NATURE LURES FOR SUMMER FISHING 



This I am endeavoring to do to the best of my 

 ability. An artist is particularly favored in that 

 he can (with more or less success) copy nature, and 

 after patient effort produce what less-favored per- 

 sons would scarce attempt. 



All rivers or bodies of water contain certain kinds 

 of fish food that preponderate over others. Lakes 

 of deep water and few weeds have an abundance 

 of minnows and few frogs. Shallow lakes, with 

 plenty of weeds, grass, liUes, and scum, breed frogs, 

 dragon-flies, grasshoppers, and much other surface 

 food. Rivers that have muddy and sandy bottoms 

 breed entirely different insects from those rivers 

 with rocky or pebbly bottoms. And, whatever the 

 water conditions are, the food varies considerably 

 according to season. Just as the summer's heat 

 gets powerful, aquatic insects become smaller and 

 scarcer. Then nature supphes certain fish food of 

 a larger kind. After June the water is thick with 

 the larvEB of various big stone-flies and dragon-flies; 

 the land in close proximity to the water is fairly 

 alive with grasshoppers (winged and wingless) , and 

 the river and lakeside trees are loaded with different 

 species of caterpillars. It is quite true that from 

 early spring to late fall, minnows certainly do form 

 the major part of fish diet. But minnows are sharp 

 enough to haunt the shallows where big fish fear to 

 go. It is only during the night time in summer that 

 large fish prowl around the sides to get them. 



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