I UC-NRLF How to : Msb A ^"* PROVIHOAL OAME '?*? GENERAL LIBRARY UNIVERSITY Of er Dm IS A -BY- A BRYAN WILLIAMS Copyright, Ottawa, 1919. PROGRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY, LTD. LONDON BUILDING VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA 3 fr PEEFACE A LTHOUGH it is written especially ^-^ for the fisherman in the Province of British Columbia, and gives him in- formation he needs and cannot readily obtain elsewhere, this book is of real live interest to all sporting fishermen every- where. There have been many books on " fish- ing," but few have the charm 'of direct personal knowledge presented in a clear and entertaining manner, which charac- terizes the writing of Mr. Bryan Williams. As Provincial Game Warden for many years, Mr. Williams travelled, and fished, every part of British Columbia, and was the " source of information" for hundreds of tourists visiting the province, often from parts far distant as England, New Zealand, and Eastern United States. The publishers have spared no pains to make the book useful and interesting to the fisherman, and it is hoped that it will be found acceptable by those who follow the gentle art of Isaac Walton. M842076 By A. BRYAN WILLIAMS Ex-Provincial Game Warden CONTENTS Chapter 1. Introductory 9 2. The Sporting Fish of British Columbia 12 3. Fly Fishing for Salmon 19 4. Trolling for Salmon 21 5. Spinning for Salmon .. 27 6. Hints on Fly Fishing for Rainbow, Cut-throat and Grayling 29 7. Trout Flies 39 8. Spinning for Rainbow and Cut-throats 45 9. Trolling for Rainbow or Cut-throats 46 10. Bait Fishing 47 11. Fly Fishing for Steelheads 48 12. Trolling for Steelheads 49 13. Hints 011 Spinning for Steelheads 50 14. Hints on Playing Fish 58 15. To the Tourist 62 16. Vancouver Island 65 17. Along the Line of the B. C. Electric 79 18. Along the line of the P. G. E. Railway 85 19. Vancouver and Vicinity 91 20. The Lower Mainland Coast : 97 21. Along the Line of the C. P. R 106 22. Along the Kettle Valley Line 120 23. The Columbia Valley 130 24. Along the Crow's Nest Line 135 25. Prince Rupert 137 26. Along the Line of the G. T. P. . . 138 ROD AND CREEL IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 1 S i I veF^Uoctor 7 SPH ? TeaTl& Silver Teal & led Teal & Green Professor Co. Brown ^Crackle Red Hackle March Black Stone Fly TWENTY USEFUL FLIES FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA NOTE. For the purpose of a good illustration, showing the colours and make-up, the flies for above plate were all tied on No. 6 hook. The correct sizes are given in the description of each fly separately. CHAPTER I. "Of recreation there is none So free as fishing is alone, All other pastimes do no less Than mind and body both possess! My hand alone my work can do So I can fish and study, too." THE above lines are taken from the "Compleat Angler," the most famous book on fishing ever written or likely to be written, by Isaac Walton, than whom no greater fisher- man ever lived. Isaac Walton was born at Stafford in England in the year 1593, but it was not until the year 1653 that the first edition of his book was published. How many editions have since been published cannot be exactly stated, but there were five alone in the thirty years he lived after the book was written (he was just 90 when he died) and over a hundred editions since. The book itself, of course, is now of little value as a treatise, but as Lamb said, "It would sweeten a man's temper at any time to read it," and it seems to show what a gentle, kindly, sincere spirit the ideal angler should be. "Of all sports and recreations there is nothing like fishing, in which a person is so entirely dependent upon the skill of his own hand, combined with a well-developed store of patience and perseverance. "Of all sports there is nothing like fishing, which will develop the above traits and tend to make a man of kindly, upright disposition and keep him both physically and morally healthy. "Of all sports there is nothing like fishing, which will keep a youngster out of mischief and mould his character along the right lines." The famous Dr. Samuel Johnson, though he was a great admirer of Walton's book, once described fishing as "a rod and line with a worm at one end and a fool at the other." There have been more jokes made about fishermen than any other class of sportsmen. Everybody knows the old "chestnut," that came out in "Punch" many years ago, of the lunatic looking over the asylum wall at a man fishing in the river just outside and advising him to come inside because he had been sitting out there fishing steadily for five hours and had not 10 ROD 6- CREEL even had a bite ! And yet how far a fisherman really is from being either a fool or a lunatic. It is the other way about, the man who stays in town when he could be out in the country fishing, at peace with himself and the world, and getting fresh air and exercise, who goes instead to moving picture shows, or plays cards in stuffy rooms. This is the man who is the lunatic ; he is not only wasting his time, but ruining his health; whereas the fisherman is improved both morally and physically by his outing, even if he returns with an empty basket and nothing but long yarns of the wonderful fish he "just missed catching through bad luck,'' stories which nobody believes, but which do no harm and the teller derives great pleasure in the telling. British Columbia has long been famous for its variety of sport. As for fishing, even if it can be equalled, it certainly cannot be beaten in any other part of the world and yet, with the exception of a few streams and lakes that are easy of access, most of its waters have been almost untouched by dis- ciples of Isaac Walton. Our Province has an area some 700 miles long by 400 miles wide, and the whole of this area is divided by a network of ri\ r ers, streams and lakes in which are sporting fish of some kind, either salmon, trout or grayling, and in addition, pike in some of the northern lakes, bass in a few places in the south. In many of the more isolated waters the fish are so numerous and uneducated that they will rise at anything thrown at them and there is little sport in catching them. But in any waters that are easy of access they have become so educated that the man or woman who wishes to return with a w T ell-filled creel must not only go out properly equipped, but must be more or less expert in the ' gentle art.' If one goes on a holiday to a stream anywhere near a town you will see fishermen, and women too, by the score, and if you make it your business to watch them, whereby you will derive much pleasure, a great deal of amusement and sometimes some knowledge, you will discover that only about one out of ten has sufficient knowledge and is properly equipped to catch any- thing except small trout with worms or salmon eggs, sometimes even with a small spinner. One spring day I watched twenty- two men at the same time trying to fish the famous "Davidson's pool" in the Lillooet. Steelheads had been running well a short time previously, but that day the water had fallen so low as to be almost hopeless, so low you could see the bottom except in the very deepest part of the pool. And yet these twenty-two stayed there steadily fishing, some with minnows, others with prawns and baits of every conceivable sort. They were so crowded they could hardly cast on a pool just a nice size for two men to fish. You could, by standing upon the high bank, see most of the baits in the water, and you could also see that any fish that might have been there had long since been driven ROD CREEL 11 away. And yet these men fished on and on, their chances of even a bite were absolutely nil. Still, they were breathing fresh air, getting exercise and learning patience and self-restraint, the latter especially when their lines fouled one another, which frequently happened. . . . Now, not only must you have the requisite skill and a suit- able outfit, but you must have the water in proper condition, no matter whether you are fishing in this Province or any other part of the world. You cannot hope to catch fish when the water is running the colour of pea-soup after a heavy freshet, and it is almost as hopeless when the streams have run so dry that there is not water enough for the fish to move from one pool to another. Still even under such conditions there is always the joy of being out with your rod. If you are a lover of nature you are sure to find something of interest and you can always spend an enjoyable hour or two practising casting a fly or spinning a minnow. Considering the possibilities the country offers it is a won- der that more people do not take advantage of their opportuni- ties. It is a sport in which men, women and children can indulge during every month in the year on the coast, and one can obtain better sport here free, than could be had at consid- erable expenditure in Europe. If you ask people "why they do not go fishing," you will get many excuses : the business man is too busy, the society lady has too many social functions, others are too poor, or have not got the patience, or do not know where to go. No matter what your business is you should make time. A day or two's fishing will clear the brain and put you in better condition to tackle business problems and you will be better off in the end. If you have not the patience, you should develop it; a little bit of luck will soon turn you into an enthusiast. It is a sport for men and women and one is never too old to learn; so whatever the excuse, do not let it hinder you. If you have never experi- enced the thrill of hearing the "scream" of a reel when you have hooked a 2-lb. rainbow on a fly in some such stream as the Cowichan or Thompson, or a fresh run 15-lb. steelhead in the Yedder or Cheakamus, or a 50-lb. Tyee salmon at Campbell River or Alberni Canal, you have missed one of the greatest joys of life. So make up your mind to become a fisherman or fisherwoman. If you do not know where to go, or how to fish or what rods and tackle to get, this book will give you an indi- cation ; but remember that from a book alone you can only learn the general rules. "When it comes to the actual fishing itself, "Your hands alone the work can do." It is only practice com- bined with perseverance that will enable you to return home with a well-filled creel. 12 ROD & CREEL CHAPTER II. THE SPORTING FISH OF B. C. SALMON. From time to time one hears discussions amongst anglers about the different species of salmon on the Pacific Coast, and the statement is frequently made that it has been decided by Ichthyologists that our salmon are not real salmon. While a lengthy chapter on this subject would be out of place in a book of this kind, a few words on the subject, presumably, will be of interest to many who read this book. First of all it may be stated that it is incorrect to say that our salmon are anything but salmon. It has, however, been decided that our salmon, while identical in general characters with the "Salmo" family of the Atlantic Coast, differ anatomic- ally in a number of way and also differ in their reproductive instincts. In consequence our fish, instead of being grouped with the genus "Salmo," have a genus of their own called ' * Oncorhynchus. ' ' Spring Salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha). Sometimes called "Tyee," "King," "Silver Spring." These fish attain the greatest weight of all our salmon and they probably live a year or two longer. They vary considerably in size and colour, so much so that many people think they are of different varieties. No difference in anatomical structure has been discovered and the difference is probably due to the various "runs" of fish changing their appearance and size according to the water and amount of feed available in it. For example, take the ordinary "Spring." This fish is caught all along the coast, more or less all the year round and inhabits shallow water and, is of bright color in consequence. Then take the so-called "Tyee;" this fish only puts in an appearance when spawning time approaches ; the rest of the time it probably scatters in deep water, where competition for food is not so great, the result being it attains greater size, and the depth of the water it lives in gives it a deeper colour. The flesh of these fish also varies in colour considerably, some being quite white, others with just a pink tinge, and others quite pink. The reason for this change has not yet been dis- covered. The fact that white-fleshed fish become more com- mon towards fall might tend to the theory that the spawning season had something to do with it, except for the fact that the "Tyees" of Campbell River are invariably a deep pink. Water ROD 6- CREEL 13 conditions are more likely to have some bearing, as fish in some waters run much more to one colour than another. The weight of the spring varies enormously, and mature fish, that is fish five or six years old, run from 2 Ibs. up. The larg- est fish of which I have any record went 105 Ibs., the second largest 96 Ibs., while fish up to 80 Ibs. have been fairly numer- ous. As far as fair rod-and-line fishing is concerned, the record stands at 72 Ibs. This