May 2, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
701 
almost contiguous its entire length. Difference 
of opinion regarding the most convenient loca¬ 
tion is therefore quite to be expected. 
Separate and quite distinct from the prize 
tournament of the Southern California Rod and 
Reel Club is its button tournament which also 
opens May 1 and offers two kinds of buttons 
as rewards for catches of unusual size in the 
various classes. A nine-thread line and rod of 
not to exceed io t /2 ounces are insisted upon, and 
the weights are put so high that but few will 
be apt to qualify. Many can fish in both com¬ 
petitions, however. The button class calls for 
a fee of $1, and a man using tackle to conform 
to it can qualify easily in the prize competition 
also. Those who use the six-thread line and 
six-ounce rod, therefore, are eligible for all the 
trophies offered by the club in any of the three 
classes. This is expected to prove something of 
an argument in favor of the delicate gear, which 
probably will be used by most of the experts 
simply because of its sporting possibilities, re¬ 
gardless of the prizes. Edw. L. Hedderly. 
Rhode Island Fishing Notes. 
Providence, R. I., April 19 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: A few days of warm weather 
and the trout fishermen will be more happy, yet 
some good sport is being had under unfavorable 
conditions, the Paine and Hemlock brooks yield¬ 
ing last Tuesday to M. C. Clark and Henry H. 
Horton a ten pound lot of speckled trout. 
Salt water fishermen are getting in their work 
early with good results on flatfish, particularly 
at- Warren, Rocky Point and off Nayatt, Ling- 
meadow, Deep River, Greenwich Bay, Sabin’s 
Point Light and also as far up as the beacon 
Pawtuxet. The largest specimens were caught 
on the Warren River, some that tipped the scales 
at four and one-half pounds being brought in. 
The most successful bait at present is the clam 
worm. 
Palmer’s River above the Warren bridge gave 
peculiar sport last week where eels were taken 
both by spearing and with hook and line, an 
illustration of the way winter methods still hang 
on and work well with the slippery fellows who 
still stick to the mud and are slow in coming 
out. 
Ben Burbank, one of the fishing authorities 
and believers in signs, gave an inquirer some 
interesting data recently when asked about the 
prospects and time for tautog, a favorite with 
the bay fishermen: 
“The fish come around about the same time 
each year,’’ said he, “and the best indicators 
are the signs the Indians used to go by when 
they fished for them. Pm going out for tautog 
now, as dandelions are in bloom in Barrington. 
That’s the Indian sign for tautog fishing here. 
When the oak leaf buds open enough to show 
the crow’s foot, then is the time that tautog 
fishing is at its height. It is always right, too, 
from my observations. 
“The blooming of the lilacs indicates for me 
that it is time to gc{ out my tackle for striped 
bass, and that is another good old Indian sign 
that is a true one. Squeteague come to Warren 
about the 20th of June each year, and it doesn’t 
vary two days either way when the first one 
is caught here. The fishing then lasts good until 
frost. Occasionally we hear of them being 
caught in One Hundred-Acre Cove, but they are 
usually the smaller run of fish.” H. 
Opening Day for Trout. 
Sayre, Pa., April 20.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The Pennsylvania trout season opened 
April 15 with a slashing rain deluging most sec¬ 
tions where trout fishing worth while is to be 
found. Here and there were localities in which 
the anglers were astir sufficiently early to fill 
their creels before the storm in its worst aspects 
drove them to shelter, but on the whols and 
considering the conditions generally it was a 
decidedly ill natured day and imposed many 
grievous handicaps upon the men amply 
courageous to cope with the existing circum¬ 
stances. 
However, your real angler is likewise a phi¬ 
losopher, given to accepting disappointments 
quite as placidly as he entertains the exultation . 
of victories won, and so few complaints were 
circulated. 
Possibly Allentown anglers, who were early 
abroad, 400 strong, captured a greater number 
of large trout than were taken elsewhere in the 
State on the opening da)'. A majority of these 
big ones were taken from the Little Lehigh 
A FIVE-POUND BASS. 
Caught in a Pennsylvania -Lake last season. 
