44 
FOREST AND STREAM 
July 13, 1912 
dom realizes their height. Of course there is 
a wide, deep pool below the falls, with great 
white drifts of foam circling and eddying upon 
the surface of the unquiet water. A rainbow 
fisherman need not be told that large rainbow 
are sure to be found in such a deep and well 
aerated pool. 
“Manifestly fly-fishing is well nigh impossible; 
that is, unless one uses a boat, a practice fraught 
with great danger and not to be recommended. 
However, on close, mizzling days, one can have 
considerable sport fly-fishing, providing he is 
possessed of more than a little skill with the 
rod and can ‘lay a long line.’ But with bait¬ 
fishing the case is different. There is no neces¬ 
sity for a long cast, the strong current taking 
the line out usually as far as the fisherman cares 
to have it go, and unless he keeps one eye upon 
the spool, the current will tease more line from 
the reel than he is aware, the result being that 
he may face a battle with an empty spool. 
“We had been fishing for several days before 
we discovered that not until after sunset did the 
large rainbow begin to feed. Oh, we had taken 
a number of fish, both speckled trout and rain¬ 
bow, fishing early in the morning and again in 
the afternoon, but the glimpses of broad tails 
we semi-occasionally caught made us dissatisfied 
with our successes, for we knew that the fishes 
of our dreams were feeding right before us day 
after day. Some of us took to invoking the 
fates, others cursed, while we all invented new 
flies and baits. Some two and one three-pound 
rainbow were taken, but either we were unable 
to reach the large fish, or they would have noth¬ 
ing to »do with our lures. As a rule we had 
found grasshoppers the best live bait, though 
shiner minnows were a close second. 
“Then , one afternoon my fishing mate and I 
put our heads together, the result being that we 
determined to try night-fishing, which for some 
unknown reason none of the party had thought 
of doing. We provided ourselves with a couple 
dozen large shiner minnows, then just as the 
full moon rose, stole out of camp without excit¬ 
ing the suspicions of our companions. We made 
our way along the piled-up rocks to the foot of 
the falls, where we took positions only a few 
feet apart, so that we could make one another 
hear, and began to pay out our lines. We had 
fished so continuously that we were intimately 
acquainted with every eddy and current, and 
knew just about what our baited hooks would 
do. By watching our spools we were able to 
judge quite accurately the amount of line we had 
out. So we waited, each on the qui vive, ex¬ 
pecting the first sharp tug which usually an¬ 
nounces the presence of a rainbow. 
“My companion, more fortunate than I, hooked 
the first fish; a good one, I judged, from the 
manner in which his rod bent to the strain. 
Shouting something which was lost in the roar 
of the falls, he dashed away along the rock- 
strewn shore, seeking to draw the fish out of 
the heavy current. Fortunately the angler had 
plenty of line on his large multiplying reel, so 
that he was able to successfully accomplish the 
maneuver. I would like to have seen the battle, 
but there were two reasons why I was unable 
to act the role of spectator. First, the drifting 
mist concealed him for the greater part of the 
time; then, too, he was standing in the shadow 
of the bluff; secondly, I had hooked a fish which 
required my undivided attention. Just when my 
fish struck I am unable to say, for I was more 
occupied with the scrambles of my companion 
than I was with my own line, the wily rainbow 
seizing the opportunity to swallow my minnow 
and sneak to the other side of the pool. When 
I became aware of the fact that I was fast to 
a fish, my enemy was on the far side of the pool, 
between us a raging, seething torrent. Of course 
there was but one thing to do, attempt to drag 
him through the swift water by main strength, 
trusting that tackle and hook would hold. But 
why prolong the story? The weight of the water 
was too great, the hook tore out, and I reeled 
in glad to escape with so light a toll. 
“While I was rebaiting, my companion came 
clambering over the rocks, bearing in his hand 
a fine four-pound rainbow which he had landed, 
and over which he gloated exceedingly. I told 
him to give me the inside position and I would 
go him a pound better, but in spite of my boast 
he hooked the next fish and I reeled in so that 
he might get down the shore into quieter water, 
for to attempt to land a fish where it would have 
the advantage of the heavy current was suicidal. 
While my companion was playing his capture, I 
hooked a fish, and keeping away from the cur¬ 
rent, led him into quiet water and fought the 
battle to a successful finish. My fish was larger 
than my companion’s second, but not So large 
as the first, a fact which gave him great pleasure. 
“Well, we fished until 11 o’clock, when we 
fastened on our last brace of minnows, the moon 
directly overhead, making the gorge almost as 
light as day, save when the gentle breeze would 
waft the ever-present cloud of vapor between us 
and her smiling face. It was a never-to-be-for¬ 
gotten experience, and if such fishing be not 
sport, I do not know what is. 
“With his last minnow my companion hooked 
and lost what he insisted was the largest fish of 
the evening, but I shouted in his ear something 
about the largest fish always escaping, wh'ch he 
took with poor grace. Then I hooked a real fish 
and he took the minnow with a rush, the ‘feel’ 
of the rod indicating that he was well hooked. 
Sprinting away over the rocky beach I reached 
the edge of the still water, where, gently but 
firmly, I coaxed my antagonist out of the mael¬ 
strom into a more quiet portion of the pool 
where we fought the battle. Again and again the 
rainbow leaped, but always the hook held. I 
have been tempted to assert after certain rain¬ 
bow expeditions that small fish are more active 
than the large, which if true simply proves that 
the last fish that night was an exception to the 
rule. How long the struggle continued I am 
unable to say, perhaps fifteen minutes, maybe 
half an hqur, for under such circumstances each 
moment is an eternity long, and no watch records 
correct time. At last the battle was over, the 
fish netted and killed. My companion said that 
he would easily weigh six pounds, but I wish¬ 
ing to be conservative, placed him at five pounds, 
though I am positive that the real weight was 
somewhat more. 
“Sitting on the bare rocks, there in the moon¬ 
light we took stock of the evening’s sport. Seven 
fish, of which my companion had taken four, 
while I had to be content with three; however, 
I was satisfied, for I had taken the largest fish 
of the evening. We estimated that the string, 
one cannot say basket, would have weighed in 
the neighborhood of nineteen or twenty pounds, 
which if true would have averaged out three 
pounds apiece; not so bad, was it? 
“After our experience, night-fishing became 
the regular thing, and always with greater or 
less success, though no two anglers ever did so 
well in a single evening as did my companion 
and I on the first night. Since that time I have 
resorted to night-fishing with bait, live m.nnows 
or grashoppers, when seeking rainbow in vari¬ 
ous waters, and always with marked success. 
One will need a rather heavy fly-rod, say a 
seven-ounce, and a large multiplying reel. I 
know some of my friends use a bait-rod for the 
work, but I like the action of a fly-rod and 
always use one. Some time I am going to try 
the sport with a large automatic reel; then if 
T can 'keep my head’ I am sure that royal fun 
will be my portion.’’ 
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