290 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
L 
[April q, 1898, 
efforts, and that to-day it would be an -fevetl race between 
the fish and the accessories. 
A generous supply of the voracious black and gold 
reticulated Esox was dispatched to the camp, and while 
mirth, jest and success were mingled in due proportion, 
and served to run the hours swiftly away, yet the active 
outdoor exercise, joined to pleasurable anticipations and 
savory odors, developed keenest appetites and made us 
impatient for the coming of the noonday hour. This at 
length arrived, and the mellow notes of the horn sound- 
ed as sweetest music on the air and gave notice that 
cook and host was ready to give an account of his stew- 
ardship. 
The several courses received ample consideration, and 
doubtless the pickerel in the pond kicked up high jingoes 
while we spent ample time in their discussion.- At the 
close all stood up and joined in drinking a toast to the 
health, happiness and long life of Mr. Julius Kaufman, 
the best man in New York. 
This was followed by English plum pudding with 
brandy sauce, the whole topped off with toasted crackers 
and cheese and cafe noir. 
With the waning sun of the afternoon we returned to 
the pond and added a number of beautiful pickerel to 
our score, and rounded out a day of rare enjoyment and 
pleasure, even though we spent it along lines tabooed 
by modern sportsmen and condemned by the ultra can- 
ons of sportsmanship. Geo. McAleer. 
Worcester, Mass. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
About Tennessee Bass« 
Chicago, 111., March 26.— After I get rich, as I think I 
shall in a few months in the newspaper business, I am 
not going to do anything but accept invitations to go 
shooting and fishing. This time it is Dr. N. A. Neeley, 
of Cookeville, Tenn., who Avithout knowing anything 
at all about my appetite, asks me to join him as his guest. 
He also wants to know a few things about how to catch 
bass, and I presume he will pardon me if I share his in- 
quiries with the readers of the paper. He goes on to 
say: 
"I am a constant reader of Forest and Stream, and 
upon these grounds I desire to ask a favor. Some time 
during the next month or six weeks I expect to take a 
fortnight's, fishing trip on the Cumberland River, and I 
wish to spring a surprise upon the black bass and pike of 
that stream. They live in the backwoods of Tennessee, 
and never heard of a fly, spoon or any other human in- 
vention; they are accustomed, too much so, to nature's 
remedies, worms and 'minnies.' 
"The fact is I am not much better informed in the fly 
line than the fish themselves, but Avith your assistance 
and that of some literature on the subject I hope to be 
able to introduce them to some of the mysteries of 
modern anglerism. Will you kindly advise me what flies 
and other artificial bait to use, the most suitable rod and 
reel and line; also the best hooks (with leaders) for 
bait-casting. 
want a medium-priced -rod and reel, of medium 
weight and strength, one which I can use in New Zea- 
land waters, where trout grow to 2olbs. weight. Can 
you give me the name of a small treatise on first prin- 
ciples in fly and bait-casting? 
"Could you not spare the time for a trip to the back- 
woods of Tennessee? I would have a horse and buggy 
meet you at the railroad, or if you preferred you could 
come via river steamer from Nashville to Granville, 
Tenn. I promise you a royal time if you are fond of 
fishing. Thanking you in advance, 
"N. A. Neeley, D.D.S." 
Dr. Henshall wrote two books, "The Book of the 
Black_ Bass," and "More About the Black Bass," with 
very little more excuse than the above letter would give. 
And since the worthy Doctor had to try a second time 
in order to tell all he knew about bass fishing, I might 
have to add to my book if I wrote it now in Forest and 
Stream. It is too big a subject. What Dr. Neeley wants 
is not so much a book — though he will find both the 
above directly in his line and just what he requires — but 
a companion, some one who understands both fly and 
bait-casting. This is something which cannot be told in 
brief. 
What might be very well for one bass water might not 
do for another, and I do not know anything about the 
Tennessee river, though I have had friends tell me it is a 
fine stream for bass. First, as to the fly-rod. The best 
ones cost $25 to $30. If you get the best, 6oz. is heavy 
enough. If you pay as low as $10 or $15, get a rod of a 
-^couple of ounces more weight. The split-bamboos run 
highest in price, of course, and many prefer them to lance 
or bethabara, though of course splendid rods come in 
those woods too. In fly-fishing briefly crack your whip, 
and crack it as long behind j^ou as you do in front. The 
art cannot be taught by mail very well, any more than 
French or painting. 
As to the flies, I can not say surely, of course, what 
would be best. If I were going there in ignorance, I 
should take silver-doctor, Ferguson, Seth- Green and the 
fly known in this city as the Johnson-Fancy. I have 
found these good, also the jungle-cock and polka-dot. 
The Johnson-Fancy, above mentioned, is a weird-looking 
affair, but it seems to kill lots of bass. 
