May 16, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
I was so anxious to show that fish to Grimes 
with its bright colors that I fished faster than 
usual, and you should have seen him look at it! 
Then he wanted to see one jump. He did not 
have long to wait. Just at the base of a large 
rock in the hillside is an elegant pool, and as 
the flies danced over the ripples, there was a 
flash, and a brown trout leaped clear out of the 
water, but failed to connect. As the day grew 
old, we met at the bridge and counted our catch. 
We had a total of sixteen brown trout and two 
brook trout, ranging from 7 to 1 y / 2 inches. 
Not so bad; Appy, with worms, having taken 
thirteen; I, with flies, 5, and Grimes—well, he 
only wanted to see them jump. Just as I was 
replacing the trout in the basket, I noticed 
rather an amused smile of satisfaction on his 
face, and a far-off gaze. I asked him what he 
was thinking of, and he said that if any one had 
told him there were such fish on this portion 
of the stream that had been abandoned years 
ago as a trout stream, he would have laughed 
at them. He is convinced that they are the 
fish for the streams of days gone by. And 
judging by what he saw of those that got away, 
he thinks we will have to use heavier tackle if 
we want the large ones. S. D. J. 
The London Casting Tournament. 
Mr. R. B. Marston, chairman, has sent us 
advance proofs of the eleventh international fly- 
and bait-casting tournament to be held on July 
9 and 10 next in the Stadium of the Interna¬ 
tional Sports Exhibition at Shepherd’s Bush, 
London. Space in this week’s issue can only be 
given to a brief mention of the programme, 
which, however, will be reviewed in these 
columns later on. 
The committee says there are two theories 
upon which the programme and regulations of 
such a tournament may be built: (1) That fly- 
and bait-casting is a sport by itself, to be pur¬ 
sued with implements and methods constructed 
for itself; (2) that the implements and methods 
to be used shall be such as are employed in 
actual fishing. The committee believes the for¬ 
mer has met with a full measure of popularity 
in the United States, but concludes that, even 
at a sacrifice of comparison of records, the time 
has come to give the second theory a fair trial 
and see whether it is not better adapted to the 
genius of the British people. 
Rods and tackle, therefore, must be owned 
by the casters, and the committee will “discour¬ 
age mere casting sticks.” 
T he competitions which will be open to all 
are: Salmon fly, switch casting barred; salmon 
fly, switch casting; trout fly; same, light rod; 
trout fly, switch casting. 
Amateur events will be: Trout fly, accuracy 
and style with wet fly; trout fly, ambidextrous; 
trout, dry-fly for accuracy and style; trout fly, 
accuracy at a target placed under a bush; trout 
fly, May fly, distance and style. Also a num¬ 
ber of bait-casting events, the weights to be 3-16, 
Vi, and 2 14 ounces respectively. 
There are twenty-three events. The time is 
from 11 A. M. to 6 P. M. each day. This will 
call for rapid-fire work on the part of the man¬ 
aging committee. 
The conditions call for “fishing” rods and 
tackle, but in the May fly and distance trout fly 
events, for example, rods may be 11^2 feet long 
and weigh 1% ounces per foot. Fancy an Ameri¬ 
can fishing with a fly for trout and using a rod 
feet long and weighing nearly 13 ounces. 
It is often said our 10 and 12-ounce tourna¬ 
ment fly-rods are not fishing rods, but it now 
seems that we have fancied they were heavy 
rods. 
In the distance events the aggregate of the 
best three casts will be counted. This is to be 
regretted, for such figures are meaningless and 
comparisons of results unnecessarily complicated. 
Experience in this country has taught tourna¬ 
ment managers to score either the best cast out 
of five; the best single cast in a given time; or 
the average of five casts. The American Na¬ 
tional Association last summer declared in favor 
of the average of five casts in all bait distance 
events. 
Information Asked For. 
Philadelphia, Pa., May 2. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Your issue of May 2 contains a photo¬ 
graph of a five-pound bass “caught in a Penn¬ 
sylvania lake last season.” I have caught bass 
in the lakes of New York, New Hampshire and 
Massachusetts, but have never had much success 
with lakes in Pennsylvania and would be glad 
if any of your readers could tell me of any 
mountain lake in Pennsylvania where I could 
be reasonably sure of success in this line, and I 
would gladly reciprocate by giving them my 
experience in above States. B. R. 
New Publications. 
“Rodmaking for Beginners.” By Perry D. 
Frazer. New York, The Forest and Stream 
Pub. Co. Illustrated, cloth, $1. 