fish was caught at Campbell River many years ago by Sir Richard Musgrave. There is no doubt that this record could be beaten by anybody who made up his mind to do so, as several enormous fish, one reported as 83 Ibs., were taken by professional fishermen last summer when trolling with hand lines. To identify the "spring" is generally a simple matter, the size alone usually being sufficient. Sometimes, however, in the fall it is a very difficult matter for the ordinary fisherman, who has neither the knowledge nor inclination to count the developed rays on the anal fin, or the scales between the lateral line and dorsal fin, to say nothing of the gill-rakers on the anterior gill- arch and the branchiostegals, etc., etc., to tell the difference between a small spring and a big cohoe. The simplest way is to look at the tail. If it has black spots more or less all over it and there is not an opal-coloured, narrow, iridescent streak about one-half inch wide and one and one-half inches long, running from the centre of the root of the tail, it is a "spring." It it has this coloured iridescent streak it is a cohoe. The Cohoe (Oncorhynehus kisutch). Tliis fish runs any- where from 3 Ibs. up to as high as 15 Ibs. It is a beautiful silvery fish with a greenish back usually having some black spots on the back and occasionally on the tail also. Its flesh is a deep red and, while by no means the equal of the l spring" for the table, the larger ones are extremely good. The first run of cohoes is usually in May, when they seldom weigh more than 2 or 3 Ibs., and are sold on the market as "bluebacks." As the season advances they increase in weight at an enormous rate, so that by fall when they ascend the river to spawn they have attained their full size. The cohoe is an excellent sporting fish, he will take the fly fairly well both in the sea and fresh water whenever conditions are favourable, though more are taken by trolling and spinning than this method. As a fighter he is by no means to be despised, as, though he will not make the long runs that the spring salmon will, he jumps much more frequently and dashes about in such a wild way that considerable skill is required to play him. The Sockeye, Dog and Humpback. These species can hardly be considered sporting fish, though the last two men- 14 ROD 6- CREEL tioned are not infrequently, and the first named very occasion- ally, taken on the rod. The Habits of the Salmon. All salmon deposit their spawn in the fall or early winter and they almost invariably pair while ascending the rivers for the purpose. When they reach their spawning place, the male fish, with tail and nose, exca- vates a broad, shallow bed, sometimes in the silty bed of a lake of little depth but more frequently in a gravelly bottom of a stream, in rapid water at a depth of one to five feet. The eggs are then deposited and covered with silt or gravel and the fish themselves float down stream, and in the course of a few days die. Whether any recover after spawning and return to the sea is very problematical. Possibly a few springs and echoes do so, but so far no Pacific Coast salmon has yet been discovered that has spawned a second time. The young fish hatch out in from 120 to 180 days in cold streams, the period lessening with higher temperature and, as a rule, descend to the ocean in their first year, some remaining a year longer. They grow very slowly at first, but in their last year do so very rapidly. The age of a salmon is ascertained by microscopic examination of the scales, which exhibit distinct ring marks for each year. The number of years a salmon has spawned is ascertained in the same manner. Spring salmon, as a rule, spawn in their fourth and fifth years, some in their sixth. Cohoes normally spaw r n in their third year though sometimes in the fourth and even fifth years. One of the problems about salmon that has never yet been solved is why they can be taken with baits in fresh water, see- ing that when once they leave the sea the stomach contracts and they cease to feed. In the salt water almost any "spring" 3 r ou catch will be found to have its stomach half full of smelts, young herring or small sea perch, and yet nobody has ever yet found even the remains of food in any salmon caught in fresh water. It is sometimes argued that they do not mean to swal- low it but only bite at it because it annoys them. This can hardly be the case, as there are times when you can put baits of all sorts right under their noses and they will hardly notice it, while at other times they will come with a rush from as far as they can see it. Trout. The identity of the trout of this Province has been the source of a vast amount of argument, and while a certain amount of scientific examination has been made, so far as I am aware, no authoritative description of the trout of this Province alone has ever been written. As far, however, as can be ascer- tained, apart from a slight difference between coast and interior types, no anatomical difference has been discovered between the ROD & CREEL 15 so-called rainbow and the steelhead. any more than between the bright silver-spring salmon of medium weight and the enor- mous bronze-coloured type. Not only that, but the difference between the so-called rainbow and steelhead and the cut-throat is very small. As far, however, as the angler is concerned, these matters, while probably interesting, are not of vital importance so long as the fish are game and he knows where to catch them. For the purpose of this book therefore, the steelhead, rainbow, cut-throat, dolly varden and great lake trout (the two last mentioned are not true trout but char, and do not belong to the "Salmo" family) will be recognized. In addition to the above we have the eastern brook trout (also a char) acclimatised in one stream in West Kootenay, where it is sufficiently numerous to afford good sport. In other streams where it has been tried it has not yet been reported a success. The Steelhead (Salmo gardnerii). This fish, while much resembling a salmon to the casual observer, is a true trout. It attains a weight of 20 Ibs., and even over, 10 to 15 Ib. fish being quite common. "When perfectly fresh-run, it is a most beautiful silvery fish; but as the spawning season approaches, it first has a faint crimson glow on the sides which adds to its beauty, afterwards changing gradually to a dull brick-red, with dark blotches here and there, by which time it is thin, quite out of condition and not fit for consumption. When in condition the flesh of the steelhead is a delicate pink, and as a table delicacy is superior, in many people's esti- mation, to the finest of spring salmon. The Coast steelhead is essentially a large sea-trout, only ascending the rivers a short time before spawning. Unlike the Pacific salmon, it recovers after spawning and returns to the ocean to recuperate. The steelhead can easily be distinguished from the salmon by its greater length, small head and regular trout tail. In addition it sometimes has black spots below the lateral line, which the salmon never has. The spawning time on this coast varies somewhat according to the stream, some fish not ascending the streams until the first freshets in May, but the greater majority of fish ascend the streams in January and February, some even in December, and spawn in March and April. As a sporting fish the steelhead has no equal. He can be taken on the fly, or by spinning with a minnow or prawn, as well as with bait. As a fighter there is nothing to beat him, he will jump perhaps four or five times in succession and make long runs or flying dashes upstream or downstream and in every direction, so that a cool head and skilful hands are needed to bring him to the gaff. 16 ROD & CREEL The Interior Steelhead (Salmo gardnerii kamloops). This fish, which is locally called salmon, is a landlocked variety of the coast fish. It is found in the larger lakes which take the place of the sea, the fish running up the streams to spawn as a rule about June. Unlike the coast fish, however, when once they ascend the stream they are so nearly ready to spawn they will not take bait and they are therefore caught in the lakes. If anything, the lake fish grow to a larger size than the coast fish, but not having a strong current to assist them when hooked, do not afford as much sport. The Rainbow (Salmo irridieiis) and Cut-throat (Salmo mykiss). These two fish are very similar in size, appearance and habits. As a general thing the rainbow is of a brighter, more silvery colour, with a more pronounced crimson glow on the side. The cut-throat is much more heavily spotted and can easily be distinguished by the red mark, whereby it attains its name, 011 each side under the lower jaw. Both these fish may be taken up to 5 or 6 Ibs. weight, according to the size of the stream or lake they are found in. They will both take the fly freely and are hard fighters, the rainbow probably doing the most jumping. As a rule they are excellent table fish except when caught in some of the shallow lakes, when they are apt to be of a some- what muddy flavour. Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma). The "dolly," as this fish is commonly called, is not a true trout and does not belong to the genus "Salmo." Both this fish and the eastern brook trout are chars. It is of a rather dull greenish-grey colour on the back and white underneath, with a number of large pink or yellowish pink spots. It is extremely broad across the back and weighs a good deal more than one would expect from a casual glance. The size varies according to the stream or lake it is caught in. In most large coast streams they will go up to 8 or 10 Ibs., the average being 3 or 4 Ibs. In lakes it grows con- siderably bigger, possibly reaching a weight of 25 Ibs. The larger specimens will seldom take a fly alone, but I have caught them on a flj r with a small spinner above it. Small fish of one-half to three-quarter pounds will often take the fly freely. The usual method of fishing for "dollys" is by spinning, and in some of the larger streams where there is a swift cur- rent very good sport can sometimes be had, as, while they seldom do more in the way of jumping than makes a few splashes, they are very strong fish and frequently rattle out quite a lot of line. The Great Lake Trout (Cristivomer namaycush). This fish is also a char and very similar in appearance to the "dolly," 4> 5s T3 g IS 9 7 bO O a c UJ o> ROD & CREEL 17 though not its equal in beauty, being: of a duller colour, poorer shape and with yellow instead of pink spots. Its habitat is the large lakes, more particularly those in the north, where it sometimes grows to enormous size; it is said to have been taken over 60 Ibs. in weight, though the average would not be more than 15 Ibs. It is caught in very deep water by trolling with a long line, and heavy lead and big spoon. When hooked it plays but little better than a cod. It is an excellent table fish but that is about its only recommendation. Habits of Trout. All our trout are migratory, those on the coast descending to the sea if they can, those in the lakes either ascending or descending the various streams to spawn. The spawning time varies tremendously according to local conditions, and to such an extent do conditions vary that there is hardly a month in the year when you could not find trout spawning somewhere or other. The main spawning seasons are the winter months on the coast and May and June in the interior. The Grayling (Thymallus signifer). The grayling some- what resembles a small salmon in shape but does not belong to the genus "Salmo." In this country it seldom exceeds 2 Ibs. in weight. It is of a somewhat dullish hue, with a number of bluish black spots on the forward part of the belly. It has an enormous dorsal fin, altogether out of proportion to the rest of the fish. On the other hand its mouth is small and delicate, from which a hook is easily torn. As a table fish it is even superior to the trout and in addition is an excellent sporting fish. It takes the fly freely and, while not the equal of the trout as a fighter, puts up quite a good fight, though rather after the style of the ''dolly." This fish is only found in our northern waters. The one commonly called the grayling in the south, is the River White fish, something altogether different and not to be compared to the true grayling. Bass. These fish are not native to the Province but have been introduced. They have only been established in a few places. Langford Lake near Victoria has afforded good sport for years past, as also has Christina Lake near Grand Forks. They are also found in the Okanagan River up to the falls. The Pike. Up to the present time the existence of pike in British Columbia has been little known. There are, however, reported to be a considerable number of these fish in some of our northern lakes; whether this is a fact I am not at present prepared to aver. There are six species of this fish, which belongs to the genus Lucius, on this continent, the largest of which is the Muskellunge. To what species the pike we have 18 ROD 6- CREEL here belongs I have not yet been able to ascertain, or even to get a good description