Creek, into which, about a month ago, the rain 
caused a heavy overflow from Col. Trexters 
trout ponds, and with this overflow went, sup¬ 
posedly, several thousand fish, thus furnishing 
the 16 inch and 17 inch trout referred to by 
local papers. 
Charles Slingluff, of Morristown, from one 
of the local streams, caught a two-pound brook 
trout, while numerous other Morristown anglers, 
among them Judge Aaron S. Swartz, caught 
twelve to sixteen trout each, the latter number 
being Judge Swartz’s score. 
At Pollstown, L. D. Showalter made the 
record catch, getting into the game at daybreak 
and returning at breakfast time with fifteen 
splendid trout. Good streams around Pottstown 
are Rock Run, Mill Creek and French Creek, 
the latter a practically new trout stream or pos¬ 
sibly an old stream restocked. 
At Pottsville, Morris Saylor, from Tumbling 
Run Valley, took ten 14-inch trout, and many 
other Pottsville anglers did almost equally well. 
Despite the heavy rainfall that prevailed at 
Bellefonte and vicinity nearly all day a large 
number of fishermen were abroad, and the big¬ 
gest catch reported consisted of thirty-two trout, 
and from Logan’s Branch a 19-inch trout was 
taken. 
At Bethlehem, it is stated, many anglers re¬ 
mained up all night in order to get to the 
streams early, and fair catches were uniformly 
reported. Favorite streams about the historic 
old city are Monocacy Creek, Nancy Run, 
Sancon Creek, Bushkill Creek, Little Lehigh, 
Cedar, Spring and Jordan Creek. 
Shenandoah anglers were out in force, and 
considering the prevailing weather conditions 
scored fairly good creels of fish, a 22-inch trout, 
caught by a foreigner, topping the notch for 
size. Excellent catches are promised local and 
visiting anglers from Shenandoah streams. Com¬ 
ing to White Haven, Wilkes-Barre and Towanda 
anglers were found with all sorts of luck and 
numbers of trout, and it is the sure word of 
prophecy that from .the streams reached with 
these and other nearby towns and cities as bases 
of operations, plenty of good trout may be taken. 
In Lycoming county, with Williamsport as the 
chief center of activities, the season opened with 
great promise and some fine catches were made, 
Muncy, Lycoming and Loyalsock creeks furnish 
ing the best results. In two hours' angling C. 
W. Harder caught twelve California trout from 
Muncy Creek, the average length being twelve 
inches G. W. Pcpperman, from Hagerman’s 
Run, took twenty-seven trout before noon, and 
several other anglers took a goodly number of 
fish of nice size. 
Several Sayre fisherman from streams in 
Bradford and adjoining counties caught a few 
trout, but a heavy rain, which swept intermit¬ 
tently across this section of country, ruined the 
sport effectually for the day. 
April 16, the opening day in New York, awoke 
with a broad smile of sunshine which prevailed 
throughout the day along the southern border. 
But in the face of this sunshine a biting wind 
snarled and slashed across the hills nibbling 
with disagreeable ferocity at one’s ears, and 
driving through heaviest woolens with the pene¬ 
tration of a December gale. Notwithstanding 
these untoward conditions many enthusiastic 
anglers from Sayre and nearby New York State 
towns were at the peep of day dropping angle 
worms into favorite streams. Snow banks 
crouched uncomfortably in secluded fence cor¬ 
ners and shady hollows, and along sunless hill-. 
sides, and overcoats, winter caps and mittens 
were conspicuous furnishings of the average 
angler who braved the rigors of the day. Never¬ 
theless it was a good day to be prowling forth, 
for it was an appetizer and offered opportunities 
for observation usually denied in later days. 
From streams about Candor, Speedsville, 
Slaterville, Harford Mills. McClean, Owego, 
Cortland, Enfield, near Ithaca, come reports of 
fairly satisfying catches of trout, and from 
which may be evolved the promise of most ex¬ 
cellent sport presently. M. Chill. 
A Centenarian Angler. 
There died at Pwllheli, in Wales, recently, 
William Williams, who celehrated his one-hun- 
dreth birthday last year, and who not only fished 
for trout almost daily in season, but tied his 
own flies. To reach the free trout stream in 
which he fished, it is said he walked three and 
one-half miles, and seldom returned without a 
fair creel of fish. 