This is Vol. I. of the Angler’s Workshop 
series, the second volume of which will appear 
later on. In it the author gives plain and care¬ 
ful hints for the beginner at fishing rodmaking, 
and these are of use also to the seasoned angler 
who, it may happen, has never taken up the fas¬ 
cinating pastime of repairing, rewinding and 
varnishing his own rods, but desires to do so 
and lacks the much-sought information which is 
supplied in this book. 
It is one of the “how-to” books which have 
proved so useful to beginners who possess the 
will, but lack the way to carry a thing from 
the purchase of raw material to a successful 
conclusion. And to this end the detailed in¬ 
structions are accompanied by working draw¬ 
ings which illustrate every important step in 
rodmaking. 
. “Score Book for Caliber .30 Military Rifle 
Shooting” is the title of a most complete record 
book for riflemen. It is published by United 
States Cartridge Co., Lowell, Mass., U. S. A. 
It is so ruled as to provide ample spaces for 
complete records of all pertinent details, such 
as date, range, weather, thermometer, elevation, 
wind gauge, clock, light, flags, sighting shots on 
the different targets at all regulation distances. 
There also are score sheets for skirmish shoot¬ 
ing. 
All the fish laws of the United States and Can¬ 
ada, rei'ised to date and now in force, are given 
in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
7 8 i 
The Battle. 
Down in the depths of foam-crowned pool, beneath a 
sheltering bank, 
Where tumbling wafers eddied and the watercress grew 
rank, m 
Where wind-hewed tree trunk stretched across the stream 
from shore to shore, 
There dwelt the monarch of the brook, behind a rush- 
ribbed door. 
In coldest months of winter time his bright-hued sides 
would flash 
Far up the shallow, iceless stream, where swift head¬ 
waters dash; 
In the springtime, when the ice the deep pools ceased to 
clog. 
Returned he to his old retreat beneath the mossy log. 
Within his deep and stone-paved home, his noble head 
up stream, 
And broad tail swaying lazily, the monarch's speckles 
gleam; 
Each surface change, each floating twig, his sharp eyes 
clearly saw. 
Nor did a single luckless bug escape his hungry maw. 
’Twas early morn; the monster lay in wait for breakfast 
fare, 
The thick-grown woods re-echoed with -shrill bird notes 
everywhere; 
Just where the log’s dark shadow touched the eddy’s 
dimpled cheek 
A tempting insect rested on the surface of the creek. 
Like lightning bolt from lowering sky, the monarch left 
his lair, 
His jaws closed o’er the miller as it whirled and eddied 
there; 
Then back to his recess he shot, but ere its depths he 
gained, 
A tether unrelenting at lfis plunging body strained. 
One moment poised he quiet, while his angry, wild eyes 
flashed, 
And then by gleaming side the ertswhile peaceful pool 
was thrashed; 
Its waters seethed and boiled, while through the now 
awakened glen, 
The din of battle sounded as he fought for life again. 
With fierce, quick dashes, back and forth across the pool 
he went, 
While o’er the battling monarch the lithe rod strained 
and bent; 
Up stream and down, ’neath threatening log and flowery 
bank he raged, 
As some wild jungle beast within a steel-bound dungeon 
caged. 
Relentless was his fury and unceasing was his fight; 
He churned the deepest waters in his long- unconquered 
might; 
And e’en the birds were silenced, for each singer seemed 
to feel 
His tuneful song was useless ’gainst the whir of clicking 
reel. 
Long raged the even battle, as the tireless monarch 
fought, 
Yet slow his strength was ebbing, but the line held firm 
and taut; 
A moment then he sulked below, a moment stopped the 
strife, 
As one who gathers power for a last mad plunge for 
life. 
A pause—a tremble—silence—a moment he suspends 
The strife, and then with flaming sides the balmy air he 
rends; 
With powerful tail he strikes the line—spray glistens in 
the Sun— 
A splash—the waters close above—and thus the monarch 
won. 
Again the foam collects upon the bosom of the pool; 
Again the swaying rush is kissed by quiet waters cool; 
Again the fallen log's dark shadow stretches undisturbed. 
Again the lace-winged dragon fly is poising unperturbed. 
The silense is but broken by the note of warbling bird; 
No din of battle echoes, and no noisy reel is heard; 
Far down below, with head upstream and lazy moving 
tail. 
The monarch hears retreating steps disturb the quiet vale. 
—Colorado Springs Gazette. 
