Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-11
ROD AND STREAM
BY Perry Miller

------------Dy TeTT
Two weeks from today is Christmas
and every angler would like to have
something new added to his fishing
tackle from Santas big gift bag.
There are many things that every
angler could use and the good wife,
brother or sister has a wide choice 10
select from, and such gifts are so
much more acceptable than the usual
run of neckties. handkerchiefs. cigars,
pipes, tobacco, socks, etc. In order to
facilitate and help the good wife in
making hubby happy this Christmas,
this column is going to make a little
trip to a sporting goods store and
name some things she or he could
give to help the angler catch his fish
next Spring.
Entering the store we see, oh. so
many things, that we are at first a
little bewildered and sort of catch our
breath at the wonderful assortment
which meets our gaze. First of all
there is a rack filled with all kinds OF
rods-deep sea rods, bass rods and fly
rods. and then as we turn around we
see show case filled with all sorts Of
reels. big reels and little reels, all
highly polished and shining. 4 few
more steps and we find ourselves in
front of another case filled with a won.
derful assortment of lines. from the
less expensive hand line for the be-
ginner to the silk and linen lines for
the more experienced angler.
i CHANGING upward We behold a shelf
filled with the latest improved bait
Z buckets to assure the minnows a safe
and sane journey to some distant point
where live bait is hard to obtain, and
If the minnows transported should die
the anglers trip would be doomed to
dlsappointme On the other side of
the store more cases meet our gaze,
filled with wonderful assortment of
artificial bats and lures, the colors of
these reminding Nne of the Autumn
leaves, all colors in the rainbow. min.
gled'with the nickle and high polished
spinners, spoons. drone bats, etc.
And In still another case we find all
kinds of hooks, big hooks and small
hooks, hooks TO catch the largest fish
that SfyimS and hooks so small that
you wonder if they really would hold
the smallest fish. but these hooks are
made of the finest tempered. steel and
are surprisingly strong. And last, but
by no means least. we see lead cut
IN all sizes and shapes, commonly
called sinkers, running from a small
had gotten mad and sliced it almost in
haH, but cut to allow a line to be
placed in it and then the sides are
pressed together. to sinkers weighing
from to is ounces and more.
4 * IL IS very confusing seeing all these
things, but the good wife knows Just
about what her husband would like
to have: knows whether he is a salt
or fresh water angler, and a few
words to the salesman soon has an
array of tackle before her that would
cause beginner in the ways of Izaall
Walton to shout with JOY.
Summing up the past fishing season,
while some anglers may have had
good luck in landing fish on the whole
1t did not compare to. the 1926 season.
Fishing got off TO a flying start with
the croakers or hardheads, and many
fine big ones were landed The same
is true of the spots. which ran true
to form in size and quantity. but when
the trout, rockfish and taylors made
their appearance in salt water some
thing happened. we know not what
We do know one thing for sure. and
that is comparatively few were landed.
IL may be that these game saltwater
flsh did not return in large numbers
and 1t may be that they did, only to
be scooped out of the water by the
purse meters, and, seeing so many of
their advance guards suddenly disap.
pear. the balance got scared and beat
a hasty retreat.
IN fresh water the )2ss angler had
his inning, especially IN the Potomac
River between Chain Bridge and
Great Falls. II is safe to say that
more flsh were caught in The Potomac
last season than have been landed
for long while. This may he par
TALLY due to the fact that more an.
glers tished in the Potomac last Sum
mer than have been seen in many a
year, and 1t may be that because the
anglers have not been so numerous
In the last several years that the fish
have been more or less unmolested
and have therefore multiplied
The writer caught several nice bass
back of Glen Echo last season. but
was surprised at the number of small
bass that were hooked and had to be
returned to the water. These fish just
too small to be kept will furnish eX
cellent sport next season. Little mouth
bass weighing between three and -four
pounds were caught in this same 10
cality. The new Maryland law requir'