Fly fishing for trout and bass

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PUBLISHED BY

THe WatTonian Mec. Co.

SOLE MANUFACTURERS OF

THE JOHNSON FLIES
325 DEARBORN ST. CHICAGO

PRICE, 10 CENTS.

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COPYRIGHTED 1893, BY CHARLES F. JOHNSON.

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THE WALTONIAN MANURACTURING C0,

Johnson Trout and Bass Flies
325 DEARBORN STREET; CHICAGO.

PRICE + LIST,

The Johnson Bass Flies.

MONSON M ANG yas eeteas spears cei nan. faet Ce ee $2.50 per Doz.
ANPP RETA OUN orcs ioe iateg wise’ 5 <2 > aoe nista\ np eee 2.00 .
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BaearvAlllen@Phocwaie foe <actoscc fs dau Seer 2.00 ea
Polly Perkins.. : ye tee OD) Pe

These Flies are tied 1 upon NG. 1 hoses wk sample card contain-
ing one each of the above Flies, mailed on receipt of One Dollar.

The Johnson Trout Flies on No. 4 or 7 Hook.

Johnson ee RS SC anh ad TT aoe 25 per Doz.
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Polly Perkins.. aie Aarts, cae ee OU ue

A sample card Sining ¢ one aan of the above Flies, on either
No. 4or 7 hooks as desired, mailed prepaid on receipt of One Dollar.

EXTRACT FROM AMERICAN FIELD.
NOVEMBER 12, 1892.

Mr. ©. F. Johnson took a run down to Willow Springs, I11.,
last Saturday to test the efficiency of the Johnson Fancy, a new bass
fly of his invention, and inside of two hours landed six large bass
weighing thirteen pounds, and two pickerel weighing nearly five
pounds. The day was stinging cold and a damp atmosphere chilled
the fingers to numbness. This trial, with previous equally success-
ful tests, proves the Johnson Fancy to bea killer.

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FOR...

TROUT AND BASS

BY CHAS. F. JOHNSON.

Trout Fishing.

During the day, the large trout lurk in the
deeper waters above or below a shallow, secreting

themselves in holes, by stones, under logs and pro-

»

jecting banks, in irregularities of the bottom or sides
of the stream; ever closely watching for indications
of food or danger. They seldom venture upon the
shaliows, except in extremely hot weather. when a
sudden rise in the water occurs, and also as evening
approaches. Then they become extremely bold and
scour the shallows for small fry, making havoc
among the afirighted fish life, as they rush here

and there.

Deep pool fishing for large trout during the day,
is apt to prove discouraging, unless there is a surface
ripple or slightly discolored water. Either of these
desirable conditions aid the angler in concealing him-

self and tackle.

Large trout usually take the fly under the surface.
often following the fly some distance before seizing
it. They seldom take the fly with that abandon and
splash which characterizes smaller trout; hence,

the fiy should exhibit its most seductive flutterings

La’?

3
as long as possible. It should not be jerked quickly
and unceremoniously through the water.

One large trout is worth many smaller. Work
for the prize and disdain counting on numbers.

As you approach a good “holding ground” and
while yet hidden from view of any expected trout,
quietly watch the water for a few moments before
casting. Study the situation—perhaps a large trout is
observed rising at a certain point—stealthily occupy
the most favorable position for casting: if necessary,
craw! on hands and knees—any way to remain unseen
—avoid all quick motions in sight of the pool—aim
to identify your appearance with that of the sur-
roundings. Hold before you, if there is no cover, cut

willows or bunches of grass.
Small and medium sized trout frequent the shal-
lows, usually near the middle ot the stream, and are

found under cover of weed beds, skirting the chan-
nels with rapid currents.

A warm day with light clouds and sufficient
south, southwest, or west wind to ripple the water
slightly, is the best weather for trout fishing.

High water when not discolored, is favorable.

When low water has been continued, search the
banks of the stream to discover any springs which
flow into it. If there is any depth of water at such
places, you are almost sure to find fish. Extremely

low water is unfavorable.

During the heat of the day, insects, frogs, and
small fry are inactive. During a warm cloudy day
or as evening approaches, insects and other food be-
come more active. At such times, trout feed with

great freedom.

The most killing method of fishing the still,
deep, shady pools especially when trout appear disin-
clined to feed, is to fish up stream, using a small fly.

Make several casts, not permitting the fly to touch

5
the water. This casting will dry the flies. Each
successive cast should carry the fly nearer the desired
spot. When the fly reaches this position allow it
to fall lightly upon the surface. Elevate the tip
of the rod enough to keep the line taut, but not
to impart motion to the fly. Let the current bear
the fly toward you. As it thus sails upon the sur-
face, the largest and most apathetic trout in the
pool seldom refuses it. Should no trout take it,
and the fly become saturated and sink beneath the
surface, withdraw it from the water and repeat the
preliminary casting as above described. This is
technically termed “Dry Fly fishing” and is the most
killing method of taking trout. The “dry fly” float-
ing on the surface of the water is the nearest copy
of nature attainable. Observe how closely dry fly
fishing imitates the conduct of a natural insect

wafted from some neighboring bush into the water

and floating on its surface.

