168 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



A FEW HINTS AND DIRECTIONS FOR 

 FLYFISHING FOR BLAgCK BASS. 



BY W, HOLTSEKTON, 



A FLY rod for black bass should be a moderately stiff rod, 

 Hot less than ten or moro than twelve feet long — such 

 a rod as would be called a rather heavy trout rod. There ia 

 no necessity of its weighing over 12 ounces, but it should 

 weigh at least 7 l , i or H ounces. Such a rod will cost from $7 

 fur a plain ash and hvicewood (very serviceable) to 360 foT the 

 finest Leonard or Norris split bamboo. The reel should be a 

 plain click reel, to hold from thirty to fifty yards, and costing 

 from $3 to $10. The best line is really the cheapest, and is 

 made of braided silk, waterproofed, anil tapering toward the 

 ends; this line costs ten cents a. yard, and will last five or 

 more years. A cheaper article can be had for about fire 

 cents a yard, but is not reliable after the first season. The 

 leader should be not less than sis feet long, and made of 

 salmon gut. Where the fish are large, one fly is sufficient to 

 attach to the leader; where they are under two pounds, as in 

 the smalleT rivers and outlets of lakes, two and even three 

 flies can be used to advantage. 



Black bass, like their more aristocratic brethren, the speckled 

 trout, are vary changeable in regard to the flies they will 

 take. Sometimes the scarlet ibis, particularly early in the 

 season and on-rough, windy days, is the most killing fly that 

 can be used, while at others a white miller or a bright Fergu- 

 son or jungle cock will be found the thing. The following is 

 a good list, viz. : The Ferguson, academy, Holberton, May 

 fly, jungle, dark and yellow: turkey, abbey, scarlet ibis, St. 

 Lawrence, Montreal, grizzly king, and professor. For 

 smaller waters, a hackle, either yellow, red or brown, dressed 

 on a sproat hook fmm four to six will prove killing. I found 

 in the St. Lawrence River, Canandaigua Lake, and other 

 large waters, that a large fly was necessary; a small fly only 

 took small fish, about No. to 2, and a sproat hook is by all 

 means the best. A light rod will not hook a fish well, if the 

 fly is tied on a Limerick or other hook with a large barb and 

 made of heavy wire. 



In casting, the fly should be allowed to sink at least a foot 

 below the water before drawing it in for another cast. This 

 is important. As long a line as possible should be thrown, as 

 they are a shy fish. When hooked, keep a steady strain on 

 them, and beware when they jump. Do not let them strike 

 the liua with their tail or fall on it. Contrary to most ang- 

 lers, I lift the point of the rod so as to keep the line above 

 tbim . If in a boat, keep them, if possible, from getting un- 

 der it, which they will try their best to do. 



As to their taking or not taking the fly, I think it ie not 

 worth arguing. I have taken them for fifteen years with a fly, 

 and never any other way, and have never seen the water in 

 which they would not take it. There are some days when 

 they will refuse the fly, or take it poorly, as with trout; butas 

 to their never taking it in some waters, "Ihave my doubts." 

 Black bass, particularly in running water, are a very gamy, 

 vigorous fish, and afford the most exciting sport. The best 

 fly fishing now is to be had in the St. Lawrence, among the 

 T i 'iiisaud Inlands, and in Florida; but ne trly every stream 

 and pond has been stocked in this part of the country, and 

 this year and next will begin to show the results. There is 

 no use in trying to use the fly in water over twelve feet in 

 depth. The best ground is around the shores of (ho lakes, on 

 rocky shoals, near old logs, etc. 



<•-•- 



The Eaole Claw. — This contrivance is attracting a great 

 deal of attention, like almost everything else advertised in 

 our columns. One correspondent inveighs very severely 

 against it, as notice below. Now, the "Eagle's Claw" is like 

 a man's hand; it can be put to evil and useful purposes. 

