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The man who has fished trout with the fly dis¬ 
dains bait and looks down upon the bait fisher¬ 
man as one unworthy of his notice. That’s all 
very well, and we are glad that he’s a fly fisher¬ 
man, but everyone begins his career at the bot¬ 
tom, and sometimes, too, as the foregoing exam¬ 
ple shows, we have to fall back to primitive ways. 
Man’s primitive characteristics crop out con¬ 
tinually, but in the art of trout fishing these traits 
of savage man break all bonds. 
From June first we hold our annual reception 
to the fly and insect world, but the fact that their 
arrival makes the trout rise to the surface forces 
on the anglers’ world a very welcome reception. 
Fly fishing is the best of sports, and with steady 
practice and effort the amateur soon becomes the 
master hand. It is the cleanest fishing in the 
world, and takes the foremost rank in the meth¬ 
ods of conveying trout from water to creel. 
The beginner’s outfit should consist of, first, a 
light rod—preferably Leonard or Mills—an easy 
reel, heavy tapered silk line, six-foot leaders, and 
a book of flies and a landing net. Have a fisher¬ 
man pick them out for you, and before you stock 
up with flies learn the country you are to fish. 
I’ve seen men by the dozens come to the Brule 
with the prettiest collection of bright colored 
flies. They were simply adorable to look at, and 
when put side by side in a fly-book they would be 
sufficient amusement for any child. No wonder 
the little trout fails to respond to this concoction 
of feather and thread. I should think some of 
these men and their fly books would drive every 
trout in the Brule to the coldest depths of Su¬ 
perior. 
In the whole course of my fly-fishing days I 
have never used more than five varieties of flies, 
the simple gray hackle and bee bringing by far 
the best results. Put the fly that is most numer¬ 
ous on the water, on your leader as lead fly, and 
experiment with others until you find two flies 
that the trout take to. One fly is plenty after 
you discover the right one for that time of the 
summer. 
I have explained under-water fishing with flies 
in a former article, so will not take it up here. 
It is, however, the only way to net you fish on 
sunny days. When the trout strikes your fly, you 
will always see him or his splash and the second 
he strikes, jerk—otherwise he will spit out the 
fly and you have failed for that fish. The rain¬ 
bow, on once tasting the artificiality of a fly, will 
not re-strike. The brook trout will more often 
rise to your cast until you prick or capture him. 
In landing your trout, caution must be shown 
every minute. Keep your rod in the air and your 
line always taut. If once your trout finds slack 
line he breaks and shakes the fly from his mouth. 
There is nothing in the world so exasperating, or 
so conducive to teaching a man a new vocabulary 
as to lose a good fish once hooked. It is on these 
occasions that imagination sets in and some of 
the most realistic and fantastic fish stories are 
told. 
In fly casting for trout, move slowly but stead¬ 
ily down stream. Touch every corner of the 
water, and don’t miss any ripple, as in swift water 
trout generally feed on surface food. Learn to 
hit the water first with your flies and not curl 
your line in a thousand tangled loops on the same 
spot. Nothing but a sucker regards this as 
tempting, and he, poor devil, is too lazy to look 
upward. Never be in a hurry to land your fish 
and always use a net if he is an insignificant little 
FOREST AND STREAM 
fellow. You’re not—or I hope you are not—a 
market fisherman, and there’s no victory gained 
in numbers. Slow, steady fishing increases the 
number of your catch and there is not the after- 
math of dissatisfaction in losing any. 
You all know the best day is the cloudy, warm 
day when the water it low and clear. The sunny, 
bright day, unless you are built like a fairy, is a 
waste of time, except the under-water method. 
Early morning or night, when the shadow is on 
the water, is the only time on a bright day. 
CONCERNING THE “SHORT SPORT.” 
Fort Dodge, Iowa, March 29th, 1914. 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
I am gratified to note in the issue of March 
28th your plea for observance of the Federal law 
for the protection of migratory birds. Iowa is 
particularly unfortunate in respect to the protec¬ 
tion of game and fish. 
The open season on ducks, under the state law, 
is from September 1st to April 15th. Many of 
the hunters of the state, not to say sportsmen, 
claim the Iowa statute and the possession of a 
state hunting license confer the right to slaughter 
the limit of ducks on their way to the breeding 
grounds, regardless of the Federal statute for 
protection. 
I regret to say our state game warden takes 
the same view of the matter, and holds that the 
possession of a hunting license gives the holder 
the right to shoot ducks until the season closes. 
Co-operation on the part of the state authorities 
with the officers of the Federal Government 
would have gone far toward preventing the kill¬ 
ing of breeding ducks in Iowa this spring. 
The Jast legislature unfortunately enacted a 
statute permitting the spearing of carp, buffalo, 
suckers and other fish not classed among the 
game varieties, during the winter months. Streams 
have been low the past winter, the fish have con¬ 
gregated in the deep holes, and the spearman has 
taken toll of the finny tribe without much regard 
to kind or species. C. A. B. 
THE “SHORT SPORT.” 
Isn’t it Strange That Those for Whose Benefit the Law Was Enacted Should be the First to 
(Des Moines Register.& Leader.) Break It? 
