August, 1921 
FOREST AND STREAM 
349 
LATE SEASON STREAM FISHING 
THE LURKING PLACES OF TROUT ARE DISCLOSED WITH GREATER CERTAINTY 
IN THE LOW. CLEAR WATER DURING THE MONTHS OF JULY AND AUGUST 
F OR many trout fishermen the sea- 
son ends after their early spring 
trip. Others assert that the end 
of June marks the limit of good fish- 
ing and that it is hardly worth while 
to wade the streams under the hot 
sun and in the low, clear water of 
July and August. 
As a matter of fact, some of the best 
baskets of the season may be secured 
during the latter months and he is a 
short-sighted fisherman who, arbitrari- 
ly, will call a halt because he has fixed 
a theoretic limit to the possibilities of 
good sport. Flies hatch and trout feed 
in August as well as in June and, 
while it may be necessary to employ 
lighter tackle and more heedful tac- 
tics, there is no 
real reason why 
the dry-fly man 
should not be 
successful if he 
will bring his in- 
telligence and ob- 
servation into 
play. 
Low water, in 
itself, is often a 
positive advant- 
age. The con- 
traction of the 
covered bed of the 
s t r e am reduces 
somewhat the 
area of casting 
surface and dis- 
closes, with great- 
er certainty, the 
probable lurking 
places of the 
trout. Under- 
water rocks, 
shelving ledges, unsuspected shelters, 
beneath banks or among tangled tree 
roots, come to view. Former broad 
channels and extended pools are con- 
tracted into likely holes, where, by the 
very nature of things, the trout must 
lie, and this should favor rather than 
retard the efforts of the careful angler. 
It is fair to assume that, in this re- 
stricted area and with the contour of 
the stream bed easily observable, the 
average blind — if hopeful — cast will 
stand a much better chance of placing 
the fly within sight and striking dis- 
tance of the fish than when the stream 
is running bank full. Under these 
conditions and with the trout “on feed” 
or “off” the fisherman may rest as- 
sured that his fly is, at least, under 
observation, and, that if he is unable 
to coax a strike, it is not because he 
is working over barren water. 
Low water, as a rule, means clear 
water and Shy and critical trout. This 
is the season when the mink, water 
snake, kingfisher and hawk do their 
most effective work of destruction and 
no wonder the trout flee for shelter or 
By FREDERICK WHITE 
hug their hiding places at the first in- 
dication of splash or shadow. 
The low water fisherman would do 
well to keep this constantly in mind 
and endeavor to school himself to a 
minimum of action and a maximum of 
accuracy. 
I N the tumbling waters of early 
spring, when fishing up stream, it 
is not likely that the sound — or vi- 
bration — caused by the clash or clatter 
of hobnailed shoes on rock or gravel 
carries far against the current, but the 
condition is different when the stream 
slows down to its gentle, summer flow. 
Experiments have shown that, with the 
ear submerged, the sound of iron-shod 
feet on pebbles may be observed for 
half a mile in the quiet flowing water 
of rivers, and this should be warning 
enough for the low water fisherman to 
watch his step, lest some unusual vi- 
bration alarm the trout in the water 
ahead of him. 
The shape and placing of the trout’s 
eye gives him an astonishingly wide 
range of vision and the only place from 
which the fisherman can work, over 
low and clear water, is almost directly 
behind the fish. Many fishermen often 
neglect this precaution because of diffi- 
culties of footing or because the safe 
position necessitates an awkward or 
back-hand cast, but it is a point well 
worth observing, except when the water 
is high or discolored. 
The question of shadow is a serious 
one and often requires a good deal of 
thought before a cast can be made 
with any real hope of success. When 
it is remembered that the finest of 
leaders, on a clear surface, will throw 
a pencil-wide mark on light colored 
bottom, two feet below, the necessity 
of endeavoring to avoid this revealing 
phenomenon will be appreciated. Place 
your fly in the shadow whenever pos- 
sible and, on a bright day, select your 
fishing ground with an eye to the po- 
sition of the sun in relation to the lay 
of the stream, in morning and after- 
noon. 
In view of the physical conditions of 
low water fishing and the consequent 
nervousness and watchfulness of trout 
under these circumstances it is well, 
not only to observe the utmost caution 
in approaching and casting, but, to 
employ the lightest tackle consistent 
with safety. Try your lightest line, 
even though you concede some distance, 
and, by all means, use a nine-foot tap- 
ered leader. 
Except during 
or after a rain, 
with a consequent 
rise and discolor- 
ation of the wat- 
er, the dry-fly 
will be the form 
on which to pin 
your faith. Un- 
der the low 
water conditions, 
outlined above, 
the wet fly, with 
its i n e v i t able 
splash and drag, 
will bring you lit- 
tle more excite- 
ment than the 
flash of a fright- 
ened fish scurry- 
ing to cover. The 
dry-fly, selected to 
meet the require- 
ments of the mo- 
ment and pre- 
sented skillfully, without drag and with 
as little hint of leader as possible, offers 
an infinitely greater chance of success. 
Experience has shown that a small 
fly is more acceptable to the discrimi- 
nating trout during the hot weather — 
low water period. It may be well to 
have with you some No. 12’s, but, in 
the long run, flies tied on No. 14 hooks 
will be most effective. A No. 12 size 
fly, dressed on a No. 14 hook, has 
proved to be a good wrinkle when size, 
with a minimum of weight and hook 
visibility, has seemed desirable. 
T HE question of patterns is always 
open to controversy and every ex- 
perienced fisherman has his own pet 
ideas on the subject. Trout do dis- 
criminate, at times — especially, when 
feeding on surface insects — but ex- 
perience and observation would seem 
to bear out the contention that, in the 
long run, accuracy and nicety in plac- 
ing the fly are more important than 
form and color. By all means, carry 
with you a selection of standard dry- 
( CONTINUED ON PAGE 371) 
When the stream has slowed down 
