502 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
r 
[April i, 1911. 
he wanted to go most any way only toward the 
boat, and it seemed like maybe I was going to 
get tired out before the fish did. They said he 
must be a big fish, and when at last I got him 
close enough so we could see him, he sure was 
a monstrous big fish. They were afraid I would 
be awkward about getting the fish in the boat, 
so one of the men took hold of the line to lift 
the fish in, and just as the fish was lifted clear 
above the water, the line broke, and that fish 
sunk down out of sight—and I have never seen 
or heard a thing of that fish since.” 
O. H. Hampton. 
Fishing in Florida. 
Red Bank, N. J., March 25 . —Editor Forest 
and Stream: It is unfortunate that the best fish¬ 
ing is not to be had in Florida in the tourist 
season, the months of January and February. 
March 1 usually marks the beginning of the rush 
for home and business. While many remain 
over the month of March, they constitute the 
minority. As a rule the fishing along either 
coast in January is poor. If the weather is par¬ 
ticularly favorable it shows considerable improve¬ 
ment in February, as it did this year, but fishes 
have their runs, as wildfowl have their flight, 
which are not wholly controlled by local weather 
conditions. The fishing also seems to vary in 
places by seasons. Some fifteen or more years 
ago I used to regard New Smyrna as one of the 
best locations on the East Coast for winter fish¬ 
ing. Large channel bass, sheepshead, drum and 
sea trout were abundant. For the past two 
years I am informed that the winter fishing 
there has been practically nothing. 
I went south earlier than usual the past winter, 
the 4th of January. At that time there was 
nothing doing at Sarasota where I wintered. 
About the 1st of February, or perhaps a little 
before, channel bass or red fish, sea trout, 
cavallia and sheepshead began to be caught in 
fair numbers. About the 15th of February the 
first Spanish mackerel came in the bay, almost 
immediately followed by a few bluefish, but up 
to the time of my leaving the West Coast, Wash¬ 
ington’s birthday, the fishing for neither mackerel 
nor blues was good. The kingfish were expected 
to arrive off the passes about March 1 to 15. 
From one to five miles off the beach large 
red and black grouper and quantities of Cuban 
grunts can be caught at any time in quiet 
weather. The groupers live or feed about the 
patches or reefs of coral rock which have to be 
found to catch the fish. The fishing is in about 
thirty to forty feet of water and furnishes fair 
sport with rod and line for a change. The run 
out from the hotel is made easily in an hour, 
and about two hours’ fishing often fills the barrel. 
While I have never remained at Sarasota late 
enough to try for tarpon, I am satisfied it is one 
of the best and most conveniently located places 
for that kind of fish. The tarpon season is be¬ 
tween May 15 and July 1. The fishing grounds 
are off and in the passes or inlets connecting 
Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The Big 
Pass and the New Pass are from two and a 
half to three miles west of the town, which is 
on the mainland and is about fifty miles south 
of 1 ampa. It is the present terminus of a 
branch of the Seaboard Air Line, although the 
road is being extended south to Venice, about 
twenty miles. There are two hotels and ample 
fishing facilities for the number going there for 
tarpon, though both were overtaxed during 
February. 
It is a striking fact illustrative of the develop¬ 
ment of railroads in the South, that good tarpon 
fishing grounds may be reached one night and 
two days out from New York. In regard to the 
cost of a tarpon trip front here for a period of 
two or three weeks I estimate it at about $300, 
which would cover transportation, hotel bills, 
boat livery and incidentals. T. H. Grant. 
Trout Fishing in North Carolina. 
Linville Falls, N. C., March 24.— Editor 
Forest and Stream: The trout in this region 
have found new and stronger protection than 
they have hitherto enjoyed. The State Legisla¬ 
ture, just adjourned, has passed a very strict fish¬ 
ing and hunting law for this county, Burke, that 
includes the best fishing of Linville River—all 
the canon—and the trout filled Steele’s Creek, 
Upper Creek and Cranberry Creek. The law 
IN TROUT TIME. 
makes it a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of 
not less than $25 or imprisonment or both to 
fish or hunt on the lands of another without 
written permission of the owner or lease holder. 
