18 MEN I HAVE FISHED WITH. 



to whom he always deferred should not be beaten. 

 Either of them could outcast the other man, whose hog- 

 gish nature never allowed him to acknowledge the 

 knightly courtesy if he had the capacity to appreciate 

 the sacrifice. Not until the State Association held its 

 tournament at Brighton Beach, Coney Island, in June, 

 1881, did Reuben Wood ever have a chance to cast un- 

 hampered by his sentiment. Here he had a new competi- 

 tor with a great local reputation, who had never cast in a 

 State tournament before. This was in the two-handed 

 salmon rod contest, and Reuben won the first prize, val- 

 ued at $50, with a cast of noft. His brother Ira came 

 second, with loift. Harry Prichard cast 91 ft., and F. P. 

 Dennison 94ft. All but Prichard were members of the 

 Onondaga Fishing Club, of Syracuse, and cast with the 

 same rod a split-bamboo, won by Reuben in the tourna- 

 ment at Buffalo in 1878; length, I7ft. I in. As there was 

 an allowance of 5ft. for every foot of rod in length, Mr. 

 Prichard was allowed 9ft. 10 in. because his greenheart 

 rod (made by himself) was ift. loin, shorter than the one 

 used by the others; hence his amended record of 91 ft. had 

 an allowance of 9ft. loin., making it looft. loin., giving 

 him third prize over Dennison. 



In 1883 Prof. Spencer F. Baird appointed Reuben to 

 take charge of the angling department of the American 

 display at the International Fisheries Exposition in Lon- 

 don, an appointment of which he was justly proud, as he 

 wrote me in a farewell letter, and on June 1 1 he took part 

 in the English fly-casting tournament at the Welch Harp, 

 where he won first in salmon casting with an i8ft. split- 

 bamboo rod, scoring io8ft., Mr. Mallock casting io5ft. 

 with an i8ft. greenheart rod. In the single-handed trout 

 contest he won first with 82^ft. over four competitors. In 

 a contest with two-handed trout rods, a thing unknown 



