
SEPT. 21, 1907.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
459 


Here the stream was well wooded, and I 
waded through tunnels and alcoves of green, 
dropped flies into dark pools in which the moun- 
tains seemed inverted and played the game in 
impossible places; now taking them out from 
rifts where the willows caressed the water and 
then—tell it not in Gath! climbed trees, not al- 
together for the view, nor for exercise, but for 
reasons best known to anglers; indeed in these 
happy hunting grounds I spent much time con- 
templating my fly high above me and climbing 
for it, but these are mere versions. When the 
fly was not in the treetop it was being towed 
about by a trout, so there are compensations 
along the Rio Carmelo. 
The valley seemed terraced heie with mesas 
rising one above the other with deep canons 
which broke through the range and reached 
other fertile valleys far beyond; so that the 
little river starting in the wilds of the upper 
range now flowed peacefully through miniature 
towns, by ranch houses under the live oaks 
and every rancher in all that fair valley seemed 
to have his trout pool. The best fishing I tound 
along the dark shadows where the verdure came 
down and hung upon the waters, and again over 
little rifles, where the water glided over polished 
rocks, and left a little vantage point in which 
a trout could poise watching for its prey, un- 
real or substantial. Sometimes the brush was so 
thick that I was forced to climb the cliff and 
walk around. And so, casting and wading, now 
and again riding, I followed the Rio Carmelo 
down where a little laguna within the sand 
dunes holds the waters where the trout in the 
fall and spring come in from the outer sea, 
where I have seen them lying offshore. Little 
wonder the gentle padres of old cast the 
fortunes of San Carlos Borromeo by this fair 
stream and valley, one of the garden spots of 
California and the world, where the wind is 
soft, where nature is always in a tender mood; 
the land of mafiana and the setting sun. 
Casting in the lower reaches, wandering along, 
going with the stream. one can imagine the 
tolling bells of San Carlos echoing up the fair 
valley, calling the faithful from the deep pellucid 
pools of the Carmelo; and so one fishes, and the 
days slip by at Los Laurelles, and later on when 
w nter comes and the trout are resting and grow- 
ing for the coming year. the anglers in the lands 
of the orange, lemon and lime down south, per- 
haps, where the violet blooms in the winter and 
orange petals are the only snow flakes, tell 
their wonder tales. and one in expanding humor 
dwells upon a certain Carmelo trout, a nine- 
pounder that tossed the royal coachman ten feet 
in air and got away. 
CHARLES FREDERICK HOLDER. 
Salmon Rod Lengths. 
At the monthly meeting of the Anglers’ Club 
of New York, held the night of Sept. to, the fol- 
lowing -resolution was adopted: 

Whereas, it seems desirable to alter the old-time ru'e 
regulating the length of salmon rods, in order to en- 
courage more anglers to take part in salmon fly-casting 
events; therefcre be it 
Resolved, That in all casting contests and tournaments 
to be hereafter held by the Anglers’ Club of New York 
the maximum length of salmon fly-casting rods for pro- 
fessisonals shall be eighteen feet; for amateurs, fifteen 
feet; weight, unrestricted. Reel, unrestricted; line, un- 
restricted. Leader to be of gut, either single, double 
or treble, separately or in combination, not less than 
six nor more than two feet longer than the rod. Flies 
to be not smaller than one inch from bend of hook to 
end of shank. ; Bek ? 
Resolved, further, That the National Association of 
Scientific Angling Clubs be notified of this action, with 
the recommendation that its rule relating to “Salmon 
Fly-Casting” be amended to read as follows: 
SALMON FLY-CASTING. 
Rod for professional contests shall not exceed eighteen 
feet in length; for amateur contests shall not exceed 
fifteen feet in length; weight, unrestricted. Reel, un- 
restricted. Line, unrestricted. A gut leader must be 
used not less than six feet in length, nor more than two 
feet longer than the rod. This leader may be either 
single, double or treble, separately or in combination, 
and the fly used in connection therewith must not be 
smaller than one inch from bend of hook to end of 
shank. Two-handed overhead casting. 
Each contestant shall be allowed ten minutes in which 
to cast for distance. He shall stand upon the platform 
and make his cast parallel with a buoy line or measuring 
board, upon which shall be marked accurately the points 
of distance from the casting point on platform. The 
length of cast shall be measured from where. the buoy 
line is made fast to the spot reached by the fly. Should 

