1132 
FOREST AND STREAM 
forming the front wall, arid from the top of rear 
wall along each side to the front ground corners, 
the muslin was reinforced by three-quarter-inch 
tape sewed on the inside. 
'We were camping in the vicinity of the late 
home of the lamented Theodore Gordon, sage 
of the Neversink, super-angler and ardent na¬ 
ture student. It was the privilege of the writer 
to meet Mr. Gordon along the stream that he 
loved, the summer before his death, when he 
mentioned in the course of casual conversation 
that he was tying some flies for a gentleman in 
Nova Scotia after specimens of native insects 
much had been sent him. It was also my pleasure 
to make the acquaintance during the past winter 
of Dr. Edwara Breck, at an interesting lecture 
that he delivered in the interests of the Naval 
Defense League. The Neversink country being 
mentioned, Dr. Breck inquired if I had ever met 
Gordon. I then recalled the incident of “the 
Nova Scotia gentleman.” “Yes,” said Breck, “I 
am that fellow.” 
The beautiful Neversink is a stream not enough 
appreciated by our Eastern anglers, but those 
who do realize its charm will be glad to learn 
while no one may fill Theodore Gordon’s unique 
place as a writer beloved of all gentle anglers, 
that flies tied in the exquisite Gordon fashion 
are still obtainable from Gordon’s friend and 
neighbor, Mr. H. B. Christian, of Neversink, who 
was intimately acquainted with Gordon and his 
work. We know of one of the Christian flies 
that caught nineteen goodly trout and remained 
in excellent working order; they certainly are 
tied to stay. In the July number of this maga¬ 
zine Dr. Breck says of the Nova Scotia trout: 
“I don’t think our uneducated trout take much to 
the dry fly, but I use it mostly here, all the same, 
for, though the wet fly gets five where the dry 
lures one, the use of the dry is far more fasci¬ 
nating. The best luck I have had with some 
flies made for me by that finest of all anglers, 
the late Theodore Gordon. These were tied by 
Gordon from insects, well preserved, that I sent 
him from here, and were beautifully wrought.” 
Noteworthy features of our trip, from the 
angling standpoint, were that three-fourths of 
all the fishing done was with the single dry fly, 
the “flootem” preparation being immersion of 
the fly in ordinary kerosene carried in a small 
widemouthed bottle, that fly-fishing would creel 
seven or eight fario to every Salvelinus, but that 
fishing the riffles with minnows would fill a 
creel with native trout that would average eight 
to nine inches, and that the largest trout caught 
was on a No. 1 2 dry fly (ribbed hare’s ear). 
He was a beauty, just sixteen inches long, and 
the capture was the result of a pretty piece of 
scientific and persistent angling upon the part of 
Dr. T. of the party. Said trout, who lay behind 
a certain log in about four feet of water, had run 
off with the doctor’s fly the previous day, but 
my friend hac: grimly determined on reprisal. 
The victim rose only after fully three-quarters 
of an hour of almost continuous casting, was 
snaked out from behind his log, downstream, 
in jig time, and shortly netted. The same lucky 
member of the outfit killed one evening, within 
two hours and 200 yards of camp, and with 
scarcely moving out of his tracks eleven beauti¬ 
ful fish that measured from eight to ten inches. 
With the aid of a glass the reader may discern 
the big trout’s head stuck upon the end of the 
post from which are suspended the creels in one 
of the photographs. 
Another interesting thing was the numerous 
catch of a blue fly one evening on a certain part 
of the stream. The air was full of them. They 
had about an inch spread of wings and a body 
approximately five-eighths of an inch long. The 
whole fly was a deep blue, and is termed by local 
anglers the “Blue Granite.” A couple of miles 
lower down the stream the flight of this fly did 
not appear at all that day. I was told that they 
were prominent for about two weeks in June. 
The nearest I could match it was with a Blue 
Dun, and I had an exciting few moments, which 
was all off when after a couple of good rises the 
sad discovery was made that the point was gone 
from the hook—for I had no more blue flies 
with me! 
