408 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



fJcNE IB, 1884. 



tent, where the smoke of the camp-fire is rare and the "re- 

 sorter" goetb not. 



"Why," said Merrill, "deer and hear are a-plenty rp there 

 as partridges are around here in huckleberry time an' wolves 

 too," and to ine he said in serious earnest, "an' mehhe you 

 won't believe it. hut there's some elk left in them woods yet; 

 yes, sir, elk. an' if my old Winchester could talk she'd tell 

 you so. Jest shoulder your rifle an' blanket and come with 

 fne a week an' I'll prove it to you. We'll take Turk an' the 

 black dog, an' if 1 don't show you some srreat sport then you 

 can call old Me-rill a liar " Old Ren and 1 were sorely 

 tempted to take him at his word and go but it was the close 

 srason and game laws are not made to be broken and sit at 

 naueht by he nest, sportsmen, so the trip was abandoned. 



We are not going to take any great credit to ourselves, 

 however, for not going, fc-r the truth is, "Ben and I stand 

 couriered of a violation of the game law of Michigan, in in- 

 tent, if not by overt act, but if the fates don't take sides 

 against tin we may, at some time in the future, visit this wild 

 region when the season is open, and T am convinced that 

 with Turk a7>d his master we could have some rare sport 

 with the rifle, and not be ashamed to look the district prose- 

 cutor in the face should we chance on him on our return 

 from the woods. 



But this digression has no doubt lost Dick and T a chance 

 of taking a bass or two on our trip around the lake, so to 

 quote Old Ben again, we'll "jest hie along." 



Ejkgfisheb. 

 [to be continued.] 



RANCELEY WATERS. 



Editor Forest and Stream; 



The ice went out on the 11th of May. On the 13th the 

 first visitor at the Mountain View (Mr.'Littlefield. of Bos- 

 ton,) captured a five-pounder from the wharf. For a few 

 days following the strikes were few and far between, but the 

 week commencing May 25 was remarkable for the number 

 and size of those brought to the landing net. 



Of the guests at the Mountain View four hearts were made 

 hippy by bringing home a trout each, weighing respectively 

 7.V, 8~ 8i and 8 pounds 10 ounces, the latter being the largest 

 taken to date, and captured by the gentleman above named, 

 while the number of fish weighing from two pounds up to 

 five taken by the party was quite sufficient to satisfy th* 

 mo«t ambitious disciple of Izaak Walton. 



The Big Lake was almost as productive. Every fisher- 

 man and guide^ent for a "masher" of course, but the wary 

 old fish came not to all. Brandy Point and Butrle Cove were 

 the objective points, and long and faithfully were the shores 

 skirted. Rangeley streams yielded a rich harvest to the 

 seductive red ibis. Fish were taken there weighing as heavy 

 a° five pounds. It is a fact that the earty spring fishing in 

 Rangeley waters has been most excellent, and the fishermen 

 have rarely had better sport. 



An unusual number of ladies have gone in this year with 

 their husbands and brothers, and the refining influence of 

 their presence and their keen enjoyment of the to them new 

 revelation of woods camp life ana lake wilderness have added 

 a zest to the trip which always brings color to the cheek, 

 elasticity to the step, and joy to the hearts of all who have 

 the good fortune to visit this ch'arming section. W. M. 8. 



Stamford, June 12. 



SALMON CASTING IN ENGLAND. 



AFLY-CASTTNG tournament will be held in England, 

 July 26, under the auspices of the Fishing Gazette. We 

 take from that paper the following particulars and call atten- 

 tion to the rules, especially to the conditions governing the 

 third prize, where the line must not be recovered. We 

 understand that this so-called "switch cast" is the same one 

 used by Mr. Harry Prichard in the contests here, and called 

 "water cast," "hoop snake," etc. The Gazette says: 



"The forthcoming tournament promises to be of a more 

 generally interesting character than ever. Mr. George M. 