Wardens are given power to make arrests with¬ 
out warrants. This law covers all the fishing 
ground under the jurisdiction of the Ripshin 
Fishing Club of Morganton, which has leases on 
the creeks named, and the Linville River Fish 
Protective Association, which controls all of Lin¬ 
ville River Canon and much of the river above 
the falls where the gorge begins. Both these or¬ 
ganizations have regular wardens and the regu¬ 
lations were well observed last year, especially 
on Linville River. This law will make it more 
binding and easier to enforce. It will stop hunt¬ 
ing in season and out except with the permis¬ 
sion of landowners. The law at the same time 
prohibits shooting quail, squirrels or rabbits be¬ 
tween Feb. 1 and Nov. 15 of each year. 
Inquiries are already coming from Northern 
anglers who want to come here to fish or hunt. 
To all such I would say that the season here is 
not so far ahead of New York as one might 
think, because of the elevation, nearly 3,500 feet. 
There is no hunting whatever here before Nov. 
15 and no fishing before April 15, when the 
spawning season is about over. Late April and 
all of May are the best, unless it may be Sep¬ 
tember and early October. Rainbow trout fish¬ 
ing is good, however, all summer and until No¬ 
vember. Good strings have been taken with flies 
on Nov. 30 in Linville Canon. 
Frank W. Bicknell. 
Kansas City Bait- and Fly-Casting Club. 
Kansas City, Mo., March 25. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: At a recent meeting held in this 
city we decided to unite all of the casters in one 
club instead of having two ciubs as we have had 
in the past. 
With this end in view the Kansas City Bait- 
and Fly-Casting Club was recently organized 
with the following officers: President, E. M. 
Meier; Vice-President, N. F. Noland, Secretary 
and Treasurer, E. G. McLean; Captain, J. W. 
Bramhall; Directors, W. L. Rock, F. B. Robin¬ 
son, C. H. Cheney. 
This new club is composed mostly of mem¬ 
bers of the old Kansas City Casting Club and 
certain members of the Kansas City Anglers’ 
Club who take an active interest in bait and fly¬ 
casting. We are hoping to make this a banner 
year in the casting game here in Kansas City, 
and this club hopes to be able to send a large 
squad to the National Association meet next fall. 
The schedule of events for the coming season 
follows: 
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, KANSAS CITY BAIT AND FLY¬ 
CASTING CLUB—SEASON, I9II. 
April 2—Practice at Rock’s. 
April 16—Regular, at Troost, half-ounce, dis¬ 
tance fly and accuracy fly. 
April 30—Regular, at Troost, half-ounce, dis¬ 
tance fly and dry fly. 
May 14—Regular, at Troost, quarter-ounce, 
half-ounce, distance fly and accuracy fly. 
May 28—Regular, at Troost, quarter-ounce, 
half-ounce, distance fly and dry fly. 
June 11—Regular, at Troost, quarter-ounce, 
half-ounce, distance fly and accuracy fly. 
June 25—Regular, at Troost, quarter-ounce, 
half-ounce, distance fly and dry fly. 
July 9—Regular, at Rock’s, quarter-ounce, half¬ 
ounce, distance fly and accuracy fly. 
July 23—Regular, at Rocks, quarter-ounce, 
half-ounce, distance fly and dry fly. 
Aug. 6—Regular, at Rock’s, quarter-ounce, 
half-ounce, distance fly and accuracy fly. 
Aug. 27—Regular, at Rock’s, quarter-ounce, 
half-ounce, distance fly, and dry fly. 
Sept. 3—Regular, at Rock’s, quarter-ounce, 
half-ounce, distance fly and accuracy fly. 
Sept. 17—Regular, at Rock’s, quarter-ounce, 
half-ounce, distance fly and dry fly. 
Tournament squad practice, at Troost, will take 
place on July 16, 19, 26, 30 and Aug. 2, 9, 13. 
Quarter-ounce and half-ounce events, ten casts 
each. 
Accuracy fly, rods under 8^2 ounces, fifteen casts. 
Distance fly, rods under 8ounces, scratch. 
Distance fly, rods and under 7 ounces 5 feet 
allowed. 
Dry fly, rods under 7 ounces, five casts. 
Members in order to be entitled to a club 
average must participate in at least six quarter- 
ounce events, eight half-ounce events, eight dis¬ 
tance fly events, four accuracy fly events and 
four dry fly events. Medals and awards of merit 
will be given after the season’s events are over. 
E. G. McLean, Sec’y. 
