Vol. XCI APRIL, 1921 No. 4 
OPENING DAY ON TROUT STREAMS 
THE AUTHOR OF “STREAMCRAFT” AND “THE IDYL OF THE SPLIT- 
BAMBOO” GIVES SOME PITHY TACKLE ADVICE TO THE EARLY FISHERMAN 
A H, the opening day! The opening 
day of the trout season. 
The young angler is somewhat 
prone to rhapsodize upon this theme, 
but not quite so enthusiastic your vet- 
eran. But young or old, new or sea- 
soned, the wise angler will don woolen 
underwear and waders. The former 
need not he heavier than medium 
weight, but it should be of wool. Even 
in mid-summer it can be very chilly in 
mountain altitudes that the angler 
haunts, after sundown especially; and 
it can be very chilly at any time of 
year after a ducking in the stream, in 
the wind, with cotton next the skin. 
By the way, where the water is unusu- 
ally treacherous don’t hesitate to cut 
a piece of sapling for a wading-staff. 
To wear waders, or not to wear wad- 
ers therefore does not apply at the 
opening of the season. Later it is a 
fair question whether ’tis best to dis- 
card them and get boldly wet, without 
any idea of trying to keep dry, or 
whether we shall encase ourselves with- 
in these air-excluding mackintoshes and 
stew in our own sweat — regardless of 
the fact that one is almost certain to 
go “over the top.” For there are three 
factors to be considered: foothold, dry- 
ness, and locomotion. 
If waders — either mackintoshes or 
hip-boots — are used, you must have hob- 
nailed wading-brogans to wear over the 
feet of the one, or leather sandals with 
hobnailed soles, hemp sandals, or some 
similar contrivance for the feet of the 
other. Screw-calks are an advantage 
over hobnails, which have a faculty of 
becoming loose and dropping out when 
the sole leather dries after long soak- 
ing. These calks may be transposed as 
required, those wearing down quickest 
being moved to another part of the sole 
and replaced by some less worn. 
I N addition to the woolen stockings 
next the skin a heavier pair also are 
worn between wader and brogan, to 
ease the chafing of the former. These 
sometimes are turned into the tops of 
By DR. GEORGE PARKER HOLDEN 
the brogans, making a double layer 
where the raw-hide lacings are drawn 
around the ankle at the tops of these 
shoes; but a better scheme, because 
keeping the sand from getting between 
stocking and wader, is to pull the out- 
side stockings up to full length and to 
secure the tops around the wader with 
a rubber-band. You can get these rub- 
ber-bands — and useful for so many 
Not many, but the first of the season. 
other purposes — by cutting them from 
played-out auto-tire tubes. 
The banana-peel can assume no airs 
in the presence of a rock covered with 
slimy moss. A dangerous fall in or 
along the stream may prove no light 
matter for the lone angler, far from 
camp or farmhouse. A simple emerg- 
ency expedient is to wrap strips of can- 
vas or burlap or bind pieces of rope 
around the feet of rubber boots. Sand 
works into the meshes of the cloth and 
gives it a good gripping surface; or a 
pair of woolen socks may be worn over 
the boots — while they last. 
So, waders are all right in this first 
blush of the year; and they are all right 
generally — when actually wading, but 
are cumbersome to walk in ; besides, 
walking subjects them to excessive wear 
and tear. And, frequently, as much or 
more walking along stream is done as 
walking in the water. On the other 
hand, as already intimated, wading 
without waders is very chilly business 
during early spring fishing. The only 
solution here is to carry extra footwear 
in the shape of something light that can 
be slipped into when you desert the 
stream for a considerable hike over dry 
land, the while you hang the waders 
around your neck. For general hiking 
the regulation Munson-last army shoes 
are the thing; and the dope for them 
is one, two, three parts respectively of 
resin, beeswax, and mutton-tallow, mel‘ 
ed together. Never dry out wet leather 
shoes by exposing them to too direct 
and strong fire-heat; fill them with hot 
sand or pebbles. 
Good waders cost money; and we 
wonder why a fellow couldn’t make 
something that would serve, of ten- 
ounce duck — patterning after an old 
pair of boughten goods — having lap- 
seams and being waterproofed with the 
beeswax, paraffine, and turpentine com- 
pound, applied hot when melted, or with 
something even better for the purpose? 
Many veteran anglers have solved this 
wading problem, in a manner satisfac- 
tory to themselves at least. The early 
spring fishing, as we have insinuated, 
does not make a tremendous appeal — 
except perhaps for very short snatches, 
and not too far removed from easy ac- 
cess' to a good warm fire indoors; and 
ordinarily from the middle of May on 
they can keep very comfy without wad- 
ers. They get right in, but keep moving 
and don’t stop to rest at any time when 
