Sept. 7, 1912 
FOREST AND STREAM 
301 
A Sawmill River Trout. 
On July 26 last I could not resist a rush 
of the old feeling, and stole away from my 
work at midday. At 2 p. M. I was adjusting my 
rod on the bank of the Sawmill, about eight 
miles beyond the New York city limits. 
Often I had gazed upon a short stretch of 
this stream and wondered if some of the old 
scarred veterans were not still standing sentry 
under its boulders and beneath its heavily fringed 
banks. 
I waded out into a beautifully clear stream, 
running swiftly but quietly between banks bril¬ 
liant with huge masses of Joepye weed. 
My line was fatted and a No. 12 iron blue 
dun just touched with a mite of paraffin was 
affixed to a very fine six-foot leader. 
I threw out above me close to the weeds, 
but the dainty little tempter brought no response. 
All through this stretch of clear, smooth water 
I would not gain a rise though I tried many 
flies. The stream then changed and became rocky 
and boisterous with swift runs and bubbling 
riffles. Between two rips, about thirty feet 
ahead, the current swirled under the right bank 
in a deep, quick flow. 
I dropped the fly below the upper rip, a 
foot from the bank. It came rapidly toward 
me, when like a shot came the boil of a rise. 
I struck like mad, for I will confess that I 
was taken entirely by surprise. Just for one 
second the line was taut and the rod bowed, 
then back came the fly. Well, from that moment 
I fished with every sense alert. That was a 
trout; there could be no doubt about it from 
the way he struck and the character of the water 
where he was lying. 
A little further on the water rushed between 
two large boulders, one of them shelving from the 
edge of the run high and dry above the stream. 
Right plumb in the middle of this run my 
fly drew a fine rise. This time I struck better 
and hooked him. The strain of the line was 
toward the shelving rock, and clear out of the 
water, well up on the rock, splashed the sur¬ 
prised fish. Then again my stupidity worked 
havoc, for I should have instantly slackened the 
line. I did not do so, and the mad flops of the 
trout tore the hook out and back he jumped into 
his element. 
It was a trout, a beautiful trout, eight or 
nine inches long, but whether brown or native 
I cannot say. Well, I had four other rises in 
a quarter of a mile stretch and lost every one. 
Wretched, miserable fishing, you will say, and 
so it was, for I ought to have landed two or 
three. But wait a bit, here comes the point of 
my story. I was thoroughly disgusted with my 
inability to properly handle the dry-fly cast and 
left the stream. As I walked along the bank 
toward the station another fisherman made his 
appearance up stream. From his left hand hung 
a huge fish which nearly touched the ground. 
A sucker it must be, I said to myself. When 
he came close to me I was so startled that I 
nearly dropped my rod, for there before me was 
a magnificent brown trout, eighteen inches long. 
I could not weigh him, having no scales, but 
my tape showed a full eighteen inches. He had 
caught him about 200 feet further up stream in 
a deep rocky pool with a small bass spoon, tied 
with a fly, which looked like a cross between a 
red ibis and a parmacheene belle. This was 
ON THE ROAD TO SAWMILL RIVER. 
Photo by Todd Russell. 
rather a startling exhibit for the old Sawmill 
just outside of New York city. 
Are there more? Can they be tempted with 
a fly? Or was that the last leviathan in that 
once famous old stream? 
Well, 1 don’t know, but I’m going to try 
again, anyway. Tyro. 
Rod and Reel Chat. 
Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 29.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: One of the charming features of fly¬ 
fishing is the accompanying good fellowship 
which spreads a good taste over the whole thing. 
The willingness with which one goes into his 
extra supply of tackle when a companion is in 
distress, to aid with helpful suggestions, to cuss 
in sympathetic unison, when the big one gets 
away, are attractions distinctive of the sport 
which increase in value as the years pass, and 
we get the matter of good fellowship into 
clearer perspective. 
Let me state some results of personal ex¬ 
perience in furtherance of this spirit and the 
rule to “tell all you know that will enhance the 
good of the order.” It has probably been worked 
out by all of the boys, but I’ve never seen the 
particular matter in print. 
Frequently you see suggestions from various 
authors as to whether it is best to put the reel 
on with the handle to the right or left. Some¬ 
what in this connection Mr. Wells advocated, 
many years ago, an independent handle which 
permits the rod to be turned and used in cast¬ 
ing with the guides alternately below and above. 
He concludes with the assertion that this is the 
only way to preserve the rod and avoid a “set.” 
He further doubted the theory that the set would 
be prevented by casting with the rings below 
and playing the fish with the rings above. 
He was entirely correct in both respects. 
With reference to the last, casting with the rings 
down and playing the fish with them up, it will 
be obvious to any one who will examine a set 
rod that this course simply aggravates the in¬ 
jury. All rods set away from the rings; that is, 
the forward cast imposes a heavier burden upon 
the rod than the back cast, and therefore the 
cane yields in the direction of the greater strain 
and invariably sets back from the guides. As 
a fish stays in the water where it belongs and 
does no air ship stunts, the strain imposed with 
the rings down is directly opposed to this set 
of the rod and tends to counteract it and 
straighten the rod. If the rod is cast in the 
usual way and then turned over when the fish 
is on, the set is simply increased and the funeral 
of that rod accelerated. 
With reference to his first suggestion, an in¬ 
dependent handle, and the kindred discussion as 
to which is the best way to attach the reel, there 
is an efficient substitute for the whole. This 
being merely not to use a reel on the rod at all 
for any fish this side of whales, which isn't a 
fish, anyhow. 
If an independent handle is used and the 
rings turned up, the line wraps around the rod, 
and if wet causes some annoyance, while the ad¬ 
ditional metallic joint affects the action of the 
rod. If the reel is taken off, the line held in 
the left hand, the rod used a few minutes in 
casting with the rings down and then the rod is 
turned, the strain is applied to both sides and 
thereby equalized. The same course should be 
pursued in playing the fish. 
If this policy is continuously followed, the 
rod will not deteriorate in action nor assume a 
set. I own several excellent rods which have 
seen hard, rough service, and there is no trace 
of a set in any of them. Some of these have 
been in use for fifteen years, and their condition 
furnishes ample evidence in support of this fact. 
But about the reel. If you are to fish from 
a boat, place the reel flat on the boat seat and 
mark on both sides where the barrel of the 
reel is attached to the base plate. At these points 
drive two long wire nails into the seat far 
enough to hold securely. Then slip the flange 
of the reel over the nails and you have a fasten¬ 
ing which will hold the reel in place and permit 
the line to render freely. If it is not desirable 
to drive the nails into the seat, then use a small 
square of wood which, with the reel attached, 
can be placed in a convenient part of the boat 
where it will be out of the way. 
When the reel is in place put on the click 
or a light drag to prevent overrunning. Pull out 
all the line needed for casting and let it fall on 
the bottom of the boat. A good line will not 
kink or tangle provided you do not step on or 
disturb the coils. See that the bottom of the 
boat is clean and free from small projections. 
