Aug. 28, 1009.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
341 
Washington J. Sellers. 
Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 21.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: A few clays ago there passed away in 
this city a sportsman of the old school at the 
advanced age of eighty-six years, Washington 
J. Sellers, father of the present secretary of the 
Pennsylvania Fish Protective Association and 
one of its founders. 
Besides being an enthusiastic and successful 
deer hunter in the days of the old muzzleload¬ 
ing rifle, and when deer were plenty in the hills 
and runways of our State, Mr. Seller was an 
associate of the late Thaddeus Norris, author 
of “The American Angler’s Book.” 
He was also one of the most scientific as well 
as skillful fly-casters in this country, not from 
some splendid artificial reproductions of this 
same moth that had caused such a disturbance 
in the pool, he having—unknown to me—at the 
time quietly gathered a few specimens of the 
natural fly for future dissection, while I had 
been so excitedly and fruitlessly casting. 
Mr. Sellers tied all his own flies and they 
were not only practical, but works of art as 
well. 
While rigidly and consistently a fly-fisherman, 
never using bait in any form, he was neverthe¬ 
less very tolerant of a companion who pre¬ 
ferred at times to use bait, and never did I 
know him to argue this time-worn subject with 
anyone—another evidence of his genuine and 
generous personality. 
He knew most of the trout streams of Penn- 
The officers elected are as follows: President, 
Rev. Ozora Davis, Chicago; Vice-President, 
Allen Hollis, Concord; Secretary, George H. 
Graham, Springfield, Mass.; Treasurer, William 
E. Gilbert, Springfield, Mass. The above and 
Frank F. Hodges, of New York; Ralph F. 
Davis, of Waverly, Mass., and Perley J. Graves, 
of Sunapee, form the executive committee. 
The executive committee will begin at once 
to make plans and to decide on the policy to be 
pursued. It is believed to have the support of 
most of the residents around the lake, and much 
good is looked for from the new organization. 
Nathaniel Wentworth, chairman of the New 
Flampshire Fish and Game Commission, ad¬ 
dressed one of the meetings and told of what 
the State was doing for the lake. He told of 
SCENE DURING THE SALMON FLY-CASTING EVENT IN VAN CORTLANDT PARK. 
a standpoint of tournament casting perhaps, but 
from the standpoint of one who knew most of 
the tricks and ways of,the wary trout and how 
to take them in waters where the average fisher¬ 
man would very often fail. 
As an instance of this I well remember years 
ago when fishing with him one day in the vicinity 
of Henryville, Pa., we approached about dusk 
a famous trout pool. While getting ready to 
cast, the air suddenly became filled with a species 
of small moths, unfamiliar to us both, many 
of which, dropping on the surface of the pool, 
it literally began to boil with the eagerly rising 
trout. I excitedly began casting until quite tired 
and with no results. Feeling a gentle hand upon 
my shoulder, I turned to hear Mr. Sellers quietly 
say: “You can’t get much when they are doing 
that; light your pipe and wait; it won’t last 
long.” 
Sure enough in a short time the flies disap¬ 
peared and the pool became still. After a few 
moments we both began casting and later landed 
several nice fish, Mr. Sellers getting most of 
them, one a very large one. 
Visiting him one evening during the follow¬ 
ing winter, I found him in the midst of making 
sylvania as few others did, those of the Pocono 
region particularly, having fished there forty 
years or more and almost up to the present time. 
Many trout fishermen who frequent this popular 
region knew him if only by reputation, number¬ 
ing among them friends who had never met 
him, those of us who were more fortunate hav¬ 
ing him endeared to us not alone by his splen¬ 
did knowledge of fishing subjects—which all 
conceded—but by his unaffected and kindly 
good nature always and upon all occasions. To 
have spent a winter’s evening with him at his 
home was almost as enjoyable and satisfying 
as a successful day’s fishing on a trout stream 
in midsummer. S. A. E. 
Lake Sunapee Association. 
For the purpose of improving the conditions 
affecting the fishing at Lake Sunapee, two meet¬ 
ings have been held at Blodgett’s Landing, N. 
H. As a result the Sunapee Fishing Associa¬ 
tion was formed. Its objects are “to promote 
the fishing interests of Lake Sunapee, to en¬ 
force existing laws and to secure such further 
legislation in this direction as may be needed.” 
the Pacific salmon that they began to plant in 
the lake in 190.5, when they put in 10,000 finger- 
lings, and since then both the State and the 
United States Commission have put in some 
each year. The result of planting is begin¬ 
ning to show, and during the present season 
some forty of them have been taken from two 
to six pounds. This species of salmon grow to 
an enormous size on the Pacific coast—seventy 
to ninety pounds—but it is not yet known what 
size they will attain in fresh water or how they 
will survive after spawning. In the Western 
waters they die after they first spawn. Fish 
culturists are all watching the result of these 
fish that have been planted in Lake Sunapee 
and he has great hopes of them for the future. 
He told of the good work that had been done 
for the lake by Superintendent Hubbard and of 
the help he had been to the State Commission. 
Lake Sunapee has been getting her share of the 
fingerling fish raised by the State, but out of 
eleven hatcheries that were formerly operated 
by the State only two are now used, and in 
these they raise the fish to a larger size than 
formerly and can get better results than they 
could formerly with eleven. 