For bait-casting, the rod costs less and the reel costs 
more. The rod for frog-casting has of late been put on 
the market quite too short, to my notion. I personally 
prefer a casting rod pretty close up to 8ft., with some 
spring to it. You can shoot a frog further with a 6^ft. 
rod, which is stiffer and more easily controlled, but with 
the longer rod you have a great deal better fun playing 
your fish, and for river fishing, especially with minnow 
bait, the more flexible rod gives better sport. The motion 
of bait-casting is like throwing a rotten apple off a 
stick — a long, sweeping switch of the rod. The reel is 
thumbed delicately all the time, and thumbed sharp as 
the bait lights. Fly-casting is easier to learn than bait- 
casting. 
The hooks for bait-casting should not have leaders 
attached to them, but only snells, for you have to reel 
up the bait close to -the end of the rod in casting. The 
line should be fine braided silk, such as may be seen 
advertised in the columns of Forest and Sth^Am in dif- 
ferent places. The reel — well, it costs some money to 
get a watch, and it costs some money to get a good cast- 
ing reel. If I had to choose between the two, I'd just 
look at the town clock when I wanted to see what time 
it was. The casting reel of the South — ^the Milam, Meek 
or Talbot makes— are the products of fine workmen, 
jewelers originally, and are hand-made, costing from $20 
to $30. In appearance they differ from the Eastern model 
of casting reel, but each model has its admirers, and I 
cannot presume to advise which any one should purchase. 
Facilis est descensus. Dr. Neeley will fall faint with 
horror at the thought of laying out $100 or so to catch 
a T3-cent fish. I did. We all did. We went and saved 
money and got cheap outfits, and then we got into the 
stream and got tangled up with a 13-cent fish, and after 
that it was all a dream. We do not remember how it 
happened, but somehow we let the question of shoes 
take care of itself, and we now have $100 outfits. It is JUst 
this way: If a man's family gets hungry, the associated 
charities or the neighbors will do something for them, 
most always; but there are no associated charities, and 
no neighbor, who will give a man or his family a $100 
bass outfit. The duty of a man is, therefore, very plain, 
and duty should come before the mere pleasure of feeding 
one's folks, no matter how nnich fun it may be to see 
them eat. 
If Dr. Neeley will forgive these broken remarks, and 
will spend what he (now) thinks he ought to lay out for 
a, bass outfit; if he will get hold of a few soft-shelled 
crawfish,^ and put a few horny-handed helgramites in 
his hat in case the bass don't want minnows or frogs 
to-day, I know he will have a lot of fun with the big 
bass of the Tennessee. When he begins, let him not 
A Night Fight with a Tarpon* 
One of the most hotly contested and thoroughly sat- 
isfactory fights between a man armed with a light rod 
and reel, and a tafpon in the fullest possession of his 
powers, that has ever come to my knowledge occurred 
in Biscayne waters last week. The date was March 23; 
the man Avas Mr. Fred H. Benton, of New Haven, 
Conn.; and the tarpon, who was 6ft. Sin. long, 3ft. 2in. 
around the body, and weighed isslbs., was a resident of 
Caesar's Creek, a deep, narrow channel lying between 
Mangrove Island, beloved of all fishermen who know 
it, and forming the southern entrance to Biscayne Bay. 
A Vom Hofe rod and reel, 6ooft. of No. 18 line, and a 
Van Vleck hook, formed important accessories to the 
struggle, A yacht, the Susie B., of the Biscayne Bay 
Yacht Club; her dinghy, with Mr. Lewis Benton, her 
owner, to row it, and formahy introduce his brother to 
the tarpon family, completed the tout ensemble. On re- 
turning from a cruise among the Florida keys the Susie 
B. came to anchor on Wednesday evening in Ciesar's- 
Creek, and the two brothers went out to fish while sup-- 
per was preparing. Darkness Was settling over the 
9c;ene, and they were about to return to the yacht with- 
out having caught a thing, when Mr. Fred Benton, who 
had never before experienced a tarpon, suddenly became 
very much aware that a member of that family was in 
possession of his hook. 
Right here it should be explained that although tarpon 
have swarmed in Cassar's Creek all winter, they had pos- 
itively refused to take bait up to this time. Moreover, 
the present fish seems only to have made a playful snap 
AN EAST .COAST TARPON. 
be above bait. The fly-rod will be more sport after a 
time. I wish I might be of more service in giving the 
information which is asked, but with the books above 
named and with the guidance of Forest and Stream, 
I am sure of Dr. Neeley's success, ^nd I hope he will re- 
port his luck. 
Defense of the Carp. 
Mr. Nat H. Cohen, the enterprising president of the 
Illinois State Fish Commission, has just issued a con- 
cise little pamphlet for general distribution which is 
entitled "Fish Propagation and Protection." In it Mr. 
