94 
Island and while waiting for the tide to turn, I 
made a cast of 331 feet, indifferently measured, 
with a dry line of 18 threads. This showed me 
that I was upon the right track and also the 
possibilities of a light line with my method of 
casting. 
In my dilemma I conferred with Willis M. 
Finch, an expert upon fishing tackle in general 
and casting in particular, and he drew up the 
specifications of a fishing and casting rod, suit¬ 
able to my height, which is six feet. 
John Landman constructed every inch of its 
slender and strong lines with “malice afor- 
thought,” the rod when assembled being 8 feet 
10 inches, only two inches longer than the one 
previously used by me. It is a No. 2 split 
bamboo of eight laminations and although 
used by me all summer, to the exclusion of any 
other rod, is as straight as the proverbial fiddle 
string. It went forth with John Landman's good 
wishes, and that indeed should be incentive to 
any sportsman. 
At the further suggestion of Mr. Finch I got 
in touch with Mr. A. J. Crandall of the Ashaway 
Line and Twine Manufacturing Company, who 
told me to go the “limit” and that he would 
assist me in turning out the best line he was 
capable of producing. 
All last spring I experimented with all kinds of 
lines, some with the fuzz burnt off and others 
with a high polish produced by their being pass¬ 
ed over hot rollers and after a long series of 
results based upon trial casts in the open field, 
came to the conclusion that the undressed 15 
thread 100 lee line, and called the Surfman Line, 
was the apotheosis of perfection. This line has 
always proven uniform and dependable. Last 
spring lines were “burnt” up by me. 
Gradually I worked up my average until the 
high marks were reached, for I felt that with a 
general high average I could afford to let out 
for a special long cast, when I had proper con¬ 
trol of the reel. In April 1914 I made 341, 342 
and 343 in three consecutive casts. Later I made 
330 feet average of ten casts. Every other day 
I would practice for two hours at Grant City, S. 
I., my good friend Benj. M. Kurtz coaching me 
and watching that each cast be identical in its 
delivery, with the others. In these practices Mr. 
Kurtz naively remarked that I lost enough lead 
in that field to supply a regiment with bullets; 
in which I must humbly acquiesce. 
The spring ripened into early summer and 
upon June 20, 1914, the Midland Beach Fishing 
Club held their spring tournament. The day 
starting with sunshine and ended in a cold drizz¬ 
ling rain. My son in the Club event succeeded 
in casting 319 feet, at last breaking the record of 
Mr. Moran which had stood four years against 
many onslaughts. In the next, the open event, 
though sorry, I felt compelled to deprive him of 
this honor by casting 322 feet 6 inches. Both 
casts were really a feat considering that cold 
nasty day. 
In July 1914 the Belmar Club held their tourna¬ 
ment. I found that I had, in the vernacular, 
become stale or overtrained, hardly being able to 
negotiate 300 feet. To aid to my troubles the 
place of contest was in a low sandy hollow, a 
hot inferno, the ground being covered with worms 
and my line in casting falling into a small lake 
immediately adjoining the field, the line being 
FOREST AND STREAM 
A Day’s Fishing in France. 
wet in spots. The best I did was 284 feet, average 
of five casts, winning from my nearest competi¬ 
tor by the small margin of one inch. I was sorry 
to deprive this gentleman of the prize, upon see¬ 
ing the look of disgust on his face that such un¬ 
heard of fraction of space should relegate him to 
second place. 
A week later, or it may have been two, the 
Asbury Park Fishing Club held their tournament 
and having become a member of this club par¬ 
ticipated in all events. At this affair, John C. 
Clayton made a cast of 348 feet, thus replacing 
my record made several weeks previously. Mr. 
Clayton is a well liked, unassuming sportsman, 
a very experienced caster, being very steady and 
a fine judge of distance. He has the faculty of 
smashing his line as I have of snapping my lead, 
both the result of too much initial force at the 
moment of delivery. My best cast was 337 feet, 
winning, however, the average event and the 
accuracy event, and by reason of snapping lead 
coming second and third in two other events, and 
also winning the Grand Prize Cup which went to 
the one that made the greatest average in all 
events of the day. 