 For instance, wo ourselves attached a piece of meat to the 

 trigger of one the other evening, and hung it up on a nail 

 in rhe wall, so that it swung three inches from the floor. In 

 the morning we found a rat dead in its grip ! The "Eagle's 

 Claw" will catch anything that it is set for, that is sure; but 

 as the advertiser does not recommend it as an infernal ma- 

 chine for the destruction of game and fish alone, we must 

 be charitable enough to regard it like anything else that can 

 be put to a good use or a bad one, though we perceive that 

 it is not accepted by our corrrespondent, the "Senator," with 

 the irhii that it would be by a trapper or intriguerof vermin: 

 Editor Foukbt and Stream. 



lam sari: I echo the sentiments of all truoaportsinon when I regret that 

 Mr. Coafc) did not apply Ida ingenuity to some more worthy object than 

 l ho above. Are there not. devices enough for destroying game and fiah, 

 without such a cold-blooded implement of torture as this? With a 

 very earnest desire for hia future salvation, I cannot retrain from aaying 

 that I hope he may sit on one of these infernal machines, and then, if 

 its clawa do not touch his conscience, they will inflict a pang on some- 

 thing moro sensitive, and perhaps remind[hun of the torture inflicted 

 on its victims. BBKATOB. 



Massachusetts Anglers' Association'.— In the list which 

 we published last week of the newly elected officers of this 

 Association, we should have printed George B. Brown, Be- 

 cording Secretary, and Henry It. Kimball, Corresponding 

 tray, whereas the type read simply, "Kecording Secre- 

 tary, Henry H Kimball." 



— Wo have just received from John Haily, 320 Henry 

 Street, this city, several dozen trout, bass, and salmon flies 

 of various patterns, tied in the most superb manner. Mr. 

 Haily gives instruction in the art to those who desire it for 

 little more money than a book of instruction would cost. 



— The poachers are nt work on Long Island again. Thomp- 

 son's trout; preserves at Noyac were visited a few nights ago 

 I I I robbed of about ^00 of his largest fish, valued 

 10 to 1 1 . Ouu. His watch-dog had boon killed a clay 

 or two previously. 



I TUttlesnakes as Fish Bait.— Dr. H. C. T&trrow sends 

 us the following incident, which occurred while 

 he was engaged in exploration in Utah, in 1872. 

 The party were encamped near the Webber Biver, 

 which abounds in trout, and one of their number, 

 a portly disciple of old Isaak, determined to have a day's 

 fishing; so, one. morning he started bright and early, 

 equipped with everything needed but bait, which he de- 

 termined to secure on the. ground. Arrived at a desirable 

 site, he deposited lunch basket, rod, etc., and waited to hear 

 the chirp of a grasshopper, the bait he intended to use. He 

 did not wait long. "Ha! ha!" said he, "there's a rouser, 

 sirre enough !" and oS he stole, sombrero in hand, intent on 

 on his prey. Cautiously he advanced through the sago 

 brush, stumping his toes over stones, the chirp sounding 

 nearer and nearer, until at last he knew he must be very 

 near the creature. Then he gently depressed his hat, peer- 

 ing around, and was just about to precipitate himself on the 

 ground, when he saw an enormous rattlesnake, coiled and 

 ready to Btrike, almost beneath his feet. He had lost no 

 rattlers, so giving a yell, he attempted to leap backward, but 

 his foot slipped, and over and over he went, down a hill un- 

 til he fell plump into the river, out of which he gathered 

 himself up, and departed from that neighborhood a wetter, 

 but a wiser man. He had mistaken the rattling of the snake 

 for the chirp of a grasshopper. 



Moral : When trout fishing in the West, look out for "rat- 

 tlers," especially if you should want grasshopper bait, as tho 

 noise made by the two animals is very similar, the only dif- 

 ference being that the noise of the rattle is more prolonged 

 than that made by the insect. After a little experience they 

 may be readily distinguished. 



