May 7, 1904.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
879 
have sat idly in the bow of the boat, , with Pat Sheehan 
at the oars, and contented myself with watching him 
as the boat backed imperceptibly, almost, to within 
reach of some bass's lair. 
The Judge's skill, which would usually cause the old 
bass to make the mistake of his life, was something en- 
trancing to behold. 
Should the lure alight without tempting the bass 
from his hiding place and you have not been greeted 
by that electrifying splash and swirl, you may yet induce 
him to dart forth from moss or weedy perdu by care- 
fully retrieving your line and slowly trolling through the 
little pool into which you have made the cast. Thus 
you cover a larger water surface than by casting and 
recasting, but you must understand the business, and 
here is where the Judge's skill was ».so superior. It 
mattered not to him whether he Was using a Homan 
weedless or plain Skinner spoon, he easily and grace- 
fully manipulated it through the tangle, almost as the 
ordinary fisherman would reel in through clear and un- 
obstructed water. 
But casting in the shallows is not always the thing, 
and when you score a failure here you must resort to 
deep water. Even the big-mouth, especially when a 
thunder storm is imminent, frequent the depths most 
of the time, and it is sometimes absolutely impossible 
to induce them to rise. In such a case you must humor 
him, another thing I learned from the Judge, and sink 
your lure to the depth they haunt. This, however, is 
more frequently the case with the small-mouth, who un- 
doubtedly have a greater fondness for deep water than 
their clumsier relation. 
I recall a personal experience when floating down the 
Minnesota River, two years ago, with George Scribner. 
At a point ofif from St. Peter we came to a deep hole 
in the river beneath a tangle of fallen timber lodged 
on a shelving ridge overhanging the water at a sharp 
bend. Noticing that it was an enticing spot we pulled 
above it, secured our craft to a protruding snag, stood 
up and cast our spoons out and under the overhanging 
mass as far back on the surface of the hole as possible, 
.allowing them to sink several feet, then trolling them 
back carefully and slowly. The result was that we 
brought to_ basket thirty-nine small-mouth black bass in 
less than sixty minutes, each of us using a seven-ounce 
casting rod, a forty-five yard quadruple reel and an H 
size silk line. The average weight of these fish was 
one and a half pounds. 
I might add here that I have caught all kinds of 
game fish,_ from maskinonge to trout, but bait-casting 
for bass is the most exciting and interesting of all. 
Drifting over Washington or Jefferson's rippling sur- 
face these exquisite days and taking these splendid fish 
with light rod and delicate bait-casting outfits is an 
experience fit for the gods. 
A proficiency in this gentle art makes it easy for the 
sportsman to improvise many lures. There are scores 
of devices in the way of spoons and artificial baits on 
the market to-day that are in every way almost as kill- 
ing and attractive as the live frog or minnow. This 
alone is sufficient to make the sport popular over that 
of any other species of fishing, for in the absence of 
available live bait you have your flies and leaders and 
can proceed to enjoy yourself without wasting hours in 
chasing frogs or hunting for grasshoppers or crawfish. 
But, so far as I am concerned, individually, this hunting 
and catching frogs is a very necessary part of the fun, 
but little behind the real thrill of catching the fish. If 
you simply have to touch the button the sport is im- 
measurably decreased, as all good old anglers I know 
will agree with me. Sandy Griswold. 
Omaha, Neb. 
Spring Sea Angling in California. 
AvALON, Cal., April 20. — Never in the history of the 
"oldest inhabitant" has there been such good fishing 
all winter as during the past season. Yellowtails have 
been taken in Avalon Bay, Santa Catalina, all winter 
long. Sea bass were taken a month ago and tourists 
have been correspondingly delighted. The latter are 
often disappointed in the fishing here — supposing that 
tuna can be had at any time — but it should be remem- 
bered there are fishing seasons everywhere, and even in 
southern Florida and at Aransas Pass tarpon are con- 
spicuous by their absence in the "winter months." The 
seasons of Santa Catalina fishes may be given as fol- 
lows, always remembering that some years the season 
is early and in others it is late: Sheepshead, white- 
fish, albacore, rock bass (four or five kinds), blue 
perch, groupers, are taken every month in the year. 
The leaping tuna comes in May and lasts until Au- 
gust; yellowtail comes in March, giving a season of 
eight rnonths. White sea bass arrive generally in May 
or April, and are caught off and on all summer. Black 
sea bass, April to December; sometimes all the year. 
