




























































FOREST AND STREAM. 
[AuG. 31, 1907. 


For the distance bait-casting the club had 
secured the use of a meadow about four hundred 
distant from headquarters, where the 
nature of the ground would permit a choice ot 
two directions, but they could not have fore- 
seen that the wind, which had been unfavorable 
for every event save one, would ‘force them to 
lay out the course so that the contestants must 
face an incline. A stake was driven at the cast- 
ing point and another 100 feet distant. Two 
white tapes were then laid down and secured at 
these stakes’ both forming right angles to the 
center line of the court. Starting at the casting 
point, again, two tapes were laid down in the 
form of the letter “V,” the bars intersecting the 
100-foot tape at a point 15 feet to right and left 
of the stake, making the court 30 feet wide at 
that point and increasing to considerable width 
further on. In scoring a long tape line attached 
to the 100-foot stake was employed, the judges 
standing in a row across the court and marking 
the red-and-white weight the instant it fell. 
Casting in a court has long been practiced 
with bait rods. It is possible for the judges to 
score the exact distance, even to fractions of 
an inch if desired, but there is no other advan- 
yards 
tage. It is conceded that in surf-casting events, 
in which a 2%-ounce lead weight is used, it 
may be dangerous for judges to be stationed 
near'a buoy line in a boat, but the same objec- 
tion cannot be raised to casting with a_ half- 
ounce aluminum weight, which would cause no 
injury to any person it might strike, while so 
slowly does it move through the air at the time 
it strikes that it is readily seen by the judges. 
The use of a buoyed -marking line on the 
water prompts the contestant to cast parallel 
with and very close to it. This he does uncon- 
sciously, the line guiding him. The court, which 
is very wide at 175 feet, is often too narrow to 
catch the weight, as the caster has no distinct 
mark at which to aim, 
There are many other arguments for and 
against casting in a court, but one more will 
suffice at present: It is that the average angler, 
unaccustomed to work that makes the skin tough 
and hard, cannot cast with a dry line on the 
lawn and do justice to himself or equal his work 
on the water. The lines used are very small; 
indeed, most of the casters have discarded all 
casting lines known as such in the trade and 
procure surgeon’s silk, which is considerably 
smaller than the finest casting line now made. 
It is twisted silk, braided square, and it is so 

harsh that, used dry in a long cast, it burns the 
skin of the thumb until the latter turns white, 
as if seared with a white-hot wire. Thumbcots 
of silk or leather, strips of adhesive plaster and 
other devices have been tried, but all are likely 
to vary or cut through, and the only practical 
thing to do is to practice until one becomes ac- 
customed to the burning or a method of mini- 
mizing it. 
It is claimed this is a spectacular game. That 
is true, but it is made still more so on the water, 
where all the spectators can see what is being 
done, whereas on the lawn only the faintest idea 
is possible, as the weight merely disappears in 
the grass and the judges scramble about as 
though searching for a flea, in the grass. 
The Racine club provided three roomy tents 
alongside the lagoon; the Chicago Fly-Casting 
Club had a fourth, and one of the trade repre- 
sentatives completed the row with another one. 
There was a cask containing ice water and a keg 
of cold malted milk, the latter most refreshing 
to the weary anglers. On the hill above the 
lagoon an immense tent was pitched, and every 
day at noon sandwiches, old-fashioned dough- 
nuts, milk and excellent coffee were served, all 
with the compliments of the home club. If any- 
thing was overlooked no one discovered it. 
The largest attendance was drawn from Wis- 
consin, Michigan and Illinois. The East was 
represented by only one angler, who had to ex- 
plain that all the others were too busy fishing 
to attend. Kansas City and St. Louis sent sev- 
eral, and the rest were scattered. Uncle John 
Waddell, of Grand Rapids, who has attended all 
the big tournaments, and whose kindness and 
courtesy have made him a national favorite with 
the anglers, on being asked why he did not at- 
tend the New York tournament last May, said 
that stern necessity compelled him to work part 
of every year in order that he could lay. by 
enough money to enable him -to fish the rest of 
the time. He hoped, however, to be able to so 
arrange his business that in future he can pay 
less attention to it and more to fishing and 
tournaments. 
So many of the contestants and‘ visitors were 
accompanied by their wives and children that 
when it came to grouping all hands for pictures, 
the weaker sex was much in evidence. 
While the question of the relative merits of 
split bamboo and greenheart is constantly dis- 
cussed in Great Britain, in America there is 
but one material, and that is good hand split 
ind hand finished bamboo. There was one green- 
heart salmon rod used. All other fly-rods were 
split bamboo, a few eight strip, but the majority 
six strip. In the quarter-ounce accuracy bait- 
casting, both amateur and .professional, all rods 
were split bamboo. In the half-ounce accuracy 
events only one solid wood rod was used, and 
that was bethabara. ; 
The number of excellent rods that had been 
made by their owners was noticeable, and the 
uniformity in rods, reels and lines was marked. 
While the reels were from several different 
makers, they were all very similar, the principal 
variation being in size, and that was slight. 
The craze for extremely short rods has appar- 
ently run its course, at least for tournament work. 
In the accuracy casting the length used was 
nearér six than five feet, but it is not thought 
longer rods will prove better. 
Frrst Event. 
The opening event was called shortly before 
noon on the first day of the tournament, Thurs- 
day, Aug. 15. It was single-hand bait-casting 

