Sept, 28, 1907.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
501 

A Defense of Light Tackle. 
PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Sept. 18—Editor Forest 
ind Stream: The quotation from Mr. Marston, 
editor of the London Fishing Gazette, appearing 
ypon page 419 of your issue for Sept. 14, will 
je read by American sea anglers with mingled 
surprise and amusement. A disparagement of 
the trend toward light tackle, particularly from 
he editor of an angling journal, is a monu- 
nental mistake of policy. This “craze,” which 
|s condemned so calmly, has resulted in material 
jessening of the annual rod catch of marine game 
shes at Avalon, an end in itself altogether meri- 
torious and worthy of support. Whereas a 
lozen yellowtail could be taken from a feeding 
school before it ceased biting, on heavy tackle, 
whe lighter rigs taking more time to subdue each 
|ndividual, thus reducing the total catch. 
| Mr. Marston betrays his unfamiliarity with 
ictual field conditions in tuna fishing when he 
Jeclares, “As fish are practically killed by the 
reel, this bit of split cane does not really count 
n the fight. The tip merely hangs on the line; 
‘he. fish tows the boat by pulling directly on the 
reel.” A salmon angler might well conceive 
such a condition of affairs by applying his 
nethods mentally to tuna fishing. Let him en- 
leavor to kill a hundred pound fish some three 
aundred feet directly beneath the boat “by the 
‘eel.’ That “bit of split cane” is called upon 
nightily for pumping the fish up against his 
remendous struggles and the great water pres- 
sure. Reeling in a tuna is all nonsense. To 
nake it more intelligent to this gentleman it 
nay be translated into his vernacular as ‘‘bloom- 
ing tommy rot.’ Ask Mr. Eddy about that “tip 
nerely hanging on the line.’ He can give you 
inal information concerning that piece of fantas- 
jic news, the exclusive property of one 6,000 
niles from the battle ground. 
As for the fish towing the boat by pulling 
lirectly on the reel, that is, of course, on the line, 
|\t is enough to say that the launches are twenty 
feet in length with 4 horsepower engines, and a 
21-strand line, to say nothing of the 9-strand, 
yreaks at a test of 48 pounds dead strain. 
His suggestion that tuna might as well be 
fought off the butt alone is too ridiculous for 
letailed refutation. His final fling that tuna are 
yuried after capture is rather pathetic. The 
najority of tuna are eagerly given in charge of 
jhe taxidermist for mounting. 
As you have given his remarks such promi- 
uence, possibly to the injury of the light tackle 
lnovement among the uninformed, it is but fair 
that the angling public should have the fore- 
Zoing as well. Everyone dislikes a controversy, 
jut the truth should be given a hearing. 
F. L. Harpinc. 
[We have heard rodmakers state that they dis- 
like to make a split bamboo rod of the length 
required by some of the Pacific coast angling 
tlubs, and keep the weight down to nine ounces 
at. They assert that so great a proportion of 
the total weight must be put into the bamboo 
that the hand-grasp and its fittings must be made 
too frail to successfully withstand the strain to 
which they are certain to be subjected in long 
fights with large fish. 
| This would seem to argue that the minimum 
lweight limit is being placed too low, or the 
minimum length too high, to get the best results 
from the rod. This, however, applies more 
directly to rods made with a separate hand- 
zrasp, Or butt, as it is called by the Tuna Club. 
In these the female ferrule and the reel-seat are 
practically one piece, the demand for strength 
necessitating heavy metal. Rods made in one 
jpiece with the bamboo extending through grasp 
and down to the end of butt, can easily be made 
sufficiently strong for all practical purposes, 
give much better action, and at nine ounces 
weight represent a pleasanter rod to fish with 
than those made in two pieces—a long tip and 
a heavy hand-grasp. 
In its rule which allows the use of a six-ounce 
tip and a hand-grasp or butt of any desired 
weight, the Tuna Club is in the same position 
as many of the fly-casting clubs, whose rules 
state that a “five-ounce rod” may weigh 534 
ounces if it has either a solid metal reel-seat 
or a separate hand-grasp fitted with the usual 



metal ferrules. Some persons insist, therefore, 
that a rod with independent handle and _ solid 
metal reel-seat should be allowed to weigh 6% 
ounces and still come under the 5-ounce rule. 
