


AUG. 31, 1907.] , 
FOREST AND STREAM. 

made of the favorite material, split-bamboo. The excep- 
tions mainly employ heavy English greenheart rods. 
Fishing tackle dealers inform me that they sell far 
more twelve to fourteen-foot rods than eighteen-footers. 
Here in the East there has been a great deal of dis- 
cussion of the subject of a standard length for salmon 
rods to be used in tournaments. Salmon casting appeals 
very strongly to the fly-caster. A number of my fellow 
club members desire to take it up, but a salmon rod 
to be worth owning, must be perfect in material and 
workmanship, and few men can afford more than one 
rod. But if the purchaser of a tournament salmon rod 
has the assurance that it will be of use in salmon fishing, 
and the salmon ‘fisher knows that his fishing rod can be 
used in tournament casting, then there will be more 
rods purchased and more entries in salmon casting 
events. 
The English records have been made with extremely 
heavy eighteen and twenty foot rods; the American pro- 
fessional and a few of the amateur records with similar 
ones. But there is no good reason why—now that we 
have a national association—the amateur standard salmon 
fly-rod maximum length shall not be made fifteen feet. 
If this is done all salmon fishing rods of twelve to fifteen 
feet will be admitted. 
I have interviewed scores of amateurs, and all but 
one or two fayor a fifteen-foot standard rod. At the 
Racine tournament the matter was thrashed out again. 
Fred N. Peet, of the Chicago Fly-Casting Club, in the 
presence of a number of anglers, assured me that as the 
Eastern men were more directly interested, he considered 
it proper that the Anglers’ Club of New York take up 
the*matter at once and fix a standard length for salmon 
rods for amateur record-casting. The Chicago fly-casters 
indorsed his statement, and assured me that whatever 
length the Anglers’ Club decided on would be made the 
official one for their contests, and in the national tourna. 
ment, to be he!d in Chicago next year.. President H. W. 
Perce, of the National Association of Scientific Angling 
Clubs, approved this. 
John Waddell, of the Grand Rapids Fly-Casting Club, 
informed me that several of his club members desired to 
purchase salmon rods, and urged early and definite action, 
as they could not order rods until a standard had been 
fixed. 
At the next meeting of the Anglers’ Club of New York 
I will move that the maximum length for salmon fly-rods 
be officially fixed at fifteen feet. No restrictions as to 
weight seem desirable, and no restrictions as to length of 
leader. ' 
Meanwhile, in order that the length to be fixed shall 
be fair to all, I would urge all salmon fly-casters and 
fishermen who own or contemplate purchasing rods, to 
write me at once, stating their views. These will be 
presented at the Anglers’ Club meeting on Sept. 10, This 
club’s decision will then be printed in FoREsT AND 
SrrREAM and sent to President Perce, of the National 
Association, and President Clifford, of the Illinois Bait- 
Casting Club, which will manage next year’s tourna- 
ment, for formal indorsement. 
Please write at once in care of Forrest AND STREAM. 
Perry D. FRAZER, 
Secretary Anglers’ Club of New York. 

Catalina Fishing. 
ApriAn, Mich., Aug. 12.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Nothing which you have published 
recently has pleased me so much as Mr. Eddy’s 
articles on Catalina fishing. I hope you will 
publish them in book form. If so please put my 
name down for a copy. 
These letters are charming, full of life and 
describe the situation exactly. My first intro- 
duction to the island was upon the annual meet- 
ing of the Light Tackle Club this year, under 
the guidance of Mr. Eddy, Prof. Holder and 
Mr. Streeter, who has added new laurels to 
his brow with the first tarpon on light tackle. 
I qualified for membership, received a bronze 
button, and attended the meeting. 
Unfortunately the fishing was poor this spring. 
The cold unsettled weather kept the yellowtail 
from biting freely. The tuna had not come by 
the middle of May,. but the albacore were pres- 
ent at all times and afforded good sport. I 
made three trips to the island and just got 
enough fish to make me want to go again when 
the real fishing was on. Judging from the 
records kept at the hotel I should imagine that 
July and August would be the best months, 
It is most unfortunate that the owners of the 
islands do practically nothing for the angler. 
Mr. Eddy is quite correct in his criticisms. The 
only persons they seem to encourage are the 
daily excursionists, who spend but a few hours 
on the island and then go back in the company’s 
boats. 
The real fishermen hires a launch at $9 per 
day for two people. The boatman is charged 
12 per cent. of this for the use of the landing 
stage. These launches are supplied with bait by 
the net fishermen who are under contract with 
the owning company, and in return receive all 
the edible fish caught by the anglers. Some- 
times these net fishermen neglect to catch bait 
and then one has to depend upon salted sardines, 
which are by no means as good. I have been 
341 


