November, 1917 
FOREST AND STREAM 
531 
still running ebb and at its very lowest 
stage. This in reality is not so, as the 
young tide at the bottom is working out 
food which attracts the fish, and the move¬ 
ment of the bottom waters are not observ¬ 
able at the surface. 
While it is tru<^ that good catches of 
roving fish such as the Bluefish are 
sometimes made at low water, still it is 
not the rule, as such fish frequently strike 
their prey well at sea and in the pursuit 
rush them to the beach no matter what 
the stage of the tide may be. Should it 
be low water then the fisherman fortunate 
enough to be on hand will get his fish, but 
in no sense can it be an argument that 
low water conduces to the best result. 
To fish from the young of the flood, 
through to high water, and one quarter of 
the ebb, then quit, is a safe rule whether it 
be on tidal streams or on the beach front. 
And he who follows it through the sea¬ 
sons will get the best to be had. 
That the moon exerts a powerful influ¬ 
ence on all tidal waters is a matter of 
common knowledge, and that a light moon 
is always favorable to the sport is ac¬ 
knowledged. But a precept rife among 
the wise ones says: Never permit your 
catch to be exposed directly to the moon’s 
rays for any considerable time. That fish 
will deteriorate rapidly is well known’ 
owing doubtless to the phosphorus in the 
flesh which takes on some chemical action 
induced by the strong rays of light. If 
fishing from a boat a locker should al¬ 
ways be provided for the catch. If on the 
beach some covering should be improvised. 
I N studying tides for inland fishing much 
allowance must be made from the tables 
as printed in the daily papers. These 
are based on the stage of the water at the 
bar in the ocean. While they are accurate 
for that point, still the water will continue 
to run flood for at least two hours after 
high water on the bar and will run ebb at 
least three hours after low water mark. 
This will be found to be a very close cal¬ 
culation of tidal streams along the middle 
Atlantic seaboard, during normal tides. 
Winds, too, work their influence on the in¬ 
habitants of the sea. Usually all surface 
fish, or, as they are generally termed, free 
swimming fish, work their way against the 
wind; that is, if the wind is blowing from 
the west, their movements are toward the 
west. The reason for this is obvious: As 
the small fry fin their way along at the 
surface influenced by the wind and as¬ 
sisted somewhat by it, the larger and more 
powerful fish meet them in their travels, 
thus, as it were, having the food blown 
into their mouths, to their great conven¬ 
ience. Winds exert some unknown influ¬ 
ence on the bottom feeding varieties also, 
as it is well known that a southeast wind 
is always productive of slim catches, and 
(continued on page 558) 
A BASS BAIT FOR LATE SEASON FISHING 
THE CRICKET’S SHINY BLACK COLOR AND DUMPY 
BODY IS EASILY SEEN IN CLEAR, DEEP WATER 
By LOUIS RHEAD 
F ALL lishing in Lake George is peculiar. 
It has the distinction of being entirely 
different from most places, because 
both bass and lake trout lie low in very 
deep water, to be sure, very clear, but they 
are not captured unless you take them near 
the bottom. This lake also differs in that 
certain bottom beds are void, while nearby 
places are thick with fish. 
1 was told by experts who had tried it, 
“that to make a success while on a short 
trip it was indeed necessary to hire a local 
guide at four dollars a day. You may 
dicker him down to three, and you may 
not, but you certainly have to buy his live 
baits.” When I suggested artificial baits 
the guide looked up into the sky with a 
sort of disdainful, far-away sneer. “Why,” 
says he, “I never heard tell—after thirty 
years’ fishing, of a single fish being caught 
out of this lake with your wooden plugs 
or any other fish fraud. Our fish wants 
meat, the real thing, they are smellers, 
they are.” 
From these remarks, I concluded arti¬ 
ficial imitations are not welcomed by guides 
or fish and this chilly reception—at first— 
cooled my ardor. When I learned his little 
black frogs and half-dead crawfish sold at 
eight cents each, I could quite well see the 
stand he made concerning artificial baits. 
However, being determined to make trials, 
I declined his services as guide, also his 
baits, and set to work finding out for my¬ 
self the best places to fish. They were 
silent regarding any help or assistance for 
me to get sport. 
The first day or so, my efforts with flies, 
minnows and other surface baits were of 
no avail, but I was somewhat consoled to 
see they also got no fish on live bait. Then 
I changed the method and tried bottom 
fishing, both still and troll, and was amazed 
to find best luck in 40 to 60 feet of water. 
The first bass (over two pounds) was cap¬ 
tured on an artificial helgramite—a natural 
bait rarely used on Lake George. The fish 
struck it and missed, then followed on 25 
feet and took it again in grand style, 
hooked itself, and instantly rose above the 
surface. Other fish were caught later in 
the day on the artificial crawfish, but the 
best sport occurred in using the cricket. 
T HE cricket is a land insect, unused to 
water, though it swims at the surface 
with remarkable ease. After being 
impaled on the hook and immersed a little 
while it hangs limp on the hook. Just so 
does the grasshopper, another land insect. 
But the helgramite, a true water insect, 
after being hooked and put back in its ele¬ 
ment, kicks about and seems to enjoy life 
all the time you play him till devoured by 
the fish. Unless bass take the cricket right 
away, you soon have to replace it with a 
fresh one, and it is strange how deftly, and 
often they nip off the cricket from the 
hook. I carefully made an imitation with 
the sneck hook placed right under the body 
so that if fish did touch the bait they had 
to take the hook. I captured numerous 
bass on it, both in Lake George and the 
quick running water of the upper Dela¬ 
ware. In many respects I prefer the 
cricket as a late fall bait to the grasshop¬ 
per—perhaps because its deep black color 
and dumpy body is seen by the fish more 
easily in clear deep water and shallow col¬ 
ored water. 
A dealer told me, “he fished with crickets 
a good deal and considered it by far the 
best live bait for bass. The trouble is,” he 
continued, “that live crickets are so small 
till very late fishing, as to be useless in late- 
summer and early fall, and no artificial, so 
far, would induce fish to take them.” With 
that most anglers will agree, concerning 
the rubber fright now sold in the shops. 
The artificial here pictured alongside 
with an exact watercolor copy of a fine 
specimen of the living insect, will show 
how true the imitation is. The body is 
solid cork, painted by hand in black and 
varnished. The hind legs are quills of 
small feathers, legs of peacock’s herl, 
horns and tail wisks are pliable yet strong 
to keep their place after any rough usage 
by the quarry. 
Attached to a stout leader it can be 
manipulated to float, skip along the surface, 
or with the assistance of a small weight, 
can be made to jump around any depth you 
choose. The advantage of such an arti¬ 
ficial natural cricket is to make it possible 
to fish with this most effective insect: 
through a much longer period than pos¬ 
sible with the natural insect; indeed, I be¬ 
lieve, though not yet proved so, this cricket 
will be a perfect all round season bass bait. 
I AM sure when anglers once get expert 
_£ in the right method to use these sane, 
nature lures, exact, truthful imitations 
of natural insects, all the trials, worries 
and vexations due to either the capture or 
purchase of natural insects, and keeping 
them in fit condition for use, will vanish. 
Thus provided, the angler, along with his 
rod, reel and line, and a selection of live, 
though inanimate insects, can go where he 
pleases, start in to fish without loss of time, 
patience or expense. 
