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Older fly fishing
classics contain a wealth of knowledge for the beginner fly fisher
as well as the experienced angler.
The following is an excerpt from Practical
Fly Fishing, by Larry St. John (1920)
WADING A STREAM
Ideal Fishing
The ideal way to fish a bass stream,
if its depth and bottom will permit, is to wade. Some one has
said that Art is the beautiful way of doing things. Certainly
then, wading the stream is the artist's way of fishing for Micropterus.
It has all the charm of trout fishing and all of its thrills
and seldom is so lonesome since many of our bass streams are
in settled districts. One often fishes a stream and is never
out of hearing of the cowbells and the barking of friendly farm
dogs but is in the wilderness nevertheless. When the angler wades
he becomes a part of the stream and its life and the more he
fishes a fine stretch of water the friendlier it becomes.
Bass and Flies
One reason I believe bass fly fishermen
are not as generally successful as their trout fishing brethren
is because the bass fisher, as a class, has not put as much study
into his waters and his methods. This is not to be wondered at
when you consider that fly fishing for bass is, compared with
trouting, in its first tooth stage. In other words, if some anglers
loudly proclaim that the east wind bloweth when they are bassing
with flies it is due, not to the bass but to the angler.
True one seldom gets the big, old, granddaddy
bass of 'em all on a fly, neither do the bigger trout come to
the net by the same route, but the average of the stream or lake
can be caught on flies and are on certain waters. Is it entirely
because of certain local peculiarities of fish, water or conditions
that fly fishing for bass is practiced so successfully on such
widely separated waters as, to mention a few: the upper Mississippi
and Illinois rivers in the Middle West; the Susquehanna, Potomac
and Delaware in the East; the Current and St. Francis in the
Ozarks; the Belgrade Lakes in Maine? I think not. Bass fly fishing
has long been practiced and studied in these places, hence the
success.
Aside from its beauty and charm wading
a stream makes for success. In the first place a stream that
is of wadable depth is ideal for fly fishing and the angler,
moving slowly and quietly, with only a portion of his body above
water is, as old Dennys put it, less likely to "offend the
fearful Fish's eye."
Seasons, Weather, Etc.
As a general rule the trout fisher can
go a-fishing earlier with his flies than the angler who fishes
for bass in northern North America. A great many of our good
bass streams are in civilized territory and the Spring rains,
plus the drainage of farm lands, usually roils the water. If
one must have bass then most success will be had if he will dangle
an angle, baited with worm, helgramite or craw, in the deep holes.
As the season advances fly fishing improves
but June usually finds the bass busy with family affairs and
they should not be bothered even if the law permits. July is
usually a good month on all streams and on the larger ones this
month and August often produce best of all - and just when the
lakes are yielding least. Very low water, however, often drives
the fish into the holes on small streams during the " dog
days."
September, the month Eastern and Midwest
trout fishermen close up shop, is usually excellent except the
week of the equinoctial storm. October - brown October - also
yields well, and the seasons we have "a late Fall"
fishing continues good even well into November. Local conditions
also must be considered.
The ideal fly fishing day is a dark,
overcast one, just before a rain, or better still, when it merely
suggests or threatens to rain and doesn't with enough breeze
to ruffle the surface of the water. Next best is what the average
person would call a "nice day."- when the sun shines,
the sky is blue and friendly and streamside posies and tree tops
nod to fitful breeze lets that put a slight ripple on the stream.
The best time of the day is undoubtedly
the early morning hours, from dawn until eight or nine o'clock
and from four in the afternoon until sundown or even until after
dark. During cloudy days the noon hours often produce well. However,
most of us fish the day through and perhaps it doesn't add much
to the heft of our creels but it adds lightness to our hearts
and uplift to our spirits and there is always the anticipation
of the luck the evening fishing is going to bring us - unless,
perchance, it is the last day and we must quit untimely to catch
the 5:15 for home. Then we are out of luck as the fish invariably
begin to rise well as the quitting hour approaches -'twas ever
thus as the poets say! But never mind: other days are coming
and for that matter if the fish become too challenging one can
always "miss" a train and send a telegram of explanation
later. Such things have happened! In fact, I know bald-headed
men who have, choosing love before duty, thus played truant from
home and business under these circumstances.
Thunder and lightning storms are unpropitious
for good fishing but a gentle shower often turns the tide in
our favor and sets the fish to rising.
The direction of the wind has little
to do with the success of a day on a stream as the wind comes
from all directions if the river is at all winding. The proverbial
east wind may have local influences, in England or on our east
coast, but otherwise is not objectionable and the phases of the
moon have little to do with fishermen's luck or the whimsical
mood of Micropterus, except that the bass may do their feeding
on moonlight nights and be indifferent during the day. In this
case the angler, well prepared for mosquitoes and with heavy
tackle, can do his fishing after sundown.
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