Swordfish, barracouda, bonito and others, April to De- 
cember._ Then there are a lot of small fishes caught 
at all times. It is difficult for the average eastern 
angler to understand why the tuna is only caught at 
Santa Catalina and confined to about four miles of the 
coast there. 
This is due to the character of the California coast. 
None of the above-mentioned fishes are taken (with 
rare exceptions) from the beach of the mainland. The 
tuna never comes in within ten miles of shore, and all 
the large fishes that are said to be caught at San Pedro, 
Long Beach, Santa Catalina, Ocean Park, Redondo and 
other ports on the main land are taken out to sea from 
two to five or more miles on sunken banks. 
The coast of Southern California is a stretch of sandy 
beaches upon which the surf piles in before the trade 
wind and affords no protection to the big game fishes, 
hence the principal catch of the wharf angler in the 
mainland is the croaker — five or six pounds — redfin, 
halibut, surf — five or six pounds — and other small fishes, 
which can be lifted on to the high docks with stiff bam- 
boo poles. Occasionally a yellowtail is taken, or a sea 
bass, but as the fish have to be towed up through the 
surf there is not much satisfaction in it, and the main 
land sport is confined to the small game described. At 
all these places professional fishermen are found who 
take passengers off to the banks from one to five miles 
put in the Sant^ C^talipa channel, where fishing is to 
be had in deep water, but to obtain trolling with light 
rods and smooth water we must go to the islands off 
there, where, at San Clemente, there is twenty miles of 
lee, and at Santa Catalina about twenty-two miles of 
smooth water, often like glass. It is this peculiar con- 
dition — smooth bays, twenty miles off shore, protected 
from wind and sea — that has made the fishing famous 
from the light rod angler's standpoint. The bays of 
San Clemente and Santa Catalina are the spawning 
grounds for all the great game fishes and for the bait 
fishes, sardines, anchovies, smelt and flying fishes, and 
as a result splendid fishing is to be had not one hun- 
dred feet from the picturesque rocky shores of these 
islands. Avalon, the town of Santa Catalina, is an in- 
teresting example of a growth the direct result of the 
demands of anglers, who come here at a rate of three 
hundred a day all winter, and a thousand a day in sum- 
mer, giving the little town a summer population of 
eight or ten thousand, many of whom "go a fishing." 
In the winter there is one large boat from San Pedro 
to Avalon daily, making the run in two and a half 
hours. In the summer there are three steamers a day. 
There are hotels, cottages, boarding houses, tent cities, 
and every possible requirement for the angler. He can 
pay twenty dollars a day and have all the comforts of 
city life, or he can camp out for almost nothing — and to 
make camping and tent life popular, there are several 
stores which make a business of providing ready cooked 
meals, so that the angler in a tent can live well at the 
least expense. 
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of this angler's 
city is the equipment of the boatman or gaffers. It 
has been estimated that they have a fleet and outfit 
valued at $150,000. Each boatman has a stand, and is 
given almost twenty feet of beach room on the south 
side of Avalon Bay, a stone's throw from the landing. 
There is the "stand," a seat facing the bay, on which the 
angler sits when making his arrangements. On the up- 
per portion is the boatman's name, and near by his 
rods, reels, his line dryers, his scales for weighing fish, 
and extending out from the island is his string of boats, 
to which he calls attention with no little pride. There 
are possibly six or eight rowboats, for the use of anglers 
who wish to row or fish about the bay; then two or 
three launches and sailboats. The launches are about 
eighteen feet in length, having a six or eight horse power 
engine. In the stern, facing it, are two comfortable 
chairs without legs, in which the angler sits when troll- 
ing. The boatman is engineer and gaffer, and serves 
his patrons with the best rods, reels and lines that can 
be bought in the East. The boat is broad of beam, 
comfortable and safe, and when it is said that there are 
from seventy-five to one hundred of these tuna boats 
out every day, and scores of small boats, some idea of 
the angling that is done in and about Avalon may be 
imagined. The writer has visited almost every fishing 
resort in the country and nowhere is there so splendid 
an equipment for the use of the angler. I refer to salt 
water angling, and it would be a good plan for some of 
the boatmen of Florida and Texas and the Louisiana 
passes to take a run out to Santa Catalina, and take 
the hint, and give their patron better equipment. 
The boatmen or gaffers of Avalon number perhaps 
one hundred. They have an organization, the object of 
which is to give their patrons all the comforts possible. 
