110 
FOREST AND STREAM 
July 27, 1912 
“Flying” into Controversy. 
New York City, July 20 . — Editor Forest 
and Stream: And now comes along Mr. Ralph 
Bisbee to swat the humble chronicler of the 
dry-fly. He asks: ‘‘But are they improving 
American angling conditions in the least?” The 
“they” means the aforesaid dry-fly writers. 
Mr. Bisbee’s question may be answered in 
true Yankee fashion by asking another: “Well, 
what about it?” 
As a matter of fact nearly all literature has 
for its object either instruction or entertainment 
or both, and after wading through an enormous 
mass of angling literature during the past few 
years I can recall very little written for the 
distinct purpose of “improving conditions.” So, 
I think, dry-fly literature is intended both to 
entertain and to instruct, but a thorough read¬ 
ing of nearly all of it leaves a distinct impres¬ 
sion on the mind that there has been no school 
of angling writers with such uniformly high 
ideals of sportsmanship, and next to thoroughly 
stocking streams, keeping them from being pol¬ 
luted, and protecting fish by more stringent laws 
and better enforcement of these laws, I can think 
of nothing better calculated to improve angling 
conditions than thoroughly sportsmanlike litera¬ 
ture. The dry-fly story rarely concludes with a 
triumph at the end of the day accomplished by 
the aid of a fat, juicy worm, cast into the best 
pool as the evening shadows are failing. In 
THE AUTHOR. 
fact, nothing like this has as yet appeared either 
in English dry-fly writings or in our infant 
American literature on the subject. Up to date 
I have not met a dry-fly angler who has shown 
the slightest evidence of being a fish hog. So 
I believe that this cult up to the present time 
must be given a clean bill of health. 
Several times during the past year I have 
had occasion to quote T. E. Pritt’s well known 
saying that anglers are not an intolerant folk, 
and have tried to believe it. Once I had a lot 
of trouble with this quotation, when an editor 
insisted on crossing out the “not.” He explained 
this act of vandalism by saying: “But they are 
an intolerant folk.” My reputation was saved 
by the reinsertion of the “not” after the article 
had gone to press. My belief in this saying per¬ 
haps was somewhat shattered when, early in 
1911, some American dry-fly articles began to 
appear in American magazines. There seemed 
to be a disposition on tile part of a few of the 
old-time wet-fly men to shy bricks at the dry-fly 
every time it was mentioned. Just why this 
should be so has always remained a mystery. 
No one can claim that dry-fly methods are 
not thoroughly sportsmanlike. The tackle used 
is light and delicate; the fish has every show; 
casting the dry-fly and handling the line prop¬ 
erly as the fly floats down stream require skill, 
and the method of fishing has many fascinations 
for its devotees. Our writers have not, I think, 
glorified it at the expense of the wet fly. Many 
dry-fly books have been published in England, 
while the Fishing Gazette, the English angling 
paper, devotes much space to the dry-fly weekly 
year in and year out. Why, then, should the 
dry-fly not receive its fair share of attention in 
our American sporting publications? 
By the way, I met on a stream a week or 
two ago a stranger, who, as we talked things 
over, confided to me the fact that he was Mr. 
"Whirling Dun,” who asked a question in Forest 
and Stream about a yellow fly a few weeks ago 
and has been answered both by Theodore Gor¬ 
don and Mr. Bisbee. He showed me the fly, and 
as I remember it. it had a light brown body, 
red hackles and yellow wings. It was not' at all 
like our good old “yellow Sally.” Mr. “Dun,” 
for so I will call him, said that this fly was sent 
to him a few years ago by Cummins as a willow 
fly, but as it was entirely unlike the willow fly 
that he had used, or any described by the au¬ 
thorities, he made up his mind that Cummins 
had made a mistake. He did not use the fly 
for a long time, but the past two years has had 
much success with it. 
Meanwhile, Mr. Bisbee, let the dry-fly man 
go on telling his tale. The “corpulent” writer 
mentioned by you, having handed out a few 
things for beginners, has performed his mission, 
so far as he can see at present, and is now 
waiting with you for the appearance of an in¬ 
fant American Halford. But before assuming 
the title the claimant should read Halford’s 
“Autobiography” as well as Flalford’s other 
works,- and understand just what the great Eng¬ 
lish writer has accomplished in his life’s work. 
