Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-09-07

We take the following from the works of
the late W. 7. Porter;
Fly-fshing requires many natural attri-
t- butes among which must be chiefly emu
merated, light and flexible hand and arm,
q quick eye and one that. can "squint
- straight" caution, GOODNESS, and an extreme
delicacy of touch. From the sources of the
Delaware and the Susquehanna to those of
the Kennebec, and in the thousand mountain
streams flowing into the st. Lawrence,
trout-fshing may now be enjoyed MAY and
. June) in the utmost perfection. We have
dreamed, or have somewhere heard, that it
is not until the cowslip has shed its golden
smiles over the meadows, and your ears are
saluted with the vernal notes of the reed
sparrow; when the "ephemera or May-hy
is seen (courting its destruction) giddiiy to
Wanton over the surface of the stream which
only few hours before braught it into ex-
istence, that trout are initiated into con-
dition," and rise freely TO the fly. You may
now see them lurking in every direction in
the ponds Of New England; while on Long
- Island, be that can not kill twenty brace at
the close of summer afternoon, or before
the sun gets up, should not be allowed to
wet a line. The grey and green drake,
which the nearest resembles the May-hy,
succeed it in their season, and are equally
welcomed by Johnny Trout" The palmer
family followed in order, and may be used
throughout the season with success. But
there is, during the still evening of mid
summer, a minute black gnat, which riots in
myriads over every stream, and we bave
seen trout in a continual state of excitement
for above an hour in carping at these gnats
We confess our entire disbelief in doctrine
considered orthodox by many, that each
season and stream has its peculiar and ap-
propriate flies; and we have arrived at this
conclusion, after as much practical expert
enee as many Waltonians who have attained
the age of fourscore. Since we were stout
enough to WELD rod, our constant custom
Of an afternoon has been to put it to use, if,
by hook or by crook we could; for the
which propensity many is the birchen one
we have had applied to our shoulders, and
we are free to say that our experience goes
TO prove, that with three flies well matched
there is very little necessity of cumbering
ones hook with infinite variety. Give
us a red or brown hackle for the end of our
leader, with large black midge for the first
dropper, and light salmon-butterfy not
larger than your thumb nail for the second,
and we can raise from his cool retreat the
craftiest trout that ever gorged a grass
hopper, or turned up his nose in scorn at the
bupgling efforts of greenhorn.
Trolling and hand.line fishing is about as
simple as set lines through the ice or other
wise an apt scholar will learn to practice
either In few hours. In trolling with flies,
or live bait land it is we'll enough to have
both attached to your leader at the same
timel you can pay our, your line better, and
it will play more freely, by having your
largest fly or live bait at the extreme end of
your leader; let your drop flies or bait be
diminished in size in proportion as they are
looped on the leader from the end. In TROLL
ing with rod is much the surest and
pleasantest method) your gut leader may be
made within few feet OF its length; if
longer you viii fray and soon ruin it in reel
ing in your fish. Until you get accustomed
to it-until you begin to play, kill and land
your fish like an artist, you should use
short-leader not above six feet long; its
length yeu can increase as you get on. In
rod-fishing we would recommend, at first,
the trial of single hook; when you can use
two Let the bait on the lowest be heaviest.
II is not bad plan in early spring fishing
for trout with worms or live bait, before
they begin to rise freely to the fly, to attach
aiy to your line several feet above your
bait lin proportion to the depth of the water)
1nJ Every one using a float must have re-
marked an occasional "rise" " to it by some
old trout, that would not be tempted with
bait. Very early in the Summer it is ad-
Visable TO bait your lower hook with worms,
and the other with live bait; that is if you
can catch kiles or sinners with scrap-net.
We dislike using float, but in some streams
that are overhung with low trees. or have
Light current one is absolutely necessary, in
order to get your bait carried clear of roots
and out Of eddies, into the dark, deep holes
under banks, rocks, stumps etc. Next to
hy-fshing, there is nothing so delightful nor
50 difficult as brook-fshing; in nothing is
patience skill and indomitable perseverance
more required, and in the successful angler
these qualities stand out in bold and beauti-
full relief.
- In pond fishing, or in streams too deep for
wading (which is greatly to be preferred
whenever practcabie) the utmost care must
be exercised to keep your boat out of the
channel where, with their heads to the
current, trout always lie. If once disturbed,
they become shy, and viii rarely bite or rise
to the fly for some time. Paddle your boat
quietly, and in anchoring make as little
noise as possible 60 no nearer good "hole'
than viii enable you barely by good cast,
to throw into it ; by this means, instead of
frightening them ALL you may take half
dozen of the twenty fish in it. If you use a
float and sinker, let them be as slight as may
be- and be careful TO drop them lightly into
the water
sEA-BAss FISHING.
For sea-bass, if you do not stand on a rock
aud throw into the surf, you sail from end to
end over the reef which is far preferable for
sport, though it is usually very rough. Fish
for these sea-bass with small but iirst-rate
salmon line of 100 yards in length; the
best bait is a sort of squid, made thus: Take
an eel about a foot long, and with your PEN
knife make an ineision an inch in length be-
meath his jaws; then carefully cut off his
head without rupturng the skin, turn it
over his back, aud peel him entirely. After
turning the skin, right side outward, take
your lower hook (you must have two tied on
apiece of gimp and pass it through the eels
mouth, and down his body about four inches
from the head then pull il through the skin
OF the belly. The upper hook, which of
course is to be tied on, on the opposite side
OF the gimp, TO the lower, you must now
insert well back in the eel 8 mouth, and turn
the point up through his head. Be careful
that you place your hooks in the cells skin
Rt the exact distance at which they are tied
on, otherwise your bait will have an un-
natural appearance, and will not work we'll
Secure your upper hook tidily TO the skin
with thread, and carefully adjust your
sinker with such a squid, provided you
manage IL well you ought to take thirty
the ebb, aud the first Of the food. You
must troll across the reef selected for the
sport and Frank Blake, in twenty minutes
viii put you TO many "artful lodges" to
insure success sac
q No thoroughbred sportsman viii use any
borrowed article, either for fishing or shoot