of the fish. They have been reported as being caught up to thirty-five pounds weight in Cunningham Lake, which is close to and runs into Stewart Lake. The pike is a powerful fish and puts up a hard fight so that probably when these waters are easier of access pike fish- ing will become a regular sport there as it is to the east of the Rockies (that is, provided the pike really are here). In the sixteenth century in England, pike fishing was prac- tised in a great variety of ways, one of which is so novel it is worth mentioning: A live roach, dace or gudgeon was put on what was called a "snap tackle." This had a short wire trace and a piece of line, in all not much more than four or five feet long. The end of the line was fastened to the leg of a duck or a goose, which was liberated into the water and allowed to swim about as it pleased. A pike would take the bait and start off. The duck would often be pulled right under and come up quacking loudly. There would be a hard fight but the duck always came out best in the end. "With geese there was even more fun as, though the pike could not pull them under, they made much more fuss than the ducks, and always made for shore as soon as possible. If you go up into the northern country and get tired of catching fish in the orthodox way, you can try this method ! ROD * CREEL 19 CHAPTER III. FLY FISHING FOR SALMON A FEW years ago trolling was considered the only way to catch the Pacific Coast salmon; then spinning was discov- ered to be a successful method. There were, however, a few men who always used a fly and others who occasionally did, but it has never been followed up as it should, though it is a pretty well acknowledged fact that the cohoe salmon will take the fly freely and the spring salmon occasionally, if it is presented to them properly. It is, of course, quite useless to go out into the sea and cast a fly where the fish are too deep to be taken except by trolling. If, however, you choose shallow water, similar to that described for spinning, or even anchor your boat out on the line of a run of cohoes when they are swimming in schools near the surface, you will hook fish if you only persevere. Sir John Rogers, who came here all the way from Egypt especially to catch tyees at Campbell River, used sometimes at half tide when the current was too swift for trolling, to anchor his boat off a point he knew the fish passed and use a fly. He killed a great many cohoes in this way and had grand sport with them in the racing torrent. His fly was a "Silver Doctor." The best places, however, to fish for salmon in salt water are at the mouths of any small creeks up which they go to spawn. If there has been a dry spell the cohoes and some springs congregate there waiting for enough water to go up. Not only can you catch salmon but an occasional big trout can be caught. The end of September and beginning of October is the time to try such places. As soon as there has been a good freshet most of the fish go up the streams and you can then get them in fresh water. The Rod. If you are going to fish for salmon with a fly, do not use your trout rod, as even if it stands the strain of a few fish yon are bound to ruin it before long. Use a double-handed fourteen foot rod at least; it need not be an expensive split cane, a good greenheart will do quite well. The Reel. Either a spinning or trolling reel will serve. The Line. With a good tapered silk line you will find your casting twice as easy and for fresh water fishing you should have one. Forty yards of casting line is enough, but it should have another forty yards of backing. 20 ROD 6- CREEL For salt water a plain enamelled line is quite good enough, as you seldom need to make long casts and salt water soon ruins a silk line. Flies. Few flies are needed, the Jock Scott, Silver Doctor, Silver Wilkinson and Durham Ranger are as good as any. Most of your flies should be tied on 5/0 hooks but have one or two on smaller hooks for bright, low water. Casts. Strong salmon gut is needed, but not more than three or four feet is required. Fishing. The actual fishing itself is quite a simple matter to anybody who can make some sort of an overhead cast. In the salt water it is quite a "chuck and chance it" game. One anchors his boat at the mouth of a creek or on the line of a run and one can keep on casting in the same place all day and be just as likely to hook a fish at the end of one or two hours as at first. In fresh water it is much pleasanter work, as much better success will be obtained if the pool is fished thoroughly from one end to another. Also greater skill is needed in cast- ing, sometimes the best water takes a long cast to reach and sometimes one has a nasty wind to contend with. In fishing a pool for salmon it is best to start at the head of the pool and fish down. Cast across stream at an angle of 45 degrees and let it sweep round with the current slowly, giv- ing the fly a moderate amount of movement. Get the fly down as deep as possible as a general rule. There are, however, times when a fly worked quickly on the surface will kill better, but such cases are exceptions. If you have a rise you must not be in a hurry to strike, feel the fish first and then a slight tightening of the line is all that is needed. ROD & CREEL 21 CHAPTER IV. TROLLING FOR SALMON WHILE trolling cannot compare with fly fishing or even spinning as a sporting method of hooking fish, still after all is said it cannot be denied that the real sport with salmon begins after they are hooked, and if only suitable rods and tackle are used, trolling is a form of sport out of which a vast amount of pleasure can be obtained; moreover, a consider- able amount more skill is required than is generally supposed, especially for winter salmon, when your success will depend entirely on the way you go about it. A trolling outfit used to. and still frequently does, consist of a very heavy line about one-eighth of an inch (more or less) in diameter, one pound of lead to sink it and a plain silver spoon of enormous size. This was dragged through the water at whatever rate suited the energy of the person pulling the boat. This sort of fishing is not sport, though it has the re- deeming feature of giving fresh air and exercise. Cohoes. These fish run from four or five pounds in the early part of the season, to as high as fifteen pounds in the latter part. The majority of them are excellent sporting fish, putting up a hard fight before they can be brought to the gaff. The Rod should be a light spinning one, about 1CM/2 feet long and sufficiently limber to be almost capable of throwing a fly/ The Reel. Nothing will beat a good 3y 2 -inch "Notting- ham," as you can let out and take in line very rapidly. The Line. Cuttyhunk is as good as anything you can get. A hundred yards of No. 12, which has a breaking strain of twenty- four pounds, will be ample. Traces. Six feet of twisted or strong plain salmon gut is the best thing to use. On no account use ordinary wire as cohoes jump and twist so much they are almost sure to kink it and a break follows. Leads are the most important parts of the tackle, as your success will depend to a great extent on the depth you fish. When the fish first come in they swim very near the surface and no lead at all is needed, unless there are many boats fishing when they are apt to swim deeper. Later in the season as the bigger fish arrive you must get a bit deeper, but it is seldom that more than one ounce of lead is needed. 22 ROD & CREEL Baits. For echoes there is very little choice of baits. If they are on the feed they will take anything, even a six-inch Stewart. Probably the best you can use are a 2 l / 2 or 3-inch brass Stewart of the Levere make, and a 1%-inch Victoria spoon. Fishing for Cohoes. These fish seldom stay long in one place but seem to be of a restless disposition and continually on the move. In the various bays and inlets they come and go with the tides, and your time of fishing will depend upon them. The fish have distinct lines of run, sometimes quite close to shore and others half a mile out. Generally they keep to fairly swift water, a rocky point with a good tide sweeping by is often one of the best places to fish. In rowing your boat you want to go a fair pace unless you are using a Victoria spoon, which revolves very fast and is useless in swift water. Spring Salmon. Trolling for spring salmon requires much more skill than for cohoes, as they are often fastidious about baits and in addition the winter fish feed in certain waters at certain times, one day close in to shore, at others away out at much greater depths. In some water the time of your fishing must be governed entirely by the tide, in others nothing but early morning and late evening, quite regardless of tides, are very good. If you cannot find anybody to give you advice, you are more likely to hit it right by morning and evening fishing, especially with an ebb tide. Tyee salmon are simply a very big variety of springs that run in July, August and September, and these fish require a special outfit. The Rod. This is a very important part of your outfit, as, though an expensive rod is not necessary, it should be suitable for the class of work you are going to do. Eleven feet or eleven and a half feet is the ideal length and, of course, a split cane steel centre spinning rod of about twenty-two ounces cannot be beaten. A good greenheart is quite all that is really needed, but it must be good and be able to play a fish right down to the butt. On no account let anybody persuade you into buying a stiff rod with a short, thick top, you might just as well get a long-handled broom and put some rings on it. On the other hand do not go and buy an eighteen-foot fly rod. Remember, there is a happy medium, and get a rod with which you can, when necessary, take a good lift on your fish r.iid yet is supple enough to bend from tip to butt in a perfect arc when there is a heavy strain on it. Reels. A really first class metal reel with a very big drum and absolutely simple mechanism cannot be beaten. It must be large enough to hold 200 yards of heavy line easily and two ROD & CREEL 23 of the bars should have stiff pieces of leather fastened to them to use as brakes. Anything but the very best of metal reels should be avoided as they will not stand the strain. The safest reel of any for the man who cannot afford to pay a big price for a metal reel is a six-inch Nottingham with brass lining. Tf the line is taken off immediately after using and dried and the reel carefully wiped, they will last a long time. Avoid multi- plying reels or anything that is not perfectly simple. Lines. Nothing will beat cutty hunk. You should have 200 yards and certainly not less than 150 yards of No. 21. This can be obtained "braided" and it kinks much less than the twisted. The last fifty yards should be well waxed, it will not only reduce kinking but help to keep it drier. Traces. Four feet of piano wire with three swivels is all that is needed. Baits. This is really the most important part of your whole outfit as unless your bait works perfectly you are not likely to catch tyees though you may an occasional cohoe. At the present time there has been nothing devised which will beat what used to be called a "Stewart." These baits are now made in various patterns by different firms, but they all work on the same principle. A year or so ago not one out of ten would stand up well, that is, work on their edge and not on the flat. Lately, however, one or two local firms have been turning out some very good patterns, their chief fault being they are made for motor-boat trolling and are too slow for fishing from a boat for sport. By the use of a smaller hook and a little hammering they can soon be put right. As a general thing there is nothing to beat a six-inch brass, though sometimes the brass and silver, or all copper, and occa- sionally a white metal will do good work, but personally I sel- dom use anything but plain brass, and I care little what shape it is as long as it will work well when I am rowing very slowly. Split Rings. The ordinary split ring is nothing but a trap. Never use them or you will be sorry for it ! Take them off and use the ring you solder on yourself, or bind both hook and swivel on with piano wire of extra strong size. Leads. Though it is absolutely necessary to success to have a perfect working bait, it is almost as necessary to use the right amount of lead, but unfortunately on this point no hard and fast rule can be laid down, except to fish deep. The amount of lead will have to depend on the depth of water and the strength of the current near the bottom which often varies considerably with that at the top, as sometimes there is an "undertow'* which is very annoying. You should always have a mark, by binding the line with white cotton, at 30 yards and let this be 24 ROD & CREEL your usual length from the end of your rod. If the tide is slack 2*/2 or 3 ounces of lead eight feet from the bait may be sufficient if you have a quick working bait and can row very slowly. As the tide increases in strength, put on more lead up to six ounces, taking in and letting out line according to whether