rod is enough; and a plain click reel, of
small size, is just as satisfactory as a more costly affair. Twenty
yards of tapered, waterproof line, with a six-foot leader, and a cost
of two flies, complete the rig, and will be found sufficient. In common
with most fly-fishers, I have mostly thrown a cast of three flies, but
have found two just as effective, and handier.

We all carry too many flies, Some of my friends have more than sixty
dozen and will never use a tenth of them. In the summer of '88, finding
I had more than seemed needful, I left all but four dozen behind me. I
wet only fifteen of them in a seven weeks' outing. And they filled the
bill. I have no time or space for a dissertation on the hundreds of
different flies made and sold at the present day. Abler pens have done
that. I will, however, name a few that I have found good in widely
different localities, i.e., the Northern Wilderness of New York and the
upper waters of Northern Pennsylvania. For the Northern Wilderness:
Scarlet ibis, split ibis, Romeyn, white-winged coachman, royal
coachman, red hackle, red-bodied ashy and gray-bodied ashy. The ashies
were good for black bass also. For Northern Pennsylvania: Queen of the
waters, professor, red fox, coachman, black may, white-winged coachman,
wasp, brown hackle, Seth Green. Ibis flies are worthless here. Using
the dark flies in bright water and clear weather and the brighter
colors for evening, the list was long enough.

At the commencement of the open season and until the young maple
leaves are half grown, bait will be found far more successful than the
fly. At this time the trout are pretty evenly distributed along lake
shores and streams, choosing to lie quietly in rather deep pools and
avoiding swift water. A few may rise to the fly in a logy, indifferent
way; but the best way to take them is bait-fishing with well-cleansed
angle-worms or white grubs, the latter being the best bait I have ever
tried. They take the bait sluggishly at this season, but, on feeling
the hook, wake up to their normal activity and fight gamely to the
last. When young, newborn insects begin to drop freely on the water
about the 20th of May, trout leave the pools and take to the riffles.
And from this time until the latter part of June the fly-fisherman is
in his glory. It may be true that the skillful bait-fisherman will
rather beat his creel. He cares not for that. He can take enough; and
he had rather take ten trout with th