Aug. 8, 1908.] 
221 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Light Tackle. 
New York, July 25 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: From time to time I have read with 
interest Mr. Hedderly’s comments on Catalina 
fishing. These and the series on light tackle 
by A. J. Eddy, which you published several 
months ago, show that the Avalonians and the 
transient anglers in those waters are following 
better methods than obtained in the days of 
the big tuna, and that bona fide light tackle may 
come into use there, as elsewhere, in time. 
I cannot help smiling over the confidence with 
which Mr. Hedderly praises the three-six out¬ 
fits a few of the anglers have adopted this 
season. He seems to think the work done with 
them is marvelous. 
The fact is that the six-ounce rods used with 
six-thread lines are equal in weight and length 
to the present day bait-casting rod of the fresh 
water black bass fishing fraternity. Possibly 
the tips are a trifle stiffer; that is all, if one 
may judge from description only. But a quarter- 
ounce added to a five-foot tip makes a great 
difference, it being remembered that short bait¬ 
casting rods average very closely one ounce to 
every foot of length. If anything the weight is 
under rather than over, and the handle, with 
its ounce or so of metal, is included. 
The actual weight of the bamboo alone in a 
hexagonal rod is a deceptive thing. For ex¬ 
ample, the three joints of a thirteen-foot grilse 
fly-rod weigh less than eight ounces, all fittings 
included, while the independent handle, with its 
cork double grasp, brings the total weight up 
to fifteen ounces. A heavy fly-rod xi y 2 feet 
long, which weighs 12 ounces, has exactly 754 
ounces of Tonkin cane in it, and a Calcutta rod 
of the same length and dimensions, but a little 
lighter, has only 6]4 ounces of cane in it. A 
554 -foot bait-casting rod, weighing 554 ounces, 
has less than three ounces of cane, and it has 
landed many heavy bass and pike. A io-foot 
trout fly-rod was cut down to 954 feet, two 
inches of cane being taken out of each joint, yet 
these three pieces did not weight 54 ounce. 
I have a six-strip bait-casting rod which 
weighs slightly less than six ounces. It is 5 J 4 
feet long and consists of an eight-inch handle 
and a tip slightly over five feet long. The reel- 
seat is German silver and the ferrules are very 
heavy. The core is greenheart one-half inch in 
diameter, covered with pine under the reelseat, 
and with a cork grasp. It is powerful enough 
for any bass or mascalonge, and I am confi¬ 
dent it would kill a record yellowtail if used 
in the manner followed at Avalon. 
When you come right down to hard facts, a 
little slender wand of split bamboo is a mighty 
difficult thing to break. With every increase of 
1/128-inch in its caliber its power increases at 
a wonderful rate, while its weight rises very 
slowly. 
While I believe the nine-ounce rods now 
being used at Avalon are more practical when 
it is conceded that a fairly large reel is needed 
to hold a sufficient length of nine-thread line, 
the possibilities of the six-ounce rod are greater 
than many anglers may think. But the outfits 
used at present need changing—until rod, reel 
and line may all come under the classification 
of light tackle. As I understand it, the six- 
ounce rod and the six-thread line are evenly 
balanced, as it were, in strength; but the reel 
used is too large. The angler depends too much 
on the length of line and a powerful reel, and 
not enough on the whole combination. Let him 
complete his outfit by using an ordinary bait¬ 
casting reel, one that will hold a little more than 
100 yards of six-thread line. This will be bona 
fide light tackle, for it will compel him to kill 
his yellowtail on the rod and not with either 
line or reel, as at present. Then a record yel¬ 
lowtail will be a prize worth remembering, for 
it must be killed on that true angler’s weapon, 
the rod. Gray Drake. 
Black Grunt in New York Bay. 
Brooklyn, N. Y., July 30. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: A friend of mine on Staten Island 
asks me to report the capture by Staten Island 
fishermen in pound nets in the bay behind Sandy 
Hook of what seems to be a rare fish in these 
waters. The fishermen have caught three speci¬ 
mens this season, one of which my friend identi¬ 
fied by the United States Fish Commissioners’ 
report as the flasher, triple-tail or black grunt. 
The report states that only four of this species 
have been caught since 1873. The fishermen 
have never seen specimens before, one of whom 
claims to have fished all the way from Labrador 
to Florida. The last specimen caught was about 
twenty inches in length with a clearly defined 
triple tail; weight, 554 pounds. 
J. K. Hand. 
[The black grunt is not very common in the 
waters it inhabits, from the West Indies south 
to Buenos Ayres, hence it is not remarkable 
that the fishermen in question were not familiar 
with the specimen secured by them. Occasion¬ 
ally various southern fishes stray northward in 
mid-summer.— Editor.] 
Little Talks about Fly-Fishing. 
Sullivan County, N. Y., Aug. 1. — Editor- 
Forest and Stream: It would be a good idea 
if all anglers who fish a stream frequently 
would contribute a small sum to a fund for re¬ 
stocking. If a few thousand yearlings were 
brought from the State hatcheries every year 
and placed in the stream with good judgment, 
there would soon be a fair stock of trout. 
There are not so many fish as there were two 
years ago. 
It is, comparatively speaking, an easy matter 
nowadays to keep up a large stream, even if 
it is hard fished. I wish there were more long, 
deep pools on these rivers. Trout soon become 
shy in quiet water and are harder to delude. 
