
BORE SHAN Di on-REAM: 










[EA ANID JRINVTELR 
lf 


| Fishing in California Waters. 
|San Francisco, Cal., Nov. 2.—Editor Forest 
ind Stream: Fishermen are getting their best 
)ort from striped bass these days, some big fel- 
pws having been taken in the San Antonio 
jlough and in the shallow water near the mouth 
if Petaluma Creek. While the bass run_ held 
jood for a while, the fish are not so plentiful 
3 a week or so ago, and again the anglers, who 
ish for the love of the sport, are laying the 
(ame on the market fishermen, who net the fish 
1d who, it is claimed, have secured many under- 
ized striped -bass, which are openly offered for 
ile in the fish markets. 
The striped bass is one of California’s best 
jad gamiest fish, and the faet that the species is 
jnstantly on the decrease is cause for both _re- 
jret and alarm on the part of the anglers. Five 
jears ago anyone could get a good afternoon’s 
port with the chance of landing some very large 
sh. Now the sport is uncertain at best, and at 
imes the old haunts of the striped ‘bass are en- 
‘rely deserted. 
+ While the presence of oil on the waters of 
ie bay is. generally conceded to have something 
() do with the disappearance of striped bass, it 
3; the opinion of experts, who have carefully 
tudied the situation, that the market fisherman 
4; the real cause of the trouble. A striped bass 
\lub has been formed and this organization, in 
fonjunction with the State Fish Commission, is 
Indeavoring. to put a_ stop to illegal netting. 
)espite these unpleasant features, however, some 
Ine catches have been made. A. Draper recently 
inded what is believed to be the largest striped 
lass ever taken in the San Francisco Bay district. 
(he fish was caught with a light rod and tackle 



jear the mouth of Petaluma River and weighed 
wenty-nine pounds. 
| Steelheads have begun to run in California, 
ind many of the fishermen have left for the Eel 
iver country. Fishing there is reported excel- 
i2nt for this early in the season, and some good 
tatches of steelheads have been made there. 
ifost of the Eel River fishing will be done by 
¢y-casters. As the most of the fish there are of 
jnusual size, the sport is unexcelled. The Rus- 
{ian River will also afford good sporting from 
(ow on. Steelheads are beginning to run there, 
ind as soon as the bar opens fishing will be in 
full swing. 
For the first time in three years tomcods have 
ippeared in San Francisco Bay. Great schools 
tf these fish entered through the Golden Gate 
¢uring the last few weeks to deposit their spawn. 
\fter a few weeks they will swim out again into 
he Pacific. Tomcods were caught last week 
trom the wharves and piers and from the decks 
tf the arks off Sausalito. Mingling with the 
}od were kingfish. Some large catches were 
¢aade. 
i The rain, which has been falling 
vill, it is thought, improve fishing in the inland 
Nloughs, and after a week or two will increase 
ihe number of game fish in San Francisco Bay. 
I\s a rule the first rain is the signal for the bay 
sh to travel up stream. 
The trout season is virtually closed in Cali- 
ornia, for though the open season has two more 
veeks to run, but few enthusiasts are out for 
his fish. 
The State Fish Commission is busy planting 
ish throughout the streams of California, and 
Iwo or three years will see some of the best 
{port in the United States in California streams. 
¥)ne hundred thousand young trout have been 
ilaced in the streams about San Jose and good 
esults are looked for. W. O. Fasset, of the 
ommission, has planted about 20,000, including 
teelhead and rainbow trout, in the streams in 
4nd near San Antonio cafion. This is a part of 
fhe work of the Government in restocking the 
in California, 

| 
INGIING) 



streams of the mountain ranges. Fifty thousand 
trout were planted in San Gabriel cafion. The 
mountain streams near Banning received a large 
number and Santa Monica cafion. was stocked 
with about 20,000. 
The small trout were hatched at the Govern- 
ment hatchery at Sisson, at the foot of Mt. 
Shasta, and brought to southern California in 
fifteen gallon cans. They were saved from the 
spring hatchings and allowed to grow to a good 
size before being planted, in order to insure the 
greater part of the batch surviving the winter. 
It required two days and two nights to bring 
the fish to their destination, and during that 
time Mr. Fasset was without sleep or other rest. 
The trout require constant aeration of water, and 
every fifteen minutes it was necessary to dip up 
quantities of water and pour it back into the 
cans. 
The Nevada State Fish Commission is send- 
ing a consignment of Washoe perch to Califor- 
nia in exchange for a shipment of 2,000 black 
bass spawn, which the Nevada commission con- 
templates planting in the Truckee River and 
Washoe Lake. 
A remarkable run of yellowtail struck Redondo 
on Oct. 22, and when the day was over, 3,000 
fish, averaging 15 pounds each, lay on_ the 
wharves. In every back yard of Redondo a 
group was to be seen cleaning fish, and along 
the streets were many prominent citizens with 
large fish dangling from their hands. Stores 
and shops were closed, while the proprietors and 
clerks took an hour off and rushed down to the 
pier to enjoy the sport. Women left their bak- 
ing, got out their husbands’ tackle, and hastened 
to the wharf. By 8 o'clock in the morning one 
pier where the yellowtail were biting, was 
crowded with fishermen and women. The carni- 
val lasted practically all day. 
The next day, however, the run was over, and 
many fishermen were disappointed by its dis- 
continuance. The presence of squid is assigned 
as the cause of a run such as has not been ex- 
.perienced in the south for five years. The squid 
are the chief food of the larger fish and an im- 
mense school of them had been driven close to 
the shore. 
The Southern California Rod and Reel Club, 
of Los Angeles, has completed arrangements for 
the tournament season of 1908. The tournament 
committee will hereafter award trophy buttons, 
competition to be limited strictly to light tackle. 
It was decided to organize a separate light tackle 
division of the club, membership to be open to 
members of the club only, and to charge an en- 
trance fee of $1 to pay for the buttons. Three 
types of buttons were decided upon, all to be 
of gold, one for outside fishing, one for inside 
fishing, and a gold star special for limit fish in 
each class. The following restrictions were es- 
tablished: Rod must be not less than six feet long 
and weigh not more than ten ounces, and the 
line must be a standard nine-thread line. Con- 
testant must submit tackle used at the next meet- 
ine of the club after the tatch is made, together 
with entry properly witnessed, according to tour- 
nament rules and on the regular blanks. The 
waters in which tournament catches may be 
made were limited to State waters, ranging from 
the Santa Barbara channel to San Diego, and 
including both those points. ASRS: 

