklers as to numbers when caught of proper size 

 and legitimately, on a light rod and a feathered 

 lure. They could always find mouths to eat their 

 extra catches, both at home and in the adjacent 

 village; and, knowing this, they never failed to 

 basket every good fish, being aware from experi- 

 ence that only about once in many outings could 

 the bass be found thoroughly in humor. 



The Doctor used only two flies, one of which 

 was that peculiar combination of feathers known 

 as the toodlebug, and the other was a gray and 

 black hackle, tied palmer-fashion, bunchy and 

 thick, with the hackle laid well down to the bend 

 of the hook. The toodlebug is always used as a 

 point, tail, stretcher, or end fly (all anglers know 

 that these four terms are synonymous), as it was 

 a winged fly, and, under the tension of the cur- 

 rent, approached in appearance pretty closely to 

 that of the live insect. These two flies were at- 

 tached to the leader, always nine feet long, at a 

 distance of three feet from each other. 



Gills made his own flies, and rare good ones 

 they were. He used three, and believed in bright 

 colors big bunches of them tied on a No. 4 

 Sproat hook. He had a special fly which he swore 



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