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Sppr. 14, 1907.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
419 


The Light Tackle Movement. 
Tue English papers do not regard with com- 
plete favor the efforts that have been made in 
this country recently to reduce the weight of 
rods, or at least rod-tips, that are employed in 
fishing for tarpon, tuna and other large fish. Mr. 
R. B. Marston, editor of the London Fishing 
Gazette, quotes from Forrest AND STREAM the 
story of the taking of a sft. gin. tarpon on a 
g-ounce 9-thread line by Mr. L. P. Streeter at 
Tarpon, Tex., and the organization at that place 
| of a light tackle club, and says: 
“The ‘light tackle’ movement in America is 
| making great headway, in fact it is threatening 
to become a craze, which is unfortunate. Be- 
cause a very clever angler, with luck, kills a 
great fish on a rod weighing 9 ounces and ona 
line to correspond, is everybody to rush off and 
try to do the same? Even the clever angler does 
more harm than good, for the fish he loses are 
pretty certainly doomed to die a lingering 
death.” 
In a later issue Mr. Marston says, in refer- 
ring to the decision of the Tuna Club to give a 
red button to anglers taking 50-pound tuna on 
| rods having 6-ounce tips: 
‘Mr. F. L. Harding, corresponding secretary 
| of the Tuna Club, after describing the institu- 
tion of the red button, says, ‘it is similar in de- 
sign to the club’s famous blue button, the 
world’s greatest angling insignia, for taking a 
1oo-pound tuna on a 16-ounce rod, but is con- 
sidered almost as difficult to win because of the 
light tackle rulings.’ 
“Tf Mr. Harding had said, ‘the world’s great- 
est sea angling insignia’ there might be more in 
| the claim; but the fact is, tarpon and tuna 
fishing in the open sea is a class of sport which 
| cannot compare with the higher branches of sal- 
| mon and trout angling. This new American plan 
of limiting the weight of the rod above the reel 
seat to 6 ounces, and letting the butt carrying 
the reel fittings be ‘any length, size, or weight,’ 
is likely to play havoc with those ‘records’ which 
so many American anglers seem to consider the 
sole goal of angling. Jones is credited with the 
record fish on a 6-ounce 5-foot rod—then it 
comes out that the rod was nearer 16 ounces in 
weight, and some feet longer!” 
Again he says, in part: 
“The new button instituted by the Tuna Club 
is for anglers killing tuna over 50 pounds on 
rods, the ‘tips’ of which weigh only 6 ounces; 
the whole rod may easily weigh 16 ounces. Five 
feet of split-bamboo weighing 6 ounces may be 
made of very great strength, and as the great 
fish are practically killed by the reel, this bit of 
split-cane does not really count in the fight. The 
angler might just as well play the fish without 
that ‘tip’—just with the reel on the butt. The 
‘tip’ merely hangs on the line; the fish tows boat 
and all by pulling direct on the reel. The rod 
is about as much real use as the tuna or tarpon 
when caught. The angler gets their weights 
registered and then gets somebody to bury 
them.” 
At the same time Mr. Henry T. Sheringham, 
fishing editor of the London Field, comments as 
follows: 
“The enthusiasm for catching huge fish on 
light tackle in the United States shows no sign 
of waning. Indeed, from documents which Mr. 
L. P. Streeter, secretary of the Tuna Club 
(Santa Catalina Island, California), is good 
enough to send us, it would seem to be increas- 
ing rapidly. The Tuna Club itself prescribes 
what seems light enough tackle. Its active ‘blue 
button’ members are those who have taken a 
tuna of not less than 100 pounds on a rod whose 
‘tip’ weighs not more than 16 ounces, the tip 
being the whole of the rod above the reel seat. 
