FOREST AND S T R E A M 
843 
Golden Club (reduced size) for either surface or deep 
water trolling after lake trout, muscalonge and 
salmon; belly, leaf gold; back dark red orange 
and gold stripes; along the sides three stripes 
of orange, green, purple wool; fins black, 
edged in red; tail chocolate, brown tip. 
Silver Shiner (reduced size) for either surface or deep 
water trolling after lake trout, muscalonge pike and 
salmon; belly, leaf silver; back dark blue green 
and silver stripes; along sides three stripes 
of purple, green, blue; tail brown, edge in 
cream; fins black, edge in gray. 
Silver Shiner and Golden Chub 
New Minnows for Surface or Deep Water Trolling After Big Lake Trout, Togue, Muscalonge, or Salmon 
(In the April number of Forest and Stream the author will describe and illustrate Nature Flies.) 
By Louis Rhead. 
ROM different sections of this 
country, Maine, Nova Scotia, 
Ontario, Lake Keuka in North¬ 
ern New York, there have 
come requests for a nature 
lure in the shape of a shiner 
minnow to take the place of 
natural bait; big enough for 
trolling in deep water after large game fishes 
running up to fifty pounds weight. To meet 
such a demand, it was necessary to make nu¬ 
merous trials to overcome certain difficulties, 
the greatest of which is to get a bait equally 
good for use at the surface and at the bottom. 
I succeeded at last in producing what may be 
seen on this page—a silver dace or shiner, and 
a golden chub, constructed in various materials 
round a single powerful hook five inches long- 
making the lure measure from nose to tail-tip 
six inches and a quarter long, over one inch deep 
from belly to back. 
Three sizes can be made, from nearly seven 
inches down to three inches. Each minnow 
is made in two parts, the back of cork wound 
in dark blue and light green raffia grass, rein¬ 
forced with silver tinsel. The belly is a solid 
strip of hard, heavy wood, cut to shape, covered 
over with real leaf gold or silver, which is var¬ 
nished to retain its lustre. 
Running along the middle body are three 
strands of bright blue, green and purple wool, 
well bound by strong silver wire. The side fins 
are cock’s hackles and the tail made of turkey’s 
tail feather cut to shape. 
In the illustration, anglers can only judge the 
form of this minnow; the beauty of color and 
truth to nature of this lure are impossible to de¬ 
scribe. The parts are so constructed and put to¬ 
gether as to make the minnow swim upright, and 
glide through the water when trolled, exactly as 
if it were living bait; in addition it has a buoy¬ 
ancy to float naturally wherever the sinker takes 
it, and not drop lifeless at the bottom. With 
this lure it has been found necessary to conform 
to the varied methods now in use in different 
localities for deep water trolling, and a short de¬ 
scription of these methods may be useful, along 
with the diagrams, to show how the minnow is 
attached to the line and the best way to capture 
these large game fishes. 
Various Methods of Trolling for Lake Trout. 
Spinning and trolling are chiefly carried on in 
large lakes where trout do not rise to the fly. 
The lake trout come to the surface very early in 
the spring, immediately the ice melts, and the 
angler trolls for him on or near the top of the 
water, the fish taking the lure viciously, but rarely 
jumping in the air. 
The proper tackle for surface trolling consists 
of a twelve-thread Ashaway cotton line to which 
is attached a strong four-ply three-foot gut lead¬ 
er. On the leader you fasten one or two buck¬ 
shot six inches apart. Use a good multiplying 
reel and an eight ounce rod, not longer than 
eight feet. If the trout run big the large size 
shiner is most seducing. It all depends upon the 
locality which bait is best, the silver or gold, 
though I think they will strike viciously at both. 
The deep water troll requires more elaborate 
tackle than that used in surface fishing. Attach 
a cone-shaped sinker to the end of the reel line, 
from three to sixteen ounces in weight, the size 
being dependent on the character of the bottom 
and the style of fishing preferred. If the bottom 
is jagged in shape, the line should be strong and 
the sinker comparatively small. The same holds 
good on smooth bottoms when fishing “slow and 
far off”; if you prefer fishing with a short line, 
the sinker must be heavy. Few trollers use a 
rod; the line held in the hand makes you more 
sensitive to the slightest touch of the lead on the 
bottom, which you must feel as your boatman 
rows slowly and regularly along. At the same 
time, a rod is much more valuable in playing the 
fish. Three feet above the sinker attach a strong 
single or double-twisted leader (the average 
weight of fish that are feeding should determine 
its strength) and two other leaders placed above 
the first, from six to ten feet apart, the distance 
to be judged by the depth at which the lake trout 
are taking the bait. Place swivels wherever need¬ 
ed, and let your sinker line be three feet long, 
and weaker than the reel line, so that in case of 
getting snagged among the bottom rocks you will 
only lose the sinker. Above all things have the 
boatman row slowly along and with a cadenced 
movement. The secret of success is proper 
speed, the right depth, and place. As a rule begin 
fishing late in the afternoon till dark. 
Trolling for Muscalonge. 
From among the many methods I have chosen 
the following as best suited to these new min¬ 
now lures. For some reason or other the mus¬ 
calonge is supposed to not be ready for live 
bait (minnows) until the fall. In the clear and 
swifter waters of the upper Ohio and its tribu¬ 
taries the muscalonge lies in the deep pools dur¬ 
ing summer and fall, where it is often taken by 
still fishing, but with these minnows it will be 
necessary to troll with a sinker light enough to 
be slowly trolled, similar to the methods prac¬ 
ticed on lakes, at various depths according to time 
and season and where the fish are known to be. 
The best months are September and October, and 
the most favorable hours are early morning and 
late afternoon, though on dark and cloudy days 
with a brisk wind, the middle of the day is just 
as favorable. 
For short casting, row slowly along in water 
from five to ten feet deep, and cast the minnow 
as near as possible to the edge of weed patches, 
reeling in again very slowly. When the wind and 
current are just right, it is a good plan to drift 
while casting. As soon as the fish strikes, and is 
well hooked, the boat should be moved to deeper, 
more open water by a skilled boatman, and care 
taken that the line is kept taut in order to lessen 
the chances of the fish taking to the weeds. The 
minnow may be trolled along the edges of the 