'As occasional correspondent writes:—" During the summer 

 of 1*571 I had some capital sport in the tributaries of the 

 Trinity Biver, Texas. On one occasion I started on horse- 

 back, carrying a bucket and mosquito-net to catch bait, and 

 prepared to camp out. The stream of Spring Creek was very 

 low, but the rocky bod contained numerous large pools full of 

 striped bats, perch, and in many places those fishermen's 

 pests, gar-fish. Selecting a shallow, T soon caught a lot of 

 small perch with the mosquito-net. My rod I cut itt the brush, 

 attached an upright trolling to the tip, and adjusted a reel. 

 I had to cut my way into the edge of some of those pools. 

 Hooking on a lively bait, I made a cast in a likely place. The 

 float, a dry piece of wood picked up, was almost taken under 

 by the bait, but at last it disappeared in a most unmistakable 

 manner, and I hooked a heavy fish. It required all my care 

 to keep clear of fallen timber and stumps, but I succeeded in 

 landing a four-pound bass in fine condition. I took a three 

 and a two pound fish in subsequent casts, and then moved to 

 toe next pool. It being now ten o'clock, and the sun being 

 warm, the fish ceased running, so 1 selected a pleasant spot, 

 ami prepared some fish for my dinner. I strolled down the 

 creek with my gun. The bass and perch were swimming near 

 the surface, and numbers of water snakes moving about. I 

 shot some very large ones. At one place my setter made a 

 point at the edgo of the bank. Looking over 1 saw a very 

 large rattlesnake just at the edge of the water. My poor dog 

 had so many narrow escapes from snakes that he was always 

 on the jut vive, and would always show me a snake. 



" A b.iss split down the back and broiled, with some coffee, 

 afforded me an excellent repast. It was too hot to fish, so I 

 smoked and got a fresh supply of bait, until about tour 

 o'clock, when the fish began to move. I now had some 

 excellent sport, taking from three to four in each pool 

 averaging from one to four pounds. Ther • was one ver, deep 

 pool I had not tried at sundown, so I decided to wait for the 

 moonlight, and in the meantime prepared my camp for the 

 night, cooked some fish and enjoyed my pipe till the moon 

 rose. With great expectations I cast into the pool. In a few 

 minutes down went, the float, and 1 caught a tartar. My rod 

 bent almost double, and then, with a straight rush, the line 

 snapped (foul of the reel handle). Must have been a gar. 1 

 now put on a gireped hook, lost-two or three baits by Lhu gars, 

 and then hooked a fine bass of five pounds, which' I landed. 

 I got two more from three to four pounds, and then a snake 

 took the bait, and I hooked and pulled him out. My dog, who 

 enjoyed seeing the fish caught, retired with disgust," and J had 

 a lively time killing it and saving my line from tangle. The 

 gars were so troublesome now that I could not keep a bait on, 

 so I determined to wage war. I placed the rod so that the 

 bait just touched the water; soon a large gar came and 

 received a dose of shot, and with great splashing subsided. I 

 served several others the same way, and then, wrapped in my 

 blanket with saddle for pillows, slept till da 



" In the morning I tried some of the old'pools, fairing sev- 

 eral more fish. At one n snake troubled me, pulling the bait; 

 it at last went to the edge of the water to some fish cle inings, 

 and I killed it. It was nearly seven feet in length. Alter 

 br* akfast I returned to my quartets well satisfied with my sport. '' 



.Senator. 

 «i« 



BROOK TROUT FISHING AT LAKE 



GEORGE. 



To the Forest and Stream. 



Since my letter to you on lake or salmon trout, there have 

 been hundreds of pounds taken by fishing through the ice. 

 One was taken the second week in March that weighed seven- 

 teen pounds. This is the largest trout taken in many years. 

 It was taken with a Bmall hook and bait, such as is used for 

 taking trout of from four ounces- or upward. 



In this letter I was to treat on brook trout, known as the 

 square-tailed, spotted trout. Many people start out from the 

 cities during the summer with the expectation of having a fine 

 time and great success in the country B tehing brook trout. 

