was on the rod in the experiment that he describes, 
to which the editor appends the 0{nnion that no authen- 
tic decision has ever been given on this vexata qiiestio. 
In the Forest and Stream of June 14, 1902, I had the 
following: 
"Now the sheer pull at the reel of a salmon m the 
water when opposed to the upright, or, rather, perpen- 
dicular, spring of the rod is not nearly as great as most 
people imagine it to be. (If the rod, however, is by 
carelessness or accident allowed to become horizontal, 
or nearly so. the pull of the fish is vastly greater, and I 
doubt if anything weaker than a cod line could hold 
him.) Repeatedly have I asked for the opinion of 
anglers in relation to this, and their guesses have run 
air the way from ten to forty pounds. Of course, a 
forty-pound pull, or anything like it, is quite out of the 
question, for no casting line is strong enough to 
stand it. 
"Ten pounds is nearer the right figure, and this may 
be easily demonstrated by fastening a spring balance on 
the lawn, to the rmg of which hitch the casting line, a.nd 
lift the rod perpendicularly; by winding the reel the litie 
is tautened and the rod begins to bend, and if this is 
continued until the rod describes a half-circle, or as 
great a bend as any salmon at any time could give it, 
the experimenter will be surprised to find that the scales 
show a pull of no more than eight or ten pounds, and 
very pliable rods will circle at even a less strain. 
"Now I know very well you will say that a ten-pound 
live pull is quite different from a dead one. Of course 
it is, but your casting line will stand only a given strain, 
'be it alive or be it dead,' and it behooves the angler 
to 'take due notice thereof and govern himself ac- 
cordingly.' " 
Catching the Albacore, 
[From "Moose Hrmting, Salmon Fishing and Other Sketches of 
Sport," by T. R. PaUillo.] 
During the summer and autumn large bodies of her- 
ring and mackerel frequent the harbors of Nova Scotia, 
pursued thither by their relentless foes the albacores, 
sometimes called the horse-mackeral, from their great re- 
semblance to the mackeral — in fact, they are considered 
to belong to that family. If my readers have seen a mack- 
erel, and, moreover, hooked one with a jig and line, 
they can conjecture, from the smartness of the ordinary 
mackerel, what kind of sport an overgrown one of 600 
pounds, fastened to hook and line, would be likely to 
afford. Certainly he would be no plaything. I have 
helped to capture them in fish-traps n feet long and as 
big as a vinegar-cask. When these fish are among the 
shoals of small fish, they rush and leap out like salmon 
and pollock, and are so ravenous they are often danger- 
ous to fishermen picking their nets, as they rush from 
beneath the boats after the fish falling out of them. Al- 
bacores, though not generally eaten by Englishmen, yet 
are very nice eating, and are more highly prized by 
Portuguese and Spaniards than any other fish they take, 
and sell for the highest prices. 
Prompted by the desire for a little excitement, a friend 
and I decided to attempt the capture of one of them. 
As we knew the gear required must be first-lass, we pro- 
cured two of what in fishing parlance are called i8th 
hemp cod-lines, each 32 fathoms long. Then we had a 
hook made for each out of steel three-eighths thick, 8 
inches wide, with a 3-inch shank, and long heavy beard. 
With our lines attached to swivel-reels to run them on 
and off, we felt we were equipped for the expected 
spree, so, having secured a stiff medium low boat, we 
proceeded one morning quite early to the netting-ground. 
There we found the nets well fished, and knew by that 
our game would be on hand. 
We procured a number of herrings with which to bait 
them up, and then. lay on our oars, awaiting develop- 
ments. IPresently one of the fishermen called out, "Hal- 
loa, boys ! here's a fellow 1" meaning an albacore, followed 
by a shout from another and siill another, that they were 
about their boats; so we slowly moved outside the range 
of the boats, throwing over a herring every few yards to 
toll them along with us. When we considered we were 
far enough away, we took the precaution to secure the 
rceel to the thwart, for we were a bit afraid of the fish 
we expected to grapple with. Then I threw over a her- 
ring, to see if there were any albacores near us, and to 
our delight a monster rushed for it just under the sur- 
face, so I threw another loose one and another attached 
to the hook. He rushed for the first one, whirled and 
took hold of the other, and we had hold of him. Then 
for a few minutes we had a good imitation of the antics 
of a wild prairie horse when first haltered. He jumped 
his full length out of the water, which gave us a very 
vivid idea of the monster we were attached to; then he 
started at an awful pace across the harbor. 
