Something about Weakfishing. 
New York, June i.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The very name of the weakfish seems 
typical of that lack of grit that makes fishing 
for game fish the sport it is. To hook a fish 
and then hoist him into a boat with little or no 
fight from him is certainly anything but a rec¬ 
reation. To the true sportsman, therefore, the 
important question is, “Will weakfish fight? 
The fight that this fish makes is dependent en¬ 
tirely on the weight of tackle used. 
If they are fished for with the telegraph poles 
which are sold in nearly all the supply houses 
as weakfish rods, and with the hooks, lines and 
sinkers with which the dealer accompanies these 
derricks, the fish will show his good sense when 
he is hooked by throwing up his fins and com¬ 
ing into the boat with as little ado as possible. 
When he gets in he will express his disgust at 
the way he has been treated by a series of 
croaks in protest against the lack of sportsman¬ 
ship shown. 
To see a weakfish at his best, fish for him 
with a rod, not a pole, weighing about seven 
ounces, made of lancewood or greenheart and 
of the following dimensions: Let the total 
length be about seven feet, no longer; the grip 
should be four and one-half inches long, de¬ 
tachable butt pattern, and the reel-seat three- 
quarters of an inch in diameter. The rod 
should be in three pieces—butt, joint and tip. 
The center ferrule between the joint and the 
tip should be one-quarter of an inch in diameter. 
See that the guides are large, especially the 
guide nearest the reel. The tip should be pro¬ 
vided at its end with what is known as a stirrup 
tube top of ample size in the ring. Use a reel 
capable of holding fifty yards of No. 9 Cutty- 
hunk line, a single gut salmon leader, a small 
swivel and a 4/0 sproat hook; this will complete 
the outfit. 
Be sure the rod has double guides, as the 
“weaky” will put a crimp in it at times, no 
matter how careful you are. It takes. a fisher¬ 
man to use this tackle, but the game is worth 
the candle. With proper care a fish weighing 
six pounds and over can be landed with this rig. 
Do not jerk the fish when he takes hold, for 
you will surely break the rod, but hook him 
fair and gently, for he bites hard; then sit back, 
if he lets you, and see what he does. You will 
need a landing-net, for your rig is not designed 
to lift fish but to bring them within reach only. 
It gives the fish a chance, which under the cir¬ 
cumstances seems fair, for he gives you your 
fun and there ought to be something in his 
favor. 
If you buy heavy sinkers with this tackle you 
will not be able to use them; as a matter of fact, 
heavy sinkers are never really needed. Provide 
yourself with the kind that you can pinch on 
to the line with your thumb and forefinger, and 
which weigh from one-sixteenth to not over 
one-quarter of an ounce, then use only as many 
as required to reach the proper depth. 
In the early summer in New York latitudes 
shrimp are most effective as bait. Later blood 
worms and afterward shedder crabs. Shrimp 
make an ideal bait and are to be preferred when 
the fish will bite on them. One shrimp on a 
4/0 sproat hook is neat and usually does the 
trick nicely. 
Approach your anchorage quietly. If in a 
motor boat, try to drift over it. Do not throw 
your anchor overboard so that every fish in the 
vicinity will think that something has dropped 
and stand from under; lower it gently over the 
side and keep quiet in the boat. 
When your line is overboard keep your bait 
in motion; weakfish are attracted by a moving 
bait. Sometimes they are feeding on top of 
the water, sometimes deep. You will have to 
settle where they are by experiment. Use 
shrimp for chum; that is, throw a few over 
occasionally to keep the fish around you. If 
you catch fish that are too small, throw them 
back and move the boat; the big ones are some¬ 
where else. 
Use a power boat where you can. The fish 
are here to-day and there to-morrow, and it 
pays to hunt for them. 
When you have made your catch clean your 
fish, but do not scale them until ready to cook 
them. Rub them with salt if you do not intend 
to use them until next day; this will keep them 
hard and firm. They are delicious eating when 
so treated. 
Tackle such as described makes weakfishing 
a sport. It gives the fish a chance; requires the 
employment of what fishing skill a man pos¬ 
sesses, and results in good catches honorably 
obtained. Leopold A. Camacho. 
Adirondack Notes. 
