340 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Aug. 26, 1911. 
gentleman or sportsman, and shall be barred 
from participation in any tournament.” 
Tournament casting events held by the as¬ 
sociation are not open to professionals—except 
in special events, when provided, open only 
to professionals—but are for members of clubs 
affiliated with the association. A penalty may 
be visited only upon those who are or may be 
subject to the jurisdiction of the law-making- 
power. 
The jurisdiction of the association is con¬ 
fined to the clubs affiliated with it and their 
members. The penalty prescribed by clause 8 
may fall only upon those who violate the spirit 
of clause 7; and clause 7 is applicable only to 
those “engaged in the manufacture or sale of 
fishing tackle,” over whom the association may 
have acquired authority, by their membership 
in clubs affiliated with it. 
It is not malum per se for one engaged in the 
manufacture or sale of fishing tackle to do any 
of the things forbidden by clause 7; it is only 
when he has acquired the right to take part in 
tournament casting under the rules of the as¬ 
sociation, by becoming a member of one of its 
clubs, and thereby subjected himself to be 
judged by the code of ethics prescribed by its 
constitution, that the commission by him of any 
of the prohibited acts becomes offensive, a viola¬ 
tion of his allegiance as a member, and incom¬ 
patible with his status as an amateur. 
It is clear, that by clause 7, it was intended to 
provide a way by which manufacturers and 
dealers in fishing tackle may enter into member¬ 
ship in clubs affiliated with the association, and 
acquire the rights incident thereto, including 
that of casting in tournaments held under the 
rules of the association, A contrary construc¬ 
tion would violate the plainly expressed will of 
the association; arid by continuing in force the 
total exclusion of all persons engaged in the 
manufacture or sale of fishing tackle, would 
deprive the amendment of all remedial force, 
and leave clause 7 amended in words but not in 
effect, a result repugnant to all rules of con¬ 
struction. Such a construction would also 
render clause 8 inoperative, for the lack of any 
person or class of persons against whom it 
might be invoked. 
The association did not intend to ordain that 
all persons who engage in the manufacture or 
sale of fishing tackle are thereby guilty of con¬ 
duct unbecoming gentlemen or sportsmen; their 
purpose was to declare that any manufacturer 
or dealer in fishing tackle, admitted to mem¬ 
bership, who violates the spirit of clause 7, is 
guilty of such conduct, and has forfeited his 
right to cast as an amateur in any tournament 
held under its rules. 
It follows that any one engaged in the manu¬ 
facture or sale of fishing tackle, who does not 
violate the spirit of clause 7, within the true in¬ 
tent and meaning of that clause, and who is 
not a professional within the definition of any 
of the previous clauses of Section 5. Article 2, 
and who is a member of a club affiliated with 
the association, may cast in any tournament 
held under its rules. W. Bradford Smith. 
Trout in the Drouth. 
Hendersonville, N. C., Aug. 19. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: The season’s trout fishing is prac¬ 
tically over, though trout will be killed in Sep¬ 
tember. Drouth has reduced the small creeks 
to rills of water, and the rivers to creeks. I 
have never known our mountain streams so low 
before. Taking it altogether, fishing has not 
been satisfactory. 
About two months ago a number of men 
killed a number of rainbow trout in Green 
River with dynamite. It was said they were 
from the South Carolina side of the line. They 
were located and papers sent to the sheriff of 
Greenville county, S. C., to serve on them, and 
I am told they are to be tried here on Monday 
next. It is said conclusive evidence has been 
obtained, and if so, and they are convicted, it 
will be a good step toward the proper enforcing 
of the law and a good lesson set for others. 
Ernest L. Ewbank. 
Illinois Casting Club. 
Chicago, Ill., Aug. 14.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The events scheduled for Aug. 12 and 
13 were cast off in order named under somewhat 
unfavorable weather conditions. Wind variable, 
approximately ten to fifteen miles an hour; 
Half-ounce 
Whitby . 
accuracy, bait: 
. 99.2 
Corbett . 
. 97.6 
Ball . 
. 99.1 
Huntley . 
. 97 .S 
Amman . 
. 98.9 
Swisher . 
. 98.2 
Asper . 
. 98.0 
Kernaghan . 
. 98.8 
Bauer . 
. 97.6 
Nicholson . 
. 99.0 
Tamison _ 
. 98.1 
Chatt (visitor) . 
. 96.2 
Pierson . 
. 99.1 
•Amman . 
. 98.1 
McE'arlin .... 
. 97.6 
*Bauer . 
. 98.0 
Linder . 
. 98.5 
*McFarlin . 
. 97.7 
Heston . 
. 98.2 
*Huntley . 
*Swisher . 
. 98.3 
De Garmo .. 
. 99.2 
. 99.6 
Half-ounce, 
Linder . 
distance bait: 
Average. 
. 97 y 5 
Whitby . 
Average. 
. 144% 
Bauer . 
. 124% 
*Bauer . 
. 134% 
*Linder _ 
. 134% 
McFarlin . 
. Ill 
Amman . 
. 74 
De Garmo . 
. 152% 
Ball . 