Emlyn M. Gill. 
North Shore Casting Club. 
Chicago, Ill., July 15.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: A communication received by me as 
secretary from the Chicago Fly-Casting Club 
dated March 15, 1912, stated that a tournament 
given by the four casting clubs of the city would 
be given during this summer, each club to be 
represented by five members. 
The executive committee of our club con¬ 
sidered that this plan disbarred the majority of 
the members of the various clubs, and therefore 
would not be representative of the whole mem¬ 
bership, therefore declined to participate in said 
tournament. 
At a subsequent meeting held by the dele¬ 
gates it was decided to hold a tournament under 
the following rules, which are heartily endorsed 
by our executive committees as giving every 
member a chance to participate in the sport: 
“Every member of the four casting clubs 
are cordially invited to participate in this tour¬ 
nament. All of the members attending, regard¬ 
less of what club they may be a member, will 
be divided into two parties, each under the super¬ 
vision of a captain to be chosen at that time, 
each side to cast against the other for experi¬ 
ence only, as no prizes of any kind are to be 
given. This very pleasant contest will be held 
at the anglers’ casting pool, Douglas Park, Sun¬ 
day, July 21, 10 o’clock a. m. sharp. Games 
played will be quarter-ounce accuracy bait and 
light tackle dry-fly accuracy.” 
The second series of the tournament will be 
held at the casting pool of our club on a date 
to be decided later. 
The secretary wishes to congratulate the 
members on the good showing that we are mak¬ 
ing in our comprehensive schedule. It has been 
conclusively shown that we have in our mem¬ 
bership men who can handle any of the games 
in the fishing line and handle them well. 
The scores for July 13, 1912, follow: 
Half-ounce accuracy bait: 
Hinterleitner .. 
. 98.3 
Marshall . 
99.0 
Forsythe . 
. 98.9 
Goodwin . 
97.2 
Anderson . 
. 9S 2 
Bellows . 
98.5 
Lambert . 
. 97.7 
Ellsworth . 
93.2 
Waters . 
. 98.0 
■^Gray . 
97.6 
Liddell . 
. 96.3 
4 Visitor. 
Re-entry: 
Anderson . 
. 9S.0 
Goodwin . 
97.1 
Marshall . 
. 98.9 
Half-ounce 
distance bait; 
longest cast: 
Ercanbrock ... 
. 135 
Waters . 
. 100 
Hinterleitner . 
. 139 
Eiddell . 
. 152 
Forsvthe . 
.180 
Goodwin . 
Anderson . 
. 130 
Bellows . 
. 160 
Adams ........ 
. 167 
Ellsworth . 
. 160 
Average of 
five casts: 
. 129 
78 
Hinterleitner . 
.130 
Liddell . 
125 
Forsythe . 
. 136 
Goodwin . 
. 109 
Anderson . 
. 93 
Bellows . 
137 
Adams . 
. 130 
Ellsworth . 
. 150 
Accuracy flv: 
Hinterleitner . 
.... 96 6-15 
T.iddell . 
...99 
3-15 
Forsythe . 
.... 99 9-15 
Goodwin . 
...97 
9-15 
Anderson . 
... 99 1-15 
liellows . 
... 99 11-15 
Lambert . 
.... 98 13-15 
C. O. Dorchester, M.D., Sec’y-Treas. 
Newfoundland Notes. 
St. Johns, N. F., July 5.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The angling season is now in full swing. 
Every day numbers of American sportsmen 
land at Port au Basque, and then hasten to 
various parts to whip the chosen waters. 
Last week passengers that came from the 
west coast reported that salmon were never so 
numerous as they are this season; every river 
is overflowing with them, and it only requires 
the right weather for the fishing to beat the 
record. 
Many prominent Americans are on the 
various rivers, and they are reported as having 
great sport. Donald Brian caught two salmon 
weighing respectively twelve and thirteen 
pounds, and Mrs. Brian, who accompanies him, 
