740 
[May ii, 1907. 
tance and accuracy casting in the presence of 
a number of experts, none of whom had any 
fault to find with them, although one is at first 
inclined to the belief that the tendency of the 
weight, say at the end of a cast of 175 or more 
feet, is to travel through the air sidewise, or 
keyhole, as a rifleman would term it. This is 
due to the long stem of the weight. In prac¬ 
tice, however, the weight shows little or no 
tipping until the end of its flight is near; but 
even then it does not drop more rapidly than 
the old torpedo-shaped wood-and-lead weight, 
although it was at first predicted that the new 
weight would do this. This was no doubt due 
to its slight resemblance in form to the pear- 
shaped lead sinkers used in salt water cas.ting. 
In accuracy casting the new weight acts nicely, 
and seems to slip through the^air very smooth¬ 
ly. Time will prove true or false the belief 
that it is less affected by the wind thaiT the 
old weight in both distance and accuracy casting. 
The old weights were made in four parts: 
a hard maple body, a lead nose held by a long 
round-head screw, and with a screw-eye in 
the opposite end. These were varnished or 
enameled, and it was difficult to make them 
the exact weight required. The component 
parts would not separate in casting on the 
water, but the wood swelled, split and pre¬ 
sented rough surfaces, that served to retard 
their flight through the air. Among some ex¬ 
pert casters there was a belief that the form of 
the weight caused wobbling at the beginning 
of the cast, and therefore accounted for the 
frequent breaking of the fine lines. This may 
be a fancy, but we have reason to believe it 
is not. 
The aluminum weights were made by con¬ 
tract for the National Association of Scientific 
Angling Clubs. Each affiliated club agreed to 
take a certain number, and the secretary, H. E. 
Rice, of Chicago, then had them made. Each 
weight was inspected by him, and if of cor¬ 
rect weight, was stamped with the initials 
“N. A. S. A. C.,” when they were ready for dis¬ 
tribution, each club obtaining them at cost price. 
Several of the enterprising fishing tackle 
dealers are having weights moulded, to be 
sold to those who call for them, to be used in 
practice, and will soon be obtainable through 
the usual trade channels. 
The Nipigon River—A Warning. 
New York City, May 1 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Mr. Chambers’ regularly interesting 
letter states in Forest and Stream, for April 27, 
that 7,632 pike and 2,282 suckers were taken from 
the Nipigon River in one year by a man employed 
for the purpose. 
The important thing in this connection would 
be a report upon stomach contents of the pike 
and suckers. My belief is that the pike, if left 
in the river, would have destroyed at one sucker 
per day 2,785,680 suckers in a year, and that each 
one of these suckers destroyed more trout than 
were destroyed by the whole number of pike. 
Suckers are very fond of trout eggs. Pike choose 
suckers for their favorite food in many wafers. 
The pike are found chiefly in the quiet shallow 
waters frequented by suckers, and not by trout. 
I have found trout full of young pike, but do 
not remember ever to have found a trout in the 
stomach of a pike. I have opened the stomachs 
of very many pike (Esox Indus) and have found 
the suckers to be their favorite food. 
Man is the only animal that is able to destroy 
the balance of nature. If pike are to be taken 
from the Nipigon River for the purpose of sav¬ 
ing the trout, the work should be done upon a 
basis of accurate examination of stomach con¬ 
tents. Will Mr. Chambers please get for us a 
report upon the stomach contents of these 7,632 
pike, so that we may know whether the pike 
policeman acted intelligently or upon fear-thought. 
Robert T. Morris. 
For Seven-Inch Trout. 
The bill fixing the minimum length of all trout 
at seven inches was passed by the Connecticut 
House recently after the committee on fish and 
game had reported it back with the recommenda¬ 
tion that it be not passed. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Angling in New England. 