. 140% 
Jamison . 
.172% 
Chatt (visitor) . 137% 
Light tackle dry fly accuracy event: 
vY hitby . 
. 98 6-15 
*Whitby . 
... 9S 6-15 
Ball . 
. 99 5-15 
*Ball . 
. .. 99 6-15 
De (.larmo .. 
. 99 6-15 
*De Garmo .... 
... 99 5-15 
Heston . 
. 99 7-15 
*Heston . 
... 99 S-15 
McCarthy (visitor) 99 3-15 
McCarthy (visitor) 98 13-15 
Salmon fly 
De Garmo .. 
event: 
Feet. 
. 130 
Ball . 
Feet. 
. 126 
Amman .... 
. 120 
*Re-entries. 
The next regular event is scheduled for Satur¬ 
day, Aug. 26, and the morning following, .and 
you will note this is the last regular season event 
prior to re-entry day on Sept. 9. The events for 
Aug. 26 are quarter-ounce accuracy bait, quar¬ 
ter-ounce distance bait and delicacy fly. 
We have to advise that it has been necessary 
for business reasons for our secretary, L. V. 
Tournier, to hand in his resignation, which has 
been accepted with regret. 
G. H. Asper.. Vice-President. 
Surf-Casting Reels. 
There is an interesting point in relation to 
surf-casting here and abroad that is worth men¬ 
tioning. In the British contests the control of 
the reel is mechanical; here the thumb alone 
regulates the speed of the reel in a cast. A 
British lever reel, or any reel fitted with any 
device intended to regulate the delivery of line 
would be barred. A thumbstall or a leather pad 
may be used to retard the speed of the spool 
during the cast, but no click, drag, lever or other 
mechanical device is ever permitted. If a con¬ 
testant were to employ a secret retarding device 
of any sort, proof of that fact would be re¬ 
garded as sufficient grounds for barring him 
forever from contesting in open events. The 
leather pad, hinged on the top rear pillar of the 
reel, is not a satisfactory brake for distance 
casting, though it serves to protect the thumb 
in playing a large fish. The knitted silk or 
worsted thumbstall is, therefore, the only thing 
generally used. Not only has the typical salt 
water reel no braking device that can be used, 
but the spool is often freed entirety in a cast, 
and in that case checking with the thumb is 
necessary. 
While free-spool and free running reels would, 
no doubt, be admitted in all British surf-cast¬ 
ing, under our rules reels with mechanical 
brakes could not be admitted. It is only fair 
to say, however, that unanimous consent is gen¬ 
erally accorded a visitor to cast with the rod 
or reel he is accustomed to, and we have no 
doubt that if Prince Henry de France were to 
seek admittance in an American surf event with 
his cocoa can ‘'reel,” no objections to the de- 
,vice would be made. 
American rules call for free-running reels. 
That means that the spool revolves freely in a 
cast, and retarding with the thumb alone is al¬ 
lowed. If the gears are thrown out of mesh 
in the cast, then the spool is still more difficult 
to control. The American surf-casting records 
have all been made with free-running reels, as 
indeed have all American bait-casting records. 
Mr. Emery claims the surf-casting record with 
294 feet 5 inches, made with a reel which was 
braked with a thumb lever, an archaic device 
which no American caster desires or is per¬ 
mitted to employ. In a way he was casting 
against the American record, and the English 
papers claim he exceeded it twice, once with 
a cast of 309 feet 6 inches, which fell out of 
the court. If there were an international asso¬ 
ciation, if would be a nice question for it to de¬ 
cide whether these scores be allowed, or ex¬ 
cluded on the ground of mechanical assistance. 
In conclusion, it must be said that our casters 
do not claim that they could do better casting 
with mechanical assistance; but they question 
whether British casters can cast without their 
winch brakes. 
West Philadelphia Rod and Gun Club. 
Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 7.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: On Saturday, Aug. 5, the newly or¬ 
ganized West Philadelphia Rod and Gun Club 
held its first outing on the shady banks of Darby 
Creek. A goodly number of ladies were in the 
party, which numbered in all about thirty. A very 
pleasant afternoon was spent in fishing. Strikes 
were few and far between, but friend Kessler 
connected with a nice small-mouth bass and car¬ 
ried off the honors of the day. About 3 o’clock 
the party wended their way to a beautiful shady 
lawn adjoining the farm house of friend Law¬ 
rence, where his good lady had prepared a boun¬ 
tiful repast to which ail did ample justice. After 
the ice cream and cake, a business meeting was 
called, and the following officers were elected 
for as long as they behave themselves: Presi¬ 
dent, Theo. B. Palmer; Vice-President, M. P. 
Mills; Secretary, Bern F. Robinson; Treasurer, 
W. K. Harris. 
After some appropriate speeches from the new 
officers and the presentation of a magnificent 
star about one foot across, suitably engraved, to 
our worthy deputy game warden and secretary, 
Ben. F. Robinson, the meeting broke up and the 
party left for their homes in the hot and noisy 
city, glad that they were brothers and sisters of 
the angle and sorry for those who were not. 
John W. Prince. 