Then the big pools hold fish through drouths 
and hot weather and serve as refuges for the 
large trout. The latter become wonderfully 
keen in the matter of self-protection. About 
ten years ago a wide, rather shallow pool on 
the Neversink held two enormous trout whose 
behavior was amusing and exasperasting. 
They usually lay near the lower end, and by 
careful stalking might be approached within 
casting range. But drop a fly on the water, 
be it ever so lightly, and they fled as if the devil 
was after them. They paid no attention to 
midges with finest drawn gut, but even these 
had to be very carefully manipulated. The 
slightest bungle in the cast and they were gone. 
We fished for weeks that summer, trying to 
inveigle an old corker which was always at 
home, and enjoying two bitter disappointments. 
The first time there was no barb on the hook 
and the second it lost its hold at the last 
moment, just when victory was about to perch 
upon our rod. The old sinner did not get scared 
and fatigue himself by wild rushes or leaps. 
He just kept away near the other shore, and at 
last allowed us to tow him slowly down stream. 
He looked fine sailing through the clear water, 
but it was not so agreeable to see him swim¬ 
ming slowly back to his hole, after he had re¬ 
covered his liberty. 
I always think of this trout as an “old he,” 
but he may have been a her, and should have 
been described as an “it.” The grammatical 
construction of fish stories is not always of the 
best. Theodore Gordon. 
Old Papers Wanted. 
A correspondent asks for copies of the Ameri 
can Angler, issues of May 19 and June 2, 1883. 
If any of our readers have a file of this old 
journal, and will sell or loan the copies re¬ 
quested, we will see that good care is taken of 
them if sent through this office. If, however, 
access can be had to these issues in any library, 
information to that effect will be appreciated. 
Illinois 
Bait-Casting 
Club 
Chicago, Ill., 
July 
27 .—Edito 
r Forest 
and 
Stream: The scores made in our club contest, 
July 25 , were as follows: 
One-quarter-ounce, accuracy: 
Score. r— Re-entries-^, 
Wm. Stanley . 
.... 99.6 
98.7 
97! 6 
A. D. Whitby. 
.... 99.2 
98.3 
N. C. Heston. 
.... 98.3 
97.8 
W. T. Jamison. 
.... 98.3 
98.0 
97.7 
L. E. De Garmo_ 
.... 98.5 
97.8 
98.8 
W. II. Ball. 
.... 98.3 
.... 
A. Wagner . 
.... 98.2 
96.4 
97 .'8 
O. C. Wehle. 
.... 97.8 
97.9 
W. O. Van Treese.. 
.... 97.6 
95.1 
E. A. Humphrey... 
.... 97.9 
96.5 
T. E. Amann. 
.... 97.9 
97.7 
E. H. Matthews. 
.... 97.8 
97.0 
C. P. Clifford. 
.... 97.5 
96.2 
W. W. McFarlin ... 
.... 96.5 
95.2 
B. Greenwood . 
.... 95.8 
...» 
H. E. Rice. 
.... 96.5 
J. P. Mohan. 
.... 96.3 
93.7 
A. G. Berg. 
.... 90.2 
.... 
Visitors: 
Mr. Crompton . 
.... 97.6 
.... 
H. A. Newkirk. 
.... 93.5 
.... 
Mr. Winteringham 
.... 98.4 
.... 
P. F. Taft. 
.... 94.3 
.... 
One-half-ounce, accuracy 
Score. 
Re-entries— 
Wm. Stanley . 
.... 99.0 
99.2 
A. D. Whitby. 
.... 98.1 
97.4 
N. C. Heston. 
.... 98.0 
97.0 
W. J. Jamison. 
.... 97.2 
98.2 
L. E. De Garmo. 
.... 97.9 
98.9 
A. Wagner . 
.... 97.9 
98.3 
97! 7 
O. C. Wehle. 
.... 97.0 
98.1 
W. O. Van Treese. 
.... 97.6 
98.4 
97.1 
E. A. Humphrey... 
.... 98.0 
93.1 
T. E. Amann. 
.... 98.4 
98.0 
E. H. Matthews_ 
.... 9S.6 
97.6 
C. P. Clifford. 
.... 97.2 
97.6 
W. W. McFarlin... 
.... 95.9 
95.6 
B. Greenwood . 
.... 97.1 
H. E. Rice. 
.... 93.1 
.... 
D. R. Linder. 
.... 94.9 
A. G. Berg. 
.... 93.2 
. '. . . 
T. M. Schroeder- 
J. N. Ranney. 
.... 97.3 
Visitors: 
G. A. Hinterleitner 
.... 97.3 
I. IT. Bellows. 
.... 97.7 
Mr. Crompton. 
H. A. Newkirk. 
Mr. Winteringham . 
.... 98.4 
P. F. Taft.. 
Mr. Kempfer . 
_ 94.9 
Accuracy, fly: 
Wm. Stanley . 
N. C. Heston. 
W. J. Jamison... 
98 3-15 
97 12-15 
96 10-15 
L. E. De Garmo. 98 14-15 
J. D. Jones. 98 8-15 
Visitors: . . „ 
I. H. Bellows_ 99 6-15 Winteringham 98 o-lo 
H. A. Newkirk... 95 3-15 
Wm. Stanley sets a new high mark in the 
accuracy bait events, breaking his own previous 
records with 99.6 in one-quarter-ounce and 99.2 
in the one-half-ounce. H. E. Rice, Sec’y. 