 Kelson has kindly undertaken the management and super- 

 vision of Ihe salmon anglers' competition, for which two or 

 three pretty little prizes are offend. Hitherto, the salmon 

 casts were demonstrated from a platform. Upon the last 

 occasion, owing to an adverse wind, its position was not a 

 favorable one, but, indeed, so unfavorable, that the record, 

 though really good in the estimation of those present, will 

 probably be exeeeded this year Tt is a good cast in dead 

 water to propel 37 or 3 s * yards of line overhand with an 18- 

 foot salmon rod in this country. Anglers know that our 

 English lines are made heavy to throw from the butt of the 

 rod, and that the American produce, in comparison, may 

 almost be called 'blow lines,' as they are very light, and 

 are manufactured to suit their rods, which play only in the 

 upper joints. The consequence is that i>i a gale of wind the 

 Americans 'walk in,' ami we hear it reported, and see it in 

 print, that some one or the other of them has thrown consid- 

 erably over 40 yards. We can only conclude that this was 

 with the wind. Mr. Kelson will decide upon the day whether 

 this platform is to be shifted to more favorable quarters, or 

 whether "he casts are to be made from the bank. The prizes 

 for this section are: Prize I.— Gold egg-cup, wir,h suitable 

 inset iption. for the longest overhand salmon cast, to be made 

 with any kind of rod, not exceeding 18 feet in length from 

 the button. Prize II. — A silver egg-cup (also inscribed), for 

 the longes east with a rod not exceeding 16 feet iu length 

 from he button. Prize III. — A folding salmon landing net, 

 for the longest switch cast, when 6 fret only will be allowed 

 behind the "competitor, who will be disqualified if any part 

 of the rod or line should, while making the cast, extend 

 beyond that limit, 



''Five minutes will be allowed for each competitor to make 

 his cast. Each competitor must have a treble and sinsle gut 

 trace attached' to his line, the former not to be less than one 

 yard in length, the latter not less than fourteen inches. 

 E'ch competitor to use one of the flies which will be pro- 

 vided. 



"The Americans declare they can cast as far with a 16-foot 

 rod as with one 18 feet in length. Mr. Kelson has amply 

 provided f"i this rather remote contingency. Any com- 

 petitor entering for prize No. 2 who shall make a longer 

 cast than any one of those competing for prize "No. 1 shall 

 be entitled to his choice of any one of these priz' s in ex- 

 change. There are also m my gentlemen in this country un- 

 accustomed to an 18-foot rod, who fl h and commano the 

 catches in their own districts with a small rod — they, too, 

 will be favored by this rule; but we doubt whether airy 16- 

 foot rod can possibly wiu the 'golden honors' Long cast- 

 ing has been a subject for much comment from time to time, 

 and as we know it is absolutely neces-ary for a salmon fisher- 

 man to be able to manage a lomr liue occasionally, so we are 

 pi Sed to have an opportunity of encouraging it. Mr. 



Kelson holds that if a fish is properly 'hit,' as he described 

 in the Fishing Gaz<tle of 8th March last, it is immaterial 

 whether the strike is made at twenty or thirty yards— the 

 result is the same, or, rather, it should be. There can be no 

 shadow of doubt the nearer one gets to his fish the better it 

 is under control; but often salmon anglers are engaged in a 

 good 'up and down mill' sixty, seventy, or even a hundred 

 yards off, and when their fish has been struck in the way 

 advocated in Mr. Kelson's articles, how rarely it is that the 

 'hold,' even after an hour's fight, has 1 een torn or enlarged. 

 Why did Mr. Kelson suggest the late improvement in the 

 pat.pt lever winches? Why did Mr. Ridley devote years to 

 his lines? Because salmon originally out of reach might be 

 hooked and, when booked, could be mastered. We suggest 

 that competitors should loop their single to the treble gut. 

 There will be a tew spare 14-inch lengths of single leady 

 with a fly attached to each, in case of accident; but, what- 

 ever accident may happeu to eithi r rods or lfhes, Rule No. 2 

 must be strictly adhered to. Mr. George M. Kelson's address 

 is No, 13 Culville Mansions, W." 



ROD-JOINTS AND REEL-SEATS. 



BY DR. JAMES A. HENSHALL. 



