Nov. 15, 1902.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
891 
One of the greatest angling exploits of which we have 
ever heard was accomplished by a well-known resident of 
New York city last season. In the presence of two wit- 
nesses he landed 200 black bass in one day's fishing. All 
were taken with a 4J/2-ounce rod and artificial flies, and 
none were killed, having been returned to the water im- 
mediately. We do not know how large these fish were, 
but it was surely a wonderful performance. Allowing 
three minutes for each fish, it required ten hours' of 
active exercise, which might, by some people, be con- 
sidered very hard work. The .scene was a well known 
river in Virginia, in wliich State some of the best fly- 
fishing for bass in the cotmtry is now found. 
We think that there is room for improvement in pat- 
terns of flies for the black bass. In the South, where 
the big-mouth is very numerous, we were astonished to 
find how great was the difference in killing power between 
one fly and another. We tried a great many before learn- 
ing their tastes, then rose about everj^ fish that moved. 
1 here was no hesitation, the fly being frequently taken the 
iitstant it touched the water. The first rush of these fish 
v,-as a fine effort, though they have not the endurance of 
the small-mouthed black bass. One man of large experi- 
eixe assured me that a small-mouthed black bass, with a 
red spot in its eye, was found in the far South. We never 
saw any such fish. 
Last Aveek the streams, in eastern New York at least, 
were in fine order, as one of my friends on the Neversink 
says, it is 1 ke old times. On several days the river could 
not be crossed by wading in the neighborhood of Will- 
ir.ms. The Beaverkill, Neversink and Esopus are all 
large streams afid are called rivers on the maps. 
Fish of twenty inches were caught with the fly last 
week. Of course no one need expect large scores of big 
fish, but good sport can be had by persevering anglers. 
Some men poach up the small brooks in which fry are 
liberated in the spring. It is a poor business, despite 
the numbers of small fish taken, and should be dis- 
couraged. 
We like to fed a distinct shock, a slight chill on entering 
the water for a day's fishing. If the water is cold there 
is a fair chance of making a basket of trout. It is not a 
bad plan to carry a small basket in summer, at it is not 
so hard to fill. It is sometimes hard work to make a 
showing with my twenty-pound creel. 
Theodore Gordon. 
A Night with the Rock Bass. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I wonder if that dear old father of angling, Izaak 
Walton, ever had the pleasure of coaxing a 20-pound 
striped bass from the blue waters of the sea with an 
eel tail? I spend a few days each fall at Corson's Inlet, 
New Jersey, about two hours' ride from Philadelphia. 
A jolly crowd of fishermen will be found almost any 
evening at this time of the year around the fire of "Gus" 
Wittkamp. Gus is a good fellow and his door is al- 
ways open; the coffee pot is never taken from the fire, 
but is always hot for the use of those who wander out 
all hours of the night on the bridge, which is but .1 
minute's walk from the house. 
It is ten o'clock and very dark. The rain that has 
been falling all evening has now stopped, and a moan- 
ing wind is all that breaks the silence without, except 
once in a while the surf some distance away breaks 
with a dull thud upon the beach. The story of battles 
royal of some big rock fish is being told for the sixty- 
seventh time, when footsteps interrupt and the door 
opens, and out of the black night Butch, who disap- 
peared at the beginning of the story, calls out, "Come, 
b(3ys. the tide is running hard and I heard a rock break 
just beyond the draw bridge." We rise as one, and get 
our rods, calling to Gus to keep the fire up and have 
the cookies and cofi^ee where they will be handy when 
we come in. The eel tails are looked after again be- 
fore we start out into the darkness. All is well and 
the start for the bridge is made. True enough, we hear 
the splash — splash, as the big fellows chase the win- 
nows, which go skipping over the water like frightened 
sheep. We are not long getting our eel tails on the 
water and ti'oll slowly along. There comes another 
splash which sounds like a man overboard, and we turn 
and peer into the darkness and wonder what would have 
happened if he had hit us. We grasp our rods firmer 
and press on our leather reel brakes to make sure every- 
thing is working right. What's that! The line tightens 
and starts to run out at a ten-mile clip, making a pe- 
culiar singing soimd as it cuts through the water. A 
rock has at last taken the bait, and all the wickedness 
of the fish is brought into play. The faithful rod creaks 
and groans from the strain of the awful rushes; the line 
runs off twenty, now thirty yards, before being checked. 
