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SO TT TTT MMMM TT
A Book of 250 Helpful Hints
for Hunters, Anglers
and Outers
Edited by
HARRY N) KATZ
Kink Editor, Outer’s Book
WITH 214 ILLUSTRATIONS
MUTT TTT
: PUBLISHED BY
i THE OUTER’S BOOK COMPANY
: CHICAGO
IQ17
DOU
AT TTA mnt Tee &
LSS rE a eel ea i elon gl
SH451
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COPYRIGHTED, 1917
By THE OUTER’S BOOK COMPANY
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Bou. Sie! C; (Um reais
hte 43 |% ; 2h
Press of the Blakely Printing Co., Chicago
FOREWORD
INCE time immemorial it has been the custom of publishers to
preface their books with some sort of a foreword. This first
edition of the Kink Book needs but little in the way of introduction.
A single glance at the text pages will be sufficient introduction for any
sportsman, and it is for those who indeed possess the sporting spirit of .
fair play that this book is intended. To appropriate a phrase from the
Father of Angling, “It is too good for ought but honest men.”
The many who have followed the Kink Column from month to
month in Outer’s Boox will require no explanation of the purpose of
this book. Others, however, may be sufficiently interested over its
inception and development to make worth while a few words in that
direction.
A distinguishing mark of the true sportsman is his constant readi-
ness to give freely to his brothers in sport the benefit of his knowledge
and experience. Naturally the spreading of information by word of
mouth is far too slow for the up-to-date American outdoorsman, and
matters of major importance soon find expression through the pages of
the various sportsman’s magazines. But a vast number of small per-
sonal tricks and practices have heretofore obtained but little publicity
in this way. Individually they are scarcely important enough to serve
as the basis of a regulation magazine article, and their originators,
moreover, are often too modest or too unskilled with the pen to
attempt anything so ambitious.
It was to encourage the offering of these smaller items, therefore,
that the Kink column was started in Ourter’s Boox in March, 1915.
The choice of the name “Kink” is almost self-explanatory. We antici-
pated that the column would be interesting, but there was little advance
appreciation of the great popularity of the movement and the very large
store of valuable information that it has opened up.
From the very beginning constant suggestions were received from
readers for the publication of “Kinks” in book form, and with this
volume the call is met. No claim is made that this book is either com-
plete or authoritative. It is merely a collection of several hundred
random facts, each vouched for by some sportsman who has found it
of use during some phase of his outdoor life. Yet, as it appears on
the press, there is every indication that this book will be found both
interesting and profitable reading by those for whom it is intended.
The editor cannot close without a word of appreciation for the
hundreds of splendid men and women who have furnished the materiah
for this book. They have given freely of their knowledge and with
but little idea of material reward. A limited number of them have
received the modest prizes that have been offered from month to.
month. But sheer love of sport has been the actuating motive behind
every contribution. Many an old woodsman, to whom even the writing
of a short letter is an awkward task, has sent in with knotty handwrit-
ing and vague spelling, a halting description of the fruits of his
wisdom. There has been a good deal of labor expended in whipping
these suggestions into shape for the printer, but there has been pleasure
as well—pleasure in the knowledge that by this work we were perhaps
also doing our bit for the splendid Brotherhood of the Open.
THE Eprtor.
To Charlie, who taught me how to drop
a far-flung bait into a pocket in the
lily pads;
To Dorsey, who showed me how to
dance a fly on a smiling pool;
To Bob, who told me how to draw a
bead and press a trigger;
To Hughie, who guided my first awk-
ward attempt with a canoe pole;
And to every Tom, Dick, and Harry
who helps another, tenderfoot or
old-timer, to enjoy the more, to un-
derstand the closer, that vast her-
itage of the outdoors which Nature
has left in trust with such as them—
This book is dedicated.
H. N. Katz, Kink Editor, Outer’s Book
KINKS OF ALL KINDS
A DUCK KINK
By O. F. Crarx
The outfit here described weighs
nothing and takes up no room. It
should be welcomed by those who
enjoy fall sport with the scat-
tergun.
Take a piece of cord similar to
a heavy fishing line—a fish line
will do—about six feet long. Tie
a loop in each end. (See Fig. 1.)
Now, in the middle of this string,
tie a fishline or any strong string
about 75 or 150 ft. long. (See
Pigs. 2.) | Now. roll it i‘ap\.en a
small board about 2 by 4 in. in
size, leaving the end with the two
loops to. be wound up last and put
it in your hunting coat. Then
when you go out and kill a duck
Fig |
‘ 7
\ al yj Ne \>
in some place where you cannot
get out to it, just look around
and find a stick about 4 ft. long.
Slip a loop over each end and
draw it tight. Throw the stick
“>
WN V7
out beyond your duck and by
walking whichever way is neces-
sary, you can pull the triangle
over your duck and pull him in.
(See Fig. 3.) Throw away the
stick and roll up your cord and
place it in your pocket and you
are ready for as many ducks as
you can kill.
IMPROVING THE MINNOW
CAN
By P. E. Brapricx
The fact that minnows soon
smother when shut in the usual
nearly air-tight minnow bucket,
suggests several improvements.
These are especially for the ang-
ler who has to hike “way up the
creek” for his minnows and then
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— tlt a Dee i og
<
oy Ub 2?
otek
hurry back lest they all die before
he reaches the river.
Take the cover of your bucket
to the tinner and have him cut
out the top, leaving only a strip
8 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
around the edge as in Fig. 2.
Use some quarter-inch mesh gal-
vanized screen and have same
soldered into the top in place of
tin just removed.
Make a tin cone or funnel (aa,
Fig. 1). Have this riveted in
place under the mesh, point up,
with braces (b-b, Fig. 1). This
Fig I Fig.2
cone prevents the water splash-
ing out while one is walking.
With the cover arranged in this
way the water is churned around
and freshened up at every step
as you walk along. With the or-
dinary cover one is inclined to
step very easily in order not to
splash all over. But with this
cover the more the bucket is
shaken up the better for the fish.
DOCTORING THE LEADER
By ARTHUR BURKMAN
The ordinary snelled fly is none
too easy to remove from the
leader loop after it has been set-
tled into place by a few minutes
flles in a hurry. Here is a kink
that will save many a minute’s
fumbling: Just tie a small knot
in the end of each of the loops on
the leader. Hang the fly on this
knotted loop the same as usual.
Now, when you wish to remove
the fly, take the knot you have tied
between the thumb and finger of
the right hand and loop on the
fly snell between the thumb and
finger of the left hand and pull
them apart. You will be sur-
prised to see how the little knot
facilitates this. If desired you
can also tie a similar knot in the
loop of the fly snell, but this is
not necessary.
A FIRE JACK
By G. A. Cocxze “™
Here is a fire jack, convenient
to handle, compact for carrying.
and easy to make: The upright
is made of 7%-in. iron rod sharp-
ened on one end so as to be easily
stuck into the ground. It is 3
feet long. The cross-arm, also
3 feet long, is simply a %-in. iron
rod with a hook forged at one
end. The block can be either of
hardwood or metal. It is 3 in.
square and has two holes bored
through it at right angles to one
another, to accommodate the two
of persistent casting. It is some-
times pretty stubborn to bring
away when you want to change
The holes are made 1-16 in.
rods.
larger than the rod they are to
take, and are bored to cross as
KINKS OF
closely to one another as_ pos-
sible.
To set up, push the point of the
upright into the ground and slip
the block over it. Then insert the
cross-arm in its socket and you
are ready to hang the kettle. The
cross-arm can be raised, lowered,
lengthened, shortened or swung
in any direction and the friction
of the block will cause it to bind
and hold wherever placed. This
little device will save many a
singed eyebrow or spilt pot of
Java.
THE SQUIRREL TAIL BAIT
By W. H. GREENE
Here is a bait that has done
good execution for me among the
bass.
Take a squirrel tail and cut it
off about five inches long. Fasten
two gang hooks in tandem on a
double gut leader and lash them
to the tail with good silk thread.
ALL KINDS 9
The end of the tail should project
about an inch behind the last gang.
The lashings should be thoroughly
made.
Where desired, a shorter bait
can be made in the same style by
using only one gang instead of
two. fi
MAKE YOUR REEL SELF-
STRIKING
By GeorGE Morton
The following kink can be used
quite successfully when still fish-
ing. It is especially good when
the rod is not held in the hand or
when the angler’s attention is per-
haps attracted elsewhere at the
moment the fish bites:
Fasten a rather stiff rubber
band to the upper end of the rod
grasp. It may be lashed in place,
stretched over a peg as in the
diagram, or fastened in any other
way you desire. Whittle a small
bit of wood to the right length so
that it will act as a prop between
the reel handle and the reel seat
when the forward end of the han-
dle is brought just slightly below
the parallel with the reel seat.
Pass the line around back of this
prop, stretch the rubber band from
the rod grasp to the reel handle
and the reel is locked.
As soon as a fish takes the bait
10 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
and straightens the line, he pulls
out the small prop. The rubber
band promptly jerks down the
reel handle, causing the spool to
wind in a few inches of line, just
enough to set the hook. If the
angler desires the fish to run with
the bait for some distance before
being snubbed (as when fishing
with minnows, etc.), strip out the
extra line in advance and let it
lie in loose coils just back of the
first guide.
AN IMPROVISED TANDEM
By JoHN PHILLIPS
Sometimes the bass insist on
biting short on your minnow when
you do not happen to have a reg-
ular tandem hook handy. You
the simple hitch shown in Fig. 2.
This hook goes through the lips
of the bait and your tandem is
complete. Better than a regular
tandem in some respects because
it is so easily adjusted to the
length of the minnow.
GANGS CAN’T TWIST OUT
By GeorceE A. WIGGAN
Last summer, after having lost
several large pike and muskies,
due to the tail hooks coming out,
I inquired the cause from an old-
timer. He told me that the mus-
kies and likely pike as well, have
a habit of rolling over during their
struggles and in this way twist off
the hook. He showed me a bait
on which the tail gag had been
can’t blame the fish for not want-
ing to get their faces full of
hooks, but here’s a way to fool
them just the same:
Tie a 3.0 Aberdeen snelled hook
on the end of your line and let
this run back through the gills of
the minnow. Then loop another
of the same hooks onto the line a
little farther up, looping on with
twisted almost straight by a small
muskie.
I use baits having a single tail
gang only.
I took one of these and after
removing the hook from the tail,
put on a small swivel and then
put back the hook. I tried this
for several days and missed about
a dozen strikes. I then saw that
the swivel put the hook too far
back to hook any but those that
came from the rear.
I cut the ring off one end of
the swivel and also cut the eye off
the screw eye that held the hook.
The hole in the bottom of the
——seeeeee
KINKS OF
swivel had to be enlarged to fit
the screw shank, but I finally got a
tight joint. After forcing this into
the body of the swivel a little way
I managed to flatten the bead out
a little. Then a drop of solder
made it fast. I tested it to thirty
Sa
% TS? Docred outlne shows Lal
~h hact recessed fo breng hook gang up close
were
pounds pull (five more than any
of my fish lines will stand), and it
showed no signs of coming loose.
When the hooks had been put
back on the swivel and the whole
business fastened to the bait I
tried it out again. This time I
hooked six out of seven strikes in
two days. Five of these were
landed, the sixth shook loose.
None of the hooks showed the
least sign of being twisted.
A HOOK THEY CAN’T
SWALLOW
By I. E. CattTerton
How many of you have had
trouble in removing your hook
from the mouth of a fish after
you have caught him, simply be-
cause he had swallowed the hook
too deeply? Now if you will get
a small piece of wire and twist
it tightly around the shank of
ALL KINDS 11
your hook, letting the ends pro-
ject about an inch, you will have
no such trouble. The wire pre-
vents the fish from swallowing
the hook. Do not place the
wire too far down on the shank
nor yet too far back. Use your
own judgment in this and regi
late your distance according to
the size and length of the hook
you are using.
A SIMPLE KNOT
By J. C. BicELow
I am seventy-three years old
and started fishing with my father
long before I can remember.
Last summer I had a grandson
four and a half years old out in
a boat with me fishing. He had
his own pole and caught a num-
ber of good-sized fish. Maybe I
didn’t enjoy seeing him bait his
own hook. Recently I became a
reader of OurTer’s and have got-
ten some bright ideas from the
Kink column.
Here is something I have never
seen in print. It is a method of
tying a line on a ringed hook so
that it can be readily untied
again. Simply tie with an or-
12 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
dinary single bow knot. Bring
the end of the knot through the
loop and pull all down tight. To
untie, it will be found very easy
to withdraw the end from the
loop and then a single pull opens
everything up.
KEEP YOUR HOPPER
ALIVE
By W. H. GREENE
Grasshoppers are frequently a
good bait and a live hopper is
better than a dead one. But if
you hook them in the thorax
they die almost immediately, and
hooked in the abdomen they come
off too easily. I find it pays to
ou
keep a spool of thread with me
and when the fish will rise to
nothing but hoppers I tie them on
the hook with this. Just put a
loop around the thorax, under
the wings and ahead of the hind-
legs. Run the hook through this
loop under the hopper’s body.
Cast out and watch results as
Mister Hopper kicks his protest.
AN EMERGENCY FOOT
REST
‘aby G. A. C. (CUARKE
On a recent fishing trip I found
that my host’s boat or punt had
no footboard to brace my feet
against while rowing, so I made
one by cutting three sticks and
nailed them as shown in the dia-
gram. The ends A and B extend-
ed to the stern of the boat, rest-
ing on the floor; C is the brace
for the feet. A and B can, of
course, be cut any length to suit
the reach of the rower’s legs.
This rigging is in no manner at-
tached to the boat, so may be
readily taken out in order to clean
out the latter.
IMPROVING TUBE TIPS
By A. MANNING, JR.
With the tube style of tip guide
which is still found on some cast-
ing rods, the line has a great
tendency to cling to the rod when
Fig. A :
Noe >:
it gets wet, interfering consider-
ably with its free running qual-
ities. This can be easily remedied
with a small pair of pliers. Grasp
the guide with the pliers at the
KINKS OF
point marked 1, Fig. A, and bend
upward to an angle of approxi-
mately 45 degrees. Then grasp at
the point marked 2 and bend the
extreme tip back into parallel with
the rest of the rod. Fig. B shows
the completed job. With this ar-
rangement the line is lifted well
above the rod so that it cannot
cling and cause trouble.
A HINGE FIRE RACK
By Gro. K. PARKER
The accompanying simple kink
is a great help on a camping trip
of any kind. It is easy to carry
and will save many a turned-over
coffee pot or frying pan. You
take three 8-inch strap hinges and
just put a stove bolt through the
middle hole and you’ve got the
dandiest little fire rack ever made.
When not in use it can be folded
and carried in coat or grip.
ALL KINDS 13
THE NATURAL POTHOOK
By F. H. Boum
Trim a green limb, as long as
desired, with the exception of a
piece of one branch left near the
butt to form a hook. Then cut a
deep notch near the other end of
the stick, hang the bail of your
kettle in the notch and hook the
other end of the stick over your
crane. You will find this a first-
rate pothook, saving the carrying
of metal hooks or chains. This
Kink is probably already known
to a good many old-timers, but
lots of campers do not seem to
have heard of it.
THE PICKEREL THROAT
BAIT
By GLENN PRUCIA
After the “big ones” get wise
through being much fished, they
will only hit a spoon or artificial
bait once and then refuse to strike
a second time as they are on to the
deception. Sometimes you will
troll for hours with only a little
pound and a half “snake” to show
for your pains. Don’t toss the lit-
14 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
tle fellow overboard in disgust.
He will help you to get bigger
game.
With your pocket knife cut out
the V of tough skin directly under
WA
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Se con Designated \\
On the
Hook
Shape
of Chunk
his tongue and hang this on your
spoon. The next big fellow that
strikes will find the bait soft and
to his liking, and if he fails to get
hooked the first time he will not
hesitate to strike again. Try it
out and see.
DRIVING STAKES
By ArtHurR W. STEVENS
All of us who have ever tried to
drive a forked stake into the
ground in building a rack, crane
or the like, have found it difficult
to do without splitting the fork.
If instead of a fork a straight
piece with a prong on one side is
used, it will serve the purpose just
as well and be much easier to
drive. The sketch will make this
clear.
Also if the top of the stake is
carved with a jackknife or sharp
ax before driving, it is not nearly
so apt to split. This applies as
well to tent stakes or any other
stake that is to be driven.
SAFEGUARDING THE
REEL
By Henry HIti
Nearly every caster has had
trouble at one time or another
with a reel band that will not
stay in place. The following Kink
will effectually put an end to this
difficulty.
inch
strip cut from a heavy automo-
better still, a three-eighths
bile inner tube. Place one end
ahead of the fixed reel band as in
diagram No. 1. Bring the other
end diagonally around the reel
seat and lash both ends as shown
in diagram No. 2. In putting
the reel on the rod, slip the reel
seat under the crossed elastics
from the direction of the fixed
reel seat. Then seat reel as us-
ual. Elastic should be of such a
length and weight that it is very
KINKS OF
tight when reel is in place. Dia-
gram No. 3 shows how it looks.
For heavy rods elastic may be
made as wide as five-eighths or
three-quarters of an inch. If pre-
ferred, a small stud can be sol-
dered to the movable reel band
and the elastic slipped over same
as in diagram No. 4.
