Days off Fishing with flies for trout Louis Read

Days off Fishing with flies for trout Louis Read; Louis John Rhead (1857-1926) was one of the most important illustrators of his era and an outdoor writer and tackle maker of note. Best remembered today for his children’s book illustrations, he wrote a number of fishing books and wrote dozens of articles in major magazines in a career that spanned over five decades. This article was one of many he penned on trout fishing; of note is that he also did the cover illustration for the magazine, which the editor of Amateur Sportsman, Dwight W. Huntington, wrote: “We vary our front page illustration this time by presenting to our readers a picture that will appeal to every fisherman. Mr. Louis Rhead, the artist who prepared the original, is well known as a painter of fishing pictures, who was awarded the gold medal for trout and salmon pictures at the St. Louis exhibition. His pictures have been exhibited in all the galleries here and abroad. He has illustrated and written articles for every sporting journal in America, and for many in England and France. When we asked him how this picture compared with his other works, Mr. Rhead said: ‘It is the best picture I have done, representing an expert angler doing a difficult thing in quick water, landing a double catch on flies.’ High praise indeed! — Ed.

Days off: fishing with flies for trout
By Louis J. Read

…..The most important thing in fly fishing is proper tackle and proper casting. The choice of flies is a secondary matter so long as they are quiet in tone, small in size, similar to the natural flies on the waters of the Eastern and Middle States.

In the choice of a rod that will exactly fit the angler, it is a matter of experienced selection; a large-framed, long-armed man, can wield with greater ease a long, heavy rod much easier than a smaller man, so that it is best to change till one is procured that is just right. A medium-sized man will handle with good effect a rod of 10 feet long, weighing 7 ounces, made of split bamboo — or even a steel rod is a weapon I have used with good effect to force the fly, and play a fish in a satisfactory manner. The best reel is made entirely of rubber, or aluminum and rubber, with only a strong, single click, without any complicated gearing that is likely to get out of order. On a small river 75 feet wide — more or less — the line need not be more than 150 feet long and it should be fine, of even thickness throughout. The best line I know is the oiled silk, extra finish, mist color “Kingfisher brand.” To my mind the tapered line has no advantages. I prefer it fine throughout, so that I can take it off the spool and reverse it to get the best out of both ends. For the very clear water of these mountain streams you cannot get a leader of gut too fine. It should he 8 feet long and tapered; the second fly should be 32 inches from the end fly, and from the second fly to the upper fly a distance of 30 inches. The two upper snells should be two and a half inches long from the eye of the hook to the leader, and the snells must match the leader exactly. The leader I describe is an English Cummin’s leader, used in fishing waters where trout are plentiful, but very, very wary…….