Use sad colored flies in low, clear water, and in
high water just as it is clearing after a protracted
rise. In small streams where quick,short rises are
of frequent occurences, the medium sized trout fly is
preferable when the freshet is subsiding. In such
streams trout do not have time enough to surfeit
themselves upon food abundant during a flood.
After a protracted state of high and discolored
water, trout becomes surfeited, and will rarely Frise

to anything but a small fly.

Study the stream—its rapids, pools, eddies and
falls. Note the stumps. logs and stones, and all
obstructions. Determine by careful observation, the
‘spot which appears most likely to harbor a large
trout—then make your cast. In fishing in a rapid
current, cast the fly across and up stream. Do
not cast directly across the stream—the line so cast
cuts the water roughly, alarming the fish. Make

every movement by the water stealthily. Every ac-

7

tion in fly casting can be made in a deliberate man-
ner, with but slight motion of the body and fore arm
—let the wrist alone do the work. Trout, like deer,

are easily frightened by a quick motion.

Fish lay head up stream and have keen sight.
In all cases where practicable, fish up stream—that

is, throw your fly against the current.

Remember the mere act of dragging a mass
of saturated feather and hackle through the water,
in a “chuck and chance it” style, is not fishing. By
means of the wrist, impart a life-like flutter to the
fly. Humor it—let the hackle and wings open and
close with that tremulous, quivering motion, which

is attractive and irresistible to the large fish.

Note carefully the immediate surroundings where
you eatch fish; thus learn how to recognize those un-
mistakable signs of nature, which indicate to the

angler, where trout hide.

Their sense of hearing also is acute, when the
sound is accompanied by motion which transmits
vibration to the water in their vicinity. Hence tread
lightly and avoid any action that will convey a jar-
ring or grating sound to the water. Extreme caution
and skillful casting is necessary when fishing still,
deep water. The novice will have better success in

broken water.

Do not over estimate the value of long distance
casting. Thirty-five feet of line thrown delicately

and accurately is sufficient for all ordinary fishing.

Bass Fishing.

Fly tishing for black bass cannot be said to have
been hitherto a success. The angler who practiced
it, did so for experiment, and from an anticipatory
point of view rather, than from any decided belief in

its merits.

A series of careful experiments pursued by us dur-
ing the spring and fall of 1892, together with the ex-

perience of seventeen years’ previous, in fly fishing,

10
established these points. The fly should be light

enough to fall, when cast upon the water, delicately
and without commotion. Otherwise, instead of en-
ticing, it will scare the bass. Then the tly should
be attractive in appearance and of colors that are
alluring. Third, the fly should be bulky enough
in form to promise a bass substantial reward for
his effort in pursuing it. And lastly, the general
appearance of the flies in the water should be
such that bass will eagerly seize them under the
impression they are species of the numerous small

fry upon which bass habitually feed.

The flies made by the Waltonian Manufactur-
ing Company have been developed in these ex-
periments, and after thorough testing, are pro-
nounced the most killing flies made. If used in
the line of the hints given herein, fly fishing for
black bass will become a delightful success. The

tinsel body formed by the hook’s shanks without the

11
usual body stuffing, renders the fly attractive without

being cumbersome and heavy. The absence of the
usual hackle permits these flies to be cast farther and
with greater accuracy. To satisfy himself on this,
let the angler cast first a winged and hackled fly;
then, after cutting away the hackle, cast the fly.
The superiority of the fly without hackle, for accurate
long casts, is quickly perceived. A fly, encumbered
with a mass of hackles standing out at right angle
from the hook, offers much resistance to the atmos-

phere, without adding to the killing qualities.

From the beginning, the principles involved in
successfully applying the artificial fly to the capture
of bass, have been generally misunderstood. The or-
dinary fisherman treats the bass as though he were a
small trout. Small trout are insectivorous. Bass
seldom take the fly as do smaller trout. The bass is

essentially predatory, largely carnivorous. Cray-

12

tish, water snakes, minnows and small fry, crabs,
frogs, mollusks, form his larder. The bass fly, ordi-
narily used, is simply the trout fly enlarged. And
it has been presumed, that this enlarged fly must
be used for bass, in the same manner as its small
prototype, for trout. Hence, fly fishing for bass has
been almost a failure, as every angler knows. Occa-
sionally a bass would be taken, but the fact could
not be concealed, that the trip for bass with a fly
was not satisfactory. Yet the superior attraction
of the fly rod has been such, that anglers have been
extremely reluctant to give up the hope of ultimately
making fly fishing for bass a success. At intervals
an enthusiastic fisherman has taken up the subject
and introduced a new fly, which sufficiently revived
the interest, to keep the art of fly fishing for bass

from becoming obsolete.

