>At the annual business meeting of the Na¬ 
tional Association of Scientific Angling Clubs, 
held in Chicago the night of August 14, two 
papers of importance were read. One was the 
report of E. P. Sperry, Chairman of the Com¬ 
mittee on Protection and Propagation of Game 
Fishes; the other was the report of the Com¬ 
mittee on Standard of Sportsmanship, read by its 
chairman, Charles C. Elliott, of the Fox River 
Valley Bait-casting Club, Elgin, Ill. Mr. Sper¬ 
ry's paper was printed in Forest and Stream of 
September 5; Mr. Elliott’s paper follows: 
The anglers comprising the Committee on 
Standard of Sportsmanship appointed by H. 
Wheeler Perce, President of the National Asso¬ 
ciation of Scientific Angling Clubs, are mostly 
fresh water anglers. They have, therefore, in 
considering the subject of angling sportsmanship, 
treated it from the viewpoint of the anglers for 
fresh water game fish. The fish of this country 
generally known as game fish between the Atlan¬ 
tic and Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico to the 
Arctic are trout of the many varieties; black 
bass, large and small mouth; pike, commonly 
called pickerel in the West; pickerel of the East; 
muskellunge, wall-eyed pike or pike-perch; sal¬ 
mon and grayling. 
Many of the States have in their fish laws 
wisely specified a size and quantity limit on both 
! game and other edible fish. 
Every angling sportsman should know the law 
of his own State or the district in which he vis¬ 
its for angling and keep strictly within its limits. 
Furthermore, we believe that if the State has not 
in its laws specified a size and quantity limit, the 
angler should of his own free will do so and 
confine himself to that limit. 
Most States have recognized the necessity of a 
closed season on fish during their breeding peri¬ 
od, and when they have not we believe the angler 
1 should do so and by precept and educational 
effort finally bring about a reasonable closed 
season governed by statute law. 
Were it not for the fact that the spoils of ang¬ 
ling are as a rule useful food, the practice of 
killing fish as a matter of pleasure would drop 
into disfavor, as should the killing of any of 
God’s harmless creatures in wantonness. We 
believe that the main thought of the angling 
sportsman is the pleasure of days spent on the 
lake and stream; the taking of fish in a sports- 
manlike manner being an incentive to indulge in 
the benefits of the days from the cares of busi¬ 
ness. 
Recognizing these facts, we believe in using 
such tackle as will give the maximum amount of 
sport and at the same time give the fish a reason¬ 
able chance to escape in a fair fight. Tackle 
should be as light as will be consistent with the 
foregoing suggestions. 
Rods ten feet six inches in length and under, 
and of seven ounces and under in weight, either 
for fly, bait or lure fishing, are sufficiently pow¬ 
erful to kill any of our fresh water game fish 
except salmon and muskellunge. The sportsman 
who confines himself to such rods will add much 
to the pleasure of angling, as fish are killed by 
the strain of the rod, the reel being used for the 
convenient control of the line. In the matter of 
reels the angler will always follow his own 
fancies. 
Lines and leaders should be as light as pos¬ 
sible, consistent with the kind of angling to be 
done. 
We believe the angler should confine himself 
to the use of not over three hooks at one time, 
either used singly on leaders, as commonly prac¬ 
ticed in fly-fishing, or in a gang as used on spoon 
hooks or other spinning lures, or in any com¬ 
bination that may suit the ideas of the individual 
JUST AS THE TROUT BEGAN TO RISE. 
From the Woodward Collection. 
angler. There is a growing tendency among 
anglers to confine themselves to the use of a sin¬ 
gle hook, and we heartily encourage this spirit. 
We strongly condemn as unsportsmanlike the 
use of any lure or device which carries a multi¬ 
plicity of hooks in gangs. The sportsman will 
have no place in his outfit for such devices. 
We believe in the use of artificial baits or lures 
rather than natural as a matter humane, expedi¬ 
ent and convenient. Few anglers impale a live 
minnow or frog upon a hook, to say nothing of 
some higher forms of animal life, without some 
qualms of conscience. In waters where minnows 
and other live bait are constantly taken they be¬ 
come scarce and the fish are deprived of that 
much natural food. The convenience of lures 
will appeal to the sportsman, and they are gener¬ 
ally sufficiently effective. 
When a fish is taken from the water it is out 
of its element and should be promptly killed or 
transferred to a live box. The practice of string¬ 
ing fish and dragging them through the water, 
either from a boat or when wading, generally 
results in drowning them and puts them in an 
unfit condition for food. A fish that is killed by 
striking him a sharp blow on the head and then 
bleeding him, aside from the humane feature of 
such treatment, will be found in better condition 
for food if carefully packed away in a creel 
among grass. Undersized fish should be un¬ 
hooked and returned to the water in a careful 
manner. One of the best known fish culturists 
of this country has made the statement that the 
handling of a trout with dry hands results in a 
fungus growth upon the fish wherever the hand 
touches. It would seem, therefore, a good plan 
to wet the hand before removing an undersized 
fish from the hook. 
In the disposition of the catch, the sportsman 
will see that his surplus fish are distributed in 
such a manner that they will be used. While the 
custom of distributing one’s surplus catch among 
friends is a good one, the sportsman will not 
use this as an excuse for killing a larger number 
of fish than the laws allow or that is consistent 
with good sportsmanship. 
Angling is very commonly spoken of as the 
gentle art. The spirit of kindliness, fraternalism 
and good fellowship continues among the craft 
in this strenuous day and age the same as in the 
days of that gentle and beloved master, Izaak 
Walton. It is not unlikely that the same spirit 
prevailed among the fishermen companions of 
that great Master of Men who preceded Walton 
by many generations. It being desirable and con¬ 
sistent with a high standard of sportsmanship 
that the spirit be fostered and encouraged, every 
angler should do his part toward it. 
As the boy of to-day fishing for sunnies or 
minnows is the future angler for game fish, it 
behooves us to pay some attention to his pis¬ 
catorial education. Boys are susceptible to sug¬ 
gestions, and pains should be taken to instruct 
them in the use of good implements of the craft 
and to particularly discourage among them waste¬ 
fulness of their little catches. 
Anglers will give their fellow sportsmen, who 
are deserving, kindly assistance in locating fish¬ 
ing waters that are desirable; will suggest to 
them correct methods and baits; lend them as¬ 
sistance in getting them out of difficulty by the 
breaking or loss of tackle; they will not en¬ 
croach upon the rights of others either by fish¬ 
ing on preserved waters without permission or 
by intruding on other anglers who are occupying 
public water which is desirable. The feverish 
haste to get ahead of an angler on the stream to 
reach a supposedly good hole before he does is 
the height of angling discourtesy. 
Courtesy among anglers should be of the same 
quality as will be met with in all gentlemen. 
The angler, while insisting upon his rights, will 
be equally careful that he does not interfere with 
the rights of a fellow angler. 
Charles C. Elliott, Chairman. 
THE CAMPER’S FRIEND. 
Pure Milk is desirable wherever you camp. 
Borden’s Eagle Brand Condensed Milk always 
opens up perfectly fresh, pure and satisfactory. 
It is the first item thought of by the veteran 
camper.— Adv. 
