Evening journal., 1915-03-09
Spring FISHING
almost At HAND
Now Is the Time to Pur-
chase Tackle and Other
Equipment
DRY AND WET
FLY COMPARED

When the winter woods are white
is the time to get ready for spring
fishing.
Although. unfortunately, not every
angler will be able to delude himself
into The belief that he positively must
have a new fyrod. still he may con-
sole himself with the fact that always
the lybOok needs replenishment, Ell
ther restocking with old and trust
ed patterns or the addition of a few
new patterns for experimental pur-
poses. In the matter of buying arti-
hcial flies the writer feels that posi-
lively no better advice can be given
than to pass up she usual style Of
fly whipped TO gut in favor of flies
dressed on eye-hooks.
The advantages of the eyed-hook
form of trout fly over the snelled fly
still used by the majority Of American
anglers although definitely in disuse
In England. are very many and dis
tinctly practical For instance. eyed
flies are by all means the thing for
the man whose days on the stream are
few and far between.
Flies whipped 10 smells deteriorate
rapidly. whether used or not; the gut
becomes dry. brittle and rotten, the
whipping hardens and dries out so
that only a slight pull is necessary
TO separate fly and snell-usually
leaving the fly in the best fish of the
day-and, when in use, the friction of
the end of the hook-shank against
the gut soon weakens and trays the
gut at the point of contact. This weak
ened state of the smell at the head
of the fly is generally unnoticed un-
til the fly is snapped off in a good
FISH.
Il should be evident that there is
great economy in the use OF the eyed
fly. which is subject to none of the
above objections-and surely, for the
man of average means, fiy-fishing, In
cluding decent equipment, transpor-
tation and grub-staSe, to say nothing
of the time which, Of course. Is most
willingly dedicated to the sport, is a
quite sufficiently expensive PROPOSE
tion.
Moreover, eyed-flies may be carried
in quantity in a small metal box made
for the purpose, thus doing away Will
the old bulky and tangled fiy-bool
haloed certainly with memories Of for
A mer good days on the river, but, real
4 ly from the practical viewpoint, Z
/ flrst-class nuisance.
! Still another suggestion in tho
, matter of the selection of artificial
flies Is that you cannot do better than
! to purchase dry or floating flies al
, most exclusively
The writer makes this suggestion
regardless of whether you are a dry
or wet fishherman, and II you are one
of the many anglers who now employ
either method as conditions may de-
termine-as result of the somewhat
recent and very effective dry-hy cam
paign in this country-then the dry
fly only" idea is doubly applicable.
, The writer means to say, as the
English have it, that dry flies fished
wet are more effective than the wet
, flies, and, of course. you cannot FISH
dry with the ordinary artificial dress.
ed for submerged fishing.
Z The reason for the foregoing opin.
ion may be found in the fact that the
dry or floating fly, dressed with up
> > right wings and plentiful hackle
holds its shape when submerged fai
better than does the artificial tied il
3 wet-ay style; moreover. the shape o
z the dry fly is a closer imitation o
that of the natural insect than thu
4 wet-hy affords.
i Furthermore dry flies approximat,
the natural insect more closely II
j coloration than is the case with thu
A majority of wet-hy patterns. Il
fact. the writer can state mos
4 positively, without reservation
/ worthy of space, that, in hi
experience. he has found wet-h,
IS fishing with the dry hy-I use but on
e fiy-a very decided advance in ef
n fectiyeness over the same method fol
l. lowed with the usual sunken fly pat
II terms.
e Provide, also when purchasing eye
& flies, dry flies, being always dresse
o upon eyed-hooks unless particular
IT ordered whipped to gut, a metal fly
IS box for carrying same.
For the angler getting his traps [
Is go" il is generally a fairly easy mat
a ter to unearth a sufficiently good eN
e cuse for buying a new line. and thl
e is particularly true at the presen
writing because of the favor wit
which the English soft-enameled, tar
- cred lines have recently come to b
! looked upon, and also with whic
very few American ly-fishermen ar
equipped.
knowledge of these lines has unit
! quite recently been confined to
comparatively small number of FL
/ casters, tournament casters and III
few sportsmen of the sport of dr.
fly fishing in this country, for whiC
the soft-enameled line is largely use
has at least brought these very exec
? lent products of the British tack
houses to the attention of the m
iority of progressive anglers.
The distinguishing feature OF d
soft-enameled line, wherein lies Il
reason for its preference over 4
= enameled lines made in this counti
. is the fact that it is vacuum dres
ed" repeatedly filled with pure boil
Il linseed oil under the exhausted ]
2 ceiver Of an air pump and thorough
e dressed down and polished by han,
3. The result is line unequalled
3 every way for the purpose of the f
~ caster. 1t is in all probability unn,
. sary TO advocate here the undoubt
advantage OF the tapered line in de
cate stream work or. moreover, I
q practical necessity Of a gradual
>~ line for fishing the dry fly.
Reduced to a basis OF dollars a
ls cents. an English soft-enameled ia
a cred line-a thirty-yard length, 81
n e. will be right for the average ire