AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
113 
and when it slackens, wind up again, until you nearly ap- 
proach him. You will then, probably, observe him float- 
ing on his side, his motion feeble, and all his vigour gone. 
Being unable to make any farther resistance, it behoves you 
now to lead him gently to the nearest shelving shore; use 
no gaff, as it mangles the fish very much, but take him 
softly by the gills into your arms, or throw him, if not too 
heavy, upon the top of some adjacent bank. 
As the Salmon is seldom in the rivers in time for the 
spring fly, the May fly is often imitated as a lure for him, 
but is only an imitation, as it has to be made of gigantic 
dimensions. The only fly of which a natural imitation 
makes a good salmon fly, is the dragon fly. The best baits 
are large, gaudy artificial flies, lob-worms, line fish baits, 
and muscles from the shell; the hook must be strong and 
large; bottom fishing, however, is usually more successful 
for salmon than fly fishing. 
The TROUT has justly been styled “ the monarch of the 
brook,” not only, perhaps, from the superiority of its meat 
over other fish, but from the great diversion in fishing for 
them, and the superior science required to constitute a suc- 
cessful fisherman. 
The plan usually followed for trout fishing, by those who 
may be called scientific trout-fishers, is with the artificial 
fly, attached to a long, fine line, wound upon a reel, which 
is fastened to the handle of the pole, and in consequence, 
of the great shyness of this fish, stand some distance from 
the water, to prevent being seen. The trout is a quick 
and sharp biter, and not very particular as to the kind of 
fly, rising as well to an artificial as a natural one; but, 
being very voracious, they fall victims more generally to 
those who are styled bottom, fishers: in this case, the bait 
consists of lobworm, earth-worm, dung-worm and maggot. 
Fishing with an artificial fly is, certainly, a very pleasant 
and gentlemanly way of angling, and is attended with much 
less labour and trouble than bottom fishing. The fly-fisher- 
man has but little to carry, either in bulk or weight, nor 
has he the dirty work of digging clay, making ground baits, 
&c. &c. He may travel for miles, with a book of flies in 
his pocket, and a light rod in his hand, and cast in his bait, 
as he roves on the banks of a stream, without soiling his 
fingers; it is, therefore, preferred by many to every other 
way of angling. Yet fly-fishing is not without it disadvan- 
tages, for there are many kinds of fish that will not take a 
fly ; whereas, all the different species which the fresh waters 
produce, will take a bait at bottom, at some season of the 
year; and it is also worthy of notice, that the angler who 
fishes at bottom has many months and days in the year, 
when the fish will so feed; consequently he has frequent 
opportunities of enjoying his amusement, when the fly- 
Ff 
fisherman is entirely deprived of the chance of sport, by 
very cold or wet weather, and the winter season. 
Trout delight most in sharp, shallow streams, sometimes 
lying under a large stone, or shelving clump, at other times 
swimming, and seemingly striving against the stream ; 
they are also found in such cold water, that no other fish 
can live therein. They will also live in clear, gravelly 
and sandy bottomed spring ponds, with a stream running 
through, but will not thrive so fast, or breed so well, as in 
rivers; after spawning, they retire into deep, still holes, 
and under shelving banks, and there remain during the 
winter season, in the course of which they become very 
poor, and lose the beautiful spots on their bodies, instead 
of which they are much infested with a worm or water- 
louse, and the heads of trout, at this season, seem much 
too large, and their whole appearance is lean, lank, and far 
from that of a beautiful fish : but when the days lengthen, 
and the sun gets sufficient power to warm and invigorate 
the elements, then the trout seems to have a new lease of 
his life, leaving his hiding-place, and getting among the 
gravel, in rapid parts of the streams, and with much hearty 
rubbing, speedily gets rid of his troublesome and filthy 
companions, who have so long infested, or stuck to him, 
and then soon recovers his former shape and colours. 
The next in the catalogue of our favourite fish, ranks the 
silvery ROCK fish, and which form not only a subject of 
the most common amusement, but is universally known 
in all the rivers and smaller tide-water streams throughout 
the United States. The manner of fishing, and prepara- 
tion necessary for it is so well known that a description is 
deemed unnecessary, at this time. The following selec- 
tion, however, from the American Turf Register and Sport- 
ing Magizine, describing the manner in which this fish is 
trolled for in the Susquehannah, may not be uninteresting. 
“ The season for trolling begins in the latter part of 
May, and commonly ends about the middle of July; but 
some years lasts during August. In the month of June, 
the rock fish generally bite best. To make good fishing, 
the river should not be very high nor low, muddy nor clear, 
but betwixt extremes, in these respects. If the water be 
clear, the fish dart off at sight of the line ; and it is thought, 
they leave the rapids, when the river is rising, or muddy, 
to feed upon the flats in the Chesapeake. 
“ Trolling is very much practised from Port Deposit, to 
almost any given distance up the river, but not below. The 
grass that the ducks feed upon, grows too thick on the flats 
in tide-water for trolling, and the channel is uniformly too 
deep. The rapids above, where the water is in many parts 
shoal, and the rocky bottom clear of grass, is the proper 
place for trolling. 