you are going with or against the current. Traces. Four feet of piano wire is as good as anything; it should have three or four strong swivels. How to Fish. If the fish are about in any numbers you will nearly always see them once in a while. They do not actually jump but break the water very much like a porpoise. By watching, you know whereabouts to fish. Row the boat, or let it be rowed if you have a boat puller, as slowly as possible, the speed must, of course, be governed by the way your bait works and also by the current. In very strong currents, when there are not too many other boats about to prevent you doing it, it is often advisable to row so slowly that the current carries you back, in which case you zig-zag backwards and forwards with the boat at a slight angle to the current so as to cover a stretch of water about 50 yards wide. Then when you want to come up stream get into an eddy or take up your line and hug the shore. If you are rowing yourself, let the rod lie almost flat straight over the stern, holding the reel between your knees in such a manner that you can control the handle which must not be allowed quite free unless you have a very heavy check, otherwise the hook is liable not to be driven home over the barb when a fish strikes. If you are being rowed sit facing the stern with your rod straight over the stern and held at a slight angle so that you can strike a fish when he takes. Never hold your rod out side- ways if you can avoid it, as it is not only too much strain on the rod, but you are much less likely to hook your fish properly. Make a point of taking up your bait frequently, as you are sure to pick up a bit of ell weed once in a while, and as long as it is on you are wasting time. On no account ever put your rod down and let it lie loose while the bait is out, in fact, you must keep hold of it all the time or you are liable not only to lose a fish but your rod also. This is by no means an uncommon occurrence, as the follow- ing story will show. Some years ago a friend of mine was fishing at Campbell River. At that time seines had not been allowed to ruin the fishing and there were people there from almost every part of the world not only "fishing" but hooking and some of them catching fish. My friend hooked something which he at first thought was a bunch of weeds, but on reeling up found it was a line which was taken in and eventuallv led ROD 6- CREEL 25 to a brand new rod and reel. The line was wound up and it was discovered that there was a fish on it, which, after some fight, was landed in the boat also. As near as I can remember its weight was thirty-eight pounds. It afterwards transpired that it had been snatched out of a man's hands who was too intent on watching somebody else playing a fish, to hold his own properly, early in the morning some five or six hours before. Dragging to recover it had been fruitless and the owner, who had only just started fishing and had no other rod with him, was packing up his things to leave. Silver Spring Salmon. By these fish are meant the ordi- nary fish that can be caught more or less everywhere, fish that go from ten pounds to thirty pounds. There is not a month in the year when they cannot be caught somewhere, but the fish run best and are in the finest condition both for sport and the table in the months of Decem- ber, January and February. The rod and tackle used for this fishing is just the same as for the tyees on a lighter scale, 125 yards of line being quite sufficient. For baits a four-inch brass or copper " Stewart" used with 25 yards of line out and a 2% or 3-ounce lead will be about right, though in some places much more lead is necessary. When herring are running there is nothing to equal them for baits if they are made to spin properly, but a good working "Stewart" is always -better than a bad spinning herring. You can always buy herring tackle, but most of it is clumsy stuff. The "Archer Spinners" are fair, but as they are generally made on rotten gimp they are not recommended. It is a very simple matter and less expensive to make your own. All you need are a few 6/0 treble hooks, some piano wire, a small spool of No. 26 plain wire, a few No. 6 swivels and a short piece of copper wire about the thickness of the lead in a pencil. Cut off two pieces of piano wire 11 inches and 17 inches long and fasten a treble hook on to the end of each. Take the one with the long wire and run it in at the vent of the herring, which should not be over eight inches long, seven inches is about right, and out at the mouth. Draw the shank of the hook well up into the fish and bury one hook in the flesh. Then take the shorter wire and run it in back of the shoulder and out at the mouth, also burying the shank and one hook in the herring. You now take a piece of the fine wire and bind up the mouth. To make it spin take a piece of your copper wire and run it in at the eye and down the flesh to the tail, taking care to keep it well buried in the flesh and not in the stomach. It is advis- 26 ROD fi- CREEL 1' &V, l .Ew E C ro"w OJ t_ E! ROD & CREEL 33 Reels. Compared to the rod and line, reels are of minor importance, nevertheless, carefiil choice of a reel will assist you to do better work and frequently enable you to land a fish you would otherwise have lost. Above all things avoid these wonder- ful patent contrivances with numerous complications which are flooding the market. Sooner or later, generally sooner, they get out of order, most probably just as you hook your best fish of the season. Choose a narrow reel that will hold your line easily and not get overcrowded if you have to wind up fast without looking to see the line goes on evenly. It should have a large drum so that you can wind up quickly in case a fish makes a long run and then comes towards you. The mechanism should be per- fectly simple except for a ''check" regulator. The latter is very useful as it enables you to regulate the check so that you can strike a fish from the reel without danger of a break. Casts. For dry fly fishing tapered casts are a necessity, the thickest end should match in size the end of the line. For ordi- nary wet fly work the plain cast will do. Beginners should never use a cast more than six feet in length with one fly which is the "point fly." Later on a second fly (the first dropper) can be used and even a third (the second dropper). Some men even use a fourth fly (the bob fly) but it requires a twelve foot cast and except for very wide streams is seldom advisable. The finer your cast is the better your chances of success and it is astonishing how big a fish can be landed on a fine cast if only you are careful to see that it is well soaked before using, and above all things test each knot carefully. It is in the knots the danger lies and every one that is the least bit doubtful should be cut off and retied. Never wear your casts round your hat or put flies tied on gut on your hat on sunny days as hot sun is most injurious to gut. Hooks. For any but your smallest flies use the Limerick pattern. For the very small ones the Snell pattern is advisable as they seldom fail to take hold but they are more apt to break if they strike a bone. Always test your hooks by striking one or two into a board and giving it a strong pull. I once lost four good fish out of six hooked through failing to do this; they were all too soft and straightened out. As a general thing it is the other way, they are too brittle and snap just above the barb. Always buy your flies on eyed hooks. There are several advantages that eyed hooks have. First of all the gut on which the fly is tied may not be suitable in size; secondly the weak point of a fly tied on gut is the part of the gut just above the shank of the hook. A few good fish will weaken it and so will a few bad backward casts, or putting on a new fly and not giving 34 ROD & CREEL New N?. 17 10 15 14 13 12 n 10 $ 8 7 6 5 SIZE OF HOOKS The following illustration will show the different sizes of hooks both by the old and new method. In this book, whenever the size of a hook is mentioned, the old numbers are used. it sufficient time to soak. Any of these things will result in your having to discard the fly, or perhaps loose a good fish, whereas with an eyed hook all you have to do is cut off your fly and retie it. Moreover, with the greatest of care gut will rot in your fly hook. Of course it is a little more trouble to tie on an eyed hook. Moreover, it must be done properly or the fly will not stand up well, but after all it is a simple matter with a little practice. The ROD & CREEL 35 ordinary "jam knot," as shown in the chapter on "knots" is quite easy and perfectly satisfactory for trout. For your droppers all you have to do is tie on a piece of spare gut in the way also shown in the chapter on knots. Casting a Fly. Having secured a complete outfit at consider- able cost, you will probably be told various yarns of small boys with poles for rods and string for line and chunks of meat for bait, pulling out enormous trout under the noses of perfectly equipped men who have been fishing all day without a single fish going in to their baskets. ' The last yarn I heard of this sort was particularly good and is as follows : The usual incident had happened. The perfectly equipped man had fished all day with- out success when the small boy arrived with the usual tackle and immediately landed the usual monster trout. Whereupon the man walked over to the boy and said something. The boy went home and showed the fish to his mother who remarked, "What a splendid trout." "Oh no," said the boy, "that's not a trout, that's a 'limit,' at any rate a swell I saw fishing down by the stream said it was a 'perfect limit.' Such yarns are very amusing and may sometimes have hap- pened, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule that the skilled man w r ith good tools will beat others ninety times out of a hundred. So do not be led astray, get a good outfit and learn to cast well. Perhaps the following instructions will help you. First of all draw off from the reel an amount of line about twice the length of the rod. Then holding the end of the line (it is better to start without a cast or fly) in the left hand wave the rod gently backwards and forwards until you get enough momen- tum to carry the line, then release the line and let it go out well behind you, then with a forward movement drive the line straight out in front of you. In making a second cast three distinct movements are neces- sary. First raise the point of the rod so that you have as much line clear of the water as possible. Second, a backward lift with a distinct pause at the end of it to allow the line to straighten. Third, the forward movement when the rod is driven forward with just enough force to carry the line out to its full length. In making the second movement the rod should not go back to an angle of more than 45 degrees to the body and, unless you want your line to crack like a whip with loss of your flies, make the pause distinct. In addition you must incline the rod slightly to the right and not straight up in the air. In making the forward movement the rod is at first inclined slightly to the left so as to continue the curve commenced on the backward movement, then driven down until it comes to about the horizontal, but on no account any lower. Also endeavour to have vour line extended to its full limit a foot or so above the 36 ROD & CREEL water, as it will then sink gently on to the water without the slightest splash, which would not otherwise he the ease. While nothing but practice will enable you to make these movements properly, there are one or two frequent errors made which from a book you can learn to avoid. There is nothing more bungling or ungraceful than to see a man waving his arm at full length and bending his body almost double when attempt- ing to cast a fly. Stand upright in a nice easy position and keep your elbow in to your side as if it were tied there, and do all the work with your forearm and wrist, a slight movement of the shoulders being all that is necessary. Endeavour your utmost to make every movement gracefully and with ease, only using as much vigor as is absolutely necessary. A good way to practice casting is on a lawn. You can do this any evening, or better still for a few minutes before break- fast, and it will not only improve your casting but improve your muscles, which you will find a great help if you are out for a whole day's fishing, and will be good for your health also. When you can get out a straight line a fair distance, then practice accuracy by putting down a mark to cast to. Fishing 1 a Stream. Having mastered the art of casting with some degree of accuracy and having arrived at a stream ready to fish in earnest, with your rod put together and casts well soaked, first of all take note of the wind, if there is any, and, also of the sun if it is out, as it is a great advantage to have the former at your back and the sun in your face so that your shadow may not be on the water you are going to fish. Then being very careful to keep out of sight, watch to see if any fish are rising, and what flies are on the water. If you cannot see