FOREST AND STREAM. 
[May 9, 1908. 
>40 
fully its equal in a sporting way when fished 
for with a nine-thread line. This is the yellow- 
fin tuna (Thunnus maculatus), classified so by 
Gmelin, I Believe. The prospect of landing a 
blue tuna was never better than fair; but in 
their season, the yellow-fins are so plentiful that 
a good catch is almost a certainty. 
When practicable, it is always better to buy 
one’s outfit on the ground where the dealers 
are familiar with local conditions, and can sup¬ 
ply both the proper goods and advice worth 
heeding. Southern California is particularly 
favored in this regard, for some of the finest 
stocks of fishing tackle carried anywhere in the 
country are to be seen in the Los Angeles stores, 
and the island merchants all handle high-class 
gear. This saves the angler the trouble and risk 
of transporting his rods across country and as¬ 
sures him an equal start with the resident 
anglers in the matter of equipment, which to 
judge from the outfits purchased in the East, is 
an advantage peculiar to outfitting here. Such 
miscellaneous assortments of piscatorial junk 
as are brought to Catalina by visiting anglers 
suggest that they have fallen foul of some enter¬ 
prising tackle clerk who has unloaded upon 
them a large share of his stock of unadaptable 
goods. 
By waiting until arrival upon the scene of 
action, the Eastern-angler surely will save him¬ 
self a couple of hundred dollars at the least. 
Educated by the erroneous articles that have 
appeared in many of the sporting magazines, to 
the belief that a pike-pole and a sort of hand- 
windlass are required in the daily fishing at 
Catalina, he will surely find himself with a lot 
of useless impedimenta on his hands, for nowa¬ 
days the man who uses larger than a nine-thread 
line at Catalina, except for the big basS, is looked 
down upon as a novice. The nine- and six- 
thread lines are all the “go,” and the black 
bass caster with his six-foot, five- or six-ounce 
rod will find himself less out of his element 
than the old-fashioned heavy tackle man. 
Some even bring silk lines to Catalina, not 
knowing that the salt water rots them in one or 
two days’ use whatever the care bestowed in 
drying them. Ten minutes’ talk with any of the 
local or Catalina dealers will be time well in¬ 
vested in point of actual saving. 
Many have asked for suggestions regarding 
clothing for wear in the Catalina fishing. The 
matter may be dismissed in a few words. Often 
the mornings are sharp enough to make 
sweaters comfortable, and for all-round service 
nothing excels khaki or stout moleskin, but 
the dampness has a tendency to make these 
fabrics stiff and slimy when fished in much. 
A loose suit of tweeds or covert goods is not 
only comfortable, but presentable. This last 
factor does not bother the resident anglers as 
much as it does the visitors. What they insist 
on having is all stock and no style when fish¬ 
ing, for at best it is a slimy game. A pair of 
bib and tucker overalls come in handy at times. 
One seldom takes a severe cold from a wet¬ 
ting in sea water, doubtless owing to the 
medicinal properties contained in solution, but 
a trip back from a chase after the tuna out into 
the channel sometimes means a drenching in 
spray and a chilling to the bone that is anything 
but an addition to the sport, even if seldom at¬ 
tended with serious consequences. Those who 
can tolerate flannel underclothing (I cannot, 
for one) will no doubt find it of excellent service. 
The climate at Avalon probably cannot be ex¬ 
celled anywhere. The yearly variation is as 
nothing; the bay is sheltered from all winds but 
northeasters, of which the average is not to ex¬ 
ceed one or two a year. The hills store up heat 
in the day and radiate it off at night, and as they 
all but encircle the pretty little town that nestles 
so comfortably at their feet, the result is a series 
of balmy evenings that suggest the far-famed 
climate of Algiers. Well do I remember a full 
moon that rose out of the eastern sea one night, 
flooding the little fishing town with its soft 
radiance, bathing every building in a mellow 
flood of molten silver, subtle enough in its effect 
to infuse sentiment into the soul of a blind man; 
for these are some spectacles that can be felt 
as well as seen. Hard indeed must he be in 
whose heart those moonlight nights at Avalon 
arouse nothing of romance, or leave behind 
them none of that memory that fades only when 
all material things have passed. 
Edw. L. Hedderly. 
Anglers’ Club Tournament. 
The rules and list of events of the third annual 
fly- and bait-casting tournament of the Anglers' 
Club of New York, which will be held on the 
Harlem Mere, noth street and Fifth avenue, 
Central Park, New York city, May 14, 15 and 
16, are as follows: 
Extracts from the rules: 
Rule 1. All contests shall be governed by 
two judges and a referee. In case of disagree¬ 
ment the referee shall decide. 
Rule 2. In the events comprising any tourna¬ 
ment given under the auspices of the N. A. S. 
