Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-11

the aSSemDlaRe DE OndlrIiith DiAOht u
the work that is being carried on by this
association. In placing on record and
preserving in more or less permanent
form the adventures of true sportsmen
with rod and reel this association is per-
forming service not only to the present
generation of fishermen, but is setting an
example for future generations to pat
tern after.
"If l may be permitted to add my mite
of information to records of this associa-
tion. shall deem it an honor indeed, and
will ever cherish in my memory the
kindness shown me by the distinguished
members in allowing me to join them In
the work of preserving in permanent
form the extraordinary happenings in the
field of piscatorial sport.
Had Similar Experience
at read with great deal of interest
the story related by Chief Kern of his
experience at Newport News with trained
flying fish. l want to say that had an
experience of somewhat similar nature
last year up in Humboldt county in this
state
Last year tried to induce our worthy
chairman here to accompany me on my
annual fishing trip to the Eel river re-
eion, but he was unable to do so. This
year, however, am assured that he will
go along and 1 hope to show him some
of the greatest fishing he ever enjoyed.
at desire to say before continuing my
narrative, that this is an absolutely true
story, and in proof of the same l refer
any gentleman here to Frank G. Tyrrell,
the well known local attorney and famous
after dinner speaker. Mr.. Tyrrell was
born and raised in the Eel river country
and he knows whereof 1 speak.
"Well, to get down to the story. Last
year I went up into Humboldt county, as
d., to foI Ira vacation and
there l enjoyed one of the most novel
adventures in the fishing line that it has
ever been the good fortune of man to
encounter.
1.-THE Eel river country, as you all
know, is the home of the steelhead
trout the gamest and finest favored and
largest of fresh water fish. They catch
steel head trout all over California in
the mountain sections, but nowhere else
are they found as large and plentiful and
gamey as in the Eel river and its tribu-
taries.
81 had caught hundreds of steel head in
that section on previous trips of mine up
there, but never before last year did l
catch them so large nor in such numbers
and. above all, in such novel manner.
at seems that early in February of
last year man of the name of Hawkins
arrived in that country to make his home
there, He came from Arkansas, and he
homeSteaded a claim and proceeded to
carve out a place for himself in the will
derness.
Disciple of Walton
"Clearing land and building home in
the middle of the forest primeval is hard
work, and as all work and no play makes
Jack a dull boy this man Hawkins be-
lieved in taking a day off occasionally
and enjoying himself in rational sport
His form of recreation was fishing, and
he was a true disciple of Walton
"Steelhead trout are so plentiful in that
country that catching them becomes mo-
notonous after a time, and as a diversion
taking them.
do any OF you people know what a
devils darning needle is? Well, it is q
kind of fly with great broad wings and
a long slender body. They abound in the
Eel river country, and Hawkins used
them for bait in place of regular artificial
flies. Finally he got a lot of them to-
gether and began experimenting. He
fastened hooks to the body of the flies
just behind their heads and then tied
various colored yarns to them to repre-
sent the colors of the artificial flies that
were in vogue up there. Finally he fas-
tened the flies to a long slender fish line
and turned them loose over the water.
'Instead of casting as is ordinarily done
Hawkins let his insects loose and they
flew out over the water, carrying the
hooks with them. They got into places
where 1t was utterly impossible for a
man to cast a leader, and consequently
he took some of the biggest trout that
were ever seen in that country
why tell you, gentlemen. the patri-
archs of the steehead family came to the
Hawkins creel after he adopted that style
of fishing and when / went up there last
year and he~told me about his new way
of catching fish I simply couldn't restrain
myself until 1 got a try at the game.
''IIe furnished me with a lot of his
trained flies and went out one morning
and tried a rifle that because of the
steep walls was utterly impossible to gel
at otherwise.
Say, talk about your trout! Why ]
= caught steelhead up there that tipped the
beam at eighteen to thirty pounds apiece
and that is going some for steelhead
want to tell you.
Caught Forty-one
"On my first day out captured forty
one of the biggest steelhead I had evel
dreamed of. Not one of them went under
thirteen pounds and the most ranged III
toward thirty pounds.
DAY after day 1 repeated my success
and all told 1 caught more than hun
dred Dig SteelneadS-nearly ton ana
half, altogether-and l got them out o.
places where 1t was impossible to cas-
line, but the trained flies took tn,
hooks right in where 1 wanted them t.
go and sacrificed themselves to our de
sire for sport.
Hawkins writes me that he has more
than 5000 trained darning needles thil
year. and when our worthy chairman an6
get up there this year you all
may expect a nice mess Of steelhead by
the first express"