The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-10
BETTY GOES
FISHING AGAIN
Scientific ANGLING IN PLEASANT RUN

description of how it was used. When I
showed her a book OF flies she expressed
doubt whether fish could be tricked into
swallowing an imitation fly under the i'm
preston that 1t was the real thing.
But they do" / said. This Lord Balti-
more,' and 1 showed her my favorite fly,
'is sought greedily by redeyes and bass. 1t
seems to suit all conditions of weather and
water. 1t is the surest killer made
Catch sounds better to me than
kill"
But kill is the word preferred by fly
fishermen. Live bait users and worm i'm
palers say CATCH but the scientific fisher
men say kill -
do they always kill the fish when they
are caught"
"All merciful fishermen do. When you
see any person permit a fish to gasp itself
to death you can be sure that person has a
savage, cruel trait in his character. An
awl or a knife or lance should be in every
fisherman's outfit. Your hatpin, however.
will do in case of emergency
When Jack entered with the bait he sug-
gested We try that portion of Pleasant run
east of the Arlington avenue bridge. ut
is outside the limits of Irvington," he said.
land perhaps the boys have not visited it."
We reached the bridge in half an hour,
and while Betty was trying to coax two
bright looking but bashful pickaninnies into
talking. / jointed the rod. arranged the
line, leader and reel and tied on a
"stretcher'' and "dropper,'' the former a
Lord Baltimore and the latter a brown
hackle. Betty had not succeeded in induc-
ing the little black children to show their
teeth, but when we left the bridge and 1
began testing the rod by making a few
casts the most bashful of the pickaninnies
raised his head and shouted:
what TO you whipping the water?"
Your little friend has voice after ALL"
1 said to Betty.
And his question was apt"
"And whipping was technically correct.
for it is the word used by many fy-cast-
ers.' 1 explained.
Then 1 showed Betty how to handle the
rod. how to thumb the reel and how to
cast. She observed my movements closely
for a few minutes and expressed desire to
make a cast.
Follow Instructions" cautioned as she
took the rod.
BE sure and check the line with your
thumb. The reel has no brake and the line
may unwind faster than 1t pays out" 1
cautioned again as she whipped the rod
backward. There were no trees within
thirty yards, and had no fear she would
hang the flies. had forgotten. however.
to warn Jack. who was standing twenty
feet away watching his sisters perform
Jack and the "dropper" fly fastened itself
in his cap. 1t was a light affair and Betty
put so much muscle into the forward cast
that the cap was floating In the water be-
fore Betty and her brother realized what
had happened
Betty 1 said as 1 took charge of the
rod and reeled in the cap, ST have heard
fly-fishermen tell of catching birds that
darted after their flies, and a famous ex-
pert once told he had hooked handful Of
feathers out of the American eagle while
casting, but / do not believe it is recorded
in the annals of fishing lore that woman
ever scalped boy. Here is the rod. You
may try again.
Give me time to get out Of the way.
don't want to lose an ear or an eye," and
Jack was out of range.
Betty escaped trouble on the backward
cast, but she whipped the rod forward with
too much vigor, and there was a compli-
Gated birds nest in the reel. 1t was a
tangle that required ten minutes to unravel.
did you forget to use your thumb as a
brake?" asked.
mo; it slipped. and when tried to check
1t 1 couldn't"
The third time Betty put too much pres
sure on the reel and the line did not run of
The leader and flies struck the water with
splash only fifteen feet from where
she was standing. The fourth cast also was
clumsy, but the fifth was better, the flies
falling about twenty-five feet away She
tried few more times before her arm and
wrist became tired, and once the flies
dropped with delicacy equal to that of an
expert. but / think II was luck or accident,
for she failed to duplicate the cast.
That will do for the present." she said.
II think the art, as you term 1t, can be
learned in few lessons"
Don't be too confident of that" / re-
piled. 1.-THE mere act of casting is only
small fraction of what successful fly
fisherman must learn. He must know
where to cast as well as how, and what
flies to use in sunshine. in cloudy weather.
In the morning, at noon and in the even
ing. Besides, he must take heed of the
condition of the water. whether rising or
falling. clear or murky. Sometimes fish
are to be found In the rifles at other
times alongside big bowlder and often be-
side or under logs and roots. Fish are fire.
quently seen leaping after butterflies and
caterpillars and if the insects are of one
species the fisherman will change his flies
to the best imitation of the real insect he
can find in his fiy-book. The fisherman's
success depends on his ability to deceive,
therefore he should let the fly strike the
water CERTIFY and draw II toward him lit
tie. thus initiating the struggles of the in
sect to get back into its own element. II
there be a deep. foam-fecked pool below a
slight fall it is wise to drop the fly in the