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FOREST AND STREAM. 

[SEPT. 21, 1907. 

Current River Bass. 
Don1IpHAN, Mo., Sept. 10—Editor Forest and 
Stream: There are a number of places in the 
South where a greater number of bass can be 
caught than on our swift streams of the Ozark 
region, but when it comes to the question of the 
fighting powers of the fish and actual capabilities 
of the fish to furnish sport, the small-mouth bass 
of the beautiful clear Current River stands higher 
in the writer’s estimation than any inland game 
fish. Only on returning from a trip north on 
the Little Manistee or other Michigan streams, 
after winning many a gallant contest with the 
beautiful fontinalis, can the fighting powers of 
the small-mouth be estimated at their true worth. 
This is’ especially true when conditions are 
right, as at the present time the worthy warriors 
of this rock bound stream take the large gaudy 
flies in preference to any other lure. If fly-fish- 
ermen’ studied the conditions of their streams, 
and especially the dragon flies and butterflies that 
frequent it, then, my dear devotees of the fly-rod, 
that much argued question of the small-mouth 
taking a fly would be at rest, for though your 
assortment of temptations may not be so great 
as those used to coax .the. brook, trout when you 
have learned the real killers, you will stick to 
them through life, and all artificial devices in 
the shape of wooden minnows, ete., will grow 
dingy in the bottom of your tackle box from 
lack of use. 
In the first place there is not much use to 
try tempt this black fellow when the water 
is above the ordinary stage, for he is not in 
humor for a strike. He is either surfeited with 
food of other kinds or he sulks in a fit of dis- 
gust to think that nature, who has been so gen- 
erous as to supply his home with such clear, 
cool water, should in a moment of thoughtless- 
ness pollute it with mud. But these high stages 
seldom last long, except in spring; though if 
the weather is cool the fighters will seldom at- 
tempt a rise to a fly. 
This more than convinces me that the natural 
Insects above mentioned are their favorites, for 
certainly when they are not about the bass sel- 
dom make a dash for the most gaudy lure. [I 
can remember one time while cutting sassafras 
for use floaters on a raft of white oak 
logs, I noticed a large yellow butterfly drop 
leisurely and skim along the water with slight 
attempt at rapid movement. A huge small-mouth 
struck it almost instantly with two others fol- 
lowing at its side. Returning home, I searched 
for some old yellow: flies and on finding them 
returned to the river and met with good success 
until the darkness of evening sent me unwill- 
ingly home. 
to 
logs as 
Nearly all months are good for fly-fishing after 
May, except the month of July. Then they are 
uncertain in their tastes, notwithstanding that 
many writers have made the assertions that the 
spawning season ends after June and rarely 
does it extend until July. But personal observa- 
tion has forced me to differ with them on this 
point. Late in July and the first of August at 
the head of Gunn Bay on the upper Current, a 
favorite spawning ground, I saw many gravel 
beds of the fish covered with eggs and their 
usual guardians about. To prevent the gasolene 
boats from stripping the beds we drove stakes 
between them and the swift water so the chug 
boats could not swing into them. But these 
observations of mine apply only to my own 
country, and also one must consider that we had 
the latest spring and summer known in twenty- 
five years. Possibly this may have had some in- 
fluence on the late attempts of the fish at propa- 
gating a new supply for man. 
Recently I obtained some of the most fetch- 
ing flies I have ever had the pleasure of using. 
They are large, and my objections to almost all 
ready made flies for small-mouth bass are that 
they are too small. I never attempt to use a 
sinker on flies at any time, though in the early 
months of the year many meet with success by 
this method of submerging the fly. I depend 
more to draw a rise by the use of big flies and 
keep them going swiftly across the water the 
moment it alights, and if these valiant fish are 
near and in a striking humor then a fight is on 
hand. 
Two hundred miles of the Current River is in- 
habited by the small-mouth bass and only now 
and then is a big-mouth seen except where the 
water is quiet or the river reaches the alluvial 
lands. Recently Captain Turner, of the Seventh 
Infantry, made this trip by canoe from Eminence 
to Doniphan, and in spite of the hard fight with 
the twists and turns of the river, expressed his 
opinion that it was a trip of delightful experi- 
ences. Visiting sportsmen should outfit well be- 
fore entering this section of the  wilder- 
ness, whether for fishing or deer and turkey 
hunting, as the only point on the road for sup- 
plies is off at Van Buren. 
After small-mouth bass fishing is 
several frosts have made their appearance, the 
wall-eyed pike is eagerly sought. Strange with 
us here they seldom strike at lures in summer. 
All these swift streams of the Ozarks are con- 
stantly stocked by the Missouri fish commis- 
sioner. Locu Lapptre. 
over, and 