 Here let me say to all such parties Hi t they are Certainly 

 doomed to be disappointed, Those who wi^h to' enjoy and have 

 good sport in this line of fishing must be in the country early 

 in the month of May and June. As soon as the snow water 

 from the mountains is done running, the trout make their ap- 

 pearance. La streams where the country isclearedand the snow- 

 gets melted and tuns off much earlier than it does from the 

 mountain streams, they are taken days and weeks before they 

 are found in the mountain streams. The people iu the coun- 

 try knowing these facts watch the di i' ' ■ the anew, 

 audassoon as the spotted beauties make their appearance they 

 are enticed to become the victims and to decorate the table 

 of some country gent that lias watched long and anxiously to 

 be the first of the season. Like th I .-, taken in 

 the spring to the oily gent, so is the first mess of brook trout 

 to the man or boy in the country. There are scores of Small 

 streams running into the lake from one-fourth of a mile in 



length to four mile3 long, four miles being the lougest stream 

 1 9 to the lake ; these each and all have more or less 

 trout in them. When it is known that a good catch has been 

 made in one of these small streams it will be shunned 

 alone for a time. When a party strikes one of these sir I 



finds the footprints of some person fresh in the earth along 

 its btodes, he is well aware that he will have but wry little 

 success that day in that stream. The news of a straam being 

 well cleaned goes around the country about as quick n& 

 though a black bear had entered a neighbor's sheep yard and 

 killed a sheep (which at this day is not a thing in this vicinity 

 unknown). Lake George is surrounded bv mountains which 

 are broken by ravines and gorges, in which flow the trout 

 streams. A few miles to the west runs the Hudson River, into 

 which innumerable small trout streams empty. Within a fow 

 miles of the Btiorea of Lake George hundreds of pounds of 

 brook trout are taken every spring, There is a small lake a 

 few miles west of Lake George, known as Lake Pharo, in 

 widen abound enormous quantities of these trout. They are of 

 the richest flavor and of the richest color of any trout found 

 in this section of the country. They can be seen during the 

 spawning season at the different places where they collect to 

 deposit their spawn in quantities recorded by the 'barrels. I 



if these beds where the v 

 p, which would be alive with 

 mrface. The temptation to 

 at Las any regard for law, or 

 troying thousands by killing 

 h time, will commit such an 

 by a class of inhuman beings 

 e by the side of these spawn- 

 ith worms or pieces of fresh 



have stood on a log lying over 



ter was from one to four feet dt 



trout from the bottom to the 



take them is great, but no man 



the damage be would do in dt 



one of the female beauties at si 



act. Notwithstanding, it is don 



who steal in the night to the sh 



ing beds, and with hook baited .. 



meat, take them as they would take fowls from their roost— 



steal (hem in th* night. 



The brook trout in Lake George come to the streams from 

 deep water three different times in each season— early in tho 

 spring, and again in tho month of August, then in the fall, 

 at which time they ascend the streams to deposit their spawn. 

 In the month of August they come to the inouth of tho 

 cold mountain streams and go up some distance. I have 

 taken them over one mile from the lake. At this season of 

 the year they are called silver trout, for the reason that they 

 are a bright silver color, the spots being like scarlet. The 

 meat of this trout is of three colors— some are white, some 

 golden, and others a rich scarlet. They are usually of a good 

 size, running from a quarter to two pounds each. A very 

 clear and cold stream runs into the hike at the head ; where 

 it comes to the lake it runs across a wide, sandy beach, and 

 forms a sand bar from twelve to eighteen inches high. With 

 a long rod and line the angler stands on the dry sand and 

 casts his fly or bait just over the bar, at which point the 

 beauties are enjoying the clear and cold spring 

 the mountain's side. I have stood at this point with a long, 

 light cedar pole, with hook baited with worms, and when 

 the bait struck the water it would be taken with that flash-like 

 movement that no other fish but the nimble trout can make. 

