worth your learning; the question is, rather, whether you be capable of
learning it, for angling is somewhat like poetry, men are to be born
so: I mean with inclinations to it, though both may be heightened by
discourse and practice; but he that hopes to be a good angler must not
only bring an inquiring, searching, observing wit, but he must bring a
large measure of hope and patience, and a love and propensity to the art
itself; but having once got and practised it, then doubt not but angling
will prove to be so pleasant that it will prove to be like virtue, a
reward to itself.”—_Izaak Walton_.
“The black bass are unquestionably as fine a fish for angling
purposes as any we possess, and as an article of food are equal to our
best.”—_Parker Gilmore._
[Illustration: 0260]
1. Cheney.
2. White Miller.
3. La Belle.
4. Scarlet Ibis.
5. Shad-Fly.
6. Green and Gold.
“Never use too much power in casting; it is not only not necessary,
but it is injurious. You cast the line with the top and half the second
joint, and very little force suffices to bring this into play. If you
use more, all the effect is to bring the lower part of the rod into
action, which has very little spring compared with the top of it.”—
_Francis Francis._
“Although trout are taken with numerous angle worms, still frequently
all these will fail, and a colored imitation fly will lure them, and
herein lastly consists the science of the fisherman, in judging what
style of fly is appropriate to a peculiar state of the atmosphere or
reality.” _A. Robinson Warren._
“Black bass when struck and played will always head down stream.”—_W.
C. Harris._
“Fish always lose by being ‘got in and dressed.’ It is best to weigh
them while they are in the water. The only really large one I ever
caught got away with my leader when I first struck him. He weighed ten
pounds.”—_Charles Dudley Warner._
“The aim of the angler ought to be, to have his artificial fly
calculated, by its form and colors, to attract the notice of the fish;
in which case he has a much greater chance of success, than by making
the greatest efforts to imitate any particular species of fly.”
—_Professor Rennie._
“I fear it will be almost deemed heresy to place the black bass on a par
with the trout; at least, some such idea I had when I first heard the
two compared; but I am bold, and will go further. I consider he is the
superior of the two, for he is equally good as an article of food,
and much stronger and untiring in his efforts to escape when
hooked.”—_Parker Gilmore_.
“The one great ingredient in successful fly-fishing is patience. The man
whose fly is always on the water has the best chance. There is always a
chance of a fish or two, no matter how hopeless it looks. You never know
what may happen in fly-fishing.”—_Francis Francis._
“In bass fishing we have thought the moon to be an advantage. If it does
not guide the prey to the lure, it at least lends beauty to the scene
and bathes in its pale light the surroundings of the fisherman, which
are often so exceedingly beautiful. In addition, it assists him in his
work and enables him to handle his tackle more easily and play his fish
more comfortably.”—_Seth Green._
THE RESOURCES OF FLY-FISHING.
By Dr. James A. Henshall.
The charms of fly-fishing have been sung in song and story from time
immemorial by the poetically gifted devotees of the gentle art, who have
embalmed the memory of its aesthetic features in the living green of
graceful ferns, in the sweet-scented flowers of dell and dingle, and in
the liquid music of purling streams.
The fly-fisher is a lover of Nature, pure and simple, and has a
true and just appreciation of her poetic side, though he may lack the
artist’s skill to limn her beauties, or the poet’s genius to describe
them.
“To him who in the love of Nature holds
Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
A various language.”
And what delightful converse she holds with the fly-fisher, as with rod
and creel he follows the banks of the meandering stream, or wades
its pellucid waters, easting, ever and anon, the gossamer leader and
feathery lure into shadowy nooks, below sunny rapids, over foam-flecked
eddies, and on silent pools. She speaks to him through the rustling
leaves, murmurs to him from the flowing stream, and sighs to him in
the summer breeze. She is vocal in a myriad of voices, and manifest in
innumerable ways.
The still fisher, reclining on the mossy bank, is disposed to dreamy
reveries, to pleasant fancies; but the fly-fisher, with quickened
senses, has an ear for every sound, an eye for every object, and is
alive to every motion. He hears the hum of the bee, the chirp of the
cricket, the twitter of the sparrow, the dip of the swallow; he sees the
gay butterfly in its uncertain flight, the shadow of the drifting cloud,
the mossy rock, the modest violet, the open-eyed daisy; he is conscious
of the passing breeze, of the mellow sunlight, of the odors of the
flowers, of the fragrance of the fields. Nothing escapes his keen notice
as he casts his flies, hither and yon, in the eager expectation of a
rise.
