April ii, 1908] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
581 
Fly-Fishing for Small-Mouth Bass. 
New York, March 14. — Editor .Forest and 
Stream: In a recent issue Mr. Leonard Finlettcr 
of Philadelphia writes for information regarding 
streams that afiford reliable fly-fishing for small- 
niouth bass. 
The upper portions of the river with which 
Mr. Finletter is probably most familiar fur¬ 
nishes as good results in this respect as many 
more remote and highly vaunted waters. The 
numerous members of the Forest and Stream 
family who have done considerable annual fish 
ing in this river will support me in the statement 
that the Delaware contains many rifts and falls 
which have commonly supplied excellent returns 
of black bass. I have never fished the West 
Branch; but on the East Branch, from 
the confluence of the Beaverkill down to 
the junction of the West and the East 
branches at Flancock, thence along the main 
river to Port Jervis, I have canoed and fished 
on a number of occasions. The best recommen-. 
dation that can be given the Delaware is the de¬ 
sire felt by those who have known it to renew 
an old association. It has even happened that 
this desire has found expression at times around 
a campfire in more distant and pretentious re¬ 
gions, after a run of poor fishing on the part of 
one or another among those whose memories 
have reverted to the river. 
From personal experience I mention the Dela¬ 
ware from the village of East Branch to West- 
colang Falls as a river productive of successful 
fly-fishing for small-mouth black bass. The repu¬ 
tation borne by the West Branch renders this 
assertion equally true of the latter. Clear and 
fairly low water is essential—the lower the bet¬ 
ter. July and August are the best months, but I 
have taken bass on the fly there late in Septem¬ 
ber. With suitable conditions of weather and 
water there is no reason why one’s efforts with 
the fly should not meet with a reasonable degree 
of reward. 
So far as localities are concerned, almost any 
reach that includes rifts and falls may safely be 
chosen. The river above and below East Branch 
has some good swift water. The same may be 
said of Plancock and on through Stockport. 
Lordville, Hankins, Long Eddy, Callicoon and 
Cochecton Falls to Narrowsburg. There are a 
number of rifts, heads of eddies and falls be¬ 
tween this point and Westcolang where bass will 
ordinarily rise freely to the fly. Below Westco¬ 
lang the length and depth of the eddies, together 
with excessive fishing in the vicinity of Lacka- 
waxen, make attempts at this form of fishing- 
useless. In this considerable stretch of fine bass 
water, the one spot most desirable of selection 
for fly-fishing is, to my judgment, that found up 
and down stream in the neighborhood of Long 
Eddy. A canoe trip down the Delaware enables 
one to avail himself of the various sections of 
river enumerated. Nightly stops can be made at 
the different villages which are conveniently lo 
cated for such a purpose, but camping, while 
affording no better facilities for fishing, is a 
more pleasant way. Another method frequently 
employed is to establish headquarters at one of 
the villages and from this place to make daily 
- excursions by rail or skiff to favored parts 
nearby. 
Mr. Finletter’s reference to large-mouth bass 
in connection with fly-fishing coincides with my 
experience. I have caught many of these fish 
weighing up to 3' J pounds on a fly in lakes, city 
reservoirs, shallow streams and at the heads of 
rifts and in small bays in rivers. The chief rea¬ 
son for their more frequent capture by means of 
the fly than is the case with the small-mouth 
probably is that, where they are present at all 
they are found in greater numbers than the 
small-mouth. A second reason is that much of 
the time they resort to less depth of water, 
whether running or still, and thus respond more 
readily to the fly. The same statement may be 
made of the strawberry bass. 
As to the manner of fly-fishing for small- 
mouth bass in the Delaware, it differs in no 
great way from that followed by Mr. Fin- 
I.ADY-JULIANA BERNERS. 
From an old print in the collection of Russell W . Wood 
ward. 
letter in his casting for trout and large mouth 
bass. Rifts from head to tail are covered. This 
naturally is “live” water and consequently need 
not be particularly shallow. Falls like Cochecton 
as well as others of smaller size will of them¬ 
selves provide a good day’s fishing. Small eddies 
below rocks and islands, as well as at bends in 
the river,' are likely spots. Deep, slow flowing- 
eddies early in the morning and toward evening 
when the fish are breaking, will offer excellent 
opportunities for securing large bass. The term 
“eddy” in this latter sense has, of course, the 
same significance as the designation of “still- 
water” as applied to like sections of water in 
the Hudson, the Mohawk and the Adirondack 
creeks. 
While we all pin our faith largely to special 
flies, and as warrant for this faith cite generous 
precedents, it is something of a question for all 
how much color and outline really have to do 
with the enticement of fish to the fly. There may 
be grounds for the contention of a certain Maine 
guide, noted for his success in fly-fishing, whose 
constant admonition is, “Quit changing your flics 
—you’re losing time; keep casting. A fish ’ll 
come along pretty soon, and if the fly you have 
on drops over him and if he wants it, he isn’t 
going to wait to study out the color.” How¬ 
ever, the flies that I have found most efficient on 
the Delaware—possibly because I used them 
most—are the Rube Wood, Seth Green and Fer¬ 
guson on No. 4 hooks, a stretcher and one drop 
per to the cast. On the upper Hudson and the 
Mohawk until about fourteen years ago—since 
which time I have not fished those rivers, and in 
consequence do not know the present customs— 
we used to a considerable extent on a No. 2 
hook, a fly of our own tying. In coloration this 
fly resembled the brown hen, but the contour was 
that of a salmon fly with greatly elongated and 
narrow wings. It was originally designed for use 
in fishing for wall-eyed pike, and proved very 
effective in the taking of those fish, while equally 
good for small-mouth bass. The silver doctor, 
professor, ibis and grizzly king were other fa 
vorites. It may be remarked that the capture of 
pike-perch on a fly, so far as my experience is 
concerned, has been confined to the Hudson and 
the Mohawk. Though I have caught quite a 
number of this variety of fish in the Delaware, 
it has always been on a casting spoon. 
There was another fish in the Hudson up to 
about fifteen years ago that displayed a great 
fondness for this nondescript long-winged fly, 
and that in the eagerness he manifested for pos¬ 
session of it usually left the astonished bass and 
pike fisherman with a stripped reel and a broken 
second joint. This conqueror was no less worthy 
an adversary than the Atlantic salmon, which 
after a successful introduction and a brief reign 
has, as a result of netting and river pollution, 
gone the way of the sturgeon and the later way 
of the shad. 
To return to the subject of the Delaware, it is 
possible at several of the villages along the way 
to procure boatmen or guides who can supply 
further information. They are not, however, 
much given to fly-fishing, even the best of the 
guides, that autocrat among rivermen, Joe 
Bivins, preferring his catfish and lamprey and 
hclgramite. Joseph W. Droogan. 
Bass Lures. 
New Salem, Inch, March 29.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: I have been very much interested 
in the answers Mr. Finletter has received through 
your paper in regard to catching black bass with 
the fly. 
I very much enjoy black bass fishing, but have 
always used bait; a minnow or crawfish pre¬ 
ferred. 
I would like to hear from some brother ang¬ 
lers in regard to what success they have had in 
using spoons, spinners, artificial minnows and 
insects. 
I have to go some ten or twelve miles to good 
fishing grounds and it is often a difficult matter 
to keep live bait in good condition. I have an 
8-ounce 6!/-foot steel rod and would like to use 
it in casting the lures. I would like to know 
the best kind and sizes of the lures also, if some 
one is kind enough to favor me with a reply. 
Willard P. King. 