A. C., professionals will not be permitted to cast 
except in such events as may be provided for 
them. 
Rule 3. All persons competing shall pay an 
entrance fee of $1.00 for each event. 
Rule 5. The leader and fly or lure in each 
contest must be intact at the time of record by 
the judges, and the length and weight of the rod 
must be recorded. 
Rule 8. After the contestant has taken his 
place on the stand, which is a platform not more 
than eighteen inches above the surface of the 
water, his time shall be counted from the 
moment he says “ready,” and the first cast 
thereafter shall count. The longest cast during 
the eight minutes succeeding the word “ready,” 
shall be taken as his record for distance. 
Rule 9. All trout and bass fly-rods must be 
held in one hand, and shall not exceed eleven 
and one-half (11H) Ret in length. 
Rule 11. Trout flies on hooks no smaller 
than No. 12, old scale, shall be used, unless 
otherwise specified. Leaders, which must be of 
single gut, shall not be less than six (6) feet 
in length, nor exceed the length of the rod by 
more than two (2) feet, unless otherwise specified. 
Rule 12. No time will be allowed in case of 
accident. 
Rule 15. When the method of casting to be 
employed is specified in the rules governing an 
event, no other style than that designated, will 
be allowed. 
Rule 16. In all events where the weight of 
the rod is limited, an allowance of three-quarters 
of an ounce shall be made for a solid metal 
reel seat, or three-quarters of an ounce for an 
independent handle, provided such handle and 
butt joint of the rod are each made with the 
usual metal ferrule and the rod, exclusive of the 
handle, is made in three pieces joined by metal 
ferrules. But when a rod combines both a solid 
metal reel seat and an independent handle an 
allowance of one (1) ounce will be made. 
Rule 19. In all single-handed bait-casting 
events the loss of the weight after the arm is 
raised shall constitute a cast, but not be scored. 
Rule 20. A cast made with click or drag on 
shall constitute a cast but shall not be scored. 
LIST OF EVENTS. 
Thursday, May 14, 10 A. M.—Event 1. 
Amateurs only. Open only to those who have 
never cast more than 150 feet in any similar 
contest. Five casts shall be made overhead 
with a half-ounce weight, to be furnished by 
the committee, the longest cast to count. No 
limit to weight of rod or line, bust cast must be 
made from a free running reel. 
Event 2, 11:30 A. M.—Trout fly-casting for 
distance. Amateurs only. Open only to those 
who have never cast more than 75 feet in any 
club or tournament contest. Weight of rod and 
length of leader unlimited. 
Event 3, 2 P. M.—Single-handed bait-casting 
for distance. Amateurs only; Five casts shall 
be made overhead with a quarter ounce weight 
to be furnished by the committee, the longest 
cast to count. 
Event 3, 4 P. M.—Salmon fly-casting for dis¬ 
tance. Open to all. Weight of rod and length 
of leader unrestricted. Rods must not exceed 
15 feet in length. 
May 15, event 4, 9 A. M.—Bait-casting for 
accuracy. Amateurs only. Fifteen casts shall 
be made overhead—five at each of three buoys 
—60, 70 and 80 feet from casting-point; quarter- 
ounce weights. For each foot or fraction of a 
foot that the weight falls from the 'buoy 'cast 
at, a demerit of one shall be counted, the sum 
total of such demerits, divided by fifteen shall 
constitute the per cent. 
Event 5, 11 A. M.—Open to all. Conditions 
the same as the preceding event, except that the 
weight used is a half-ounce, and that the buoys 
are placed at 60, 80 and 100 feet from the cast¬ 
ing point. 
Event 6, 2 P. M.—Dry-fly casting for ac¬ 
curacy. Amateurs only. Weight of rod un¬ 
limited, but leader must be at least half as long 
as the length of the rod. 
Event 7, 4 P. M.—Trout fly-casting for dis¬ 
tance, 5-ounce rods. Amateurs only. Leader 
must not exceed length of rod by 2 feet. 
May 16, event 8, 9 A. M.—Single-handed bait¬ 
casting for distance. Open to all, half-ounce 
weight, otherwise same as event No. 3. 
Event 9, 11 A.. M.—Trout fly-casting for dis¬ 
tance. Open to all. Weight of rod and length 
of leader unrestricted. 
Event 10, 1 P. M.—Two-handed salt-water 
casting for distance. Open to all. Five casts 
with a 2 j 4 -ounce weight. Rods must not be 
less than 6 feet in length. Casts to be made 
from a free-running reel and with a line of 
sufficient strength to lift a dead weight of 15 
pounds one foot from the ground. 
In all events cups shall be given to first and 
second, except in the last event, where a cup 
will be given to third. Merchandise prizes will 
also be given. 
