The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-05-12

I The hook is made of finely tempered
| steel, so constructed that the strain
| when the fish is hooked is along the
| line of the least resistance, from
the barb point to the tip of the rod.
| Other accessories are thumb stalls
| to control the rush of the reel, as
| the tarpon runs, and without which
the thumb would soon be torn and
bleeding; gaffs, for landing the mon
arch on the beach, and last, but by
| no means least, the gasoline launch,
without which tarpon fishing would
be impossible.
In contrast to these short, pow
erful looking rods are the fly rods
| for trout and bass; delicate in ap-
! pearance, the tips scarcely larger
| than a whip lash, yet representing
! tensile strength almost beyond belief.
| They are the dainty. aristocrats of
this pscatorial haberdashery. The
! tarpon rods might be classified as
the sturdy peasants.
| With the whip lash bambOos, Van
! Week has whipped the most noted
| trout streams and lakes in North
America, leaving behind a record
which has established him high in
| the estimation of those who love the
| speckled beauties.
His rods, for the most part, were
made to order by a great rodmaker,
of the finest bamboo obtainable, and
are marvels of workmanship. One
| of them which the owner declares is
the lishtest in existence, weighs but
an ounce and a half, yet has done
| good execution among the trout
The finest silk casting lines, deli
| cate looking threads of gossamer,
but tried and true, he keeps by the
| spool, where he can lay his hand
upon them at moments notice
| should occasion require.
Reels for fly fishing and bait cast
| ing, made like watches, with jeweled
| bearings and silver mountings, fit
into place in each of the several
tackle boxes in which he slows his
small stun.
Among the many fine bits that go
to complete this wonderful collection
are several hundred hair-like silk
WI III SUI itautlS, tdNll nine ltCl III
length and without blot marring
their perfection. 1t is doubtful if
another angler in this country pos
sesses such leaders. They are i'm
ported by Van Week, being made for
him in Europe. In color they are
gray blue and once immersed become
invisible, seeming to fade away in
the water. Tied to a fly, the lure
has the appearance of floating on the
water, much to the confusion of the
foolish trout which takes it.
1t would be impossible to guess at
the number of flies in the dozen or
more fiybooks that are to be found
in Van Weeks collection. But there
must be thousands, and those who
have purchased flies know what this
means.
Passing over the fly rods with re-
greet tfor one hates to lay aside such
specimens of craft), the next attrac-
ton is the bait rod for bass These
too are of split bamboo. made just as
carefully as the fly rods, and lacking
only their length and slenderness.
So much for rods, reels, flies a d
lines. In addition, the outfit COM
prises waders, for walking through
water waist deep when fishing; hip
boots, for marshy ground or for use
on wet days; moccasins, wooden
shirts, sweaters, clothes of water
proof cloth which defy the elements,
creels, several of them; landing nets,
gaffs, camp utensils and necessities,
including several lightweight water
proof tents blankets, sheets. camp
stool and chairs; canoes, harpoons
and lances for use in the south where
the hammerhead and leopard shark
and the devilfsh sometimes give an