Dec. 23, 1911] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
905 
Fishing Days 
By E. Marriner. 
A roaring fire, a cosey nook, 
A trusted friend, a pipe, a book; 
“For when the wind is in the north, 
The prudent fisher goes not forth.’’ 
An office desk, a big day-book, 
All thought of fishing now forsook; 
“For when the wind is in the east, 
’Tis neither good for man nor beast.” 
A rod, a fly, or baited hook, 
A quiet pool, or rippling brook. 
“For when the wind is in the south, 
It blows the bait in the fish’s mouth.” 
A spreading tree, or shaded nook, 
Luncheon for two, a pipe—no book. 
“For when the wind is in the west, 
Oh, then it is the very best.” 
National Association. 
The executive committee of the National As¬ 
sociation of Scientific Angling Clubs met in 
Chicago Dec. 2, with the fo.lowing members 
present; H. W. Perce, Chicago Fly-Casting 
Club; N. C. Heston, same club; Charles P. 
Clifford, Illinois Casting Club; J. W. Bramhall, 
Kansas City Casting Club; E. M. Town, Ang¬ 
lers’ Club of Chicago; A. Bauer, Il.inois Casting 
Club; I. H. Bellows, North Shore Casting Club; 
R. W. Hawthorne, Elgin Anglers’ Club; H. F. 
Mardorf, St. Louis Fly- and Bait-Casting Club. 
Reports of officers were read and adopted. 
A resolution was offered by N. C. Heston in 
which the Anglers’ Club of Milwaukee was cen¬ 
sured for refusing to hold the 1911 tournament. 
It was amended by Mr. Bauer to include the 
suspension from membership in the Association 
of the Milwaukee Club during 1912. Adopted. 
Mr. Heston then offered a resolution, which 
was adopted, providing for the suspension or 
expulsion of any club which, having been 
awarded a national or international tournament, 
shall fail to give such tournament. 
On motion Chicago was awarded the 1912 tour¬ 
nament, which will be backed by the association. 
Five members of the executive committee will 
manage it. 
A resolution was adopted providing for a vote 
by every member of the twenty clubs affiliated 
wdth the association on these questions: 
Shall the constitution of the N. A. S. A. C. be amended 
to define an amateur in the sport of tournament casting, 
as follows: 
1. One who engages in the sport with the single 
motive, solely for the love of the sport. 
2. One who is not nor has not been a teacher of cast¬ 
ing for pay. 
3. One who is not nor has not been a market fisher¬ 
man. 
4. One who is not nor has not been a paid guide. 
5. One who does not nor has not cast for pay, with 
any rod, reel, line or device in the interest of the maker 
or seller thereof. 
6. One who does not nor has not, either directly or 
indirectly, done exhibition casting for pay. 
7. One who does not nor has not conducted any ex¬ 
hibition casting for pay. 
8. One who is not, either as principal, agent or em¬ 
ploye, engaged in the business of manufacturing fish¬ 
ing tackle or any angling device for purpose of sale. 
9. One who is not, either as principal, agent or em¬ 
ploye, engaged in the business of selling fishing tackle 
or any angling or tournament device for profit or gain. 
N. C. Heston, chairman; E. M. Town and A. 
Bauer were appointed tellers. 
Mr. Perce then offered his resignation as 
president. It was accepted and Dr. R. J. Held, 
of the Anglers’ Club of New York, was elected 
to succeed him. Charles P. Clifford then re- 
DR. R. JOHNSON HELD. 
The new President of the National Association of 
Scientific Angling Clubs. 
signed as secretary, and G. PI. Asper, vice-presi¬ 
dent of the Illinois Casting Club, was elected to 
fill the vacancy. 
Adjourned. 
Pinned Ferrules. 