Bass are not insectivorous, hence do not habit-

ually take their food at the surface like smaller trout.

13

If analogy should be permissible, we refer to that
king of the water, the Salmon. The bass takes
the fly at from six to nine inches beneath the surface
of the water. Repeat your cast until you get the fly
over the desired spot; then allow it to fall delicately
upon the water. Let the fly sink the required depth
Then by elevating the tip of the rod, by a series of
short hesitatory jerks bring the fly toward you. On
feeling a slight resistance, strike smartly. The fly
Must light on the water without commotion and with
the least possible ripple. While the fly is sinking, the
bass has occasion to investigate it; by the time
the motion of the rod is given to the fly, the bass is
anxious to seize it and perhaps is caught, almost
before the angler knows it. Small fish, you can
catch in almost any bungling manner, but large fish
must be kept in complete ignorance of yourself,

rod and line; otherwise you will seldom catch them.

Small fry in disporting themselves, do so

14

without excessive violence. A frog in taking
to the water, does so in a quiet, easy manner,
marking his submersion with a light splash, devoid
of any violent agitatory action, A small water snake,

alarmed in the act of swimming upon the surface

9

disappears almost silently. Everything obeys tho
law of nature. So perfectly do bass recognize
these laws, that any lure placed before him in a
manner foreign to that which his instinct accepts,

will be eyed with suspicion and left alone.

Seat yourself by the pleasant river side and
learn these lessons from nature. The study will
repay. Do not make fishing all mechanical work,
combing the river from dawn till dark. Investigate
the wonderful watery world in which fish so
strangely have their being. Learn therefrom reliable

data which will assist vou in their capture.

15

In boat fishing, use the sculls as little as possible,
DRIFT ALL YOU CAN, and SIT DOWN WHILE CASTING.
In wading, avoid splashing the water or any violent,
hasty movements; advance stealthily from one point
to another. Should there be a slight deposit of mud
over a hard bottom, lift the feet carefully, straight
up from the bottom. This will prevent the water in

your vicinity from becoming muddy.

Fish have a keen sight and are easily alarmed,
hence let the angler seize every advantage of natural
cover. The projecting corners of banks, sedge-beds,
sudden turns in the stream, and the like, afford

opportunities of approaching unawares.

Do not forget to sink the fly well. The deeper the
fly is in the water, the deeper the bass will be when
he seizes it. Therefore the less chance He has of
seeing you and discovering the method of pre-

sentation. About nine inches is usually as deep as

16

a fly can sink and clear the bottom growth of
weeds. Do not be too anxious to recover the fly from
the water. Bring it towards you slowly, without
undue haste, interposing its progress with slight,
momentary pauses. Thus a not over-hungry fish
is given a chance to seize it. Whereas, if pulled too |

quickly, a “short rise” will be the result.

Now a few words as to those portions of a river
in which to fish. Ignorance on this matter will
render the best flies, and the utmost proficiency in
casting them, of little avail. Hach river has certain
parts particularly adapted as holding grounds for
bass, and other parts where bass are seldom or
never found. Waste no time in fishing those dark
deeper portions of a river bordered with sedge and of
muddy bottom. Fish places with hard, irregular and
rocky bottoms, here and there dotted with a sufficient -

deposit of mud to encourage a straggling growth of

17
that variety of water grass which seldom grows quite
tall enough to appear above the surface. This is a
desirable formation, being sufficiently dense to afford
fish cover and secrecy, without seriously impeding

their movements.

Give particular attention to the shallows and
ripples with their deeper channels and holes, both
above and below. Fish such places carefully. Note
any obstructions in the current caused by projecting
logs, or rocks, and the like. In the eddies formed

below these, bass are almost sure to be found.

Successful fly fishing depends to no little extent
(apart from the merits of the flies used), upon
the ability to cast the fly with some degree of skill,

in conformity with the hints given.

There are some, who, owing to their deficiency

18

in acquiring this skill, may at. first fail to realize
the full success desired. To such, we, would say:
Endeavor to increase your proficiency in the use of
the fly rod.

19

How to Gast the Fly.

Use a light ten foot fly rod, a small click trout
reel bearing twenty-five yards of No. 6 dressed,
braided, water proof silk casting line, a four foot
leader, and a winged trout fly ona No.4 hook. Break
the barb off the hook to prevent it catching. Cut
away the hackle close to the body, it will cast
easier. Joint the rod with the guides exactly in
line and fix the reel securely in the reel seat on the
butt. Then thread the end of the casting line
through the guides up the rod and out through the
ring of the tip. Fasten this end with a small knot to
one of the end loops of the leader. To the other end
of the leader, attach the fly.

