The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-05-15
Let's Go Fishing
BASS ANGLERS
MAY PROFIT BY
TROUT METHOD
Both Fish Take Food Of
Same Type; Shift in
Rods Discussed.
BY GEORGE DENNY
Times Fishing Editor.

Times fIsnlnE EuatOrs
The comparison between the trout
fisherman and the bass fisherman is
an interesting one. Both have one
idea in mind-catching flsh-both
use a hook and usually rod, but
after that the paths diverge.
For example. about 95 per cent Of
the trout chasers are equipped with
fly rods. In bass angling. the per-
centage is almost reversed.
Why don't more bass bugs" use
the long rod? That's hard one to
answer, but here's my slant.
First, it's a comparatively new
method. The troutsters have many
years of background for their
chosen ways, while it has been
mostly in the last twenty years that
bass have been much pursued with
feathers.
Naturally. the pioneers haven't
had time to quite figure all the
angles. What do we find on the
end of the fly fisherman's leader
when he waves it at bass? Ten to
one it's a bucktail or streamer fly
and a spinner. The spinner, most
of them feel, is an absolute neces-
sity.
No so the angle after trout. The
spinner has its place. He probably
gives it a try at the opening of the
season, before the first good hatch
of flies, but that's about all The
rest of the year he's deciding be-
tween a pale evening dun or a Nc
Ginty fished wet.
Bass Lure Restricted
The point I'm trying to make is
that 1 think we bass fishermen
haven't given the fly rod fair
chance because we know only two
or three types of lure and only one
or two ways to present them. The
spinner and bucktail fished across
and down stream in the current and
the floating bass bug dropped near
the Stumps and weeds in still wa
ter just about exhaust our knowl-
edge.
Watch a good trout fisherman. If
there are any rises he will try the
dry flies. Not any dry fly, but the
one that Stimulates the insect life on
the water. He may tie on a dozen
varities in several sizes before he
finds the right one. If these ef-
forts won't work, he changes to
wet flies.
Still no luck. He flshed the dry
flies upstream and the wet flies
down, and now he faces about and
tries the wet flies upstream on a
slack line. This, by the way, is the
real test of trout fisherman.
Nothing doing, but he is not
through yet. He fishes with nymphs,
both up and down. He tries a buck
tail and streamer, down and across.
Then on goes the spinner in front
of the bucktail And if all else fails,
out come the worms, minnOws and
hellgramiteS.
Bass and trout are much alike
when it comes to appetite Both
feed largely on insects and their lar
vac, commonly called nymphs. But
we bass fly fishermen make little
if any effort to initiate the nat
ural insect forms with our lures.
The nearest approach is the float
ing bass bug. and we know that on
occasion it is deadly. That's be-
cause it looks like a struggling moth
or large fly. The bucktail and
spinner owe their success to their
similarity to minnow.
Trout Methods Might Work
I can't help thinking that there
is lots of room for experiment along
the lines that the trout angler know
so we'll The hellgramite is the
larva or nymph of a large insect
and you know what a killer it is
at times. But the rubber reproduc-
ton that we tie on to our leaders
usually with a spinner. and draw
rapidly through the water certainly
can't look real to bass with normal
vision.
Stop and think how a hellgramite
would act if it were washed out from
under a stone and down the rifle
into a pool. One thing is sure, il
wouldn't dash madly along against
the current, nor would it be pre-
ceeded by a shining spiece of metal
1t would drift along helpleSly I'M
til the rush of water permitted it to
drop to the bottom, when it would
try to wiggle under a stone. And
I'll wager that an angler who could
make the artificial lure do just that
would be blessed with good sport
It might be worth a try.
Richard Pattman, member of the
Capital City Gun Club has eStab-
Hshed himself as an expert fisher
man as we'll as one of the clubs
leading crow hunters.
He went fishing at lake on the
gun club ground before the season
closed and caught a So pound small
mouth bass.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN TRIP