The Most Important Principle. 
THE most important principle, perhaps, in life, 
said Sir Humphrey Davy, is to have a pursuit— 
a useful one if possible—and at all events an 
innocent one.’ Though I do not expect, like our 
arch-patriarch Walton, to number ninety years 
and past, yet I hope, as long as I can enjoy, in 
a vernal day, the warmth and heat of the sun- 
shine, still to haunt the streams. 
. 
o'clock, when two of the visitors were 

Newark Bait- and Fly-Casting Club. 
Tue second and final contest for the 
of the young Newark Bait- and Fly-Casting Club 
was held on the lake in Weequahic Park, New- 
ark, N. J., on Election Day. 
The morning promised rain, but the fresh 
southwest wind blew the clouds away, then died 
down, and the afternoon was bright, warm and 
pleasant. These, with the natural beauty of the 
park and lake, furnished ideal conditions for 
both accuracy and bait- and fly-casting. 
The new club is growing rapidly and the mem- 
bers are enthusiastic over the success their efforts 
have been: crowned with so f Their plat- 
season 
tar. 
form on Weequahic Lake is so situated that they 
have a good background, plenty of room, and ex- 
cellent opportuniti@s to make creditable scores 
with both fly- and bait-casting rods. 
BAIT-CASTING FOR DISTANCE 
This event was held in the morning, in a rather 
strong wind, and was won by Fred T. Mapes who 

averaged 1482-5 with half-ounce weight. He 
also made the longest single cast The scores 
follow: 
AV erage 
Pred! (‘T..Mapes.. <0, 006. 145 135 145 161 156 148 2-5 
George E. Moore........... 105 110 105 135 134 117 4-5 
Nah lic PNMALS I ictele.e sslersiele navel 117 185 115 140 *60 111 2-5 
P. J... Muldoon’... ccscecese- 120.149 126 *25 *5 94 
Charles T. Champion...... 110 111 98 110 93 4-5 
George A. Endersby....... #40 1385 *25 120 125 89 
ACCURACY BAIT-CASTING. 
The conditions improved steadily after mid- 
day, and when the half-ounce accuracy bait event 
was called, they were fair and the members 
showed decided improvement in their scores. 
George A. Endersby, president of the club, won 
the first prize, a fine reel, and he also won the 
second stage of the contest for the cup presented 
by the Anglers’ Club of New York. Under the 
conditions the cup is to become a perpetual 
trophy, its holder for the first year to defend 
it next season, .etc. As Secretary Mapes won 
the cup for the first time on Oct. 10, he and Mr. 
Endersby were tied; and they cast off the tie at 
the close of the event, Mr. Endersby winning 
with the good score of 978-15 per cent. His 
opponent had to be content with a fly-rod. The 



total scores: 
GOft. SOft. 100ft. Demerits. P’r C't. 
George A. Endersby.... 8 18 20 16 96 14-15 
Fred T. Mapes....-....- 9 16 23 48 96 12-15 
Ao. Marsh. its. pecs ees 10 21 26 57 TA a= 
AD oP 34 25 81 
George E. 5 29 33 85 
P. J. Muldoon......:... 27 38 33 98 
Charles T. Champion... 20 67 21 108 
Lou Sands 56 55 138 
Tie: 
G. A. Endersby......... 17 9 37 
Re Mia pesi.:.(evicaserclee 13 1s 18 49 
CASTING AGAINST TIME. 
toward 4 
invited to 
Mr. Darl- 
feet long, 
The latter 
1, held by 
The wind had dropped to a zephyr 
cast for distance with their fly-rods. 
ing used a two-handed egrilse rod 11% 
and Mr. Frazer a 15 foot salmon rod. 
exceeded the 15 foot salmon fly recor 
himself. The scores: 
Feet———_, 
estes. Ware vaictaralsiere sic alpiaie «\s-cinipreainislawine 3/618 96 103 104 
Perry D. Frazer .....cseeesscee center eens 104 107 108 
DISTANCE FLY-CASTING 
Secretary Mapes won first place in the club 
single-hand fly-casting event, with 60 feet. — Che 
members are not as yet supplied with suitable 
fly-casting outfits, but they are improving, as 
the following scores show: 
yi Feet 
Fred T. Mapes ..ccccccpecrccseccsccccceveccncssreveres #9 : 
Charles T. Champion .........cssepeseeseveneneceeeces 55 6 
George T. Endersby.......sceeceereeserereeeerrereeess 53 
P. J. Muldoon... .ci.cceeccecsecceeeccrcereresetenccces 1) 
George E. Moore.....scccssccceteveccscccvssccrececess 33 

