98 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[July 16, 19x0. 
the regular in about the following order: The 
twenty-four special will give about the same 
diameter as the fifteen thread regular; the 
twenty-one thread special the same as the twelve 
thread regular, and so on down. The special, 
owing to its solidity, great strength and freedom 
from kinks when unspooling from the reel, is a 
prime favorite and is almost exclusively used. 
The leaders should always be of selected gut 
and like hooks of thf best of workmanship. 
They can best be described as to make and size 
in the chapters devoted to the particular fish to 
which they are adapted. 
To the tyro a word of advice in relation to 
the selection of tackle and its manipulation may 
be in order. He would better consult with the 
man of experience who is to be depended upon. 
From him he can learn more of lasting benefit 
in a few hours than from a library of cata¬ 
logues. Above all avoid the dealer who persists 
in selling the “just as good” cheap outfit. He is 
out for gain, for that class of goods always 
carries the heaviest margin of profit. 
Having made the selection of an outfit, the 
next step is its care, for no matter how fine the 
tackle, its continued abuse and neglect will work 
its ruin. The man just in from a fish'ing trip, 
who carelessly throws his rod in a corner there 
to stand until again wanted, will not have good 
tackle long, nor does he deserve to. When 
through with the rod it should be wiped dry, 
then thoroughly rubbed down with a soft rag 
well moistened with vaseline and hung up on a 
nail or peg. Never let it stand in a corner. 
The butt should always be removed and placed 
upside down; that is, with the open end of the 
reel seat down. This serves two purposes: it 
allows all the dampness which may have worked 
its way in to escape, and also prevents the dust 
from settling there. The line should be run off 
the reel on a suitable dryer, and if possible 
washed under a pump or some running water to 
remove the alkali with which all salt water is 
impregnated, and then placed in some cool place 
to dry. To allow it to remain on the reel will 
quickly destroy the life of the best line, as it 
will mildew and become worthless. When dry¬ 
ing a line never under any circumstances loop 
over a nail or other iron substances, as oxida¬ 
tion immediately takes place and rust on the 
line will mark the spot, leaving it no stronger 
at that point than pack thread. 
A cheap and easily constructed line dryer can 
be made from two perforated chair bottoms, a 
circular section of say twelve inches diameter 
sawed out and separated by five pillars. Through 
the center a shaft is run, to one end of which, 
after passing through an upright post, a handle 
or crank is attached, the other end working in 
a corresponding upright post. The posts are at¬ 
tached to a platform. This, as can be seen, will 
unwind about three feet of line at each revolu¬ 
tion and will permit the line to dry evenly in 
all parts. There is pleasure in caring for the 
things we love, and nothing gives greater re¬ 
turns than the best of care to good fishing tackle. 
Casting from the beach is an art, and can only 
be learned by practice. No text book can supply 
the needed information other than to hint at the 
essentials. An hour’s coaching by a skilled caster 
will be of more benefit than all the information 
that might be written. 
A leather rod belt, while not an indispensable 
part of the angler’s outfit, is a great comfort, as 
it takes the weight of the tackle from the arms. 
It is made from good stout leather, buckles 
around the waist and has a peculiarly formed 
pocket in front in which the butt rests. In 
making the strike and playing a large fish it 
acts as a fulcrum to the rod and is greatly appre¬ 
ciated once its usefulness is learned. 
The casting sinker should by all means be of 
pyramidal shape, which holds much better on the 
sand bottom. The base being toward the direc¬ 
tion of the taut line and the square side buried 
in the sand, it acts as a miniature anchor. 
Rubber wading boots should always be a part 
of the angler’s equipment. The kind known to 
the trade as “sporting” are best, as they are high 
and fully protect the feet and legs from the 
water. 
The tackle book should at all times be pretty 
well supplied with leaders and hooks, as even 
after casting has been well learned, a moment’s 
neglect of the proper thumbing of the whizzing 
reel, as the baited hook goes darting out to the 
desired spot, will cause back lashing of the line 
on the reel, and the sharp stop of the parting 
line and the diminishing view of the hook, 
leader and sinker as they hurtle on to be seen 
no more, reminds the angler that a new outfit 
must be supplied. Leonard Hulit. 
Fishing Near San Francisco. 
San Francisco, Cal., July 5.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: With the exception of two or three 
streams in Northern California, trout fishing is 
at its height and is better than it has been for 
a great many seasons. The water is low and 
clear and the fish are to be found in large num¬ 
bers. In most streams the fish, for some reason 
or other, run to large sizes and some record ones 
are being taken. On the Pitt and McCloud 
rivers the fishing is not up to the standard of 
other streams for the reason that salmon are 
now spawning and the trout are feeding on sal¬ 
mon eggs and will not touch insect life. It is 
against the State law to use salmon eggs for 
bait, so the fish cannot be induced to take a hook. 
