204 
FOREST AND STREAM 
May, 1922 
RESOURCEFUL TACTICS IN FISHING S 
THE ANGLER WHO HAS SEVERAL METHODS AT HIS COMMAND 
IS INDEPENDENT OF WEATHER AND WATER CONDITIONS (j 
By ALFRED E. SWOYER 
T he life of the average trout fisher- 
man is represented by an equation 
in which the length of the season 
and the times that he can “get off” 
are the known factors, and the unknown 
“X,” the number of actual days fishing. 
When weather conditions and the state 
of the water have to be considered also, 
“X” becomes pitifully small ; and when 
the angler is wedded to one particular 
method, to which water, weather and 
season must be suited, it practically dis- 
appears, unless the fisherman is fortunate 
enough to be entirely his own master. 
It appears foolish to limit one’s enjoy- 
ment of the out-doors by such a self- 
imposed handicap, although the angler 
himself is rather prone to be proud of 
the fact and to consider that it stamps 
him as an expert. The English dry-fly 
man,, who (when an ultra-purist) fishes 
the rise only and ties his flies at the 
streamside, is often cited as the highest 
type of angler ; but is he actually a bet- 
ter sportsman or a more scientific fisher- 
man than his versatile brother, who 
adapts his method to the conditions of 
weather and 
water as he finds 
them and meets 
SalveliiiHs fonti- 
nalis and Salmo 
f ario on their 
own “ground?” 
Certainly the 
question is debat- 
able, and the an- 
swer depends 
upon whether an- 
gling is simply the 
demonstration of 
a manual mas- 
tery of tackle or 
whether the sport 
is in the matching 
of wit between 
man and fish. 
Personally, I 
would rather kill 
one good trout on 
a dry-fly than a 
dozen by any other method ; but I recog- 
nize the fact that there are days, condi- 
tions and temperatures when adherence to 
that method means an empty creel or an 
“indoor” fishing trip. Consider, for exam- 
ple, the plight of the dry-fly purist at the 
opening of the season in northern New 
York or in Pennsylvania. The streams 
are high and roily, with a goodly amount 
of snow-water flowing into them from 
the hillsides ; the air is cold, the fish are 
bottom-feeding, the wind is too strong 
to permit the decent handling of a fly, 
and there will not be a hatch of insects 
for another three weeks. The fisherman, 
if he be wedded to the one method, there- 
fore stays at home during the first three 
weeks or more of the season and aban- 
dons his first chance for outdoor sport 
in many months. But the more benighted 
one sneaks to the streamside with a dozen 
flies adorning his hatband and a big can 
of angleworms bulging his hip pocket. 
I OBJECT to the use of bait for trout 
simply for the reason that there is 
more genuine satisfaction in fooling a 
game fish with an artificial lure ; besides, 
the artificial is not swallowed, as is the 
case with bait, and an immature fish may 
be released without injury. Therefore at 
the early season I turn to the spinner- 
and-fly, nor do I believe the proper use 
of this combination to be entirely devoid 
of science. The regular dry-fly rod is 
suitable for use with a spinner, the strain 
of fast water being too great for the 
ultra-light and whippy rods. The spin- 
ner itself should be of the smallest, gen- 
erally No. 0, and may be of either the 
oval or slender shape. The fly should 
be tied on no larger than a No. 10 hook, 
straight-eyed, and a leader of not less 
than three feet in length should be used. 
You can suit yourself as to the number 
of patterns of flies carried, but it is worth 
noting that those generally sold ready 
attached to the spinners in the sporting- 
goods stores are both too large and too 
gaudy for Eastern waters. You can go 
as far as you like in the selection of p 
colored spinners to meet varying condi- r; 
tions, as they are made in gold, copper, i j 
nickel, brass, aluminum, white and black, 
In my experience the nickeled spinner, 
with a plain Coachman fly (tied with a jr 
bit of red in tail and wing), or with jjj 
a Captain Scott, is most effectual on c; 
cloudy days or in roily water. The cop- o 
per spinner with either of these flies, or 
a Black Prince, does the trick when the p 
sun shines and the water is normal. The 
black spinner with a Black Prince or a )*■ 
natural bucktail fly of small size will (j 
often surprise you if finely cast in clear, 
shallow water. The slender spinner is y' 
perhaps more effective when fish are y 
extremely shy, but it can be generally L 
only fished down-stream, as it needs a 
strong current to make the blade revolve; (j 
wherefore the oval or nearly round blade j 
is better suited to normal conditions. ; 
The spinner, when the water is so high 
and fast that up-stream fishing is impos- ]'■' 
sible, may be fished much as you would ; j 
fish a worm — that is, either cast down- 
stream and re- Ivj 
trieved very slow- p ' 
ly against the 1 ; 
current or al- pj 
lowed to float p, 
down and into the yj jj 
holes, just enough j 
tension being on 
the line to keep H 
the blade revolv- ?v:| 
ing. In either 
case, the fish must p | 
be struck as soon p'lj 
as felt. In this 
manner it may be p 
used under any » 
conditions where t 
it is possible to 
use a worm, even p 
in those streams (■ 
so o V e r g r o w n J ’ 
that it is impos- a I 
sible to cast a fly ; ft! | 
, . the fingerlingsT 
wont bother it, and if care is used tojjj 
work it around the roots of trees, sub-M| 
merged logs, under shelving banks and^ji 
in other favorite spots it will raise many !j 
an old gran’daddy trout who would be j 
too heavy and lethargic to rise to the fly. ri 
The really scientific use of the spinner, | 
however, is found when it is possible to I 
fish up-stream, where it is cast up or up- i 
and-across exactly as you would fish the j 
{Continued on page 226) | 
i 
'I 
k. 
Season Condition of Water Character of Water Lure 
Very early High, roily Pools and rifts Spinner-fly 
Medium early Slightly high Pools and rifts Sitigle wet-fly or 
spinner-fly 
June 1 — July 1 Normal Rifts and still 
stretches, heads 
and tails of pools. Dry-fly 
Same Same Pools Single sunk fly or 
spinner-fly 
July 1 — August 1. . . Low, clear Rifts, heads and lips 
of pools Dry-fly 
Same Same Long, shallow 
stretches ; pools. .. Very small single 
wet -fly on finest 
gut, sunk 
Note. In the above table, the dry-fly and a small single wet- fly fished stink 
are practically interchangeable except in the pools, depending upon zohether the 
fish are feeding at the surface or submer ged. 
An all-season plan of campaign for the trout fisherman 
