FISHING THE PACIFIC 



I am still using what I believe was the second sponge-rub- 

 ber harness ever built. Although I have had it since 1935, it 

 is still giving grand service and it is plenty good enough for 

 me even though I cannot adjust the length of the snaps from 

 the harness. This is simply red sponge rubber sewed onto an 

 old piece of canvas to which the snaps are fastened by 39- 

 thread. If memory serves, Mike Lerner and I were the first 

 to use this type of harness. What the harness is to the heavy- 

 tackle fisherman, the rod belt is to the light-tackle angler who 

 stands up and walks around while fighting his fish. The rod 

 belt should have a metal sheath with sponge rubber on the 

 inside and a good strong belt and buckle to fit around the 

 waist. The rod socket or gimbel should be in front of the rod 

 belt attached to the metal sheath and should move up and 

 down. This gives the angler complete protection for his 

 abdomen and he can handle the rod just as if he were sitting 

 in a chair. It will not slip out of the gimbel as was the case 

 with the old-style leather-belt socket or when a rubber ball 

 was screwed into the end of the rod butt. Many of the light- 

 tackle butts built today have regular slots for the use of this 

 kind of belt just as their big brothers do. The Tycoon Com- 

 pany also makes the best light-tackle rod belt I have ever 

 used. They call it a fishing girdle. 



GAFFS 



The finest gaffs I have ever seen were built in southern 

 California. The detachable, or flying, gaff is by far the best 

 kind, with a fine sturdy hook, a magnificently flanged seven- 

 foot pole and the string to release the hook after the fish has 



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