anything to help you, choose your flies according to the season and condition of the water, the clearer the water the smaller the flies being the general rule. Now, when you start to fish, in addition to being able to put your fly lightly on the water, you must also work it properly. Before, however, going any further, it is just as well to say a few words on the number of flies to be used on a cast. If you are fishing a small stream where the fish run any size, it is best to be content with one fly: the same thing applies in water that has many snags as your chances of fouling a snag when you are playing a fish are greatly increased with more than one fly. In big streams and lakes you can use two or three flies, each three feet apart. Some men use as many as four but I do not advise it. If you are fishing a stream and have to fish down stream, either on account of the sun, the water being too swift ( in very rapid water it is often best to vary the rule of fishing upstream as the line may be brought down too rapidly to keep it taut enough) or some other cause, never on any account drag your flies either across or against the current as if you do you only make an ROD & CREEL 37 unnatural ripple which is bound to frighten any but a most unso- phisticated fish. Always endeavour to make the flies move naturally. Let them float down stream quietly with an occasional slight wrist movement. This will open and shut the legs and wings of your flies and give them the appearance of the last dying kicks of a real fly. Another good plan is to lift your first or second drop- per, if you are using more than two flies, clear of the water and let it "bob" along the surface. This represents the action of a female fly laying her eggs. It is most killing if fish are feeding on natural flies. At first you had better fish downstream (for dry fly fishing this is impossible) as the current will help to straighten out your line if your casts are not good, which is quite sure to be the case at first. When you become proficient, always fish upstream when possible. There are several reasons for this, the main ones being that your fly will float in a natural manner, and it is much easier to hook a fish well. Pish every likely spot carefully, particularly where there is any big boulder, and the eddies at the heads of pools, but do not dwell too long in one place. If you do not get a rise, change your flies and try again or move on to other pools. If you rise a fish and he misses, your action must depend on the character of the rise. Unless the rise was a very deter- mined one and the miss was a bad shot on the fish's part, on no account cast over him again at once. Give him ten minutes' rest, If it was a short rise, i.e., the fish almost took it, try a much smaller fly of the same pattern or some other small fly. If the fault was that you did not strike quick enough you had better give him a longer rest. In striking a trout quickness is necessary, unless it is a very big slow taking one, and it should be done with a slight wrist movement, with the line quite clear and not held against the rod. Dry Fly Fishing. This form of fishing is an art in itself and of such a comprehensive nature that nothing but a brief description can be given in a book of this sort, moreover noth- ing but practical lessons are really of much service to the beginner. In this form of fishing, your endeavour is first of all to find a fish feeding on flies, secondly to discover what sort of fly he is taking, and thirdly to float an imitation fly of that kind over the fish in a natural manner. If you succeed in doing these things it is ninety-nine chances out of a hundred you will rise the fish and his capture then depends on your skill in striking, playing and landing him, all of which, with the extremely delicate hooks used, are no mean accomplishments. 38 ROD & CREEL To become proficient in dry fly fishing you must be suf- ficiently expert in casting, so that your rod, line, hand and eye work in such harmony that you have not to think of them but only of your fly and your fish. The fly must float as if it were the natural insect, and to do so must be dry. They are specially made for this purpose and are oiled or vaporised, but always require extra drying after each cast by making six or seven false casts in the air. Then the current has to be studied so that the fly will float in the proper direction and at the. same time you must keep your line sufficiently taut to be able to strike. The dry fly fisherman does not as a rule make a cast until he has discovered a feeding fish. There is, however, no reason why you should not do so if you want to practice or exercise. Grayling Fishing. The grayling is caught almost entirely on the fly and is fished for in exactly the same way as for trout. They will take almost any of the ordinary trout flies, such as the Black Gnat, March Brown, etc., but they must be tied on very small hooks compared to those used for trout. A No. 14 would be quite big enough. In playing a grayling you have to use great care not to handle them roughly as they are extremely tender mouthed and the hook is easily pulled out. ROD & CREEL 39 CHAPTER VII. TROUT FLIES WIILE trout live on a great variety of food, such as fresh- water shrimps, tadpoles, small fish, beetles, caterpillars, ants and other insects that fall into the water, their greatest delicacies are flies, in their various stages of develop- ment that hatch out in the water. The subject of flies is a most engrossing one, it is a sub- ject on which alone many books and scores of articles have been written, and are still being written; so that in a book of this sort it is quite impossible to do more than treat it briefly. First of all it may be said that there are really two kinds of flies used for fishing, the real fly, which is an imitation of the natural insect, such as the gnats, duns, sedges, etc., and the sea trout and salmon flies nearly all of which have little or no resemblance to any natural fly and are nothing more than lures which have been invented by some angler or discovered by chance. A few years ago the choice of a fly in our waters was not nearly so important as it is to-day, and with half-a-dozen vari- eties you were fairly well equipped. Such is still the case in out-of-the-way places, but when it comes to water that is regu- larly fished the choice of a fly is becoming more and more important and the day of the "dry fly" rapidly approaching, so that a few words on the life history of real trout flies may be of interest. The flies on which tvout feed constitute a separate order of insects known as the "Ephemerida" or day flies. These insects pass through four distinct stages of various lengths, taking altogether from one to three years. The first stage is that of the "egg" which is deposited in the water, sinks to the bottom and hatches. The second stage is that of the "larva," or grub. In this stage the insect sometimes lives one, sometimes two and even three years. They live mostly on the bottom among the stones or in the mud; they can both crawl and swim and feed on vegetable matter. The third stage is that of the "Nymph," when the insect resembles the adult only with wing pads instead of wings. When ready the "Nymph" floats to the surface and in a short 40 ROD & CREEL time issues through the skin of the thorax and the actual fly emerges. The fourth stage is sub-divided into two. In the first part the insect is known as the "sub-imago" until it molts, it is then the fully developed fly, sexually mature and known as the "Imago." The life of the adult "day fly" is very short, but not just a day as the name implies, and is commonly supposed to be the case, as some species have been kept alive for two or three weeks. The flies pair immediately, deposit their eggs and soon afterwards fall into the water in a dishevelled state, when they are known as spent gnats or flat- winged spinners. Now, if you aspire to being a "dry fly" artist of the most scientific type you must not only study the adult flies but the in- sects themselves in the "nymph," "imago" and "spent" stages, but you should also endeavour to look at it from a trout's position, who sees it from below under the water. To such an extent have some men in Great Britain gone that they now tie their flies with heads, waists and even egg sacs. In British Columbia, however, though it is a most interest- ing and engrossing study, the day has not yet arrived when such extremes are necessary, though a study of the flies on the water will most certainly often fill a basket which otherwise might remain empty. In this Province it is almost impossible to tell what flies will be on the water during each particular month, as there is too much variation in the seasons and the temperature of the water caused either by glaciers or high altitude. For instance, take such flies as the "black gnat, "black midge," "stone fly," which are generally June flies, you are quite likely, owing to variations in the temperature of the water through high altitude, glaciers, etc., to see a hatch of them as early as May on one water or not until July, or even August, on another. So that nothing more than a general idea of what flies to use can be given, and you must rely to a great extent on your own observation and judgment while fishing. Moreover, it docs not follow that a fly will not kill because there is not a hatch of that particular species on the water. Now with regard to the stock of flies you should have in your book. If you go into any big sporting-goods store you will be confronted with an enormous number of flies and "lures." If you bought some of all and returned in a year you would surely find a number of new ones, all of which laid claim to great merit. Also, no matter what district you visited, you would be likely to find special flies for ijhat particular dis- trict, so that you could go on buying flies until at last you found yourself with an enormous stock, that you had forgotten the ROD & CREEL 41 names of most of them and had no idea where they were meant to be used. It is quite likely that every one of the vast assortment of flies that are made will, under certain conditions, in certain waters, be of some value; a small number of them will kill fish always in certain waters under favourable conditions; while possibly one or two will kill fish in any waters at any time it is possible to catch fish if the fly is presented to the fish in a suffi- ciently enticing manner. So far I myself have never attained sufficient skill, or have never discovered, those one or two flies. I have, however, known quite a number of men who never used more than three or four flies and I have heard of one man, and only one amongst the vast number of fly fishermen I have known and read of, who used only one fly. This man fished in England with the "dry fly" using, I believe, a "Red Quill Gnat" regardless of what flies were on the water, and it is said that he could equal if not beat almost anybody else; that he could catch fish if they were to be caught. Such a man as this must have most extraordinary skill arid be able to present the fly to the fish in such a tempting manner that they simply had to take it. However, few men can ever hope to attain such skill, and we must, therefore, use more flies, endeavouring as far as pos- sible, to reduce the number to its smallest limits. In the list of flies I am giving, you can fish this Province and most likely the whole of the continent from one end to the other and catch trout if they are to be caught. Those given on the illustrated plate are the principal ones and these alone should be ample except on special occasions. Even this num- ber can be considerably reduced especially if you are going to confine your fishing to any particular district, but there are cer- tain of these flies you should always have, no matter where you are going to fish or during what month. These flies are the March Browns of various kinds, Black Gnat, Royal Coachman, Teal and Red, Teal and Yellow and the Jock Scott, either the Montreal or Grouse and Claret (both very much alike) and the Brown and B'lack Hackles. You must also have most of the flies on different sized hooks. Those sold in the stores are nearly always too large. Much will, of coarse, depend on the water you are going to fish, but as a general rule use small flies, particularly so if the water is bright and clear or fish are rising short. Sometimes you will find an old moth-eaten bedraggled fly will kill when nothing else will. Of course, these are exceptions, sometimes w r hen fish are taking well a big fly will do better execution, as the following incident will illustrate. I was fishing a lake where there were a lot of fish rising, but what they were taking I could not discover. Some of the 42 ROD & CREEL fish were big ones, going from two to three pounds. "With a Montreal I could catch fish of about a pound, as fast as I wanted to, but the big fellows ignored it as well as about twenty other kinds I offered them. As a last resource I put on a big Jock Scott and it happened to be the very thing they wanted and I started to kill the big fellows at once. That afternoon I could