150 
April, 19221 
the fly sink at least two feet below the 
surface and then working the lure along 
by a series of slow, easy jerks. I see 
no reason why the trout fisherman who 
prefers the fly method should not suc- 
ceed in this fashion at almost any time 
of the season when trout are in deep 
water. 
Generally speaking, the trout will be 
in the pools early in the season, espe- 
cially if the stream be a small one. For 
much of the brook freezes in the cold 
snaps that come from time to time, and 
while trout are said, luckily, to be able 
to survive this cold-storage treatment, 
they would prefer to be in a condition of 
activity. 
If the fisherman, then, will take along 
both bright and dark flies, both hackle 
and wing, say number eights and tens, 
such flies as the Scarlet Ibis, Parma- 
cheene Belle, Black and Gray Spiders 
and Hackles, and fish in the method de- 
scribed, he is likely to do himself credit 
even on the opening day, and yet, if he 
wishes, maintain his reputation as a fly 
fisherman for trout. 
If he is to use worms, and it is well 
to take them along, if worst conics to 
u'orst, they should be of the so-called 
garden variety, bright and pink. And 
to this end get your worms several days 
in advance if possible and let them scour 
themselves well in moss, if you can ob- 
tain it, otherwise in lace or strips of 
cloth. 
The rod to use should be preferabl}" of 
bamboo and as light as may be. My 
heaviest trout rod weighs about two and 
a half ounces, and the lightest about an 
ounce. I use the heavier rod on larger 
streams, where longer casts must be 
made or where the brook contains fre- 
quent tangles. The lighter rod is used 
on smaller, more open streams. With 
it I do not fear a struggle with a good- 
sized fish, so that I can permit a lofig 
run. I have seen so-called trout bait 
rods in use with which an experienced 
angler would not hesitate to do battle 
with channel-bass or amberjack. 
But the true pleasure in sport and the 
true test of sportsmanship come from 
employing the lightest possible tackle in 
the circumstances. Our brethren of the 
deep-sea angle can give us pointers here. 
For work in streams with much brush 
and tangle a heavier rod is more suitable 
than where the water is more open and 
unobstructed. 
The line should be silk enameled, of a 
'ize suitable to the weight of the rod. 
The truest test is actual practise. Ordi- 
narily a level line for bait-fishing works 
well, if the ordinary down-stream method 
is to be used. But where the water is 
more open the up-stream method is al- 
ways more artistic and often more suc- 
cessful. Then a tapered line gives better 
results. 
A tapered six-foot leader, proportioned 
to the character of the stream, the usual 
size of the fish and the method of playing 
the strike, is the ordinary type. Some 
use a three-foot leader. This at the end 
of a tapered line will go well. But I 
have seen in use double leaders strong 
enough to hold a sand-shark. Such tackle 
will have a measure of success on the 
FOREST AND STREAM 
opening day when the water is high and 
turbid and the fish have forgotten or 
have not yet acquired fear of the lure. 
pOR bait-fishing use a small hook. No. 
eight or ten, of fine wire and long 
barb. You may secure them already 
snelled if you wish, or if the hook end 
of the leader is fine no snell is neces- 
sary. I prefer the latter method. One 
may buy hooks by the box, containing 
a hundred, enough for years, at a small 
price, and test each hook carefully by 
catching the point in wood and giving a 
reasonably sharp pull. If the wire takes 
a permanent bend or breaks, reject the 
hook. Snelled hooks should be subjected 
to the same test. Any accident may 
better happen at home than on the 
stream. Now the loss of a bare hook 
is merely that of a fraction of a cent ; 
but the loss of a snelled hook is a more 
expensive matter, and in the course of a 
season your total losses of this kind may 
mean the price of a new line or reel. 
Whether you expect to catch few fish 
or none at all, a basket is advisable. It 
will be useful as a carry-all. The new 
pattern, low and long, with the top open- 
ing outward, is to be preferred to the 
more stereotyped one. It may be stained 
brown or green if you prefer, and then 
presents a more artistic appearance and 
shows dirt less readily. 
Keeping an important engagement 
A landing net is indispensable. There 
are many good patterns on the market, 
collapsible, foldable and rigid. My own 
is of the rigid type, with short handle, 
having a screw-hook in the end of the 
handle to catch into a ring in the strap 
of the fish basket. It hangs at the side 
and a little back, out of the way and yet 
readily accessible. One of the many 
devices for freeing a hook caught in a i 
tree above the head is also handy. 
While most fishermen feel competent ' 
to bait a hook, yet the beginner may not 
take offense if a suggestion is ventured. 
One method of putting the bait on the , 
hook is to run it on lengthwise, begin- ^ 
ning at one end, so as to conceal the 
entire hook. This has the advantage of 
keeping the hook well covered. But the 
stiff wire inside the hook betrays the 
deception to the trout at the first bite, 
and the wary fish may promptly eject the 
cheat. Few worms are found in the 
shape that the hook gives them when 
they are run on it. To an experienced : 
trout this might serve as a deterrent. A 
worm in its ordinary wild state is flexible 
and bends to and fro as it passes down ^ 
with the current. It is when in this • 
condition that it makes its most tempt- 
ing appeal. 
To secure this result adopt the follow- • 
ing method : Half or three-quarters of f 
an inch from one end of the worm, run 
the point of the hook under the skin just 
enough to hold it securely, then skip a 
short distance and secure the worm again , 
in a similar fashion until near the other 
end of the worm, which should be left 
free to dangle. As the current carries a 
lure of this fashion, twisting and wrig- 
gling down stream, it forms a much more 
tempting attraction to the lurking trout. 
Some fishermen prefer not to use a 
sinker of any kind when bait-fishing for 
trout. But if one watches his bait in 
swift water he will see it often boiling 
up to the top just when it apparently 
would do more execution if it were near 
the bottom. Split shot, pinched on the 
leader about six or eight inches above 
the hook, will remedy this situation. The 
sinker must be as small and unobtrusive 
as possible or the fish will dash for that 
and not for the baited hook, to the dis- 
appointment of the fisherman. You face 
a choice of evils in either event. 
A T last you are on the stream, tackle 
AA. set up and bait or fly attached. 
Shall you fish up-stream or down ? That 
depends. If the banks are fairly open, 
with no dense growth of alders or other 
bushes overhanging, so that there is 
room for at least a short cast, by all 
means fish up-stream. The reason, though 
often given, is pertinent. Trout feed 
with their heads up-stream. This is their 
preferred position in a current or the tail 
of swift water. It is the easiest and the 
most natural on account of the shape of 
their bodies. Consequently, any object 
approaching from above is readily seen 
and, if identified as dangerous, causes 
fright. Fishing up-stream avoids this 
difficulty. Note that if you fish up-stream 
you will require no sinker, as the slack 
in the line will tend to keep the bait 
down. 
Contrarily, if the banks of the stream 
are densely wooded, so that the only way 
of getting the lure to the fish is to let it 
run down with the current, you must 
fish down-stream, and may need a light 
sinker. As most streams are a succes- 
sion of tangle and open, both methods I 
may be employed as occasion demands. 1 
When fishing up-stream be sure to employ | 
