470 
[June .16, 1900. - 
be'st food to plant is the crawfish, for it is a form of 
food that will increase in spite of the voracious appetites 
of the bass. The bass soon learn to nose the crawfish 
out from under the rocks, but they cannot destroy the 
supply, as they often do in the case of minnows planted 
for their food. Crawfish breed rapidly, and will soon be 
iound throughout a pond where they have been planted 
if there is gravel for them or small stones under which 
they can burrow. Minnows should also be introduced 
for the pickerel that remain; but the crawfish will prove 
to be more permanent as fish food. As there is pickerel 
grass in the pond, it may not be necessary to introduce 
other water plants as refuge and breeding places for 
insect food, of which every pond contains a quantity 
more or less; but the planting of the yellow water hly 
will help to purify the water for the "fish, as it gives 
oxygen as freely as any water plant, and is easily es- 
tablished, and grows more rapidly than the white pond 
lily, and serves as a hai-bor or lurking place for fi.sh 
both young and adult. 
Insect food is most desirable for fish in every water, 
in larval and winged stages, but this form of food is not 
so essential for fishes that do not rise to the fly, as fish 
that always look down for their food do not look up for 
the artificial fly when cast on the surface by the angler. 
The smaller forms of crustacean food can also be intro- 
duced into waters with profit, as food for young fish, 
and if one cares to take the trouble to provide food in 
a pond such as is described in the letter I have quoted 
it may be made to yield good results to the fisherman. 
Reel Seats. 
There is one trust in these days of trusts that I would 
welcome — and I believe many others would welcome — 
and that is a reel seat trust, not for the purpose of put- 
ting up the price of reel seats, but that all rod makers 
and reel makers would conform to a common standard 
for reel seats or else devise a reel seat that any reel for 
a given kind of fishing would fit. This matter was 
agitated some years ago, but nothing permanent came of 
it. It is trying to buy a new rod and find that no reel 
in the purchaser's possession will fit it. I have an 
English trout rod that any trout reel will fit, and it is 
simplicity in itself, and I have a Scotch salmon rod that 
no reel on earth will fit except the reel made for it. 
However, it is not foreign rods and reels that I refer 
to when I suggest once again that there should be some 
standard of uniformity in the size of the reel plate and 
reel seat. 
This spring I ordered a new salmon rod, and when it 
was finished the maker had two so nearly alike that it 
was difficult to choose between them for action, though 
one was 14^2 feet and the other 15 feet in lengrth. As I 
had both I sent one to a friend, thinking he might like 
to buy it, and he wrote me that he was so pleased with 
its workmanship and its action he would take it, though 
he had five or six salmon rods. In the next mail I 
received another letter, saying he Avould not take the 
rod, as when he came to try his reels not one of five 
or six would fit it, though all were interchangeable 
with his own rods. This caused me to try my own rod 
that I had accepted, though I had had no opportunity to 
try it with reel and line, and I found I had no reel to fit 
it, and so bought a new reel. Later, a friend gave me a 
salmon rod, and again I had fio reel to fit it, and if I ha.d 
the reel plate of a reel changed to fit the rod the reel 
would not then fit any other rod that I owned. 
With metal reel seats a reel plate must -fit exactly or 
it does not fit at all, and if there was a standard of size 
it would save much annoyance and harsh language. 1 
never shall forget going on a fishing trip with a new 
rod, and only one, and finding on arrival that neither of 
two reels that I took with me would fit the rod, and I 
was obliged to tie one of the reels on to the rod. I once 
fished for salmon with a reel lashed on to the rod with 
cords, but I never will do so again. If one always bought 
rods and reels of the same maker I presume this diffi- 
culty of misfit in reel seats would be obviated. I say I 
presume so, though I do not know positively that it 
yould be so. 
The English rod I refer to with reel seat to take any 
reel plate has a cork grip or handle, and the fixed slot 
at upper end of the grasp is tapered so that it will re- 
ceive a wide or narrow plate, and the sliding ring is 
tapered in a similar manner, and once any reel plate is 
placed on this rod and the ring is pushed home the reel 
is firmly fixed. The maker of the rod had an idea 
apparently that the purchaser of the rod might have a 
reel on hand that he could use without having to buy a 
new one simply because he had invested in a new rod. 
San Francisco Fly-Casting. 
Some weeks ago I quoted from a letter of Mr. Mar- 
ston's, in which he desired to know more of the details 
of thei; marvelous casting records made by Mr. Mansfield 
in Sari Francisco. When Mr. Mansfield saw the note in 
this papetj he. wrote me, but for weeks I have been almost 
constantly from home, and unable to write "Angling 
Notes," or even go a-angling, and not until this evening, 
during a hurried visit to my home, have I been able to 
resume' the notes. 
