THE SMARTEST FISH IN AMERICA

By Bill Rooney

It's disheartening to face up to the realization that you're dumber than a perch. But there it was: We were in a fishing camp in Ontario, had exhausted our coolers, and the 'gamefish glamorpusses' had gone on a hunger strike. But no problem, the lake was loaded with yellow-perch. Perch are piscatorial 'nuckledraggers' that'll take a live worm anytime. Later, as my cronies and I ate our dinner of peanut butter, hot peppers, and beer, we had time to reflect on the intellectual prowess of human's water bound legions. Here is our slate of nominees for 'Smartest Gamefish' species that score straight A's with me and with a few credentialed fishing partners.

ATLANTIC SALMON-
Izaak Walton himself called this silvery, leaping creature 'king amongst gamefish.' It is among the largest gamefish you can catch in fresh water, where it offers perhaps the supreme sportfishing challenge. You need a fly rod sturdy enough to deliver either a dry or wet fly upwards of 100 feet-to where you think a fish may lie. Much has been made of the esoterica of flycasting, but it really isn't all that difficult, for a smart fisherman, that is.

SMALLMOUTH BASS
If you get up close and personal with the smallie bronzeback it'll treat you to some of the
best angling days you'll ever have. He prefers cool, clean rivers and clear, rocky lakes. Trying a variety of lures, flies, and natural baits, and watching him blast a surface lure under a flaming Canadian sunset is nirvana for this writer. I'm not alone. Listen to Jack Lorenz, for many years the chief executive of the Izaak-Walton League of America:
"One June day, on Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin, big-
Bronzebacks homed in on my lures and did the funky chicken across the surface in an effort to throw the hook." If power, tenacity, and acrobatics are indicators of a fish's intellectual capacity, the smallmouth has to be world class in the smarts department.

For a copy of the complete article (800 words), contact Bill Rooney at bill@wildlife.org.