A twelve foot square tent fly that we stretched 
between our two tents proved a life saver; it 
also was of unbleached muslin treated with lead 
and alum. We could cook under that during the 
rain; we had pitched camp in the rain, continued 
to camp in the rain most of the time, and all but 
broke camp in the rain. 
GO FOR BLACK BASS IN SEPTEMBER 
AFTER THE SUMMER HEAT THIS BEST OF ALL 
GAME FISH TAKES ON NEW FIGHTING STRENGTH 
I N September the black bass fishing begins to 
improve a little after the hot days of August. 
The nights are not so warm, consequently the 
surface of the waters cool off, which cooling is 
felt immediately by the fish, evidenced by the 
renewal of their voracious appetites and their 
ranging once more around the shores in the 
early morning and late afternoon. 
But it is not until the latter part of the month 
that any real fishing can be done around the 
shores, except in the very early or late hours, 
as mentioned. In the bright sunlight they are 
invariably in the deeper, cooler waters where 
there are usually enough small fish to satisfy 
their hunger, and not having any particular 
reason for going into the warm shallow waters 
during these hours they will not do so. 
Even in the latter part of the month the shore 
fishing is apt to be very spasmodic. If there be 
a good cool breeze blowing the fish will very 
likely be in there and furnish a few hours of 
fine sport, and if one can figure these times out 
successfully a good catch of fish will be the 
result. 
As a matter of fact, however, September is 
really a trolling month, the results being, as a 
rule, much better than from any other method. 
But the trolling must be done in the deep waters 
during the middle of the day and not alo*-g the 
By Black Bass. 
shores, as is the case with pickerel fishing at 
this season. 
There are several methods and rigs that can 
be used successfully at this time, the best being 
perhaps somewhat in the order of the following: 
A short, stiff rod, preferably of bait casting 
quality, a double or quadruple multiplying reel 
and fifty yards of rather heavy linen line, a five 
or six-foot leader and a medium sized sneck 
hook, the size of hook really depending on the 
bait to be used. 
On the end of the line attach an egg-shaped 
sinker of a weight heavy enough to keep just 
clear of the bottom when the boat is rowed at 
trolling speed. This may be judged by feeling 
the sinker touch bottom every time the boat 
slows up a trifle. 
Although this method will immediately sug¬ 
gest weeds to the “old timer,” there is no need 
to worry about them as the trolling is to be 
done in waters practically clear of them. 
Four feet above the sinker fasten the leader, 
and on the end of the leader attach a sneck 
hook and impail a (dead) minnow (preferably 
a large, hardy lake minnow about the size of 
an ordinary sardine) by putting the hook 
through the mouth, out of the gill and again 
through the body just above the tail. 
With this rig the deepest holes of the lake 
should be sought. Let out enough line so that 
the sinker will touch bottom every time a hill 
or hummock i; crossed, the object being to get 
the bait down just as far as possible, for that 
is where the fish are. 
The boat may be rowed as fast as desired 
providing the bait stays down. 
There is another rig that is used largely in 
Vermont for lake trout, but which will work 
equally well for bass. It is called the “jigger” 
or “umbrella rig.” 
Secure a complete rib of an umbrella with 
the short, right angle rib attached. On the 
bottom of the long rib fasten a heavy egg-shaped 
sinker. To the end of the short, or right angle 
rib, attach a six-foot leader, at the other end of 
which is the sneck hook and bait. Fasten the 
end of the line to the upper end of the long rib. 
Lower the outfit to the bottom and row at a 
good speed over the deep holes. At such a 
depth bass are not at all frightened by such a 
seemingly outlandish contrivance, but, on the 
other hand, seem to be very much appealed to 
by the disturbance it stirs up as it goes jigging 
over the bottom. 
A few years ago trolling with a wooden min¬ 
now for bass proved to be quite successful, but 
of late years it is in only the most virgin waters 
that such a bait will be taken by even a pickerel, 
to say nothing of bass. 
Just why this is so no one can say. Fish can- 