Boston, Mass., May 4 . — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Lake Winmpesaukee, N. H., cleared 
of ice on April 29 and the entire lake is now 
open for fishing. This large body ot water is 
so easily reached from Boston that it is always 
a prime favorite with the fishermen. Many 
parties engage power boats, preferring to troll 
trom them owing to the greater connort over 
small boat fishing. Again, it is much easier to 
cover a large expanse of water by this method 
and that is always desirable. The Weirs, Wolf- 
boro-, Alton bays and Center Harbor are the 
principal points of departure each day. Just 
now a trip to Winnipesaukee means a good 
freezing, as the weather throughout New Eng¬ 
land for the past week has been more like beb- 
ruary than May. Two of the oldest fishermen, 
who are among the first each year to get their 
lines in the water at this lake, are Philip Gokey, 
ol Boston, and Jas. Aiken, of brankhn Falls, 
N. H. Long experience has taught them just 
where the "lakers" are to be found and good 
scores are the rule with them. Iwo- other anglers 
who have left for the lake are Frank W. Bates, 
of Boston, and Walter Scott, of baugus, Mass. 
The former is an old time visitor to these waters 
while the latter is changing over this season from 
Lake Sunapee, where he has gone very regu¬ 
larly in past years. 
11 there is anything good in stream trout fish¬ 
ing in eastern Massachusetts to be had it is 
sure to become known, sooner or later, to Charles 
A. Lane, of Winchester. He is always on the 
lookout, and best of all, when he gets good 
news he shares it with his friends, makes up 
a party and away they go. Mr. Lane heard of 
a new brook last week, bundled three of his 
friends into an automobile and the four started 
off. It proved quite a ride, but they finally 
located the stream in some thick timber run¬ 
ning down from an old dilapidated mill. It was 
swift water, so fast, that standing in waders 
was difficult. It took but a minute for the line 
to run out fifty or sixty feet, and then a hard 
tug, a quick strike and soon another trout was 
lifted off the hook and placed in the fast fill¬ 
ing creel. When the Lane party reached home 
there were trout to spare, as several of their 
friends could testify. 
Joseph A. Longmore and T. H. Jones, both 
of Stoneham, leave next week for a two weeks’ 
fishing trip to Cathance Lake, Maine. Mr. 
Longmore has been devoted to the gun for sev¬ 
eral years and this is his first fishing experience 
of importance. Cathance Lake has a reputation 
for reliable sport. 
Newfound Lake, N. H., has also given up its 
ice burden and several parties are leaving for the 
lake each day. Mr. H. P. Emery, of Worcester, 
returned on Friday last with twelve fish, eight 
lake trout and four salmon. Hackle. 
California Sea Fishing. 
Los Angeles, Cal., April 30 . — Editor Forest 
and Stream: Miss Alice Garlick, of this city, 
while bathing below the long wharf, at Long 
Beach, noticed a round object floundering about 
in the surf just inside the first breaker. The 
surf here is not more than three feet deep, though 
it is some two hundred feet from shore. Miss 
Garlick found it to be a fish of very large size 
which evidently had come in too close and been 
caught by a breaker. At first she grabbed it by 
the tail, but sharp fins cut her hands. Return¬ 
ing to the beach she secured a piece of drift¬ 
wood with which she beat the tuna—for such it 
proved to be—over the nose until it lay dead. 
Then she dragged it ashore where its weight was 
found to be 151 pounds, one of the largest tuna 
ever taken on this part of the coast and rival¬ 
ing those caught in Catalina waters. 
I have fished up and down this coast for the 
best part of twenty years and have never heard 
of a tuna coming so close inshore as this. Even 
its powerful fins and tail were unable to save 
it from the grip of the surf. 
Thousands of small fish, many of them alive, 
and the dead ones all fresh, were cast upon the 
beach here Monday evening, causing much specu¬ 
lation among all who< saw them. Little explana¬ 
tion was offered for the phenomenon, except that 
large fish pursuing schools of small fry drove 
them up on the beach and they could not return. 