A variation of the same Kink is
to fasten a small German silver
or brass hook ahead of the fixed
band on the reel seat. Cut a piece
of heavy elastic about three-quar-
ters by two inches. Round the
corners off and punch a three-
eighths-inch hole a half-inch from
No.S
one end and a one-eighth-inch hole
near the other as in diagram No.
5. A round punch should be used
for the holes or they will be
ALL KINDS 15
likely to tear. Stretch the large
hole over the reel plate and seat
the reel on the rod. Then stretch
the small hole over the hook as in
diagram No. 6. Either one of
these methods will hold the reel
firmly in place. s
A TEMPORARY MINNOW
NET
By H. A. PETERs
Were you ever without a min-
now net, for some reason or
other, while on a fishing trip, when
one could not procure one for
many miles; and not only that, but
you found that the “big ones” just
wouldn’t bite on anything else but
a minnow? If you have never
been in that predicament you are
indeed more fortunate than I, for
such were the conditions my
camping party was in last summer
up in Wisconsin.
We had a very nice net when
we started out, but the third day
in camp the net, somehow or
16 KINKS OF
other, got too near the fire and
almost all the netting burned off.
Of course, it was not anyone's
fault, but that did not matter.. We
POR
KR ARRRRRALY
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PRR 4
had to have a net. We each had
a landing net, but we found it
impossible to catch minnows with
them because of their size. After
looking over my outfit I found a
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ball of twine and I decided to try
to; make Head
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WANTL/AY {77777 Shea Wolt
Attach reel to reel-seat in ordi-
nary manner, thread line through
first guide, pass it outside screw
eye, tie loosely to one of skew-
ers and start turning barrel head.
One hundred yards can be trans-
ferred to head in a very short
time. After drying, take rod from
KINKS OF
hooks, without disengaging the
reel, and spool the line as if re-
trieving a bait. If more than one
line needs to be dried, after run-
ning first line on to the drier, de-
tach from spindle of reel, tie sec-
ond line to end of first and keep
on turning.
Care should be taken to attach
rod hangers to right of barrel
head, as otherwise the side of the
building will interfere with the
crank of the reel.
A GOOD FLARE
By THurRMAN R. GRAHAM
Being in need of a good flare
or torch for spearing eels by, I
made a very successful one out
of a gallon oil can and a few feet
of scrap pipe.
I bored a hole in the bottom of
the oil can and soldered over it
the bottom of an old 3%-inch
grease cup. Into this I screwed
an ell, to which was joined a piece
of 36-inch pipe 6 or 7 inches long.
Next was a valve. Then a piece
of 34-inch pipe 10 inches long.
Then another ell and a curl from
on old steam gauge. :
ALL KINDS Zt
For a burner I took a piece of
14-inch pipe, 7 inches long. In
the center of this I tapped a hole
for the 4%-inch pipe. Then punched
or drilled about 75 other small
holes in the same side of the pipe
as tapped for the %4-inch. Both
ends of the burner were then
plugged. A pad for the shoulder
and a handle completed the outfit.
In operation, I fill the can with
kerosene and turn the _ valve
enough to fill the curl with oil.
Then I heat the curl by burning
a bit of oily rag under it. The
pipe soon becomes hot enough to
turn the kerosene inside of it to
gas. It then burns freely at the
burner and can be regulated with
the valve exactly like any other
gas flame.
FREEING THE LINE
By CLARENCE GRAHAM
While casting for trout with a
spinner, my hook got caught on
the bottom. The stream was too
deep and swift to wade and as
it was my last spinner I was up
against it for a while. After try-
ing all sorts of ways to get it
22 KINKS OF
=
loose, I finally picked up a piece
of wood about three feet long
and two inches wide. To this I
tied a piece of string about one-
third of the way from one end.
I then made a loop in the string
which would slide easily along
my line and set the stick adrift.
The current carried it down afly-
ing. I held a tight line and the
stick went right over the spot
where my hook was and danced
around. In a moment the hook
came free. This kink usually
works very nicely and has saved
several spinners for me since.
THE PALOUSER
By A. W. STEVENS
The palouser is a very simple
and efficient candle lantern well
known to the miner and woods-
man. It may be made of any
good-sized tin can, but a lard pail,
‘about 5 Ib. size, works best.
Select a point in the side of the
pail a little more than half way
down and directly under one of
the ears that holds the bail. Cut
a slit whose’ length is a little
greater than the diameter of a
candle. Then cut another across
it at right angles. This forms
four points which may be bent in-
ward. A candle thrust through
the hole is prevented by these
ALL KINDS
points from slipping out, and it
may be pushed farther in as it
burns off.
Loosen the bail from the side
on which the hole has _ been
punched. Squeeze the ends a lit-
tle closer together and hook the
loose end under the flange in the
bottom of the pail. This forms
a handle by which the pail may be
carried on its side—and the lan-
tern is complete.
The bottom of the pail forms
a reflector and makes it a real
searchlight. Although the whole
front is open, it will burn in al-
most any wind because there is
no other opening to carry the
draft past the flame.
As to the spelling of the name,
I am not sure, as I have never
Palouvser
The great agri-
cultural region of the state of
Washington is known as the Pal-
ouse (pronounced paloos), and in
the Northwest everything of a
rural nature is supposed to have
seen it in print.
a tn
KINKS OF
come from the Palouse region. It
is, therefore, not improbable that
the name originated there.
A SIMPLE ROD HOLDER
By Wma. HeErwic
Desiring a rod holder for troll-
ing, still-fishing and the like, I
set about to make one. In a
plumbing shop I found a piece of
tubing that just slipped easily over
the butt of my rod. This I pur-
chased for the enormous cost of
five cents. Next I cut off the tube
to about seven inches in length
and proceeded to pinch or flat-
fen. one -end with a few
blows from a hammer. In
this flattened end I bored a hole
large enough to accommodate an
ordinary thumb screw. Now all I
have to do is to screw my bit of
tube tight to the edge of the boat
or pier, stick in my rod and I am
all set. Where it is not desired to
ALL KINDS aS
screw the tube tight, a bit of
string may be run through the
screw hole in the tube and tied to
the boat. I find it best to have
the tubing of such a diameter as
to allow the rod handle a little
play. A
A HOME-MADE CAMP
STOVE
By Cuas. S. Youncs
I have noticed in your book, as
well as in several others, articles
upon camping outfits, and reading
them brought to mind a stove
which I have used on several oc-
casions and. which proved very
satisfactory in every way. I am
enclosing a rough drawing to illus-
trate same.
The stove is very easily made
and not very expensive. Get a
sheet of Russia iron from a tin-
ner and have two edges turn
down, as shown in Fig. I, the size
to be governed by any box or
chest which is carried on the
trip, as the iron can be placed on
the top or bottom of the box or
chest and strapped on out of the
way. A fire built under the iron
24 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
when set on the ground will be
found to prove very satisfactory.
If a more elaborate stove is de-
sired it might be fashioned after
Fig. II, with both ends closed by
riveting a strip of the same ma-
terial in place and cutting a door
Flanges o
Stovepipe
with draft in one end. A stove
pipe made of a piece of small
eaves trough may also be inserted
through a hole in the top and
fastened from the inside with the
two flanges or cleats fastened to
the underside of the top.
MARKING A ROD
By JuLttus FRANK
A very fine casting-rod was
found and could not be returned
to the owner because the finder
knew no way to locate him. This
on the rod I scraped the varnish
and bared the wood.
I took a letter head that had
my name and town address printed
on it, and with a very fine grained
sandpaper I sandpapered the back
of the paper until the place over
the name was very thin. Then
with a very sharp knife I cut
name from the paper.
Having paper and rod thus pre-
pared, I sprgad a very thin coating
of varnish (I used Valspar) on
the rod in the place previously
scraped; I placed the name in this
space and spread a thick coating
of varnish over all.
When the varnish was com-
pletely dry I found that the paper
was entirely transparent and the
name appeared as if printed on
the rod.
Thus you see that I have plainly,
inexpensively and permanently
marked my rods.
A CAMP KNIFE
By Joun: B. CowiIne
The accompanying diagram
shows a camp knife to be made
from a piece of broken handsaw
blade or from a carpenter’s steel
scraper blade, with a sole leather
Jucius FRank
| MOWIGOLILRY, ALA.
led me to mark my rods in a very
simple and effective manner. Fol-
lowing is my Kink:
Just above the reel-seat in the
first space between silk windings
handle riveted on, and the handle
sandpapered and varnished with
good rod or spar varnish. This
makes a light but useful knife,
good for general use, but not in-
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 7s
tended for splitting bones or wood.
The knife can be cut from a
piece of tempered steel with cold
chisel and file and after riveting
on the handle, the knife can be
k- — — 37" — — —
ground and finished as desired
without any additional tempering,
as it is not necessary to draw the
temper to cut the knife to shape.
A grindstone, with water, should
be used to finish the blade to
avoid drawing the original tem-
per.
BRIGHTENING THE
PHANTOM
By H. E. NeEuMANN
About five miles above our city
the Rock River is rather shallow
with a gravelly bottom. It is
well stocked at this point with
small-mouth black bass, but the
carp have also found their way
here and in consequence the water
is not as clear as it was in for-
mer years. This fact necessitates
the use of a bright bait when
casting.
One of the most successful
baits in use here is a Phantom
Minnow, but the anglers soon
found that the color on the Phan-
tom did not last very long and
the problem has been to find a
way of refinishing them. Our first
ee
trial was with aluminum paint,
which wore off very quickly. Then
we tried silver leaf with sizing
and aluminum color in size, with
almost similar results.
Bo ee
= ==)
Finally I hit upon the idea of
varnishing the minnow with a
good spar varnish and after about
half an hour, when the varnish
had become tacky, covering it
with a piece of tinfoil cut to size.
This is brighter than the original
minnow and does not come off.
It also adds a _ slight weight,
which is a desirable feature with
this bait and, best of all, it gets
the bass.
INDEXING KINKS
By F. C. Hajex
Ever since I _ subscribed to
Outer’s Boox I have been inter-
ested in the Kinks it contains each
A) a 4) 5 gat
i]
26 RINKS OF
month. In order to keep a line
on them I indexed a blank note
book alphabetically and entered
them as shown in the diagram.
If I want information on a cer-
tain Kink I pick up my index book
and in a second I know in what
issue to find it.
FISHING FROM THE BANK
By S. C. VANIER
Nearly everyone who fishes
from the bank of a river or creek
has tried the expedient of sticking
the butt of his pole into a hole in
. >
. 4
{ S
the ground so he would not have
to hold it in his hands. Then,
every time you pick up the pole
to see whether you have a bite,
the hole crumbles and you have
to dig a new one. A couple of
forked sticks, which you can cut
ALL KINDS
on the spot, will remedy this diffi-
culty and give you a much better
pole holder besides.
Cut a fork-shaped prong about
two feet long and rest your pole
across it. To keep the butt from
tilting up, cut another fork with
one short and one long arm, like
a figure “7,” and hook this over
the butt of the rod to keep it
down. You can now remove your
pole and put it back again as
often as you want. Hide the
forks in the bushes near your fa-
vorite fishing hole and they will
always be ready for you.
QUICK COLORS FOR
BAITS
By FRANK C. Hajek
Lately, when trying out home-
made plugs, I have colored them
with lumber crayon instead of en-
ameling them. This looks as good
as the enamel and eliminates the
trouble of enameling the bait in
case it proves worthless. This
crayon resists water and _ lasts
quite a while. It is cheap and
can be purchased at any stationery
store. I carry two pieces in my
tackle box, one red and one yel-
low.
A HANDY CAN-HANDLE
KINK
By W. A. STOWE
When a sportsman starts out on
a trip, be it long-or short, he tries
to keep down weight and bulk of
his outfit to as little as possible,
eee CT
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 27
and yet leave out nothing that will
be necessary to his comfort or
pleasure.
But when the time comes to
pack up his duffle for the return
trip, the enthusiasm that attended
the start is lacking. ‘Then he
would like to just walk away and
leave most of his stuff lie where
he got through with it.
I have found a little Kink that
costs nothing and helps a little to-
ward this desirabe end.
Many sorts of provisions and
groceries are now packed in fric-
tion top tin cans of various sizes,
syrups and cooking fats, for in-
stance.
Save three or four of these of
the sizes you will need most, and
when you take a camping or
canoe trip leave your stew kettle,
coffee pot and such utensils at
home and take these cans instead.
The Kink consists of having two
or three wire bails or handles for
making use of these cans. You
can make these bails in a few min-
utes with a small pair of pliers,
and they will last for years. Any
wire that has a little springiness
is all right; piano wire or old bi-
cycle spokes are perhaps the best.
Make three or four different sizes,
but of such size that they will go
down in the can they are in-
tended for so that the cover can
be put on. Then you can fill your
cans with milk or soup or coffee,
for instance, push the bail down
into the can, put on your friction
cover and you can safely pack
those cans of liquids anywhere or
let them roll about in the bottom
of your canoe. When you want
your hot stuff you pry off the
cover, pull up the bail and hang
the can over the fire. The spring
=
EEO, SRO
LUMI WME:
SO
‘
‘
‘
‘
pee Ie a,
stg © me ag
wee >
=
of the wire holds the bail up and
the ends against the sides of the
can where the eyes in the ends of
the wire catch under the rim of
the can. The bail automatically
spreads to diametrically opposed
28
points, therefore the can will al-
ways hang plumb from it. When
your trip is over you keep the
bails and can the cans. The cut
explains the device sufficiently.
WATCH SPRING WEED
GUARDS
By Hj. Loup
Broken pieces of mainspring,
which can be obtained from any
watch repairer, make excellent
material for constructing weed-
guards. ! B
brass wire, some hooks and a
little solder, and is just the thing
for trolling for bass, pickerel and
other game fish. The diagram
shows the principle fairly well.
The two large hooks at the end
are held close together by an arm,
B, which is soldered to one of the
hook shanks and has a bend in the
end which catches the other hook
shank just enough to hold it. The
bait is fastened on the small
double hooks marked A and ex-
tends backwards as far as de-
sired.
When the fish strikes, the up-
per trailer hook is immediately
knocked loose from the small bend
in the arm, B, that holds it and
the spring thrusts the two hooks
apart vigorously, striking them
well into the fish’s mouth.
C is a small loop for fastening
to the line.
REPAIRING STEEL RODS
By E. J. HoLttowAy
A broken steel rod may fre-
quently be repaired by a very sim-
ple process. Usually the ends
of the tube where broken have
become somewhat pinched or dis-
torted. If this is the case insert
the tang of a file or any other
convenient tool in the opening and
by rimming around and around
the circular cross section can be
restored. A pair of pliers judi-
ciously used may help in this oper-
ation. Then with the file smooth
the face of the break square
across. Take a piece of wire
slightly larger than the interior
of the tube and file it to a tight
fit. Heat the broken end of the
KINKS OF
tube so as to expand it slightly.
It need not be heated so much as
to destroy the temper. A very
moderate heat will expand it con-
siderably. Warm one end of the
prepared wire. Cover it with a
bit of solder and while the latter
is still soft push the wire down in-
to the tube for half its length.
Repeat with the other side of the
break. A drop of solder run
around where the two ends of the
break come together will make
all smooth and complete the re-
pair.
A BARBECUE FORK
By A. H. Froom
Out here in California we bar-
becue a good deal of meat. I am
enclosing herewith diagrams of a
fork and jack that I have found
very handy for this purpose.
I get an ordinary four-tined
pitchfork and have the blacksmith
straighten out the tines. For the
handle I have fitted on a plain
9
Fork
JACK
13
a]
Cc
piece of gas pipe about sixty
inches long, so that I can stand
well back from the fire. I usually
put a ferrule joint in the middle
of the handle and also simply slip
ALL KINDS 67
it on to the fork socket. This
makes it take down easily for car-
rying. I have these joints beaten
square so that the fork will not
twist when the handle is turned.
The jack is made very simply, as
shown in the diagram. If one
uses about 33-inch rod for the
jack it may be slipped into one of
the handle joints for carrying. By
resting the handle of the fork in
the hook of the jack one can turn
the meat at his leisure, thus hold-
ing the juice in the meat instead
of losing it in the fire.
A SAFETY-FIRST BELT
By ARTHUR JOHNSTON
Here is a Kink that I thought
out several years ago. Now I
cannot do without it. Get a piece
of heavy duck or canvas (about
twelve or fifteen ounce weight)
nine inches in width and ten inches
longer than your waist measure.
Fold and sew into a tube using
heavy linen thread. Machine
stitching is preferable. Leave five
inches at either end unstitched
and slit the opposite edge at the
fold so that you have two five-
inch flaps at each end.
68 KINKS OF
Now turn the tube inside out
and get six small buckles and
the same number of small leather
billets. Tuck one flap at each end
of the tube in and bring over the
other flap. Mark where it comes
and rivet three of the buckles at
each end of the tube to meet it.
Then fasten three of the billets
on each of the overlapping flaps
so as to fit the buckles. Fasten a
good belt buckle on one end of
the main tube and a six or eight
inch length of belt to fit it on the
other end. It is worth while to
give the canvas a good coat of
shellac or varnish, as it is ‘then
not so likely to be penetrated or
torn by sharp sticks and hooks. If
varnish is used, let it dry thor-
oughly and then dust the inside
of the tube with powdered soap-
stone.
