September, 1921 
FOREST AND STREAM 
397 
lows to spawn. There they were dipped 
up by nets, then cleaned and barreled 
for winter use. Guides said they 
wouldn’t take any kind of bait. 
Now, I am one of those lovers of 
the outdoors who have much respect 
for the opinion of guides and locally 
experienced anglers. When I go to 
new territory, I always ask questions 
about the waters, bait, flies, etc. I have 
usually found that advantageous, and 
have gotten somewhat into the habit 
of proceeding upon the advice given. 
In the main, I believe that is the right 
thing to do, for it often means a short- 
cut to success. But it also has its dis- 
advantages, unless one fishes with his 
brains, in that it deprives one of the 
opportunity to discover and experi- 
ment. 
I should have been skeptical about 
what the frostfish might do with a fly. 
Only the summer before, a friend and 
myself had successfully demonstrated 
that frostfish will take bait, and may 
be caught, if light enough tackle and 
hooks sufficiently small are used, but I 
still implicitly believed that frostfish 
were in deep water during the summer. 
This guide, by the way, had been skep- 
tical about the taking of frostfish with 
hook and line, and had had to be 
“shown.” 
“Well,” said the guide, a few min- 
utes later, as rises continued, “if I had 
a fly-rod, I’d throw out, and see if I 
could find out what’s cornin’ up so.” 
This was a hint for me, and I took it. 
The fly, a blue dun, was paraffined 
with the pad, and the line similarly 
treated. (The makers of Pomery’s ar- 
tificial leaders may be interested to 
know that their sample, kindly fur- 
nished, was the leader used.) Then 
back and forth waved the rod, until 
about twenty feet of line were out, 
and, with a last forward motion, the 
fly lightly settled on the water, 
“cocked” to a nicety. 
Mindful of failure to 
hook the rise before be- 
cause of the rod not be- 
ing in my hand, I held 
it this time, ready for a 
strike or a break near 
the fly, which I watched 
intently. If a chance 
came, I would be ready 
to take it. In a few 
minutes the fly was 
gently pulled under, 
and I gave a quick but 
light strike, and was 
fast. Then came the 
fight. The rod was a 
light, three-ounce, one- 
piece rod which I had 
made a year or two be- 
fore. It bent and surged 
with the fierce rushes of the yet un- 
known capture. The fish was certainly 
“game.” It did not break water or 
lunge down, but rushed about in spirals 
near the top of the water. Never for 
even a second did it stop whirling and 
pulling. For five minutes or so, the 
game went on, and the fish was still 
untired. Then, as I was interested to 
see what the capture really was, and 
fearing it might get away, I slowly 
stripped the line in through the guides 
and lightly swung the fish into the 
canoe. It proved to be a frostfish, the 
first, I believe, ever taken on a dry fly. 
S OME details about this species may 
be timely. It is found in the lakes 
of New England westward through 
the Adirondacks and the Great Lakes 
and then northward to Alaska. Its name 
varies with its locality. It is the Me- 
nominee whitefish in Lakes Superior 
and Michigan; in Lake Champlain and 
the Adirondacks it is the frostfish. In 
British America, it is known as the 
round whitefish. In Lake Winnepe- 
sauki it is the shad-waiter, in Lake 
Chautegay the Chautegay shad, the 
black-back in Lake Michigan and the 
chivy in Maine. 
The capture of this fish was proof 
enough that it would take the fly. The 
hook was securely imbedded in the 
lower jaw, inside the fish’s mouth, 
showing that the taking of the lure 
and hooking of the fish was not acci- 
dental. 
The manner in which this species 
take the lure is peculiar to itself. As 
a study of the fish in the illustration 
will show, the mouth is on the under 
side of the head — small and slightly 
sucker- shaped. The gape of the jaws 
is not great and consequently its food 
must be of small size. To take a fly 
at the surface, the fish cannot rush at 
When the trout gives way to the frostfish 
the insect with wide open mouth, like 
the bass or trout, but must either turn 
on its back like a shark, or come up 
over its prey. This latter method is 
the one employed, and an indication 
that frostfish are surface-feeding is 
the appearance of the entire back and 
sharp-pointed dorsal fin above the 
water. There is no sharp slap, such 
as a, trout often makes, in seizing the 
fly; but a gentle smack is made as the 
“frosty” takes its food. 
The principal fly on which this fish 
apparently feeds is a small black one, 
hence a midget fly ought to work ad- 
mirably. Unfortunately, I had no 
hook smaller than a No. 12. The first 
frostfish was caught on a No. 10 hook 
tied with a blue dun fly, which was evi- 
dently not too large to enter the fish’s 
mouth easily. Other flies were tried 
with indifferent success — Black Gnat, 
Parmacheene Belle, Whirling Dun, 
Royal Coachman. I believe the size is 
of more consequence than the color or 
style. 
As the manner of taking the fly is 
so gentle, one must be constantly on 
the alert, requiring especially at dusk, 
the utmost watchfulness to detect any 
signs of a rise. 
Observation convinces me that this 
fish does its surface-feeding at sun- 
rise and at dusk, the latter being the 
better time, just at and shortly after 
sunset. At such times the appearance 
of the dorsal fin and the entire back, as 
the fish rolls up and over on its prey, 
shows the presence of the species at 
the surface. 
The discovery that this fish may be 
taken with a dry fly should be of in- 
terest to anglers. Especially during 
the latter part of July and August 
when “speckles” and “lakers” and bass 
are letting up, and when fishing pros- 
pects otherwise are at their worst, 
should its willingness to take the ar- 
tificial lure cause it to become a fa- 
vorite. 
The angler for the frostfish will need 
a light, spring rod, a six-foot leader of 
the finest possible gut, and an assort- 
ment of flies tied on No. 10 hooks, and 
finer, with some midgets. His list 
should include dun wing flies, Black 
Gnat, White Miller, Coachman, and 
Parmacheene Belle. 
It is, perhaps, not 
necessary to add that 
extreme alertness i s 
necessary. From the in- 
s t a n t that the fly 
touches the water, un- 
til the fishing for the 
time is over, the eye 
should be constantly 
upon the fly. Of the two 
methods — '“chuck and 
chance” it, or “casting 
to the rise” of the fish, 
I have found the for- 
mer the more satisfac- 
tory. The fly is thrown 
lightly upon the water 
and allowed to float 
around as the wind or 
current may take it. 
For certain conditions of fishing, cast- 
ing to a rise may be preferable, as 
when the fish is observed to have a cer- 
tain haunt. But the frostfish is con- 
stantly changing its position, as it 
swims about just under the surface, 
seeking its insect food. Hence one is 
likely to throw the fly in the wrong di- 
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 410) 