Cohen shows the value of the fish product of the State, 
and explains among other things hoAv and why it is 
that it costs less to raise fish than to raise animal food on 
the lands of the State. The fish is cold-blooded, and 
does not perspire so much as a land animal, and when 
it eats anything it does it for revenue, and does not go 
charging around and Avasting its fiber by inutilitarian 
exercise, as does the beef creature or the pig. Fish, as 
food, is not so sustaining as beef, but the difference of the 
total net results, considering the expense of raising both, 
is in favor of the fish. Mr. Cohen has a Avord to say for 
the down-trodden carp, Avhich he says is all right if 
you knoAV how to cook him, and if you get a good one, 
out of cool water. I fear that not even Mr. Cohen's 
honeyed words will reconcile us all to the shag-barked 
monstrosity from Deutschland, but there is no doubt 
that this little pamphlet is timely and useful. The people 
of America need a bureau of promotion and publicity, 
sure enough, in matters concerning our fish commis- 
sions and game laAys._ It is a great thing, this Avork of 
the Illinois Commission. Few have ever brought to it 
more enthusiasm than the present president of the board. 
E. Hough. 
1206 BoYCE Building, Chicago, 111. 
Camp of Two Ctanks. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I'll be beholden to ye if you will make a couple of 
corrections in "Camp of Two Cranks," in issue of March 
19, page 223. In tAventy-fifth line from top of first 
column read: "I waked up" for "waded up;" and in 
seventh line below read: "I had hooked on" for "I had 
poked on." And in "Camp of the Lone Kingfisher," 
issue Jan. 15, page 49, first column, cross out line 61 
from top and prefix line 63 with "It would be a wonder- 
ful .stream that would hold out" under a drain like 
that, etc. Kingfisher. 
California Dfoiigfit and Trout Streams, 
Auburn, Cal., March 28. — The present season in this 
State promises to be a disastrous one to all our in- 
terests from lack of rain. The trout must undoubtedly 
suffer unless we have abundant late rains, as all the 
smaller streams will dry up entirely. This happens to 
us occasionally, and it takes several years to restock the 
waters thus rendered bSfren. . Arefar, 
at Mr. Benton's lure, in passing; for the hook barely 
caught in his lower lip, where it may still be seen in 
the mounted specimen. Thus in the prolonged struggle 
that followed the strain of pulling it did not come on 
his inwards, as is the case Avhen the bait is gorged, but 
on the powerful lower jaw, Avhere it was hardly felt. 
This fact makes the fight in question particularly inter- 
esting. 
As he felt the hook the great fish gave three tremen- 
dous leaps high in air, shaking his head savagely, and 
then started out to sea tOAving the dinghy behind him as 
though it were a toy boat. After aAvhile he changed 
his tactics and began a series of short rushes and counter 
rushes, leapings, rapid circlings of the boat, and dart- 
ing to and fro directly beneath it. This was kept up 
for an hour, during which time the night became intense- 
ly dark, and a furious squall of wind and rain swept 
across the black waters. 
At the end of that first hour the tarpon, still as vig- 
orous as ever, decided to traA^el, and started up the coast. 
Up the whole length of Elliot's Key and past Sand's 
Key, a distance of more than six miles, he ran, making 
a break to fling himself high out of the Avater every 
fcAv minutes as he went. Each time he did this the 
patient angler, standing in his boat, reeled in a few 
yards of line, only to lose all that he had thus gained 
a moment later when the great fish again started. Off 
the Ragged Rocks the tarpon again stood out to sea, 
crossing the broad Hawk Channel directly in the yellow 
gleam of FoAvry Rock Light, and finally, beyond the 
outer reef, he was brought to gaff at 11:30 o'clock, or 
five and a half hours from the beginning of the fight. 
As the monster lay alongside the little dinghy, bareli' 
discernible through the darkness of a second squall, 
which was at that moment howling down the reef, he ap- 
peared completely exhausted. The moment he felt the 
gaff, however, he showed a mighty reserve of strength, 
lashing the water into foam with tremendous struggles, 
thrashing the boat with his powerful tail until it seemed 
as though the sides would surely be crushed in, and tax- 
ing the utmost efforts of two strong men to finally drag 
him from his native element. 
By this time both men Avere pretty well Used up, their 
boat was half filled with Avater, the tarpon itself was no^ 
light load, and they Avere so many miles from their yacht 
that it was 3:30 o'clock the following morning before: 
they regained her. 
It is perhaps superfluous to remark that thpy were 
glad supper was ready; and a useless expenditure of ink 
to add that Mr. Fred Benton seems inclined to be proud 
of the tarpon he caught in the night. O. K. ChobeE;. 
CocoANUT Grov e, Fla. 
For Sale.— Hunting and fishing preserve in Adirondacks. 12,000 
acres forest land; several fine lakes, 15 miles trout streams. Deer 
in plenty. 14 miles from railroad. A. A. Leonard, Knickerbocker 
Athletic Club, Nevi/ York.— ^(fz;. 
The Forest and Stream is put to press each week on 
Tuesday. Correspondence Intended for publicat^c-r. . 
should reach us at the latest by Monday, afvd as TnV'Cji, 
earlier as practicable. ' ' ' 
