300 
FOREST AND STREAM 
July, 1921 
coats of the best varnish so as to pre- 
serve the wood from moisture. 
I do not think it necessary to have 
the guides entirely of agate. The prin- 
ciple idea in fitting a rod with agate 
guides is because it is desirable to take 
away as much friction from the line 
when casting as possible. Agate accom- 
plishes this because its hard surface is 
more impervious to this fault than any 
other material known, but on the aver- 
age casting rod, which should be short, 
anywhere from four to five and a half 
feet, there is really very little wear ex- 
cepting at the tip of the rod. In be- 
tween the tip and the reel the line will 
rarely ever touch the guides unless they 
should be of a small size. Therefore I 
believe and I have found that most of 
the old-time users of the bait-casting 
rod think likewise, that a large agate 
tip, and from one to three, in propor- 
tion to the length of the rod, large, 
German silver rings or trumpet guides 
comprise the ideal fittings for a rod 
that one expects to use day in and day 
out under all sorts of conditions. 
A line used on such a rod will, I 
have found from actual experiments, 
last just as long as on a rod fitted 
throughout with agate tip and guides. 
In a full agate fitted rod there is dan- 
ger of breakage. In knocking around 
through rough, wooded country or in a 
fishing boat they are often cracked. 
Sometimes it is not noticed at the time 
and a line shooting through with the 
force of a lusty cast will without fail 
be severed or so badly frayed as to 
be rendered worthless for use. With 
only the tip made of agate and the bal- 
ance of the guides constructed of some 
non-breakable material this danger is 
reduced to a minimum. The same 
thing applies to a fly or long bait rod. 
W HEN not in use the rod should 
receive careful attention to keep 
it in its proper shape. Often it 
will be noticed that an angler who 
seems to take good care of all the other 
parts of his tackle neglects to give any 
attention to the position of his rod 
when it is not in use, leaning it care- 
lessly against a tree or the tent for the 
noon day rest period or for the night, 
jamming it in all sorts of strained 
places in the boat while still-fishing or 
resting; this results in a warped and 
misshaped rod. 
Although a rod may not lose its ef- 
fectiveness by this kind of treatment, 
it causes it to lose the balance and elas- 
ticity it formerly possessed and de- 
tracts from its appearance. 
It is natural that all wooden rods 
and in a measure steel also, although 
not so much as with the wood, should 
draw, with time and use and weather, 
out of their original shape. This can 
in a measure be counteracted by a little 
care when the rod is not in use during 
the winter and even throughout the 
summer season by hanging the sepa- 
rate sections, or if a one-piece rod, the 
entire stick, up in some dry place by 
means of strings attached to nails or 
by braces put high enough from the 
ground so as to allow the rod to be sus- 
pended without touching anything. This 
will allow it to come back to its orig- 
inal lines. 
When a rod ‘s not in use it should 
be kept in a wooden form that just 
barely allows of its entrance and should 
be well bound with twine and protected 
by a waterproof cover. 
The casting rod ought not to exceed 
5% feet in length. Personally I prefer 
one shorter than that, say 4% to 5 feet, 
having a large tip of agate, adamant 
or German silver guides and a cork grip. 
A short rod allows one more chance 
to work brushy places, or in the lee of 
steep banks, also there is less vitality 
consumed in working a rod ot this size 
than a long, unwieldly one for a day 
at a stretch. The heavier plugs shoot 
away from the short rod with as much 
ease as apples thrown from the end 
of a sharpened switch. 
Still-fishing calls for a longer rod, in 
which case I prefer a bamboo bait rod 
to one of steel, wood or vine, anywhere 
from 9 to 10% feet in length, and from 
5 to not over 7 ounces in weight. 
An 8 foot rod makes a good length 
for live bait and still-fishing, and 
should be as light as possible. It al- 
ways seems to me that one gets more 
sport and action out of his fish with a 
good length, light rod. 
If fishing with live bait from a boat 
it is a good idea to locate a prospective 
pool or stretch of current, and have out 
more than one rod; say three, one on 
either side of the boat, and the third 
can be used to troll or to cast the bait 
into weedy coves, among lily pads or 
about stumps and logs. In fishing in 
this manner care must be used when 
a fish is hooked and the idle rods should 
be taken in before the bass is played, 
otherwise there is a good chance to 
tangle things up. 
In small bass streams I use a medium 
heavy-weight fly rod, 9% feet, weight 
between 5 and 6 ounces. It is strong 
enough to handle a fair sized minnow 
or frog and a No. 1% spinner or a No. 
3 and 3% spoon bait all work well on 
it. By striping the line from the reel 
I can reach places that would be impos- 
sble to negotiate with a heavy outfit. 
It is a good idea for every fisherman 
to have more than one kind of rod in 
his outfit. I do not recommend that he 
have a great many, but two or three of 
various styles will be found not incon- 
venient at times. As to the price to pay 
(continued on page 325) 
THE ANNOYING DROSS OF THE SEA 
SOME OF THE PESTS THE SURF FISHERMAN MUST CONTEND WITH 
WHEN HE GOES FORTH TO CAPTURE THE GAME FISH OF THE SEA 
By LEONARD HULIT, Associate Editor of FOREST AND STREAM 
A S the history of the taking and re- 
fining of the precious metals 
would be quite incomplete without 
more or less description of the grosser 
materials with which they are sur- 
rounded and associated, and which 
greatly add to the labors and perplex- 
ities of the individuals engaged in such 
pursuits, so a review of surf-fishing 
would lack a fitting finale without men- 
tioning somewhat in detail what may 
properly be termed the “dross of the 
sea,” together with something of the 
annoyances given the angler through 
their activities. 
Pests they undoubtedly are in the 
main, and the angler is frequently 
justified in treating them roughly and 
a choice expletive may be pardoned oc- 
casionally when he finds his tackle al- 
most inextricably tangled in the maze 
of legs and claws of the giant sea- 
spider, or in the loose-running machin- 
ery of the horsefoot or king-crab. 
The angler will in all probability 
meet most frequently with the “calico” 
or spotted crab. It is an ubiquitous 
creature of medium size and has an 
enormous appetite. It never seems to 
sleep, nor to be off duty, and is ever 
alert to seize the bait and burrow in 
the sand with it, no matter when or 
where it may be cast. Tides work no 
influence on him except perhaps to 
sharpen his appetite for their next 
change. No matter what the nature of 
the bait may be he will eat it and in a 
qualifying sense, be it understood, the 
term WILL expresses that he is both 
willing and determined to eat it. 
There are two ways to preserve your 
bait when these pests are about: one is 
to keep it in your bait-box and go home, 
the other, and the one usually resorted 
to, is to adjust a cork on the leader 
close to the hook which will float the 
bait the length of the leader from the 
bottom, and is usually effective. 
The only thing on earth or in the 
waters thereof that these fiends seem 
to fear is the striped bass. When 
one of these fish is about, there will no 
longer be any annoyance from this spe- 
cies of crab, as they are considered 1 a 
delectable morsel by this superb fish. 
It is most amazing how quickly the best 
adjusted bait can be stripped from the 
hook by this little devil of the sea. 
A man I once knew told me of an ex- 
perience he had while bottom fishing in 
Jamaica Bay. He was using blood- 
worms and became so annoyed through 
the plunderings of this miscreant that 