They have a club house, a fund for which was given by 
Mr. Tutt, of Colorado Springs, as a memorial to his 
daughter, who died here, and the club is called the 
Sophia Boatmen's Club. Here the men have a regu- 
lar club house, billiard table and library. 
When Miss Tutt died there was unusual mourning 
among the boatmen, who were devotedly attached to 
the young girl. When the steamer left with her body 
a memorable and a pathetic scene was enacted. Fol- 
lowing the steamer came her own boat with flag at 
half mast, the seat empty and decorated with flowers, 
and behind came every boatman's launch of Avalon, 
with flags at half mast, forming a funeral procession 
over a mile long, that escorted the leaving steamer far 
out into the channel, a last token of respect to the 
young girl, and one unique — at least in these waters. 
The spring fishing at the islands has been unusually 
good. This week a school of yellowtails rushed into 
Avalon Bay, and everyone in town was seized with the 
fever. The big fishes dashed in upon the beach, send- 
ing the small fishes out upon the sands, and over one 
hundred men, women and children were seen fishing 
and wildly excited. ^ They averaged from five to seven 
fishes apiece. 
The game fishes of Santa Catalina will be exhibited 
at the St. Louis Exposition, a specimen of each hav- 
ing been mounted for the purpose. With these will 
be shown the tackle used in taking them, a series 
of the non-game fishes and a set of paintings of the 
same from life by Miss Lauterbach, a local artist. 
One of the most interesting angling pieces of news in 
this section is that the striped bass, introduced into the 
waters of San Francisco about six years ago, has 
reached the waters of the Santa Catalina channel, sev- 
eral large specimens having been taken. These fishes 
swam five hundred miles down the coast, and will prove 
a welcome addition to the angler's bag. 
A new sport here is taking the swordfish with the 
rod, several eight or nine feet fish having been landed, 
and it can be said that no better game fish was ever 
hooked than this long, graceful swordsman of the sea. 
Besides the splendid play there is always the delightful 
possibility of the mad creature charging the boat and 
sinking you, after the fashion of the sloop "Red Hot" 
of New Bedford, that was sent to the bottom by an 
ugly swordfish that had been harpooned. The strenu- 
ous school of anglers who want an element of danger 
in their sport will find this sport just to their liking. 
Senor X. 
The giraffe is "a beaste full of spots. He hath two 
little horns growing on his head the colour of iron, his 
eies rolling and growing, his mouth but small like a hart's, 
his tongue is neare three foot long. The pace of this 
beaste differeth from all other in the world, for he doth 
not move his right and left foot-e one after another, but 
both together, and so likewise the other, whereby his 
whole body is removed at every step gr straine."— Four 
Footed Beastes, J607. 
San Frandsco Fly-Castingf CIuK 
Medal contests — Saturday, contest No. 5, held at Stow 
Lake, April 23. Wind S. W. ; weather fair. 
C. G. 
F. H. 
G. W 
Event Event 
No I, INo. 2, 
Uistance, Accuracy, , 
Feet. Per cent. Acc. % 
90 
Event 
No. 4, 
Event No. 8 > Lure 
Del i Net i Casting < 
85 
90 
92 
90.10 
91.5 
86.5 
84.8 
86.8 
85.8 
85.3 
91.8 
91.8 
91.8 
88.4 
92.6 
90.5 
.8 88.8 
85.10 
87.3 
79.5 
.4 92.8 
93.4 
93 
95.8 
.8 93.4 
90.10 
92.1 
.8 87 
84.2 
85.7 
.8 85 
90.10 
87.11 
95.7 
89.8 
90 
89.10 
Re-entry. 
Young. . . 
Reed..... 
Lane.... 
J. B. Kenniff.... 122 91 
T. C. Kierulff... 80 89 
T. W. Brotherton 118 84 
Dr. W. E. Brooks 95 87 
A Wells .101 85 
Dr. F. J, Lane.. ... 88 
W. D. Mansfield ... 88 
H. B. Sperry.... 104 
Judges, G. W. Lane and T. C. Kierulff; referee, F. H. 
Reed; clerk, Burning. 
Medal Contests — Series 1904. Sunday, Contest No. 5, 
held at Stow Lake, April 24. Wind N. W. ; weather 
clear. 
C. G. Young 
F. H. Reed 8S 
Chas. Huyck.... 88 
H. B. Sperry.... 97 
Dr. W. E. Brooks 90 
G. H. Foulks.... 83 
F. M. Haight... 92 
W. J. L. Kierulff... 
C R. Kenniff.... 103 
J. O. Harron 
T. W. Brotherton 106 
T. C. Kierulff.... 84 
H. C. Golcher... 119 
Gto. Lane ... 