Considering that the English salmon fisher uses 
a rod weighing something like 21% pounds to 
subdue his 20-pound salmon, we can hardly call 
the tuna fisherman’s weapon too heavy. But it 
is only about 7 feet long, which, of course, makes 
a difference. The Light Tackle Club seeks to 
refine upon this still further. ‘A diamond but- 
ton will be given for a tuna, the corrected 
weight of which shall not be less than 135 
pounds; this means a 100-pound tuna on a 9- 
ounce rod, or a 135-pound tuna on a 16-oz. rod. 
For each ounce a rod weighs over 9 ounces, the 
tuna must weigh 5 per cent. over 100 pounds.’ 
“We hope no scoffers who are not of the angling 
fraternity will get hold of this rule and miscon- 
strue its very worthy motives. A system which 
apparently legalizes the conversion of a 100- 
pound fish (dead weight) into a 135-pound fish 
(fisherman’s weight) would provide them with 
material for ribaldry. Even more would they 
exult when they came to the fourth rule. ‘In 
addition to allowances made by Rule No. 3, a 
special allowance of 20 per cent. shall be added 
to weight of yellow tail. For instance, 55 per 
cent. will be added to weight of a yellow tail 
caught on a rod weighing 9 ounces or less.’ 
Both clubs are offering a long list of prizes and 
trophies, which are being competed for this year, 
some of them being offered specially for ladies. 
Mr. E. H. Brewster, Avalon, is secretary of the 
Light Tackle Club. Yet another club aiming at 
refinement is the Aransas Pass Tarpon Club, 
organized on June 26 last. This has been started 
with the same object as the club last mentioned. 
The rod used must be of wood, in two pieces, 
and it must not be less than 6 feet long, and 
the tip must be not less than 5 feet or more than 
6 ounces. The line must be a ‘standard 9-thread 
linen line, and to the angler who catches a 
5-foot 6-inch tarpon with these materials a gold 
button will be presented. A silver button re- 
wards the capture of a fish of 4 feet 6 inches. 
The secretary of this club is Mr. J. E. Cotter, 
Tarpon, Texas.” 

The Drouth Broken. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
This rainy week has given me opportunity to 
go over the file of your paper which had accumu- 
lated while I was back in the city during an in- 
terruption of my vacation. Rainy days are not a 
bore, for Forest AND STREAM columns contain a 
sure preventative of ennui. I speak confidently 
on this point, for I have often demonstrated it by 
experience. So I expected to find much of in- 
terest and found even more than I expected. 
And now on the quid pro quo principle it is due 
that I make some report from the great health 
and pleasure resort of our State, the Adiron- 
dacks. First, as to nature’s application of the 
law of compensation. 
The long-continued drought has been  suc- 
ceeded by “an abundance of rain.’ Springs are 
revived, streams are high and lakes are full. 
How could it be otherwise? It has rained most 
of the time this month, day and night, and also 
during the last days of August. The woods are 
refreshed, but the autumn foliage is not likely 
to be as beautiful as sometimes, because many 
leaves had dried and faded before the rains. 
Fishing this year has not been up to par in the 
lakes of this vicinity, but fair in the streams. The 
early season was cold and backward. Later some 
good catches have been reported. These have 
been the reward of hard work. Two men, about 
the middle of August, fished the spring holes of 
a river where they had been successful last year. 
Trout were scarce. They then went to a famous 
trout brook and explored it for a long distance. 
Nothing doing! Brook nearly dry. ‘Tired, but 
not discouraged, they went to another brook, and 
evidently striking a place little known and vis- 
ited, soon had a good catch of trout from seven 
to twelve inches long with an average of about 
ten inches. Dinner was late that day, but how 
relished! The fire was built on a large rock near 
the stream to avoid any danger of forest fire. 
Hot coffee and freshly cooked food appealed to 
appetites that needed no stimulant, and after eat- 
ing to the full, then reclining on the dry moss, 
weary from tramping, but with the buoyant feel- 
ing of success, enjoying the scene and the beau- 
tiful summer afternoon, they felt and said, “This 
is better than Delmonico’s.”” Surely contentment 
waits in “God’s green inn.” JUVENAL. 