A number of local anglers have made the trip 
this season to the Williamson River in South¬ 
eastern Oregon, pronounced by many to be one 
of the finest trout streams in the world. This 
fishing ground is reached by taking a train from 
Weed to Klamath Falls, a steamer to the head 
of the Upper Klamath Lake and the stage to 
Spinks. It is useless to attempt to make the 
trip unless one has a week or two at his com¬ 
mand, but the results amply repay one for the 
journey. Trout have been taken there with a 
spoon weighing thirteen pounds, and the Indians 
using bait have taken fish weighing as much as 
twenty-two pounds. This stream runs for a 
long way through meadow country and is a 
paradise for the man who delights in making 
long casts. 
Frederick W. Van Sicklen has tendered his 
resignation as a member of the fish and game 
commission as a protest against the summary 
dismissal of Chief Deputy Chas. A. Vogelsang. 
General George Stone was succeeded recently 
by W. G. Henshaw, who favored John P. Bab¬ 
cock for the position and succeeded in influenc¬ 
ing the other commissioner to make the change. 
Mr. Babcock is deputy fish commissioner of 
British Columbia and is now settling his affairs 
at Victoria and will be here shortly. In the 
interim Deputy Vogelsang has been continuing 
his duties in order that the work on hand might 
not be hindered. 
Black bass fishing with the fly is something 
new in California waters, but recently Dr. J. A. 
Wiborn took twenty-five fine fish in a day in 
Prospect Slough with a regular trout outfit. 
This fish is furnishing splendid sport at the 
present time and is attracting the attention of 
many who have been after striped bass with 
indifferent results. Some striped bass are being 
taken, but the season is far from being a favor¬ 
able one as yet. 
The Ocean Shore railroad has placed an order 
for 100,000 steelhead fry to be placed in Tunitas 
and Lobitos creeks. Chas. F. Breidenstein will 
attend to the planting and he will also stock the 
Purissima with 75,000 rainbow fry. 
The splendid fishing on the Truckee River is 
attracting crowds from San Francisco and on 
June 26 a large delegation of members from 
the Fly-Casters’ Club visited their lodge and 
spent several days enjoying the sport. Limit 
catches have been the rule on that stream of 
late. The timber company which has been seek¬ 
ing to gain a monopoly of the fishing rights for 
a long stretch along the Truckee is not enforc¬ 
ing its trespass notices and probably cannot, as 
it has not fenced its property. Its plan is to re¬ 
fuse to allow fishing on its property and to force 
persons desiring to use the stream to purchase 
logged-over ground. John V/att, of the Fly- 
Casters’ Club, who made the trip a week ago, 
did not return with the crowd, but went to 
Webber Lake for additional sport. 
J. B. Tate, of San Francisco, has returned 
from a trip to Catalina Island where he broke 
the season’s record for black sea bass, taking one 
weighing 240 pounds. 
The announcement is made that the recent re¬ 
strictions made by the army officials in regard 
to fishing from the Government wharf and sea 
wall at the Presidio have been modified, and 
anglers who will respect the privilege may again 
fish from the sea wall. A. P. B. 
Fishing at Eagle Lake. 
Eagle Lake, N. Y., July 2 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: The question often asked, “Do 
red squirrels eat fish?” has been answered here. 
Recently a red squirrel dug up a perch’s head 
which I had wrapped in a paper and put into the 
ice house on the ice and ate part of it. Speak¬ 
ing of the matter to a local trapper he said that 
red squirrels often got to his traps before the 
mink and ’coons had gotten up in the morning, 
and he often found these nut crackers held fast 
or the traps sprung and fish gone. Once he said 
he found where the larger animals had revenge 
on the rodent and had devoured him. 
A fine string of six pike weighing more than 
thirty pounds on shiners for bait was made by 
Walter Runge. of Wilmington, Del., recently. 
The perch fishing is fine this season. The 
thickness of ice on the lake prevented hole fish¬ 
ing last winter, hence the large supply of pan fish. 
Deer are occasionally seen in the clover beds 
in old clearings in woods and mountains. They 
are tame and gentle. 
Many hedgehogs are taken along the lake 
shores. The boys in this vicinity make their pin 
money by selling the noses to collectors at 
twenty cents each, the bounty being twenty-five 
cents each. Silex. 