IN leaving the tentative and uncertain subject of the proper 

 color of leaders for the more tenable one tf rod-joiuls, 

 we step at once upon solid ground. But after the able ex- 

 position and defense of the non-dowel joint by Messrs. 

 Wells, Alden, "Esprit Fort" and others, there remains but 

 little to be said by me, except in the way of corroboration. 



If there were wanting any proof of 'the practical superi 

 ority of the flush, cylindrical, non-dowell joint over the 

 tapered, dowel and mortise joint, we would find it in the 

 fact that so many anglers, liaving the mechanical skill to 

 construct their own rods, have discarded the latter for the 

 former style of joints, as evinced by their articles in Fouest 

 and Stream during the past few months. And, moreover, 

 they all seem to have arrved at this determination and con- 

 clusion independent of each other. Many of the most val- 

 uable improvements and inventions have been made in like 

 manner, each one supposing himself to be the sole inventor. 



It is now twenty-five years since I made my first rod with 

 flush joints, having at that time never seen or heard of a 

 joint without dowels, and ever since I have been a firm be- 

 liever in that style of joint. One of the specifications of 

 the Henshall black bass rod is for flush, non-dowel joints, 

 with short, cylindrical ferrules, and as so many of these 

 rods have been sold during the past eight or nine years it 

 has had a great tendency to introduce and popularize this 

 form of joint, which is now also applied to many fly-rods to 

 their great advantage, 



I have often thrown apart the doweled joints of the old 

 style rods in casting with both fly and bait rods, and have 

 had them break near the lower end of the female ferrule in 

 consequence of too deep a mortise at that point, but with 

 the cylindrical non-dowel joint I have never had either acci- 

 dent to occur. 



There is one point which I believe has not been touched 

 upon by any of your correspondents : the principal cause of 

 the throwing apart of the dowel-mortise joint. The ferrule, 

 dowel and mortise being made tapering, the male ferrule and 

 its dowel acts as a wedge, and the continual springing of 

 the rod in casting tends to loosen this wedge and to event- 

 ually separate the joint, in the same way that we extract a 

 nail by working it from side to side. This fact can be easily 

 demonstrated by separating the tapered dowel joint by work- 

 ing it back and forth in this manner, with the hands close 

 to the ferrules; but it cannot be done with the flush, cylin- 

 drical ferrule joint; to separate the latter it is necessary to 

 pull or twist it apart, for no amount of springing it back and 

 forth will loosen it. This fact renders nugatory and super 

 fluous all locking devices, screws, cleats and strings which 

 have been proposed to secure the joint and prevent its sepa- 

 ration in casting. 



Mr. C. F. Orvis, who was the first manufacturer to make 

 the Henshall rod, was also the first professional rod maker I 

 found who agreed with me in regard to the faults of the 

 dowel-mortise joint, and the superiority of the other. He 

 discarded the tapered dowel joint thirty years ago, his great- 

 est objection to it being its tendency to throw apart, owing 

 to the wedge-like action mentioned, and for that length of 

 time he has used the simpler and better non-dowel joint. 



Ferrules should be short and cylindrical. It is not neces- 

 sary for the female butt ferrule to exceed two and a half 

 inches in length, nor two inches for the second joint. The 

 male ferrules should be of a corresponding length, say one 

 inch, which will give all the "hold" necessary, and allow for 

 a small space between the ends of the rod pieces when put 

 together. The ferrule should be perfectly fitted to. each 

 other, in some such manner as that so ably described bj r Mr. 

 Wells. The lower end of the male ferrule, and the button 

 of the female fenule should be protected hy metal caps or 

 disks soldered on, to exclude moisture, in split bamboo rods. 

 Ferrules for wooden rods may be fixed in the same way, or 

 the, exposed ends of the rod pieces may be simply varnish -d. 

 The ferrules should be fitted without cutting the wood, and 

 a wrapping of silk put on at the ends for a finish. A good 

 plan is to wrap on a guide or ring immediately below the 

 female ferrules, so that the upper wrapping of the guide ex- 

 tends to the ferrule, which thus serves a double purpose. 