The line was running out swiftly, so that we had to 
move as quickly to get it into the notch in the stern, 
which we had wisely thought to make. Then I seized an 
oar and placed it for steering, while we both got positions 
to trim the boat. What we feared was that, when he had 
run all the line out, if the boat was motionless, some- 
thing might break; so to obviate that, my friend succeeded 
in grasping the line partiallj', and thereby gradually start- 
ing the boat, while I helped by sculling, so that by the 
time it was all off the reel, she was moving faster than 
ever she did before, and it is doubtful if she ever did 
after. The fish kept up the pace for at least ten minutes, 
towing us directly into the harbor; then he made a jump, 
turned, and took us straight back for the fishing grounds. 
The men in their boats had been watching us with great 
interest, not supposing for a moment they were to have 
any part in it, but when they saw us going directly for 
them, the shouting and hooting and swearing that sud- 
denly started from them would have been laughable to 
any disinterested spectators, but we could see- plainly 
that, if he continued the course he was then taking us, 
nothing short of a collision with one or more of the boats 
would follow, and the most of them were half loaded with 
herrings. 
The way those fellows were shouting was as if Pande- 
monium were let loose, and tended somewhat to discon- 
cert us. Tlae nearer we approached them, the greater the 
peril seemed of sinking by contact one or both of our 
boats, so I jumped with my knife to free him, but in the 
rush to dp so my foot slipped, and I went headlong on 
FOHESt AJ4D stream. 
top of my mate, and my knife flew out of my hand- 
confusion worse confounded. Before we could disengage 
ourselves, the boats came together with a heavy crash, 
filling the other's and washing a lot of their herrmgs 
overboard. This additional drag caused the albvcore to 
spring again, when, to save ourselves from being all 
thrown overboard; one of the men cut the line. The first 
salute we poor fellows got was, "You d— d fools!" fol- 
lowed by language not altogether classical English, nor 
yet pure Anglo-Saxon, having a large percentage of the 
swear element in it. After their first ebullition was over, 
we got into a hearty laugh over the ridiculousness of the 
af?air; then they baled their boat out, and went on with 
their work. 
We poor disgruntled fellows rowed around among 
the other boats, finishing up the first part of the spree 
with roars of laughter. Of course, after the danger 
was over, the whole affair appeared so funny that we all 
had to shout and halloa or burst. 
Our freed albacore paraded himself all over the har- 
bor, jumping dozens of times, with the line still attached 
to him, all through that day. In the course of an hour, 
by seeing these big fellows rushing about us in the bay, 
the sporting temperature rose again, and we decided to 
try our other line on another fellow. The fishermen 
hesitated to supply us with bait, fearing a repetition 
of the same peril, if we got fast into another. After a 
little coaxing, we got what we wanted, and started off 
shore, occasionally throwing a herring as we went. 
When we thought ourselves out of the danger limit, vve 
stopped, got the gear into shape for immediate action, if 
necessary, not knowing then if there were any fish near. 
This was soon decided when I stood up and threw over 
a herring, for it scarcely struck the water before it was 
grabbed. Then I threw over the baited hook, and he 
seized it just as fiercely; and this second fellow was fast, 
rushing and jumping even more fiercely than the first. 
He began towing us directly away front the boats for 
some time. To make his speed less rapid, we crossed our 
oars and held back water, which acted . like a drag. 
Suddenly, like his predecessor, he turned at right angles 
to the current he had been following, and led us in that 
direction fully ten minutes, then took a range leading 
directly for the boats. Up to this time we did not feel itt 
all anxious — apart from the long row that seemed before 
us when he was leading off shore. Now, however, there 
appeared to be evil in his eye, and if he should take 11s 
up there this time, the results might be much more seri- 
ous than before, for the boats were all deeply loaded. 