Fly-fishing is, indeed, the poetry of angling. The capture of the salmon
is an epic poem, the taking of the trout an idyl. But it is not my
presumptuous purpose to ring the changes on the delights of salmon or
trout fishing, for they have been immortalized by the pens of gifted
anglers for ages. My feeble effort would be but a sorry imitation of
those glorious spirits who have made their last cast, who have crossed
to the other side of the river, and
“Gone before
To that unknown and silent shore.”
So, leaving the salmon, the trout, and the grayling to their well-earned
laurels, I wish to say a word for several less pretentious, because less
known, game-fishes, whose merits are perhaps as great for the fly-fisher
as those familiar game-beauties of the waters.
It is among the possibilities, in this world of transitory things, that
fly-fishing for the salmonids in the United States will, in the near
future, be known only by tradition. It should, therefore, be a source
of great consolation to the fly-fisher to know that there are now,
and perhaps will ever be, in the streams and lakes of this broad land,
percoid game-fishes equally worthy of his skill, which require only to
be known to be properly appreciated.
First among these is the black bass, which already ranks the brook trout
in the estimation of those anglers who know him best: and when I say
black bass, I include both species. The black bass is, at least, the
peer of the trout in game qualities, and in rising to the artificial
fly, under proper conditions. An allusion to a few of these conditions
may not seem out of place.
As a rule, the best time of day for fly-fishing for the black bass is
from an hour before sunset until dark, though there are times when he
will rise to the fly at almost any hour of the day.
It is important that the angler keep out of sight, and that the shadow
of his rod be not disclosed to the wary and suspicious bass; for if
he sees either, he will not notice the flies, however skillfully and
coaxingly they may be cast. Thus it is that the earlier and later hours
of the day are best; the angler, facing the sun, the shadows are cast
far behind him; or, before sunrise or after sunset, or on cloudy days,
the shadows are not so apparent, and the bass are more apt to rise. If
the fly-fisher for black bass will faithfully follow these precautions,
he will not be disappointed at the result.
There is another condition, equally important, that must ever be borne
in mind: The black bass will rise to the fly only in comparatively
shallow water, say from one to six feet in depth. This is a feature
often overlooked by many fly-fishers in their first experiences in black
bass fishing. They seem to think that he should rise to the fly in any
situation where he can be taken with bait; but a moment’s consideration
will show this to be fallacious. A brook trout will take a bait twenty
feet below the surface, but will not rise to a fly from the same depth.
Trout streams are generally shallow, while the salmon swims very near
the surface; thus it is that the angler is seldom disappointed in their
rising to the fly. On the other hand, the black bass, while inhabiting
larger and deeper streams, is, unlike the trout, a great rover, or
forager, frequenting both deep and shallow waters. As a rule, he is in
shallow water early in the season, retiring to the depths in the hottest
weather; again appearing on the shallows in the fall, and in winter
seeking the deepest water to be found. Trout inhabiting deep ponds and
lakes rise to the fly only when in comparatively shallow water, or
when near the surface. The fly-fisher, therefore, must expect to be
successful only when the proper conditions exist. I would like to pursue
this subject further, but in so brief an article as this, only the most
general and important features can be noticed.
Any good trout fly-rod, from ten to eleven feet long, and from eight to
nine ounces in weight, will answer for black bass fishing; the heavier
rod to be used only where the bass run quite large, averaging three
pounds or more. The best line is one of braided silk, tapered,
waterproof, and polished. The leader should be six feet of strong single
gut, and but two flies should be used in the cast. As to flies, the
angler must take his choice. My experience has led me to confine myself
to a dozen varieties for black bass fishing, and they are usually,
though not always, best in the order named: Polka, King of the Waters,
Professor, Oriole, Grizzly King, Coachman, Henshall, Oconomowoc, Ped
Ibis, Lord Baltimore, White and Ibis, and the various hackles
(palmers), the best being the brown. The Abbey, or Soldier, may often be
substituted for the King of the Waters, being similar in appearance, and
others may be substituted in like manner for several in the above list.
The Polka, Oriole, Oconomowoc and Henshall, are flies of my own
designing, and are usually very killing, especially the Polka, Their
construction is as follows:
Polka.—Body, scarlet, gold twist; hackle, red; wings black with white
spots (guinea fowl); tail, brown and white, mixed.
