Omaha daily bee., 1906-07-01
LURE OF THE Willy TROUT
Perfection Of Angling in Secluded Lakes
and Streams Of Maine
PLEASURE OF FISHING IN THE WOODS
Great Benuty and striking Character
istics of wild Trout-First Lessons
In Casting-The Model
Outnt.


Outat.
wilderness fy fishing in northern Maine
Is now at it's best and canoes Of dcvotees
of the snort are ruiIling the calm surface
of many a secluded lake and stream, and
, their camphres are illuminiug the darkness
of the mysterious forest The charm OF the
life in the woods which the sport affords
Is in a large measure accountable for IT'S
rapid increase in popularity, for the real
GOV Of fly fishing is to fish FOR wild fish.
The wilderness fly fisherman is dealing
with a fellow who knows his husiness who
: keen. alert willy. experienced. 1t is the
keenness of PERCEPTION Of the Wild trout
that is his striking characteristic, and COM
! plned with his great beauty and table eN-
! celIence this makes him the king Of inland
! fresh water game fish The black bass Is
| far more logged and determined fighter
| and mis- vicious leap into the air is thrilling,
| but his dullness in distinguishing between
! natural and artificial flies disgusts the
] angler. The landoCked salmon is the pref
test and gamest of fresh water fighters,
but he does not rise readily to the fly, not
being naturally a surface feeder, and when
he does rise there is, as with the bass,
! ample time to strike.
1t is not so with the trout. The moment
he takes the artificial fly between his lips
just that moment he knows that he has
| been deceived and discards IL, and the time
which the fisherman has to fix the hook is
! but fraction of Il second. at the moment
the trout breaks. A fraction of a second
| later may be too late.
In addition to this, no matter how attrac-
tive or seductive the lure. it must do things
in a natural way When you find big
10 ia.
of lily pads at the inlet Of the pond study
him carefully. You will soon discover that
he only rises at rare occasions, usually
once or twice, at early morning or late
evening.
FRstidiOus Fish.
The big fellows take but little surface
food, merely an appetizer, or perhaps for
the sake of old association or habit, and
they are in consequence exceedingly fastldi-
GUS about what they take and how they
take 1t. SO you must find out what the big
| trout is taking and how that fly alights,
and then make up your cast with a fly
which at least suggests the morsel Of which
the big trout is fond.
Then try for him, and try early, try late.
and try often; just a few fifty or seventy
foot casts at the proper time and in the
proper way. More, If you wish, but half a
dozen at the most should suffice; in fact.
you might as well reel in after the third
cast If there has not been a response; IL
the first cast is right and the fish is ready
the problem is solved
Above all be careful not to prick the fish
or hook and lose him, for If you do you will
have to wait. until another year and then
find him more difficult TO take than ever.
II you are fishing in quick or running
water, the flies must be cast above and al
| IN VIII
the current, past the retreat OF the big
trout. Nature sends their food in this way.
and either intuition or caution makes it
utterly out OF the question for them to con-
slider flies which dart upward against the
swift current, zigzag across It, or do other
unnatural things. When fishing for trout
lying al the mouth OF cold stream empty
ing into cold lake or river, cast up into
the stream and draw the flies down slowly
If you find a bunch of big fellows lying
beside the shore, under overhanging
branches, and rising from time TO time
watch carefully and you will see that they
are feeding on insects which first light upon
the bushes and then fall into the water.
! II you would lure them forth make your
, cast do as the real flies are doing light
upon the bushes, rest there for a moment,
and then drop gently to the surface of the
water If you do not believe this care is
necessary make a few casts direct upon
the water and note the result.
Care in Casting.
Generally speaking, a cast should alight
delicately upon the water and be drawn
slowly in, keeping the flies upon the sur
face. This is the dry fly and is the usual
cast when trout are rising.
When the fish are not rising well, the wet
fly may be resorted to; a cast drawn very
elo rINya al pnp N n so he for
These are ordinary casts, but the excep-
tions already noted are not the only ones,
, and when to observe them is a matter OF
, Judgment
For instance, when the natural flies alight
heavily and hutter vigorously upon the
water, let your flies do the same. When
: millers are numerous, ahghting TO rest for
: a fraction OF a second and then huttering
] on to alight again, try the trick with your
, cast.
: Initiate the hopping fly when It is about;
the insect which jumps up and down at one
point. Have a few flies tied backward
that is with the head at the bend OF the
! hook and, at times, the unusual actions
which resistance TO the water causes this
A fly to make. will prove irresistible.
q Never try to initiate the sluggish June
or trout fly which alights upon the water
7 and waits patiently for the trout to gather
a II in. When the fellow is plentiful hang
! up your rod and climb a mountain or visit
, a deer pond, or else make up your mind to
. fish and be satisfied with small creeIs.
These insects come annually In great num-
bers, but fortunately last only q few days,
. and while they invariably spoil the fishing
they demonstrate very clearly the truth
Of what has already been said. These flies
simply glue themselves 70 the water and
IL takes the willy trout only a very short
time TO discover that there is no occasion
for haste, ana when they reach this condl-
ton OF mind the artificial fly is useless.
As a matter Of experiment one angler
. went so far TO tie up number OF flies
. which were perfect repllcas Of the June ny,
;, but they were useless. Then he wound
u them with cork bodies and weighted tho
e tips so they would sit upright on the water,
= exactly like the real fly. The trout saw
= them, TO be sure but a moments examina-
p ton was enough. They did not even take
y the trouble 70 touch them.
- Dependent on Conditions.
+ Remember also. that there will be other
n times when the trout are not rising freely,
e for all fishing. and fly fishing IN particular.