Swell ferrules are unnecessary, and are neither so good 

 nor strong as cylindrical and uniform ones. The ends of 

 the ferrules may, however, be swaged into a hexagon form 

 in split, bamboo rods, to give a more perfect fit, without any 

 disadvantage iu other ways. Ferrules may be banded if the 

 metal is very thin, which i« apt to be the case with those 

 drawn from German silver, which cannot be drawn so thick 

 as brass. Ferrules should be affixpd with shellac or cement 

 inst< ad of using the metal pin, which has a tendency to 

 weaken the rod, and rendeis the removal of the ferrule more 

 difficult to the angler for the purpose of repair. 



The advantages of the. non-dowel joint may be formulated 

 as follows: 1. The ferrules being shorter, are considerably 

 lighter. 2 The ferrules being shorter, stiffen the rod less 

 at the joint and allow a more uniform bending of the rod 

 3. The ferrules being shorter, are more easily put together 

 and taken apart. 4. "The ferrule being cylindrical, will not 

 throw apart in casting. 5. The ferrules being cylindrical 

 and tilting more perfectly, will not become loose and shaky 

 by use. 6. There are no* dowels to stick and bind after get- 

 ting wet. 7. Tbey are more easily repaired. 8. There is 

 no mortise to weaken the rod. 9. It obviates the use of all 

 locking devices. 10 The cost is less. 



Toe b st reel-seat is the old shallow groove cut in the 

 wood, with reel-bands. It is lighter than any other reel 

 fastening, and subserves its purpose better than any of the 



modern inventions. Any reel can be made to fit it in a few 

 moments. If it is too shallow for the cross-bar of a reel, it 

 is only necessary to deepen it with a gouge chisel or a pen- 

 knife. If the reel fits too loosely, a piece of paper or card 

 board placed under the crosd-har, lightens it. With solid 

 metal reel-seats there is no remeoy but by altering the cross- 

 bar of the reel, which sometimes'. Mails a good deal ot labor 

 and no little skill; and it may have to be altered a second or 

 a third time to fit the metal reel-seats of otb. r rods. 



The solid metal reel-seat subserves no good purpose, and 

 adds from two to four ounces to the weight of the rod. It 

 is idle to say that the additional weight gives the rod a better 

 balance— it should balance without it; or that the wood may 

 swell (without ii) and cause the reel to stick— if the groove 

 is well varnished and the rod properly used it will not swell. 

 The fact is the metal reel-seat is put on to make the rod 

 "sell." It gives a rod a nobby, flashy appearance which 

 pleases some, but old angleis are not to be caught with such 

 chaff. If rod and reel-makers would conform to the stand- 

 ard sizes reel-seats and cr6ss-bars, as adopted by the National 

 Rod and Reel Association, it would save anglers a vast 

 amount of trouble and vexation. Will they do it? 



Csnthiaha, Ky., June !'"», 1681. 



[In my article on "The Color of Leaders," in last week's 

 paper, page 387, middle column, sixth liue from the bottom, 

 tor "with leader or s.nell" read "without leader or snell."] 



The Pugnacity of Quail — Toledo, Ohio.— In am in- 

 clined to the belief that we have still a great deal to learn 

 and to unlearn about this beautiful bird. My friend Willis, 

 of New Jersey, insists that quail in confinement will not 

 show the slightest disposition to breed, owing to their jeal- 

 ous and pugnacious disposition, unless the number in the 

 inclosure is limited to a single pair. It is not unusual, lie 

 says, in a state of nature for a male bird to pair with two 

 females, but this condition of thing would cause serious 

 trouble with caged birds. The knowledge that Willis does 

 not possess about quail is hardly woith having, and I believe 

 that in the main he is correct; but I have quite recently dis- 

 covered a case where two male and one female quail have 

 been living together most amicably lor over a year — a clear 

 and unmistakable instance of polyandry. Not only do these 

 male birds never fight, but singular to relate both males dur- 

 ing all the spring have been paying the most marked attention 

 to the female, and both have received her favors impartially. 

