820 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[May 21, 1910. 
1 
popular, for in it the element of luck is largely 
eliminated. 
In the contests which call. for heavy tackle it 
is often stated that muscle plays an important 
part. The surf event did not show this. George 
LaBranche, who cast 286, 283 and 274 fee 4 
his best three casts, is under medium height 
and very slender, yet in his best cast he equalled 
the best made up to that time in France, Eng¬ 
land and America. 
The distance fly event was the last event. 
It was held after the thunderstorm of Saturday 
in a cold wind that drifted the leaders and lines 
away from the course. The three high scores 
were very close. 
The results in detail follow: 
Event 1, bait-casting for distance with %-ounce weights: 
125-foot Class. 
87 
84 
55 
112 
117 
Average. 
99% 
107 
IOO 
97% 
20 
0 
25 
79 
125 
111 % 
115 
116 
99% 
0 
0 
75% 
57 
73 
George La Branche. 135 
Edward F. lodd- <7 105 
H. M. Horton. 91 106 
King Smith . 31 
Open Class. 
R T Held . 116 120 118 
n y M-h m . an ..:::li II? m 
Event 2, accuracy, %-ounce bait-casting, 
E B Rice ... . e . me 35 S ' H. M Horton, 
j/ Held::.... 45 Harry Friedman 
A. J. .Marsh. °6 
Event 3, distance, trout fly casting with 5-ounce rods: 
70-foot Class. Fee t. 
C H. Doughty. f ' William Watt . 64 6 
E. M. Gill. 72 
85-foot Class. „ 
fj« £4 * 4 = 51 
Tohn Doughty . 79 6 K. J. nem 
E. M. Gill. 75 
Open Class. 
George La Branche. 79 9 R. T. Held......- . 
King Smith . 79 Walter McGuckin... 76 6 
Event 4, dry fly accuracy: This event was £a st under 
the new rules, and with five-ounce rods. The targets 
were pfaced at 20 , 27%, 35, 42%, and 50 feet, three casts 
at each, with at least one false cast between. Demerits 
% 5% 8 4% 19% 
3 3 3% 4 
% 1 % 6 % 8 % 
6 13% 5% 11 
4 10% 10 12 
11 10% 3 16 ' 
R. T. Held. 1 
Walter McGuckin .. 7 
King Smith . 4 
John Doughty . 7% 
N. S. Smith.H 
Terry D. Frazer.H 
20 % 
21 
43% 
47% 
51% 
Fvent 5 was also a new one. Five-ounce rods were 
used and the point was to cast a dry fly as far as pos¬ 
sible fn five trials with five minutes’ time allowance 
King Smith’s score of 67% feet is, therefore, the 
record made at this style of casting. 
Feet. Feet. 
-vr • o*viJ+Vi G7 6 E. "M. Oill. 
George H Branche: 67 R. J. Held. 50 
63 
58 
56 
Perry Frazer . 47 6 
J. L. Kirk. 44 6 
E B. Rice. 
W alter McGuckin.. 
N. S. Smith. 
Event 6 , bait-casting for distance with half-ounce 
weights, five casts, the average to count, in feet: 
125-foot Class. 
Best Cast. Average. 
154% 
141 
122 % 
90% 
63 
C. H. Higby. 173 
H. M. Horton. 
A. R. Hanners.. 
W. H. Zabriskie. 160 
King Smith . 7!) 
175-foot Class. 
Harry Friedman . 168 j[4° ^ 
H. M. Horton. 153 140% 
George La Branche. Ia4 133% 
W. H. Zabriskie. 163 132% 
C. H. Higby . 17] 112% 
A. R. Hanners. 131 79% 
Open Class. 
a t Marsh .. 222 195% 
f b Rice. ::::::. 200 i 82% 
R T Held . 164 180% 
w. j Ehrich.::::.2066 iso mo 
Mr. Marsh’s detailed score follows: 183, 164, 207, 202, 
999 
Event 7, surf casting with 2%-ounce weights, five casts: 
200-foot Class. 
Best Cast. Average. 
.. 286 
249% 
243% 
.. 197 
191 
.. 185 
141% 
.. 165 
104 
Open Class. 
.. 274 
260% 
T? T . 
.. 255 
242 
.. 280 
237% 
.. 293 
231 
.. 256 
243% 
Mr. Rice’s best cast, 293 feet, is an international 
record. The previous record, held by himself, was 286 
feet, made at Asbury Park last year. 
Event 8 , accuracy, 
casts: 
George La Branche.. 
bait, half-ounce weights, fifteen 
Demerits. Ties. 
. 25 5 9 3 
. 25 5 9 7 
John Doughty . 
. 36 
. 40 
. 46 
. 47 
. 55 
C. T. Champion. 
. 93 
R. J. Held, A. R. Hanners and Harry Friedman with¬ 
drew. 
Event 9, trout fly casting for distance, unlimited rods: 
70-foot Class. 
C H Doughty. 86 W. M. Metcalf. 61 
E. M. Gill. 76 
85-foot Class. 
C. H. Doughty. 85 A. J. Neu. 72 
E. M. Gill. 79 6 
Open Class. 
W. J. Ehrich. 98 A. J. Marsh. 87 
C. T. Champion. 97 3 R. J. Held. 81 
Perry Frazer. 97 P. J. Muldoon. 71 
Fred T. Mapes. 91 
Sea Bass at Catalina. 
