The sun., 1903-08-02

moment the fly touches the waier until
the fish has come up on Its side exhausted
or has broken away IN final desperate
furry and retired to some deep pool 10
think il over
The bass taken upon regular bass tackle
stands poorer showing, though even then
ii frequently achieves freedom. The rod
is heavier and ST iffer. the line IL stronger. and
above all the hook IL larger and stouter.
Pretty nearly everything to be said N
favor Of the black bass in to be withheld
from the Oswego or large-mouthed bass
One of the chief joys OF the angler VINO
visits the Flambeau II his knowledge that
there are no Oswe&u bass in it from end
To- eng They were there once upon
time but the black bass killed them out
in short order, as they killed them out OF
the Potomac.
Although fly fishing on this river is not
more then a month old, is has been tried
enough 10 demonstrate it's success; FISH
may be taken from it by this method when
they cannot be taken In any other way
II remains TO be shown, of course whether
the Flambeau bass will rise steadily the
season through so long as there are in
sects of any kind In the air, or whether
their appetite for flies is merely thing OF
midsummer.
Since the pine forests along the, banks
were cut out the stream is peculiarly open
and Is thus much subject to light. On
sunshiny days the greater part OF its bot
tom is exposed and the fish then retire
to the pools CT else hide under or behind
some OF the huge rocks On cloudy days
is reasonably sure Of rise whether he casts
over pools or in the shadows just above
the rapids.
The bass have risen to flies used indis-
criminately without regard to the season
or their shadings. This because they have
u, Tad tr.a MI fofv - nf
In time they will become AZ choice as fish
which live In waters constantly fy-whipped.
The me st killing ny yet used n the Flam-
beau il the grizzly king, a nc ndescript
sort of article dc minated by neutral tints;
The common white and brown bucktaii
has been deadly. 1t vets readily, sinks
to a depth Of an inch when reeled In and
locks like dro wned me tn passing through
the water. This pre- bably accounts for its
efficiency, though 1t IL hard to see how
the fish explains to itself the pheno menon
Of q drowned insect travelling rapidly,
sometimes against the current. The buck
tail seems to be- as gCod pulled up stream
az when permitted TO hcat down when
goes to provo that bass are not 30 highly
intellectual Us some of the nature writer's
would have us believe.
Anc ther killing fly 10 the so-called gray
dropper. This il purely a bass hy, with wide
wings Of dc minicker gray, tail OF single
crimson feather, q green and &C Id be dy and
a small bucktan beard. When wet the green
and red show distinctly against the gray
and buoktail. 1t is compact ny, not
gaudy, and works well In eithsr light or
dark weather, but better when the sky is
clouded.
One angler, carrying to an extreme
the humane practice OF favoring the ish az
much as pc ssible, has used only trout flea
on these heavy bass. He has lest many
.l Qah nd
catches, deriving an extraordinary amount
Of satisfaction from any three-pounder
landed on one OF his little lures.
He has used with about equal SUCCESS
three standards, returning to them as q
steady diet after experimenting with pos
sibly fifty other dies: They are brown
and White bucktail, black doctor, with tho
variation that while the body Ia Jet black
the wings are dull gray, and a nondescript
fly, with light grey wing, bright brown
beard and pale green body.
All three of theee are dull flies and when
wet become sombrs. The Flambeau water
Ia of dark red, and on its surface at twenty
to tho human eye. Tho fish seem to hnd
them readily enough. This man is a con-
vert to the theory that nearly all flies are
too Rlaring and too much in contrast with
the surface Of the water.
Some of the most successful lures used on
the Flambeau since the ny fishing bes an are
bastard bucktails and not properly flies
ut ALL though they are used with fly rod
In the fly manner. They are sort OF COM
promise between the hy and artificial bait
and have been made by men not yet " Hing
10 surrender their old bait-casting habits
and in the hy-nshing army bag and bag
gage.
made Of woollen yarn Of all sorts Of colors
- lar haa
mounted by one or more spoons OF the
smallest size One killer il OF bright scarlet
yarn about a plain black hook which Il
covers nearly TO the point. Above It on q
light wire frame are two minute spoons,
silver on one side, oopper-hued on the other,
and above the spoons sw ivel.
This lure weighs little more than ny
and doss not sink more than two inches
below tho SUI face, but II whirls when reeled
In, the two spoons in fro mt OF the rod making
q " ide simmer, and II is thus more OF a
trolling spoon than fly. However 1t
may be c1assed, the bass like 1t and hit at
It from afar, and ORC" they are hooked the
by q regulation insect, natural or made to
! order.
Others OF these spooned bucktails are
of dull brown picked out with red, or OF
white and black yarn. or Of gray and blue
and oven. In one instance, Of violent yellow
and grcen. though this last has not taken
any fab.
Poaaibly the bass strike at these things
because they never aaw anything like them
before. Curiosity slays almost az many
fish as hunger. II often happens that the
oldest lure gets the most strikes.
This is particularly apt to occur at times
when the bass are full fed and are not m
tsrested In food. At such times the mar
who sticks tn lures made TO simulate thingi
- . haH nd q
with the queer bats or fies who is mos
NJ IN ha ua a hi1l ba akAt