The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-02

| brook trout continues to DO the puzzle and de-
! sire Of every fisherman who knows anything at
all about his art.
In the armor which his cunning has thrown
about him there IL one crevlce. and strange as
II may seem. 10 has taken the anglers OF this
part OF tho world full century to find it. Even
now his weakness IL known to only few OF
them the Jiscoverer. as all true fishermen
should has kept his find for himself and a few
intimates. That weakness is temper Three
years ago n man in central Wisconsin named
Taylor discovered that a brook trout OF certain
age may be made to strike purely through irri-
tation when every known lure has failed. In
Taylor's neighborhood. which Ia too far south.
there old man trout OF the northern
pools. but his method OF working has been
tried by two or three fishermen and II has
proved a success The fact that the Ash must
have long passed tho adult age Is proved
by the further fact that not a young
trout has yet been taken by this method. They
are supposed to lack the necessary Feasibility
or courage. or whatever one may choose to
call it. TAYLOR makes his captures In this
way: Walking down the bank quietly or
wadinR down the stream. as the case may he.
he selects n sDot which he thinks 10 likely to
contain trout OF larger growth and therefore
Of longer years. He makes an apparently
bunglng cast. though there are few men more
SINFUL. lH6 Hy btfiLeb tnb wafer WIFI u
splash. floats downwar for foot or two near
TO the lair OF the supposed victim and is i'm
mediately Withdrawn. Again the hard cast is
made and again the splash follows. This is re-
peated four. five. six or dozen times. In the end
the result IL almost certain to be q savage.
swift rush. strong, quick wrist movement
and half hour OF battle. with a landed fish as
large as they are apt to grow in the middle OF
the State. The theory Is that the trout. who
may not be hungry at all but is DESTROYS OF n
nap. loses his temper when the annoyance is
repeated and merely salles out to punish the
intruder. lust as n nj other trout nearher spawn
will dash at the legs OF man who wades BY
her. That is the explanation Taylor gives OF
it. and no one can deny his success. At the
same time 1t ia rather sickening to those who
have spent years In acquiring the proper
delicacy OF cast to see O man throw
fly as il it were a brick and Kill three
fish TO their one. man able to land his fly
within yard circle at a distance OF sixty feet
and that so lightly that only little ripple
spreads away on the waters shining face can
be brought to use the Taylor method with
difficulty. Ittakes all the conceit out OF him.
and he is apt to declare that II the way to fish
Is to make as much disturbance as possible. u
dry goods clerk. with a cane pole and clothes
line. ought to be able to give cards and spades
TO the oldest hand at the business. Taylor con-
tends. however. that there is as much in know
ing when and where to make the irritating casts
rs in knowing how to do 1t. SO his method still
has certain clements ofscience. On the deep pool
fish OF the Lake Superior streams. the giant
fellows. with spots OF brightest reds and backs
OF darkest green. it has been found to work
with efficacy. This is due to two facts: Tho
fish are large and old apd savage and the pools
have been little visited. In time. 1t is believed.
49, All ~.
him to meet tho changed conditions OF attack
and when 40 angler essays to ruin him by
arousing his temper he will remain snugv at
the bottom Of his pool and soemnly wink his
other eye.
John .. Thomas. broker and an angler OF
many years' experience. who has returned
from visit to the haunts Of to brook trout in
the Marquette neighborhood of Wisconsin. is n
convert to the Taylor theory. His conversion
was brought about by one OF the old man trout
who live In Sissawickon Brook. stream which
empties into Lake Superior forty lilies west OF
the little Wisconsin city. 1t is q bold and rapid
stream. which contains many pools OF un
known depth. and the fact that trout OF sur
prsing size and vigor were taken from it last
season caused It to be visited by the Thomas
party They went into camp in forest OF
spruce. hemlock and birch and fshed steadily
for week. The fish taken averaged more than
two pounds in weight but. owing to the mild
ness OF the weather or the time Of the season
or some other cause. not any OF the larger ones
could be induced to strike. They were tried
successfully with lies OF many patterns. with
spoons. with phantom mnnows. with artificial
frogs. with live and lively red sided minnows.
with live frogs with the small green Rrasshop-
pers which are plentiful in tho gades in June.
with butterflies. with miller-moths and even
xylth ha Il, all
the same thing in the end. They would not
rise. This was the more tantalizinR because
in walking around the edges OF the pools in
the evening the fish could be seen to make
an occasional leap at the lowering insects and
as they rose clear OF the water their great size
made their capture worth six months OF any
anglers life. Thomas did succeed IN getting
half hearted strike one afternoon with gray
doctor which he east just where narrow band
OF sunlight fell on the pool but he failed 10 hook
the fish and thereafter the surface OF the water
remained unbroken save for the faint circles
made by the casting Of the flies For five
afternoons he worked faithfully. exhausting
three books OF flies In endeavors to tempt the
trout. He was casting with delicacy. approach
ing his favorite pool with wary footsteps max
ing absolutely no noise. exercising the utmost
care that his shadow should not fall on the
water and in general carrying into effect every
maxim OF troutfshing dinned into him since
n boy and established by every experience Of
his mature years
Not content with tOrturing himself by
thoughts OF what he would do in certain con-
tnRences. he made him water glass by fas-
tenng a round piece OF glass at the end OF two
feet OF stovepipe. Jamming this into tho
water and looking through it. he could see the
beautifully spotted giants swimming far down.
or loafng along the steep sides Of the pools in
dozens. He tried more than once to wake
them up by letting down hook bated with II
worm or minnow and dangling the bait against
their noses but they either pushed 1t lazy
aside or else flashed angrlly twenty feet away
whirled and lay still. gazing at 1t. Finally
returning to camp one night disheartened
and weary Of cudRelling his brain for some
means OF capturing the swimmers he had
come to regard as his personal enemies. his
companions. who had contNnted themselves
with trying for tho smaller fry in the shallow
parts OF the creek and had caught many Of them.
treated him to much chat One OF them at last.
seeinQ that he bore IL without com nj in NC