203 
FOREST AND STREAM 
row brook. The small, black rubber or 
aluminum reel (not bright nickel) should 
contain an oiled silk flat line (not tap¬ 
ered) of the finest and thinnest make. 
The leader should be six feet, of dark mist- 
colored gut, tapered fine, and to it tied 
one Number io sneck-eyed hook, without 
loop. The sneck hook is best because the 
twisted bend will hold the worm more 
firmly in place. Hooks may be changed to 
Number 9 or 11, according to the size fish 
you expect to capture. But remember that 
it is rare when fish over twelve inches are 
taken in brooks. 
Right way to hook worms — 
When impaling the worm on the hook, do 
not pass the hook through the middle of its 
body. It should be just hooked through the 
skin, which will hold if the barb is sharp. 
In that way, it enables the worm to stay 
much more lively, and live longer in the 
water; it is the lively, kicking movement 
that most attracts fish. A dead worm is of 
no value to tempt a fish to take it. Be 
careful to remove little bits of white rem¬ 
nants of previous worms; they should 
never be left on the hook. ’ 
For brook fishing, do not hook a bunch 
of worms, nor push the hook through the 
middle of the worm right up the shank. 
The bait should appear to the fish exactly 
like nature, as if alive. It does not mat¬ 
ter if the hook is visible. Indeed, it is 
better so, as it takes hold sooner bare than 
if covered with bait. 
Worm fishing in brooks — 
M OST brooks are not suited to fly cast¬ 
ing; and the only real good fishing 
is in the spring or after a long sum¬ 
mer rain. The most ideal conditions are 
when the brook is full, just after a good 
rain, still slightly colored so that the 
angler may not be visible to the fish.. At 
such times the banks have been well 
washed of worms and insect food—whet¬ 
ting the appetite of the fish for more. 
Do not use split shot. They are a great 
nuisance in getting tangled on stones and 
snags on the bottom. The water flow will 
carry the bait along better without shot, 
and will do it exactly like Nature does, 
sometimes at the surface, then again at the 
bottom. Split shot are only useful in deep 
pools, in lakes or rivers where big fish 
lie at the bottom. 
.In wading, take care to step lightly and 
without disturbing the bottom refuse that 
floats on before you. If the water be shal¬ 
low, in bright sunshine keep 
the rodtip down near the 
water; if the water is deep 
keep the rod up. Let out at 
least thirty feet of line from 
the reel and allow the bait to 
be carried by the water flow 
along riffs and eddies, under 
banks and bushes. When you 
get to a sunken tree or rock, 
or trunk roots in deeper 
water, permit the bait of itself 
to float close and under. Be 
alert all the time, ready to 
strike firmly but gently the 
instant you feel a touch. 
Never permit fish to gorge 
worms. A little fish will often 
take a worm that if swallowed 
down the gullet means sure 
death; and the fish may be 
under the size limit allowed by 
law. Be sure to carry a small 
net, so you can get the fish 
out of the water without com¬ 
motion or disturbing those 
that remain. If you capture 
one, try the place again. It 
does not follow that trout in 
brooks are isolated individuals 
like they are in larger rivers. 
Always hide behind convenient 
bushes or tree trunks or lie 
flat on the ground at open 
spaces^ And when possible let 
the line run as far as you can. 
Fly Fishers Are Apt to Sneer at the Patient “Worm Plugger” 
You will 
get many more fish if unobserved. 
Bottom fishing in lakes or rivers — 
T HERE is little of the true sportsman 
in this method of angling, but it 
means taking a larger number of 
fish than would otherwise be caught. In 
most lakes, fish feed almost exclusively 
on the bottom. Only at rare intervals, 
and mostly at sundown, do they rise to a 
fly. It is the common practice with coun¬ 
try fishermen to use a method called 
“drumming” in still water for trout and 
other fishes. It means simply throwing 
a plentiful supply of chopped up worms 
o\ er the boat’s side after it has been 
anchored for awhile and all is quiet. 
This attracts the trout to where the bait 
is placed, and they very soon take it: A 
hooked, wriggling worm, is almost certain 
to be effective. 
As to the location where they lie, it 
seems they most often move about in 
schools, so that after fishing one part of the 
I 
pool with poor results, it is best to move 
to other quarters. They usually lie fifteen 
feet from shore, in four to sixteen feet 
of water, unless there are shallows in the 
middle, with sunken logs or tree trunks 
and loots. They also stay around the 
edge of large rocks. In such places they 
feed on all kinds of aquatic insects. On 
very warm days, they seek deeper cooler 
water, leaving it for the shallows at sun¬ 
down, when they rise to the fly. 
Bottom fishing methods and tackle 
N lake bottom fishing, the most im¬ 
portant thing is to find the proper depth 
with a sinker. 
When it is found, Ihe Split-Shot Rig 
adjust the float so 
that the bait lies ex¬ 
actly six inches from 
the bottom. In trout 
fishing, if you hook a 
catfish, move away to 
another spot, for 
where catfish abound 
they fiercely attack 
trout with their sharp 
spines. Should cat¬ 
fish continue to take 
the bait, change the 
float so that the bait 
lies a foot higher 
from the bottom. 
The diagrams will 
sufficiently describe 
the rig. Bottom fish¬ 
ing tackle need not be 
over fine: a three foot 
leader with good 
spark sprout hooks, 
several split shot for 
sinkers, and a light 
float. The usual bait 
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