FISH AND FISHING. 
ward, say while I was counting 2, 
before I brought it forward again. If I 
heard a little snap, I should know I was a 
little too quick, and next cast would allow 
more time. When I brought the line for- 
ward again, I should pay out the surplus 
line I had drawn in with my left hand, do- 
ing so just as the flies had reached the full 
length, and this would cause them to drop 
lightly on the water, that is, if I had aimed 
at a spot about 3 feet beyond where I want- 
ed them to alight. 
I should stand in the same spot, and prac- 
tice this motion maybe a dozen times, or 
until I could do it to my satisfaction, and 
should then take a step or 2 forward while 
the flies settled on the water. This time I 
should draw more of the line back with the 
left hand, and as I raised the line for the 
back cast I should give it out and draw off 
3 feet more to give out on the forward cast ; 
and so on, keeping a constant whipping 
until I got a strike or until I saw a “boil” 
in the water near where I knew the flies to 
be. Feeling or seeing this, a slight turn of 
the wrist would set the hook, and playing 
and landing would follow. In playing the 
fish I should not take time to reel the line, 
but should draw it in with the left hand. 
After landing the fish I should start with 
15 feet, extending the cast as before. 
In all casting along shore I should not 
attempt overhead work; but after I had 
gone as far as I cared to I should change 
the rod to my left hand, and with my left 
side to the water -go back over the 
same ground. All the time I should keep 
my upper arm close to my side, letting the 
muscles of the forearm and wrist do all the 
work. Often the wrist alone will do all 
that is required, especially in casting under 
low bushes or overhanging trees where in- 
viting spots are constantly being presented. 
I have had no experience in casting when 
wading; it’s too mussy to suit me. Casting 
from a boat is my preference, as I then have 
a place for the duffle and have nothing to 
carry. Besides, the fish can be better cared 
for, and there is usually room for the back 
cast without the flies alighting in the limbs 
of trees where they are likely to be lost. 
Then, too, the flies often snagged under 
water, and with a boat I can get to them 
better. _ It is seldom that 4o feet of line are 
needed; more fish are caught within 25 feet 
than over that distance. Still, it is well to 
be able to cast accurately as far as even 50 
or 60 feet. 
I recall an incident when my partner and 
I, at opposite ends of the boat, were both — 
casting, while a third man rowed us slowly 
about 40 feet from shore. 
From a bunch of weeds on the shore 
there flew out a coot, which, circling round, 
alighted out in the lake about 60 feet from 
us. Hurriedly drawing off what we thought 
295 
was the right length of line, both of us cast 
for the bird. My line alighted on its back, 
the nearest fly 3 feet beyond it. My part- 
ner laid his tail fly a few inches in front 
of it, and, as tail flies will often do, it gave 
a kind of a turn, so when my companion 
drew it back, which he did instantly, the 
hook drew under the coot and caught it by 
the leg. The bird tried to fly, but could 
not get start enough to rise; then it dived, 
but the strain on the leg rolled it over; then 
it tried to swim, using both legs and wings. 
That was a pretty hard strain for the 60 cent 
rod, still it held in good shape; and after 
I5 minutes my friend landed the coot, to his 
satisfaction and that of 15 or 20 other 
anglers, who were looking on. 
A useful accomplishment in casting from 
a boat is to be able to row the boat with one 
hand while casting with the other, either 
right or left handed. This can easily be 
done by using loose oars, a little longer than 
ordinary, so one can be laid down while a 
stroke is being made with the other. I say 
this can be done easily; at least it looks 
easy when my partner is doing it, but some- 
how I can’t get the exact hang of it. Still, 
it is a good thing to learn, for sometimes 
one may wish to go alone in a boat. I am 
going to learn it, if it takes me all summer. 

GREEDY WASHINCTONIANS. 
Herewith I enclose chipping from the 
Shelton Weekly Tribune, about 2 game 
hogs who wear both bristles and scales. 
A. T. P., Shelton, Wash. 
O. A. Bailey and W. B. Forbes fished Golds- 
borough creek last Tuesday making a catch of 
118 trout 8 to 18 inches in length. This is ‘the 
largest catch of the season, and the boys only 
fished 2 hours. 
I wrote these men as follows: 
I am informed you and a friend recently 
caught 118 trout in 2 hours. Will you kind- 
ly let me know if the report is correct? 
Following is the reply I received: 
That is true. O. A. Bailey and I left 
here at 5 o'clock in the morning, driving 
6 miles up Goldsborough creek, there taking 
a canoe, or dugout, and working our way 
up stream through dense underbrush which 
it is impossible to get through any other 
way. After going up one mile we fished 
down to where we started from. Only one 
of us could fish at a time, as there was not 
room enough to turn our dugout sideways. 
It took us 2 hours to come down, and we 
had caught 118 brook trout varying from 
10 to 18 inches. 
W. D. Forbes, Shelton, Wash. 
If it be true that your 118 fish measured 
8 to 18 inches in length, we may safely as- 
sume that they averaged one pound each 
in weight or a total of 118 pounds, so that 