Go to a bicycle repair shop and
get a piece of discarded motor-
cycle inner tube the length of
your belt. Have this thoroughly
repaired and a valve and stem
put on. Make sure that both ends
are firmly sealed and test the tube
by inflation under water. Lay the
inner tube on your belt and mark
where the valve stem will come.
Cut a round hole in the top edge
of the case and reinforce it with
a small patch of leather. Now
insert the inner tube into the cas-
ing and bring the valve stem
ALL KINDS
through the hole provided for it.
Partially inflate the inner tube,
making sure that it is not twisted
or pinched at any point. Then
tuck in the loose flap at either end
of the casing. Bring the other
flaps over and buckle them down.
Finish inflating the tube and your
safety-first belt is ready to wear.
With this belt around . your
waist you need have no fear of
slipping into deep holes while
wading. Or if you are a poor
swimmer and go boating with that
cursed fool that rocks the boat.
you will have no appointment with
the undertaker. I use one of
these belts on all of my trouting
trips. When I come to a pool
that is too deep to wade I just
float down the middle, casting
right and left. Incidentally I have
taken some of my best fish this
way.
Rolled into a coil this belt
makes an excellent cushion or a
dream of a pillow for your weary
head at night. Deflated, it slips
- into a small pocket and weighs
less than two pounds. The mate-
rials for mine cost me less than
a dollar and I did the work my-
self. It is necessary, of course, to
carry a small brass bicycle pump
with this belt and a couple of
rubber patches and some cement
in your repair kit.
ANOTHER SLIDING FLOAT
By J. W. Noyes
Many times when out bait-cast-
ing and “they” wouldn’t hit the
plug, I have longed to use my
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 69
/
short rod for still fishing. Plenty
of froggies on the bank and a
float in the tackle box. But I
want to fish deep, perhaps, and
just imagine making a cast with
fifteen or twenty feet of line out
between the bait and the rod be-
fore you start out. Pretty awk-
ward. And then, even if you are
successful in getting the line well
away from the boat, imagine what
it will be when you get a fish on
and can’t reel in any farther than
the float. Here’s a way out of the
‘difficulty :
Remove the stick which runs
through an ordinary float and sub-
stitute therefor a reed pipestem.
The smoke conveyor from a cob
Willie will about do the trick.
String the line through this and
tie a small bowknot in it above
the float at the place where you
want the float to stay. Reel this
bowknot right in and the float will!
slip down to the hook. Make your
cast and the weight of the bait
will pull the line back through the
float to the desired depth.
In playing the fish, if you should
be so fortunate as to get one on,
the bowknot usually comes untied.
If not, it still reels easily through
the guides. 4
RAPID FIRE FISH CLEAN-
ING
By G. H. Stroum
Don’t scale your bass or clean
him. Just lay him flat on his side
and make a clean cut through the
skin from head to tail over the
backbone. Do the same thing on
the under side, but slightly, just
breaking the skin. Cut the skin
also around the head and tail as
indicated by the dotted lines in the
diagram.
Grasp the point of the skin at
the top of the head between knife
blade and thumb. One good pull
and that side is skinned. Do the
same with the other side. Then
slice off a nice strip of boneless
flesh on each side and throw the
rest to the birds. You can do this
70 KINGS, -OF
without cutting into the entrails
at all.
At first glance this looks like a
waste of good bass meat, but one
really loses very little and does
away with all bother on account
of the bones. If you really want
your appetite whetted you should
see the job done by a Canadian
guide at lunch time when every-
orfe is too hungry to wait for the
eats.
A FANCY STITCH
By J. Everett WILLIS
One often wants to sew a pistol,
knife or rifle scabbard with buck-
skin or some other leather, be-
cause it will wear longer, be
’ stronger and last longer than if
sewed with thread. Many people
like to have things useful as well
as ornamental and the following
stitch will be found just the thing
for sewing the many leather arti-
clas to be found in the sports-
man’s kit.
Buckskin is the best for sewing,
though fine oiled calfskin is also
good: Cut the strings a’ little
wider than wanted and thoroughly
soak and stretch them. They may
be softened by rubbing them with
a soft soap made by boiling shaved
white laundry soap in an equal
amount of water. English Crown
Saddle Soap is the best.
You can punch the holes, or
make them with an awl. The latter
will make the best job. Begin just
as though you were going to sew a
regular over-and-over seam, only
don’t pull the loop tight, but take
ALE: KINDS
another stitch through the loop,
instead of through the leather
again. Then pull the loop tight
and make the next stitch through
the leather.
The stitch begins at the top.
The first stitch is a regular over-
and-over stitch, and the second is
the fancy stitch. The string is
sewed through from right to leit,
both in the stitch through the
leather and the stitch through the
loop. If the stitches are pulled
tight and evenly, it will look just
like three braid on top and will be
an added strength as well as an
ornament to any holster.
KEEPING EYED FLIES
By SHERWOOD BUCKSTAFF
Many of the fishermen who use
eyed flies—and there are more
who do each season—carry their
flies with them in a tin tobacco
box. This is easy to carry and
holds plenty of flies. But it is very
inconvenient. If you wanta small
fly it is sure to beat the bottom of
the box. Whenyou finally get it,
three or four other flies are usu-
ally hooked in with it, and you
must put down your box and dis-
entangle them. Quite often they
drop apart unexpectedly and fall
into the grass. This is very an-
noying and loses much time.
Now for the Kink. Before you
go, when you are arranging your
tackle, cut several sheets of rather
stiff paper to fit your fly box.
Stick the points of your flies in
these sheets, arranging them ac-
cording to size, color, or any other
KiNKS OF
way you prefer. Be sure that the
barb is pushed clear through the
paper. Then, on the stream, when
you want a fly, take out the sheet
containing that fly, and jerk out
the fly. Never mind if you tear
a big hole—you can stick the fly
back in a little to one side. Prob-
ably, if you are like most anglers,
you will want to rearrange your
flies before each trip anyway.
This Kink takes little time at
home, when your time is not valu-
able, and saves precious minutes
on the stream.
THE SELF-PULLED WIND-
‘\ ING KNOT
By CHaAr.Les F. Sproru
Here is a simple and effective
way of making the concealed fin-
ish on rod windings:
Lay your winding silk along
the rod in a loop as shown in the
first diagram. Then go right on
winding over this loop. When
the winding is as long as you. want
it, break the silk, leaving an end a
couple of inches long. Bring this
end (B) through the loop.
Still holding onto end B to
ALL KINDS 71
keep the winding taut, pull stead-
ily on end A. This will pull the
loop back under the winding.
When the end of the loop has been
pulled about half way through,
cut both ends of the line that are
left projecting and your winding
is fastened both neatly and secure-
ly. Be careful not to pull the loop
too far through, as this would
leave the beginning of the wind-
ing insecurely fastened.
HOME-MADE BAIT
SOCKET
P 4
By A. L. Weaver, Jr.
Being quite a novice at the fish-
ing game I like to have a number
of different kinds of bait, so I
Ww oy
Yetta
make them during the winter
months. One of the propositions
I ran up against in making my
own baits was some method of
securely fastening the treble hooks
to the bait and after unsuccess-
fully trying to buy some screw
eyes such as are used on the “reg-
ular” baits, I finally hit on the
following scheme:
I bought a box of No. 216%
screw eyes and a box of station-
er’s aluminum eyelets. Then bored
a hole in the minnow just the
/
iy
Fig.2
4
72 KINKS OF
size of the eyelet and put in the
eyelet until the ridge came down to
the bait and drove it flush with a
hammer (Fig. 1). I took a screw
eye and with a pair of pliers bent
the eye slightly on one side (Fig.
2). Then put on the treble hooks
and screwed them into the bait in
the usual fashion.
I used one of these home-made
baits on my vacation trip and of
a total of twelve strikes did not
lose a fish due to the hooks pull-
ing out.
KEEPING AGATE TIP
FROM CHIPPING OR
BREAKING
By (CL MCrevrz
During August, when on a fish-
ing trip in Wisconsin, I had the
misfortune of breaking the agate
tip on a Heddon casting rod. I
always use a wire leader in cast-
ing, as it is very much easier to
change “plugs” if the bass are not
“looking *em over” as they should.
After a cast I retrieved the lure
too closely to the tip, causing it to
break the agate. Luckily, I had
Agate tip
Rubber protector
Wire leaner
another tip with me and had an
inspiration to keep this one intact.
Found in my tackle box (for
some reason or other placed there
several years ago) an Eberhard
Faber rubber pencil eraser. Then
ALL KINDS
the thought struck me, “Why not
make a protector for the tip?”
No sooner said than done. Took
the eraser and with a knife cut it
into about six or seven “protect-
ors” looking something like Fig-
ure 1. Took a small nail and
poked a hole through from top to
bottom of “protector.” Drew my
line through it and fastened line
to leader as in Fig. 2. Had no
more trouble and did not even
have to watch the leader when I
retrieved the lure, as the moment
the rubber protector struck the
tip I had to quit winding her up.
Intend to have a couple of erasers
in my tackle box for emergency
cases in the future.
A HELGRAMITE CAN
By A. R. HARPER
The best thing I have) ever
found to carry helgramites in is
one of these perforated aluminum
cans which are designed to con-
vert the ordinary coffee pot into a
percolator. They can be procured
at any hardware store at from ten
to twenty cents according to size,
quality and material and nerve of
the emporium you happen to visit.
I have seen these in ten cent
stores.
Mine is about five inches high
and three inches in diameter. It
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 73
is perforated on the bottom and
the sides, but the top is solid. Be-
ing of aluminum, it is light, does
not rust and is easily kept clean.
I catch my supply of helgram-
ites, put them in the can with
some leaves, close down the lid
and then hold the can under water
a moment.
A vigorous flirt throws out ex-
cess water, so I can put it in my
creel. Every half-hour or so I
give them a fresh wetting.
They have so much fresh air
and water that they keep in fine
condition ail day.
HANDY GAME CARRIER
By M. C. STarK
The illustration of my Handy
Game Carrier inclosed herewith is
almost self-explanatory. It can
be made at a cost of about 75
cents. The shoulder strap is good,
strong harness leather, 174 or 2
inches wide by 24 inches long.
The end pieces are whang or belt-
lace leather, 4 by 8 inches, which
are cut into eight strips, 7 inches
long, to within 1 inch of one end,
which is sewed to the end of
shoulder strap.
Each one of these strips is slit
for 4 inches to within one-half
inch of the end. To hang game,
make a loop of one of the strips
and put the head of game through.
The loop will slip down, holding
game firmly. Two, or even three,
birds may be hung in one loop.
This carrier is easily slipped in
a coat pocket and will hold all the
game one man wants to carry, or
more ducks than the law allows
one to have in a day in Iowa.
The game is kept cleaner and in
better shape than when stuffed
into pockets or game bags, and. it
may be shifted from one shoulder
to the other, or may be hung over
74 KINKS OF
a stick and carried by two men if
necessary.
I have never been lucky enough
to have my carrier loaded to ca-
pacity.
SETTING YOUR WATCH
BY COMPASS
By H. B. ScHerx.
Ever have your watch stop
while out in the woods and no
means of setting it? It probably
won't happen the second time, but
if it does, try this:
With your compass, or by means
of a stream or lake from your
map, determine which direction is
south. Then point the hour hand
in the direction of the sun. Slow-
ly turn the hand around the dial,
keeping it pointed toward the sun,
until the south comes half way be-
tween the hour hand and 12. Pay
no attention to the minute hand.
This is merely the problem of
using the watch as a compass, ex-
cept it is solved for another fac-
tor, namely, the time.
If the sun is not shining, hold
the point of your knife, or a pen-
cil, vertically against your thumb-
nail. A close examination will re-
veal a faint shadow on the dull-
est day, from which the direction
of the sun can be found.
A RUBBER TAPE KINK
By “NuTMEG”
Here is a little kink in shaping
scabbards and holsters for rifles
and pistols: After wrapping the
arm with a greased cloth, take a
roll of rubber tape, such as is
ALL KINDS
used in winding tires or electric
wire joints, and wind over the
cloth tightly, lapping slightly so
as to make a moisture proof
cover. The tape not only pro-
tects the arm from moisture, but
binds all together, so that the
arm may be taken out and re-
placed readily. If the tape has a
tendency to stick, dust the outside
with powdered chalk, tale or sim-
ilar powder.
THE BAIT WITH AN OVER-
COAT
By PAaut SKOBERG
One never-to-be-forgotten sum-
mer we were enjoying life in
camp at Lake Augusta. We were
well supplied with underwater
baits, which shad done their duty
nobly when it came to filling the
larder. But there came a time
when the bass would touch noth-
ing but floaters. Of these we had
but one in camp, an old Heddon
which was totally lacking in paint.
The dark color of the wood
when wet did not prove very at-
tractive to the fish, but there was
no paint available and it would
take a week to get some new baits
into camp. Meanwhile I did not
intend to be idle. I took a piece
of birch bark, split it pretty thin
and lashed it around the bait back
of the collar with a few bits of old
line. Then I punched out a hole
for the belly hook and hung it
back in place.
When I got through it was 2
o'clock in the afternoon, a bit
early for the evening fishing, so
RINKS OF
I sat down on the bank to con-
sider a bit. My partners returned
to camp and laughed with glee at
my homely makeshift. Cooney
offered to make every meal for a
week if I caught so much as one
bass on it. The laugh was on
him, however, when we started
out fishing later that afternoon,
for we returned to camp with no
less than twenty nice bass.
If you should look into my
tackle box to-day you see this
very bait with its original cover-
ing of birch bark as well as an-
other which I rigged up like it
later with a few improvements.
These baits have done business
for me on many different lakes.
The trick would work equally well
with any other make of plain
floating bait.
THE ALCOHOL BLOW
LAMP
By Gero. C. WHITNEY
About the handiest little kink
that I know of is this little alco-
hol blow lamp. It burns alcohol
and one filling lasts a long time,
as it has a cap which makes it
airtight when not in use. It fits
in the vest pocket or tackle box,
costs about a dollar and can be
made at home out of a piece of
brass tubing, a wick and a piece
of camera hose.
It is operated by lighting, and
ADE, KINDS 75
then blowing the flame (which is
very hot and clean) on the article
to be repaired, at the same time
running soft solder or cement on
the work.
It can be used to solder fish
hooks together in gangs or tan;
dem, temper points or weed
guards, opening eyes in hooks,
adding solder weights, soldering
tips on steel rods, guides, cement-
ing on agates, making small
molds, melting rosin or cement
onto flies, mending leaky minnow
buckets, tackle boxes and a hun-
dred other little jobs. And I
saved the day on my last trip by
repairing a puncture in the canoe
with it by running hot ceiling wax
in the hole over and under the
& A
canvas. It is always in my tackle
box with a piece of soft solder, a
little soldering paste and a piece
of jeweler’s cement. It is handier
than a soldering iron and makes a
much better job.
76 KINKS OF
A BOBBER WOBBLER
By JosrepH W. Boyle
One rainy Sunday before the
season had opened I was prac-
ticing casting on the lawn. I
searched my _ tackle box for a
proper casting weight, but the best
thing I could find was a small egg-
shaped float or bobber. The wind
was pretty strong and the bobber
rather light to cast well. I was
just figuring on adding a weight
to it when an idea struck me.
Why not make a real wobbling
bait out of this bobber? You see,
I had been reading in the cata-
ogs about the new wobblers and
I wanted one to try out. So I re-
tired to shelter to do a bit of fig-
uring. In a few minutes my wob-
bler was competed. This is how
it was made:
On either side of the bobber I
gouged out a fluting with my
jack-knife, about an inch long, a
quarter of an inch wide and deep
in the middle and growing shal-
lower at each end. Then I cut a
narrow groove down the back and
fastened a long-shanked Sneck
hook in it. A bit of copper wire
at the end held the hook firmly
in its groove. On the under side
of the bait I sunk a ringed sinker
for a balancing weight. A screw
eye at the forward end, located a
bit above the center, completed the
job. Total cost a few cents only.
ALL KINDS
This bobber had a red head, a
yellow middle stripe and a green
after part, making it a brilliant
bit of color. It dived and wob-
bled very nicely and the hook be-
ing set with the point up, made it
practically weedless.
A WATERPROOF MATCH
SAFE
By CHARLES BARTON, JR.
I suppose all the readers of the
OuTER’s Book have seen and
heard of several dozens of water-
proof match-boxes, but for an in-
expensive home-made article mine
should take the cake. The neces-
sary apparatus consists of one
empty brass shotgun shell, the
smaller the gauge the better, and
one ordinary cork stopper to fit
the same.’ Take a handful of
matches, place in the box and
close with stopper, thus making
a waterproof match-box. To prove
this I filled the case with matches
and left it in water for three and
one-half hours, and at the end of
this time the matches were per-
fectly dry.
A BAIT IMPROVEMENT
By Frep J. SCHILDHAUER
While out fishing on one of the
lakes near my home, I got one of
those “dandy” strikes. But the
fish was a better warrior than I
and carried off the tail gang of
my artificial minnow as a trophy.