have caught more than I could carry if I had been able to use them. As it was I just put back fish after fish and never kept anything that was not badly hooked or I thought was over two pounds. My best fish was over three pounds. Another man who was fishing the same afternoon had equal success with a huge fly called the " Bumble Bee," an almost exact imitation, of the natural insect. I have never used it myself or seen anybody else use it before or since. To return, however, to the question of flies, the following list will total up to some thirty flies, the principal ones are shown on the illustrated plate and a few notes on each given. Remember, however, that no matter how good a fly may be, you cannot hope for success unless you not only cast it prop- erly but also keep out of sight. It is quite useless to hope to catch fish with the sun casting your shadow on the water, or if you are standing up in a boat and expecting to rise fish with a short line out. You must keep out of sight (if you are in a boat make long casts), drop your fly lightly, using fine casts, and let it float naturally with the current, and you will then catch fish if they are to be caught. There is one more hint I can give you if you find fish are shy or rising short and a change of pattern or size has not the desired effect, take a piece of white kid glove, about an eighth of an inch square will be about right, and put the hook through it. This device will often have most astonishing results. I will now give you a few pointers on each fly separ- ately. Jock Scott. To be tied on No. 6 hook. It is liable to do good work at any time for not only trout but salmon and steel- heads. Silver Doctor. To be tied on No. 6 and 8 hook. This is often a very killing fly, especially with a bit of colour in the water, but should be fished extra deep. Blue Doctor. To be tied on No. 6 and 8 hook. This fly is very similar to the silver doctor, only it has a blue body. I have found it the better of the two, particularly on coast streams. It should be fished very deep. Parmachene Belle. To be tied on No. 6 and 8 hook. This is one of the favourite flies and is used from one end of the Province to the other. Especially good on streams on or near the coast. ROD & CREEL 43 Teal and Red. To be tied on No. 6 ,7 and 8. This fly, which is locally called the "abbey," is one of the best all-round flies, no matter what water you are fishing. Teal and Silver and Teal and Green. To be tied on No. 6, 7 and 8. Very good flies for fishing at the estuaries of streams such as Campbell River, Fender Harbour and in any stream at all coloured. Professor. To be tied on No. 6, 7 and 8. This fly is almost similar to the Teal and Yellow. It it not often a very killing fly, though there are liable to be times when it will come in use- ful. Montreal. To be tied on 8 and 9. This is another very popular fly and undoubtedly a good one, particularly for lake flshing. Grouse and Claret. To be tied on No. 8 and 9. This fly is very similar to the Montreal, and can be used with success anywhere at any time. I prefer it to the Montreal. Especially good in lakes. Cowichan Coachman. No. 8, 9 and 10. Particularly good on Vancouver Island. Royal Coachman. To be tied on No. 8, 9 and 10. A good all round fly at any time, but particularly in coast streams. Cock-y-bonddu. To be tied on No. 10 and 12. Very similar in apearance to the Brown Hackle, but should have a much larger body. It is best in the early part of the season when it represents the "nymphs." Brown and Red Hackles. The hackles should be tied on a number of different-sized hooks, from as small as No. 12 for early fishing in such streams as the Salmon and Sumas, to as big as No. 6 for summer fishing when at that size they represent the big woolly caterpillars. Black Zulu. To be tied on No. 8, 10 and 12. This fly is nothing but a Black Hackle with a scarlet 'tip." It is mostly used in the big lakes in May and June. It is often very killing all through the interior. March Brown. Of all the flies that are used in this part of the world the March Browns should take the senior place. They are one of the earliest flies to hatch out, but they can be used with success practically the whole fishing season. There are three kinds of these flies tied, all of which you should have; they are the male, the dark coloured one, the female of light colour, and the spider or spent fly. There is also the Olive March Brown, which is a variation of the male fly. This pattern is the best late in the year. They should be tied on No. 8, 9 and 10. Black Gnat. To be tied on No. 14. This is liable to be of use any time from May to the middle of August. On some of 44 ROD & CREEL the coast lakes there is a hatch of flying ants in May, when the black gnat is very deadly. The same thing applies whenever there is a hatch of the natural fly. The Stone Fly. To be tied on No. 7, 8 and 9. This fly is essentially a big river fly of the interior. It hatches out any- where from the middle of June to the end of July, according to the locality. As a general thing it only lasts for a couple or three weeks, but during that time trout will hardly look at any- thing else. Cow Dung. To be tied on No. 14. This is often a good fly in April and May. Hardy's Favourite. To be tied on No. 9 and 10 hook. A good all round fly both for rivers and lakes. Red Spinner. To be tied on No. 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. This fly can be used with great advantage from April all through the summer. It is much like the Cowichan Coachman. Tied on very small hooks it is hard to beat for some of the small, slow run- ning streams. Red Quill Gnat. To be tied on No. 12 and 14. The quill gnats, of which there are three kinds, the red, black and grey, are essentially dry flies, but they can also be used to great advantage as wet flies also. They are particularly good at any time of year, especially when fish rise short at other flies. Greenwell's Glory. To be tied on No. 10 and 12. This is a fly that can be used very early in the season and is particularly good in bright, clear water. The Butcher. This is really a salmon fly, but tied on a No. 6 hook is often very killing where the trout run to large size. The Red and Green Tippets. To be tied on No. 8. These are flies which I seldom use myself, but they are undoubtedly worth trying, especially on mainland coast streams. Woodcock and Hare's Ear. To be tied on No. 10. This is a good March fly. Blue Dun. To be tied on No. 10 hook. This fly is good for all waters in Kootenay. The Grasshopper. To be tied on No. 6. This is supposed to be an imitation of the natural insect. It is chiefly used in the fall months. Teal and Yellow. This is almost identical with the Pro- fessor and they are not both necessary. Red Palmer. This is simply a Red Hackle with a longer body. It should be tied on No. 6 hook for summer fishing where the hairy caterpillars are about. The White Moth. This fly is only of occasional use on evenings when there happens to be the natural insect about. Often killing in the Okanagan. ROD & CREEL 45 CHAPTER VIII. SPINNING FOR RAINBOW AND CUT-THROATS THIS chapter refers to spinning for cut-throat and rainbow trout, quite apart from spinning for steelheads, which is a separate form of fishing requiring a special outfit. As long as the water is in suitable condition, the majority of good fishermen will stick to the fly; but unfortunately so many of our streams on the coast are often just a bit too much coloured, so that spinning is often a necessity unless you want to stay at home. You need not have a special rod for this work if you have a good, strong fly rod, or better still a short tip, as long casts are seldom necessary and only light little spinners used, and for such your ordinary trout reel will do quite well. The usual method of fishing is to draw off a few yards of line from the reel, have the spinner the rod's length from the tip, swing it well back and then make a side swing forward, cast with a bit of a flip, at the same time releasing the slack line, which should shoot out. If 3^011 are only using a very tiny spinner and have a good rod, you can cast it in the same way you would a fly. Supposing, however, you are going to do much of this sort of work and want to be able to make long casts, you must get a regular trout spinning rod about eight or nine feet with a single-handed spinning reel of three inches, such as a small Malloch or Hardy's (Silex). Such a rod and reel would not only be suitable for spinners but for a light Devon or Sankey minnow and could be used for dolly varden fishing and lake trolling. Baits. As a general thing the smaller the spinner the more fish you will catch. You may possibly move more fish with a larger spinner but they will come short and not actually take it. There are hundreds of different makes of spinners, some single and some double, but for all work a single No. l 1 /^ Tacoma or Indiana with a single hook set about one inch back and baited with a worm is about the best. Leads. As a rule you require little or no lead for cut- throat and rainbow fishing. It is not necessary to fish deep, a foot or a little more below the surface is plenty. If you are fishing swift water and have to use lead to keep your spinner down, use small buckshot. 46 ROD & CREEL CHAPTER IX. TROLLING FOR RAINBOW OR CUT-THROATS MANY lakes are much too deep for fly fishing, and the only way the big trout that live in these can be caught is by trolling. It is not a very scientific form of sport, nevertheless the person who does it properly will often fill his basket when the person who does not will never catch a fish. For this work a light spinning rod of nine or ten feet is the best, or at a pinch a strong fly rod with a short tip. Any sort of reel will do provided it will carry fifty yards of good, strong, plain or oiled silk line. Use a good strong gut cast from four to six feet long. The amount of lead you use will vary according to the depth of the water. As a general thing for lakes like the Saginaw, which is five miles long, three-quarter ounces of lead with twenty-five yards of line out is about right. If you have to use more lead you might as well take a hand line and have done with the sporting part of the fishing altogether. For baits there is nothing to equal a plain silver one-inch spoon with a gut hook five or six inches behind, on which is a worm, a piece of meat or the eye of a fish. A landing net is a necessit} r or you will not get one fish out of six. Unless you are fishing a shallow lake, you row your boat slowly as close to shore as it is safe to go, paying particular attention to any points where there is a bit of shallow water, as these are a favorite place for fish on the feed. In lake fishing you can never tell when fish will feed, often they will do so for about an hour or two, then not a strike for a long time, then without any apparent reason you begin to catch them again. Often the middle of the day in a boiling sun is the time they bite best. Early morning, unless it is warm and cloudy, is seldom any good. These lake fish fight exactly like the land-locked steelheads. As soon as they are hooked they are out of the water, once in a while they rattle out line, out usually come rigOit at the boat, make one or two splendid jumps (frequently shaking the hook out) and then put up a hard fight until the very last. Even when you think you have them at your mercy, the sight of the net will often result in another struggle. ROD & CREEL 47 CHAPTER X. BAIT FISHING COMPARED to fly fishing and spinning, bait fishing is a poor form of sport, nevertheless there are some to whom it has its charms, others who are, unfortunately, physically incapable of the more sporting methods of taking fish. Also there are times when the water is in such a condition that any- thing but bait is hopeless. Personally, and I have no doubt there are many others of the same opinion, I would sooner fish all day with bait for chub or other coarse fish, than not fish at all, and if a person goes out for a day's fishing and finds the water too coloured he can hardly be blamed for resorting to bait. Now there are different methods of bait fishing, such as tying on a lump of salmon eggs to your hook, or even a piece of meat, or a small piece of fish arid letting it lie on the bottom. Such methods are too well known and need no further descrip- tion. There is, however, one method of bait fishing which is far more sporting and requires more skill, i.e., worming for trout upstream. For this method of fishing your ordinary fly rods will do well. You can use a single hook at the end of a 4-foot cast or a double or treble tackle with small hooks tied as in the illus- trations on pages 31 and 32. Such tackle has the great advantage of not injuring your worm to the same extent as a single hook and it also has a much more natural appearance. Lead of some kind is generally needed and the handiest is little thin strips which can be wrapped round the line and put on and off according to the depth of the water and swiftness of the current. It must, how- ever, be remembered that you must not p.ut on enough lead to anchor your bait, but just sufficient to sink it and yet let the current carry it along. The worms should always be procured three days before use and placed in clean, damp moss. This will scour them and improve their colour. Be sure to keep them in a cool place with plenty of air, or they will die and become useless. The actual method of fishing is almost identical with the way you would use a small spinner, except that you always cast up stream, allow the bait to sink and let the current carry it down to you, taking up the slack line as it comes. With the double or treble tackle, you strike a fish as soon as he takes, but with a single hook allow a second or two for the fish to get it properly in his mouth. 