MR. 
One of the Pools of the Rio 
any competitor whip off fly, he shall replace it with an- 
other one. No cast shall count after judges have notified 
the contestant that fly is missing until after fly is re- 
placed. No time alowed for replacing flies or any other 
accident. 
The changes agreed to were a compromise, 
as, while a large majority of the active fly- 
casters favored a fifteen foot standard, it was 
thought that it would be better to let the pro- 
fessional rod length remain at eighteen feet, as 
heretofore, in order to encourage English or 
American professional casters to attend tourna- 
ments to be held in this country. 
The ruling as to the form of leader to be used 
was agreed to by all those interested. While it 
is an advantage to use a single gut leader, tak- 
ing into consideration the very high price of 
the best salmon gut, and the short lengths in 
which it is obtainable, the cost of a seventeen- 
foot tapered leader of good enough quality to 
be reliable is almost prohibitory. If, however, 
the leader be made of double or treble gut, it 
is possible to use medium priced stock of smaller 
size and to regulate size and taper so that the 
leader will fit the forward taper of the line and 
thus give good results in tournament casting. 
The ruling as to flies will permit the use of 
no hook smaller than No. 4 sproat, which meas- 
ures one inch from bend to end of shank. 
It was not thought to be wise to make two 
classifications for salmon rods for all amateurs, 
as a fifteen-foot class and an eighteen-foot class. 
Salmon rods are very expensive. Few members 
of casting clubs would care to purchase a rod 
for each class, while few would compete in the 
eighteen-foot class with their fifteen-foot rods. 
On the other hand, while some salmon fishermen 
own and use rods longer than fifteen feet, the 
majority prefer rods shorter than fifteen feet, 
ind it is believed the new rule will encourage 
them to compete in salmon fly-casting events 
with their fishing rods. The eighteen-foot stand- 
ard has been recognized for several years, but 
few anglers have been sufficiently interested to 
purchase rods. 
Now that the agitation in favor of lighter and 
more practical reds has borne fruit, several sal- 
mon rods have been ordered or anglers have 
declared their intention of ordering rods for next 
season. Several new rods for members of the 
Anglers’ Clb have been mentioned, and a sal- 
mon fly-casting contest will be among the club 
events to be cast off during the autumn. 
The Chicago Fly-Casting Club members in- 
tend to give this fascinating branch of casting 
more attention in the future than they have in 
the past—and they have a splendid battery of 
fly-rods. The Grand Rapids Fly-Casting Club 
will order several salmon rods. The Boston Club, 
when it gets down to practice, will undoubtedly 
go into salmon casting, and this branch of the 
sport will become as popular as it deserves to be. 
HOLDER CASTING 
FOR 
Carmelo, 
TROUT, 
near Los Laurelles. 
New England Angling and Anglers. 
Boston, Sept. 10.—Editor Forest and Stream: 
Mr. C. J. Symington, of Baltimore, Md., has 
just returned from a trip that will always be a 
cherished memory. Accompanied by his brother, 
two friends and five guides the party of nine left 
Northeast Carry one month ago to do the Alle- 
gash. In one day they saw fifteen deer and a 
bull moose with immense antlers. Mr. Syming 
ton—a_ self-confessed greenhorn—landed big 
trout until his arm ached. Included in the num- 
ber were ten doubles. 
Mr. Moses Williams, of Boston, and A. E. 
3uffum, of Dedham, have returned from a five 
weeks’ trip on the Miramichi River in New 
Brunswick. Hardly a day of their entire stay 
passed without some rain. They considered 
themselves fortunate in taking ten salmon and 
nearly one hundred grilse. 
Mr. A. Savory and his friend, 
fished in a small pond near Readfield, Maine. 
The first day they accomplished very little. On 
the second morning they used grasshoppers, and 
when the bait was all gone they had fifty-three 
fish to their credit. 
Mr. Henry C. Hopewell, of Boston, and Mr. 
Geo. Bancroft, of Natick, left on the steamer a 
few days ago for St. John, Newfoundland. From 
there they will cross to Battle Harbor, Labrador. 
Taking guides they will go to the interior, trying 
the rivers for salmon. Coming back to New- 
foundland it is their intention to go on the bar- 
rens in the interior after caribou. 
of Chelsea, 
HACKLE., 

Illinois Bait-Casting Club. 
Cuicaco, Aug. 24.—Editor Forest and Stream: 
To-day L. E. De Garmo scored 206 feet in the 
long distance half-ounce bait-casting event, and 

he also scored the highest average in the 
accuracy event. The results: 
Accuracy. Re-entries. Distance. Re-entry 
pan 3 See 
L. E. De Garmo...98 8 148 4-5 de 
Jabs Aimmiait...... 98.6 122 2-5 137 
ASD: Whitby...5.. 9S 1 Pr ee 88 2-5 128 3-5 
Grae. Cliftord wars 9S 98.8 3 - 
F. W. Heminghaus.97.9 97.1 122 2-5 128 3-5 
W, W. McFarlin...97.8 sive 2 
E. A. Humphrey...97.7 1°9 3-5 164 4-5 
Woeje Jamison, .o.. 97.4 Pie ch 159 1-5 7 
JaeN: Ranney... .. 97.2 97.1 95.6 141 3-5 
Ave Wagner J.iedone: 97 
Jee MOR 20:8 dates 97 aes 
B. Greenwood .....97 95.6 
P. J. Linderman....96.8 95.2 
H. R. Winfield... .96.5 
ATE e RiGenentahaat 96.3 
lOya URE os aee 96.2 Ge t.% 
E. H. Matthews....94.4 110 1-5 104 2-5 
QO. C. Wehle........ 92.4 Or 
Nt OR fd Oe 90.5 135 2-5 