I did not have an extra gang
along and was wondering what
to do when my eye fell on a
feathered fly attached to a spoon
KINKS, OF
hook in my outfit. It was short
work to put this in piace of the
missing gang and I was soon
plugging away again. At the
close of the day I found that I
had been the lucky one out of the
entire bunch that were fishing.
Apparently the fish had favored
my patched up bait above all other
offerings. Try this out yourself
and you will find it a real im-
provement.
A LEFT-HANDED CASTING
REEL
By W. J. BALDWIN
The average left-handed man
usjng any regular casting reel
places it on the rod in a reverse
position from that used by right-
handed anglers. In this position,
using the left hand for casting,
the hand often gets too close to
the reel so that in making the cast
Fig. Il >
By a as
the balanced handle of the reel
tears a bunch of skin from the
knuckle of the finger.
Having had the skin torn from
my knuckles on several occasions,
I made my casting reel over so
ALL KINDS 77
that now I can cast without fear
of torn knuckles.
The enclosed sketch
how I did this.
Figure 1 shows reel as it orig-
inally was. Figure 2 as it now is.
| Fig l .
explains
WN
To make change, remove handle,
side plate, gears and inside plate.
Turn reel clock-wise until rod
screw hole No. 5, Fig. 1, is in the
position of No. 5, Fig. 2. It
will then only be necessary to
drill three small holes in each side
plate to correspond with rod holes
A, B and C, Fig. 2. Then replace
all screws in cross rods, gears,
outer plate and handle and the
reel will then have the handle in
position shown in Fig. 2, in which
position the handle cannot possi-
bly hit the knuckles.
THE EMERGENCY MATCH
SUPPLY
By “Puc” Moen
While on a canoe trip down the
Wisconsin River from State Line,
Mich., to Stevens Point, Wis., I
came upon a hunting camp near a
78 RINGS (OP VALE ENDS
spring. I stopped to get a drink,
and noticed some empty shotgun
shells lying about. I picked up
some, trying to get two that
would fit tightly, to be used as a
waterproof match box. I had a
bottle full of matches in my
pocket, but was afraid of its
breaking. A member of the hunt-
ing party from Madison was
watching me and said, “Here is
‘my waterproof match box.” It
was one of those little metal
boxes that had contained Gillette
safety razor blades. The box was
filled with matches and then sealed
with paraffine, making it water-
tight. It is very small, light in
weight and quickly opened when
needed. This is to be used only
in case of emergency, of course.
I think this little article should be
in the pocket of every outer, and
sometimes may save a life.
A GOOD FROG HOOK
Bye J: vA. Porrs
After losing my frog hook one
day, I struck upon the following
plan: Take an ordinary treble
hook, such as used on all brass
plugs, and cut one hook off. Next
take a plain hook and slip the
point through the eye of the treble
hook. Now slip the single hook
through the frog’s lips and the
double hook up through the frog’s
legs. This makes a good hook
that is semi-weedless and _ will
help to get the big ones. The
hook can be used this way for
small frogs, but for larger ones a
piece of wire or, handier yet, a
snap and swivel must be placed
between the single hook and the
double hook.
AN EXCELLENT FLOAT
FOR LIVE ~ BAY
FISHING
By FRANK E. WILDER
Everyone, I presume, has gone
trout fishing when nothing in his
tackle-box would bring a rise, but
still trout could be seen eagerly
looking for some insects which
dropped into the stream. You try
putting some of these insects on
your hook, but they are very deli-
cate and after they have been in
the water a few seconds the
weight of the hook drags them
under the surface and they look
like anything but the insects they
are.
Here is a kink to make this
method of fishing practical: First,
take a sound cork and cut a small
piece three-eighths of an inch long
and three-sixteenths of an inch
wide and of the same thickness.
Round the edges so that the cross-
section is egg-shaped. Now cut
the gut of a snelled hook, as in
Fig. 1, just below the knot. Soak
the gut for a short time in water
and then thread in a small-sized
darning needle, as in Fig. 2. Bend
the end back and run the needle
lengthwise through the center of
the cork. Slide the cork down to
the end of the winding as in Fig.
3. Unthread the needle and tie
the loop in the end of the gut.
Fig. 4 shows the way the hook
looks when baited.
RDN ES: Oe
Now all that there is left to do
is to get your fishing outfit and
go to your favorite trout stream
where I hope you will try out
this little kink and come home
with a good catch.
THE LOOP WINDING
PULL
By Simpney V. Ray
One of the simplest, easiest and
quickest methods of laying rod
windings so as to conceal the ends
is the following:
The winding is started by lay-
ing the free end under and taking
three to five turns over it as
shown in Fig. 1.
Have ready a bit of thread,
either the same as the winding is
being made of or, if that is too
light in weight, a bit heavier. It
is good policy to wax this bit of
thread with ordinary beeswax.
Make a loop of this bit, lay it on
the rod and proceed to wrap it
under the last three or four turns
of the winding. (Fig. 11.)
ALL KINDS 79
Then clip the end of your wind-
ing silk, leaving an inch or two
free and holding the wrapping
firmly meanwhile with the thumb.
Insert this free end into the loop
as an Bie, 1:
Then grasp the loose ends of the
loop, which should be long enotigh
to give a secure hold, and, still
holding the wrapping to prevent
loosening give the loop a quick,
snappy pull. This brings the loop
out from under the turns which
were taken over it, and with it
the free end of the winding. Cut
off both free ends closely and
the winding is complete.
Do not use the same place in
the loop thread for more than one
tie, as the friction of dragging the
free end under wears it pretty thin
ee / Fig.l
— Te Fig. Z
and it is annoying to have the loop
break just as one has nearly com-
pleted the winding.
GREASING DECOYS
By “ANON”
Although an enthusiastic fisher-
man, it warms my heart to know
that the hunters and other out-
door men are going to get a
chance at that Kink Department.
It never seemed quite fair to me
to confine that interesting part of
the good old Ourer’s Book to
80 KINKS (OF, ALL) KINDS
one class of enthusiasts. “More
power to it!”
The first kink that occurs to me
is one that I am afraid< will be
known to all the old duck hunt-
ers, but I know that it will be a
great help to any of the “crew”
who are not familiar with it.
Have you ever sat out in your
blind, or hung on to a “clamper”
when the thermometer is way be-
low the freezing mark, and watch
your decoys gradually, but surely,
become completely encoated with
ice? They look as much like a
duck as one of the small chunks
of ice floating near by, and if
there happens to be a sun they
shine like the proverbial pair of
nigger’s heels. Did someone say
“ducks?” Absolutely no chance
these days with an average of
two hunters to each bird.
How can you avoid it? Easy!
Just give each little wooden
birdie a nice warm coat of any
colorless grease. Anything will
go; from lard to vaseline, and I
have found that it more than re-
pays for the small amount of in-
convenience, and they will shed
water like a real. duck’s back.
MAKES FOR ACCURATE
STATEMENTS
By E. E. Row.anps
You know a fisherman wants
to be accurate in his statements
regarding the size of his catch, so
in order to tell the folks at home
just how long the “big one” was,
I devised this plan last season: I
took a small brush and some red
enamel and painted small figures
an inch apart on the under side
of the first joint of my rod. It is
handy, no weight and out of sight
except when you want to see it.
A PLUG CARRIER
By Dean O. SMITH
I expect: that all of us have
had more or less trouble finding a
satisfactory pocket carrier for
bass pugs while fishing, as every
person always carries several for
a change of baits during the day.
For quite a while I carried mine
in their original pasteboard boxes,
VIVGMIPIVLENTOVTS IA SIASE LAA LOOLO
plete ls POOLS SAAN Sf CAAT:
VA OMTOPCO™LLPACLAOSASSAOOLLOOALAE Fre:
Ch thttitetitiht be Le Z iia
bun
but these were bulky to have in
the pockets, and of course you get
them watersoaked, and when in
this condition the boxes often
came apart and the hooks at-
tached themselves to the different
parts of your anatomy. After en-
during this for a while I fitted up
a carrier which has given very
satisfactory service.
I procured a piece of automo-
bile inner tubing about eight
inches long and sewed one end
of it shut, using heavy waxed
thread. On the other end I left
one side longer than the other and
cut a buttonhole in it, sewing
around it with a lighter waxed
thread to keep it from tearing out.
KINKS “OF? AEL KINDS . - 81
I sewed a button on the shorter
side, buttoned it shut and it was
done. I made my carrier out of
a small tube and it holds two min-
nows easily. If desired a larger
tube can be used and a seam
sewed through it lengthwise, di-
viding it into two compartments:
If you wish, the lower end may
be vulcanized shut. This makes
a neater job, but is no more serv-
iceable. The hooks do not catch
in the rubber or penetrate through
it easily and it takes up less space
than any carrier I have ever used.
UNHOOKING THE BULL-
HEAD
By Jos. GreriscH
Bullheads are such slippery fel-
lows and capable of inflicting
such mean wounds with their
“horns” that taking them off of the
hook is not the easiest matter in
the world. To make things worse,
they have a habit, when they take
a hook, of swallowing it way out
of sight. The following method
will make the hook extraction
comparatively simple: Place in-
dex finger of left hand behind
fn A in diagram and _ second
finger behind fin B. This leaves
the thumb of the left hand free to
force open the lower jaw at C,
while the right hand manipulates
the hook.
AN EASILY MADE LIVE’
BOX
By .E:) Hi: Courras
There are many different styles
of good live boxes. A very handy
one can be made in a short time
if you happen to have an old pack-
Cleat the
ing case and an auger.
top of the case for a cover and
hinge it with a couple of bits of
leather strap if you have nothing
better. Get a couple of rough
logs and nail one on either side
of the box as shown in the dia-
grany to serve as floats:. Put
through the spikes to hold these
log floats, from the inside. With
the auger bore holes in sides, ends
and bottoms to provide for circu-
lation of water. Put a hasp on
the cover and the job is done.
Just anchor this box anywhere
that the wave action will not bat-
ter it to pieces. When you want
to take out your fish don’t bother
trying to net them. Just drag the
box ashore. The water will drain
82 KINKS OF
out as fast as you pull it up and
then you can reach in and pick
out what fish you want with your
hands. Set the box adrift again
and the rest of the fish in it will
be none the worse, of course, for
their momentary air bath.
FOR BEE STINGS
By M. A. MUELLER
Here is a Kink many of the
brothers will be thankful for—
anyway those who have _ been
stung by yellow-jackets and bum-
ble-bees, and as they are now
ripe, this Kink will be in good
order. Here it is, and see how
simple: ‘Get a bottle of Win-
chester Crystal Rifle Cleaner and
as soon as stung by a bee rub a
little of the “dope” on the spot or
little hole left by the sting. It is
a good plan to first squeeze out as
much of the poison as_ possible
before applying. There is no
danger from the use of this chem-
ical and results are almost in-
Stantaneous.
A CAMP REFRIGERATOR
By Donatp DUNCAN
Hang a covered tin bucket from
the limb of a tree. Take any
kind of a cloth bag big enough to
just slip over the bucket. If you
haven't a bag handy, a few coarse
stitches with twine in a bit of old
burlap will make a nice one. Put
a few handfuls of dirt in the bot-
10m Of ‘the bag, Ship at up. over
the bucket and tie with a draw-
ALL KINDS
string. Wet the dirt thoroughly
and your refrigerator is complete.
The wet dirt will keep the entire
bag moist, and the bag in drying
will cool the contents of the
AI
water,
Drinking
milk, butter, etc., can be cooled
very nicely in this manner.
bucket nicely.
A FISH BAG
By Wrtper DowLIin
I have discarded fish stringers.
I use a fish bag of my own manu-
facture instead. I find it to be
handy and humane. I take a
gunny sack and run a hem around
the mouth about one inch in
width. Leave a slit in the hem
through which to run the rope.
Take a piece of slight sash cord
about six feet in length and tie a
knot at one end and run the other
end through a seine float and then
through the hem in the bag,
bringing the end out through the
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 83
slit and pass the end through the
float in the opposite direction,
then pass the end through an-
other float and tie a knot in the
end of the cord. The _ cord
should be the right size to work
snugly in the float. To fasten the
bag draw the loose end of the
cord through the float next to
the bag. It is then impossible to
open it from the inside. It is
easily opened by drawing the cord
through from the inside. By using
this bag you can keep your catch in
the water all the time. When you
stop to fish a pool drop the bag
into the water and the loose float
will show you where your catch
is at all times and you can keep
it near you. When you are ready
to start home fill the bag with
grass or leaves and dip in the
water. The filling will hold
enough moisture to keep the fish
alive a long time. In this way
you will preserve the flavor of
the fish. A fish should never be
killed till it is ready to be dressed
for the pan.
A SNELLED HOOK
CARRIER
By A. F. DRESEL
I usually snell my hooks my-
self, using tourndown-eyed hooks,
and let the gut dry straight by
hanging up with a weight at the
bottom. I make a very satisfac-
tory hook carrier as follows: A
cardboard mailing tube of, say,
1%4 inches in diameter is plugged
at one end by a glued piece of 4-
inch cork. The stopper is a bev-
eled cork, cut through lengthwise.
To the inside surfaces of the cork
glue, or cement, a lining of felt,
as per diagram, the felt forming
Soil and
Lied with
felt
a hinge at the wider end of the
cork.
When on a fishing trip, moisten
the felt and place several of the
looped ends of the snells therein,
and they will be pliable when
wanted.
FOR ‘GILLETTE: USERS
By Ben P. Lippy
No doubt a number of the read-
ers of Ourter’s Book own a Gil-
lette razor and throw the blades
away after using a short time,
owing to the difficulty of having
them sharpened satisfactorily. I
have owned one of these valuable
84 KINKS OF “ALL KINDS
friends over seven years and am
still using the blades that came
with it. After shaving I simply
strop the blade by holding it firmly
between the thumb and index
finger, left hand, edge from you,
and rubbing the thumb of right
hand over the edge on all four
edges. Do not strop too much.
Go easy at first and you'll learn
just the amount. Try this and
note how your blades will last.
A TURTLE TRAP
By Wma. Sims BuNN
While the following kink may
not be new to all the readers, at
the same time it is worth trying
for those uninitiated in this way
of catching turtle. The plan is as
follows: First get a rough board,
say 12 inches wide and as long as
the water and bottom justify. On
this board nail a quantity of stout
ringed hooks a few inches apart
diagonally, and at the top of the
board (which will be sitting in
the water at an angle of about 30
deg.) tie securely a chicken or rab-
bit. In a day or two a gentle (?)
odor will be wafted over the
face of the waters which will stir
up the turtles’ olfactories irresist-
ibly. - They will all answer the
summons of the decayed bait, and
will try to climb up the board,
with the result that the hooks will
catch them in the foot. By way
of ‘anticipating and brushing aside
any suggestion that this method is
not humane, I believe any turtle
would rather have a hook in his
foot than through his bony mouth,
and that the above method will be
the less painful. Have the chicken
or rabbit a few inches above the
water.
TWO OLD FRIENDS
By R. T. Ervin
Take two empty wooden spools
and drive either a screw or a nail
through the hollow center into the
side of a wall at such distance as
you wish (ordinarily some five or
six feet apart), so that you can
stand and pass the line over one
and then over the other, and back
again without having to move, let-
ting the line runoff the rod onto
the wooden spools. This spreads
the line out, so that the air will
dry it, and yet it never comes into
contact with any metal substance.
The other “kink” is how to tie
the two ends of a silk line to-
gether so they will not slip. Tie
an ordinary single loop in the end
of one line. Run the other line
through this, and then tie a simi-
lar loop with this end around the
other line. Draw the knots tight
around each line. Then catch the
lines and pull them until the two
ends are drawn together. It will
be found that each single knot
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 85
locks the other so that it cannot
slip.*
No doubt many of your readers
have used each of these “kinks,”
but there are others who have
| — =
not, and they may be of service to
them.
*Editor’s Note.—This is the well-
cneen and efficient Waterman’s
not.
JUST ADHESIVE PLASTER
By C. E. McOorMAND
Speaking of kinks, do you know
that a strip of common adhesive
plaster, or electrician’s tape,
pasted over a smooth steel or rub-
ber shotgun butt-plate, makes the
very best substitute for a checked
one? You can’t make it slip. I
tried it on my old Maynard some
five years ago and it is still doing
service as well as the most ex-
pensive imported butt-plate.
A “REAL” OIL FOR REELS
By FRANK Harris
Here’s a good home-made oil
for reels, and, by the way, it is
also fine for typewriters, sewing
machines, etc. It will not gum,
and in every way is fully equal of
standard oils at a cost that’s next
to nothing.
These are the “makin’s”: One-
half pint kerosene, one teaspoon-
ful good, pure olive or sweet oil,
and if you want to be extra fancy,
a few drops of oil of peppermint
or spearmint, to kill the kerosene
odor.
Don’t condemn this without a
trial. You’ll be surprised. “It’s
slippery as an eel.”
A WIRE GAME CARRIER
By Harry O. HANNA
All of us who hunt rabbits and
other small game have often
wished for a hand carrier, espe-
cially after hunting all day and
getting a good bag, as carrying
eight or ten rabbits in a coat gets
very tiresome on the shoulders.
Most of us also have wanted to
hang the game in the spring-house
over night and had to search for a
piece of cord or wire to string
them on.- Have found the follow-
ing simple device very handy:
Take a piece of stiff wire about
19 inches long and bend in nearly
a circle. Then take wooden han-
dle from an old bucket bail for
handle, as per illustration. Next
put small hook on both ends of
wire and sharpen lower hook.