48 ROD & CREEL CHAPTER XT. FLY FISHING FOR STEELHEADS WHENEVER the water is in proper condition and there are steelheads in the river, they can be taken on the fly and there is no fish that swims that will give bet- ter sport. Unfortunately so many of our rivers on the mainland are just a bit too coloured for a fly when these fish are running ; though the Little Lillooet, Stave and sometimes the Capilano and Seymour creeks are exceptions. The Cowichan on Vancou- ver Island is the best of the lot, as it is always clear except after extraordinary freshets. For this work the rod and tackle are just the same as that used for fiy-fishing for salmon. The best all-round fly is a large Grouse and Claret tied on 5/0 hooks with the Silver Doctor and Jock Scott next in order of morit. The actual method of fishing is very similar to fly-fishing for salmon, except that when you have thoroughly covered a piece of water with one or more flies, it is seldom much use going over it again for a few hours. Also you should fish a pool or reach right down to the very end and fish the tail of the pool with twice the care you do the head. In addition, there are often spots in swift water that should be fished; wherever there is a big boulder there is liable to be a steelhead lying behind it. ROD & CREEL 49 CHAPTER XII. TROLLING FOR STEELHEADS IN many of the big lakes of the interior there are numbers of fine big trout, locally called salmon, but which are really steelheads. As a general thing they are found away out in the lake, sometimes as much as a mile or even more from shore. Up to the present time, so far as I have been able to ascertain, they have never been caught by any other method than trolling, in fact, I have never even heard of anybody try- ing any other way. It is, however, quite possible if a man studied the water carefully, so as to get an idea just where to fish, he might meet with some success with a fly, as the indica- tions are that they are not lying at very great depths. The outfit needed for this sort of fishing can be quite simple. A rod similar to that used for cohoe salmon will do very well. The handiest reel is a Nottingham, which is capable of holding 125 yards of good stout line such as No. 15 Cutty- hunk. The trace should be at least four feet, of strong, single or twisted gut. Wire traces are dangerous as these fish do a lot of jumping and a kink is very liable to occur. The bait generally used is a 3-irich silver or brass Stewart, or some similar shape, sometimes a mother-of-pearl spinner will take well. No lead is used, but 100 yards or more of line is let out. The boat should be rowed at a fair rate. These fish are sel- dom caught near shore, they seem to frequent certain areas of the lake which can only be learned by experience or the advice of those that know. When a fish is hooked, he almost invariably celebrates the fact by making from three to six splendid jumps. The jumps are followed by a rush straight up to the boat, during which time you are bound to get a slack line unless you have a boat- man to help you by pulling away. Sometimes a fish will come so close to the boat as to be almost within reach of a long- handled net or gaff. This is the dangerous time, as it is really the beginning of the fight, so you had better look out for another jump followed by a dive under the boat. The majority of the fishing is done in the late fall, winter and early spring months, though in some lakes like Kootenay a good many fish are caught in summer as soon as the freshets begin to subside. 50 ROD 6- CREEL CHAPTER XIII. HINTS ON SPINNING FOR STEELHEADS SCIENTIFIC spinning, however much it may be despised by fly fishermen, is a most excellent form of sport, particularly so for winter or early spring steelhead fishing. To cast a minnow or prawn with accuracy requires just as much dexterity as it does to cast an ordinary w r et fly. Almost anybody, with a Malloch reel can, with a little practice, get a Devon minnow out some twenty yards or so, even if he has no idea where it is going to land in the water, and then reel it in again, either fast or slow, quite regardless of the current and depth of the water. But this is not spinning, though an odd fish may be hooked once in a while and even landed by such methods, though the chances of either are very remote. To be able to spin properly requires a vast amount of prac- tice and as perfect an equipment as for fly fishing: the rod, reel and line must all be suitable or you will never succeed in doing really good work. The Rod. Most fishermen make the very bad mistake of using too small a rod, many even using single handed steel ones not more than five feet long. With such an implement you can neither work your minnow properly or play a fish if you hook one. It must be remembered that steelheads are very powerful even for their size, which is often up to fifteen pounds, and occasionally as high as twenty pounds, and if you hook a fresh run fish of half that weight on one of these toys with a cheap reel only holding about forty yards of line, you must expect some- thing to smash within the first thirty seconds. A few years ago when small rods were almost entirely used, very few steelheads were landed and some very amusing inci- dents used to happen, one of which is worth relating and it will at any rate give the beginner a good idea of some things he should not do. I was watching a man fishing with just such an outfit in a piece of water where an occasional fish lay pretty close into shore. He was using an enormous ''Si wash spoon " fitted with double hooks to match it in size, and as the water was quite clear and a bright sky overhead, his chances did not look good, especially as his first three attempts at casts were failures. His fourth attempt was more successful and the spoon crashed into the water some ten or fifteen yards out. The unexpected of ROD fi- CREEL 51 course happened, in spite of the enormous spoon and bright water, he had a strike almost immediately and a good one too, so much so that he almost lost his rod then and there. The fish, which was about twelve or thirteen pounds in weight, made one jump and was off down stream. Of course the man could not hold such a rod up even if he knew enough to do so, and the fish took the line out straight from the reel. As it happened the "reach" was a short one and the fish did not go out, so he had line enough, but made another jump and then came upstream with a rush. As it was impossible to reel in fast with such a reel he had a slack line and the rod went right back behind him and the line right across his body. To grab the line, throw down the rod and haul in hand over hand was the work of a second, and as the fish was coming straight at him his work was easy. I have no doubt that at that time he had visions of that fish keeping on coming right up on to the beach at his feet; visions of his return to town in triumph ; visions of the stories he would tell of the struggle and final capture; perhaps the fish would go to some taxidermists and a cast be made so that his prowess as an angler might be handed down to future genera- tions. Alas ! if he had such visions they were soon dispelled, the fish evidently had different ones. As soon as all the slack was in and the fish felt the pull it made one more jump, not ten feet from shore, just as if to give him a good chance to see what a perfect fish he was, and then shot clean out into the swift current and away down stream. The end came soon after as the line cut the man's fingers and he let go : he had no time to pick up the rod as it was going too fast so he put his foot on it and broke it in two and the line having all run out, broke off at the reel, which was all he saved from the wreck. To that man it was a fearful disaster, a calamity of the worst nature, but in the end good resulted. He had learnt his lesson and he profited by it, for he now fishes with suitable equipment with some degree of skill and he hooks and lands steelheads and salmon too. To return, however, to the subject. The ideal rod should be an eleven foot split cane, steel centre, very similar to the salmon spinning rod, though not so powerful, yet capable of casting one ounce of lead. It must of course have upright rings of agate or some other material. A good greenheart will do quite well and I have even seen a plain bamboo, fitted with upright rings, turned into quite a serviceable tool, though neither will compare with the split cane. The Reel. This, unless you go in for spinning from the hand in the old fashioned way, is the all important part of your outfit, and if you cannot afford the best of everything, put your money into your reel, as without one of the best your troubles will be many and your success but small. 52 ROD & CREEL There are a number of reels made specially for spinning of various degrees of merit, but as far as my experience goes, though. I have no doubt there are others, there are only three worth con- sidering for steelheads. The first one is the "Malloch." It is an excellent reel to learn quickly, in fact a few minutes instruction followed by a little practice and a handy man can make some sort of a cast. It has a very big advantage of seldom getting out of order and can easily be fixed if it does. They do, however, kink the line very badly and, unless you are very careful to push home the lever after turning the drum, have a nasty habit of turning back just when a fish makes a big run, which is sure to result in disaster. Some first-rate fishermen still use them continually and certainly do quite good work with them. If you decide to use one, get one with a three or three and one-quarter inch drum and be sure and have the drum full of line as otherwise you will not only find it harder to cast but you will kink your line more. The second reel is the old fashioned "Nottingham." A well made reel of this type in the hands of a man who can really use it cannot be beaten. Such men are few and far between and have only acquired their efficiency through constant practice. A three and a half inch or four inch is about the best size. The third reel is "Hardy's No. 2 Silex." I have used one of these reels for several years past and if there is anything better it will have to be pretty good. It is a reel that takes some men a long time to master, others pick it up right away, but as a general thing first attempts with it are very discouraging to those who have not had previous experience in some sort of spinning. The knack of handling it comes quickly when it does come and then you can cast further and more accurately and have less kinking- than with any other reel. A reel of this make will be suitable for both salmon and steelhead. Lines. Lines are next in importance to reels, as without a line that runs well it is quite impossible to make a decent cast. If you can afford it buy the best on the market such as Hardy's Alnwick No. 2 or even the Reliance, and dry them well and polish with cerolene or deer fat as even they will soon get sticky if not cared for. If you cannot afford the best dressed lines, buy plain un- dressed silk ones and polish them with w r ax and graphite. You can do quite good work with them while they last, which will not be for long even with the best of care. Your casting line should be sixty yards long with another forty yards of any sort of strong backing, No. 12 Cuttyhunk being as good as anything. ROD & CREEL 53 Traces. Traces should not exceed three feet in length, and may be of strong gut or wire. They should have two swivels and a clip at the end so that baits may be changed easily. Leads. Leads will vary according to the kind of bait used, the depth of the water and the strength of the current. You should have them of various sizes up to one and a quarter ounces. The kind is immaterial, the plain oblong shape is as good as any. New ones should be blackened in the flame of a lamp or even with a match before using. While there is no fixed rule with regard to leads, and only experience can teach what to use, there is one rule you can always follow and that is use enough lead to fish deep and err on the heavy side. You cannot force your bait down in swift water but you can hold it up of? the bottom. Baits. For steelheads your stock of baits need not be very varied but it should be large. You must always fish as near the bottom as possible and often make very long casts into water of only moderate depth and lots of tackle is bound to be lost. Silver and Brass Devons, two inches and two and a half