The Clio messenger., 1917-08-31
FLY-cASTING FOR BASS.
NV Dear Buck:

light fly rod is sure the right system of
fishing, IL you have a desire to culti-
vate the tingling nerves and the
humping pulse. Nothing in the game
will give you more thrills than to have
two or three pound bass take the
feathers and then try to shake 'em
lOOse-that is, of course, If you are
handling the working end of the rod.
And If this old bass Is stream-raised
youngster, he will give you more fight
than any other fish, weight for weight.
Wading stream and whipping the
water in a semicircle as you go along
is far more enjoyable than lake fly
casting, and at the same time stream
that can be waded makes about the
best kind of bass water for the use of
the fly. The shallow pools above and
below rifles or rapids is likely spot
for the hungry bass as well as the ed
dies along the sides of rapids. Cast
into the swirl of water as it passes
around a bowlder and off the edge of
the windfalls, logs and brush heaps,
all Of which locations are generally the
loafiug place of u fine old bass.
In lake fishing with the fly the bright,
sunny day Is not for you. The bass
rise to the fly particularly on day
when the surface is broken by slight
breeze, and the best time for casting
is in the early morning and late in the
evening. From sunset to dark Is the
best time when the day has been
bright-in fact, most any day. On the
lake cast your fly inshore on the bars
and shadows or ledges and off the
edges of lily pads, rushes and weed
beds, as well as alongside the half
submerged logs and windfalls along
shore. The fly should be allowed to
sink considerably and a slightly jerky
crawl given TO ii when working in the
line. This is done to fool the bass
into believing the object of the fly
makers art is struggling insect try
ing to get out Of the wet
Better to Fish Downstream.
On the stream it is preferable to fish
downstream, as the bass lie with the
head upstream and with the current
carrying your fly on its natural course,
the bass have more chance to see it
and thus become u possible candidate
for the creel. Then again, it is far
easier TO wade downstream than it is
going up.
For dark days and early evening use
light-colored flies, and for the bright
days the darker flies. Smaller flies of
u subdued color tied on q No. 6 or
hook is right for low, clear water on
a bright day, while for after-sunset
and moonlight casting the gray, white
and brown flies tied on larger hook,
No. . or size, are more likely to
attract the fish than the smaller ones.
For rough and turbid water the bright
ly colored feathers are best. In select
ing your flies don't overlook the black,
brown, gray and hackles; you will
often find that the old reliable hackles
will bring rise after you have tried
every other combination in your fly
book.
Nearly every fellow who whips the
light fly rod has his own particular
selection of flies, and by these he
swears like pagan; however, for the
beginner, besides the hackles the fol-
lowing selection will give fairly va
ried assortment that will pass muster
until he creels the first fish and the
fly used at that time will no doubt be
given the place of honor In his pet list.
1 have found these flies creel filters:
Of hA 4 DaI
Montreal, Grizzly King, Coachman,
Professor, Red Ibis, Seth Green, White
Miller, King Of the Water, Ferguson,
McGinty, Emerson Hough, Silver Doc
tor and Parmanchee Belle.
One of the essentials in bassing with
the fly Is to keep out Of sight of the
fish as much as possible. The bass Is
every bit as scary as the trout, al
though once he sees you he will not
dart away and disappear like the trout,
but he will dash Off little distance
and stop, facing you. However, don't
waste time trying to make him take
your fly, because he has case of
nerves" and you can cast Ii right over
his nose and he merely gives 1t dis
interested glance. On the small bass
streams keep entirely out of sight and
on the wider waters make long cast,
the finer the water the more caution
and the longer the cast. On casting
from the shore 1t Is well to be screened
by bushes or any natural formation.
Wading Is the best method, however,
as the nearer you are to the water the
less chance the fish have Of seeing you,
and even at that you should be as
quiet as possible and make 1t a point
to avoid quick or sudden moves.
Cast your flies as lightly as possible
and avoid letting them land with
splash by slightly raising the tip of
the rod right before they touch the wa
ter and let the current help you by
allowing the flies to run with it.
DIXIE.