Blue Mountain Lake, N. Y., May 29.— Editor 
Forest and Stream: The past week has witnessed 
a wonderful transformation. In three days the 
foliage sprang from small beginnings to almost 
complete development. Many remarked, “I never 
saw the leaves come out so quickly before.” The 
weather is warm, with occasional thunder show¬ 
ers. Brook trout and black flies are respond¬ 
ing to fishermen. Anyone can get bites enough 
to satisfy him. 
Mr. Bennett, of North River, who is stopping 
at the Osprey House. Blue Mountain Lake, re¬ 
cently caught a lake trout weighing 16 pounds. 
It measured thirty-five inches in length. He saw 
one still larger, but as usual the biggest one got 
away. Juvenal. 
Milwaukee Casting Club. 
Milwaukee, Wis., June 2.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: Below are scores made in Riverside 
Park, May 31: 
one-half ounce bait event. 
A. F. Binstetiheimer 97 4-15 H. C. Mullen.9611-15 
M. K. McPherson. 97 4-15 C. A. Rhine. 96 4-15 
Albert Lahmann... 97 1-15 R. W. Lange. 95 6-15 
ONE-QUARTER OUNCE BAIT EVENT. 
Albert Lahmann... 96 12-15 A. F. Bingenheimer 95 8-15 
H C. Mullen. 96 7-15 H. K. McPherson. 92 8-15 
C. A. Rhine. 9511-15 H. N. Katz. 86 4-15 
R. W. Lange. 9510-15 
C. A. H. Fortier, Sec’y. 
Fishing in Britsh Columbia. 
Kansas City, Mo., May 30. —Editor Fores 
and Stream: About two years ago I wrote fo 
your paper an article entitled “British Columbi 
as a Summer and Autumn Resort for America 
Sportsmen,” and in it gave a description c 
some exceedingly good trout fishing that I ha 
jn Fish I.ake, which is twenty-two or twenty 
three miles south of Kamloops. A few day 
ago I had an experience at the same lake whic 
may be of interest to your readers, in that 
affords information concerning the early fishin 
there—hence this communication. 
Upon the completion of some business 1 
Vancouver, I started homeward on May 7 vi 
the Canadian Pacific, and stopped off at Kan 
loops, where I hired a conveyance to take me t 
Fish Lake early the next morning. Althoug 
I had tried three times to communicate both b 
letter and wire with the proprietor of the resor 
Robt. Cowan, I had been unable to obtain an 
information about the conditions at the lake, ei 
cept that the station agent at Kamloops r< 
ported that the hotel was open. I could leai 
nothing about the fishing—nor even whethi 
the ice had left the lake. , 
Upon my arrival there at one o’clock, I four, 
that the ice had gone out only the day befor 
and that a few trout had been taken with tl 
fjy at the boat landing. Mr. Cowan informs 
me that in previous years all the early fishir 
had been confined to the foot of the lake, whe 
his landing is situated; and upon examinir 
the water there, I noticed numerous small tro 
and a few big ones rising to the surface ai 
occasionally jumping. There was snow 
places all around the border of the lake as f 
as I could see, although the vyeather was plea 
ant enough; in fact, I had driven through sor, 
snow banks on the way out, and for a few mil 
of the journey there was a slight flurry of sno 
At 2:30 P. M. I started casting, first from t 
shore and afterward from a boat, using thr 
flies to the cast, viz., March-brown, cow-dui 
and silver-doctor, all three of which took ve 
well. Later I put on a Montreal instead of t, 
cow-dung, and it also proved acceptable. 
Most of the fish were small, probably hi 
year’s'fry. avering nine or ten inches in leng 
and weighing from one-third to one-half pou 
each; but I took a few larger ones, the heaviil 
weighing an even two pounds. The large fi 
were logy, but the small ones were exceeding 
active and gamy. Mr. Cowan stated that t 
larger ones were spawning in the creek, it 
which the lake discharges. The fishing cr 
tinned till 7:30 P. M., by which time I I 
captured seventy-one, many of them being 
turned to the water practically uninjured. 
I had promised trout to a number of friends 
Vancouver, I saved the finest fish and bo> 
them with ice for forwarding by express. 
During the afternoon I made a number 
doubles, but on no occasion did I hook th 
at a time; and later, finding three hooks diffic 
to cast and very liable to tangle, I removed c 