California Fishing Notes. 
SAN Francisco, Sept. 14.—Editor Forest and 
Siream: Trout fishing is now at its best 
throughout the mountains. From the Truckee 
River, from Kings River Cafion, from Humboldt 
county and other points come reports of good 
catches. Governor Gillett has just returned from 
a successful trout fishing trip in Humboldt 
county. Paul Shoup, who has been on the Kings 
River, says there are two or three thousand 
people fishing in the Kings and Kern River sec- 
tions, and that apparently nobody has any trouble 
in getting the limit in a few hours. 
Catching salmon just outside the Golden Gate 
is a new sport for San Francisco fishermen. 
Last Sunday at least forty boats were out be- 
yond the heads taking fish ranging from 15 to 
40 pounds in weight. Among the most success- 
ful was F. H, King, the discoverer of the sport. 
Salmon fishing will cease on Sept. 17 when the 
close season will come into effect for a little 
over a month. 
A joint meeting of the Tuna Club and the 
Light Tackle Club was held last week at Avalon, 
Catalina Island, at which it was definitely de- 
cided that a national convention of the Tuna Club 
should be held in New York on Noy. 19 and 20 
for the purpose of organizing an American 
anglers’ association. The following committee 
was appointed to meet in New York to promote 
the convention: Dr. Henry Van Dyke, Dr. 
David Starr Jordan, Gifford Pinchot, Arthur J. 
Eddy, of Pasadena, Cal.; Seymour E. Locke, of 
New York: F. L. Harding, A. W. Hooper, 
Charles Hallock, John G. Hecksher and Malcom 
G. Foster. All anglers’ organizations in America 
will be asked to send delegates. At the conven- 
tion Prof. C. F. Holder will take up the matter 
of finding better protection for the game fish 
of the coast of southern California. 
The announcement of additional prizes and 
the posting of some records have led to increased 
interest in the tournament of the Southern Cali- 
fornia Rod and Reel Club which closes on Oct. 
I. All competitors are required to use regu- 
lation light tackle. So far the record stands as 
follows: Black sea bass, F. C. Gay, 100 pounds; 
white sea bass, F. C. Gay, 4514 pounds; yellow- 
tail, F. C. Gay, 2834 pounds; albacore, Ed. Win- 
field, 33 pounds; croaker, Sherman Baker, 714 
pounds; corbina, Eugene Elliott, 4 pounds; 
yellowfin, A. M. Morse, 334 pounds: rock bass, 
F. C. Gay, 7 pounds; striped bass, S. Simmons, 
5 pounds; and _ halibut, Sherman Baker, 23 
pounds. 
The members of the San Francisco Fly-Cast- 
ing Club took possession of their artistic fish- 
ing lodge on the Truckee River this week. The 
club house is four miles from Truckee and the 
preserve, which extends for one mile on both 
banks of the Truckee River, is in California, near 
the Nevada line. The building contains one 
central living room and a number of bed rooms. 
A keeper and his wife are in charge of the place. 
The train service is such that an angler can 
leave San Francisco at seven in the evening and 
be at the lodge with breakfast over at seven jn 
the morning. The club was organized at the 
Midwinter Fair in this city in 1893, and has 
been making progress ever since. It holds Satur- 
day afternoon fly-casting contests at Stow Lake, 
in Golden Gate Park, during the season. For 
skill Walter D, Mansfield has stood at the top 
of the list for many years, being closely followed 
by H. C. Golcher, J. B. Kenniff, C. R. Kenniff, 
President T. C. Kierulff and C. C. Young. The 
club is limited in membership to one hundred. 
Soldiers stationed on Alcatraz Island, the 
United States artillery, the United States tug 
General Miffin, four gasolene fishing launches 
and a sailing boat all took part in an early morn- 
ing battle with a whale in San Francisco Har- 
bor last Friday. About two in the morning two 
Italians, while fishing for crabs, caught the whale 
in their net and were unable to dislodge it. The 
tide carried the vessel and its catch up the bay 
close to Alcatraz Island, a number of gasolene 
fishing launches being attracted to the scene on 
the way. At the island the soldiers took part 
and fired many shots at the whale, but without 
disabling it. Finally the General Miffn took 
the net in tow. This seemed to impress the 
whale, which then made an active fight, broke 
from the net and disappeared. AS PRB 

Tea-Spoon Lures. 
Los ANGELEs, Cal., Sept. to. Editor Forest 
and Stream: Interest in the campaign for the 
better protection of the food and game fishes 

of the southern California coast is growing 
rapidly. Concerted action will be taken to secure 
needed legislation during the next session of 
the Legislature. Efforts made last winter were 
more in the interests of sport as practiced by 
the rod and reel fishermen, and public interest 
was by no means so general as it now is. Mar- 
ket fishermen then made an active fight against 
the small concessions. asked, with the result that 
nothing was done. 
The public, however, and this has come to 
include the best of the market fishermen, is 
awakening to the fact that if something is not 
done very soon there will be an actual scarcity 
in the supply of sea fish. The chief factor in 
the diminution of the sea fish is the nets used 
by market fishermen in San Pedro and other 
coastal towns. These nets, some of which are 
a mile long and sixty to a hundred feet wide, 
take hundreds of tons of fish, both in and out 
of the spawning season. The fish, which are 
small enough to escape through the meshes of 
the nets, are generally badly injured. 
The water between the coast and the Channel 
Islands, including much of the mainland shal- 
lows, is one of the greatest spawning grounds 
on the coast, but all fish here, where they should 
be most plentiful, are growing scarcer. Noth- 
ing better can be done than to shut off all net 
fishing for five months of every year, beginning 
with April. 
Mr. Ed Winfield holds the albacore record 
in the Southern California Rod and Reel Club, 
he having taken one which weighed 33 pounds. 
after being out all day in an open boat, and 
bleeding considerably at the gills. It probably 
weighed 35 pounds when caught on a nine-thread 
line and a nine-ounce split bamboo rod off Point 
Firmin. Mr. Winfield’s companion lost a spoon 
in the kelp and Winfield took a small tablespoon, 
soldered a hook in the bowl, and put a swivel 
and piano wire leader in the upper end. Next 
time he went out he took this spoon with him, 
drew it once across the edge of the kelp bed 
where he lost the other spoon, had a strike and 
caught a 17-pound yellowtail. Others fishing 
in nearby boats, with both bone jigs and spoons, 
had not even had a strike when he landed his 
fish. The spoon has a motion entirely different 
from the regulation spoon. Besides the whirl- 
ing motion, which is common to all spoons, ‘it 
has a peculiar sidewise wavering motion which 
seems particularly attractive to yellowtail and 
albacore. So far it has even outdistanced the 
bone jig, the favorite bait for the big fish of 
these waters. H. H. Dunn 

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