Select a suitable spot, a stretch of water if avail-
able, or grass plat with forty or fifty feet clear space,
front and rear. With a handkerchief bind the right

arm just above the elbow, firmly to the side.

All action must be made gently and method-
icially, chiefly by means of the wrist, with but little
movement of the fore arm and without movement of
the upper arm; any movement of the upper arm
should be checked. Bonen bak it is knack, not force
you have to use. The more force the beginner uses,
the less quickly he will attain success. When
more advanced, long distance casting may be essayed,

then the upper arm may be used to advantage.

Place some small object fifteen feet away at
which to cast, grasp the rod firmly by its handle
with the ball of the thumb pressed against the up-
per part of the hand grasp, pointing toward the tip.

21
The ball of the thumb plays an important part. The
grasp of the hand holds the rod securely; the
thumb directs its action. Unreel and pull through
the tip, line half again as long as the rod. Hold
the fly between the finger and thumb of the left
hand, with the rod at an angle of about 45 degrees
in front of the caster, with the tip pointing slightly
to his right.

Wave the rod gently from right to the left, at the
same time releasing the fly. This motion places the
fly in front of the caster, and at his left; when the fly
reaches that position, bring the tip of the rod toa
position over and behind the left shoulder of the cas-
ter. This action should place the fly behind and
above the caster. Pause a moment that the line may
straighten out behind; then bring the rod forward un-
til it reaches about the same position the caster be-

gan with. The last motion should place line and fly

22

extended in front of the caster. Before the line thus
extended falls to the ground, with a sharp twitch
of the wrist. combined with a slight movement,
of the fore arm, bring the tip of the rod toa
position over and back of the right shoulder. This
position can be determined by the thumb, which
should be vertical. Stop the rod when the thumb
of the caster is perpendicular. Do not allow the
rod to go further back, otherwise the back cast
will throw the line too low. Observe this rule.
This is technically known as the “back cast.” Jn
making it, the tip of the rod should not describe an
are, but a straight line. This is accomplished by the

combined action of the fore arm and wrist. It is
essential that the back cast be properly made—Here-
in lies the secret of successful fly casting. First is the
preliminary cast which extends the line in front of the
caster, preparatory for the back cast. Second, comes

the back cast in which the line is extended high in

23
the air, behind the caster. Then follows the forward

cast by which the line is impelled forward. The
movement of the fly must be such that the fly will
not at any time fall to the ground until the comple-

tion of the forward cast.

The thumb having reached the vertical, pause
a moment, for the line to loose its backward veloc-
ity; then the back cast is complete. At this in-
stant and before the line extended behind begins to
fall, bring the rod forward to an angle of about
45 degrees, impelling the line toward the mark chosen.
This is termed the forward cast. Accuracy and deli-
cacy are the essentials of the forward cast. In the
back cast the tip of the rod makes a straight line; in
the forward cast the tip describes an arc. If the
forward cast is begun before the back cast is com-

plete, the fly will snap off.

Activity is imparted to the line by the spring

24

of the upper part of the rod. A slight action of the

wrist properly directed is sufficient.

Practice diligently until the back and forward

casts can be correctly and accurately performed.

In actual fishing, the caster seldom has level
banks and clear space before and behind. Obstacles
of all sorts interpose. First learn to cast a fly as
outlined; afterwards adapt this accomplishment to

the environment.

PRESS OF
A. L. OAMPFIELD,
OHIOAGO.

lfhe Johnsen Ely [300k

eogooc 90

EVERY FLY CASTER SHOULD
FLAY E ONE Ss

A perfect Fly Book, bound in fine calf leather, con-
taining six best quality Trout and Bass leaders, four
dozen Johnson’s high-grade Trout and Bass Flies, with
a concise practical Treatise on their use by Chas. F.
Johnson.

SENT BY EXPRESS, CHARGES i sia ON
RECEIPT OF $10.00@—

THE JOHNSON TROUT 4ND BASS FLIES

MAKE FLY FISHING A DELIGHTFUL
SUCCESS.

ADDRESS:

THE WALTONIAN MFG, CO.

325 DEARBORN ST., CHICAGO, ILL.

The Finest Silk Lines Made

.---ARE THE....

NATCHAUG _

** BRAIDED
sg. SILK FISHING

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N\

Y/). Nas LINES

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They will outwear three ordinary lines, will spool per-
fectly when in use, and never flatten or become
water soaked.

213-215 Fifth Avenue, CHICAGO.

MILLS, WILLIMANTIC, CONN.

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