FOREST AND STREAM. 
[ Nov. 7, 1908.] 
| yards of line to one of them, and, when he is 
' on the bank, you will swear that no gilded em- 
| bellishments are needed to designate him as of 
the royal navy and the chief of all officers that 
'rule the waves. G. B. F. 
Australian Anglers. 
• 
The championship of Australasia meeting, 
under the direction of the New. South Wales 
Anglers’ Casting Club, was held at Centennial 
Park, Sydney, on Sept. 12, says the Fishing 
Gazette. The closing event of the meeting was 
accuracy and style with wet flies—three flies 
to be used not less than thirty inches apart on 
dropper links not more than four inches. 
The targets were floating oblongs at 30, 40, 
50 and 60 feet from the platform. 
Dr. Maitland was first to complete, and, in 
spite of the wind, made a remarkably good 
score, almost every cast being perfect. He took 
first place, followed by C. H. Gorrick. The re¬ 
sults were: First, Dr. H. L. Maitland, 163 
points; second, C. H. Gorrick, 145 points; third, 
D. Solomon, 141 points; fourth, F. L. Tompson, 
1 138 points; fifth, H. K. Anderson, 124 points. 
Last week the score stood as follows: C H. 
I Gorrick, 19 points in the championship; Dr. H. 
L. Maitland, 17 points; H. K. Anderson, 16 
points. 
C. H. Gorrick; therefore, holds the Austra¬ 
lasia championship, and is the winner of the 
Usher cup and Eastway Brothers’ gold medal 
with a total of 23 points; Dr. Maitland is sec¬ 
ond with 22 points and H. K. Anderson third 
with 17 points. ( 
As the event was concluded early in the after¬ 
noon, it was decided by the committee to give 
a trophy for the Australasian long-distance 
! record cast. There was a very strong wind 
blowing at an acute angle across the pond, which 
blew the line at times right out among the spec¬ 
tators, and made long-distance casting difficult. 
Several competitors made an essay, but with 
very little success. H. K. Anderson then com¬ 
peted, using Dr. Maitland’s rod, his own long¬ 
distance rod having been left at home, the con- 
j test being extempore, and therefore unexpected, 
j His longest cast was 94 feet 9 inches. C. H. 
Gorrick then took his stand on the platform. 
(Distance not recorded.) As Dr. Maitland’s 
former record was not reached, he decided to 
improve on it, and made the Australasian record 
I take a jump to 102 feet, which, under the cir¬ 
cumstances, was a splendid piece of work. 
Carp and Game Fish. 
Livermore, Iowa, Oct. 31. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I would like a little information about 
the growth of game fish and also how to pre¬ 
pare carp, as I live along the Des Moines River 
where carp are in abundance in the spring, but 
are condemned on account of their muddy 
flavor, although I have heard some say that 
they are O. K. if prepared just right. Will any¬ 
one who has had experience with them inform 
me how to prepare them? 
How long does it take the pike to reach a 
weight of five pounds, the black bass to the 
iweight of three pounds and the channel cat¬ 
fish to the weight of six pounds? What game 
fish is the fastest growing fish? 
Amateur Angler. 
Fishing in California. 
San Francisco, Cal., Oct. 24. —Editor Forest 
and Stream: The open season for salmon and 
steelhead trout commenced Oct. 23. They are 
said to be very plentiful in all the old favorite 
haunts. During the past few weeks there have 
been numerous complaints about the illegal tak¬ 
ing of fish and the fish commissioners have been 
very busy in attempts to apprehend the culprits. 
Commissioners Heacock and Armstrong, with 
headquarters at Vallejo, recently confiscated 
seven sets of nets that they found in Suisun Bay, 
but could not find the owners. The nets were 
valued at about $500. Deputy Fish Commis¬ 
sioner, W. D. Hyde arrested A. Panachi, near 
Benecia, for using a set net to take striped bass. 
Panachi is known as an old violator of the law 
and he managed to unload his net of fish, but 
the evidence was conclusive that it was set. He 
was fined $100. 
David Sachs, a well known local angler, has 
just returned from a trip to the Rogue River 
district and states that the anglers in the vicinity 
of Medford and Gold Hill are contemplating a 
meeting for the sole purpose of arranging some 
plan with the object in view of calling the at¬ 
tention of the Oregon fish commissioners to 
certain dams in the Rogue River over which 
migrating fish are not able to pass. “The Rogue 
River near Bold Bay,” said Mr. Sachs, “is one 
of the finest fishing waters I have ever seen, and 
there is no doubt that were these obstructions 
removed and the large fish given an opportunity 
of reaching the higher waters of the stream that 
there would be a Tush of local anglers to this 
district.” Mr. Sachs is now spending his spare 
time in whipping the Pescadero and San Gre¬ 
gorio lagoons, where he is finding excellent sport. 