 The water would be in a boil for a number of feet in circum- 

 ference by the greedy school that was lying so quiet enjoy- 

 ing the cool water. 'The one that succeeded in swallowing 

 the bait would be led out of the current into still water, and 

 as gently as possible up the sloping sand beach on to dry 

 land. Now and then one would be slightly hookod and as 

 soon as he struck terra firma would break loose ; then for 

 a Missel who was to be tho victor; if close, to the water it 

 was uncertain as to the capture of the trout, but a sure thing 

 that yon got wet feet in the struggle, as you would not like 

 to lose such a beauty, for the largest ones invariably get 

 looBe. In the fall of the year, when these same trout come 

 to nscend the streams to deposit their spawn, they are darker 

 colored, having a reddish tinge. They can be "taken after 

 dark at the month of the streams by using a piece of perch 

 for bait. By throwing the bait just over the sand bar and 

 letting it lie on the bottom, it will he picked up by I 

 they com e in search of the entrance to the mi. 

 mode and time of catching trout is now stopped. But after 

 they get up the Streams they aw now end then burred up 

 by 'such as would steal clot lies off the drying lino if left out 



after dark. With a hint to some that 

 catching brook-trout I will close I bit 



d alim 

 through 

 of thalii 



itli a rod ten feet Ira 

 from tip to hook and run 

 rod so that you st take 

 up to the tip of the rod 

 into a hole in th- 

 then Blacking up on your 

 a trout bites, instead of giving a j 

 ting yonr fish fast in the" 

 anil draw the fish up to the end of 

 rod back of you until yon can reac 

 go up the stream as far as yon wan 

 the stream and ne er lei 

 the water is too deep for co 

 you keep constantly going tee 

 the trout are busily picking up fa 

 shying at the first ghmps.-. ,,f your 

 at every little nook 



good at 



I claim that 



feet long 



i to near butt of 



1 draw the hook 



doing the hook can be put 



is covered with brush, and 



e, let Lhehook into the stream; if 



'erk with the rod and get- 



•e the line a sudden jerk 



your rod, and run your 



My rule 18, to 



t to fish it down ; get into 



B you fin I 



ii this manner 



' ven little particles which 



stead of lying still and 



rod or line. You can get 



and tti 't be noticed by their 



the strea; 

 sharp eyes. I will let the best brook-trout fisherman (that 

 will follow tho stream on the bank; have the lead of me and 

 I will follow him a few rods behind, and will bet him a good 

 joint rod that I will get more pounds and larger trout than 

 he does. This I have done many times. At this point of 

 my writing I was ealled upon by the man that caught the 

 large trout spoken of at the beginning of this letter; ha 

 caught him in 160 feet of water; ii I lirty feet, 



supposing he had a sunken bush fast to his hook with a 

 small trout fast in it When he found what he had he took 

 it easy; was over half an hour when he got him through the 

 hole and on the ice; the br-o i I up that he gave 



up life without a struggle. He says he is the king fisherman 

 61 Lake George, and he shall go West this fall. A thirteen- 

 pounder was taken the fourth week of March. Any quantity 

 of smaller oneB are being taken. Tours respectfully, 



The Old Pilot. 



SETH GREEN ON NEEDLE POINTS. 



Koe!i!-:sTf.ii, N. V., April 12. 

 Eiiitob Fobest and Stream. 



Thero haa not been much said lately on "needle points." I bad made 

 up my mind not t> Bay anything more about them and Itt the people 

 tnkeboma Binall baskets of fiah. But 

 seeing a latter iu your last Jamie from "Angler," I thought 1 would 

 write a raw lines met post all whowlab to be enlightened oh the subjiet. 

 Ili3Ve. no doubt chat "Angler" la a akUfril ngbevmah, but bis hooka may 

 unlbuve been ju»t the right benrl. It is a nice thing tog.! 

 right every ! 



one-lourth big] of the lirat 



tu try them, imd 1 have 0.0 dtoiii 



nntilhe geU the righthehd, aael la£e salmon or any other .. 

 that will take a fly. SetoB, Seta Obites 