He rises from the deep water and beats his tail in anger 
■upon the surface; then is off again, ten more yards, be- 
fore he is finally halted. The fight is too fierce for hirn ^ 
to stand, and gently we bring him closer, but not until' 
after a few more desperate efforts to regain his liberty. 
The gaff, after a few unsuccessful jabs, at last brings him 
to terms, and the beauty is ours. We light our pipes 
again, fix our eel tail that has been pretty well chewed, 
and start in where we left off, for a good night's fishing 
has just began. P. A. W. 
Pennsylvania Association, 
The Pennsylvania Fish Protective Association will cele- 
brate the twentieth anniversary of the organization in a 
m.eeting at the Manufacturers' Club, Philadelphia, this 
Saturday evening, Nov. 15, at 8 o'clock. Mr. William E. 
Meehan will deliver an illustrated lecture on "Fishcul- 
tnrc." 
Texas Tarpon. 
Tarpon, Texas, Nov. 5. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Between 4 o'clock and 6 o'clock last evening at this place 
I landed eight tarpon, beaching all of them, and turning 
six of them loose for some other fellow's future sport. 
This is the most rapid tarpon fishing that I have ever 
heard of; and, if any of your readers know of an3'thing 
to beat it. I would like to hear of it through your columns. 
I came here on the 17th ult., and have since landed 
in twelve days' fishing twenty-two tarpon out of forty- 
six strikes. 
Yesterday in the forenoon I landed a seven-foot shark 
that would weigh about 375 pounds. It was hooked foul, 
so gave me an extremely tiring struggle. I have saved 
his jaws, which are so large that when open they pass 
easily over one's head. 
Three days ago* I hooked my first leaping shark,_ and 
was delighted with the sport that it afforded. It is as 
game a fish as any sportsman could desire to tackle. Mine 
jumped four times, and on its first run took out nearly 
300 feet of line, with all three brakes set. It took me 
fifteen minutes at least to land the fish, although it meas- 
ured only five feet five inches in length and thirty-two 
inches in girth. Its weight was about eighty pounds. 
The leaping shark is magnificently built for running, and 
is by no means a bad looking fish, if fish it can be called. 
This morning in a few minutes my wife landed on tar- 
pon tackle two jackfish weighing about twenty-five pounds 
each. They fought fully as hard as fifty-pound tarpon 
would have fought; but, of course, did not leap at all. 
The middle of October is a pretty good time to come 
to this- place, notwithstanding the fact that there are very 
few sportsmen here then or later. "Occasionally the tarpon 
leave the pass as early as Nov. i, but they often stay till 
December. All depends upon the severity and coldness 
of the northers. 
This year we have good reason to anticipate two or 
three weeks more of good fishing. 
In a subsequent letter I intend to tell you of the 
most brilliant tarpon fight that I have ever seen or heard 
of. It occurred out on the Gulf, beyond the end of the 
jetty, the fortunate sportsman being ]\Ir. L. G. Murphy, of 
Converse, Ind. I shall also have a few more remarks^ to 
make concerning tarpon tackle, as the latter is being 
improved constantly, and is still susceptible of much im- 
provement. 
I am sending you under separate cover a photograph of 
the record catch for Aransas Pass, made this year by 
Mr. J. R. Wainwright, of Pittsburg, Pa. It consists of 
thirteen large tarpon landed in one day. Am sending also 
a photograph of a catch by Mrs. Hetfield, mother of the 
proprietor of the Tarpon Inn. It was made one day 
just about two years ago, and consists of four large tar- 
pon. J- A. L. Waddell. 
Some More Cottonwood Bass. 
Cottonwood Falls, Kan., Nov. 7. — After an absence 
from the office of four weeks in the political campaign, I 
arrived home on the morning of election, and was con- 
doled with by several friends, with the remark, "It is 
too bad. Judge, that you have been away during four 
weeks of the best bass fishing there has ever been had on 
the Cottonwood River, but you are too late now, for 
they have been all caught out." My reply was, "I will 
investigate the latter part of the week and see if all have 
been caught." 
