Sept. 19, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
461 
Fly-Fishing in Muddy Water. 
< Hendersonville, N. G, Aug. 26. —Editor 
Forest and Stream: I am in receipt of a copy 
of the Fishing Gazette of Aug. 15. In it is my 
inquiry through the columns of Forest and 
Stream quoted and a reply to it (“Fly-Fishing 
in Muddy Water”). 
I entirely agree with the writer in much that 
he says in regard to the negro man as a fisher¬ 
man (many are born fishermen) and also that 
not many are George Washingtons. 
I wish to thank him for his information and 
to ask two favors of him. The first that he give 
me his name and address and the waters he has 
caught brook and rainbow trout in when muddy, 
the other that he place himself in direct cor¬ 
respondence with me. He no doubt is a sports¬ 
man. I realize that though I have fished for 
many years and am now fifty-nine years of age, 
I am not too old to learn. 
I know how to “fish with flies” and use very 
many kinds and we have some good fly-fisher¬ 
men here and near here, but have never had any 
sport in our waters with flies in muddy water. 
Personally I have learned much about fish and 
fishing from many sources and believe I have 
found another in this correspondent. 
Bottom lines and seines are used by some who 
go to fish otherwise equipped for fishing and 
report results accordingly, and these are the 
fellows we are after and find hard to catch. It 
is against the law to use seines, hence other 
tackle is taken along. Dynamite also is used, 
but the man I referred to in my letter could 
not have used it because he could not have 
found his fish after killing them that day. 
Another question on this line. Do trout see 
flies on or in really muddy water? 1 have 
caught trout many times with flies in decidedly 
I “off color” or roily water. 
Again I use the bare fly, no bait on hooks, and 
this may make a very big difference on abso¬ 
lutely muddy water. 
Ernest L. Ewbank. 
A Correction. 
Chicago, III., Sept. 9. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: I notice that in your report of the 
national tournament you gave Ray Lum, of 
Kalamazoo, credit for the longest cast, 198 feet, 
in the half ounce distance bait event. There is 
a mistake somewhere, as L. E. DeGarmo made 
this cast. Mr. DeGarmo has glory enough for 
one man, he having won two diamond trophies, 
but at the same time I believe you will correct 
the mistake and give Mr. DeGarmo proper 
credit. H. E. Rice. 
[In the hurry caused by starting the salmon 
i event before the distance bait event was finished, 
and the scramble for shelter when the storm 
broke on the last evening of the tournament, 
mixups were to be expected. Mr. DeGarmo de¬ 
serves credit for his splendid all-round casting, 
for it is seldom one man becomes sufficiently 
expert in three styles of casting to win two first 
prizes and an honorable mention, particularly 
when he takes an active part in the arrange¬ 
ments of a tournament so large as this one was. 
We congratulate Mr. DeGarmo, not only be¬ 
cause of the superb skill displayed by him, but 
on the excellent work he performed as chairman 
•» 
) 
I 
» 
of the publicity committee and a member of 
other working committees. At the same time we 
regret that proper credit was not given him at 
an earlier date. 
This reminds us of something that should be 
considered in future national tournaments. So 
far the sentiment as well as the rules has been 
in favor of giving the prizes in the distance 
bait events for the highest averages in five casts. 
At Racine last year it was suggested that the 
prizes go to those making the longest single 
casts. No endorsement of this proposition fol¬ 
lowed, so the arrangement was not altered. 
This is as it should be. The best average for 
five casts should win the trophy, for it proves 
what a man can do in average work, and handi¬ 
caps the man who makes a long cast occasion¬ 
ally, but breaks lines and suffers from backlashes 
two or three times out of five trials. 
There should be, however, a prize for the con¬ 
testant who makes the longest single cast, re¬ 
gardless of what his average may be. Often 
the most expert caster has trouble in an import 
ant contest of this kind. He may make the 
longest single cast, but average low through the 
breaking of a line, etc. A reward for the show¬ 
ing he makes—and which it must be assumed 
he is capable of duplicating or exceeding at any 
time—is not placing a premium on freak work. 
No man will sacrifice his chances for high aver¬ 
age prize to win a special prize of less import¬ 
ance, although, of course, a freak cast may win 
occasionally. Generally skill will count every 
time. It is not an easy thing to cast well for 
distance on a lawn crowded with spectators. 
One has no mark to aim at, and generally at¬ 
tempts too much. Stage fright affects one here 
if at all, and in his control of rod, reel and line 
he is not at his best.— Editor.] 
Angling in Newfoundland. 