Oriole.—Body, black, gold tinsel; hackle, black; wings, yellow or
orange; tail, black and yellow, mixed.
Oconomowoc.—Body, creamy yellow; liackle, white and dun (deer’s tail);
tail, ginger; wings, cinnamon (woodcock).
Henshall.—Body, peacock herl; hackle, white hairs from deer’s tail;
wings, light drab (dove); tail, two or three fibres of peacock’s
tail-feather.
The Lord Baltimore fly originated with Prof. Alfred M. Mayer, of the
Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, its formula being
as follows:
Lord Baltimore.—Body, orange; hackle, tail, and wings black, with small
upper wings of jungle-cock.
Professor Mayer and myself, being natives of Baltimore, designed,
unknown to each other, a fly to embody the heraldic colors of Lord
Baltimore and the coat of arms of Maryland—black and orange. He named
his fly, “Lord Baltimore,” while mine I designated the “Oriole,” from
the Baltimore oriole, or hanging bird, which beautiful songster was
named in honor of Lord Baltimore, its colors being black and orange.
Black bass flies should not be too large, nor yet too small, the largest
brook trout flies being about the right size. They should be tied on
Sproat or O’Shaughnessy hooks, the first-named being the best, from Nos.
2 to 5. In the above list of flies, most of them are “general” flies,
one of which, at least, can be used in the cast under almost any
circumstances. The darkest ones are best for bright days and clear
water, the brighter ones for dark days or high water, and the lightest
ones, e. g.; Coachman and White and Ibis, after sundown.
There are several other inland fishes belonging to the same family
(_Centrarchidoe_) as the black bass, which, though generally lightly
esteemed, are good pan-fishes, are quite gamy, will rise eagerly to the
fly, and in the absence of more desirable fishes, afford good sport to
the fly-fisher with light and suitable tackle.
The Rock Bass (_Ambloplites rupestris_), sometimes called “Red-eye,” is
well-known west of the Allegha-nies. Its color is olive-green, with dark
mottled markings and brassy and coppery reflections. The iris of the eye
is scarlet. The dorsal fin has eleven spines and eleven soft rays; anal
fin, six spines and ten soft rays. It has a large mouth, rises well
to the fly, and when it attains its maximum weight of a pound or two,
fights vigorously on a six-ounce fly-rod and light tackle. Any of the
“general” trout flies, tied on Sproat hooks, Nos. 5 to 7, will answer
for rock bass.
The Calico Bass (_Pomoxys sparoides_), variously known as “Northern
Croppie,” “Strawberry Bass,” “Grass Bass,” “Silver Bass,”
“Chincapin Perch,” etc., is a very handsome fish, bright green and
silvery, with purplish reflections, and numerous dark spots or blotches.
The fins are also much mottled, especially the anal fin. It has a
smaller mouth, and is not quite so gamy as the rock bass, but is,
withal, a great favorite with many anglers. The radial formula of its
fins are: Dorsal, seven spines, fifteen soft rays; anal, six spines,
eighteen soft rays.
The Southern Croppie (_Pomoxys annularis_) is also called “Bachelor,”
“Tin-month,”
“Speckled-perch,”
“New-light,”
“Campbellite,” etc. It is closely allied to the last-named species,
but is not quite so deep in body, and has a larger, thinner, and more
delicate mouth. It is also much lighter in color, olivaceous, and
silvery, sometimes quite pale, with much smaller spots, and the anal
fin is pale and scarcely marked. Its dorsal fin has but six spines,
and fifteen soft rays; anal fin, six spines, eighteen rays. Both the
“Croppies” have large anal fins, fully as large as the dorsals. They
grow to two or three pounds in weight, usually swim in schools, and
lurk about logs, brush, or fallen trees, under dams, etc. They give fair
sport on a five-ounce rod. Trout flies of subdued tints should be used
for croppies, as the gray, brown and red hackles, gray drake, brown
drake, stone fly, black gnat, blue dun, etc.
The Black Sunfish (_Chaenobryttus gulosus_), known in the South as the
“War-mouth Perch,” is more nearly related to the black bass than any
other member of the family in its large mouth, the radial formula of its
fins, and to some extent in its coloration; it also partakes of the gamy
nature of the black bass to no inconsiderable degree. Its color is dark
olive-green on the back, the sides lighter, with blotches of blue and
coppery red, the belly brassy or yellowish; iris red; ear-flap black,
bordered with pale red. It has teeth on the tongue. Dorsal fin, ten
spines, nine soft rays; anal, three spines, eight rays. With a six-ounce
fly-rod, and any of the flies named for black bass, the fly-fisher will
find this fish worthy of his steel, as it grows to two pounds in weight.
