No cast shall be valid unless the line be retrieved.
The character of the contest, whether as to distance, accuracy, or delicacy, shall be stated at the time of making the terms, and, if not so stated, shall be only as to the distance, which, if practicable, shall be measured along the water.
In case delicacy and accuracy are to be considered, the casting shall be done with each hand, across, against, and with the wind, in over and under casts, and not less than three flies must be used on a leader of at least eight feet in length.
Salmon Fly-Casting.—The above rules shall govern, unless it shall be distinctly agreed that the contest is to be with double-handed rods, in which case they shall be modified as follows:
The rods shall not be over twenty feet, and the casting-line or leader not less than ten feet in length.
Allowance of distance shall be made for length, but not for weight, and no more than one fly shall be used in any event.
In addition to the imitations of the natural fly, efforts have been continually made to use artificial representations of the other food and baits for fish; exact and beautiful copies of grasshoppers and frogs have been constructed, and painted of the proper color, but either from the nature of the composition or some other cause, entirely in vain. Indeed it is doubtful whether any fish was ever captured with such delusions as grasshoppers, crickets, or frogs, and although they are still retained in the shops, they no longer find a place amid the angler’s paraphernalia. Squid and spoons are usually supposed to imitate minnow, and have always been to a greater or less degree successful, but the imitation fish itself has, until late years, invariably proved a failure. With the discovery of the proper preparation of gutta-percha, and its application to the innumerable purposes for which it is now employed, came the suggestion that it might in various ways serve the angler; as wading-boots and water-proof clothing, of course, but also for bait-boxes, rods, and finally minnows. A little fish made of this material is not only a faultless imitation of the original, and is even curved in a way to produce the most perfect spin, but being soft to the teeth, seems absolutely to convince the trout in spite of their palates that it is wholesome and appropriate food. This imitation is used with satisfactory results, not only for trout to which it is peculiarly adapted, but also for snapping mackerel and lake-trout; it is so admirably prepared that the eye cannot detect the deception, and it has about the same consistency as fish itself. The back is a delicate mottled green, changing to yellow on the sides, where there are a few vermilion spots, while the lower part is brilliant and sparkling with some preparation of quicksilver. There is a gang of three hooks near the head and another at the tail, which is of tin, and the whole is attached to double gut. A modification of the same article is made by fastening two tin flanges at the head of the same minnow and leaving the body straight, but by the change more is added to the weight than to its effectiveness.
This invention is extremely light, being hollow, can be cast even with the fly-rod, and has been known to do great execution. In its present perfected form, it is a foreign production, but the original discovery was American. It is especially successful with lake-trout, even more so than with brook-trout, but is too delicate to trust in the hungry jaws of a savage pickerel. When the snapping mackerel first appear, and before their increasing appetites have made them as ravenous as they subsequently become, and when they will not condescend to the leaden squid, they will readily take this gutta-percha artificial minnow. One of its great recommendations is its lightness; no imitation bait that falls with a loud splash into the water can do other than terrify the timid trout; and to make casting a pleasure, the rod must be delicate, which cannot be if the bait is heavy. The squid is usually supposed to be the original imitation of a minnow, and has held a prominent place among the angler’s delusions for many years; in bass-fishing, in trolling for blue-fish, and even for lake trout, it is worthy of all praise. For bass, it is true, the natural squid is far more tempting, but this queer monstrosity is difficult to obtain, and its substitute has often captured enormous fish; for blue-fish no other bait is ordinarily used, and for lake-trout the ivory squid can hardly be surpassed. The ordinary kinds are of lead, pewter, bone, which are often hollow, and admit the insertion of a large hook; and of pearl, the latter in its most killing shape having flanges and spinning like the minnow. For blue-fish and their young—the snapping mackerel, lead is the favorite, while for lake-trout and pickerel, ivory is preferable, although this rule is not invariable; and on dark days the light-colored material will be occasionally preferred by all these varieties.
As the trolling-spoons resemble no known creature, they also are supposed to be intended and accepted for the minnow, although it is difficult to conceive why fish with their sharp sight, that can distinguish an almost microscopic midge upon the surface of the water twenty feet above their heads, should mistake a piece of revolving tin for a living fish. The first of these contrivances were manufactured and named from the bowl of a pewter spoon, the handle being broken off and holes drilled in each end, so that the line and hooks could be attached; this bait was found to revolve and glitter in the water in an attractive way. It is now almost superseded by other modifications; but still, when made of bright tin and painted of a dark color on the convex side, and rather more elongated than the ordinary pattern, it is successful with lake-trout and Mackinaw salmon. The first alteration in shape was by fitting two flanges or wings on a long, hollow body, upon the principle of a screw, and named after Archimedes, by which a rapid revolution was produced; but although this invention seemed to man nearly perfect, it did not satisfy the fish; for a very small spoon it will answer, but when larger is not so attractive as other kinds. Several alterations and combinations of these two plans were produced from time to time; they proved to be merely changes and not improvements, until an invention was made that is usually called Buel’s Patent Spoon—although it has been said that his patent only covers the application of three hooks instead of two, and that the invention has long been in use among the pickerel fishermen of the St. Lawrence. The blacksmiths on the banks of that river certainly manufacture them unrestrainedly of such material as they prefer, but only use two hooks; and this would not probably be permitted if the patent was broad enough to prevent it.