To use, run sharpened hook
through rabbit’s leg and engage
lower hook with upper.
86 KINKS OF
The carrier is very handy for
the muskrat trapper also. Can be
used with shoulder straps if de-
sired.
Brothers, stick one in your
pocket and try it this fall.
NEEDLES AND THREAD
By D. WIiccINSs
Many of us wish to sew ona
button or a patch for ourselves
when out conversing with the red
gods. We usually find that nee-
dles and thread have been left be-
hind.
In my haversack is a spool of
linen thread, with the hole through
the spool reamed out to a suffi-
cient diameter to accommodate a
paper of large needles folded up
into a roll.
In this manner the needles are
always where I need them, and
are not sticking me in the back.
I always have one threaded with
a good, long thread, as when your.
hands are cold or you are tired, it
is a great help.
ANOTHER PORKER
By L. K. Harvey
Here is a good dress for a bit
of pork rind on a No. 4 Skinner
spoon that has proven very at-
tractive to the bass at times. Cut
a wedge of pork rind about a
quarter of an inch thick, an inch
and a half wide at the base and
two and a half inches long. Let
it run to a triangle as shown in
the diagram and shave the under
side until it runs down to a true
ALL KINDS
point. Slit the base of the tri-
angle into three equal parts and
hang one of these pieces over each
hook in the treble gang. Then
pull the pork rind straight out
Stde View
Top View
with thumb and finger and give it
a little twist. This will tend to
make it spin when in the water.
This bait has caught bass for me
sometimes when all others failed.
RAW ONION POULTICE
FOR SNAKEBITE
By G. E. WHITMORE
Take an onion or several of
them if they are small, crush or
pound them to a pulp and use as
a poultice on the wound made by
the reptile. Whisky, if at hand,
should be taken in moderate
doses, and of course, a doctor
should be sought as soon as pos-
sible.
Twice I have used—and with
good results—the onion poultice
on dogs that were bitten by rat-
tlesnakes. I also know of two
persons who were bitten by rat-
tlesnakes and whose lives were
KINKS UF
saved by no other remedies than
the onion poultice and whisky:
One of these was a man of 76,
the other was a boy of 12.
THE TIN CAN RANGE
PHONE
By E. A. CRoLins
I think it best at first to give
you a little history of ourselves
to show how the kink herein de-
scribed was developed.
Several members of the Fort
Dearborn Rifle Club of Chicago,
including myself, have been going
out Sunday mornings for outdoor
practice. As the club at present
has only an indoor range, we
have selected a good place along
the banks of the Chicago Drain-
age Canal, just west of Argo, Ill.
Argo is a small town southwest
of Chicago and can be reached on
the street car from where we live
in about 45 minutes. We are then
compelled to walk about a mile to
the range.
Anybody living in Chicago will
know that hills suitable for target
butts are scarcer than hens’ teeth
in this vicinity. The spot which
we have been using all summer
is ideal as a range, owing to the
fact that the engineers, when
building the canal, obligingly left
miniature mountains of clay and
limestone about 25 to 30 feet high
along the banks of the canal.
These make a fine backstop for
even the wildest shot.
As there is no habitation or any
place to keep equipment near our
range, we are obliged to carry all
ALE KINDS 87
the necessary articles with us,
which means pack them about a
mile. We have overcome this
handicap very nicely as follows:
Last spring we carried a couple
of two-by-fours, three feet long,
and a board twelve inches wide,
one inch thick and three feet
long, out with us on our first trip.
This lumber nailed together, using
the two-by-fours for legs and
sharpening same, makes a good
arrangement to hold our targets.
We simply drive the pointed up-
rights into the ground. When we
are through we pull the whole
thing up and hide it under some
near-by shrubs until the next
time. The rest of our equipment
consists of some paper targets and
thumb tacks.
Our rifles are .22 caliber and we
use long rifle Lesmok or semi-
smokeless ammunition. We shoot
at 50 and 100 yards. Right here
I wish to state that the .22 long
rifle cartridge is exceedingly ac-
curate even at 100 yards, and will
penetrate our one-inch pine board
at that distance and never even
hesitate. I think that is pretty
good for a .22, don’t you?
Thus endeth our history.
* for the kink.
This fall the weather. has been
very windy, and we found it diffi-
cult and sometimes impossible to
shout loud enough to call the shots
from the target to the firing point,
even with the assistance of a
small megaphone.
One windy day, after all of us
had strained our lungs while tend-
ing target, I began to figure out
Now
88 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
how this difficulty could be over-
come. Suddenly I remembered
the telephones I used to make
when I was a small boy, out of
two tin cans and a piece of thread.
This gave me a hunch, and | im-
mediately proceeded to get busy
in the following manner:
After procuring two tin cans
about four inches in diameter and
five inches long, I soldered two
strong hooks, one on each side of
the cans well up toward the top
or opening. The hooks I placed
opposite each other running
lengthwise, with the points to-
ward the bottom of the can.
I then purchased one-quarter of
a pound of No. 5 music wire,
which runs about two thousand
feet to the pound and possesses
great tensile strength. The boring
of a very small hole in the bot-
tom of each can finished the job.
The following Sunday I started
out with the rest of the fellows,
entertaining considerable qualms
as to whether my field telephone
would work at so great a distance.
Upon arriving at the range we
cut four sapling stakes about three
feet long and drove two into the
ground at each end of the range,
just far enough apart to allow the
cans to fit in between. The hooks
on the cans of course encircled
the stakes. We then*‘inserted the
ends of the wire through the holes
in the bottom of the cans and
after threading them through a
small glass bead about one-quarter
of an inch in diameter, twisted
them around the bead. The bead
was placed on the ends of the
wireto prevent it from pulling
through the hole in the can.
All that was left to do was to
stretch the wire tight enough to
clear the ground so that it would
not touch anything, and we were
all set.
Much to our delight the tele-
phone worked fine. Although it
was a very windy day and there
was considerable hum caused by
the wind vibrating the wire, we
experienced no trouble at all in
communicating with each other at
100 yards. Of course, it was not
as distinct as a regular telephone,
but by speaking slowly and dis-
tinctly we could understand every-
thing that was said with very lit-
tle repeating. We found that loud
talking caused too much vibra-
tion and that a normal tone of
voice worked much better.
The total cost of the outfit was
about 50 cents and about thirty
minutes’ labor, but it certainly
paid for itself the first day. It
not only made our outing pleas-
anter, but relieved the strain on
our vocal organs.
One word of advice to anyone
who desires to make a telephone
of this character: Considerable
care must be taken in handling
this fine music wire, as it is steel
and has a tendency to curl and
kink. However, should you kink
and break the wire, it makes no
difference, as the damage can be
easily repaired by simply tying the
ends in a figure eight knot. Con-
fidentially, I wish to state that we
had four knots in our line before
we had it installed, but it did not
KINKS OF
seem to affect the transmission of
sound in the least.
In taking the ’phone down, all
we did was to unhook the can at
one end and wind the wire around
it. After binding the wire tight
around the can with a rubber
band and placing everything in a
small cloth bag the ’phone was
ready to be transported home.
The whole thing is not very large
and does not weigh over a pound.
A KNIFE SHEATH KINK
By Tom Moore
I have seen many of the ordi-
nary sheath-knives carried in the
ordinary sheath, which is sewed
along the edge against the inside
of which the keen blade of the
Tatro rests, with the handle usu-
ally protruding handily. I have
seen knives thus sheathed edge
their way out through this seam,
and while in my observation it only
resulted in a lost knife or a dam-
aged case, it might also easily
have resulted in a damaged leg or
a spoiled trip. My kink was to
put two copper rivets through the
sheath in front of the knife edge,
one about one and a half inches
Strip of old felt hat
eos
a
<= 4
up from the point, and one about
one-third the way up. If these
are put through tightly they will
keep the knife edge away from
that seam, uninjured and unin-
juring. I also sew a strip of old
ALL KINDS 89
felt hat around the inside of the
top of my sheath to keep Tatro at
home, regardless of my position.
For safety’s sake and the preser-
vation of a good knife, hunters
should try these out.
AN EMERGENCY ANCHOR
By C. H. BALpwIN
Here is a kink that may save
the day for some lone fisherman.
Last year I rented a cottage and
boat at a small inland lake in
northern Illinois, and when ready
to use the boat I found it had no
anchor, and not a stone in sight or
any weight of sufficient size. I
discovered an old pair of overalls
hanging on the garage. I cut off
about two feet of one leg, tied
one end securely and filled it with
gravel. Tied the other end, tied
anchor rope around the center,
and had an anchor that held for
keeps.
GATHERING INFORMA-
TION
By A. L. WEAVER, JR.
While talking to some friends
(who are rather enthusiastic fish-
ermen) one day, I asked, rather
casually, if they knew of any
good places to fish. In the course
of a few minutes I had quite a
number of them—too many of
of them to remember, in fact—
so I decided I must have some
way to keep them on record. A
file was too unhandy, so after
much labor and thinking I finally
90 RINKS OF ALL KINDS
“got down to brass tacks” in the
following idea:
First—Two pads of paper about
6 by 8 in, one pink, the other
white. The pink sheets I use for
my fishing “dope” and the white
ones for my hunting “dope.” I
use the following form, which
Ko Ratlroad
ASKER, Beak Say yee re
werch
pe ie aS
Board (verias)per day at Hotel.
Busber of days to go SIthne Pak bo Dre
Mumver of Gays to return &
Hunt lag g009 foir wediue
Fishing . . «
Kine of tate ect. fered + live
Remrkst> f-ck on Misery Dey Cross from buble
Deck
gives me all the information
“right off the reel’:
This form with a small sketch
map (if available) gives me all
the information that I desire.
These sheets are kept in a port-
folio. This “kink” has met with
great favor here among my num-
erous sportsmen friends.
A SHOTGUN CLEANER
By D. WiIccINsS
To effectually and harmlessly
clean your shotgun, use the brass
cloth used for straining milk.
Purchase about a dime’s worth
and cut. a patch iof it~ gust big
enough to cover the head of a
cleaning rod with a piece of cot-
ton flannel under it. Use a little
oil on the brass cloth, and you
will be surprised to see how
quickly it takes out lead, powder
fouling, rust, etc., and gives the
barrel a fine polish. It seems
cheap, effective and harmless.
A GOOD CARRYING CASE
By Mo J; Hewrere
An old leather camera case
makes a convenient carrying case
for fishing tackle or many other
things when on a trip. These
leather cases pack well, carry
nicely and protect their contents
fully. Being made of good
leather they are quite stout.
THREE KINKS FROM ONE
KINKER
By Bert RICHARDSON
Did you ever shoot out a wood-
en minnow and on retrieving
find the hooks sticking out at all
angles? Of-course you did, like
myself until I “got onto” this
kink. I am not very strong on
the explanation stuff, so you will
have to watch the sketch if this
gets by Ye Editor’s waste basket.
All you need is a piece of heavy
tin of thin brass cut out to shape
of “A,” Fig: 1. Bend the ends
around screw eye and secure with
a drop of solder.
I have found that this kink
makes a wooden minnow as near
weedless as it is possible to get
them, as the hooks are always
in the shadow of the body and
presented right for the strike.
KINKS OF
Also take notice of the bend in
front screw eye (“B,” Fig. 1).
This gives the bait a wobble that
is a wobble as you are always
pulling off center.
In casting spoons, I find that
{ need a little extra weight, and
so adopt the following method:
a“
I purchase a few small dipsys, the
kind with a wire loop in the ends.
Straighten out the loops and twist
the wire around the shank above
the spoon. This weight balances
the bait and presents your fly
right side up the instant it strikes
the water. It also does away with
swivels as the bait will not twist
more than a half turn and then
drops back. Try this out in the
bath tub, as yours truly did, and
be convinced.
By the way, did you ever try
to patch up your old spoons and
find trouble in getting a lug for
the spoon and shank? Well, here
is the dope: Take a link out
of a chain, the bath tub stopper
ALL. - KINDS 91
kind. Bend it in the center, slip
on spoon, and insert shank (Fig.
TEE):
The next kink, which it requires
a little more mechanical skill, is
what I call THE kink.
Would you like to have in your
old trusty reel the casting qualities
|
}
¥
Sig l
found in a high-priced jewelled
reel, minus the outlay necessary to
secure the latter?
Take off the oil screw cap op-
posite the handle and solder a
one-eighth-inch piece of brass to
the top of cap and file off the
edge to a nice smooth finish; this
will give you plenty of metal for-
>
<—
when they were not disposed to
rise to the fly. And this is how I
did it:
I purchased ten yards of
128 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
chicken wire netting and packed it
into camp. Then I cut cedar
poles about three inches through
for my posts. These were four
feet high. The side pieces I
made five feet long, the same size
through. The ends were three
feet. After squaring them at the
ends, so they would fit nicely, I
spiked them together. I now had
my frame, and it was only neces-
sary to fasten my chicken netting
around this frame and my tank
was completed.
I selected a nice sandy spot
under the shade of a pine tree
and let my fish tank down in
about two and a half feet of
water in the lake at my tent door.
In order to have my fish in good
condition for the home that they
would have for the rest of their
existence, I made two baskets of
the same material by weaving the
wire together at the sides and
end. Then when that was done,
I pushed it into the shape of a
barrel. This I kept at the end of
my raft, half submerged in the
water. When I hooked a fish of
a size to keep, and his gills had
not been affected by the fly hook,
he was put in the basket. I could
have my evening fishing without
having cccasion to visit my tank
until the sport was over. My fish
did well and were quite con-
tented in their home. They af-
forded me great pleasure watch-
ing them rising to the insects that
dropped on the water, and they
also ate heartily of any grubs or
worms I happened to throw in to
them. I learned many things
about trout that I never knew be-
fore, and it certainly helped me
in my study of this “king” of
lake fish. The trout likes plenty
of shade, so be sure and have one
end of your tank covered with
boughs. When removing fish
from your tank use the landing
net and do it carefully, so as not
to cause too much disturbance in
the tank, as your fish may injure
themselves on the wire and be-
come diseased. I had as many as
seventy fish in my tank at one
time, some weighing as heavy as
two pounds.
PACKING PLUGS
By T. E. DroHan
The wood and pasteboard boxes
that artificial wooden baits are
sold in, take up too much room
in the ordinary bait caster’s out-
fit. Yet if he leaves one single
“plug” hole he is almost sure to
regret it. I have been in that fix
myself.
Now, however, I take plenty
on every trip. I discard the
boxes and roll the plug in a piece
of white oil cloth such as used for
covering pantry shielves, use a
piece about 7 by 14 inches and
snap a rubber band on it. In this
way I am able to pack twenty
plugs and spoons, besides one reel,
a pair of pliers, a file, disgorger
and a small bottle of 3 in 1 oil in
my No. 2 Gem tackle box. On
the cloth side is labeled in ink the
name of each bait, so that they
can be readily found and the
KINKS OF
wrapping is done so as to leave
the label in view—a very simple
matter.
The oil cloth will last a long
time and is very cheap, and I
hope that others in the fraternity
will find it as practical and satis-
factory as I have.
THE NATURAL BAIT
WOBBLER
By E.R: ACRES
If you ever happen to be in
need of a wobbler that will wob-
ble and that a bass will swallow,
try this kink. If he misses the
US} Body cavily
first time and you stop reeling,
he will charge it like mad. Take
a chub or round-bodied small fish
and cut in the manner shown in
the diagram.
If you want to fish in the
weeds, reverse the hook. By the
way, this will work well with rain-
bow trout if you use a wobbler
about one and one-half inches
long and do not cut at as steep
an angle.
HOLDING ’EM DOWN
By RusH McFarLanp
“Some pet way of handling a
bait, etc.,”—
When reading of your Kink
Contest in March issue of OUTER’s
ALL KINDS 129
Boox, the above quotation sug-
gested that I might stretch a point
in telling my pet way of handling
—not the bait—but the fish.
While this little trick, which I
have used with much success, may
be very old to a great many of
my brother fishermen, I have yet
to find the man who claimed to
be able to stop fish from “break-
ing water.” That’s my trick, or
at least I think it is.
How often, Oh, fisherman! has
your heart “stopped beating” as
some wily old bass, or perhaps
he was a trout, leaped into the
air and shook himself from head
to tail in his mighty effort to free
himself of the hook. And that
same old heart did not get to
pumping again until you had
strained your rod almost to the
breaking point to keep from giv-
ing “slack” and you found that
the fight was still on.
Let’s see if you can’t agree
with me that my pet scheme is not
better than inviting any lapse of
heart action.
After striking your fish as soon
as the battle is on, dip the tip of
your rod into the water and keep
it there until you have brought
your fish to net. Keep plenty of
“bow” in your rod, of course, but
you'll find that it is not the spring
130 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
of the rod that’s tiring your fish
so much as the friction of line and
water, hence you are not only
eliminating the possibility of fre-
quent leaping of the fish, but you
are going to net him in much less
time.
In keeping the tip of your rod
submerged your fish has possibly,
under certain conditions, as much
as ten or even twenty times the
amount of line to “tote’ through
the water as when the rod is held
nearly perpendicular. This when
your fish is describing the arc of
a circle or speeding along laterally
to the angler’s position, means ex-
Apart
tra weight or tension on the fish
without increasing the strain on
the rod or endangering the break-
ing strength of the line.