What was to be done? While we were trying to plan 
some feasible way out of it, and i-.t the same time save 
our fish, he made a leap out, and fell very heavily, thus 
showing he was weakening, and from that time we found 
the boat was moving more slowly, and we therefore be- 
came very hopeful. As we looked in shore, the men had 
their hats off, and were gesticulating fiercely, giving us 
to understand we ought to cut him free, which we would 
probably have done had we not noticed his faltering. The 
speed of the boat kept slackening very fast, so much so 
that in a short time we were able to gather in the line to 
within a few fathoms of him. He had towed us to 
within 150 yards of the fishermen, when suddenly he 
stopped short. We hauled up the Hne, and the fish with 
it. What a beauty ! Ten feet long, weighing 600 pounds. 
We soon had a rope through his gills, and towed him to 
the shore in through the boats. The men and boys came 
to see him after their nets were picked, and helped us 
haul him on the beach, ' and finished by giving three 
cheers, which made us feel like heroes. Our cranky 
friends of the collision had long ere this got oyer their 
pet, and all enjoyed a hearty laugh over the exciting time. 
"Hang it !" said an old chap, "we were getting worked 
up when you were coming right for us again, as we would 
have been in a bad plight, with our boats all loaded 
down, if the scamp had got you there." We had had all 
the sport there was to be obtained out of the fish, so we 
gave his body to the men who had lost their herrings 
through us, thus reimbursing them well, as the fish was 
v.'orth at least $20. If any of my readers are at any time 
on our Nova Scotian shore, and are seeking sport, they 
can have it equal to that enjoyed on the Pacific Coast in 
the capture of the albacore. This fish is so voracious that 
it is no trouble to bait him up, but see that your gear is 
good, and don't fear he will eat you, if by chance he 
should haul you overboard. He does not fight long, but 
hf means business while at it. 
The Sea Trout Controversy. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Are there no definite anatomical data which arc 
known to distinguish the sea trout of our Eastern coast 
from the brook trout? I have never had ;;pecimens side 
by side for comparison, but some one must have made 
the study. The idea that sea trout ascend the river for 
salmon spawn would have no bearing in the hundreds of 
smaller streams which have their annual migration of 
sea trout. I have caught sea trout in very many north- 
ern streams, and have also caught the sea-run brook 
trout in our more southern streams, and the two fish 
have a very different appearance, even when both are 
in the silvery stage of coloration. They are different 
in habits also. The sea-run brook trout when fright- 
ened in a stream will run for cover, while the sea trout 
does not attempt to seek cover at all. The sea-run 
brook trout when frightened will stir up the mud at the 
bottom with his tail for protection, while the sea trout 
does not resort to this trick. The sea-run brook trout 
likes to remain near cover, or under it, when in the 
stream, while the sea trout lies in the middle of the 
most open pool. The sea-run trout while in the stream 
is timid, and will not rise to the fly if he sees the fish- 
erman upon the bank. The sea trout cares very little 
about the presence of the fisherman in full ^ight, and 
will rise freely to the most clumsy cast. Sometimes 
when fishing for camp we step out to the stream and 
look over a large number of sea trout, and then hold the 
fly over one that is about the size that we want for 
dinner. The sea-run brook trout does not show him- 
self near the surface until he is directly beneath the 
fly. The sea trout often rises near to the surface and 
makes a wake like a muskrat before getting to the fly. 
The sea-run brook trout runs for cover when hooked. 
The sea trout keeps in the open when hooked, and 
splashes about near the surface. Both the sea-run 
brook trout and the sea trout ascend streams to spawn, 
and both feed freely while en route. The flavor of the 
two is very different, but that might occur easily 
enough from difference in food supply. 
I have fished in very many waters containing both sea 
trout and what I have called brook trout. Why should 
one lot go to sea and another lot remain in the ponds? 
The ones remaining in the ponds average larger, I 
think, than the ones that go to sea where food supply 
is supposed to be more abundant. Take, for instance, 
Serpentine River and Harry's Brook, in Newfoundland. 
The sea trout in the former seldom weigh three pounds, 
while there are any number of trout in the lake that 
will go pretty close to ten pounds. The sea trout in 
Harry's Brook seldom weigh four pounds, while in 
George's Pond, at the head of the brook, the "per- 
manent residents" are monsters. I have not weighed 
any of them, because they are a nuisance, and not very 
good to eat when compared with the sea trout. We 
get our flies out of the way when we see an old ten- 
pounder coming, and do not let him get hooked if we 
can help itr The smaller, fatter sea trout, and the 
salmon, are all that we need to bother with. In both 
of these streams there are seldom any brook trout in 
rapid water that will weigh four ounces. _ This_ is a 
rather curious fact. The large trout are all living in the 
sea or in the ponds, excepting during the migrations 
to the spawning beds. It would be an easy matter for 
an ichthyologist to get trout from both of these typical 
waters mentioned, if the question of identity has not 
been fully determined as yet. I suspect that the matter 
is well understood, and that differences in opinion 
are simply differences in information on the part of 
correspondents, Robert T. Morris. 
