SUMMER ON HIGHLAND LAKE 



,V7 



ber of anglers is greater, and the steam 

 launches more disturbing. Be it as it may, 

 there is no doubt the very large fish are 

 present, having been placed in these waters 

 by the Connecticut Fish Commissioner some 

 twenty years ago. Some large fish have 

 since then been caught, but they are rara 

 pisces, and when one is taken it is looked 

 on as one of the most remarkable catches of 

 the season. The rock-bass swarm in High- 

 land Lake, and though a fish of little game 

 quality it is not despised for the pan, and the 

 juvenile angler is very fond of it, though the 

 mature fly-fisher is wont to do some lively 

 " cussing" when he finds the "rockie" on 

 the hook in the place of the fierce and gamy 

 " bronze-backer," yclept the small-mouth 

 bass. The punkin-seed are also very plentiful 

 and I have taken them up to a pound in 

 weight, when, at which weight, the gay 

 "sunfish," with his brilliant spots, maybe 

 said to be very good eating. There are 

 eels in Highland Lake of portentous size, 

 reminding one when hooked of that evil 

 serpentine spirit of Paradise by their en- 

 tangling antics. The "bullhead" is one of 

 the most toothsome of fish in these clear 

 waters, and, though owing to the dry sum- 

 mer of 1905, they were scarce, those who 

 managed to get a mess of these spiky mud- 

 fish were glad of their capture. This fish 

 ends the list of the edible denizens of High- 

 land Lake. It now becomes the proper 

 thing to describe the methods used by the 

 experts and the bait and tackle which are 

 most appropriate and have been found to be 

 the most effectual, on this splendid New 

 England lake. 



Beginning with the rod for bass, which is 

 the fish of fish in this lake, being, size for 

 size, the gamest and most courageous of all 

 the denizens of fresh water, there is no abso- 

 lute choice, though the preference in the 

 long-time veterans is for the 10-foot green- 

 heart, hand-made, for fly-fishing and bait- 

 casting, being convertible from one to the 

 other with upright guides and long and 

 short tips and reel below the hand, for both 

 kinds of fishing. This rod stands the trial 

 well, but not better than the hand-made, 

 cane-spliced weapon, which being lighter in 

 proportion is not so tiring to the angler after 

 a long day's angling. The reel for both 

 should be one of generous size, and no 



cheap reel should be selected, for the reason 

 that all cheap goods of this kind arc and 

 must be nasty and inefficient, Expcrientia 

 docetl A good silk line, not too thin, but 

 well made and not less than one hundred 

 and fifty yards in length, is necessary if one 

 would deal with the big fish once and again, 

 and come off victorious. I prefer an enam- 

 eled line, and one which is of the dun or 

 mist color tint, so that it may agree with the 

 tint of the water, grass or weeds and the 

 cloudy skies, and not be visible when the 

 wary bass rises from his rocky covert to seize 

 the enticing lure, whatsoever the latter may 

 be. The above instructions refer, of course, 

 to both fly-fishing and bait-fishing. In the 

 former the expert for the abundant lake uses 

 the following selection of flies tied on the 

 No. 2 hook and preferably on re-enforced gut 

 snell, to wit: Royal Coachman, Brown 

 Hackle, Parmachene Belle, Montreal and 

 Silver Doctor, varied with Yellow May and 

 Grizzly King, et hoc genus omne. These flies 

 are extremely effectual on Highland Lake 

 and I have caught from three to five -pound- 

 ers on nearly all those named on various 

 occasions. The leader necessary for the pos- 

 sible big fish should always be used on this 

 body of water, and I prefer the double to the 

 single one. The knots in tying this leader 

 should be simple, and carefully tied, and 

 the gut from which they are tied must be of 

 the best quality and moderate thickness, if 

 for double leaders, and very thick salmon 

 gut if for single leaders. It must be remem- 

 bered that sometimes a lake trout strikes 

 the fly in black bass fishing in this lake, and 

 not unfrequently a big pickerel does the 

 same. Woe to the fly if such a calamity as 

 the latter occur, for there is no more destruc- 

 tive fish than the pickerel on the fly, within 

 the ken of the fisherman on this or any other 

 waters. The pickerel is not the Esox lucius, 

 or pike, but the true pickerel, Esox-reticu- 

 latus, and whereas the latter seldom grows 

 to more than one pound in his natural con- 

 ditions, and the pike grows normally much 

 larger always, yet in Highland Lake it de- 

 velops to three and four pounds and 

 occasionally six and seven, and still remains 

 the striped pike of New England, devouring 

 and ravening, like his congener of the Great 

 Lakes and the pike of the British Islands, 

 or Esox lucius. 



