March 22, 1913 
FOREST AND STREAM 
371 
An English Dry-Fly Rod 
The Neversink and Other Eastern Trout Waters 
By THEODORE GORDON 
A typical English dry fly-rod has been 
sent to me to try—not a rod made for 
for America, but the sort that those 
English dry-fly men prefer who will not use an 
American rod. 
It is most interesting to compare its action 
with the actions of fine Leonard and Payne dry 
fly-rods, and it shall have the fairest possible 
trial. It certainly balances remarkably well, and 
most careful attention has evidently been paid 
to all details. It was built under the supervision 
of a master of the floating fly and was tried by 
half a dozen others who all approved of it, con¬ 
sidering the action correct. Of course a line 
must be chosen to suit it, and I have on hand 
F, E and D. There is more cane in the top than 
in a fine American rod, and I fancy that only 
Tonquin cane will give the great stiffness and 
resiliency attained by makers such as Leonard 
in joints of small diameter. The tournament 
rods have extraordinary power with least weight, 
and a good few Englishmen prefer them for 
chalk stream fishing. This occasioned a great 
controversy some years ago, which, without 
doubt, led to considerable alterations and im¬ 
provements being made in English fly-rods. 
Lovers of the Neversink will be disgusted 
to learn that a sawmill has been moved up to 
the “Big Bend,” one of the refuges for large 
trout during low water and drouths. Every stick 
of timber down to six inches in diameter will 
be cut, and it is reported that the sawdust will 
be disposed of in the stream. I can scarcely be¬ 
lieve that this is true. No river in the country 
has such lovely “white” water as the Neversink, 
and in spite of damage by floods and wood chop¬ 
ping, it is still one of the most beautiful of our 
large streams. A good number of the best native 
anglers and landowners have put in applications 
for fingerling trout, and these will be distributed 
carefully, and to the greatest possible advantage. 
Nowadays the best sportsmen think of put¬ 
ting trout in as well as taking them out, and 
endeavor to provide for the future and the 
younger generation of anglers. We do not wish 
to kill great numbers of trout, but to be able 
to find a few fish of size and quality, which will 
require a little skill and afford exciting sport— 
the kind that one is pleased to show and that 
present a handsome appearance when served upon 
the table. 
The best anglers are apt to go where there 
is at least a chance of hooking a really big trout, 
and at present a good many fishermen are a bit 
uncertain where they will first wet their lines 
this season. I have fished the Ulster and Sul¬ 
livan county streams so frequently of recent 
years that I feel some little inclination for the 
unknown or to return to streams that I have 
not seen for years. I found an old photograph 
of my first camp in the Maine wilderness re¬ 
cently, and it recalled many delightful memories, 
but I shall probably put my trust in one of the 
hard-fished streams in New York or Pennsyl¬ 
vania, where there are no black flies or midges. 
One becomes attached to certain waters, and I 
notice that men come from all directions and 
from places far away to fish these old streams 
which have been celebrated for fifty years or 
more. They are associated with the names of 
nearly every well-known angler who flourished 
during the nineteenth century and have furnished 
sport for many thousand fishermen. One think¬ 
ing of speculative changes usually remembers 
that he may go further and fare worse. Un¬ 
doubtedly there is much first rate dry-fly fishing 
within 200 miles of New York city, which is not 
well known or much exploited. 
Fishing in California. 
BY GOLDEN GATE. 
Steelhead fishing has been surprisingly good 
in almost all of the coast streams in the San 
Francisco Bay section during the past two 
weeks and some very large catches have been 
made. Usually at this season of the year these 
streams are swollen with flood waters, but the 
rainfall to date has been exceedingly light, just 
heavy enough, in fact, to keep the water at the 
right height. Low water at this season of the 
year does not augur well for future sport, so 
anglers are making the most of the rather un¬ 
usual conditions. There is still time for a good 
downpour of rain, but the outlook is for another 
dry season in Northern California with fishing 
at its best during the spring months. 
The best steelhead fishing is now being en¬ 
joyed on the Russian River, where the fish are 
running freely, and where some very large 
ones are to be found. Several fish have been 
taken there weighing fifteen pounds and one 
tipping the scales at eighteen pounds is re¬ 
ported. Conditions on this stream are improv¬ 
ing daily as there has been no rain of late and 
the water is clearing rapidly. 