At the same time a rod fitted with reel-bands 
must weigh under five ounces to be admitted, 
and it must of necessity be made much more 
slender than one fitted with metal reel-seat, and 
is therefore less powerful, other conditions being 
equal. Then aluminum, rubber and _ celluloid 
reel-seats must be considered. 
These allowances serve to make a statement 
as to the weight of a rod confusing and mis- 
leading. It would be far better to make rules 
apply to the actual weight of the rod. The trout 
rod could then weigh 534 ounces or less. Per- 
haps the sea rods could be made safe at ten 
ounces actual weight. Six strips of good bam- 
boo in a rod of this weight would withstand 
severe strain, and a strong hand-grasp be in- 
cluded. It were better to make the weight 
eleven ounces than to call 
it is not. 
We do not consider that our publication of 
Mr. Marston’s remarks has injured the light 
tackle movement. Plants that will not thrive 
in the light of day will never furnish fuel for 
the camp-fire, and honest criticism will not hurt 
any reform movement worthy of the name. 
While the rods now used in angling for Pacific 
coast fish and buttons may well be called fishing 
rods, it is conceivable that in the future a six- 
ounce tip may be attached to a section of gas 
pipe, the whole to weigh five or six pounds. 
Attached to this unbreakable “butt”? there may 
under the rules be a reel weighing a couple more 
pounds. There is nothing to prevent this being 
called light tackle. Should this come about, the 
bank fisherman with his billiard cue and huge 
grooved wooden disk, will be in the same class, 
though he does not now call his outfit light 
tackle. 
We are in favor of bona fide light tackle for 
all fishing, but a thin line and a tip of a certain 
weight does not alone constitute light tackle. 
“Light tackle’ should, and generally is, de- 
fined as a rod of light weight, a small reel, a 
fine line and hooks of a size suited to the game. 
—EDIToR. ] 
it something which 
New England Angling and Anglers. 
Boston, Sept. 21.—Editor Forest and Stream: 
The end of the fishing season in Maine now fast 
approaching finds many anglers hurrying away 
to get the last of the sport. Most of them are 
going to the central and northwestern sections 
of the State, and the knowing ones are seeking 
waters at high elevation, for it is in such locali- 
ties that the best fly-fishing is found in Sep- 
tember. 
Mr. H. E. Baird returned a 
few days ago 
from Kingsbury, Maine, 
in a splendid fishing 
country, and with Moose, Foss and Tilton 
ponds and a half score of the finest trout 
streams flowing into them. He came home 
with a few stories of what it seems like to get 
good trout fishing. This experience as a climax 
to two weeks spent at his old home in Ver- 
mont, where he landed trout out of swift water 
up to 234 pounds, leaves him well satisfied with 
the season’s results. 
Mr. L. P. Whitcomb, of Beverly, just back 
from a month’s stay at Viles’ Camps, says that 
in one day more than 500 trout were hooked 
and Janded at Tim Pond, most of them being 
returned to the water, and many other days 
showed scores of half as many. The fish are 
not large, but they are of good fighting size, 
and with light tackle furnish splendid sport. 
Mr. A. F. Powers has just reached home, 
having spent ten days camping with a friend 
on the Sebago Lake shore, near White’s Bridge. 
Using frogs and crickets as bait, they landed 
160 small-mouth bass during their stay. Many 
of the fish ran 3% pounds in weight, and very 
few were hooked weighing less than two pounds. 
Mr. Everett Fisk, of Somerville, writing from 
Melvin, N. H., on Lake Winnepesaukee, says: 
“Yesterday seemed like old times at the bridge. 
Fred got a bass weighing 5% pounds; I got 
a 5-pounder. Mr. Sleigh got two—5 pounds 
and 234 pounds. We lost several good ones. 
Using two rods, I had one on each at the same 
time, and regret to say that I lost them both. 
Four of the fish weighed 18 pounds.” 
Mr. Frank D. Carney, of Steelton, Pa.. 
stopped over in Boston a week ago to outfit 
for a trip to Lake St. John, Quebec. After try- 
ing the ouananiche at Grand Discharge, he in- 
tends going on a camping trip after big square- 
tails up the Peribonca River and expects to 
cover a large section of the best trout fishing 
country north of Lake St. John. 
