DOWN-STREAM WITH “RE- 
VERSE” DRY FLIES 
Dear Forest and Stream: 
A t the end of my article published in 
April Forest and Stream it was 
stated I would briefly describe the new 
“Reverse” dry fly which I invented for 
down swift stream fishing to obviate the 
many difficulties experienced in casting 
up-stream in our rough, tumbling waters 
■ — an absolutely foolish method — blindly 
copied from British anglers whose fish- 
ing is done on streams of an entirely 
different character than our own. 
In the many pools of rough water that 
form conflicting currents that invariably 
contain more, and larger, trout, they 
very often defy our best efforts, because 
it is hard to make successful casts to the 
exact location of the fish with a cocked 
fly. In some parts the water is too deep, 
or perhaps too rough, or swift cross 
currents instantly drag the fly away 
from the spot where fish lie. After 
numerous trials I found out it would be 
a simple matter to tie a reverse fly, in 
contrast to the English-made dry-fly 
method, by fishing a more practical way 
suited to our own streams, by working 
the artificial fly downstream, cocked in 
a natural manner, jauntily floating with- 
out drag, down the runways exactly like 
the natural insect with little or no effort 
in casting. Indeed, a perfect duffer can 
just drop it on the surface and let it 
float along till grabbed by the fish. 
It was obviously impossible to do so 
with the regulation dry-fly as now tied, 
which would, of course, float tail first, or 
backwards, down stream. I conceived 
the idea to tie a reverse dry fly — that is, 
with head tied over the bent shank of 
the hook instead of being tied with the 
head at the hook eye, so that neither 
angler or fish could tell the difference 
from the regular dry fly, except that it 
floats down stream head first like the 
natural insect, which the dry fly does 
not when cast upstream. 
When using the reverse fly, it is not 
necessary to make a long cast. It can 
be dropped lightly on the water, then let 
out sufficient line to enable it to float 
free along the water flow, carefully 
guiding it over where trout are feeding, 
or supposed to be. 
At early season, when the water is 
above normal, with hard heavy wading 
the down stream reverse method will 
certainly furnish such easier fishing that 
a raw amateur will find success. 
The conservative dry-fly expert may 
perhaps be at first doubtful of this new 
theory, but if he will tie several of his 
favorites and make a trial under the 
conditions here suggested, it will prove 
a revelation to him which it has already 
done to the alert and discriminating 
anglers of the middle and far western 
States who are unstinted in praise of the 
method. It is not intended, nor is it 
wise to discard the regular dry fly for 
the reverse, but simply use it in certain 
difficult situations. Such situations in 
wet fishing down stream when you see an 
abundant rise of insects floating down 
past you on the surface of rippling or 
perhaps rough water. The wet cast 
should be immediately discarded and re- 
placed with a single reverse fly and 
allowed to float down over the surface 
in front for a distance, then whipped off 
and recast — working it to places where 
you see trout sucking in the natural in- 
sects. 
I predict the reverse fly will take a 
prominent position with the trout angler, 
to afterward become a permanently suc- 
cessful method. Tackle dealers at pres- 
ent do not carry this fly in stock, but 
when they become known they will be in 
great demand, from the success in get- 
ting trout to rise and the pleasure they 
give. 
The four patterns I have tied are 
the Shadfly, Cowdung, Yellow Sally and 
Marsh Brown, which are quite sufficient 
to use for the first half of the season. 
Specimens of each pattern can be had 
from the writer for anglers to copy or 
they can make any favorite fly to suit 
their fancy. 
Louis Rhead, New York. 
SIMPSON’S SHACKBOAT 
Dear Forest and Stream : 
DERMIT me to remark that the “shack- 
boat” described by Mr. Dwight S. 
Simpson in your September issue would 
be practically ideal for tripping the 
great southern rivers. The model is 
very nearly that of the “jon-boat,” with 
the cabin added. A boat like this would, 
I know from experience, do finely on 
such streams as the Tennessee (and on 
the lower Clinch, Holston, French Broad, 
etc.), and many a river-man has come 
down the Lower Mississippi in a far less 
trustworthy and comfortable craft. 
Any one desiring to trip the great 
tributaries of the Mississippi might well 
consider this shack-boat craft. With an 
outboard motor it should be an inter- 
esting lake boat, though decidedly too 
interesting in wide, windy waters. 
Most ideas on house-boats are on too 
grand a scale. Twenty-four feet is long 
enough for river tripping, and many a 
shanty on the river was on a 16 -foot 
scow hull. Streams like the Red, Ar- 
kansas, Yazoo, Cumberland, Tennessee, 
Missouri, Wabash, Ohio, and I don’t 
know how many others offer wonderful 
and inexpensive trips to those who dis- ' 
cover them. The trips down the Ten- 
nessee and Mississippi, which I made 
for Forest and Stream twenty years 
ago remain vivid and delightful memo- 
ries, and my wonder is that more sports- 
men do not undertake weeks, or months, 
even full seasons on our long and re- 
markable streams. 
Raymond S. Spears, 
New York. 
WHAT DID HE SEE? 
Dear Forest and Stream : 
\Y/E had been still-fishing all morn- 
YV ing on an inland lake and had 
caught no fish. Overhead the clear blue 
sky was giving place to a few scurry- 
ing wisps of storm cloud; we knew that 
rain was not many hours off. At some- 
one’s suggestion we pulled up anchor, 
reeled in our lines, and started trolling 
in a circuitous homeward journey. The 
faint lapping of the water against the 
sides of the boat, the droning of insects 
in the trees and grass inshore, and the 
indescribable hum of some distant and 
unseen machine lulled us into a drowsy 
state, and we gazed idly at the wake of 
our boat or about the landscape at the 
rapidly darkening foliage; all nature 
was adrowse. Suddenly, as I leaned 
over the side of the gunwale, I caught 
a glimpse of bottom and several sleek 
bass and I gave a subdued and quick 
order to back water and to come to 
anchor. 
Every fresh-water pond has its “hum- 
mocks,” as we call them — shallow, un- 
dulating back-water acres that become 
partly dry in August until the lush grass 
appears above the surface and the san- 
dy or gravelly bottom is easily visible. 
It was in such a spot that we suddenly 
and quietly came to anchor. Naturally 
we began at once to rig our bait-casting 
rods and our fly rods for a little sport. 
I began casting and recasting, but with- 
out the least luck, and, becoming by that 
time somewhat lazy and indifferent, I 
again leaned over the gunwale on the 
shady side and looked down to see what 
had become of the fish I had seen, and 
continued gazing down into the clear 
waters ancl watching the clear bottom 
sparkling with white sand and shining 
with brilliant green grass and other veg- 
etable growth. All of a sudden I caught 
sight of a large black bass motionless. 