Yesterday morning a friend and I left the boat landing, 
went two and a half miles down stream, kindled a_ fire, 
broiled beefsteak and boiled coffee for breakfast, finished 
our meal by daylight and then began operations, with no 
results until about 9 o'clock. Then trouble began — for 
the bass. They found our crawfish and chub-minnow bait 
"just to their taste," and except for the cold north wind, 
which iorced us to warm by a fire of driftwood twice 
during the forenoon, we had a good da5''s sport. Espe- 
cially did the writer; but my friend had an off day, for 
while I caught twenty-five large-mouth black bass, he 
could not catch one, and although fishing by my side in 
the boat and using the same bait, he only had one nibble 
during the entire day, and failed to hook that one. He 
usually is successful as a fisherman, and the cause of his 
failure this day we have failed to find in trying to account 
for his poor success. 
This afternoon, Friday, the sun coming out very warm, 
I started out for a trial with four crawfish and one dozen 
chub minnows, and trolled down the two and a half miles 
with a Skinner spoon, and had one strike, but failed to 
hook. Then I fished back over the ground as long as 
my bait lasted and caught twelve bass, and then I put 
on a No. 3 Buell spoon and trolled back for the mile of 
distance remaining and caught five good bass with the 
spoon hook, with about 100 feet of line behind the boat. 
I found they made far more fight when hooked on the 
spoon than when caught with baited hook, and it kept the 
reel on the split bamboo pole singing lively before each 
one was landed in the boat. 
Selecting ten of the largest of yesterday's catch, and six 
of to-day's catch, and then culling the sixteen down to 
ten. I niade friends look pleasant with presents of the 
surplus of the twenty-five caught yesterday and the 
seventeen caught to-day. The ten largest bass of the two 
days' catch, when dressed, ready to take to my family in 
To'peka, were put upon the scales and weighed 23 pounds, 
and as they were of about equal size, they made a very 
fine string. I took delight in showing them to the friend 
who had said that I had stayed away so long that the 
bass had all been caught out, to be told by him, "Well, it 
Avill be good news for the bass, when they learn that you 
have to go to Topeka and will be gone on a four weeks' 
trip." I do not remember ever having two days in suc- 
cession of such "good luck'' in all my previous fishing ex- 
perience. W. F. RiGHTMIKE. 
All communications intended ior Forest and Stream shoiild 
always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., New 
York, and not to any individual connected with the paper. 
His Mother — "Get up, Tommy. You know the early 
bird catches the worm," Tommy — "Well, I ain't going 
fishing to-day."— Detroit Free Press. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Reeofd Small-Mooth Bafs. 
Chicago, III., Nov. 8. — What is no doubt the largest 
small-mouth bass taken in the West this year was capttired 
curing the past week by Mr. Robert Forsyth in Green 
Lake, Wis. This fish weighed in Chicago, according to 
reports of two or three witnesses, seven pounds, six and 
one-half ounces. I did not see this fish myself and cannot 
offer the record as fully authenticated, but if the weight 
be correctly given, the fish was a very large one. 
Stocking the Prairie River. 
I have in times past had much to say about that truly 
beautiful little trout river, the Prairie River of Wis- 
consin. I do not know a sweeter stream in the world 
for wading and fly-fishing for trout, though of late the 
fishing has not been what it should have been, owing to 
depredations of different natures at the hands of un- 
scrupulous fishers. It is pleasant to be able to say that, 
in addition to the other plantings along this stream, Mr. 
Bates, one of the farmers living along the stream above 
Dudley's place, has planted 100,000 fry in the upper river 
this fall, these fish having been obtained from the State 
Fish Commission. The Commission has always been 
liberal in regard to plantings in this stream and its tribu- 
taries, and it is to be hoped that this work will result in 
the continuation of the sport along that pretty water. 
Chicago Afiglers. 
Some Chicago anglers went out for bass this afternoon, 
and will continue to go out until a freeze, which may 
come at any time nowadays. The sport, however, will 
not be very good, depending altogether upon the locating 
of the fish in the deep water. This is the time of year 
when successful minnow fishing for bass can at times be 
had along the streams in the deep holes, where the bass 
drop in to spend the fall or winter. I should think th's 
kind of fishing, moving down along the streams, would be 
better fun thap the bleak and somewhat cheerless aspect 
of the sport of bass fishing afforded by boat fishing upon 
the lakes. 
