The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-08
THE SILVERY SALMON.
They Attract Crowds of TrQ
ers to the Sound.
FANCY RIGS NOT THE BEST.
Many Anglers Lost in the Fog-An Old
Timer Gives some Valuable Hints
for Novices.

The salmon trolling season is In full
swing. as any PERSON who saw the swarm
OF boats which dotted the bay and struggled
out into the open sound yesterday can
testify. Every boat al every boathouse
was called into requisition. and the boat
men reaped q harvest Many set out be-
lore daylight and the slaughter of tue sill
very salmon continued until dark. Some
tine catches were made, many OF the fish
being of large size, and one thirty FOUNDER
was landed and carried As q trophy through
the streets.
One obstacle to success yesterday morn
ing was the dense fog which overhung the
Sound at sunrise and did not till long af-
rewards give way 70 the power of the sun.
Troiiers rowed around the bay, not know
Ing whittier they went and might here been
IN mid-ocean for all they could see afioai.
Many pulled over 10 West Seattle, though
they intended 10 go TO the edge of the tide
Hats and were far around towards Alki
Point before they saw land, and then imag-
med that The dim on line of the bluffs seen
through the fog was the hills on the east
side OF the bay. However, ne mishap oc-
CURED.
The uninitiated is apt to think that no
skill is required to troll for salmon, and
that when he has purchased the finest rig
In the market, hung IL out at the stern of
his boat and rowed it out into the bay, it is
the duty Of the salmon TO offer themselves
wiling sacrifice 10 its charms by hanging
themselves on the hook to be hauled in.
making just enough fuss to add zest to the
sport. Only after hours of fruitless rowing,
being fantalized by the sight OF fish Jump
ing all around him, and of his rivals every
now and then hauling in a beauty, while
never bite has he, does he come to the
humble conclusion that perhaps he does
not know it ALL" Then he goes to some
old-timer and asks for pointers.
Such pointers were given to Posr-IHrEL-
LIoEScER representative yesterday by G. "
Johnson. the veteran boat-buiider. He
said very emphat caIly: These fancy
rigs that sell for big prices are only made
10 sell. They look well in a show
window and bring higher prices ut
the hardware stores than the old
siwash rig, but they are fraud, because
they won't catch fish. The last man to
take advice from about the kind of rig to
buy Is The hardware man, because he is
interested In selling you the most expen-
sive rig and not the one which will be sure
to catch fish. A fellow came here the
other day with one of these fancy rigs to 20
trolling and said:
What are you going to do with that
thIng2n
Going to catch salmon. he said.
Il said You'll never catch any salmon
with that
"Weil. he got mad and said he had
bought the bestrig in the store and wanted
to bet me that he would catch something
with 1t. When / showed him q siwash rig
he turned up his nose ut it. Finally he
agreed to fish an hour with his rig and
then an hour with mine and judge by re-
suits. When he came in he had fine lot
OF fish and when put him on his honor
he Admitted that he caught them all with
my rig."
"What are the faults of these fancy
rigs7"
1.-The spoon is hung on brass swivel,
and makes metallic ringing which is not
natural. Then the hooks are too far from
or too close to the end of the spoon. You
have too many hooks on rig like that
You doR't want three hooks, all spread out
like that; they'r too big q mouthfui for
| the fish,
'Then how ought rig to be NADER"
cit wants to be as natural looking as
| possible. Fasten plain brass spoon by q
| swivel to the line itse.f, and not another
| brass swivel; then IL viii swing around
noiselessly in the water. and will look very
| much like fsb. so that the salmon will go
| after it Have only a single hook tied to
| tue end of your line, so that The point of the
| hook is about an inch from the END of the
| spoon. Beyond the curve the hook wants
to be twisted sideways in order to be sure
| to catch. The great point Is to study the
way the salmon viii act. When he sees
| the spoon spinning around noiselessIy in
| the wafer, he will make a grab for it, and
close down on it, and turn away to 90 off
| with IL. When he tnds 1T is not
| what he expected. he will spit it
| out, but the hook has caught
him in the side of the mouth. That is the
object of the twist In the hook and it is
sure to catch the fish, while without il the
! fish might throw it off with the spoon and
not be hooked. If you have the point OF
the hook overlapping The spoon, it is liable
to be warded off and if you have the hook
! too far of, the fish may lind 1T out and
| drop il of before he has closed down on
the spoon.
Nobody can beat the siwash for CATCH
| ing salmon and this is their style of rig.
| They have studied the salmon and know
his ways, so that they are just as cunning
as be is. They will catch salmon with O
herring when nobody else could. They
have q way of hooking on the herring so
that he looks quite natural and at the
| same time the hook is placed so that the
| salmon is sure TO get on it.
"How is your sinker placedf"
| at ought TO be about twenty feet from
the spoon, so that the tish won't see it. Its
chief use is to straighten out the line when
| il gets kinked."
A party of three hobos hired Clark q
| Bartlett's sailboat yesterday and in the
evening abandoned 1t on the gridiron AT
/ Manning's wharf. They are believed to
have done this for revenge because they
| were caught in the act OF abandoning the
Rider last May and threatened to get even
because they had 10 pay the hire and take
| the boat 10 the boat-house.
A GOOD PLACE TO INVEST.
The town OF Utsalady will be on the market
| ha.-s. sads 10 hafor