Tue Forest AND STREAM may be obtained from 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
Fishing in Pennsylvania Waters. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Farmers were shouting for rain throughout 
the month of August. It has been many years 
since we have had such a dry summer. Many of 
the trout streams are nothing but rivulets. 
Probably the reports of hundreds of trout dying 
in such streams are exaggerated, for the 
speckled trout usually has sense enough to hie 
into deeper waters when the rifts show signs of 
drying up. 
The Allegheny River within the limits of Oil 
City is yielding fine bass fishing. Other anglers 
announce good catches further up the river be- 
low Warren. The Tulpehockon in Lebanon and 
Berks, the Perkiomen in Montgomery, and the 
Brandywine in Chester, have also had a good 
reputation. Many nice fish are being taken from 
the. Delaware, and the Neshaminy and Tohickon 
Creeks. The Schuykill is yielding fine sport, 
and a 5-pounder was caught at Tumbling Run 
Dam. 
Samuel J. Tindale, of Silver Lake, caught a 
514-pounder, and William James one of 4 pounds 
from the Allegheny on the 11th. The Rev. W. 
P. Thompson captured one of 5 pounds from the 
Delaware near Stroudsburg. Oliver N. Evans, 
of Pottstown, caught a 4-pounder from the 
Perkiomen on the 19th. Clarence Fox, of Port- 
land, got a 5%4-pounder from the Delaware near 
Bangor. A 6-pounder fell to the lot of Charles 
H. Miller, of Scranton, in Lake Winola. 
The wall-eyed pike fishing has commenced 
rather earlier than usual and good catches have 
been reported, especially from the Susquehanna. 
Observers say that there are more wall-eyed 
pike in the Susquehanna River than black bass. 
The largest fish thus far caught this year, as far 
as known, was taken by George Gaumer from 
the North Branch of the Susquehanna below 
Catawissa. It weighed 8 pounds and measured 
2834 inches. Some blue pike are beginning to 
show up also in the Susquehanna in the neigh- 
borhood of Sunbury. Several have been caught 
much to the astonishment of the anglers who 
thought some strange disease had struck the 
salmon and given them their peculiar tint. The 
blue pike are the result of plantings by the De- 
partment of Fisheries in 1903. The pickerel 
fishing has been very good in the northeastern 
part of Pennsylvania in the mountain lakes. 
The muscallonge fishing in Western Pennsyl- 
vania was more than fair during August. 
William Stevens, of Greenville, caught a 42- 
pound muscallonge from Conneaut Lake on 
Aug. 13, and it is claimed to have been the larg- 
est fish caught for many years from that body of 
water. A 22-pounder was caught from Con- 
neauttee Lake, otherwise known as_ Edinboro 
Lake, by Mr. G. B. Russell, of Erie, that 
weighed 22% pounds. Mr. Bruce Owens and 
Lake LaBoeuf 
one from 
pounds. 
D. Dorman caught 
which weighed 11% 
Comparatively few anglers have been arrested, 
but many persons have been captured by the 
wardens for illegal use of gigs, fish baskets and 
nets. The anglers are beginning to awaken to 
the fact that they made a serious mistake in 
not making every effort during the last Legis 
lature with regard to the gigging bill. As is 
usual with most of the type of men who go gig- 
ging, they do not seem to be confining them 
selves strictly to the fish they are allowed to 
catch by means of a spear and reports received 
by the chief warden indicate that already many 
of the streams have been almost completely de 
pleted. 
The Fish Commissioner has issued an appeal 
to fishermen not to use tadpoles and very young 
frogs for bait. He bases his plea on the ground 
that frogs have become so scarce that it be- 
came necessary to start their propagation at the 
hatcheries, and that the use of tadpoles and 
young frogs was doing much towards rendering 
the work of little avail. 
The Honorable Wesley J. Price, of Monroe 
county, and one of the railroad companies ex- 
nect to secure from the State over 350,000 
brook trout and millions of pickerel and thou 
sands of young catfish for planting in Monroe 
county streams. BoONIFACIUS 