When the rod is held perpendic-
ularly, or nearly so, the tendency
is to bring or hold the fish near
the surface. The pull being al-
ways toward the surface, is it any
wonder that the fish will occa-
sionally “break water’ when so
ably assisted in his leaps by the
angler himself? But if your
fish be made to “tote,” say,
fifty feet of line or more to
and above the surface, I think
that you will find that his leaps
will not be frequent, but as I
contend, eliminated entirely.
(levee
But try it out yourself, brother
sportsman. If it works for you,
why then it’s a good kink; if not,
it’s no kink at all.
THE SHOE-EYELET
AGATE
By J. H. CoMMISKEY
Would like to tell worthy
brothers what happened to me on
my fishing trip a short time ago.
I was out bright and early one
fine morning and had only got
started when the agate tip on my
rod broke. While rowing back to
camp I hit upon the following
Bracshed
kink: I took an eyelet out of my
boot and fastened it securely
where the agate had been, and I
used that same tip during entire
trip.
TAPE FOR REEL SEATS
By G. W. RUSSELL
My reel used often to loosen by
the slipping of the rings which
held it in place. I have seen
others have this trouble also; and
what is more distressing, it us-
ually occurs just when you have
set the hook in that big one.
To prevent this trouble I use
half-inch electricians’ tape on the
reel seat. I set the reel in place
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 131
and push the rings up firmly.
Then I lash all in place with the
tap which is wound on in the
form of a figure 8. The tape will
hold under all conditions, and is
very easily removed at the end
of the day.
AN EYED; FLY. BOX
By o0P = Goor,: Mi Di
I sent away and got a box for
eyed flies, and such a monstrosity
as it was—more of a load than
the fish on many trips. I knew
5h saga
xe
|
Figs
eee
be
Fige
what I wanted, but could find
nothing of the sort advertised. So
I set about it to make one. A dic-
carded watercolor paint box, such
as the children have at school,
furnished just the right thing as
to box. The inside of this box
was painted with waterproof
white enamel to prevent rusting.
Next, sections of corks were glued
to the inside, as drawings show,
and the thing was done. Figs,
1 and 2 show the box closed, 5%
inches long, 2% inches wide, %
Fig 3
inch thick. Will hold twenty-five
or thirty flies. Slip easily into a
vest pocket.
ROD CASE AND TRIPOD
By Georce A. WIGGAN
Having for several years com-
bined fishing and photography,
and being addicted to delicate
bait rods and time exposures, I
began to look round for a light,
portable rod case, and the ditto
in a tripod.
The rod case came first. I had
already used a leather case—too
heavy; bamboo—too bulky; fibre
—a mortal foe to wet. What was
I to do? No other style of case
that I could find was made. An-
132 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
swer, think it over and make one.
The tripod presented like troubles.
Wood ones were bulky and the
three-legged metal ones were a
load in themselves.
The solution to the tripod came
first. A party of surveyors gave
me the hunch. If a compass
could be kept steady enough on a
single rod, why not a camera. I
straightway went to the nearest
photo supply place and was
promptly rebuked by the clerk for
thinking that such a thing as a
one-legged tripod existed. The
idea! So back to the workshop
to plan one of my own I went.
Let’s see, the tripod ought to
be about three feet long to be
portable; long enough for all pur-
poses. Three feet—somehow those
words stuck to my mind. What
was three feet? I looked around.
There in its case stood my pet
Heddon. Why, of course; that
rod was just about three feet
when taken down. Why not com-
bine the two? So far, so good.
But what material would answer
all that I required? My friend,
the tin smith, when called into
consultation, said he could fix me
up with a piece of heavy, retinned
tin, and that he could make a case
out of it to fit) my rod and I
could work out my salvation for
the camera as best might appear.
In due time the case arrived.
It was just large enough for two
tips to fit in on either side of the
butt. The handle fitted in nicely.
On the bottom the tinsmith had
put .a spiked ferrule so that it
could be stuck into the ground.
The top he fixed up with a screw-
on cap. Good for the rod but no
place for the camera. The screw-
on part of a discarded tripod was
commandeered and a hole bored
in the case top. The screw was
soldered in and when it was done
made a_solid place to fasten the
camera to.
The whole thing was about
three feet six inches long and
about an. mch and a ‘quartes
across. Empty, it weighed a
trifle over a pound. The rod was
protected perfectly and I had a
solid rest for my camera and it
carried as easily as the rod alone
and was just about right for a
walking stick.
SHRIMP BAIT IN FRESH
WATER
By Geo. C. SHUPEE
I do not know if this “kink” is
of any value, but I have found
that I could catch fish with it
where others have failed with
other baits. It may not be new
and others may know of it, but
it has always been new when I[
sprung it.
Take fresh salt water shrimp
and leave it out in sun till it turns
a delicate pink, say from two to
five hours, depending on how hot
the sun is (if you have a distance
to go, your bait will generally be
ready by the time you get there).
One bait constitutes a single joint,
or knuckle, impaled upon your
favorite hook or spinner, and if
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there are any fish in the water
they are yours.
It will have a very strong odor
which some might object to, but
a dip in the water removes this
to some extent. The meat will
be a clear white, ideal bass bait,
and as I have learned, fish bite
by smell and sight, and not by
taste, the odor draws them, espe-
cially bottom feeding fish, and the
clear white is the tempting mor-
sel for Mr. Bass. I have also
used it successfully for speckled
trout.
As an illustration: A friend
and I went to his ranch on the
river near here (San Antonio,
Tex.) He said he knew where
the fishing was good, so all I had
to do was follow him. I picked
out a likely hole and began to
cast with my shrimp bait. He
had snails and grasshoppers. He
told me to come with him, that I
would catch none where I was,
but I told him I would see him
later. It was then about 7 a. m.
About 9 a. m. he returned with
one three-pound channel cat. I
had “ttin “out of: bait and had
thirty-eight fish, all running
from two pounds to four pounds.
He had lived and fished there for
three years, and it was my first
trip—I lay it all to the bait, as I
find that it will work as well
elsewhere.
The meat is firm and stays on
the hook well, and answers every
purpose of pork rind on spinners.
Please, however, do not confuse
with canned or dried shrimp,
ALL KINDS 133
neither of which seems to work
at all. If you should be going for
two or four weeks, five to ten
pounds will be sufficient. All I
ever do is to leave it in a per-
forated can in the stream and
use as needed, and the longer it
is kept the better it is. :
I hope this will enable some
brother slave of Isaak Walton to
realize his desires.
“NOTHIN? BUT GLUE”
By BD. B: Totey
I believe that most users of
the wooden rod will agree with
me in saying that the tying of an
invisible knot at the end of each
wind when wrapping such a rod
is a nuisance; to some an almost
intolerable nuisance. One winds
good and tight and closely and
then lets the silk slip at the finish
and spoils the whole thing.
A few years ago I wound a
rod spirally, and in the course of
time the varnish became scratched
and the silk broken. I did not
relish the thought of rewinding
my service rod in summer, so just
applied some varnish to the scratch
and kept on using it. The silk,
held by the varnish, did not start
a trifle. That made me wonder
why a knot was necessary at all.
The next time a rod was wound
I used glue to hold the end until
the varnish had set. I used the
kind of glue which must be heated
to reduce from a solid to a liquid,
and, believe me, it worked. I
coated the last few laps of each
wind with glue (roughly), wound
134 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
them and applied a smear of glue
to the finish, keeping the silk tight
the while. I then snipped the silk
and removed the surplus glue with
a piece of chamois. That finish
was ideal, almost invisible and
very tight. The glue hardened
so quickly that I could go right
on winding without having the
glue let go because of a little
handling. The varnish obliterates
any stain left on the silk by the
glue.
My glue pot certainly saved me
time and trouble last spring and
yours will, to, if you'll only let it,
Brother Angler.
THE BOTTLE CAP FISH
SCALER
By Tuomas MALONEY
A very practical little device for
removing fish scales can be made
by taking a beer bottle cap (the
sharp, scalloped-edge type illus-
trated in accompanying diagram)
and a short piece of wood, capable
of serving as a handle. The cap
should then be tacked on one end
of the handle, driving the nail
through the under part of the
handle, then bending over on top
to fasten more securely. The re-
sult is a very serviceable little
scaler.
A CRICKET “FARM”
By W. J. Fritz
The following kink will, I trust,
save many a physical kink in the
back of those Sons of Walton
who are always prowling around
looking for live bait, such as
crickets, grasshoppers and _ the
like. Its -discoverey was purely
acidental, but it has saved me
many a valuable hour of fishing
time, and what can be more prec-
ious than that to an angler?
For a long time there lay in
our back yard the trunk of an
old plum tree. Its function was
supposedly as a base for running
vines, which (under the subse-
quent circumstances) I am glad
to say, refused to “run.” One
day, after a_ stretch of wet
weather, an old carpet used as
a door mat was thrown over the
plum trunk to dry. On removing
it some time later I was sur-
prised to find beneath it about two
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dozen large, black crickets. The
damp, cool place, together with
the rough bark, evidently afforded
them an excellent hiding place,
which they had promptly adopted
as a home. Crickets being at
that time a seasonable bait, my
surprise was a pleasant one.
ALL KINDS 135
in certain little eddies and no way
to catch them? That’s what hap-
pened to me on several trips until
I made a net out of minnow seine
to carry in my pocket.
And this is how I made it:
First, I cut a piece of seine about
16 in. wide by 24 in. long. Both
Fig. 3
Now that cricket home has be-
come permanent. I brought the
tree trunk closer to the house and
placed it near the cistern. I keep
it covered with a couple of old
gunny sacks, over which I oc-
casionally douse. a_ bucket of
water. Whenever the bass down
at the pond telegraph that they
would like a few crickets for sup-
per, all I do is to pick up one
corner of my sacks and gather
as many as needed, in a minute
or two.
A HANDY MINNOW NET
By Harry E. SmitH
Were you ever fishing when the
trout wouldn’t take a fly or when
it was desirable to have some
minnows; with thousands of them
sides of this I bound with strips
of muslin about 3 in. wide, mak-
ing loops or hems through which
the handle could be pushed, as
shown in Fig. 1.
Next, I doubled the hems or
loops together and stitched the
rear end together about half way
to loops, as shown in Fig. 2. This
gives us a sort of scoop shovel
shape net which only lacks the
handle and can be folded into a
very small space.
The handle is cut from almost
any convenient bush or tree in the
shape of a crotched stick with the
branches as long as the loops on
136 KINKS OF
the net. These may be sprung
together and slipped into the loops
and the net is ready for business,
as shown in Fig. 3.
It can be carried almost as
easily as a pocket handkerchief
and may help us to a basket of
trout when their appetites call for
minnows.
A GOOD SINKER FOR
TROUT FISHING
By FRANK E. WILDER
I have used a Kink which
works very well in any stream
when fishing with worms. This
is especially effective in streams
which are frequently fished and
where the trout are wise.
Most everyone knows that to
make the bait look like worms
which have naturally fallen into
the stream, you let your hook,
which is well baited with worms,
drift down the stream before you
and you don’t use a sinker. There
is one objection to this mode of
fishing, which is, that you can’t
get to fish the deep holes where
there is a current, and that is the
very place where the big ones lie.
To get down in these holes and
still have your bait look lifelike,
tightly roll a piece of tinfoil,
which is about three-quarters of
an inch square, around your line
just above your leader or about
six or eight inches from your
hook.
If no tinfoil can be found,
melt a little lead and pour it on
some smooth surface from a
height of five feet. While pour-
ALL KINDS
ing, keep the dish in motion so
that the lead will not fall in the
same spot, and the lead will flat-
ten out in little pieces about as
large as a penny.
When using one of these sink-
ers and you get your hook
snagged on a log you can pull the
sinker right through the end eye
and work your hook loose with
the tip of your pole without dis-
turbing the hole.
As an example, to show how
effective this sinker is in trout
fishing, I will tell you about my
last fishing trip. Three of us, two
friends and I, went fishing. One
of my friends used split buck-
shot, and the other fellow used
no sinker at all. As usual, I
used a piece of tinfoil. As a re-
sult, the total catch of my friends
was three trout, while I caught
twelve beauties.
WAXING SILK THREADS
FOR ROD WINDING
By Juttus FRANK
For you who rewind and you
who make your own rods com-
plete, give heed to an easy and
effective manner of waxing your
threads.
Having almost completed a 5-
foot casting rod of bethabara, I
suddenly remembered that the
light, gaudy colored threads on a
split bamboo rod which I re-
wound last winter were now dark
and dull. I began formulating a
plan to overcome this deteriora-
tion in the threads. I knew of the
time-worn method of drawing the
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threads through light colored
bees’ wax, but natural bees’ wax,
no matter how light, always
alters the color of the threads
and only waxes the surface. Re-
membering that wax is soluble in
gasoline, I finally decided a
scheme that not only preserves
the original color, but also “sets”
it permanently, waxes every fiber
in the thread and makes it thor-
oughly waterproof.
Here is the method and for-
mula:
Scrape one ounce of paraffine
with a knife from a white candle
and after allowing a small electric
“disc-plate’ stove to become
heated disconect it (a hot laundry
iron propped upside-down will do
as well). Put the paraffine in a
half-pint common drinking cup,
place it on the stove and wait until
the paraffne becomes liquid. Then
add one ounce of gasolene and
mix thoroughly with a spoon and
allow this preparation to remain
on the heated stove. Submerge
the vari-colored threads which
should be previously wound sep-
arately on thin, stiff, white visit-
ing cards cut to measure 1 by 3
inches and then notched like a
slung-shot stock at both ends.
Remove the cards of threads
after they have remained in the
mixture about five minutes. Pierce
the cards with pins and hang
them in a shady place in the open
where the air can reach the
threads. Let them remain sus-
pended for a few hours and then
upon examination you will find
ALL KINDS 137
that the gasoline has entirely
evaporated and the threads are
soft, pliable and thoroughly satur-
ated with paraffine.
Threads treated in this manner
make the rod moisture-proof
where wound and where, by-the-
by, the varnish does not touch.
I wish that you, my fellow ang-
lers, could see my finished rod.
It reverses an old adage—My Joy
Forever Is a Thing of Beauty.
THE KINK OF KINKS
By JAMEs R. ALLEN
To quote a short passage from
your kink write-up in the June
number of Ourter’s, “A kink is
just any special pet trick that you
make use of in your fishing.” Ac-
cording to this definition, I here-
with submit the dandiest little
kink that ever cavorted before
your serene vision. I] am a young
dub, just learning to get the hunt-
ing and fishing fevers each fall
and spring. But I don’t know a
whole lot about either hunting or
fishing yet. My elder brother
(the big yap) says I’m a little too
new to educate yet. He is some
sportsman. Being one, he sub-
scribes for OvuTER’s, of course.
And here’s where my kink comes
in. Each month I sneak into his
den and lift his latest copy of
“The Joy Book.” This little
stunt, together with subsequent
reading of the purloined maga-
zine’s contents, has helped my
fishing more than any other kink
1 ever heard of.
Pp. S--l. am ‘sittiie -i.,\ my
138 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
brother’s den now, knocking this
kink out on his typewriter. I’d
surely get mine if he were to slip
in now and catch me. But he’s
out in the back yard trying out
his three new reels, and he won't
know anything about this until
he sees my fool name under the
blackface head “The Kink of
Kinks” at the head of the first
column of your announcement of
the winners for the month of
May, and when he sees that I have
grabbed the big prize, he won’t be
very sore.
EXTEMPORIZING A CAST-
ING ROD
By Rocer WILLIAMS
I thought I would tell you of
the scheme of rigging up a cast-
ing rod which I use when going
to the river after working hours
and do not wish to be bothered
‘ € :
= ?
rey 4
S
with taking tackle along. And
sometimes I use this rod when I
am fishing with bait and want
more than one rod.
All that is necessary is a reel
and three screw eyes, light weight
with large eyes. The one for the
tip I bend up so that it will be in
line with the other two. I cut a
dtraight stick—most generally
willow—about 7 feet long. Tie the
reel in place with a short piece
of cord. Put the first screw eye
Ra eee
about 2 feet from the reel. Screw
the bent eyelet in the end and
space the third eyelet in the mid-
dle as shown in the diagram.
Then I am ready for the fish.
The screw eyes want to be of
small size wire so as not to
weaken the rod too much where
they are screwed in.
Try this stunt once and you will
be surprised how slick it works.
IT GOT A BIG ONE
By A. D. Woop
Last year on the Connesauga
River, North Georgia, I had an
experience that might possibly
take the candy in your contest.
If not, it may help some other
fellow to bring home “the big
one” some time.
I was lucky enough to catch
plenty of beautiful Rainbows ten
to thirteen inches in length, but
? ma
in several deep, clear pools there
were larger fish that I could not
induce to strike at anything. I
tried minnows without success.
One day a mountaineer came
down the stream fishing with
grasshoppers. He fished with the
hopper hooked through the body
and caught small fish the same as
I, but it gave me the idea just the
same. .