Mr. W. A. Belcher, of Weymouth, left early 
this month for Catalina Island, California, to 
devote several weeks to tuna fishing. Last year 
he arrived there in September and took the first 
fish that had been landed in three weeks. His 
catch numbered four fish, the largest weighing 
56 pounds. 
HACKLE, 
Anglers’ Club of New York. 
THE storm of last Saturday, Sept. 21, held 
off until the last event in the week-end series 
of contests was completed. Then it broke, and 
the members who were putting away their rods 
and taking the measuring line away from the 
Pool had to scurry to shelter. For a few 
moments it looked as if some of them would 
be hurt by falling trees, so heavy was tle squall 
preceding the downpour of rain. All afternoon 
the humidity and the heat were excessive, and 
those who practiced with their salmon rods felt 
the effects of the temperature. 
The first event was for a cup presented by 
Walter McGuckin. The conditions called for 
distance casting with 5-ounce fly-rods, con- 
testants handicapped according to their records ; 
time, seven minutes, with no allowances for acci- 
dents. George LaBranche won the cup with the 
best cast he “has ever made with so light a rod, 

87 feet. The scores: 
3est Allow- 
Cast ance. Score. 
George La) Branthe).coscsac..s aes 87 2 89 
Ven is: / GHIMWGOd.n. ccteer curate ene 82 0 82 
Berry) De Brazeiecrn, cco: ctsceetons 76 54 81 4 
Ge GiOTesyISon see tee aee case ducae 74 34 77 4 
Rew) .Jield a cwaranncoceeauneeasten. 69 28 71 8 
The second event was half-ounce bait-casting, 
distance, average of five casts to count. The 
prize is a 16-strip split bamboo salt water rod 
made by John R, Cushier years ago, and pre- 
sented to the club for competition. It will be- 
come the property of the member winning it 
twice. Perry D. Frazer won this event with an 
average of 1502-5 feet. The scores: 
Average. 
Berry? DB razery. ese 149 163 152 155 133 150 2-5 
Baward. Cave: Suasckes ons 142 1380 *40 144 1366 118 1-2 
Harry Friedman........ *45 145 140 1387 *97 112 4-5 
George La Branche....142 6 136 25 118 136 112 
REE Ua Fl eldest tecctecine *60 140 *70 *25 *70 73 
*Backlashes. 
Informal contest with four-ounce 
fly-rods, five 
minutes, distance: 
Geo. La_Branche...... 76 6 NOB ale frie Sai ae 74 
eR. Grimwdod.o.0.. 74 6 
Salmon fly-casting, practice, ten minutes: 
Geo. La Branche...... 112 Perrys Dy, Prazéc: 22.5.2 4. 106 
The following schedule of events has been 
arranged for the balance of the season: 
Sept. 28, the Pool, Central Park.—Half-ounce accuracy, 
bait-casting, for a cup given by George La Branche; sec- 
ond contest for the Cushier rod; salmon fly-casting, 15- 
foot rods. 
Oct. 5, 
Prospect Park, Brooklyn.—Dry fly-casting, for 
a cup presented by C, ren Levison; accuracy fly-casting, 
for a cup given by E. H. Myers. 
Oct. 12, the Pool, OA | Park.—Quarter-ounce bait, 
distance; third contest for the Cushier rod, 
ship. is not decided on Sept. 
casting. 
Oct. 19, all day, at the Pool, Central Park.—Five-ounce 
rod fly-casting, distance, 9 o’clock A. M.; heavy rod fly- 
casting, distance, 10 o’clock; salmon fly- -casting, distance, 
11 o’clock; quarter-ounce bait- casting, distance, 1 o’clock; 
half-ounce bait-casting, distance, 2 o’clock; dry’ fly-casting, 
accuracy, 3 o’clock; accuracy bait-casting, quarter or half- 
ounce, 4 o’clock; switch fly-casting, 5 o’clock. 
Oct. 26.—Salmon fly; heavy rod fly; five-ounce rod fly; 
all distance; for cups. 
Cups will be given in all events for which prizes have 
not been specially offered. 
if its owner- 
28; otherwise, salmon fly- 
The next regular business meeting will be held 
the night of Oct, 1. 