Referring to the stocking of streams with 
trout fr}'- that have just parted from the yolk 
sac, Donald McKay, an experienced angler, 
says: “I have watched for many years the re¬ 
sults of stocking the Truckee River with imma¬ 
ture trout fry and I am positive that no good 
has come of it. I have no faith in this thing 
of dumping half inch trout fry in any stream 
or river that contains large trout. I have seen 
the little fry that were planted in the Truckee 
River and other streams eaten up by trout that 
were not more than ten inches in length, and 
were it not for the stock that comes from our 
breeding fish each year, there would not be a 
trout to catch from the plant of artificially-raised 
trout fry.” 
As an evidence of the absurdity of planting 
half inch trout fry in coast streams, all anglers 
can expect as proof of the results accruing from 
ten or more years of stocking with fry is the 
quality of sport they are having. With each 
season the catch of trout grows less, and to 
procure the least measure of pleasure in stream 
whipping, local devotees of the fly must now 
journey long distances away from what for¬ 
merly used to be favorite waters. Local anglers, 
who used to enjoy many good days’ fishing on 
Sonoma Creek when the La Mott fish hatchery 
was in operation, can attest to the fact that the 
fine baskets of trout they lured from that pretty 
trout stream was attributable to the intelligent 
stocking of the stream by Prof. La Mott, who 
is at present superintendent of the fish hatchery 
near Ukiah. Since the discontinuance of the 
fish-breeding establishment near Glen Ellen, 
millions of little trout have been dumped into 
741 
the stream by deputies of the fish commission, 
and if there can be any virtue in this system 
of miniature fish planting, this particular water¬ 
course does not show it. It has been going from 
bad to worse ever since the old trout hatchery 
was discontinued. A. P. B. 
Southern California Angling. 
Los Angeles, Cal., Oct. 31 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Some one has suggested that the Cata¬ 
lina Light Tackle Club change its name to that 
of “Clemente Light Tackle Club.” As argument 
in support of the proposed alteration may be 
cited this year’s list of gold button trophy win¬ 
ners, the captors of yellowtail of forty pounds 
or over on nine-ounce, nine-strand gear. Al¬ 
though the angler is allowed a six-ounce tip 
and any weight of butt he likes, most of the 
experts cling to their nine-ounce rods made to 
fit the Eddy specifications, and most of the new 
rods ordered come within the weight, such of 
them as do not scale six ounces for the Three- 
Six competition. In all, twenty-eight won gold 
buttons at Clemente in 1908. There were gold 
button fish taken in the waters of Santa Cata¬ 
lina Island also, but mostly on heavy tackle; 
one of fifty-two pounds was taken by Gilmour 
Sharp on a nine-thread line. 
In the Southern California Rod and Reel 
Club, a number of the gold star special buttons 
were won on Clemente yellowtail. Smith 
Warren took his on a 45^2-pounder taken, on 
three-six gear. Coomber, Robinson, Goodwin, 
Heinchen, Barron, Elliott, Lefebvre and E. B. 
Dye all qualified for the S. C. R. & R. C. 
trophy when they won their Catalina buttons, 
and this got them two birds with one stone. 
Ed. Winfield and A. S. Smith have qualified 
for the Rod and Reel Club blue button by land¬ 
ing albacore of over 35 pounds. Smith topped 
the limit half a pound and Winfield raised the 
ante for the tournament prize, a fine reel, an¬ 
other pound. 
The principal attraction to rod and reel fish¬ 
ermen here at present is the albacore. With 
the approach of winter, the albacore come in 
from the depths, and may be taken within a few 
miles of shore. The mode of procedure is to 
troll with spoon, jig or bait until a strike an¬ 
nounces the location of a school. Chum, bits 
of cut up salted sardine, is then thrown over; 
the first albacore taken is slashed freely and 
hung awash over the side to drip oil, thus at¬ 
tracting the remainder of the school, which can 
be kept alongside the boat for an hour or two. 
The fishing is exciting enough; big fellows from 
twenty to forty pounds in weight may be seen 
darting about, snapping up bits of chum. They 
lay hold freely and fight determinedly, being 
brought in by the experts in a very few minutes, 
but those who tackle them for the first time 
generally give the fish a chance to “get the 
jump” on them with rather unsatisfactory re¬ 
sults. A long, tedious mill is generally the re¬ 
sult. Albacore can pull like a horse when once 
under headway, but nine-thread tackle will hold 
them down surprisingly if handled properly. 
The Rod and Reel Club has taken up the 
three-six proposition, and will issue cards this 
coming season on all catches. It is possible 
other varieties of fish than' yellowtail will be 
recognized. Edwin L. Hedderly. 
I 
