40 
FOREST AND STREAM 
July 12, 1913 
naturally by something bright, and on the im¬ 
pulse of the moment will snap such a lure up. 
But not so on much fished streams. There the 
fish have become educated. They know the dif¬ 
ference between color in insects and will not 
attempt to kill a lure that is away from the 
ordinary, but where flies come in subdued colors, 
they are more apt to prove of value to the fish¬ 
erman for the simple reason that they are like 
the insects that form part of the fishes bait food. 
The dry fly has come into prominence here for 
that very reason. The dry fly is a deadly lure. 
It will catch the wisest of the trout for the 
simple reason that it is so natural. It is a fly 
that floats, and when manipulated from the 
hands of an experienced man, it very quickly 
proves its worth. It is for use on placid flow¬ 
ing streams. The fish will be feeding, perhaps 
rising to catch the insects that fall to water. 
The angler fishes up stream and moves along 
with the greatest of caution. Caution is one of 
the foremost rules to recognize in trout fishing. 
The man who is the most careful, attentive and 
gentle will succeed far quicker than the man of 
hurry. Indeed, the man of hurry and careless¬ 
ness will in time be forced to relinquish upon 
these qualities and take a new grip upon con¬ 
ditions. 
The angler, as I have said, moves forward 
cautiously and casts above the feeding fish. If 
the man behind the rod is skilled, his fly will 
touch water before the leader. Just a gentle 
twitch of the wrist, but it is something that 
sounds easier on paper than it really is. Trout 
fishing from the printed page is about the easiest 
thing in the world, but one has to get to the 
stream and fish it, and not after rote at that, to 
find out that it is not so simple as it sounds. 
The fly falls to the water, perhaps bringing up 
a circle of ripples, and is allowed to float with 
the flow of the water, prepared as it is with 
a paraffine substance or oil. The body should 
never be wet or bedraggled looking. The wings 
are cocked, and it looks perfectly like an insect 
fallen into that wet grasp. A twitch of the rod 
may give it a live movement or motion, and 
makes it all the more deadly. The fish sees it 
and often the wisest old warrior of them all 
will take it with a swirl of water and foam. 
The method is one of perfection. The use of 
it demands skill, care and judgment, and it 
is easier to read of than master. Many an 
hour you will be treated to failure, but the final 
result, if you are persevering, will be one of 
beauty and many a good catch. 
In using the dry fly (best on wide streams) 
the fisherman must extend his line in making 
his cast. This line is lengthened out by what 
is known as the false casts, but the fly is not 
allowed to touch water till it has reached the 
right length. Then a lowering of the rod tip 
will send the flies or fly to water. If the fly 
drifts by the fish without a catch, the line is 
assembled and prepared for another cast, but 
this time the fly must be dried, and this is done 
by the performance used in lengthening the line. 
The movement through the air will take from 
it all moisture. There is a trick about it; try 
it and find out if you believe it to be easy. You 
will then be able to realize just how it is done 
and what is demanded of you. We import 
from England and Scotland ready-made trout 
dry flies, but they are foreign in looks to any 
flies found along our native trout streams; there¬ 
fore, it is natural that our own flies will do 
better. The white miller makes for one of the 
best all-around dry flies that I know of, but 
it is only one. After you have fished with the 
assorted flies of standard make, you will better 
be able to know what to choose and what not 
to choose. If you have ascended the ladder of 
perfection to the point where you can tie your 
own flies, you will be able to add the dry fly 
process to your category and make a ready suc¬ 
cess with that, too. There is a trick to it; no 
getting around it, and only by your ingenuity, 
study and carefulness will you be able to run 
the illusive one “to earth.” 
In the matter of flies I would suggest that 
only good flies be pur¬ 
chased. The average 
man, new to this pastime, 
will be perfectly shock¬ 
ed at paying up to a dol¬ 
lar a dozen for his flies. 
The high cost of living 
brings on this condition 
of affairs, but then if a 
man goes trout fishing, 
he must have good stuff, 
or his trip will result 
in a failure. Cheap flies 
are an abomination. I 
know of nothing so exas¬ 
perating as to use cheap 
stuff and find nothing in 
it but failure. For in¬ 
stance, a friend of mine 
whom I asked as to 
what he thought I paid 
a dozen for my flies 
looked them over and 
said that he had pur¬ 
chased the identical 
thing for three for five 
cents. As it was, I had 
paid an even $1 bill, and 
I thought this a decent 
price for stuff I wanted 
service from. Now, I 
am about eight miles 
from being an expert. I 
am as far from an ex¬ 
pert as it is possible to 
be, and I have used 
these extremely cheap 
flies, and I know that 
they are not worth look¬ 
ing at. You will get 
good flies, quality C for about forty and sixty 
cents, and they are good, but the one dollar a 
dozen are much better. I would say never to 
go under forty cents a dozen assorted. In this 
assortment you will get the favorite flies—the 
grizzly king, the white miller, the gray hackle, 
the brown hackle, the black gnat, the stone fly, 
the Palmers and the inimitable professor, all of 
which are splendid flies for any water in any 
part of this country. Cheap flies are connected 
witii the cheapest gut and the poorest grade of 
hook steel. Pay more for your flies and get 
what you are looking for. I have found the 
Nos. 10 and 12 size of hooks to be the best; the 
No. 10 the best all around hook for general use. 
It is recommended for use. For bait fishing the 
No. 2 is the best. If your trout fly hook has a 
pronounced neck bend to it, all the better for 
reasons well to be seen into if you are a fisher¬ 
man and have used various hooks. The hook 
with the neck bend sets better in the lip, and 
once well fastened will prove its worth. Three 
flies are generally used on the leader, namely: 
the front fly or the first fly, the second fly and 
the third or last fly. These three flies should all 
be different. If in fishing you find that there is 
a certain one of these flies that catches more 
fish than the others, take off the neglected ones 
and tie on two like the one that is bringing in 
the fish, and you - will have better all around 
luck. 
To be able to go to a stream and land a 
creel full of beauties is not so enjoyable as to 
catch two or three with much work and study. 
“PURSUIT.” 
After all, it is not all in getting the fish. This 
is but one of the features of the pastime. There 
is the lavish display of nature around you which 
you may contemplate, and in the contemplation 
-find something to take your thoughts away from 
the. artificial side of life. There is the joy in 
feeling the rod move back and forth to the 
gentle turn of the wrist and to see the flies flick 
the water. There is the joy of steadily improv¬ 
ing upon your casting till you have attained the 
distance you have set as your goal and always 
the inspiration and glamour surrounding the bend 
ahead, or some pool where you have in the past 
caught your share of the poetic ones. 
In working your flies, fish close to you at 
first, and then gradually ahead, taking in all 
sides if it be possible. Make as little noise or 
disturbance as possible, moving through the 
(Continued on page 59.) 