Local fishermen are having good luck this 
week. Several big jewfish have been caught by 
outsiders and the rod and reel men along the 
sand and on the wharf are getting baskets, full 
of yellowfin, surf, pompano and an occasional 
croaker. The fishing in the channel, has been 
better than ever known before at this time of 
the year, when the big fish generally do not 
run so well as later. 
Officers of the Catalina Light Tackle Club, 
which has united in the work of furthering the 
interests of the anglers of this section with the 
local rod and reel club, have compiled a table 
showing the allowances to be made for yellow- 
tail and other fish for the rod used. The club 
rewards the user of light tackle by a bonus of 
5 per cent, for each ounce under one pound 
scale by the rod, with a. special 20 per cent, al¬ 
lowance for yellowtail. These are added to the 
scale weight of the fish. The table follows: 
Yellowtail. 
Weight of rod 
(ounces) ... 9 10 
Per ct. credit..55 50 
Gold button 
(lbs. min.)..38% 40 
Silver button 
(lbs. min.). .2914 SO 
Tuna, Albacore 
Weight of rod 
(ounces) ... 9 10 
Per ct. credit..35 30 
Gold button 
(lbs.) .44V 2 46% 
Silver button 
(lbs.) . 331/2 343% 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
45 
40 
35 
30 
25 
20 
41% 
43 
441/2 
46% 
48 
50 
31% 
32% 
331/2 
34% 
36 
37% 
and 
White 
Sea 
Bass. 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
25 
20 
15 
10 
5 
0 
48 
50 
521/2 
54% 
571/2 
60 
36 
371/2 
39% 
41 
43 
45 
Figures for the buttons show which is the 
smallest fish of the varieties named for which 
a button will be issued to the captor of the fish 
indicated. 
A widespread interest in angling with the 
lightest of tackle is being manifested all over 
this end of the coast. Croakers of the spotfin 
variety have been running well in San Pedro 
Harbor, and many fine catches, running up to 
nine or ten pounds each, have been reported. 
Mrs. Walter A. Geft, fishing with a six-ounce 
trout rod from a boat, landed five croakers 
weighing respectively four, five, six, seven and 
two pounds. It is believed that this is the record 
for women anglers, and but few of the many 
men fishermen hereabouts have done so well with 
light tackle. Harry H. Dunn. 
Pickerel in a Tree. 
Fort Dodge, Iowa, May 3 . — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I inclose herewith a clipping from the 
St. Paul Pioneer Press, of April 28, which may 
prove interesting to you as well as your readers • 
‘‘Fergus Falls, Minn., April 27.—William 
Dunn, who' conducts a summer resort on the 
shores of Lake Lizzie, in the northern part of 
this country, has brought to the city a fish story 
that is out of the ordinary, in that it is true. On 
Wednesday of this week Mr. Dunn was attracted 
by the barking of a dog in the woods, and on 
going to- the place, found one of his neighbors 
taking a mink from a hollow log. He split the 
log, and on examining the animal’s nest, found 
four large pickerel, the largest weighing 7 l /\ 
pounds. The fish had been secured from a fish 
trap which had been constructed in a ditch be¬ 
tween two small lakes, and the mink had cap¬ 
tured them and dragged them a distance of about 
twelve feet to its nest. The mink was one of the 
largest ever seen in this part of the State, and 
its pelt wdll be quite valuable. The fish were 
fresh, and the farmer who captured the animal 
took them home and ate them with his family. 
Mr. Dunn says this is the first time he has ever 
known of fish being caught in a hollow tree. ’ 
I have been a guest at the house of William 
Dunn, who vouches for the particulars _ of this 
fish story, and have hunted and fished with him. 
and I feel confident that his word is to- be relied 
upon in all particulars. I regret that I was not 
on the ground at the time when the fish were 
disposed of. as eating fried pickerel cooked by 
Mrs. Dunn is something to be enjoyed and never 
forgotten. C. A. Bryant. 