Mr. Mansfield writes : "In response to your request for 
information as to the weight and length of rods used in 
the contests and tournaments of the San Francisco Fly- 
Casting Club, I take pleasure in forwarding you herewith 
copies of the rules governing said contests in 1896, and 
which, with a few slight changes as to the method of 
judging delicacy, are practically the same as the rules now 
in force, and in so far as they regulate the distance 
event, are identical with the rules of the fly-casting clubs 
of the Middle East and of the East. 
"You will obsen'e that the length of rods is limited to 
II feet, and while the rules do not limit the weight in the 
distance event, the rods used in said event range from 
9^ to J0% ounces in weight, according to the fancy of 
the caster; my rods for this event run_ from 9^4 to 10% 
ounces ; the 133-foot record was made with a lo-ounce rod. 
In the delicacy event the rod is limited to ounces, and 
in the accuracy event to 8^ ounces. The rods are single- 
handed and ail casting is done single-handed only. 
"You might forvrard one of the copies of our rules In- 
closed to your friend, Mr. Marston, with the suggestion 
that the formation ol n club in London upon the same 
plan and with the same rules as those in force with 
us would stimulate the sport both on the other side and 
here." 
It is gratifying to print Mr. Mansfield's own statement 
as to the weight and length of rods he uses in making 
the casts which have placed him at the head of all distance 
fly-casters in the world, I shall send the rules on to Mr. 
Marston witli Mr. Mansfield's letter, as it is the first 
authoritative statement that I have seen in regard to Mr. 
Mansfield's rods, never before having seen the rules gov- 
erning the contests. When one realizes that Mr. Hawes' 
record cast with a two-handed salmon rod was 138 feet, it 
will be seen that I have used the proper term when I say 
that Mr. Mansfield's record cast of 133 feet is marvelous. 
Mr. Mansfield adds: "An interchange of scores and 
records thus made under a uniform system would cer- 
tainly be interesting, and would have a fixed comparative 
value." I have no doubt that Mr. Marston will recognize 
the force of this argument, and we may yet have an in- 
ternational fly-casting tournament that will really be in- 
ternational in character, for friend Marston accomplishes 
much when he puts his shoulder to the wheel or his hand 
to the rod. 
I find that the rules provide that the platform on which 
the caster stands must not be more than 18 inches above 
the surface of the water on which the casts are made. 
Leaders must not be less than 6 nor more than 9 feet in 
length. The fly shall not be larger than No. 5, and if lost 
must be replaced. "No other than fair overhead casting 
will be permitted. * * * No cast shall count when the 
fly is missing." The cases are measured from the edge 
of the caster's platform to the spot reached by the fly. 
Each contestant is allowed five minutes in which to cast 
for distance. "Competitors may consult their own in- 
clination in choice of reel and line, but lines must not be 
knotted or weighted." These conditions are practically 
those in force at the time the National Rod and Reel Asso- 
ciation tournaments were held in Central Park, New 
York. 
Salmon Fishing, 
As Josh Billings would have said in his Almanac, had 
he been a salmon fisherman, "About these days it is a 
good time to go salmon fishing if you have salmon fish- 
ing to go to, or a friend to invite you to his salmon 
waters." I began last winter to say at the family dinner 
table that I was going fishing in June for salmon, and 
June is here, and why I am not on a salmon river is best 
explained by the following exhibits : First, a letter from 
my friend, Mr. Mitchell, dated May 28: 
"Up to Saturday night I expected to leave for Canada 
to-day, but received a telegram from Gillis Smiday as 
follows: 'Water very high and still rising. Will wire 
you when to come.' Another came from Mowat this 
forenoon, which reads: 'Immense freshets; no fishing for 
ten days.' This, of course, induced me to decide to remain 
at home for perhaps a week, and I do not think I will make 
a start now before June 4, but this will depend upon 
what I hear later. I am willing to be two or three days 
ahead of the fishing, but a week or ten days is too much 
if it can be avoided. I should think from present indica- 
tions that from June 5 to 7 would be early enough for 
you to leave home. Tf you will leave the matter to me I 
will wire yoa from Metapedia stating when I think you 
ought to come. It looks now as though we were going 
to have plenty of water through June, and if the fish are 
numerous we ought to have good fishing. I inclose letter 
from Alex. Mowat,' which will tell its own story." 
