FISH AND FISHING. 



ANGLING VERSUS FISHING. 



J. R. DAVIS. 



Among denizens of the deep the tuna, tar- 

 pon, salmon, etc., may compete for the 

 praise of the strenuous ; but the gentleman 

 of fishes is the brook trout, who will ever 

 remain the typical antagonist of the angler, 

 even granting Dr. Henshall's claim that 

 pound for pound the small mouth black 

 bass will furnish more forceful opposition. 

 In beauty, charm of his environment and 

 in the skill required for his capture, the 

 trout is without a peer in representing the 

 refinement of the art of angling. That 

 there is an art in angling, will be readily 

 granted by anyone who, for the first time, 

 essays the use of appropriate paraphernalia. 

 Progress in an art demands recognition of 

 the highest ideals with depreciation of every 

 attempt toward lowering them ; and in the 

 art of angling for trout there must, first of 

 all, be acknowledged the distinction exist- 

 ing between angling and fishing, between 

 the sportsman and the fisherman. 



The former is a gentleman seeking sport; 

 the latter an individual who goes out to get 

 trout : the one paying due regard to the 

 ethics ; the other nonperceptive thereof, 

 using business methods and miscalling his 

 task pleasure. 



For the art, the requirements are a pro- 

 pitious day, a favorable locality and suit- 

 able trappings of war. The .first forbids 

 angling on the first day of the season if the 

 shrinking thermometer, and the hustling 

 wind with its can of red nose paint, indi- 

 cate that respectable trout are indoors shiv- 

 ering, and on days when roily streams pre- 

 sent menus of worms. The second renders 

 safe for the timid fish, thick bushy retreats; 

 while the third, taboos rod, line and leader 

 that would tow a whale. The maxims are : 



First. The artificial fly is the only allow- 

 able lure. While to many it may savor of 

 sacrilege to issue an edict of banishment on 

 the classic angle worm with his curves of 

 beauty, the passing of A. W. is inevitable. 



The method of his use forbids his con- 

 tinuance in the brighter light of the present : 

 a stealthy, sneaking, sleuthlike approach 

 with a short" line, a careful lowering of the 

 impaled, wriggling wretch either over a 

 bush or into the current to slowly grovel 

 its lethal way onward; awaiting for the 

 tug, which evidences hopelessness of escape; 

 a mighty yank out, not of a vanquished 

 peer, but of a mere morsel toothsome to the 

 palate. A dentist may justify boast of his 

 abilities as an artistic yanker ; an angler, 

 never! To Mr. A. W. sportsmen have said 

 adieu, not auf Wiedersehen. 



Second. The combination of rod, line, 

 leader and fly, must be of sufficient delicacy 



to yield naught but disappointment in un- 

 skilled hands, and to allow to the opponent 

 a shade of advantage, thus furnishing an 

 incentive to the angler for attaining greater 

 skill. Observation of this maxim implies 

 the return of fish too light for the tackle. 



Third. The number of the catch is im- 

 material, none being preferable to even one, 

 if the possession of that one necessitate dis- 

 regard of the proprieties ; but the size or 

 weight should be of paramount importance, 

 on the principle of age being more wary. 



These requirements and maxims consti- 

 tute the fundamentals of sport with trout. 

 With bait and heavy tackle, the grada- 

 tion from trout fisherman to pot hunter is 

 imperceptible, and, while no objection is 

 herewith urged against the methods of those 

 who must have trout to eat, a most em- 

 phatic protest is entered against calling 

 such methods sport. The individual who 

 sullies the evening on his return with 

 the question, "How many did you get? 

 classes himself hopelessly as a fisherman, 

 not an angler. His opponent is not the 

 wary trout, but his fellow fisherman ; for 

 his satisfaction comes not from contempla- 

 tion of successful skill, but of the envy of- 

 his neighbor, and his pleasure is gauged by 

 the intensity of the latter's chagrin. His 

 gratification demands precaution against all 

 preventable accidents of his work. He must 

 reach the stream as soon as the law per- 

 mits ; for then fish are most plentiful. He 

 must use worms ; •for, so early, the fish do 

 not rise readily to the fly. His hook must 

 be large enough to ensure an unyielding 

 hold when once the barb has entered ; his 

 tackle must be strong enough to retain a 

 good sized fish and, when occasion requires, 

 to lift it clear out of water over bushes and 

 to land. Where does skill enter the game? 

 His victims are as sheep led to the sham- 

 bles. If the law says 6 inches is the mini- 

 mum length, he would stretch 5.99 inches 

 to warrant retaining his catch ; and he is 

 of the kind who will supplement his catch 

 with purchased fish ; for he must boast of 

 his number. 



Skill demands more than he is willing to 

 grant. It means that after the trout has 

 been hooked, its chances for escaping are 

 somewhat greater than for yielding up its 

 life as an evidence of unfitness in the strug- 

 gle. A sudden strain unallowed for, may 

 part the leader, too great a tension may 

 tear out the hook or wear away the tissues, 

 allowing the hook to drop out on an unex- 

 pected reversal of movement. 



Even when reeled in to the landing net, 

 a final flicker of energy may mean escape. 

 To feel it in the h,and, when all possibilities 

 are of the past is to realize that a battle 



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