398 
FOREST AND STREAM 
The Very Best Line Made 
A Tale of Trout and Other Fish 
By Edward T. Martin. 
There is- fishing and fishing on the Pacific 
coast. Much, that is very good; some, only medi¬ 
um and a little that is bad. Trout fishing from 
British Columbia down to California is as good 
as anywhere in the world. 
An Eastern fisherman—one who is only famil¬ 
iar with methods that obtain—says there is a 
great difference between fish and fishing in the 
waters of New York State and—well, perhaps in 
Washington and Oregon. The Eastern trout, as 
a rule, are small and scarce, the Western 
large and plentiful. The Eastern know man and 
his ways, will hide from him and run from his 
shadow. The Western often treat the fisherman 
more like a pine stump than something to be 
feared and when salmon eggs are being used will 
come to his very feet after droppings from the 
bait box. Yes, and even follow a spinner all 
the way in. The writer has never seen fish show 
so little fear as many of these Western trout 
unless, perhaps, pickerel in the Wisconsin lakes. 
These sometimes will splash the fisherman all 
over in a belated rush after his lure and often 
take it not six feet from the boat. Once, he 
knew a big fellow to cut a two pound bass off 
a stringer hanging over the boat’s side not a 
foot from the fisherman who could only look and 
talk. 
The writer had been catching salmon and kelp 
cod near Victoria, B. C., when one day early 
in September, Joe Smith, the guide, wired from 
across in Washington: “If you want some real 
fishing, come, but bring strong tackle.’’ 
This was to be a first experience with Western 
trout in the wilds of Washington. Need one be 
surprised that he thought, “Why strong tackle?” 
Strong tackle indeed for trout—a little fish six 
or eight inches long! The Eastern idea, you see, 
was dominant. The idea gained from reading of 
other men’s doings where a ten inch trout was 
considered large and one over a foot in length a 
prize rarely captured. Nevertheless, much tackle 
was purchased including an imported salmon line, 
“The very best line made; such as the nobility 
use at home,” the dealer said. 
Three of us crossed the Straits to take the fish¬ 
ing trip with Smith. His first question was “How 
about tackle? Are your lines good and strong?” 
“Mine is,” I replied. “This will hold anything 
catchable in these parts,” showing the imported 
line with pardonable pride. 
“Maybe,” he answered, “but I doubt it.” 
Surely he must be joking. It looked so until 
he produced a heavy glazed affair, saying, 
“That’s the kind you should have.” Then we be¬ 
gan to think there were lines other than those 
made in England. 
Two days later when the waters of the big fish 
were reached, the writer found Joe had spoken 
truly. It was in this wise. We came to a par¬ 
ticularly favorable appearing stretch of river and 
the guide after sizing up things, said, “Make 
a cast over yonder. See if you can reach that 
still place down stream from the flat rock. It’s 
a little far for me.” 
The cast was made. With the line half reeled 
in there came a strike so quick, so strong, that 
before I could think or move the line parted 
and something, perhaps a torpedo boat, possibly 
a whale, or at least a potpoise, was rushing down 
the rapids carrying for company thirty feet of 
the very best line made. Books never said trout 
did such things. So examining the broken line 
in astonishment, I asked Joe, “What in the name 
of common sense did that?” 
“ ’Bout a ten pound rainbow, I guess,” he re¬ 
plied. 
Out of three more strikes that day, one fish— 
an eight pounder—was caught. One tore out and 
escaped, and the last and largest again broke the 
line, taking a goodly sample with him. That 
was enough. The nobility line was discarded 
and a boy sent twenty miles to buy one like the 
guide’s. After which when anything broke it was 
rod or hook. The line held. There may have 
been flaws in the imported line. It may have 
been shop worn and rotten. It broke twice. The 
fish, good ones, escaped which 'was sufficient, 
even if a swift current did help them. It was not 
the wasted line, nor yet the good money it cost 
that hurt. The thing that galled was Smith’s 
laughing “1 told you so.” Other people lost 
spinners, hooks and parts of lines. A trout 
minded not such a little thing as a hook pendant 
Come, But Bring Strong Tackle. 
