The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-24
Big STICK JOY OF
ANGLER AND CASTER
Plea for Abandonment Of Nine
Foot Rod in Tournament
Work.
LIMIT STOPS PROGRESS
BY SWITCH REEL.

The nine foot limit on surf rods 10
without foundation in reason. II is
there because II Ia in the rules of the
Association Of Surf Angling Clubs and
the association can remove 1t at will.
There 10 q vast difference between the
tournament cast and the cast made by
the angler on the beach.
| In the former the records are made
with a dry fine and no part of the ans-
ler's rig except the lead and. II must
be confessed, the surf fisherman went
! to the bank fisherman for even that,
for 1t is the lead popularity known as
the bank slnker." which 10 far different
from the pyramid lead used on the
beach.
truth. In the fishing cast there are, In
| addition to the lead. swivel. leader.
! hook and bait. More than this, the
| fishing line 10 considerably heavier than
that always used in distance record
| work.
Tournament records, therefore. are not
based on fishing tackle. the only real
tool of the fisherman used being the rod
Then. we may ask, of what utility is
the casting tournament?
! The answer is right IN the rod Tour
nament casting has done more to de-
velop the best fishing rod than any other
influence In the sport, for the best tour
nament rod Is far and away the best
fishing rod on the sandy beaches.
1t Is not many years ago that the
average surf rod was about as long
as the man using It. Nowadays at least
fifty per cent. OF the rods In the North
ore between eight and nine feet in
length.
Longest Rod Best of All.
The angler who has won honorable
place in the tournament takes his tour
nament rod TO the beach. finds IL the best
fishing stick he owns and thanks the
tournament for having given 1t to him.
And then along comes the A S. A. c.
rule and says to him, You shall not
have better one -
It sounds too much like "verboten :"
One of the best qualified students and
Judge Of rods on the Jersey coast has
worked up from seven and Il half feet
to nearly ten feet in the past six years.
and is well satisfied that his longest
stick Is the best of all. Here. then We
have man whose best stick is barred
from tournaments by an unreasona BILE
rule.
And here too we have a rule which I'M
reasonably prevents hundreds OF men
frcm getting better tournament rods
This rule puts stop to further devel-
, opment 1t is silly to hold that the
nine foot rod OF to-day is the best that
can be made. A few years ago there
was an eight foot limit in one or two
, clubs. The fact that 1t was changed to
, nine feet proves that~it wasn't good
I Neither Is the nine foot limit.
Rule Throttles Progress.
We may well borrow a little wisdom
|, fiom our fresh water brothers with REF
erence to whose bait casting rods there
are no limits In the rules OF tho Ma
/, tional Association Of Scientific Angl!nr
] Clubs there is no fellow to Rule 4. on P.
fit, Article IN, A = A. c. which says
THE ROD when assembled not 20 exceed
nine feet in length" excer' In the y A
S. A. c. surf event rule. which, they have
notified us In the most sportsma Mike
way. Is verbatim copy OF ours TIE
rules for every other y. A. s. \. G. bait
casting event as well as those for dis.
$ lance fly open with the words, pod IN.
] restricted" And prior TO their indorse.
!. ment Of our rule their rules ~ surf
3 casting opened with the same words
a | which are good.
= They are good because they leave &
field in which experiment and develop
inent are possible. The nine foot limit
closes tahat fcld anr throttles progress.
Q Urges AbOlishing Restriction.
There need be no fear that the sur
. rod will grow out of re- son II the arb!
trary limit be removed. since the natura
l. limit OF the individual will then come
u into play and operate just as it does witt
the rod of the distance fly and the bal
! caster In the sinllr hand class.
Those rods never grow to unwicld,
e or ridiculous proportions. Why deny :,
G the surf rod tho privilege so freely nc
n corded 20 the fresh water rod? Shall
: be stunted forever with this narrey
l. vision limit?
4 1t may be that nine feet Is the natura
limit, but no man can know It while i
!, the Al bitrary limit
Away then. with this arbitry restric
ton and "let Joy be unconined" Tn
3 big stick We love so well will then see
'e and md uature's limit. Who's afr. id d?
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