St. John’s N. F., Sept. 5 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: This has been a very poor season for 
anglers. We have had delightful weather this 
summer, bright, sunny days and very little rain. 
We have not had such a dry summer for years, 
and as a result the complaints come from all 
sides that there is very little water in the rivers, 
and that the fish are too sluggish to rise to the 
most seductive lure. I send herewith a few 
clippings which I cut from the papers during 
the early part of the season. 
South Branch.—Mr. J. K. Lewis secured three salmon 
yesterday in Fork Poor, weighing 9, 11 and 17 pounds 
respectively. 
Terra Nova.—Several good catphes of large trout were 
taken here during the last few days. 
Placentia.—Good sea # trout fishing to be had here at 
present. 
One 10-pound salmon was caught to-day by Mr. Fitz- 
maurice. Two 3-pound trout were caught by a young 
lad named Chasson. Mr. T. Townsend got a 25-pound 
and a 15-pound salmon at Grand River, and Dr. Keegan 
captured a 26-pound salmon at Doyle’s. 
A 10-pound salmon and a one-pound trout were caught 
on Thursday at Tompkins by Mr. Lewis. Dr. Keegan 
caught three good salmon at Grand River, one weighing 
20 pounds. He i$ now gone to Fishcell’s brook. 
Messrs. Dudley and Lacelles, of Boston, caught five 
salmon at Crabbs’ yesterday, averaging 10 pounds each 
in weight. 
These are all I have at hand just now, but 
will send more later to give your readers a gen¬ 
eral idea of the fishing to be had, even when the 
season is most unfavorable. 
W. J. Carroll. 
Bass Fishing. 
Fishing for bass in the Delaware River has 
been very unsatisfactory so far this season. The 
water has been low since early in the summer, 
and few bass of goodly size have been taken. 
Several anglers who have passed their vacations 
in the vicinity of Narrowsburg returned home 
with reports of no bass heavier than V/2 pounds. 
Fewer bass than usual have been taken on the 
fly, and one of the most successful lures seems 
to have been a small white enameled spoon and 
a single hook baited with pork rind or with a 
live minnow. Dobsons were successfully em 
ployed at times, but artificial baits alone seem 
to have been unattractive in the very clear water, 
which has been warmer than usual. Catches of 
small bass were made at times, but the com¬ 
plaint seems general that the big fellow’s were 
not to be attracted by any lure. 
There is no immediate prospect for a change 
for the better in the Delaware and the Susque¬ 
hanna, for even if the equinoctial showers, to 
be expected in September, are heavy, still the 
ground is so dry in the hill country that but 
little surplus can be expected in these large 
streams, and they are likely to remain low and 
clear until after the warm weather has passed. 
Newark Bait- and Fly-Casting Club. 
Newark, N. J., Sept. 12.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: On Oct. 3 an interstate tournament 
will be held at Weequahic Park Lake, this city, 
under the auspices of the New’ark Bait- and Fly 
Casting Club. 
It is the aim of the club to make this tourna¬ 
ment second in importance only to the inter¬ 
national tournament of the National Association 
of Scientific Angling Clubs, held at Chicago on 
Aug. 14 and 15. 
Besides trophy cups and medals we are ar 
ranging to distribute a number of merchandise 
prizes to the successful contestants. The events 
will be as follows: One-half-ounce distance bait, 
one-half-ounce accuracy bait, distance trout fly, 
accuracy trout fly, distance salmon fly, surf cast 
ing for distance. 
The first contest will start at 9 o’clock A. M. 
These scores were made in practice Sept. 12, 
accuracy bait, half-ounce: 
Fred T. Mapes. 97.6 97.9 
A. J. Marsh. 97.2 97.11 
L. S. Darling... 97.1 .... 
P. J. Muldoon. 96.4 
Comppen . 95.6 .... 
Bennett . 93.12 .... 
Fred T. Mapes, Sec'y. 
Edible Fish in Japan. 
Kioto, Japan, Aug. 12.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The Japanese, like the Cubans, can 
teach us one thing by example, and that is this: 
Market live fish, not dead ones. In Havana a 
live pango brings double the price of a dead 
one. The same thing is true in Japan, where 
live fish are exposed for sale in the markets. 
The prawn lobsters of this region are excel¬ 
lent. I was born near the sea coast of the United 
States, at Lowell, Mass., and intend to make 
my legal residence there when retired from ac¬ 
tive service in the United States Army. When 
a boy I used to catch lobsters and cook them 
on the beach, and have been eating crayfish, 
Crustacea, langosta and lobster all my life. The 
prawn of this region, misnamed lobster, are as 
good as any product of the Pacific. 
Philip Reade. 
V 