The Blue Sunfish (_Lepomis pallidus_) is a very common and
widely-diffused species. In the South, it is known as the “Blue Bream,”
and “Copper-nosed Bream.” Its mouth is quite small. In color it is
olivaceous or bluish-green, with a distinct dusky spot on the last rays
of dorsal and anal fins. The dorsal has ten spines, eleven rays; anal,
three spines and ten soft rays. It is closely allied to the following
species.
The Long-eared Sunfish (_Lepomis megalotis_), or “Red-bellied Bream,”
or “Red-bellied Perch,” of the Southwest, is one of the handsomest
sunfishes. Its color is bluish on the back, with the belly red or
orange; cheeks with blue and red stripes; colors very brilliant; iris
bright red; ear-flap very large, black, with pale border. Dorsal fin
with ten spines, ten soft rays; anal, three spines, ten rays. Both this
and the last-named species are quite wary, very gamy, and are greatly
esteemed by Southern anglers, and not without reason. When they reach a
pound or two in weight they furnish excellent sport on a five-ounce rod.
Any of the trout-flies of gay patterns, as Red Ibis, White and Ibis,
Professor, Grizzly King, etc., on Sproat hooks, Nos. 8 to 10, will
answer, if the day be not too bright, in which event less showy flies
should be used. As a rule, any of the hackles (palmers), are good flies
for these or any fishes of this family.
The striped-bass group, or sub-family (_Labracinoe_), is composed of
some of our best game-fishes. They will all rise to the fly, but more
especially the fresh water species. Those of the coast, the striped-bass
or rock-fish (_Roccus lineatus_), and the white perch (_Roccus
americanus_), when they enter brackish and fresh-water streams, are
frequently taken with a gaudy fly.
The White Bass (_Roccus chrysops_), also called “Striped Lake Bass,” and
“Fresh-water Striped Bass,” is a well-known game-fish of the great
lakes and Upper Mississippi Valley, and is rightly held in much favor
by western anglers. Its color is silvery, darker above, with a number of
dark stripes along the sides, four or five being above the lateral line.
The mouth is large. There are two distinct dorsal fins, being entirely
separated. The first dorsal has nine spines; the second dorsal, one
spine and fourteen soft rays; anal fin has three spines and twelve soft
rays. A patch of teeth on base of tongue. Its usual weight is one to
three pounds, though it is occasionally taken up to four or five pounds.
It is good game, rises well to the fly, and on a six or seven-ounce rod
is capable of giving fine sport.
The Yellow Bass (_Roccus interruptus_), or “Brassy Bass,” or “Short
Striped Bass” takes the place of the white bass in the Lower Mississippi
Valley, and is closely allied to it, though it usually does not grow so
large by a pound or two. It has a smaller mouth, and has no teeth on the
base of its tongue. Its color is brassy, olivaceous above, with seven
very black stripes along its sides. The dorsal fins are somewhat
connected at the base. First dorsal has nine spines; second dorsal has
one spine and twelve soft rays; anal fin, three spines, nine soft rays.
Any of the flies recommended for the black bass, though made smaller and
tied on Sproat hooks, Nos. 4 to 6, will be found excellent for the white
and yellow bass.
In the perch family (_Percidoe_) are several species that are excellent
for the table, and not to be despised as game-fishes. The most commonly
known is The Yellow Perch (_Perca americana_), which inhabits most of
the waters of the Northwest and East, being found in both fresh and
brackish waters. In color it is dark olive with yellow sides, and some
halfdozen dark vertical bars; upper fins, dusky yellowish; lower fins,
reddish. Mouth moderate in size. First dorsal fin has thirteen spines;
second dorsal, one spine and thirteen soft rays; anal, two spines, eight
soft rays. It grows usually to a pound, though sometimes to double that
weight. It rises pretty well at times, to a small gaudy fly, and on a
five-ounce rod will give considerable sport to the angler.
The Pike-Perch (_Stizostedium vitreum_), likewise known as “Mall-eyed
Pike,” “Glass Eye,” and in some waters called “Salmon,” and in Canada
known as “Pickerel,” is a fine table fish, growing occasionally to
fifteen or twenty, and even to forty pounds, though its usual weight is
from four to six pounds. Its color is a greenish-olive, mottled with
brassy yellow; it has a large black spot on the first dorsal fin. Eye
large. First dorsal fin has thirteen spines; second dorsal, two spines
and twenty soft rays; anal, two spines, twelve rays.