I got busy and caught about a
dozen big, fat “hoppers.” Then
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 139
with a piece of sewing thread I
tied a band around his body that
would not interfere with his
wings or legs and ran the hook
under the thread so that it did
not hurt the hopper at all. With
this equipment I slipped carefully
to one of the deep pools and
tossed Mr. Grasshopper out over
the pool. He tried to fly and did
a little. But the hook weighed
him down and in he went and
up came one of the big Rainbows
I was after, and the fight was on.
I got this one O. K., but I struck
the next too soon and lost him.
But the trick worked, and that is
what I wanted.
THREE PRACTICAL SUG-
GESTIONS
By Georce A. WIGGAN
Anglers who use eyed flies and
do not like to pay the high prices
frequently asked for clip boxes,
should try the following:
Get a flat tin tobacco box (not
too deep) of the side-opening
type. Scrape the paint off of this
and give it a coat of tinner’s varn-
ish. Take some sheet cork about
a quarter of an inch thick and
cut it into strips as long as the
box is wide and about a quarter
of an inch broad. If sheet cork
is not available, the strips may be
cut out from long bottle corks.
Use the smallest size brads to
fasten the strips in place with.
Drive the brads into the box
from the outside. Then press a
strip of cork over the points and
clinch the ends of the brads with
a tap of the hammer. Several
dozen eyed flies can be carried in
a box of this kind. A good idea
is to solder a ring to one corner
of the box and run a lanyard thru
it. Hang this around your neck
and you will never lose the box
by having it fall out of your
pocket.
Another good hunch for eyed-fly
users, which I believe was men-
tioned some years ago in this
magazine, is to fasten one of these
patent finger-nail clippers to a
cheap spring eyeglass holder.
Stick this on your lapel and you
will find it most handy for snip-
ping off the ends of gut after
fastening the flies to the leader.
Those who use minnows may
welcome the following suggestion :
For several years we had great
difficulty in keeping “minnies”
alive. At first we used a plain
box with holes in it to allow the
water to circulate. This would
work only in deep water, because
when placed in the shallows the
wash soon killed the minnows.
And because these little fish are
essentially a shoal water species,
the pressure of the deep water
likewise affected them unfavor-
140 KINKS OF
ably. Then we tried using two
boxes, one inside of the other. This
worked better but was not yet en-
tirely satisfactory, altho we were
on the right track. Finally we
discovered that by tacking a triple
eeerrees
ae = :
Top Elevation
thickness of cheesecloth over the
windows of the outside box the
force of the waves was effectively
broken and the minnows remained
alive and fresh for days.
The ot:ter box should be about
36 by 30 inches; the inner one
30 by 24 inches. Nail inch blocks
of wood between the. boxes to
keep them apart. The inner box
should have two 6-inch windows
on each side and one on each end,
covered with wire gauze. The
outer box should have three win-
dows on each side and two on
each end. Cover these with wire
gauze, then the triple layer of
ALL KINDS
cheesecleth and then another piece
of gauze. If you have ever
bought several dozen minnows at
night and found them all dead
in the morning, you will appre-
ciate this box after a trial.
A NOBLE USE FOR THE
COCKROACH
By C. E. Mover
Here is a kink that I am sure
will bring more pleasure to your
readers and more fish to their
strings than any you have ever
published.
It is a live bait for perch. The
bait consists in a common cock-
roach hooked from the under side
with a very small hook. A No.
26 Cincinnati bass is the best hook
I have tried. One BB split shot
for a sinker and a porcupine quill
for a float completes the best rig
for perch ever used.
The roach is alive and kicks
for several minutes. He will live
for some time if lifted out of the
-
—_ += =e ee
=
Seo
-_
>
water so he can get air occasion-
ally. He won’t stay under the
water very long if there is a
perch in sight, and the largest
perch always gets to him first.
Down here in Arkansas we have
a small mouth perch called bream.
He is just foolish about roaches.
He averages about the size of a
man’s hand and no fish is sweeter
KINKS OF
when he comes from the frying
pan. Roaches are also good bait
for croppie, goggle eye perch and
catfish.
I have known roaches to sell
for 25 cents a dozen. I recently
caught 46 bream which weighed
16 lbs. in one hour and a half.
Another fisherman using red
worms could not even get a bite,
though his boat was almost touch-
ing mine.
The roaches are caught in gro-
cery stores, butcher shops, restau-
rants, etc. Most anglers use reg-
ular screen wire roach traps,
which can be bought at any hard-
ware store, at 25 cents each. Bait
them with raw potato and set
where the roaches pass along the
walls. They may also be caught
in a slick new tin pan. Put raw
potato in the pan and place a piece
of cardboard for them to walk
up on. They drop off into the
basin and can’t crawl out, and if
they are thick you will have a
hundred each morning.
They can be kept for days and
weeks if fed liberally on raw po-
tato. A damp cloth should be
used to supply moisture. All va-
rieties of perch will bite them
more liberally than any bait I
have ever used and you very sel-
dom miss your fish.
AN EMERGENCY LEADER
By M. A. GuRNEY
By tying an ordinary single
knot, as per diagram; then
spreading points b and c and pass-
ALL KINDS 141
ing loop D between them at point
shown by arrow and drawing
tight ends A and B, you will have
duplicate of the editor’s “Middle
Branch” knot. We used to call
this a half hitch jam knot, though
I was mighty glad to see it agam,
for it never occurred to me as
just the thing for a dropper loop.
And even though others may
b D through here
i ( c
AD
know the knot (though not your
own way of tying it), I am sure
bringing this new. use for it to
their attention will be appre-
ciated.
Here’s a new wrinkle or may-
hap an old one; but I dare say it
is young, if not new, because the
material has been on the market
but a few years.
About three years ago I was
fishing near a town about the size
of a postoffice, general store and
(of course) a saloon. During the
day, through a mishap I lost every
leader I had, even to the one J
was using. I was surely up
against it. Finally I mooched
over to the general store, but just
because I wanted a leader they
didn’t carry them.
That evening I was telling my
troubles to a fellow trout fan,
when he laughed and told me he
142 KINKS OF
could stake me to 10 yards of
emergency leader for 10 cents,
and he did.
From out of his tackle box he
fished a spool of dental floss.
Yes—it’s silk—paraffined I guess,
about size H or No. 6, and 9,999
Ibs. test. Maybe a few pounds
less, but anyway so strong you, I
or the other fellow cannot break
it without cutting our hands.
Did I use it? I did. And ever
since, on any color water, you
will find my dental floss leader at
work. Best of it is, any old or
young drug store carries it.
Again, if you want to surprise
yourself and are fishing a stream
where one cannot cast (it’s too
light for casting), why tie two of
the 10-yard lengths together and
use them as a line. Hook a three-
pounder and I'll bet a _ nickel
against every red beauty spot on
him that he’ll think he’s on the
south end of a tow line. No, he
won't break it. Come over where
we fish and I'll prove it. Of
course, 20 yards or 60 feet costs
one 20 cents, hence it might not
be in keeping with a $30 Leonard.
Still, it’s some leader and some
line.
COTTER PIN EMER-
GENCY TOP
By Dwicut Harris
One day while on a week’s fish-
ing trip I happened to lose the
tip joint of my favorite steel cast-
ing rod. As I did not want to
miss a lot of fun, I decided to see
what I could do about it. Rum-
THE
ALL KINDS
maging around in a box of old
nails, screws and other junk, I
found a cotter pin. Immediately
an idea came to me. Fastening
the cotter pin firmly by the ring
end, I bent the shank to an angle
of about 75 degrees. (Fig. 1.)
Fig @
Points Spread
Then I sprung the points slightly
apart (Fig. 2), and put my “emer-
gency tip” in place. It really
worked surprisingly well until I
could obtain a new tip joint.
A TROT-LINE KINK
By GEORGE KRUMSICK
I take pleasure in passing on a
little kink that I have found to
be of much value to the trot-line
fisherman. You realize that the
average fisherman is not a fly or
wooden minnow expert and de-
pends upon the faithful old trot-
line for his “meat” when he pulls
up camp. The trick I have dis-
covered is in preparing the trot-
line staging in the manner shown
on the rough sketch accompanying
this letter. I make my stagings
twelve inches long, and, in addi-
tion to trying on the hook in the
usual manner, I split a wine bot-
tle cork cn one side and draw the
staging through it, leaving it
about four inches above the hook.
When the trot-line is set, the cork
float holds the staging off the bot-
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 143
tom of the river and puts the bait
where it can move with the cur-
rent and where the fish can see
it. A trot-line staging fixed in the
old way lies flat on the bottom of
the river and often the minnows
or crawfish used for bait get un-
der smal! rocks or leaves with the
hook and fish never find them, so
that the fisherman comes to the
conclusion that fish are not biting.
Frequently when minnows are
used for hait, crawfish chew them
off and the fisherman thinks gars
or other fish have stolen the bait.
A staging held up with the cork
a thick cushion in your pack,
which is always so full anyway,
is not to be thought of. There-
fore, a stuffed seat cushion gen-
erally gets left at home on ac-
count of space.
I went to the carriage trimmer
and got a piece of buggy top and
made a cushion 12 by 14 inches.
Sewed it all around except one
end. which was left open, and
in this open end holes were
punched at intervals for shoe-
string lacings. This now folds
flat and takes up only a little
space, and when I get to my desti-
float swings free and every bait
is visib!c. Fishermen who will
try this will find that trot-line
fishing will give them far better
results than the old way.
A BOAT CUSHION |
By J. W. De Lone
I expect a good many who, like
myself, go fishing for a couple
of weeks trip at some distant
point, find that a boat seat gets
awful hard on the upper’ side after
a few days fishing without a good
cushion. Air cushions, when you
want them, always have some-
thing wrong—at least such has
been my experience, and to put
nation I fill it up with dry hay
or excelsior or balsam boughs and
lace it shut like a shoe. After
a few days if it gets too flat, un-
lace it and fill it up and you have
a dandy.
LEADERS FROM HOOK
SNELLS
By C. M. BYERLy
Here is a kink I have by which
I make gut leaders from the
snells of damaged hooks. First,
remove the broken or damaged
hooks. Then, soak the snells in
water a few minutes or until they
are soft. (If you try to tie them
dry they will crack or break.)
144
Then lay them as in Fig. 1, and
tie a common knot in each and
around the other, as in Fig. 2.
Pull both knots tight as possible;
Figl
KINKS OF ALL KINDS
hundred fish with this outfit. I
can make them up for anyone
very cheap, but any handy man
can make it. I am not a sub-
en
|
Fill es is
then pull them together tight and
cut off the ends (a) close to the
knot.
I now have a gut leader with a
loop in each end and about 12 or
14 inches long. Two of them
may be looped together, making
once twice as long and so on till
I have a leader of the desired
length.
By using my old leaders this
way I always have a good leader,
free of all cost and also the satis-
faction of making them myself.
A GOOD SPINNER RIG
By Cuas. O. REEpD
I am enclosing a pen descrip-
tion of a three-hook pork-rind
I have made several
for bass, muskie and
spinner bait.
of these,
vd N
A Cc
Can
be made in all sizes, both of spin-
trout. They have no equal.
ners and hooks. I have in the
last three months taken over one
scriber to your magazine but I
never miss a copy when it arrives
at the news stand.
A HOME-MADE
ATTRACTOR
By GeorcE Morton
Cut two and a half by three-
eighths inches from a sheet of
German silver and drill a small
hole in each end for split rings.
Round both ends with a file and
then curve same, as_ illustrated.
This can be accomplished in the
hands without tools, and is very
difficult to straighten out again by
any pull or strain. Finish same
by giving a brilliant polish (this
is easily done with any metal
polish).
In conjunction with this, get a
long shanked eyed hook (not too
springy). Then wind on a small
lip hook close to eye of the large
one with both barbs in line (as
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 145
illustrated). In using pork rind
on these hooks, cut strip twice the
length of the large hook and
about one-quarter inch _ thick.
Hook the middle of the rind on
the small hook and let it hang
down alongside of the large hook.
This method will overcome the
losing of fish on short strikes, as
the hook is at the tail of the rind
and rides between same with the
barb upright, making it also weed-
less, while the spinner will impart
to the rig a wiggling, wormy ac-
Hom. They cant resist it. ‘This
rig can also be used with dead or
live minnows by inserting small
hook in lips and fastening large
hook alongside of minnow with
small rubber band (as _ illus-
trated). A fly can also be used.
My first experiment with this
rig was in salt water on blue fish
and it was such a wonderful suc-
cess (and grand sport with bait-
casting outfit) that I have sold
many by request. This induced
me to try it in fresh water and I
| Png Yo ee
found the lure had the same
charm with the bass, pickerel and
perch.
AN EXCELLENT CRAPPIE
BAIT
By A. J. HUNTER
While fishing a crapple bed last
week I discovered an excellent
substitute for the minnow. I had
used my last minnow, and as they
were very hard to obtain I looked
ag
*
+
eo,
around for a substitute. I struck
an idea that worked. Here it is.
On the lower jaw of any fish you
will find, at a point running from
the forward tip of jaw to a point
where the gills almost meet, a
long thin piece of very tough
white skin. Take your pocket
knife and cut this out. When
putting on hook be very careful
not to stick yourself with hook,
as this piece of skin is tough
enough to make it hard to put a
hook through it. When put in
the water and moved to represent
146 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
a minnow it makes an excellent
bait. I caught twelve on one such
bait. Hoping this will help some
brother angler out of a trying
situation I submit it to the kink
contest.
REST YOUR BONES
By A. W. SUMMERS
If you have two bucks that you
can spare (and what enthusiastic
disciple of Walton hasn’t, if he
has to steal it?), buy a fourteen-
inch red rubber invalid’s ring.
The only regret you will have is
that you didn’t do it sooner. It
has as many uses as a pocket in
a shirt. After you have sat on
a hardwood plank in a boat for
about three days, haven’t you
wished you had a Silver’s recoil
pad on the seat of your pants?
The rubber ring will have the
same effect.
Then when you made that extra
long cast and fell out of the boat,
or went under an overhanging
snag and were scraped off, would-
n't a life preserver be about the
finest thing you ever took hold
of? The rubber ring will support
any man in the water. Then
when you hit the hay and make
a stab at wooing Morpheus but
find that the buttons in the pants
you are using for a pillow per-
sistently come tto the top and
double-cross you in your wooing
—take your rubber ring and find
that it isn’t half bad as a pillow.
Slip each arm through one and
let rest on the shoulders and you
will find that you can hardly get
them off in the water unless you
are a contortionist. A woman
that never swam a lick can swim
for miles with two of the rings
arranged in this way. In case of
sickness they come in handy. I
heave heard they are one of the
finest things in the world in a
long drawn out session of the
great American game of draw
poker. (This latter suggestion
will probably be of no use to a
fisherman.) In a forty-mile ride
in a buckboard and on numerous
other occasions you will find it
worth the money. It will take up
about the same room in your
tackle box as a reel and will go
in a much flatter space. On the
whole there are only a few things
in my tackle box that are more
prized than my cushion. Buy one
and if you do not like it you can
cuss the Editor all you like.
THE FISH KITE
By M. A. WRIGHT
Several years ago when on an
outing trip in northern Minnesota
I saw an old gentleman fishing
from the shore of a small lake.
He was walking along the shore
holding what looked like a hand
line, but it seemed to stay out in
the deep water and not drag to
shore as one ordinarily does. On
a little closer observation I found
that his line was tied to a block
of wood that seemed to have a
peculiar way of staying out from
shore.
KINKS OF
I approached the old gentleman
and asked to examine his outfit,
and also what he called it. He
told me it was a “fish kite,” and
pulled it in for me to see. Al-
though his kite was very crude,
it had the right principle. I have
one like the drawing and find the
following good points in its favor
when compared with casting:
You have your bait in the water
all the time, and at the desired
a .
Strip of Lead % Thick
Wide and 1]° Long
THE FISH KITE.
distance from shore rather than
fishing, crosswise on a strip of
water, as in casting. One can troll
a greater distance from shore
than can be done with the longest
cane pole, nor does it disturb the
water as much as a boat. It is
very convenient to carry, as the
lines may be wound around the
kite and the whole thing put in a
coat pocket. The block should
be of white pine or cedar and
painted most any dull color.
Nearly any kind of bait may be
used, such as spoon hook, wob-
bler, minnow, frog or worms.
ALL KINDS 147
The belly-bands are tied from
screw eyes A to D, and from B
to C. The tow line is tied to the
belly-bands a little closer to C and
D than to A and B. The bait line
is tied to D. The belly-bands and
tow line should be adjusted so as
to make the kite ride vertically
and with the front end of the
block farther from shore than the
rear end. The kite should float
with the top of the block about
La
Traveling this way
ee Hy
np OT
— —
one-half of an inch above the
water. The lead weight may have
to be added to or lessened to get
this result, due to the difference
in the weight of different pieces
of wood.
A PARTNERSHIP KINK
By H. S. BASSETT
The Kink Contest reminded
me of a little experience I had
while fishing with my friends,
Alva Jones and W. H. Fry near
Sullivan, Ill., late last season in
the Okaw River, and I think you
148 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
will agree with me in calling same
a kink.
The Okaw at this point is not
less than 125 feet wide and in try-
ing for a likely “bass spot” near
other side, my Shakespeare Yel-
low Perch hung on a submerged
log in the center of the river. I
of course tried various expedients
to release it, but with no success.