Exhibit No. 2 is Mr. Mowat's letter, dated CampbcUton, 
May 22: "There have been a few salmon taken in the 
vicinity of Dalhousie, but very few. You will be in 
ample time if you get here on May 30. The season is the 
latest in twenty years. The river (Ristigouche) is in 
flood, and all low lands covered, and, fancy, 3 feet of 
snow yet in the woods. This will make high water all 
through June, and cold, so I will be disappointed if this 
season is not almost as good as 1896. I have no doubt 
that the main body of fish will be early and large. The 
Riparian Committee arid Provincial Government have 
lifted nine more stations of nets in the estuary this sea- 
son; the result of this upon the rivers in a few years will 
be wonderful. I consider that the best fishing will be 
between June 15 and 20. 
"I look for good fishing in the Metapedia this sea- 
son, and I hope you and Mr. Cheney will be able to try 
my fishing there, and also at Deeside, if it is not let, and 
I will try and find time to go with you." 
Exhibit No. 3 is a letter from Mr. Mitchell, dated May 
31, from his home in Norwich, Conn. : "I intend to leave 
Boston for St. John Friday night, arriving Saturday noon. 
I have just received the following from Alexander 
Mowat: 'River rose' last night from snow. No fishing 
before middle of next week,' I am expecting a good 
season, as well as yoin-self, and hope we will not be dis- 
appointed. My next communication to you, if all goes 
well, will be a telegram from Runnymede, P. Q., and 
hope to meet you on the Ristigouche soon." 
I have given the probable prospects as well as they can 
be predicted, and the present conditions, and later I 
hope to give the results. Friday, June i, I met Mr. Wm. 
.Sage in Albany, and he and his brother. Dean Sage, will 
start for Camp Harmony with their party on the 9th, and 
T hope to be on the river by that time myself, if, as Mr. 
Mitchell says, all goes well. There is much to be gained 
from anticipating what one hopes to do on a trip for sal- 
mon, even if the fishing is below what is anticipated, and 
I have learned not to anticipate too much, so that I am 
now enjoying all the pleasure that anticipation brings, and 
at the same time I am .prepared for a blank instead of the 
grand prize. Last night I had a most curious experience. 
I was trying to put a big stock • fly-book into my fob 
pocket to keep it from getting wet, as I had forgotten my 
rain coat. I was in a canoe all right enough on a river, 
and I had a salmon rod in .my:hand, but the rest of the 
situation is quite foggj--, and I. cannot explain -it at all,' for 
T have no dream book at ihand to consult. It may mean a 
big salmon, too big for the gaffer to bring into the canoe, 
and it may mean^ something iclse, for I. am, not up on 
dreams, but T do know that 'when a man dreams of trying 
to put a 5 by 9 fly-book .into a 2 by 3 pocket he should 
take something, for it. and the best 'thing that I can think 
of is a fishing trip. ,■ A. N. Chrney. 
'See the list of good things in. Woodcraft in our-ijdv. cols. 
The Maine Waters. 
Boston, June 9. — For almost a couple of weeks the 
weather has been superb, while it has scarcely been warffl 
enough yet to set loose the black fly and mosquito pests. 
Still the last reports from the Maine and Nova Scotia 
fishing resorts mention that the black flies are beginning, 
and a few blotched foreheads and pitted hands and wrists 
are to be seen among business men who have just re- 
turned. Messrs. George H. Brown, W. H. Allen and 
George P. Bullard have returned from Grand Lake 
Stream. Their trip was a most delightful one, with a fair 
showing of fish. Mr. Bullard, to whom that sort of sport 
is new, is pleased with his success. He took thirty-three 
fish in all of good size. In the number Avere seven salmon 
with five or six brook trout, and a good many togue. 
They not only fished Grand Lake Stream, but also spent 
some time on Junior Lake and Duck Lake toward the 
close of their stay. Messrs. George W. Brown, W. J. 
Leckie, J. E. Toulmin, W. J. Follett, J. L. Richards and 
Wm. Flanders haA^e returned from their trip to waters 
behind old Katahdin. They went to Norcross by rail, and 
thence by teams and eighteen miles by canoes, to upper 
Penobscot waters. They fished a number of ponds a 
short distance from their main camp, and found good fly- 
fishing in the most of them. Daisy Pond they were par- ' 
ticularly pleased with. Mr. Brown and Mr. Follett fished 
this pond one day with a result of over sixty trout — all on 
the fly. They saved nothing less than half a pound, and of 
that .size many were returned to the water, especially if 
uninjured. But they were the most delighted with the 
sight of two cow moose, both of which were in reasonable 
camera range, and Mr. Follet made snap shots on them. 