FRED N, 
PEET, OF THE CHICAGO FLY-CASTING CLUB, CASTING I2I FEET IN THE SALMON EVENT, 
with quarter-ounce weights at 60, 65, 70, 75 and 
80 feet, three casts each man at each distance 
or fifteen casts in all, open only to professionals. 
As far as possible each contestant was permitted 
to select his casting order. Thus, when the event 
was called, No. I cast once at 60 feet, then No. 
2, and so on until each contestant had finished 
at that distance, when the target was moved to 
65 feet and then to 70, 75 and &8o feet. After 
all had ca&t at 80 feet, another round was finished 
at that distance, then the target moved back to 
75, then to 70, 65 and 60, repeat at 60, then back 
to 65, 70, 75 and 8o, and so on until the event 
was finished. ; 
This is a very rapid method of casting off 
an event in which there is a long list of con- 
testants, and it practically makes the distances 
unknown, since one must watch proceedings 
closely to notice when the target was changed. 
and in a gathering of several hundred anglers, 
who visited back and forth between casts, it was 
hard to keep posted on the changes. 
The target had a six-inch red bullseye and 
a 30-inch center. If the weight fell on or in- 
side this circle the cast was scored perfect, and 
if it struck the red buoy the caster was ap- 
plauded. If the weight struck one foot from the 
30-inch circle the cast was scored one demerit; 
if two feet, two demerits, and so on. The sum 
total of these demerits was divided by 15, the 
number of casts, and the result constituted the 
demerit percentage. This, deducted from too, 
gave the percentage that was scored. If a line 
broke before the weight touched the water, a 
foul was allowed and another cast made. There 
were no restrictions save that the cast must be 
made overhead with one hand, and that the ree! 
must be free running, without any retarding 
device. W. J. Jamison, of the Illinois Bait-Cast- 
ing Club. of Chicago, won the first prize, a 
jeweled quadruple reel. The scores were cut 
down by.a tricky wind. The result: 
Length. Weight. Per. 
: Ft. In. Ounces. Cent. 
Wired. Vaimsorn recesses 6 9 6. 98 11-15 
A. F. Bingenheimer......... 5 4 5 97 1-15 
By F'.. Bléegel. ooounnans cen 5 6% 6 96 13-15 
eS. Davist anaes eee 5 9 7 96 10-15 
W.-C. Wegner: ai csestictene ene 5 3% 54 92 11-15 
GOOFS Batstordoaeetceee te 5 14 5% 92 
SECOND EVENT. 
The delicacy and accuracy fly-casting event 
for professionals did not fill and it was replaced 
with the half-ounce accuracy professional event. 
This was cast off under the same conditions as 
the first event save that half-ounce weights were 
used, and the distances were 60, 70, 80,90 and 
100 feet, fifteen casts in all per.man. The wind 
interfered with fine calculations and the scores 
were low. Mr. Jamison won first and received 
a fine split bamboo bait-casting rod, which par- 
tially consoled him for the loss of a favotite rod 
which was stolen the day before. Results: 
Length. Weight. Per 
Ft. In. Ounces. Cent. + 
WoT. . Jamison. pune sane 5 4 5% 97 12-15 
B: B,. Flegell..5 ste os ceeetaatn 5 7 6 7 =C- 
WirwG.- (Werner si:decneiectscntue b. <3 5% 96 14-15 
©. BN: “Botstord sseeeche eee 5 1% 5M 95 13-15 
{RASHES BE: CEQ RRneen Aiteny cares 4 9% 5 95 9-15 
A. F. Bingenheimer......... 5 4 5 90 18-15 
DISTANCE FLyY—AMATEUR. 
The third event was called late in the after- 
noon and was contested under the most difficult 
conditions. In order to cast with the wind, or 
nearly so, it was necessary to face diagonally 
across the lagoon, and the hill on that side was 
so close that in lifting a long line on the back 
cast the fly struck in the grass on the hillside 
some four to six feet higher than the platform. 
Then a shower came on while Uncle John 
Waddell, of Grand Rapids, was casting, and be- 
sides wetting rod and line so that shooting was 
impossible, the wind came up over the dam at 
the foot of the lagoon and held the leader after 
the line struck the water, so that it stopped and 
fell in a heap just as it would had it been stopped 
by a brick wall. 
The shower passed and A. C. Smith, of the 
Chicago Fly-Casting Club, took his place. AlI- 
though rods and lines were soaked, he, Fred N. 
Peet and E. P. Sperry, all of the shme club, 
cast under a trifle more favorable conditions, 
save the wind handicap referred to above. They 
were followed by Perry D. Frazer, of the 