ALBACORE CAUGHT ON A Q-OUNCE ROD AND Q- 
out with bait so soft it would not stay on the 
hooks. ‘As we did not get a strike we blamed 
it on the poor bait. 
The entire island is claimed by one company, 
who refuse to admit anyone to land unless they 
come in the company’s boats. A rival steamship 
company is contesting the claim, and the matter 
was on trial in the California courts when I 
was at Catalina in May. Every man, woman 
and child on the island, native and tourist, was 
hoping the new company would win. 
LEONARD FINLETTER. 
Anglers’ Club of New York. 
Art the regular contests of The Anglers’ Club 
of New’ York, held Aug. 14, two events were 
contested, but owing to unfavorable weather and 
head winds. good scores were not obtainable. 
Event No. 1, ™%-ounce bait-casting; distance; 
scratch : 
———— Feet———_—__-, 
Casts: Ist 2d 3d «4th =5th Best 
ME Smtthii cs -cs.asiice are 85 14 45 69 80 85 
Dr.) EB. Helles ics =: 71 80 90 92 80 9? 
We Gre Ge ety te acttiscac-ae 93 82 96 109 14 +109 
Wis fom ebrichasearseancne 14° 79 90° 93 103.6 103.6 
Drago we Lleldsscnahssiser Tah Zi) Gp iy ate eal 
Won by Held; Geety second. 
Event No. 2, %-ounce bait-casting; distance; 
handicap: 
Hand:- 
Casts: 1st -2d 3d 4th 5th Best cap. Total 
Dr. C. E. Heller...100 95 60 70 104 104 50 154 
Wiss (Ge Geetys --aples> 98 40 124 13 120 124 32.6 156.6 
Wie Jeeihrich oc. 128 126 134 80 141 141 23.6 164.6 
Nip Sis Stig igarerce 8J 97 120 123 126 126 4 130 
Dra Rey die bbeldty ster 80 156° 78 150 153 159 * 159 
*Scratch. 
Won by Ehrich; Held second. 
Bear Lake Trout Fishing. 
Mowat, Ont., Aug. 12.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Messrs. David and Ennis, of Roches- 
ter, and Chas. Williams, of Lyons, N. Y., re- 
cently landed over a dozen speckled trout weigh- 
ing from two to five pounds as the result of 
two days’ angling in Bear Lake, which is reached 
from here in four hours’ paddling. While most 
of the lakes in Algonquin Park afford only 
salmon trout, there are a number wherein brook 
trout of goodly size can be taken. Black bass 
are found ‘at several points close to the railway. 
The park is reached via Toronto or Ottawa 
in about seven hours over the Grand Trunk 
Railway. The best months for a successful and 
enjoyable outing here are May, August and Sep 
tember, and the park is especially adapted fur 
canoe trips. L. E, Merrett. 

Tue Forest AND STREAM may be obtained from 
any newsdealer: on order. Ask your deaer to 
supply you regularly. 
THREAD LINE. 
THEY WEIGHED 10 TO 25 POUNDS. 
Trolling for Rockfish. 
Newport, R. I., Aug. 19.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: In looking over some old angling books 
I came across the following account of striped 
bass fishing, which may be of interest to the 
readers of Forest AND STREAM. It is taken 
from the Summer Day Book, published in New 
York by Charles S. Francis in 1838. 
The rockfish is universally known in all the 
rivers and smaller tide-water streams through- 
out the United States. The following is a 
description of the mode in which this fish 1s 
trolled for in the Susquehanna. 
The season for trolling begins in the latter 
part of May and commonly ends about the 
middle of July, but some years it lasts during 
August. In the month of June the rockfish 
generally bite best. To make good fishing, the 
river should not be very high nor low, muddy 
nor clear, but betwixt extremes in these’ respects. 
If the water be clear, the fish dart off at sight 
of the line, and it is thought they leave the 
rapids when the river is rising or muddy, to 
feed upon the flats in the Chesapeake. 
Trolling is very much practiced from Port 
Deposit, to almost any given distance up the 
river, but not below. The grass that the ducks 
feed upon grows t0do thick on the flats in tide- 
water for trolling. and the channel is uniform- 
ly too deep. The rapids above, where the water 
is in many parts shoal and the rocky bottom 
clear of. grass, is the proper place for trolling. 
Two persons generally fish from the same 
boat; one of them steers with one hand and 
fishes with the other. Each fisherman lets his 
line out over the side of the boat nearest to 
him and close to the stern (where they sit), 
holding it in his hand a few inches from the 
water, and leaves the end attached to the cork 
in the bottom of the boat. He throws out 
nearly all his line and keeps constantly pulling 
it, by short jerks, to feel if it is running over 
a rock or.treetop. The boat is rowed as fast 
as possible across the river from shore to shore, 
above and as near to the falls as they can go 
to avoid being swept down them. The rock- 
fish lie below the falls ard ripples, waiting for 
the small fish that.are carried cver by the cur: 
rent. Here then the bait falls over with a con- 
stant rotary motion, like a live fish whirled 
over, side foremost, and struggles in vain against 
the falls. The swivels turn every time the bait 
turns, and prevent the line from twisting up 
into knots; and as there are no sinkers, the 
rapid headway of the boat drags them along so 
fast that the lines have no time to sink. 
At sight of the bait tumbling over the falls 
the rockfish darts upward from his cavern in 
the rocks and swallows hook and all. The bite 
(Continued on page 358.) 

