F L Y-F ISHING IN THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER 



A few moments, and the bass won. Making a 

 bee-line for a boulder the gray head of which 

 cropped out of the stream, showing the angles 

 below, the fish circled around the sharp corners, 

 and then, somewhat restricted by the line, came 

 half -sideways a few inches into the air, and fell 

 back again with a flop and a half -hitch around its 

 tail into the water, having in its jaw a bunched 

 palmer and four feet of leader, streaming, horn- 

 pout-like, dpwn the current faster than the ex- 

 hausted fish could follow it. 



It has been said that bass, when struck and 

 played, will always head down stream when they 

 escape from the hook, and we have verified this 

 saying over and over again. 



Gills was by no means flurried over his loss, for 

 he simply remarked: 



" Just as likely as not another big fellow hitched 

 on to the dropper when the first one came out of 

 the wet; and you know, boys, with a big fish in 

 the air, and another big one seesawing the liver 

 out of the leader around a rock, from below, 

 why no tackle can stand it," and he sat down 

 on " The Daddy " to repair damages. 



The Doctor fished the shallows on the left side 

 of the river with judgment, but without an im- 

 mediate rise. 



Over the bank, and extending into the stream, 

 the lengthening shadows were falling with clear- 



109 