There is a much smaller variety of this species (var. _salmoneum_),
which grows to but two or three pounds. It has a larger eye. Its color
is bluer, or greener than the above, and not so brassy. First dorsal has
fourteen spines; second dorsal, one spine, twenty soft rays; anal fin,
two spines, thirteen soft rays.
Both of these fishes, together with the next-named, are hard-pulling,
vigorous fishes on the rod, though they do not exhibit much dash or take
much line. They swim away rather slowly, but are constantly jerking,
tugging and pulling on the line in such a way as to compel the angler to
handle them carefully to preserve his tackle intact. They are regarded
with much favor by anglers in the West and Northwest. The same tackle is
used as for black bass.
The Saugek (_Stizostedium canadense_) is also called “Jack,”
“Sand-pike,”
“Gray-pike,” and “Battle-snake-pike.” It is closely related to the
foregoing species, though smaller, growing to a length of twelve to
fifteen inches. It is longer and rounder in proportion than any of the
pike-perches, with a more pointed head and smaller eye. Its color is
paler, grayish above, with brassy sides, which are marked by several
blackish blotches or patches. First dorsal fin has two or three rows of’
round black spots. First dorsal has twelve spines; second dorsal, one
spine, seventeen soft rays; anal, two spines, twelve soft rays.
Both species of pike-perch are nocturnal (the last not so much so), and
are very similar in their habits. Usually they rise best to the fly at
sundown, continuing until late in the evening, especially on moonlight
nights; therefore at least one fly in the cast should be some
light-colored fly, as the Coachman, White and Ibis, or Miller.
Sometimes, however, darker flies are just as good after nightfall as
during daylight. The flies for pike-perch should be as large or larger
than bass flies, and should be tied on Sproat hooks, Nos. 1 to 3.
The angler who is so unfortunately situated as to be debarred from
salmon, trout, or black bass fly-fishing, can always find in the small
streams or ponds near him, one or more of the fishes described in the
foregoing account, when, by the use of very light and suitable
tackle, he can enjoy to a great degree the delights and pleasures of
fly-fishing.
Even the despised pike or pickerel species (_Esocidoe_) and some of the
catfishes will rise to a large and gaudy fly. In Florida I have taken
catfish with the artificial fly until my arms ached and I was fain
to cry quits. I have also taken many marine species with the fly,
as red-fish, blue-fish, sea-trout, snappers, groupers, crevalle,
bone-fish, snooks, etc., etc., and once, as a matter of experiment,
a five-foot alligator. The ‘gator was taken with a “fly” tied on a
shark-hook, the hackled body being a squirrel’s tail, with wings of a
small seagull. The rod, used on that occasion only, was a light pine
sprit (belonging to the sail of a small boat), fifteen feet in length,
an inch and a half in diameter at the centre and tapering to an inch at
each end.
Thus it will be seen that the opportunities and resources for
fly-fishing are nearly as great as for baitfishing, and that it only
remains for the angler to take advantage of them, study the habits of
the fishes, attain the necessary skill in casting, and practice due
caution in fishing.
“All the charm of the angler’s life would be lost but for these hours of
thought and memory. All along a brook, all day on lake or river,
while he takes his sport, he thinks. All the long evenings in camp, or
cottage, or inn, he tells stories of his own life, hears stories of
his friends’ lives, and if alone calls up the magic of memory.”—_W. C.
Prime._
“It is a mooted question among the very best ‘fly-fishers,’ whether an
exact representation of the living insect is necessary to insure success
in angling with the fly. The Scotch flies are not imitations of living
insects; and the best anglers in that country maintain the opinion that
it is absolutely useless and unnecessary to imitate any insect either
winged or otherwise.”—“_Frank Forester._”
[Illustration: 0278]
7. Henshall.
8. “Oconomowoc.”
9. Oriole.
10. Polka.
11. Ondawa.
12. “W. T.”
“Sometimes, of course, the loss of fish, or even fish and tackle,
cannot be avoided: but good, careful work and the best materials will
frequently obviate so annoying an ordeal. However, having struck your
fish, the tackle and your own coolness are generally responsible for the
issue, and woe betide you if careless knot or indifferent tying should
have been made in constructing your leader or fry,”—_Parker Gilmore_.