The sun., 1919-04-06
NEW YORK TROUT
SEASON NOW OPEN
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,
and Vermont Anglers First
Day on April Is.
FLIES THAT LURE FISH
~ DIXIE CARROLL.


Z, Trout fishing began throughout New
York State yesterday and the season
opens a week from Tuesday in Penn
sylvania, Massachusetts and Vermont
All fish to be retained must be six inches
or over. The catch limit in the last three
mentioned States is: Pennsylvania and
Massachusetts, 25 fish; New Hampshire,
pounds.
Way back in the early days, old timer.
even way back before Hector was
purp, In fact. think II must have been
back about the stone age. one OF our an.
cestors probably was lolling along
eurgling stream, or Just loafing away the
time. of which he had plenty to spare
and nothing else besides his stone AK,
waiting for nice old gran'daddy bass
TO come along SO that he could either
spear 1t or swat It over the head with
his AK, when he noticed a feather float
ing down through the air from a wood
duck as It honked its way south to
winter home.
The feather waited through the air
and dropped on the water, the wind
tossing 1t lightly with the current. When,
with a walloping drive, a nervous wreck
In the shape Of mans size rainbow
trout struck the feather like a Kansas
cyclone and shot back to the bottom.
Every Angler Has Pet Fly.
Now. once or twice, our neolithic fore
bear had tasted well scorched trout.
which he had grilled with a forked
stick over FIRE. but the willy trout were
bit too cautious to fall a victim Of his
slugsing tactics in the fishing game.
Mulling the feather idea over in his
small amount OF gray matter. he doped
up the prehistoric fiy. probably by ty-
Ing couple OF feathers on a sharpened
bone for a hook.
And after his first tryout at tossing
the feathers to the game fins he spent
the remainder OF his days tying new de-
signs in flies for himself and the rest
OF the anglers of his time.
This is no doubt the reason We have
no many patterns in flies at the present
cline, something over 5000 different
flies to coax the husky tail kickers out
OF their watery retreats And about
every now and then some fellow ties an
other style that makes 'em crosseyed to
take chance at mounting 1t.
or course. there are quite few stand
ard patterns that have made a rep for
getting the fsh that are hard to beat,
yet nearly every angler will swear by
some particular pattern as the one best
bet. and this fly holds the pet position in
his fly book. while his fishing pal may
hsh the same streams and have as his
killer fly Of an entirely different style
and color.
Coachman Life Saver to Many.
This brings US to the argument be-
tween the ultrapurist in the fly fishing
game. who claims that the flies used
must initiate as closely as possible the
natural insects that are on the wing
along the stream at the time of fishing,
md ha ordinary, fJxyr att hA ,
standard tied feathery fancy to the wait
Ing fish, changing to another of the
same class until he finds one that seems
TO tickle their palate at that time and.
this selection is not made after catching
few OF the flying insects and compar-
ing their Bertillon measurements with
the layout in his fly book
OF course there is lot of good com
mon sense in initiating nature as much
as possible in the making of flies, but
the fly that has been successfully used
to greater extent than any other pat
tern does not initiate any particular in
sect that Is found along the streams, and
this little old winner is the Coachman.
This green bodied white winged, red
whiskered old fly has probably caught
more fish than all the "close to nature"
styles, and nearly every fly fisherman
has few tucked away in his fly book
because he knows that 1t has rep
for getting the fish. and regardless of
his pets in the nature line he has II
there for emergency use in order that
he can give 1t a whirl IL all others fail.
Royal Coschman Inventor.
The Coachman has been a life saver
10 many fellow in the stream, and for
this fly of varied hue we have to thank
he tina fna tim, % Ill d.
royal coachman to three of Englands
rulers. King George ", King William
~. and Queen Victoria.
Tom sure tied winner when he
dcped up the Coachman. and when he
had the first one finished he likely HE'D
himself off by his lonesome and gave It
tryout before he passed 1t around
among his cronies of the rod and reel.
The Coachman Is tied after the con-
ventional standard fly patterns, and fat
old Tom Bosworth was about as far
away from initiating the natural IN
sects when he mixed the materials and
colors for the Coachman as most of
the plugs for bass are away from the
natural bats.
I figure just a bit this way, old scout
that II the trout are coming up for the
feed they are tickled to death to vary
their menu a trihe and take a chance
on fly that in all probabilities looks
dinerent to them from anything that
has dropped on their waters before and
that the chances are just as good to in
terest them In fly that is different as
they are TO interest them I'm an imita-
ton that probably does not fool them
at all.
In other words the Something dif-
ferent" appearance of the old line con-
Nentional flies may look like a Juicy
dessert after gorging on their regular
line OF feed, while the man made close
10 nature effect may be passed up be-
cause 1t does not look as good to them
M the regular thing and they also
note the deception
Trades Postum for a Sermon.