Feb. 22, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
301 
* AN EARLY IDEA OF FISHING. 
This curious old print showing people of California, is reproduced from a plate engraved for Middle- 
ton’s Complete System of Geography, which was printed about the year 1750. 
From the collection of Russell W. Woodward. 
make them so, be careful that you do not raise 
a sliver at the enamel edges, and in removing 
it destroy the perfection of the glue joint. 
Turning the grooved block over, take up your 
strips for the tips. Even greater care is neces¬ 
sary with them, for they run so small at the tip 
end that the least error will ruin one. Use the 
gauge frequently. Do not be satisfied with a 
fair strip; make it perfect. Keep in mind the 
fact that you cannot use the rod for several 
months, anyway, and that a day more or less in 
finishing strips will not matter. 
I have said split cane rodmaking is both diffi¬ 
cult and simple. If you will be careful and 
patient, the difficulties will be overcome. Could 
anything be more simple than this little block 
of hardwood, which you can carry in your 
pocket, and which'is easily made, yet is in fact 
a mold for all the strips of your rod? Despite 
all the advances in toolmaking and in labor sav¬ 
ing devices, some of the most expert, rodmakers 
use this little hand-made block of wood. 
By the time you have finished the six strips 
for the tip of your rod, you will have acquired 
great respect for the six-inch block. In a block 
the full length of a strip the tendency of the 
latter to roll is very aggravating, but in the 
short block this is greatly reduced, although 
not entirely overcome, it being difficult to hold 
even this short length against rolling when the 
enamel side is convex. 
It must be understood that one set of grooves 
will serve for a long one-piece rod, for one part 
of a two-piece rod, or for one part of a three- 
piece rod, provided their number and depth are 
properly regulated. The angle for all is the 
same, and the notches in your steel angle gauge 
will be correct for testing all strips. 
There are many other methods employed in 
beveling and tapering strips, as I said before, 
but the simplest one is given here, for if the 
beginner is confronted with a complicated sys¬ 
tem involving planes fitted with bevel blocks, ad¬ 
justable “shooting boards,” taper gauges and 
protractors, he cannot be blamed for shying 
from this interesting branch of rodmaking. 
Amateur Rodmaking. 
Hollywood, Cal., Jan. 2 7.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have read the articles on rodmaking 
with much interest. I have tried my hand at 
the same work a great deal; cannot say it has 
been an unqualified success. I generally “bulled” 
myself into thinking my productions w'ere quite 
the best I ever used, but looking at them in the 
light of more mature experience I feel bound to 
admit that the factory products were more sym¬ 
metrical, better balanced and more perfect tools, 
as well as cheaper in the end. There is the 
sentiment of making them and using the pro¬ 
duct of one’s own handicraft which may be a 
remnant of the prehistoric instinct that taught 
early man to fashion his rude bricoles and other 
forms of fish gorges, as well as to cut a stout 
sapling whereunto his line might be made fast, 
that greater leverage be brought into play so 
as to aid in securing the fish. Incidentally I 
would rather catch a fish with a rod I had made 
or shoot a duck with one of my own hand-loaded 
shells than with the factory product any time. I 
imagine the rank and file of the sportsmen army 
follow the same rule. 
Edw. L. Hedderly. 
Anglers’ Meetings. 
The first annual dinner of the Newark Bait- 
and Fly-Casting Club was held the night of Feb. 
11 in Newark, N. J. It was attended by nearly 
100 members and their friends, and was marked 
by great enthusiasm in the work this young 
club has arranged for the coming season, not¬ 
ably fish and- game protection as well as fly- and 
bait-casting. 
The Newark club is remarkable for the num¬ 
ber of experts in amateur rod and tackle mak¬ 
ing among its members. Even the programme 
and menu cards were from copper plates en¬ 
graved by a member—A. Jay Marsh—and other 
members told of the progress they were mak¬ 
ing with rods which they will use in fishing and 
tournament casting this year. They are very 
much interested in the proposition to prevent 
the pollution of New Jersey streams and restock 
them with trout and bass. 
Among those who addressed the diners were 
the following: President George A. Endersby, 
“Welcome”; Charles T. Champion, “The New¬ 
ark Bait- and Flv-Casting Club”; C. Wilbur 
Tuttle, “Fish and Game—a Sport, an Industry”; 
Perry D. Frazer, “The National Casting Tour¬ 
naments” ; Edward F. Duffy, “Legislation”; 
Joseph F. Murphy, “Just Fish”; P. J. Muldoon, 
“Salmon Fishing with a Pitchfork”; Mr. King, 
a series of funny stories; Fred T. Mapes, 
“Something.” 
Milwaukee, Wis., Feb. 11. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: The Milwaukee Casting Club held 
its annual banquet and meeting to-night and 
elected H. C. Mullen President, M. A. Beck, 
Vice-President; C. A. H. Fortier, Secretary- 
Treasurer; A. F. Bingenheimer, Captain, and 
B. J. Kellenberger, member of the executive 
committee. 
H. Wheeler Perce, president of the N. A. S. 
A. C., addressed the members on the subject of 
“Fish and Game Propagation and Protection.” 
C. H. Washburn and J. R. Dishington, of Racine, 
were among the speakers. 
Casting contests will be held during the com¬ 
ing season on the lake in Washington Park. 
M. A. Beck. 
Chicago, Ill., Feb. 4. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: At the annual meeting of the Chicago 
Fly-Casting Club, held Feb. 10, officers were 
elected as follows: President, John Hohmann; 
Vice-President, W. T. Church; Secretary-Treas¬ 
urer, Geo. A. Davis; Captain, O. J. Loomis; 
member of Executive Committee, O. E. Becker; 
representative to the National Association con¬ 
vention, Geo. A. Hinterleitner; member of the 
Executive Committee National Association, W. 
T. Church. Mr. Thos. Ambrose entertained the 
club with a beautifully written paper on fly-fish¬ 
ing for salmon in Norway. Geo. A. Davis, 
Sec’y-Treas. 
Casting Tournaments. 
The tournament committee of the Illinois 
Bait-Casting Club of Chicago, which will man¬ 
age the annual tournament of the National As¬ 
sociation of Scientific Angling Clubs, has fixed 
on the dates Aug. 14 and 15 next. The events 
tentatively agreed on are as follows: Salmon 
and single-hand fly-casting for distance; accu¬ 
racy fly and dry-fly casting; quarter and half 
ounce bait, accuracy; and half-ounce bait, dis¬ 
tance. Seven in all. 
A special feature that will interest novices is 
this: In every event except the salmon cast¬ 
ing, a valuable prize will be given to the con¬ 
testant who makes the highest score, but who 
has never won an important prize in any na¬ 
tional tournament. He cannot, however, take 
more than one prize in any event, but may 
choose between the special and the first prize. 
