526 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Along Northern Waterways the Moose Hunter Will Soon be Taking 
Why Nature Lures are Best for Good Sport 
Third Contribution on a Fascinating Subject From the Pen of One of the 
Best Authorities in the Country 
By Louis Rhead. 
OR several reasons it is necessary 
for me to give Forest and 
Stream anglers this month a 
supplementary article describing 
what “nature lures” means, and 
some hints as to their use. I 
hope next month to show a new 
crawfish, helgramite and lamper eel, these being 
laid over by reason of a greater demand for the 
frogs than was expected, which have been used 
with success both for large and small mouth bass, 
pike and pickerel in different parts of the country. 
In some instances, I found that in rather deep 
sluggish waters, bass refused to rise to the sur¬ 
face. To counteract this difficulty, one or two 
split buckshot should be attached close to the 
lure, which slowly sinks the frog or minnow near 
the bottom. Then by short jerks it should be 
brought back to the boat or bank to induce the 
fish to grab it. We have similar experiences in 
live frog fishing in Lakes George and Champlain. 
Continued success in fishing is impossible under 
such a variety of conditions, and good results 
all the time are dependent upon a certain amount 
of commonsense in the angler. Now and then 
these same difficulties occur with the minnow, so 
that if the bass or trout will not come up to the 
surface to take them, by all means, go down 
after them. At least, a trial will do no harm, 
though it is preferable to have surface fishing, 
when possible. 
In the upper Delaware and lower waters of 
the Beaverkill where I find the gamest small 
mouth bass in the state of New York, they will 
neither take (except isolated occasions) a live, 
or artificial frog, for the simple reason no frogs 
are found near those rivers. Offer them a min¬ 
now, a crab, helgramite or lamper, even a large 
kicking nightwalker worm, and you get the 
gamest fight that is possible to conceive. 
While I deem it to be of the greatest im¬ 
portance that artificial imitations should be exact 
copies of nature both in action and repose (so 
far as the limitations of materials will permit) 
I think it doubles its value if the lure can be 
made to act in the water just as the natural crea¬ 
ture does while impaled on the book. 
Thus it is the helgramite, if properly hooked 
at the edge of the thorax, when cast in the water, 
begins at once to move its numerous legs and 
feelers, vainly trying to swim to the bottom 
where it soon creeps and hides under a stone, 
if you permit it. From the angler’s standpoint, 
such a proceeding is the worst thing possible, 
for, if not taken by the fish before that occurs, 
then good-by to it and the hook as well. So 1 
content myself with making the helgramite 
float slightly under water with its legs gently 
moving by the action of the water. 
Most anglers will agree with what I call a 
division in fish food, viz., for lakes and ponds, 
various minnows, frogs, grasshoppers and large 
winged insects are safe lures, either natural or 
artificial. For rivers, in fast or sluggish water, 
the crawfish, helgramite and lamper eel may be 
relied on according to the abundance of natural 
food available where bass abide. 
From among the many letters received from 
brother anglers, I wish to correct the impression 
I am conducting a campaign against the use of 
plug lures. It is not so. I prefer to leave the 
matter of choosing their lures entirely to the 
good sense and judgement of the angler. 
If he desires the higher art of fishing, some 
His Silent Way. 
knowledge of what food fish eat and how they 
eat it is necessary. If he wants double the thrill 
and more fish in his basket,—a humane method 
to the bait and the fish, a fair chance to the gamy 
antagonist in the sport—then no angler can ques¬ 
tion lures advance the sport, and what is more, 
they will very soon become the only logical and 
sane method in the capture of game fishes, when 
a manufacturer is found to make them neater and 
cheaper than I am able to do with my own hands. 
Concerning Casting. 
Now as to casting the nature lures, or even 
live bait, it is most essential to have a long, fairly 
stiff bamboo rod, from ten to twelve feet. Let it 
be a good rod costing at least twenty dollars. 
The next best rod is one of steel. A famous 
maker is now turning out just the right tool for 
bass fishing. The best steel rod is much more 
worthy than a bamboo- at the same price. Of 
course if you can pay thirty or forty dollars for 
a bamboo, why that is the thing. Cheap or ex¬ 
pensive, the rod should have an agate top, also a 
large agate ring guide nearest the reel, the re¬ 
mainder being German silver snake guides. I 
can cast a lure ten feet further with the tapered 
dry fly line, which are neither sticky in damp, wet 
weather, nor do they twist or kink. 
If the rod is twelve feet, you can comfortably 
hold the lure up, on fifteen feet of line, then 
swing it out with force enough to make ten feet 
more slide through the guides from that surplus 
length lying ready drawn from the reel. If the 
water runs at a fairly good pace (river fishing) 
it will drag another ten feet after the lure falls 
on the surface if let out from the reel, thus 
making about fifty feet from the angler, quite 
sufficient for either bass or trout. 
If the lure floats, well and good—if not, jerk 
the tip and keep the lure from snagging rocks. 
Crawfish, helgramites and tampers are little 
devils for creeping under rocks. 
I have said before, when the game strikes live 
bait, let him go some distance to gorge, but 
strike instantly the game touches artificial lures 
of any and all kinds. 
