Nov. io, 1906.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
74i 
Flies for Ohio Waters. 
Milo, 0 ., Oct. 29. —Editor Forest and Stream: 
In your Oct. 27 number you ask for opinions 
as. to single hooks on spoon and other baits. 1 
have not given up fly-fishing for our small-mouth 
bass, but have come so near it you could not 
tell the difference. For the last three years I 
have used a small spoon with fly instead of 
triple hook, and think it is one of the greatest 
baits for bass that can be found. Most of the 
flies I use with these spoons I make; also the 
spoons. 1 have used almost all of the artificial 
baits on the market and like this combination 
better than any I have found. The spoon is 
34-inch long by 54-inch wide, made tandem on 
a shaft of No. 22 gauge German silver wire; 
fly tied on a 1/0 ringed hook, sproat prefered. 
I use German silver, copper and nickel-plated 
spoons, and almost all kinds of flies that can be 
tied. I have a few flies that are good killers 
for me, but conditions, have to be right for their 
use. 
In this part of the State my best spring fly is 
a black wing, large, full body of black worsted, 
black hackle, and red tail. At this time of the 
year the crawfish start to show up in our 
streams and are taken by the bass. They are 
dark in color and stay that color until they shed. 
After shedding their shells they are a few shades 
lighter and run most any color from pink to 
dark gray. I have found that the color of the 
bed of river has much to do with their color. 
Just as soon as the May flies come out on our 
streams, I have found light grays good killelrs. 
I have a favorite for evening fly, and I tie it— 
whitewing-jungle, cock shoulder, red body, silver 
tinsel, light-brown hackle. 
I will also give you a description of a good 
“BILLY” HOFER FISHING ON THE SKYKOMISH. 
fly for fall and the reason, as far as I can see, 
for it being good. White wing, white body 
bound with red. red and yellow tail, very light 
red hackle. After a certain time in the fall we 
see no soft crawfish in our streams, all the large 
ones are very hard, but the small crawfish are 
plentiful. These are pink in color or a mixture 
of pink and yellow-pink, and brown. The bass 
feed on these small crawfish and I have taken 
bass that had ten or twelve of these small craw¬ 
fish in them. I use these fly spoons on a ski- 
ounce fly-rod, and think they outclass any bait I 
have ever found. M. P. Keefe. 
England’s Largest Trout. 
The largest trout caught in any river in Eng¬ 
land during the season just closed, and which 
embraced the months April—September inclusive, 
came from the Thames. In all 74 trout were 
taken and their weights recorded, showing that 
the total weight was 322 pounds 4pi ounces, an 
average of more than 4 pounds. The largest 
specimen was caught in July by Mr. A. E. Hobbs. 
Its weight was 9 pounds 1 ounce. Mr. Hobbs 
also caught the largest trout last year, its weight 
9 pounds ioJ 4 ounces. In its review of this sub¬ 
ject the Angler’s News says: 
“Probably Thames trout anglers have never 
followed their fascinating pursuit under more 
adverse conditions than in the season which re¬ 
cently concluded. Bitterly cold weather attended 
them on many of their spring outings, the sum¬ 
mer has been phenomenally hot, the water low 
and stale, and the river traffic greatly above the 
average. In this connection motor launches have 
increased three-fold, and the river and the 
angler’s quiet haunts have been much disturbed 
in consequence. No piece of water scarcely has 
Photo by T. Sealford. 
been free from the motor launch. Despite these 
drawbacks, however, the past season's trout fish¬ 
ing has shown improved results on the sport ob¬ 
tained in the previous five years, and it is to 
be hoped that next year something like the form 
of 1900 will be reached, or even that the Thames 
will fish better still for trout. The following 
refers to trout taken from the Thames since 
1900: 
No. of 
T’l Weight. 
No. of 
.T’l Weight 
Year. 
Trout. 
lbs. oz. 
Year. 
Trout. 
lbs. oz. 
1900... 
.88 
400 11% 
'1904... 
.39 
181 
1901... 
.76 
322 12 
1905... 
254 11% 
1902.. . 
1903.. . 
.64 
.43 
296 14% 
209 1 
1906... 
.74 
322 4% 
Fishing Notes. 
The Norfolk (Conn.) Rod and Gun Club has 
elected the following officers for th’e coming year: 
President, Horace A. Stannard; vice-president, 
William A. Spaulding; secretary-treasurer, How¬ 
ard A. Carter. Fish and game protection, and 
the preservation of song and other birds are the 
objects of the organization. 
In the Des Moines river at Ottumwa, Iowa, 
recently, State Fish Commissioner Lincoln lib¬ 
erated 2,000 bass, 1,000 pickerel, 500 pike and 
about 14,000 crappie and catfish. 
The record black bass for Piqua (Ohio) 
anglers for the season was taken in Frantz 
pond by John Birch of that town. It weighed 
SJ 4 pounds. 
Mrs. John Garvin, of Elroy, Wis., is credited 
with the capture of a 42-pound maskinonge in 
a lake at Court d’Oreilles, that State, last 
month. Many anglers who have seen the fish 
say it is the largest one of which they have 
knowledge, and the railway people claim it is 
the record for the resorts along their lines. 