inches, or Sanky Minnow of the same size and a supply of prawn tackle is all really needed, though you can also take a few differ- ent coloured phantom minnows. Personally I prefer the heavy slotless Devons (except for very shallow water, where the Sanky Minnows are excellent) as they require little or no lead and cast beautifully. If, however, you prefer those with the slots always take off the side hooks as they are of no use and a constant nuis- ance. A prawn is a most killing bait, and if properly put on a single book has a number of advantages over a minnow. In the first place fish give much better sport on a single hook, moreover you are really more likely to land your fish, as some steelheads are so hard mouthed they will often crumple up a treble hook unless it is of the very best and such are often hard to get. Another advantage a prawn has is that it has a smell which an artificial minnow has not and you seldom prick a fish hard enough to prevent him coming again, whereas, with a min- now, one strike settles the fish for the rest of the day. Finally your chances of getting foul of tftie bottom are small compared to baits with treble hooks. Prawn tackle can be bought at most tackle shops, but it is nearly all made with double or treble hooks and only suitable for using prawns in deep, slow-running pools where it is used almost like bait fishing. The method I have found most successful in these waters is to bind the prawn on to a single hook in such a way that you really turn it into a minnow and cast and work it in just the same manner only, if possible, work is slower and deeper. Such tackle is very simple and anybody can make it. 54 ROD & CREEL All you need is some single Limerick hooks on strong twisted gut, size 5/0, No. 8 swivels, small split rings and a few pieces of No. 24 wire. The hooks must be perfectly tempered and you must be sure to test them, no matter how highly they are recom- mended or you may find yourself in the unenviable position I was a year or two ago when, with the river full of steelheads, I dis- covered that all my praw r n tackle was put up on soft tempered hooks which straightened right out. I lost three good fish in succession and then had to use silver devons, which they were not taking well. If you cannot get good hooks on gut, get eyed hooks for salmon flies without and bind them on. To make the tackle, bind a hook on to a swivel so that hook and gut are 3% inches long, then take a piece of your wire and loop it around the gut. A split ring with another swivel attached to it is then fastened on to the swivel on the gut and between the two swivels is a small fairly flat spinner. The following illustrations will give you an idea of what the tackle is like and how the prawn should look after it is on. PRAWN TACKLE In putting the prawn on this sort of tackle the wire is run right through the centre from the head and the tail is down by the hook. The usual method is with head down. With a spool of scarlet silk or thread bind the tail on with two or three turns and at the joint of the tail take a half hitch, then a few more turns and another half hitch and so on right up the prawn, taking care to bind the last part very carefully. A prawn so put on will, unless you hit it against something, last a long time. Sometimes a few extra turns of silk are needed, occasionally even after a strike this is all that is necessary. ROD & CREEL 55 Casting. There are several ways of casting, with a right or left swing, underhand or overhead, and while it is not necessary, it is often very useful to be able to do them all, especially the first two. No matter what kind of a cast you make it should be made with easy, graceful motions, using just sufficient force to propel the bait the required distance. The novice had better begin with the right swing, using only a lead, which should be at least one ounce weight, at first in place of a bait, which should only be three feet from the end of his rod. To make this cast there are two motions, first, the backward swing to allow the bait to swing well behind you, then the forward motion, which must be made with the body swinging well from the hips. Before making the cast you must stand in a proper position, which should be squarely facing the direction you wish your bait to go. The feet should be about a foot apart and as firmly planted as the nature of the river bed will allow. You then start the first movement by swing- ing from the hips round to the right, the rod going well behind you with just enough force to extend the bait to the full length of the cast. You then start the second movement, at the same time releasing the bait, by swinging body and rod back with more vigor, the rod being inclined upwards, until you are pointing in the required direction. In making the forward cast the main thing is to avoid any suspicion of a jerk and to hold the rod in such a position that the bait pulls direct on the reel with little friction on the rings. In learning to cast use a heavy lead at first and only attempt very short distances. As in fly fishing, a lawn is a good place to practice, only keep away from windows, as first attempts generally are erratic and your lead is apt to go in a most unex- pected direction. How to Fish. The best water to fish for steelheads is in the "reaches," that is, where the river broadens out below a rapid and the current is of moderate rate and the water of fair depth. Deep, still pools are not so good as though fish lie in them they are more apt to be stale fish. Sometimes, especially where there is a big rock, you will find a fish in very swift water. In starting to fish, wade well into the water until it is above your knees and let your first cast be a very short one. Then, still standing in the same place, make a second cast five or six feet longer in exactly the same direction. The direction of your cast as a general thing should be almost straight across, inclining more down stream for a slacker current. The third and following casts should all be made from the same place and in the same direction until you are getting well across the river or have reached your limit. You then take two steps down stream and cast again the same distance as your last cast. If your cast is not 56 ROD 6- CREEL the same length or in the right direction make another, then move down two more steps, and so on until you have reached the end of the fishable water. By following these directions you will see at a glance from the illustration that if there is a fish in the water he has seen your bait. Many men will stand and fish for an hour in the same spot, OTH&f POINTS DIAGRAM TO SHOW HOW TO THOROUGHLY FISH A PIECE OF WATER this is all right for salmon sometimes, but for steelheads it is generally a waste of time. Fish a piece of water thoroughly, fish it over again with a different bait if you think there are fish there, or leave it and try elsewhere. Working Your Bait, When your bait has reached the water, unless the depth is great or the current strong, raise the point of your rod to take up any slack that wind or current may have caused, and you have control of your bait. Then let the current, if it is strong enough, carry the bait round, raising or lowering the rod point according to the amount of pull. Sometimes you have to reel in as well, but do not do so faster than is necessary. When you are getting down to the tail of your water, fish more carefully as, unlike salmon, this is w T here the steelhead is apt to be found when he is inclined to take. Striking. As a general thing when a steelhead strikes he lets you know it without the shadow of a doubt, and if you have control of your bait he will hook himself and even take the rod from you if you are not watching. There are, however, times, when fishing with a prawn, that a fish will take so gently that you think you have got foul of something. It is better therefore when fishing with a prawn to strike if you only feel the bait stop and then to hold tight until you are satisfied it is not a fish. ROD & CREEL 57 To show to what extent a fish may fool you I will narrate an incident that happened once. I was fishing with a prawn a beautiful deep reach that I knew was quite clear of snags. The water was deep enough with sufficient current for safe spinning. I had just made a fairly long cast out into the deepest water and the bait had not travelled far before it stopped without the slightest suspicion of a pull. Warned by previous experience, I struck but nothing but a dead pull resulted. After holding tight for a few seconds I slackened off and then took a pull to try and clear what I took to be some newly arrived snag. The result was an answering pull, and the next second a beautiful fish was out of the water and then away down stream. He proved to be a perfectly fresh run fish of 11% pounds and I can only conclude that the point of the hook was on a bone and did not prick him until the second pull drove it home. If you have a strike and the fish misses, do not cast again at once unless you feel sure he meant business and just made a bad shot. Even so it is better to wait fifteen or twenty minutes; your fish will not go away and you give him time to steady down and are much more likely to be successful in the end. Playing Steelheads. You will play a steelhead just as you would a salmon, though you will find that a good steelhead takes more handling than a good salmon of the same size. They jump higher from the water, more frequently, and now and again make long jumps straight towards you, sometimes two or three in suc- cession. In such cases the point of the rod should not be lowered, but raised if possible. A steelhead will also make short, rapid dashes in different directions as well as go up stream as fast as down, and it is often impossible to keep a tight line. A steelhead will seldom go clean out of a "reach." You may think he is going to, as they will go to the very verge of a rapid and then just hang on the edge. In such a case do not smash your rod or tackle trying to pull the fish back, if he wants to go over he will do so in spite of you and all you can do is to follow if possible, if not let him break the line sooner than your rod. If the fish hangs on the edge of the rapid just hold tight and leave him alone. He may hang there for what seems ages, but sooner or later he will come up, at first perhaps only inch by inch until he makes up his mind to begin the fight again. Above all things try and keep him out of shallow water until he is thoroughly done. You can usually do this by keeping opposite to him and wading out if it is very shallow. Keep cool and do not be in a hurry to land him, and if he is well hooked and your tackle is good he will be yours. 58 ROD & CREEL CHAPTER XIV. HINTS ON PLAYING FISH THERE is no sight more objectionable than to see a man play- ing a fish in a bungling manner, and this is what a great many men do, even some of those who have had considerable exper- ience. If you look at the photos of anglers plying fish that appear in most advertising pamphlets almost invariably the man is hold- ing his rod high in the air with his right hand and his left hand stuck out at right angles to his body holding the line. If you could see the final result of these photos you would probably see the rod thrust right back over his shoulder in an effort to drag the fish ashore, or else, presuming it is a decent fish and has another run left, you would see something break when the fish has run out the line in hand and strikes the reel. Nobody but a bungler plays a fish in this manner. With Single Handed Rods. When you have hooked your fish change your rod to the left hand, taking your grip well up on the handle so that, if it is a big fish, you can rest your wrist if it tires by letting the butt touch your elbow or body. Above all things keep your rod up and let it, and not the line, take the pull. Keep your fingers off the line entirely and play the fish from the reel. If he wants to run and you have clear water, let him go as long as you have enough line. If your check is too weak and there is danger of an over-run, the slightest touch of a finger on the drum will obviate this. You may have heard that if a fish jumps you are to drop the point of your rod, but there are frequently exceptions to this rule. It frequently happens, especially with steelheads, that the fish will take a long jump straight at you, or partially towards you, in which case you raise the point of the rod to take up the slack line the fish himself has made. It is when the fish jumps straight up or away that the rod point must be dropped. Double Handed Rods. In playing heavy fish 011 double handed rods you use practically the same tactics as with a single handed rod. With a double handed rod, how r ever. the butt is kept low down on your body all the time and the left hand well up to act as a lever. The body is thrown well back to keep your balance, with the left foot forward and the knees slightly bent, the majority of your weight being on the right leg. A good well-balanced position is a necessity, especially when you are w r ading in deep water with any big stones on the bottom. If you are standing ROD