Avalon, Cal., May 7 . —Editor Forest and 
Stream: The best run of white sea bass ex¬ 
perienced in years has stimulated angling in¬ 
terest greatly of late, the fish being not only 
plentiful and large, but of much more constancy 
in appetite than usual. Some splendid specimens 
are coming in every day. Commodore Conn and 
Dr. Vilas took in nine a few days ago and most 
of them were in the forty-pound class. Nearly 
every boat brings home one or two. 
Another reason for the good fishing for sea 
bass exists beside the use of live bait. This is 
the enforcement of that erstwhile dead letter, 
the anti-net setting law. Deputy Beebe, who 
serves gratis and has been refused his expenses 
by the fish commission, is a zealous officer. He 
arrested a Jap outfit for violating this law and 
secured a conviction; confiscated the net and 
spread a wholesome lesson among the market 
fishermen. The Japs are the worst of all the 
foreigners in violating the California game and 
fish laws. They make a business of it, are so 
crafty in their inscrutable Oriental ways that 
evidence is difficult and a conviction almost im¬ 
possible. Hence all interested desired to see a 
lasting example made of these offenders. What 
was the surprise then when it was learned that 
not only had Mr. Beebe been refused his ex¬ 
penses, but had been ordered to turn back the 
confiscated net. Realizing that this put the means 
for further sub-rosa violation in the offenders’ 
hands and relieved the conviction of half its 
sting, Beebe was chagrined. Such men as he, 
enthusiasts who work for the cause for love 
alone, and work all night if need be, are rare. 
They deserve better than damning with faint 
encouragement, not to say absolute hindrance 
from the only State body that is obligated to en¬ 
force such laws. 
Hard luck fish stories generally deal with the 
whys and wherefores of a lost fish, but here is 
a new one. Simon Spier is the hero of it, and 
he caught his fish. It was a white sea bass and 
weighed forty-nine pounds two ounces. It was 
taken April 30, the day the mid-winter tourna¬ 
ment ended. There were three larger ones en¬ 
tered. so Spier was let out of the medallions 
and other prizes. Had the fish been taken next 
day it might have won everything in its class, as 
it is larger than the sea bass that have won the 
last two or three summer tournaments. Like¬ 
wise, the catch was a day too soon for the Rod 
and Reel Club tournament, and also is bigger 
than any sea bass ever entered in one of these 
events. Furthermore, it lacked fourteen ounces 
of gold button size. Had Spier been using a 
flying fish, the weight would have been increased 
a pound or over. As a complete and all-around 
hard luck story, can you beat it? As Spier says, 
all he got out of it was a pair of ear stones, and 
the fish carried them around in his head, else 
he would not have had that much. 
The winter tournament winners were about 
the same as I announced in my last letter, and 
the event was formally closed at Commodore 
Conn’s dinner the evening of April 30, when 
A. L. Beebe read off the list. 
Mr. Conn’s dinner was one of the rarest gath¬ 
erings of sportsmen ever consummated any¬ 
where. Fifty anglers were present, among them 
some of the most famous big-game fishermen in 
the world. An elaborate feast was spread, com¬ 
prising everything—from Catalina’s piscatorial 
bonne-bouche, sandabs en papillote, to the bot¬ 
tled sunshine of the vineyards of France. The 
talks that followed were not less enjoyable, al¬ 
though nothing of the set order was, offered. 
Mr. Conn was in happiest vein as toastmaster. 
President Charles F. Holder responded to “The 
Tuna Club and Its Future,” Charles V. Barton 
to “The Bum Fisherman,” Dr. Warren N. Vilas 
“The Protection of Game Fishes in Catalina 
Waters,” Col. John E. Stearns “The Ananias 
Angler,” Max Loewenthal “That All Important 
Bait Question,” Thos. McD. Potter “How I Got 
the Tuna,” and a number of guests gave short 
talks in addition. Protection of game fish was, 
in fact, the keynote of the talks. Hancock Ban¬ 
ning, one of the owners of Catalina Island, was 
present and spoke briefly, pledging his company 
to do all in its power toward protecting the ang¬ 
ling resources of the resort. A silver loving cup 
was presented by those present to Mr. Conn. 
Roy Shaver, Edgar Lefebvre and one or two 
others have been trying out their four-ounce 
five-foot rods and seven and a half pound lines 
at Catalina. Shaver landed a thirty-three-pound 
white sea bass, which is the biggest fish that has 
succumbed to the new tackle as yet. This tackle 
may be very closely compared with the typical 
plug bait bass casting outfits in use in the East. 
Very similar methods of angling can be carried 
out here, and as the fish are apt to be found 
in weights up to eight pounds with occasional 
ones heavier, there is a great future for the 
sport. The barbless hook idea is worthy of en¬ 
couragement, as it means escaped fish will soon 
rid themselves of the leader. 
The general trout season, which opened with 
the current month, now permits all kinds of local 
trout to be taken, provided over five inches in 
length, and hundreds of fishermen of every 
known degree of ability or lack of it set forth 
in time to be on the ground May 1. Quite the 
liveliest interest ever shown in trout fishing here 
was manifested. Standing room was at a pre¬ 
mium on some of the streams if one can believe 
the reports of those who returned, tired and 
innocent of fish. 
All told, it cannot be said the sport is any 
improvement over last year, and in most places 
it is not as good. The fish are of small size 
also, very few good ones being reported. Any¬ 
thing over ten inches goes for good here. 
Edwin L. Hedderly. 
