22 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Jan. 4, 1908. 
is fractured, but the strength of the rod is but 
little impaired, and turning the rod so that the 
break comes on the sides, leaves it in good shape 
for further use, if the point where the strip is 
fractured be wound with silk and varnished. 
Our English friends, succeeding only fairly 
well in making split cane rods, have resorted to 
double built rods, to steel cores, and to winding 
in double spiral form with ribbons of steel, but 
while these methods are moderately successful 
with them, the result is to overload the rod, mak¬ 
ing it top heavy or logy. Sectional views of 
these are shown in Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive. 
In America not much attention has been paid 
to steel centers or steel whipping for rods. One 
firm makes a steel center rod, and another one 
winds both wood and split bamboo rods with 
copper or bronze ribbons in much the same man¬ 
ner employed abroad in winding with double 
spirals of steel. I have one of these metal- 
whipped rods, and must say that it has merit, 
for with it a fly can be cast very prettily in 
trout fishing, and it is no doubt strong, but to 
one accustomed to an ordinary split bamboo it 
has an action which, while pleasant, is peculiarly 
its own. Without wishing to disparage these 
methods of strengthening rods, for my own use 
I prefer plain whipping with narrow bands of 
fine silk at intervals of three-fourths to one and 
one-half inches, and believe these are sufficient 
for any rod of the class generally made in the 
United States. 
As previously stated, attempts to strengthen 
rods by winding them solidly with silk have 
Hexagonal cane rod, steel wire Hexagonal cane, 
center and steel tube center. double built. 
been made here during the last half century, but 
while it is claimed for these rods that they sel¬ 
dom break and will withstand severe strain, I 
would not advise the amateur to attempt solid 
winding. Rods wound solidly with silk on a 
machine are bound in all places with equal pres¬ 
sure, and if this winding gives strength, as 
claimed, the strengthening medium is uniform. In 
winding by hand you will at first lay the silk 
on with the greatest tension you can exert, but 
it is tedious work, and after a few minutes your 
fingers will begin to cramp and ache and you will 
wind less carefully. When you stop to rest the 
tension is relaxed, then you resume with vigor, 
and so on until the long contract is finished. The 
result must be that the silk is wound so tight 
in places that it will cut into the wood when 
the preserving medium causes it to shrink; else¬ 
where there will be loose spots, followed by tight 
places—anything but uniform winding, giving 
you a soft rod. 
In this way you may defeat your purpose, yet 
never know where the real fault lies. Ten to 
one the wood will be given the blame, as being 
poor, and you may try the same thing with an¬ 
other rod, to be again disappointed. 
All the fish laws of the United, States and Can¬ 
ada, revised to date and now in force, are given 
in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
Fishing in California. 
San Francisco, Cal., Dec. 21. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: The heavy rains of the past two 
weeks have swelled all of California’s streams, 
and more particularly those of the northern bay 
counties. The downpour filled the Russian River 
and its tributaries bank full. The sandbar, which 
had been formed across the mouth of the stream 
by the early rains, was washed out to sea when 
the first waters of the flood reached it, and the 
tide waters of the Pacific were once more per¬ 
mitted to enter. 
Devotees of steelhead fishing can now figure 
on some good fishing as soon as fine weather 
sets in again. Steelheads have been gathering- 
just off the Russian River bar for some time, 
and judging by the number of sea lions feeding 
in that locality the fish are very numerous. 
Paper Mill Creek does not seem to be getting 
its share of steelhead trout this year, though it 
is possible that the sudden rise of that stream 
may induce the fish to put in an appearance. 
Steelhead fishing this winter, however, seems to 
be rather uncertain and the whereabouts of the 
fish is never known until some fortunate fisher¬ 
man succeeds in landing one of the prizes. 
Sportsmen who fished in Paper Mill Creek last 
Sunday had but fair success and that only with 
quinnat salmon. 
From the Santa Cruz Mountains reports are 
heard of improved fishing. Apparently the 
flood waters from the creeks in that district 
have found their way well out into the ocean, 
and the fish in crossing these currents have 
turned their noses up stream. 
fig. 7. 
Steel-ribbed split-bamboo rod. 
Around San Francisco Bay rock cod and bass 
have been the quarry of the anglers, and some 
very good catches have been made. In the 
sloughs bass have been running well. As a rule 
the fish have been fair sized and game and the 
sport has been superior to that enjoyed a few 
weeks ago. 
President George Stone and his associates on 
the State Fish and Game Commission are much 
gratified over the large take of salmon eggs that 
is being furnished from the egg collecting sta¬ 
tions of the Federal Bureau of Fisheries on 
Battle Creek, Mill Creek and Baird Creek on 
McCloud River. The summer run at Baird was 
the largest ever taken, being about fourteen mil¬ 
lion eggs. Ten years ago three to four million 
was considered a good take. For the season 
there has been upward of seventy-five million 
eggs taken, and it is believed it will reach ninety 
million. 
It was thought at first that the change in the 
salmon law, giving fishermen one week longer 
of open season, would affect the number of eggs 
captured at the collecting stations, but the re¬ 
sults have allayed all fears on that score; in 
fact, it is believed the number collected would 
have been even larger if it had not been for 
the unusually late rains which left the streams 
low with the result that eggs were deposited on 
the beds of the larger bodies of water rather 
than in the smaller streams as would have been 
the case if the usual early November rains had 
appeared. 
The fish commission has recently added a new 
hatchery building, making four in all, at its 
Sisson station. Fifteen years ago one small 
building was sufficient to handle all the eggs 
that could be collected. To-day the capacity of 
four buildings is scarcely enough to meet the 
demands, which are continually growing. A new 
electric lighting plant is also being installed, the 
[lower for operating which is derived by the 
water supply furnished to the hatchery grounds. 
A. P. B. 
An Afternoon Off. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Early fall, or from September to the middle 
of October is an ideal time to be at the sea¬ 
shore. Following the torrid heat of the sum¬ 
mer months, as the sun swings lower and lower 
FIG. 8. FIG. 9. 
Eighteen-strip rod, and method of forming each of the 
three-piece strips. 
with each succeeding day, the air takes on an 
added freshness, and the glories of a northern 
Indian summer put to shame the summer days 
that are past. The ducks begin to come, and the 
blackfishing is at its best. The first are not 
only more plentiful, but for the table are worth 
twice as much as the little fish caught in dog 
days. 
There is one thing, however, about these 
beautiful fall days that is an objection to one 
who is obliged to work for his daily bread. It 
is very hard to set yourself at your daily task 
and be interested in your labors when the air 
is soft and balmy, the sea smooth, and your 
boat lies idly at her moorings with a box of 
bait hanging over the stern. To tell the truth, 
I began to wish it might rain, or snow, or do 
something to spoil the fishing. So many good 
days nearly drove me crazy when I knew I could 
not get away. You read so much nowadays 
about people dying from overwork that it is 
just as well to be careful, and I had read and 
thought so much on the subject, that I was 
afraid I would be the next victim, and it did 
seem a hard way to leave this world. 
One morning, when I was in this frame of 
Continued on page 33. 