 The three birds were kept in a large wire cage about seven feet 

 square and proportionately high, and as they are in a room 

 through which there is constant travel, pay no especial at- 

 tention to persons passing and repassing. The hen has thus 

 far shown no disposition to lay. Will this hen now mate 

 with a third cock, an entiie stranger, if removed to a dif- 

 ferent cage and placed with him alone under more secluded 

 surroundings? I cannot answer to-day, but perhaps I can 

 later in the season. Her new mate, a very fine specimen of 

 Ortyx virginianu-s, has been in confinement a year and a half, 

 and is tamer than the average domestic fowl.— H. H. 



A State Senator Nab:bed.— Manchester, N. EL, June 

 V2. — Inclosed fiud an item clipped from Manchester Union, 

 which will show to some extent which way the wind blows 

 regarding the game and fish restrictions* in this State. I 

 have heard it said many times that those "in the ring'' 

 always had what they yvanted of either, early or late, in or 

 out of season. Black bass have been caught and offered for 

 sale at the markets here, and the open season is not. here yet. 

 The item runs: "A gentleman in this city has just received 

 the following information from Wolfeborough. Fish Com- 

 missioner Hayes, while crossing Lake Winnipiseogee from 

 Wolfeborough to the Weirs last Thursday morning on his 

 way to Plymouth, to get trout fry to be distributed in the 

 waters of the southern part of the State, discovered some- 

 thing that looked to him suspicious, and so took a boat, went 

 back to the object and captured a trawl 728 feet long and 

 equipped with 125 hooks, and three men, one of whom is 

 a State Senator and a member of the Fish and Game League 

 of Nashua, who was old enough, big enough and ought to 

 know better than to have beeu engaged in such illicit sport. 

 The violation will be punished to the fullest extent of the 

 law. Much complaint has been made of illegal fishing on 

 Winnipiseogee Lake. The spawning beds of the lake trout 

 have been robbed, very much to the detriment of fishing in 

 those waters. Hayes has fired the first gun and others will 

 follow. "—A. B. D. 



Saratoga Lake,— Saratoga, N. Y., June 11. — I think very 

 few people know what a good fishing ground this little sheet 

 of water is. Although it has been fished for more than three- 

 quarters of a century, both by legitimate angling and net- 

 ting, the fishing is still good. The famous Saratoga Lake 

 black bass, the necessary part of a dinner at "the lake," are 

 still plentiful, and are as game as any fish that swims. I 

 admit the sport of trout fishing, and am as devoted to it as 

 anyone; but 1 maintain that a two or three-pound bass 

 tights harder and longer than any trout. Up to a- year or 

 two ago it was the practice of parties living in Ihe large 

 towns S'-uth of here to come up at evening with a large 

 seine and at night drag Die sand flats where the bass spawn, 

 takins in some instances several wagonloads of these fish. 

 This has been partly stopped, but seining is still continued, 

 and large quantities are caught iufjkeuets. If this lake 

 could only be preserved as Greenwood Lake is, I am sure 

 that in a few years the fishing would be very fine, as it still 

 holds its own, and is as good as it was twenty years ago, 

 according to all accounts. Can you inform me in what way 

 the careful preservation of Greenwood Luke was attained?— 

 Saratoga. [Gn en wood's protection has been by clubs of 

 anglers, who have made it their business to see that the law 

 is enforced.] 



Passaic River has been cursed with net fishers. The 

 Passaic County Fish and Game Protective Association, of 

 Paterson, sent a warden, June 9, and arrested one Jos. ph 

 Durget, Jr., who runs a saloon ou the island off Lincoln 

 bridge. Durget was convicted of having diawn a. net and 

 was "fined $24" 48. His friends paid it for him. 



Coney Island Creek —The Coney Island Rod and Gun 

 Club, of Brooklyn, announces that there, is good fishing now 

 in Coney LJand. Creek ami Gravesend Bay. Prizes aie to be 

 awarded to the members catching the largest striped bass in 

 these waters during the mouths of June, July, August, Sep- 

 tember and Oilober; also for the largest weaknsh. 



" Wawayanda" and "Truthful James" will try their 

 luck in Canada tbJs summer. They have an dysium of 

 perennial bass somewhere in the wuocts up there, and will 

 camp out. 