W. D. Mansfield. ,., 
T. W. Brotherton . . 
W. D. Mansfield. .. 
C G. Young 
F. H. Reed , .. 
T. C. Kierulff.... .. 
Haight. 
85.8 
86.4 
85.10 
86.1 
93.6 
84.8 
93.8 
85 
94.7 
89.5 
90 
82.8 
76.8 
79.8 
82 
90 
82.6 
86.3 
87.8 
89 
98.4 
93.8 
85.4 
92.4 
76.8 
84.6 
66.8 
89.4 
85 
87.2 
S9.8 
81.8 
75.10 
78.9 
95 
94 
91.8 
92.10 
82.8 
■ 74.3 
78.5 
9i.4 
86.8 
84.2 
85.5 
94 
84.8 
89.8 
84.2 
86.11 
92 
86.8 
88.8 
89.2 
88.11 
91.8 
91.8 
91.8 
90.4 
94 
90 
92 
96.5 
Re-entry. 
89.4 
912.5 
90 
89.1 
83.2 
83.8 
)oks, 
G. H. 
Foulks ; 
clerk, F. 
M. 
n lUeeKly Dog Story. 
1. — A California Dog Fainter. 
"Yes, sir. For instance, there's a mammoth winter 
storm landscape I've just finished for Mr. Mudd, the 
Bonanza king. _ It's called 'A Hailstorm in the Adiron- 
dacks,' and a visitor who sat down near it the other day 
caught a sore throat in less than fifteen minutes. The 
illusion is so perfect, you understand. Why, I had to 
put in the finishing touches with my ulster and Arctic 
overshoes on." 
"Don't say?" 
"Fact, sir; and then there's a little animal gem I did 
for Governor Glerkins the other day — portrait of his 
Scotch terrier Snap. The morning it was done a cat got 
into the studio, and the minute it saw the picture it went 
through the window like a ten-inch shell." 
"Did, eh?" 
"Yes; and the oddest thing about it was that when I 
next looked at the canvas the dog's hair was standing up 
all along his back, like a porcupine. Now, how do you 
account for that?" 
"Dunno." 
"It just beats me. When the Governor examined the 
work he insisted on my painting in a post with the dog 
chained to it. Said he didn't know what might hap- 
pen." — San Francfsco Post. 
The Ttaveler and the Native. 
Thk traveler stepped out of the car to stretch his legs 
a bit while the trainmen were doctoring a hot box. 
"What town is this?" he said to the solitary native on 
the station platform. 
"Name's on the sign up there," replied the native. 
"Oh, yes — Drearyhurst. How far is it to Chicago?" 
"You'll find that on the sign, too." 
"So it is — fourteen miles. Much business done here?" 
"Not much. Keeps us pretty busy, though, mindin' it." 
"Had a great deal of rain in this section?" 
"Well, we ain't growed webs on our feet yet." 
"Any newspaper published in the town?" 
"No, sir. Nothin' but the Drearyhurst Democrat." 
"Much building going on here?" 
"Some. Abe Syfert put up a chicken house last fall." 
"Yon don't have much business to do yourself,'do you." 
"Yes, sir. They keep me down here at the deepo to 
answer fool questions." 
"So I perceive. Well, my friend, you're rather too 
many for me. Do you ever take a drink ?" 
"Sometimes." 
"Then suppose you go to the pump there and help 
yourself. I see the train is moving off. Good-by." — 
Chicago Tribune. 
Increase in Bird Life. 
Little Rock, Ark., April 25. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have been in the country somewhat this 
spring, and I think I can see the law prohibiting the 
sale of game has already borne good fruit. I saw a 
large number of quail, and the prospects seem fair for 
a large increase in that game. I also heard of turkeys 
and deer, but saw none. 
I was struck with the great increase in the number of 
birds in the last three years. Since the women quit 
wearing them so much the supply has greatly increased 
in this country. The bluebirds were almost extinct, but 
now are getting to be fairly plentiful. The redbirds are 
getting numerous again, as I often saw them in flocks 
of five or six. The mockingbird is hardly holding his 
own in spite of the law, as the negroes will rob the 
nests, to sell the young ones. They always build around • 
a house, and unless the owners protect them they have 
a bad show. 
Still, the increase of bird life is very marked, and a 
few more years of protection and education will bring 
them back to their old-time plenty. J. M. R, 
