September, 1921 
FOREST AND STREAM 
395 
TALES THE RIVER TOLD TO MATT 
THE FINAL INSTALLMENT OF A SERIES OF STORIES DEPICTING THE SIM- 
PLE JOY OF FISHING AS EXEMPLIFIED THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUTH 
By LEONARD HULIT, Associate Editor of Forest and 
T HE water dn the river had sub- 
sided greatly during the day and 
was running quite clear. They 
made and ate a hearty supper and Mr. 
Adams, despite their tired condition, 
asked the two to row him down the 
river as he wished to try out his white 
feather fly. As before he whipped 
every point along the banks which gave 
promise of a rise, but nothing came of 
his endeavors until they came to the 
pool where the striped bass had been 
taken. 
As the fly settled on the water well 
over to the left bank there was a swirl 
and a splash and the fly disappeared. 
With a quick wrist motion Mr. Adams 
set the hook, saying quietly as he did 
so: “I’ve got him.” The rod took a 
sharp bend under the pressure of the 
hooked fish. It was no such strife, 
however, as the bass had put up. It 
ran twice across the pool with a dart- 
ing motion, then settled down to rather 
mild up and down stream runs. All 
hands were eager to see the fish but 
Mr. Adams handled it with extreme 
care and finally brought it to the sur- 
face when Matt, who had the net, land- 
ed it under Mr. Woodhull’s instructions. 
It proved to be a bright, silvery fish 
with dark green back and of about two 
pounds weight, and looked much like 
an overgrown herring. “It is just what 
I was trying for,” said Mr. Adams. “I 
have known for a long time that they 
could be taken on a white fly at this 
time of the day. They are known as 
“shadine” and are really a species of 
shad, but do not make a table delicacy, 
as they are very bony and of poor 
flavor. 
It was not taken from the net but 
the hook was carefully removed 'and 
when they had viewed it to their liking 
the net was lowered into the water 
when it quickly swam away. “I was 
interested in the matter of taking one 
on the fly more than in the fish itself,” 
said Mr. Adams, “although if we had 
no better fish near at hand we would 
have kept it.” 
Several more casts were made and 
one more rise secured but the fish 
missed, showing, however, a brightly 
gleaming side as it turned to take the 
fly and this time much nearer the 
boat. “There is no need of taking 
more,” said Mr. Adams, “although good 
fish would be welcome as well as some 
more crabs, butwe know where they are, 
don’t we boy?” He playfully poked his 
thumb in Matt’s ticklish ribs. “Let’s 
go to camp while it is light enough 
to see to put the mosquito netting in the 
crab net so we can get some shrimps 
to-morrow as well as some other bait if 
we need it.” “What’s shrimps?” asked 
the boy. “I ain’t seen none down here 
since we come as I knows of.” “We'll 
show you some to-morrow I guess and 
how to use them as well,” said Mr. 
Adams. 
The fine meshed netting was soon fit- 
ted in the crab net and all made ready 
for the excursion on the coming day 
which, as on the former occasion, 
proved productive of plenty of crabs, 
both for eating and for bait. 
Night on the river 
When it came to searching out 
shrimps, which Mr. Adams proceeded 
to do around some old sunken timbers 
in shallow waters, the boy was all at- 
tention, as was his custom when an 
unusual or, to him, new idea was 
being worked out. When the net was 
raised from the water and' he saw 
the shrimps skipping about in it his 
first remark was: “Gee, lookit the 
water grasshoppers! What are they 
good for?” “They make one of the best 
of all baits,” said Mr. Adams. “Many 
kinds of fish can be taken on them 
that at times will take no other bait. 
The best way to keep them alive is to 
put them in dry and very fine sawdust, 
but we will be compelled to do without 
that and use a box.” 
Matt studied them closely and made 
some of his usual droll remarks in re- 
lation to them. To him it was a real 
nature study and he was fast learning 
that but few things were of no utility 
and his simple ideas and ways of life 
Stream 
were fast receiving the touch and 
breadth of the great world in which he 
had lived a. stranger. 
W HEN enough shrimps were se- 
cured they returned to the camp 
and getting their tackle ready 
Mr. Adams advised giving the fish a 
trial as the weather was dull and there 
was a slight fog hanging over the 
water. Dinner was made on the last of 
Aunt Mary’s ham much to the regret of 
all as it had proved a most acceptable 
addition to their stock of provisions. 
“We had better use rather large 
hooks while the tide is fairly high,” 
suggested Mr. Adams, “we can change 
to smaller ones if necessary.” At the 
pool where they had formerly fished 
they used shrimps for bait as well as 
the shedder crabs. On the former 
there was ceaseless nibbling of small 
fish and Matt suggested using small 
hooks. “The’s no sense in wastin’ time 
an’ bait too an’ gittin’ nothin’,” he said. 
While he was talking of changing the 
hooks Mr. Adams told him to string his 
hook full of the shrimps as the fish 
might as well eat them up. The lad did 
as suggested and lowered his hook to 
the bottom when soon there was excite- 
ment in plenty. The top of his pole 
went under the water with a rush and 
his line went hissing through the 
water. Mr. Adams seized the anchor 
rope and ran the boat up stream the 
full length of the rope, thus easing the 
strain on the lad’s line; then, as the 
fish went down stream he eased away, 
allowing the boat to drift back. Mean- 
while he was coaching the boy who was 
giving the fish as full play as possible 
by easing away on the pole and leaning 
as far out of the boat as he could. 
The fish soon began swimming in 
circles much to Mr. Adams delight 
whose experience told him that it was 
evidence of waning powers and he 
quietly encouraged the lad to patience 
and caution. 
Matt’s home-made and very service- 
able landing net was handy and as the 
fish came once more by the boat and 
near to the surface the net was deftly 
slid under it and lifted into the boat 
by Mr. Adams. It proved to be a 
striped bass of about six pounds weight. 
The joy of the lad knew no bounds. 
He was hilarious with pride over his 
conquest and he gloated over it like 
some victor might who had taken a 
prize. It was the largest fish he had 
ever taken and the first one of import- 
