New-York tribune., 1886-07-28
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
WISHING roR SALMON.

FISHING FOR SALMON.
-, AvRRIcAK SALMON KreHBkMAE. BY Hxxsv |
wEiies esoan ,assrsss. 20 'eS' ssv-fss1' na'pst
-, W.l,s's sdralrAbis work. sFly~rods and Fly
s..Stes has already proved valuable addition
- s.,r xusng literature. The record Of his patient
sr,srmeuts with materials ana his iustrnctton In
A. ex.,,ns knot tying and the like are 80 serveea-
" and exhaustive that there 70 apparently little
va.re ts be sa.d concerning rods and tackle "a be
- IN taking brook trsus We had. therefore,
S.rmsa tho pleasactest authorizations Of @The
awsricsn ssimoa Fishermaa.o bat We sre. forced
~ confess tnat our aaticipstions have not been
S.i6Ilea. A volume OF % peetentioas title wsaid
uaturally be attributed to Who had sasson after
.eeeon explored the principal rivers Of the North
s.sk who had fsmil,arixed himself With the ditfer-
ant phasos Of salmon fishing. aud with the expert
e,ces cf multitude Of Canadian and American
sne,erS xr Wells has written this book as tho
eloss of h,s erst season Of salmon fishing. Aiter
amending three oil four weeks in fishing mile OF
70 Of one river ont Of seventy OF eighty Northeast
arm sslmon streams he hxs published "The Amer-
can Salmon ri.hsrmau." We have had no book
devoted solely 70 this subject before aud 1t may be
that M Welss eagerness to he the rst In the heid
has led him TO the separate publication OF ms'.er
which might moro Rttingly have been an ap'e"oiA
"a his Flv-rod auds Fly. tackle" Aside from MS
theorizing aud scientific" experiments. wn'cn
souotimes become trie ,iresonie. ne mas ntelo 70
sell ma which has not been said before. sitnougn
he nowhere gives the reader any inknns o, TINS
fact Thaddeus Norris. Frank Forester. r. b.
Roosevslt. George Dawson. and A. @. Wilkinson are
.o,,. ~ the writer's who have dealt wish American
..,mon ushiug References to thsr various articles
,,hieb have been preserved In permanent form
would have been st least graceful and would have
seen usefu to tho reader. In bringing his subject
matter down to date Mr.. Wells has Of course i'm
proved upon his predecessors His list OF salmon
streams is much more valuable than that furnished
BY Mr. Roosevelt, or the partial List given by hr.
wilkinson, but Mr. Wells has omitted an essential
ront In falling to indicate the rivers owned or
held on long loasea and those whore chances for
fishing may yet be had. The map showing the
Northeastern salmon rivers 10 much more satisfsc-
tory than the map sccomr snying Mr.. Wilkinson's
article In The CeataSy Book of Sport with Gun
and Rod"
Mr.. Well.'s advice as to :.the ways and means of
obtaining salmon fishing is good. although he
might have added that the aspiring angler has
q chance every winter or spring to secure fishing
privileges at auctions held In the Crown land
ofices There are also few opportunities 10 secure
fishing by the day on many salmon rivers which
will be preferred by those whose time or money Is
limited. These points "a we'll a. the advantages OF
advertising were fully set forth IN letter to THE
TRIBUNE several weeks since Regarding the Inn
portant question Of expenses Mr.. Wells speaks
frankly and wisely. Some writers have sought to
associate salmon fishing with an army of cooks and
servants and unlimited champagne. There are men
who can easily afford to spend 800 for every sal
mon--the average at the Restigouche Salmon CLUB
but there are more who are compelled to pay some
heed to ways aud means. and VIC are glad to find
Mr. Wells writing for true lovers of the gentle craft
rather than for millionaires. When we como to
discussion of rods we find that Mr. Wellss love
for the drawing Of diagrams and for decidedly dog
matc deductions from his OK positions has Increased
TO an extent oftentimes amusing. diagram ana
ak rages of text are devoted to proving that ROD
should not be over sixteen feet In length Inc ma
iority of rods are not over this length and as re-
cards anglers who find 1t more satisfactory TO use
longer rods. 1t wouId have been sufficient for the
writer simply to state his preference. The splced
rods of the Provinces have excited Mr. Wellss
wrath and called forth another diagram and more
theorizing. hut the case is not fairly put as MT
Wells will acknowledge when he has enlarged his
experience IN Canadian salmon fishing Granting
their Inconvenience. 1t 10 too much TO say that inc
thin ends Of the srlices are almost invariably
broken after two or more seasons use. ana that
these rods always show droop at the spices after
heavy strain which would not be seen In
feruled wooden rod We do not say that those rods
are the best but the proof of the pudding Is in the
eating and spliced rods have been used and liked
for years by Canadians who do ten times the
amount of fishing done by Americans in their more
or less hasty visits The greater number Of breaks
In feruled rods are at the ferules when the hard
unyielding metal overlaps softer. elastic wood or
bamboo. The spliced rod very rarely breaks Mt
splice. Simply az Q meaus3of holding joints to-
gether the splice seems safer than the ferule. A
fcruled split bamboo rod is undoubtedly the best,
providing that an extra rod can be carried If not.
and # economy must be considered. II becomes O
serious question whether the spliced OF
the Provinces will not prove most durable, al
though equally cheap wooden rods. which we have
never tested. have been put on the market In New
York At least Mr. Wells should have gwen both
sides fairly and completely, instead OF aiming to
demolish spliced rods with a diagram and a few
generalizationA
The reel recommended Is one which will hold l2O
yarss Of b line. This 10 ell very we'll for fishing
ir the noble Cascapedia, river where tue water
il strong and the salmon large. but for most rivers
100 yards of c line are recommended by auttori-
ties whose advice comes from practical expert
ence which it will require several years for Mr.
Wells TO gain. Much good advice Is given con-
cerning leaders, flies. and hooks but the positive
ness with which Mr. Wells insists upon his veteran
gaA" will appeal to an old fsherman's sense OF
humor On his very first salmon fishing expedition
the author, disappointed in his own gaf. was COM
pelled TO borrow ancient implement highly
praised by the owner and by @Tom" the Indian
canoeman. This gaf was used successfully for g
few weeks and az the result Mr. Wells holds it up
ss the model the only gaa. aud practically decrios
all others Had the writer cast his first fly for sal
mon upon another river. with another canosman. we
might have found him maintaining with equal dog
paatism that another veteran gaff was the only
genuine article and all Others were worthless
Considering tho extended experience Of certain
Provincial tackle dealers. 1t s too much to complain
of the impossibility Of 6nding q really GOOD gaf
in the shops The much vexed question why does