The results are not 3'et developed, but he has strong hopes 
of good negatives. One day two others of the party 
fished Kidney Pond with good results. They also saw a 
bifll moose eating water grass or roots. When his head 
was down the guide would move the canoe a little nearer 
till they were pretty near to his lordship. Alas! the 
camera was not with that part of the party. The guide 
made a "Whouff !" and the boys had a chance to see a 
moose in action. Steep banks and windfalls wei-e nothing, 
while he did not turn out for big boulders. Old Joe 
Francis, the Indian, was one of their guides, and a most 
careful and expert canoemen they found him. His idea 
is that wolves are rapidly increasing in that part of 
Maine, and that the deer will soon be killed off. He also 
believes that the young deer suffered badly last winter 
for food, when the snows were so very deep. The larger 
and stronger deer bite off all the brouse in reach, while 
the smaller and wealcer can reach nothing, and must 
starve, if the snow continues deep long enough. Mr. 
Follett has in view another fishing trip to the same region 
in August or early September, accompanied by his wife 
and two sons. 
Mr. S. H. Emery, not fully satisfied with his early trip 
to the Upper Dam, with the Brackett and Clark party, or 
rather desiring to see what that region is when the skies 
are bright and warm, has gone back with a friend fbr a 
couple of weeks of fly-fishing. A number of fishermen 
still linger at^that point, including the veteran fly -fisher- 
man, T. B, Stewart, who is spending his twenty-eighth 
or twenty-ninth sunmier there. The Camp Stewart party 
had the best of weather and good fishing, the total score of 
the party in si.^ days' fishing being 109 trout and three 
salmon, none under l4 pound, and the largest 514 pounds. 
To Mr. Horace Day belongs the title of higli line, though 
Dr. Jenkins, of _ Philadelphia, followed him very closely. 
Camp .Stewart is now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. H. A. 
Hildreth, of Auburn, Me.; Dr. and Mrs. Hildreth, of 
Newton, Mass., and Mr. and Mrs. Haskell, of Auburn. 
The Allerton Lodge party — their names were published 
last week — had remarkably good fishing. They took m.ore 
salmon than trout, and got some very large ones. Though 
they were early, they took good trout and salmon on the fly. 
Reports from Moosehead mention the fly-fishing as good, 
with some catches for Boston and New York fishermen. 
Lake Auburn has lately yielded some days of good fish- 
ing, including salmon up to 7 and 9 poimds, with a good 
many trout, all to local fishermen. 
Boston, J une II. — Mr. A. D, Wheeler, of Boston, is 
just out of the woods from a most enjoyable fishing trip 
to Rouhd Mountain Lake. He was there only seven days, 
but landed over 200 trout, the most of which were returned 
to the water, uninjured. He brought about two dozen 
home, and showed them to his friends in his office — John 
Hancock Building — Saturday. They ran from to 2 
pounds, and were fine .specimens all of them. Mr, Wheeler 
expresses himself as much delighted with Round Moun- 
tain Lake and all its surroundings. He fished only with 
a fly, and feels sure that the trout will rise to the artificial 
lure every month of the open season. This is true of a 
few of the ponds in higher altitudes in Maine. His trip 
to Blanchard Pond, two or three miles through the 
woods, was particularly delightful. He slept in a lean- 
to over night, expecting great fly-fishing just at night- 
fall, but singularly enough the fishing, which had been 
excellent the most of the afternoon, stopped short off at 
about 5 o'clock — almost- the exact time when the best 
fishing usually begins on Round Mountain Lake below. 
Blanchard Pond is full of minnows, and hence the trout 
are particularly well fed, and it has been considered hard 
to get them, except with bait or minnows, but Mr.. 
Wheeler found them ready to rise to the fly very hand- 
somely. Gentlemen Smith and Bly are doing all they 
can to sustain Round Mountain Lake and adjacent ponds 
and streams as the best fishing resorts. They do not en-, 
courage "plug fishing," and have only one or two guests 
who desire to do such fishing. In the morning sportsmen 
ask the cook how many trout are wanted for the table, and 
only that number — seldom more than a dozen — -are saved. 
Mr. Harry Doten is back to Boston from the Grand 
Lake Stream region. He had excellent fishing, taking 
about twenty salmon in all, many of them on the fly. Dr. 
and Mrs. Mixter and two sons, of Boston, took sixteen 
salmon in one day at Grand Lake last week— all on the 
fly. T. F. Baxter, of Boston, has gone to Cathance 
Lake for his annual fishing trip. Mr. Adelbert Thayer 
and wife, of Franklin, Mass., went to ICatahdin Iron 
"Works last week, on a fishing trip to Long, West and 
Chairback ponds, and around to Moosehead. On their 
way they stopped at Bangor, and fished the salmon pool. 
Mr. Thayer took a lo-pouhd fish. The White Mountain 
streams are begirtning to be fished for brook trout by tiie 
