Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-15

las l came up to the boy he gave peculiar
twisting jerk to his primitive pole and
actually landed a beautiful fish before it
had time to think whether to fight or not
for it's life.
went back to camp that day with the
finest mess ever had, but that Indian boy
caught every fish in it. They were cheap
fish, too, for the premium on the purchase
was thorough understanding of the fact
that the prime necessity in angling for
brook trout is "knack"
Elaborate tackle is unquestionably
Joy to the angler who knows how to
handle it. After your fish is struck there
is excitement galore in playing him, and
the Indian boy would have had poor fun
playing pound fish with no reel. Yet, as
! said, he caught fish faster than anybody
else ever saw. 1t makes all the difference
in the world whether you are out for fish
or out for fun. He went for fish and got
them. was out for fun and got very
little Of it, though bought his fish.
The whole science of trout fishing, after
all, consists of ''knack." The lighter and
more delicate the tackle the more the ne
cessity for delicate handling and for meet
ing the mad rushes of the frightened fish
with pure skill. He is strong enough to
OTcttk yOuT lluc OT cNtu u uOOk IL YOU dT6
clumsy enough to give him a square jerk
at dt, and your only chance when he is
fighting is to tire him out
Your scientific angler will disdan the
notion of fishing with worms for bait,
though it is a thing that many of them
will do when they are alone. Ex-President
Cleveland is said to have done it openly,
and he is counted very expert fisherman.
Doubtless fly fishing calls for more skill,
and is to be greatly preferred for that
reason. But only few flies are needed. The
beginner will buy as many as he can, usual
ly not knowing which are the best. And, in
deed, this is difficult thing to tell with
out knowing the water that is to be fished.
A safe rule, and probably the best, is to
look closely ut the flies that are skimming
the water and use u lure that resembles
them as closely as possible.
AS to tho choice of tackle, it is like the
spelling of Weller, which, as the immortal
Sam informed the court, depended ON the
taste and fancy of the speller. Every an
gler has his choice, and SO long as his ''rig"
is light and strong he is not to be criti-
,cised. The object is to handle it properly.
Casting, striking, playing and landing all
call for deXterity, quiekness, delicate skill
and accurate judgment. Without the
''knack" one might better go down to the
sea in ships and fish for cod.
AT this time of the year, when the season
has just opened, there are thousands of
anglers at work in the brooks all over the
country. Those that have caught fish will
laugh at the notion of telling the beginner
how to catch trout. They will say, and
properly enough, that the only way to
learn is to go and catch them. 1t is en-
'tirely true that no one can learn how to
angle by reading book, any more than
he can learn how to swim in the same way.
Yet there are rules, or rather instructions,
that will be of service to him who begins.
Let him first learn how to cast his fly
SO that it will fall gently on the very spot
desired. This is an opening for many hours
OF practice on a lawn. 1t is about all he
can, do in the way of preparation before he
actually begins fishing. Supposing him to
have this skill, he must study the fish and
its habits, and probably in this study he
will lose many and many beauty that ali
older angler would land. For the trout is
wary and timorous above all other fish.
After he has dropped his fly where the
trout can easily see it he must wait. IL
he have luck the fish will rush, and the
instant he feels the hook will rush again.
Then the sport begins, likewise the really
difhcult part of the science. For if your
nsh. by doubling or by circling some root
or stone in the bed of the stream, can foul
your line hewill do it and go free; and on
the other hand, if you try to pull him in
by main strength he will go free. This is
where the skill comes in that can only be
acquired by practice.
DAVID A. CURTIS.