On a New England Trout Brook 
By Stillman Taylor. 
As the sport of fishing appeals more strongly 
to all the ages of man than other outdoor sports, 
so does fly-fishing for trout afford a delightful 
diversion for the discriminating disciples of rod 
and line. The call of the Red God is Nature’s 
own invitation to her shut-in children of the 
brick-walled town, and fly-fishing seems especial¬ 
ly fitting, since the fine art of casting is in itself 
an enjoyable sport, while fishing leads one away 
from everyday routine to new scenes in the very 
heart of the quidt country. And yet, those an¬ 
glers who are sorely pressed for time and must 
also husband their vacation funds, need no't jour¬ 
ney afar off to experience in full the joy of 
fishing. Many of the numerous small streams 
conveniently reached from town, contain trout, 
and these chummy little brooks with their cheery 
song are well worth getting acquainted with. 
The charm of the meandering brook lies in its 
ever-changing variety; here we find it leaping 
over the miniature rapids to fill the air with 
merry sound, while just around the bend below, 
where huge boulders guard the way, it gurgles in 
and out like a laughing schoolgirl tripping her 
homeward way—until, at length, it emerges from 
the woodland to flow serenely through the 
meadow, where the cowslips, like golden stars in 
their dress of green, add a touch of color to 
the drab grassland. Verily, the charm of the 
trout brook is best interpreted by the angler, and 
one must fish its sinuous way, not once or twice, 
but many times, mayhap, before the Fair Spirit 
of the brook is met. 
The little brook of Old New England is the 
first and only love of many veteran anglers, who, 
after experiencing the strenuous excitement that 
comes to the fly-fisherman on our large northern 
rivers, replete with foaming rapids, thundering 
waterfalls and mighty trout, again wend their 
steps to the companionable brook to listen anew 
to the song that no amount of repetition renders 
monotonous. 
The expert and the novice fish over the same 
water, the skillful sportsman invariably using 
light, well-balanced tackle to cast his flies, while 
the tyro is often equipped with clumsy tackle, 
and plins his faith to the lowly angleworm. The 
difference between these two rodsters is the dis¬ 
tinction existing between angling and fishing; 
the dissimilarity between that which is scientific 
and that which is haphazardly done. The old 
fly-caster has long ago learned that the major 
portion of the angler’s joy depends upon employ¬ 
ing rod and tackle well suited to the fish he is 
after, and as his outfit is light enough to give 
the trout a fighting chance, he has acquired con¬ 
siderable skill in handling his tackle. The heavy 
multiplying reel and stout line of the pond fish¬ 
erman, so often seen on the trout brook, is 
obviously pretty poor equipment for practicing 
the finer arts of fishing, and though many trout 
may be taken, after a clumsy fashion, the angler 
cannot know in the fullest measure what rare 
good sport is afforded him who angles in a 
sportsmanlike manner. 
Good tackle is ever conducive to enjoyable fish¬ 
ing and to a better knowledge and appreciation 
of the sport, while poor and unsuitable tackle 
prevents one from ever attaining anything ap¬ 
proaching skillful handling of the tools of the 
craft. For success, the fly-caster depends upon 
his knowledge of the trout’s habits, the selection 
of suitable flies, and the skillful handling of the 
feathered lure on the water, and, fishing sys- 
Taking Home the Bacon!—T. W. Adickes With 
28 lb. Channel Bass Caught at Topsail Inlet, 
N. C., May 1, 1914. 
tematically, he creels a goodly number of trout 
The novice, on the other hand, fishes in a hit-or> 
miss fashion, and while he has the supremacj 
in so far as strength of tackle gives him a brutal 
advantage over the trout, he drops his baited 
hook indifferently, alike in good water and in 
places where no trout were ever found, and—« 
how very often we meet him returning at sun¬ 
down, disappointed, and with an empty creel! 
For brook trout fishing with the fly, let youl 
tackle be light, and for the rod pick out a good, 
honestly made split-bamboo. There is an unlim¬ 
ited amount of cheap machine-made bamboo rods 
on the market, and these must be avoided il 
the angler expects to get much satisfaction from 
fly-fishing. Of course, if you are a noveau, the 
first outfit may include a cheaper rod and less 
expensive tackle than would satisfy the veteran 
angler. However, let your tools be suited to the 
sport, and though you make the beginning with 
a cheap outfit, do not purchase hastily, but sift 
well the market before choosing. The balance 
of the rod is of the utmost importance, and as 
physical characteristics of indi-dduals differ, it 
follows that the rod suited for one may not prove 
the best for another. For a cheap rod, a well 
made greenheart fly-rod will give better satisfac¬ 
tion and longer service than a cheap split-bam¬ 
boo. If the angler is willing to pay fifteen dol¬ 
lars and upward, the hand-made split bamboo is 
the logical choice, otherwise the greenheart rod. 
The overgrown bank of the average small trout 
brook calls for a shorter and somewhat stiffer 
rod than one would use in whipping the larger 
and more open streams of the north, and a rod 
eight and a half feet long and weighing about 
six ounces is the best choice. Before purchasing, 
test the action and balance of the rod yourself, 
by placing the reel you intend to use in posi¬ 
tion, then joint the rod, and whip it through the 
air a few times by making imaginary casts. The 
rod should have a fair amount of backbone, but 
the too stiff rod and the willowy one alike should 
be passed by. 
The ideal reel for fly-fishing is one of the sin¬ 
gle-action click variety, and the best design is 
that provided with the handle affixed directly to 
the evolving side-plate. This is generally known 
as the “British style,” and is most satisfactory, 
since there is no balanced handle or other pro¬ 
jection to foul the line. The heavy multiplying 
reel, designed for free-reel casting, is entirely 
unsuited for fly-fishing. A high grade reel will 
cost in the neighborhood of ten dollars, but a 
very good one, similar to the “Expert,” may be 
had for two dollars. 
Fly-fishing demands a line that is fairly strong, 
smooth and very flexible, and the most satisfac¬ 
tory kind is enameled silk, a waterproof line 
costing from one to two dollars for the twenty- 
five-yard length in E size. A line of this length 
is ample for small stream fishing, and while the 
expert will probably choose a tapered line, these 
are somewhat expensive and afford no special 
advantages over the ordinary or ‘flevel” lines for 
brook casting. Pick out a hard surfaced line, 
with flexible enamel; one that is pliable, but does 
not feel sticky between the fingers. 
The gut leader should be finely drawn for fly- 
fishing, with a breaking strain much less than 
that of the line. Many fishermen err in using 
leaders and lines too stout for their rods. There¬ 
fore, let your line and leader be as light as you 
can safely use. A three-foot leader is the most 
useful size, and while a longer one may be used, 
its disadvantages will become apparent when at¬ 
tempting to reel in the trout within reach of the 
short-handled landing net. Leaders may be pur¬ 
chased ready tied up, and gut stained a grey or 
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