May 6, 1911.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
699 
Fishing Near Home. 
St. Pali., Minn., April 27.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The trout season in these parts opened 
on the 15th. Wisconsin and Minnesota each 
claim a fair share of the north central trout 
distribution, and both maintained their reputa¬ 
tion on opening day and the Sunday following, 
when thousands could get out into the country 
and along the streams and enjoy the art of 
trying to coax trout from under the overhang¬ 
ing banks, piles of brush and from the sunny 
ripples. 
It is encouraging to see the Minnesota sports¬ 
men taking out their licenses for fishing in Wis¬ 
consin, for it shows a wholesome regard for 
the law and a desire to create a fund for the 
stocking of waters. A great many go to Wis¬ 
consin from the twin cities. Almost an equal 
number come from Wisconsin into Minnesota 
at various times of the year. The old saw that 
distant pastures look greenest is just as true 
now as ever, it seems. 
Out from St. Paul there is very fair fishing 
at from five to forty miles. The day before 
the season opened I saw a score of motor cars 
with their trunk racks on behind and loaded 
with tackle and duffle for camping, making off 
into the country for the opening of the season. 
They seemed to scatter as a bunch of quail 
when suddenly flushed. The motor is certainly 
helping the sporting goods dealer and making 
for better health among a class of folks who 
need the pill. Light auto tents are so easily 
thrown into the cars and duffle is so neatly 
rolled into one bundle and given the place of a 
man that a five-passenger car can handle four 
with ease and take the necessary outfit for 
camping. 
Something like ten years ago there was a 
trout hatchery about ten miles from St. Paul 
which was fed by a little spring stream from 
the hills. The stream flowed into Black Dog 
Lake, and in the latter in turn was emptied into 
the Minnesota River. One spring after the 
hatchery was going well, there came a freshet 
which carried away all the trout, depositing 
them in Black Dog, and from there they rushed 
into a dozen other streams, all of which had 
spring-fed origins. The trout found their way 
into all these streams, large and small. They 
run up to spawn and later drop back to the 
deeper waters. There are thousands of nice 
trout in these streams, but owing to bungling 
anglers who tread their banks the fish have 
grown exceedingly wary, and it takes a couple 
of sneaks and a quiet dropping of the hook to 
make them even note the angleworm. 
Six steady and hard fishing sportsmen went 
to Savage, Minn., just a few minutes’ train ride 
from St. Paul and fished these waters hard, 
throwing back the little fellows and retaining 
only the good ones. The banks of the streams 
were walked over all day by others who made 
the trout wild; in fact, poachers and others had 
been driven from these streams by the owners 
for weeks before. Diligent work netted for the 
six trouters fifty-two nice fish. Of the hun¬ 
dreds who left the city none did so well as this, 
according to all reports. 
Good stocking of streams can easily be done. 
It is inexpensive and yields big returns. K. O. 
Warme. for years operating a hatchery at North 
Branch, this State, stocked the streams of his 
neighborhood without charge and they are now 
full of fine trout. The small boy with his 
angleworm will prey on the little ones though, 
and it cannot be stopped unless it is made a 
misdemeanor to be tound with a rod on a 
stream, and this might be construed to be a 
violation of the constitution. But it is true 
that the farmer’s son and the other small boys 
do their share of damage to the streams Num¬ 
bers are what they are after and size does not 
count. Of course at times we all see a man 
who will take the small fish just to make a 
MAY DAY ON THE BROOK. 
showing. The trouble with that man is that he 
generally comes from a class who do not read 
the sportsmen’s papers and get that true spirit 
of the game, which makes it clean and manly. 
Amos Buriians. 
Salmon Rods for Brook Trout. 
Rockville, Conn., April 19.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: Allow me to call to the attention of 
some of your readers a most interesting article 
on fishing. On Sunday, April 16, the New York 
Herald published an article of scintillating bril¬ 
liancy over the signature of one Louis Rhead. 
Among a number of other light and airy quips 
was the following gem: For fishing in the 
Catskill Mountain streams, Prof. Rhead advises 
for trout a fourteen-foot rod, oiled silk line, 
nine-foot leader and three flies! 
One can imagine how the rodmakers will be 
working overtime and sitting up nights to get 
out fourteen-foot rods to fill the demand, and 
there will, no doubt, be a brisk business in the 
good old cane spatting po’es. Unless my memory 
fails me, Prof. Rhead is the same writer who 
in another article some years ago advised that 
the proper way to net a trout was always head 
first, and that the trout should be killed by 
busting his head against a rock. 
I am willing to waive the first question as a 
matter of personal privilege, although 1 still 
persist in netting my trout tail first, but I have 
always seriously doubted the propriety of a dig¬ 
nified angler wading ashore through a boiling 
rip ’ with a little seven-inch fish in order to 
dash its brains out against a boulder. 
I assume that the professor is familiar with 
the usual mountain stream. 1 infer that he has 
occasionally seen a brook trout, but I am won¬ 
dering if he ever really caught one? 
Lou S. Darling. 
[ 1 he remarkable passages referred to appear 
on pages 203 and 204 of “The Book of Fish and 
Fishing,” as follows: 
“Reel up the line as far as possible, even up 
to the six-foot leader; then with the rod lead 
the fish toward the net, which always should 
face the trout; it should go in the net head 
fiist * * * hold it tightly and rap it hard just 
over the eyes on stones * * _ Editor.] 
The Anglers’ Casting Club of Chicago. 
Chicago, Ill., April 24.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: Our schedule for the season 1911 is as 
follows: 
Ma y 7 . June 4, July 9, July 30 and Aug. 27— 
Half-ounce accuracy bait, half-ounce distance 
bait and accuracy fly. 
May 21. June 18. July 16, Aug. 13 and Sept. 10 
—Quarter-ounce accuracy bait, quarter-ounce 
distance bait and light tackle dry-fly accuracy. 
Sept. 24—Reentry day. 
Practice contests start at 9:30 a . m . and 
regular contests start at 10 a . m . sharp. Unless 
at least five members are present to compete 
in any one event it shall be postponed until the 
next scheduled day for that event and cast as 
a re-entry. 
Contests will be held at the northeast lagoon 
in Douglas Park, Chicago. Visitors cordially 
invited to participate. E. M. Town, Sec'y. 
British Casting Club. 
When the members of the British Amateur 
Fly- and Bait-Casting Club met in London and 
held their annual general meeting, all of the old 
officers were re-elected, and Wilfred M. Plevins 
was chosen to fill a vacancy on the executive 
committee. 
Ia its casting the club has decided to use 
quarter and half-ounce weights of the same pat¬ 
tern as those adopted by the American National 
Association, but the 2^-ounce weights are to be 
made of wood and rubber, as heretofore. 
It was also decided to cast the bait as well as 
the fly events on the water instead of on a lawn, 
as in the past. 
An application from the New South Wales 
Anglers Casting Club, of Sydney, Australia, for 
affiliation with the British club, was voted on 
and accepted. 
Efforts are being made to secure casting 
privileges at the Crystal Palace grounds, which 
are much more accessible than the Hendon 
grounds. 
All the fish laws of the United States ami 
Canada, revised to date and now in force, are 
given in the Game Lazos in Brief. See adv. 