New York City, Dec. y.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: In various publications, and in con¬ 
versations with anglers, since “The Angler’s 
Workshop” was first issued, I have been credited 
with advising against the pinning of ferrules on 
fishing rods. As this is not quite fair to me, 
and a wrong impression seems to have been 
given, I wish to repeat what I said in the book, 
and add something to that statement. On page 
103 I said: 
“Pins keep the ferrules in place, but unless 
put in by an expert, they may weaken the wood 
where it needs strength, and good cement may 
be depended on. At most a ferrule may work- 
loose, but it is merely necessary to warm it tem¬ 
porarily to secure it until it can be removed and 
put back with new winding or a little more 
cement. 
“All of the best rods are equipped with pinned 
ferrules, and they seldom work loose. But these 
are fitted by expert workmen, aided by the finest 
machine tools. As I am writing from a begin¬ 
ner’s point of view, I advise cement only. 
Should a joint be broken while you are far 
from home, there is no troublesome pin to pick 
out. Instead, you warm the ferrule, push out 
the broken wood and set the ferrule on a fresh¬ 
ly fitted part.” 
Considerable shop and woods practice since the 
above was written has confirmed my belief that noth¬ 
ing need be added to or taken from those state¬ 
ments, made solely for the benefit of the average 
beginner and not for skilled workers in wood 
and metal. And yet I am credited with saying 
pins should be left out. Only the other day a 
well known Western angler, in writing of rods, 
called pinned ferrules “an antiquated device now 
used only on cheap and poorly constructed rods.” 
Hiram Hawes, Edward Payne, John Landman 
and Reuben Leonard, the famous rodmakers, all 
pin every ferrule, and if you ask them, they will 
tell you there is no other known way to fasten 
a ferrule so that it will surely stay. Hawes and 
Leonard employ split ferrules on their best rods; 
Landman, serrated ferrules; Payne, shrunk fer¬ 
rules. All are of course seated with cement, 
then the split or serrated ends are wound with 
silk, and the ferrule pinned through. The de¬ 
vice is an old one indeed, but far from being 
obsolete, it is the standard fastening. Their fer¬ 
rules do not work loose. 
I have been asked many times whether I pin 
the ferrules on the rods I have made for my 
own use. Every one is pinned. At present I 
have a salmon rod, two twelve-ounce tourna¬ 
ment fly-rods, a three-ounce fly-rod and a bait¬ 
casting rod, all hexagonal bamboo. All but the 
three-ounce rod I made three years or more 
ago; they have been used roughly, and no ferrule 
save one has shown signs of coming loose. That 
one ferrule was damaged by dropping the joint 
on a stone, and it has been replaced with a new 
one. 
What is the agency of the pin ? A pin, to be 
effective, should pass entirely through ferrule 
and wood, not merely through one side of the 
ferrule into the wood. As steel pins cannot be 
used, but the pin must be hard, there is an ex¬ 
cellent substitute, hard German silver wire, which 
is almost as strong as steel. For tips and slender 
ferrules, the wire should not be thicker than a 
pin; for large ferrules it may be a trifle thicker. 
A drill of the exact size of the wire should be 
used, and the hole drilled in a lathe, exactly 
through the center of the ferrule, extreme care 
being given the work. In doing this I mark the 
place for the hole with a center punch, then 
center the ferrule in the lathe, and drill very 
slowly. The pin is fitted, cut off close to the 
metal and the ends smoothed down even with 
the ferrule with a fine needle file. This upsets 
the ends of pin slightly, riveting it in place, but 
hammering is not to be thought of. A ferrule 
finished off in this way will not work loose. It 
is held against the straight push and pull of 
seating and disjointing the parts, and against all 
twisting strains in use as well as in careless dis¬ 
jointing. 
I have heard it said that, if arrowheads will 
“stay put” without pins, fishing rod ferrules 
should do so. This is not sound argument. The 
best arrowheads I have ever used come from 
Scotland. The ferrule is steel, apparently cold 
drawn, turned over and brazed, just as our best 
German silver rod ferrules are made. The point 
is a turned steel plug, brazed in. Now, the fish- 
