328 
FOREST AND STREAM 
The Boy’s Last Word in Salmon. 
full benefit of the “Law of the Kill,” to the giant 
mackerel of Medway Light; and if using that 
line I can carve more than ten feet in length 
from nose to tail on the floor of Tuna Inn I 
shall be content until a new standard is made. 
Ohe, Jam satis est! 
Leaders or Traces. 
The leaders (or traces as the English anglers 
term them) should be twelve and preferably 
fifteen feet in length, of the best piano steel 
wire, well swivelled. In fact, at least six 4-0 
bronze barrel swivels, best quality, should 
be adjusted in the leader at different places about 
five feet apart between the hook and the line, 
and there should also be a wire guard just above 
the chain to prevent the bait working its way 
up onto the line after the fish expels the bait. 
The line should be tied to the swivel over a 
piece of rawhide which can be bought cut for 
that purpose, as the steel swivel is apt to chafe 
and cut through the line unless it is well pro¬ 
tected. 
Tunny have been known to cut the line in tak¬ 
ing the bait as it was working up the line while 
the fish on the hook was playing or towing the 
boat. 
Necessity for abundant length of leader will 
be speedily and distressingly shown if the Great 
Tunny strikes the thread line with his tail on 
account of shortness of the steel wire leader. 
You will be surprised to see the kinks in your 
leaders that will straighten never more and the 
churn of that great tail working like a combina¬ 
tion of quadruple propellers will first shock and 
then thrill through every nerve center in your 
body and when the giant tail hits the tense 
wire it will sound a deeper note than you ever 
dreamed was within the diapason of harmony. 
At least so you will dream. 
Hooks. 
Hooks should be No 10-0 of the best 
forged steel and little choice lies between Con¬ 
roy and Vom Hofe makes, although there is a 
very fine hook made by Bernard & Son which 
has not so much of the Limerick bend and which 
seemed to hold the best of all. Bernard & Son 
of London are making a double hook, and trace, 
for tunny fishing, which I am looking forward 
to with some interest, but it savors too much 
of a grappling iron to comport with the “fight¬ 
ing chance.” 
The hooks should be welded to about six or 
eight inches of steel chain which should also 
be welded to a large swivel. There should be 
no thread used between the line and the hook. 
As the hook is being baited it must be forced 
through the mouth of the herring (well down 
into the belly) and the herring’s mouth should 
be closed with wire or gut. 
Reels. 
A reel is required falling within the quota¬ 
tions that heads this article, for it must be capa¬ 
ble of carrying 300 yards of 42 thread, or 400 
yards of 36 thread. Splendid examples of reels 
fairly adequate will be found in Thomas J. Con¬ 
roy’s “B-Ocean” 9-0 reel and Edward Vom 
Hofe s 9-0 Star Special” reel, both constructed 
of the finest workmanship. The “B-Ocean” reel 
Tuna Inn, Great Island, Nova Scotia. 
has however some additional features which in 
my opinion entitle it to the first choice. These 
reels are the last words in great tunny fishing 
equipment and are built to carry 300 yards of 
42 thread line or 400 yards of 36 thread line or 
50 stock English standard. 
The handle of the B-Ocean reel moves only 
in a forward revolution and can be made sta¬ 
tionary while the spool or drum is cast off for 
free running—or tightening under the automatic 
drag. 
An adequate drag or resisting device to re¬ 
strain the outrunning line as the Great Tunny 
tears it off the reel has not yet been devised 
and no doubt will tax the ingenuity of our ex¬ 
perts. 
The English makers have not yet, as I am 
informed, built a reel that is adapted to this 
character of angling. 
And thus we realize what Barker said when 
he wrote the Art of Angling in 1657: 
‘ A rod twelve feet long and a string of wire, 
A winder and a barrel will help thy desire.” 
Rod Sockets. 
A new device of ingenious and indispensable 
character was invented by Mr. Mitchell Henry 
of Montreal to prevent the reel from slipping 
around and maintaining it in place toward and 
under the thumb of the angler. As the reel 
is fastened on the upper side of the rod toward 
the angler its weight and the tremendous drag 
of the fish on line and reel causes a constant 
strain to keep the rod from turning round. This 
device affords a secure resting place and holds 
the rod in place and thus relieves the angler 
from much exertion. 
Either Conroy or Vom Hofe will provide it 
and adjust it on the rods and Tom Conroy’s or 
Vom Hofe’s Tuna rods are built to suit the 
most exacting angler. They are adequately de¬ 
scribed in either of their catalogues. 
Carter & Co. of London are now building a 
split bamboo steel center rod specially adapted 
for Great Tunny fishing which they call the 
“Medway” rod. 
Mr. Laurie Mitchell will likewise adjust them 
for the angler at Tuna Inn. 
Boats. 
It hardly needs to be mentioned that a special 
boat is needed for the angler in addition to the 
power boat which will be required to keep guard 
and to tow the tired-to-death angler and his 
boatman back to the shore as well as to attend 
upon them in the long and enduring chase that 
is sure to follow the fastening of the Great 
(Tunny.) 
It was a matter of no slight moment to find 
the type of boat that was fully adapted to this 
sport; for it required a boat that would ride 
easily, start quickly and turn pivotally under the 
Laurie Mitchell. 