New York, Jan, 10, 
Ciscos in Lake Ontatio. 
Within the last two or three years ciscos (Argyroso- 
mus artcdi) have made their appearance at the eastern 
end of Lake Ontario in phenomenal numbers. In the 
words of the fishermen, "tons and tons of them are 
caught there." They seem to be increasing in numbers 
also every year. Off "The Ducks," a small group of 
islands about 25 miles southwest of the Cape Vincent 
lighthouse (Tibbetts Pf)int Light), and in the Bay of 
Quinte, near the Canadian shore, enormous quantities of 
these fash were caught last summer and the summer be- 
fore. It is quite probable that an attempt will be made 
next fall by the U. S. Fish Commission to collect the eggs 
of this fish and hatch tHem at the Cape Vincent Station, 
which is situated at the head of the St. Lawrence River. 
As the appearance of these fish in such numbers was coin- 
cident with the time that young fry from Lake Erie and 
Lake Michigan eggs (understood to be whitefish eggs), 
distributed from Cape Vincent Station should mature, 
it was strongly suspected, at first, that the new fish were 
the grown up whitefish fry distributed from the Station, 
but samples that were sent to Washington for identifica- 
tion were pronounced to be ciscos, so they could not be 
the matured product of the Cape Vincent Hatchery, 
unless some of the eggs sent to the Cape Vincent Hatch- 
ery from Lake Erie and Lake Michigan were cisco eggs. 
Salmo. 
Hints and Wrinkles. 
Readers are invited to send for publication tinder this head 
hints and wrinkles drawn from practical experience^ and 
pertaining to shooting, fishing, camping and outdoor life. 
A Bullet Sinker for Fishing. 
Knoxvtlle, Tenn., Jan. 4. — I have many times desired 
a better fishing line sinker than is on the market. Llere 
is the way to make them. Get a round bullet mould of 
.38, .40 or .44 caliber. Enter between the halves of the 
mould from bottom, half way up, a bit of cardboard 
about thickness of G. line and then run the lead. You 
will then easily pull the card out of the bullet and your 
sinker is ready for use. Bullets or shot split with knife 
are not good, because when you close the sinker on the 
line it is apt to bite, and hence make the line weak at 
this point. In my way of making the slit in the bullet 
there is space provided for the line and you can close 
the slit without a bite on the line. Try it,' and my word 
for it, you will have the best sinker you ever had. 
Wm. S. Teall. 
Shoes. 
Thick soles for one's shoes are invaluable if one is 
taking a long tramp either into the woods or along the 
highways. The notion that old shoes that "fit the feet" 
are best for walking explodes violently when the uppers 
rip and the sand percolates through the seams. Heavy 
shoes, with soles that give only the faintest spring are 
not only more lasting but hold the ankles and insteps 
to their business. The bottoms do not yield to the pres- 
sure of pebbles and* twigs, so there is less likelihood of 
stone bruises and blisters. 
A close fit Avhich does not allow any part of the shoe 
to slide or grind at any part means comfort. A shoe 
should have a lining to hold the tops close around the 
ankles, or higher, closing and keeping closed the top 
of the shoe. Most shoes are sure to stretch at the top, 
and the scuffling throws everything from dust to sticks 
into the ready opening. 
Irott pegs, tacks or nails make a shoe much colder 
than wood or brass. For shoes brass is best for all 
round use. The heads of brass tacks wear down uni- 
formly with the leather on most soil, and so the tack 
is not likely to be driven up through the leather to be- 
come "a nail in the shoe." Brass, too, does not rot the 
leather. More taps can be put on with brass than with 
other nails. 
In case of the tops of the shoes stretching so much 
as to allow sand or other stuff to get into them, a 
piece of cloth, with a round hole in the middle, puck- 
ered by a rubber twine, to draw on over the stocking 
and the edge hank down over the shoe top will be 