Wood Dock Feathers. 
Chicago, 111., Nov. i. — Mr. Theodore Gordon, of West 
Haverstraw, N. Y.. writes as below in regard to his 
present needs as a fly-tier : 
"I know that yoit have applications from readers of 
Forest and Stream living in all parts of the country ask- 
ing for information or assistance. I understand that your 
prescriptions are always successful, so venture to trouble 
you on my own account. I tied a fly several years ago 
with summer or wood duck wings, which has been very 
killing, but am running short of feathers. I refer to the 
plain mottled feather, not the barred black and white. 
If you have leisure will you put me in the way of getting 
some of these feathers?" 
I imagine that if Mr. Gordon will write to George 
Sloane. commission merchant. South Water street, Chicago, 
or to Randall Bros., commission merchants. South Water 
street, same city, inclosing a small fee as a gratuity to a 
salesman, he will get the feathers he wants, provided he 
makes it quite plain just what feather he requires. These 
commission firms occasionally supply feathers to fly-tiers, 
though they are more accustomed to seeing the latter 
prowl along the street and rob the di'splayed birds of 
their plumage. 
If Mr Gordon fails thus, let him write to Mr. Graham 
H. Harris, Ashland Block, Chicago. The latter is a most 
excellent good tier of flies, purely amateur, but usually 
fairly good-natured when not wanting to go fishing and 
finding himself unable to do so. Mr. Harris knows where 
to get all sorts of feathers. A fellow in New York sold 
him a bird not longer than your hand the other day, and 
it cost as much as a suit of clothes, but he had to have 
it, being engaged on a work of art which called for a 
feather raised only by that particular sort of bird, which 
grows only on some sort of desert island in foreign parts. 
Good List of Michigan Flies. 
In getting up my stock of flies for next year's fishing 
ever in Michigan, I enlisted the aid of Mr. W. B. Mer- 
shon, of Saginaw, who is as well posted as any man in 
the State upon what is needed in the way of trout flies. 
Mr. Mershon's letter came in the way of personal reply, 
yet I think he will not dislike to see his advice placed 
where it may help others also. His mention of the Mc- 
Gintv, Mershon and good-evening patterns will be new to 
many anglers, tho\igh they are all popular with the 
Sagmaw Crowd. The list given is, of course, not ex- 
haustive, nor does it comprise a tenth of the assortment 
commonly found in a fat Saginaw fly-book when the crowd 
is out for war. The specifications follow: 
"Off hand, I should say the following flies, in some- 
thing the order named: Whirling-dun, 8 and 10. This 
takes the place of the alder. There is another dun, a 
little slate-colored fellow with mouse-colored wool body 
and tail, which I have" found a good early fly, though I 
have forgotten the name of it. Next coines Cahill, 6, 8 
and 10. the largest size rarely required. Beaverkill, the 
same. Cowdung is not necessary, on account of similarity, 
but an old favorite, light-Montreal, dark-Montreal, Mon- 
treal, with a silver body. The Mershon is made by Mills 
& Co., 8 and 10. Get plenty of McGinty, for trout are 
freak}-, and it is a freaky fly. I should have them in 
6, 8 and 10, mostly 8, and a good supply of them. Some 
people like the brown-hackle and the coachman. I have 
never had much luck in Michigan with either of these 
flies. Queen-of-the-waters in 6 and 8 is good. 
"You should have a few English floating-flies,_ for dry 
fly-fishing, for there are times when you can raise trout 
to them when they will not come for anything else. _ There 
are also times when you should have some 12's, in light 
grays, like mosquitoes, to use with gauze leaders, though 
for steady fishing this would not be much fun. Of course 
you can have a larger assortment. I have a good many. 
I get the good-evening in 6, 8 and 10, red body, turkey 
wing and pheasant tad. Then there; is the pale evening 
dun. the Grannon, black-gnat and "a lot of others, though 
those I have named will be sufficient for one. I have some 