I felt that though Mr. Clayton had hung up 
the record pretty high, that I could tip it a trifle 
higher, never having essayed in tournament what 
I did in practice, my “pitching” arm just begin¬ 
ning to come back in “form.” 
‘With undismayed confidence, a week later, I 
went to the first tournament of the Ocean City 
Fishing Club, where I met a class of gentlemen 
whose welcome and courtesies well repaid me for 
the distance traveled and which greeting will 
always be a pleasant memory. 
The course was laid out upon the sand, a very 
good idea, for it prevented the lead from jump¬ 
ing ahead, and thus made the casting accurate; 
but it was some ten feet up grade. Were it not 
for this fact the 348 foot mark would have been 
reached. As it was I made five casts during the 
day of over 340 feet, the longest being 344 feet 
8 inches. Three records were established by me, 
318 feet in a lane of thirty feet, 306 feet 10 
inches as an average of five casts in a V shape 
lane and a record in the open field of average 
of five casts of 327 feet 5 inches. 
On September 20, 1914 at the fall tournament 
of the Midland Beach Fishing Club I again tried 
for the long distance record and in the club event 
succeeded in doing so, going 348 feet 8 inches, 
replacing this record in the open event by casting 
349 feet x% inches, also improving my record of 
five casts made at Ocean City by going 331 feet 
1 i-s inches. 
This completed my work for the year. During 
19x4 I have cast in competition twenty-six times 
above the old mark of 314 feet 10 inches, cast 
fourteen times over 325 feet and eight times 
above 340 feet- 
Many of my friends have asked me what in 
my opinion is the limit and in reply I would say 
that 375 feet will be reached within the next few 
years, if the various tournament committees will 
allow contestants to re-enforce their linen line at 
the lead end, the same as they did three 
years ago. Distances that have been reached 
under favorable conditions, convince me that 
this will be attained. Casting is just coming to 
the fore-ground and every club has its array of 
experts and it is from one of these gentlemen 
that I expect my record to be beaten. Promi¬ 
nent among these are John C. Clayton, W. E. 
Sylvester, J. J. Yates, W. Day, J. W. Moran, W. 
M. McCutcheon, Robert Corson, George Smith- 
errnan, Frank H. Stewart, Churchill Hungerford, 
C. T. Maginnis, Sidney Rice, and Fred Fech. 
I have been requested at various times to state 
what particular things make most for successful 
casting, and I wish to say that a study of the 
curve of the lead in the air—the line of trajec¬ 
tory—the initial pressure and the velocity must 
all be studied, not only upon paper but must be 
assiduously and indefatigably practised with the 
mastering of the thumbing of the spool, so that 
no lost motion interferes with the cast. A high 
degree of average should be desired for this 
teaches control and permits of a special long 
cast. Casting for distance requires no special 
mental qualification or physical ability. It is the 
“sticking” quality that helps most, a persistent 
endeavor that plucks victory out of defeat in the 
keen analysis of one’s faults. Aptitude is a 
quality which develops in time. 
There is no other sport that I know of where 
the greatest deliberation and planning will prove 
so futile—by the snapping of line, by the turn 
of the wind, by atmospheric conditions and by 
some unforeseen accident to tackle. In contests 
the spoils do not always go to the strong. 
In conclusion, I wish to say that the practice 
of the art of casting is a healthy recreation and 
that it has attracted to it a class of clean sports¬ 
men who are willing to help each other with kind 
thoughts and good tackle and furthermore, that 
every contest is viewed not by the narrow spirit 
of rivalry, but the broad gauge of comradeship. 
This is one of a series of interesting articles 
for fishermen which will appear in Forest and 
Stream. Switch Reel writes of “Fishing In The 
Jersey Surf.” A where to and how to article of 
interest to all anglers. 
