620 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Oct. i 7, 1908. 
in camp and we voted it our banner day. “July 
6, 1908, seventeen trout in thirty minutes,” I 
posted in my diary. 
The next day my brother, Dr. S. M. 
Kellogg, of Rocky Ford, Colo., and wife arrived 
and I determined to teach him to use the fly. 
He had never caught one by this method, and 
it may be interesting to some if I describe how 
I taught him. Selecting an open piece of water, 
I stood in the middle of the stream just behind 
him and had him fish up stream. Making no 
effort to have him place his flies carefully upon 
the water, I bent all my energies to teach him 
the movement of the wrist, which, at the 
moment the trout strikes, must give the hook 
that short quick jerk that fastens it securely 
yet does not tear out of the mouth. His great 
error was in jerking too hard, and out of 
eighteen strikes he hooked four and lost them 
all. I was satisfied, however, and knew he 
would master the rest of the game later. I 
only allowed him to cast after the fish was 
sighted, and in this way each time he could see 
his mistake and correct it. 
The next day we went down stream to some 
dark deep pools, and I was gratified to see him 
land seven trout of ten inches and better. Once 
I came upon him and found him playing with a 
big one and not succeeding in getting him to 
rise; he was simply lazy, being too well fed 
and did not have to come to the top, as he was 
getting all he wanted without, so I decided to 
sink my flies, and casting above, let them sink 
until about two inches above him. Slowly they 
floated along, and when near him, he slowly 
and lazily opened his mouth and closed it upon 
the gray-hackle, but just then I struck. No lazy 
trout now! I knew he was well hooked and let 
my brother play him while I went below with 
the net. 
In another pool even this game failed, and 
making my cast directly over the fish, I danced 
my flies on the water until the big fellow, to 
see just what was going on, made a strike only 
to lose his life for this curiosity. In this deep 
pool fishing one must keep well hidden, for if 
the trout sees him, it is like the exposure of a 
photograph film—ruined beyond repair. 
To conclude I will say that I am well pleased 
with the trout fishing of the San Luis Valley. 
1 he natives are of a splendid type, sober- 
minded and hospitable. There are many streams 
better than the one I visited. The Conejos, 
Los Pinos and South Fork of the Grand are 
all well stocked and better adapted for the fly, 
not being so brushy, and the fish running larger. 
I am very thankful to report to my fellow 
readers that in our Leadville hatchery we now 
have a quantity of eggs of the golden trout from 
Volcanic Creek, California, and that the species 
has been named the Roosevelt golden trout in 
tribute to the President for his efforts in saving 
this fish from extinction. It will be interesting 
to watch the growth of the fish when placed in 
our streams and to note the effect of the change 
of waters upon the coloring peculiar to this 
species, it having been claimed that this was 
due to the nature of the soil through which the 
creek ran. J. H. Kellogg. 
All the fish laws of the United States and Can 
ada, reznsed to date and now in force, are given 
in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
Dry Fly-Casting. 
The originators of the contest for dry flies 
arranged the details so that a contestant is re¬ 
quired to cast once at twenty feet without 
touching the water in front of him. He may 
then extend his line and dry his fly by means 
of a series of false casts, letting the fly fall 
the second time on or near the thirty-foot tar¬ 
get; then at forty, fifty and sixty. If the fly 
touches the water during a retrieve, a demerit 
is scored against the contestant equivalent to 
the distance from where the fly strikes to the 
proper target. 
The original intention was to provide, in this 
event, excellent fishing practice, and the theory 
A GOOD ONE. 
Photograph by N. E. Spaulding. 
evidently was that five-ounce rods should be 
used; but it soon became apparent that, in 
order to make creditable scores in all weather, 
the five-ounce rod was too light. Not only 
is it extremely difficult to keep the line in the 
air during the dry casts between the fifty and 
sixty foot marks, but a puff of wind often puts 
the line beyond the control of the caster, and 
if his fly is not blown aside, it is very likely to 
touch the water in retrieving. 
Recognizing this fact, the National Associa¬ 
tion, in formulating rules for this contest, ar¬ 
ranged for the same rods as are used in the 
accuracy fly-casting; that is, under 8 l / 2 ounces. 
These are perfectly adapted to both contests, 
and are superb bass fly-rods as well. 
Attempts have been made in the East to 
change the arrangement of casts in the dry- 
fly event, substituting a series of casts at each 
target instead of only one, but so far the rules 
have not been changed. Fred. N. Peet, of the 
Chicago Fly-Casting Club, now advocates the 
alteration of the National rules so that three 
casts may be made at each distance, 20, 30, 40 
50 and 60 feet, with a demerit of one for failure 
to dry the fly between scoring casts; this in 
addition to the demerit of one scored for fail¬ 
ure to float the fly. 
If this plan is adopted, the element of luck 
will be largely eliminated, for, while it is pos¬ 
sible for one to benefit by a puff of wind—or 
sudden calm—in one or even more casts out 
of the five under existing rules, in fifteen casts 
skill will win every time. A number of anglers 
have endorsed this plan. 
L. E. De Garmo, of the Illinois Bait-Cast¬ 
ing Club, believes that a modification of both 
plans be made in order to provide an event for 
light rods. Recently the members of his club 
tried a contest after the method advocated by 
Mr. Peet, but the targets were placed at 20, 
2 7 / 4 , 35, 4 2 j 4 and 50 feet, and a five-ounce rod 
was used with a yy^-foot leader and a No. 10 
or 12 fly; one dry fly only between scoring 
casts. The scores for the fifteen casts ranged 
from 5 to 20 demerits, showing that excellent 
work can be done in this fashion up to 50 feet 
with rods which are overtaxed beyond that 
distance. Captain Murrell was very much 
pleased with the result, and expressed it as his 
opinion that it was better fishing practice than 
the old method. 
In order that dry fly events may be held by 
all clubs, we would suggest that: (1) the rules 
be so changed that an event of 15 casts at 20, 
30, 40, 50 and 60 feet may be arranged for the 
standard 8 } 4 -ounce rods, and another one with 
SM-ounce rods at 20, 27 35, 42^ and 50 feet; 
or (2) that the arrangement may be optional 
so long as the shorter distances be cast with 
534 -ounce rods and the larger ones with 8 '/ 2 - 
ounce rods. 
Good Bass Ground. 
Chambersburg, Pa., Oct. 3 .— Editor Forest and 
Stream: In one of your midsummer numbers 
“B. R,” of Philadelphia, asked about some 
good bass fishing in the south central part of 
Pennsylvania. I answered him through your 
columns, and advised him to go to the Rich¬ 
mond Dam, at Richmond Furnace, Franklin 
county, Pennsylvania. I spent one day fish¬ 
ing there this season, and my catch, nineteen 
in number, weighed 41 pounds; the smallest 
weighed iJ4 pounds, and the largest 4 pounds 
1 ounce. 
I would like to hear what kind of luck “B. 
R.” had at the place he went to. 
Happy Jack. 
Anglers Give Away Money. 
The committee which had charge of the fly- 
and bait-casting tournament held in July in 
connection with the Olympic Games in Lon¬ 
don has made its final report. There was a 
cash balance of $67.66 on hand after all the 
expenses had been paid, and this was presented 
to the Anglers’ Benevolent Society. Then the 
committee presented a gold watch to J. T. 
Emery, who had acted as its secretary, as a 
token of its appreciation for the efforts put 
forth by him to make the affair a success. 