Some splendid steelhead fishing is also be¬ 
ing enjoyed in the tide-water at the mouth of 
the San I.orenzo River. The fish are to be seen 
there by the hundred waiting for the river to 
rise, when they will make their pilgrimage up¬ 
stream. Many anglers fish in this stream, 
which is near the city of Santa Cruz, and some 
are taking from fifteen to twenty steelheads a 
day. 
The Salmon Creek lagoon in Sonoma 
county has suddenly come to the front as a 
great place for steelhead trout and some un¬ 
usually large catches have been made there 
of late by members of the Salmon Creek Rod 
and Gun Club. Jack Lemmer, the light tackle 
enthusiast, recently visited that section on a 
fishing trip and had quite a successful venture. 
While fishing with a five-ounce rod he hooked 
an unusually active twelve-pound steelhead and 
finally landed him after a long battle. 
While sport has been good on most 
streams. Paper Mill Creek has yielded very un¬ 
satisfactory results and an investigation is 
under way (o determine, if possible, what has 
been interfering with the sport on this popular 
stream during the past season. The creek was 
well stocked last season, as it has been for sev¬ 
eral years, but the fish do not seem to be 
there. 
Striped bass fishing is showing signs of 
improvement, and some sloughs that have been 
a source of disappointment all winter are now 
splendid fishing grounds. Hugh Draper re¬ 
cently made a catch in the San Antone slough 
district that attracted considerable attention, 
taking six fish that averaged twenty pounds 
apiece, the largest weighing thirty pounds and 
the smallest seven. On the day following this 
catch a large number of rodmen were out and 
all made catches, some taking as many as 
twenty fish. These ran in weight from five to 
thirty-two pounds. 
The Pescadero and San Gregorio lagoons 
have not been satisfactory fishing grounds of 
late. At Monterey Bay there is some good 
salmon fishing to be had, but only a few sal¬ 
mon have been taken in San Francisco Bay. 
Tire trout fishing season above tidewater 
in coast streams opens on April i, in fact, trout 
fishing vdll be in order then in all of the 
streams of the State, except those in District 3, 
where the season opens a month later. From 
the Sierras comes the report that the snow¬ 
fall has been heavier than was the case a year 
ago, and that streams will probably not be as 
low during the summer months as was the case 
last season, which was a hard one on fish life. 
San Francisco anglers are looking forward 
with much pleasure to the visit of Dr. Henry 
Van Dyke, who is expected here this month for 
a short stay. While here the distinguished 
visitor will be the guest of the San Francisco 
Fly-Casting Club at a banquet at the St. 
Francis Hotel. This organization has had but 
two honorary members on its rolls, Grover 
Cleveland and Dr. Henry Van Dyke. 
Suggestions—Alabama to Florida. 
John H. Wallace, Je., writes to a member 
of the Florida Legislature as follows: 
My Dear Sir : 
Your neighbors in Alabama cannot derive 
the highest and best benefits from their excel¬ 
lent game protective system unless similar laws 
are enacted in Florida. 
Permit me to suggest that Florida needs, 
first—a State-wide game law with a State game 
and fish commissioner to enforce it; second, a 
hunting license tax should be imposed as fol¬ 
lows: (a) Permitting persons to hunt on their 
own lands and in their voting precinct of resi¬ 
dence without licenses; (b) in county of resi¬ 
dence, $1; (c) in all counties in the State, $3; 
(d) non-residents and aliens, $15. This is the 
Alabama plan, and the city hunters pay the cost 
of supporting the department of game and fish. 
The birds and game have been slaughtered 
in Florida to such an alarming degree that un¬ 
less a halt is called, many of your most valuable 
species will be utterly annihilated, then the 
tourists will cease to visit your beautiful State, 
and spend their money with your people. 
I am sending you, under separate cover, a 
copy of the Alabama game laws, together with 
some other literature, blanks, etc., bearing upon 
game and fish preservation and protection, which 
I will thank you to accept with my compliments. 
Would you mind writing me how you feel about 
the suggested program? 
John H. Wallace, Jr. 