A few days before, I had hung
up in practically the same man-
ner and, hating to lose this favor-
ite bait, I undressed and went in
and got it. This time, however,
both atmosphere and water were
very cold, and I hesitated about
going in, and sat down on a log
to study the proposition over.
While sitting there I naturally
put my hand in my pants pocket
and encountered my ring of keys.
It was then the idea was born. I[
yelled to one of my friends to
come back opposite to me on the
other shore. When he did so, I
asked him to tie a heavy sinker on
his line in place of his bait and
cast it to me. This he did.
Fig. f
—— o_o ae
ee -
sy > Me | ’
I then took my keys off the
ring, put ring over my line, tied
his line to it and asked him to
reel: in, I at same time keeping a
taut line. Say, there was “noth-
ing to it.” That ring went direct
to the minnow and disengaged it.
I reeled it back, returned his line.
I then put my keys back on the
ring and in my pocket, and was
kappy, at least for that time. I
got several bass that day, but
that was the only time during the
trip that we needed the kink.
CASTING THE LOOP KINK
By M. P. KEEFE
How many times, when fly cast-
ing, have you had your favorite
fly or fly spinner snag in a pool
that you did not wish to disturb
by wading into? Or perhaps the
pool was too deep to wade to
where fly was caught on rock or
gravel (or log, if hook is not in
too deep).
Well, the next time you have
this happen, try this kink: Draw
KINKS OF ALL KINDS
—_—
ie
from reel 6 to 8 feet more line
than it takes to reach snag when
rod is in position for forward cast
(Fig. 1). Cast forward sharply
and line should land at least 3
feet past where snag is.
Now, let the line sink in the
water a little. This is to get
more friction from the water
than if you should not let it sink.
(Fig. 2.) Then retrieve line as
in any back cast, only use a little
more power than ordinary. (Fig.
3.) Your fly or spinner will
fig.3
/ y
y, svg Yer 6 LW? 6 ef,
come free of snag sure if caught
on a stone, and in lots of cases
if it is caught on a log. I have
used this method for years and
149
(
—
>
Rese anita od
_ 1, A) iy
have saved many a fly and fly-
spoon by doing so.
A KINKY LINE
By M. B. AMEs
Without doubt you have be-
come more or less careless at
times when trolling with two or
more lines and the first thing you
know you have two lines com-
pletely tangled up, one wound
around the other hundreds of
150 KINKS OF ALL ‘KINDS
times. When you attempt to reel A KINK SPREADER
in you get tangled more and more By Cas. Forsyru
until you feel like throwing lines
and all overboard. This is what ve
happened to Wes. and me this Were biting real well. Indeed
spring while trolling for salmon they were swallowing the hook
in Sebago Lake, Maine. down into the stomach in the ma-
We had had some good fishing jority of cases, and not having
and were trolling with three lines any hook extractor, I came home
out when I got one of those at night with my fingers all
“Dandy Strikes’ (which we chewed up. This was not the
landed). In the meantime Wes. first time I have had that happen
started to reel in the extra lines, taking fish off the hook, but it
which had become completely was about the worst; so I set
twisted and kinked, and you know about to try and invent some way
what that means. to obviate the trouble and save
After landing the salmon and my fingers, and turned out the
the excitement all over, for the following simple little article that
time being, the next thing was, will do the work on any kind of a
“Look at that line!” Fussing. fish.
awhile with it, Wes. suggested go- The accompanying cut describes
ing ashore and unsnarling which®®the “Kink Spreader” as well as
would take an hour or more. But words.
One day last spring the catfish
having been in about the same It is made from a rather heavy
mixup many times before, I sug- piece of spring wire, and as for
gested this old method of mine. size, is made according to the size
We took off everything, includ- of fish you are catching; the big-
ing the leader, from each line, ger the fish, the bigger the
and then very carefully dropped spreader has to be. The one I
the lines overboard into the water. made for fish up to a couple of
As the boat was moving all the pounds is 6 inches long from A
time, of course, it trailed behind. to B and 134 inches wide at the
After putting it all out, each of loop A, with points C-C turned
us took a rod and began reeling up about % inch. These points
in slowly, letting the twisted line want to be sharpened some, but
unroll itself in the water. In a not enough to pierce the mouth.
few minutes our lines were all To use same, when your fish
reeled in ready to be fastened to swallows the hook into the stom-
the leader and resume fishing. ach—which quite often happens
Hope this kink will be of use to at certain times, especially with a
some of the new fishermen if not catfish—press points together and
to older ones, as it is a “lifesaver” insert inside the lips, let loose,
for the lines in many cases. and the mouth will be spread open
KINKS OF
to full extent, giving you plenty
of room to get your fingers down
inside and extract the hook. With
the spreader in place, it is im-
possible for the fish to close its
mouth and lacerate your fingers.
Another thing I find it quite
handy for, is in cleaning the fish.
You all know a fish—especially a
cat—is rather an awkward thing
to hold to, and more so, if they
are alive. I always insert and hold
to the spreader, then they can be
ALL KINDS 151
them much in our local waters on
account of the carp. These latter
are hogs for the fat juicy lumps
of crab meat.
Carp fisherman should try this
one. Take a nice deep eddy and
place your bait about six feet bé-
yond it in the current. You will
have better success than in dead
water, as the fish prefer to feed
on the edge of the current. An-
other thing to remember is that
no matter how hard a carp hits
washed and their heads cut off
with ease, and I run no risk of
being stabbed.
LIVE BAIT WISDOM
By Frep RUPERT
For river fishing there are prac-
tically only two kinds of live bait
that will stand the pounding of a
good many throws and still re-
main ir serviceable condition.
These are the soft shelled crab
and the helgramite. Of the two
I prefer the crabs, but do not use
the bait, never strike him until he
runs. This rule also holds good
in bass fishing.
In fishing with helgramites—
first catch your bait. There are
several good ways of doing this.
First, if you have plenty of money,
use some of it. Second, buy
about six feet of wire screening
with a quarter-inch mesh. Fasten
this to sticks at either end, the
same as with an ordinary net..
Stretch your screen across below
where you think the bugs are
and rake the bottom down stream
152
towards the net. The current will
carry them into the net. Third,
use your hands, but always turn
your stone against the current.
There are a dozen ways of put-
ting the helgramite on your hook.
The best one I believe, is to turn
the hook sideways and slip it
under the collar. (See sketch.)
This keeps the barb of the hook
from tearing the bug, and they
are in better condition for use.
I have several times caught four
and five bass on one helgramite
hooked in the manner described.
And don’t forget to move your
bait every two or three minutes.
Otherwise you may find that it
has crawled under a stone.
I have kept helgramites alive
two and three months at a time
by filling a minnow bucket half
up with dry, rotten wood and then
putting in the bugs. Keep in a
damp cool place (the cellar is
good), but never put the bugs in
water again until they are on your
hook.
SKINNING THE CAT
By CHARLES W. CARTER
“There is more than one way to
skin a cat.” So the old saw says.
But as it does not tell of even
one good way, I always consid-
ered it a perfectly useless old
KINKS OF ALL KINDS
saw. What is true of cats in gen-
eral is true of the catfish in par-
ticular. There is more than one
way to get his hide. And I am
going to go the old saw one better
by giving the one best kink for
skinning the cat with neatness
and dispatch.
First, whittle a hardwood peg
the size and shape of a pointed
lead pencil. A meat skewer from
the butcher shop does very well.
If you are going to have much
use for it, whittle it from a broom
handle or a hardwood stick of
similar size, leaving a comfort-
able handle on one end. (Fig. 1.)
Next, with the point of the knife
slit the skin of your cat from
head to tail into convenient sized
strips. Then holding the head of
the fish in the left hand, thrust
your peg through under the skin
next the head, entering at one
slit and emerging at the next one.
(Fig. 2.) Now, holding the head
firmly, move the peg quickly from
head to tail with the same motion
you would make in cutting a long
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 153
shaving from a soft pine stick.
(Fig. 3.) You will be surprised
at the ease with which the strip of
skin is removed. Treat each strip
in a similar way, twist off the
head, pull out the guts and your
cat is cleaned.
Next, roll him in corn-meal—
but you know the rest.
GOING LIGHT
By JAMEs A. HELLER
One of the things which appeals
to the caster of artificial baits is
the facility with which he can pick
up and go. He does not have to
spend a day getting bait or lug
around a lot of paraphernalia for
getting it before he can start fish-
ing. Just puts a couple of plugs
in his creel or pockets and starts.
But hold, I said a couple. I will
take that back. There was a time
when that was true, but now the
up-to-date caster starts out with a
remodeled edition of his father’s
tin cash box, which is not much
better than a bucket of live bait
when it comes to carrying it a
few miles.
Now, by spending a few cents
for some wire and cutting in
lengths of say five inches and
bending it as per sketch No. 1,
these little wire hooks can be
pushed over the rim of your creel
and do not in any way interfere
with the closing of the lid. You
can ‘hang a number of your baits
on these little hooks on the inside
and when you start fishing you
can hang what you think you are
going to use on the outside. (see
No. 3). You will be surprised
at the number of baits you can
carry this way and the ease
and rapidity with which you can
change from one bait to another.
For a permanent attachment you
can make little wire rings (see
No. 2) and fasten around the rim.
N2R
To these you should attach a
small snap swived to which the
bait can be attached and there is
no chance of their being lost.
A SURE HOOKING FLY
By Geo. C. KNAUR
Here is a kink that I hope will
interest some one. Many bass
strikes are lost on flies on ac-
count of the hook slipping be-
tween the jaws of Mr. Bass. If
the hook has a sneck bend to it
it’s less apt to happen than with
a straight hook. I have found
one way to be sure of hooking
Mr. Bass if he strikes the hook.
154
Here it is: Take a treble hook
and a small one so that the eye
won't slip over the barb of the
fly hook. Melt or file the solder
off, releasing the third hook.
That will spring over the fly hook
and insure most any strike you
may get. Then it is up to you
to land your fish.
A KINK ON FISH TRANS-
PORTATION
By GEoRGE RAVELING
Have you ever taken a trip to
some isolated lake, fished for a
couple of days and captured a fine
mess of the finny beauties and on
the morning of departure turned
them all back out of your live
box into the lake on account of
not being able to procure ice, and
a pail to carry them in, or because
both were too cumbersome to han-
dle while changing from one
train to another?
Most of us have, however badly
we have wanted to take just a
mess home to our family or a
couple to pass along to some
doubting Thomas who seemed
skeptical about our tales (tales,
mind you, not tails), of what we
caught. Here is how I succeeded
in taking a nice little bunch home
without being cumbersome and
without ice on a warm June day,
although the location of the fish-
ing waters made it necessary to
travel all day and make five
changes en route.
First the fish were gutted and
gilled and washed clean inside
KINKS OF ALL KINDS
and out. Then the insides were
stuffed with green cottonwood
leaves and more leaves spread
upon several thicknesses of paper
upon which the fish were placed,
and another layer of leaves over
the fish. Then the bundle was
rolled up, being careful to over-
lap the ends, and several more
papers wrapped around the out-
side.
The package, upon being un-
wrapped after the journey, dis-
closed the fish in as fine shape as
when they left the lake; and let
me tell you, they look real
tempting in a bed of nice green
leaves.
If leaves are not available, good
clean slough grass will serve the
purpose just as well.
THE PORK RIND FROG
By W. T. Lrerow
Have you ever been fishing and
after using every bait you had in
your tackle box and getting nary
a strike, had a farmer boy come
rowing by with a string of fine
bass and pickerel? What bait
was he using? you ask. Just a
common frog. Do you remember
how you frantically rowed to the
shore in search of some frogs
and found plenty so small they
still had the pollywog tails? There
was just one frog of the right
size for casting and after a mad
scramble he got away. Well, I
was in the same fix and I wanted
fish because the folks at home
would have the laugh on me if I
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 155
didn’t bring home at least one
fish.
I sat down to think out how I[
could get a frog and at last the
happy thought came—I would
make one out of pork rind. I cut
a piece of pork rind 3% inches
long, 1 inch wide and 34 inch
thick. I cut it thick so it would
weigh enough to cast well, but
I cut down some and rounded it
so it would be as near like a frog
as possible. -
I then cut a V (see Fig. b) 134
inches from one end, that left two
streamers for the hind legs. Next
make two cuts % inch deep at
the other end running the length
of the strip. These are for the
front legs; then shape the head
to suit yourself, also the sides so
they have the right curve.
Then try out your frog to see
if it casts well.
In trimming up your frog don’t
cut away too much until you see
if it casts well. If it is too heavy
it is easy enough to cut away some
more, but if it is not heavy
enough you will have to make a
new one or use a weighted hook.
I use a Stanley Weedless, either
with or without a spinner, and
mostly without a weight. With
the Stanley you can cast in the lily
pads and rushes and hook and
land a fair per cent of the strikes.
The first time I tried the Pork
Rind Frog I didn’t have much
success, so rowed ’way back in
the lily pads near the shore and
I took some of the green scum
and rubbed it on the Pork Rind
Frog to give it a froggy color.
Then I tried it out again and had
fair success. You can take a little
of the scum and rub on every
big 2
Side View
little while as the casting wears
the color off.
While the Pork Rind Frog will
catch fish, it is not quite as good
as the real thing, but a few fish
is better than none.
FIXING MAD TOMS FOR
BAIT
By W. C. MoNEy
Speaking of kinks, how many
of you black-bass fishermen have
put a nice lively mad-tom (cat-
fish) on your hook, made your
cast to a likely looking hole and
let it stay there for a while, won-
dering why the fish do not take it?
Then you get tired of waiting, try
to reel in your line to change
holes and find you cannot move
it. Why? The tom has found a
156 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
nice rock on the bottom and has
gotten under it. And let me say
right here, when a mad tom gets
under a rock, he will come pretty
near staying there, and if you pull
your line trying to coax him out,
yyy vy
a) Mea ea
Den
= Dyptee veda
‘Y Jy yet )
q) Fi APES Y Ba yy)
the first thing you know the line
will come in minus the bait or cut
by the rock. Many of you will
Say, put a. small “cork ‘on (the
snell of the hook and keep him
out of the rocks.” Well, that’s
a good idea but when Mr. Bass
sees a mad-tom swimming, he
knows he does not carry any body-
guard with him in the shape of
a slug cork.
Now that you’ve read this ex-
plosion, I give you the kink.
Take Mr. Tom in your left
hand (careful of his prongs), and
with your sharp knife skin about
a quarter of an inch of hide from
the back of his head (see dia-
gram). This well keep him out
of weeds, rocks, and away from
all growth that will impede his
efforts to attract the fish. The
idea is this: Suppose you had a
wound on your hand—just some
skin knocked off—and in some
way the skinned surface came in
contact with a board or your coat.
You would pull it away, wouldn’t
you, and mighty quick, too? Well,
so will the mad-tom. When he
starts under a rock and scrapes
his head he will come out, and if
he scratches his head on some
grass he will also come out. Try
this, boys, and if you don’t have
more pleasure with less sweating
and catch more fish then—I am
stung.
ROD WINDING WITH A
NEEDLE
By R. W. Homer
All of us have rewound our
rods at some time and some of
us have had a little trouble tying
the ends of the wrapping. I re-
member when I wound my first
rod, I spent more time fastening
the ends of the thread than I did
in making the wrap.
Of late I have used the follow-
ing method and found it worked
fine: I take a fine needle, just
Fig |
rig 3
large enough to permit thread-
ing with the silk. Thread the
needle and lay it along the rod
(Fig. 1), allowing the needle to
hold the thread against the rod
at the point you wish to start
KINKS OF
winding. The thread thru the eye
will hold the loose end until the
wrap is started. Wind back to-
ward the eye over needle, and
loose end (which is thru the
eye) till the winding is the size
you wish. Then remove thread
from eye and replace it with the
end you have been wrapping from.
Pull the needle thru and you have
both ends entirely under the wrap
and well tied down.
Where the rod is very thin, as
at the tip, when the needle is re-
moved the winding will be a little
loose. This can be tightened by
twisting the winding in the di-
rection it was put on and pulling
the ends till it becomes snug.
Cut the loose ends close to the
wrap and it will stay till the
thread breaks, even if never varn-
ished.
A FLOAT KINK
By ApoLpH SICKEL
When placing the float upon
my line one day, I found
that I had lost the small brass
clip and screw eye through
which the line was ordinarily
fastened. I therefore had to tie
the line to the float, which was
decidedly unhandy, as it would
not slip up or down without un-
tying the knots.
Upon returning home, I took
a bit of wire and bent it into the
shape of a small hairpin; I then
made a twist about one-half inch
from the bend, as shown in Fig-
ure A. The resultant loop was
fastened to the stick on the float,
ALL KINDS 157
by twisting the end of wire
around it, and a similar loop was
placed on the other end of the
float.
To place this combination upon
the line, pass a loop of the line
through the wire loop and over
the stick, as shown in Figure C.
Repeat this at the other end of
the float, and the trick is done.
These fasteners don’t lose off.
While the float is held tightly, it
can readily be removed without
taking the hook from the line, or
slipped up and down, as desired.
MAKING YOUR LINE
WATERPROOF
By Gro. KrRUMSICK
There are a good many anglers
who go fly-fishing and often have
to use an ordinary line for this
purpose, as all fly fishermen do
not have an enamaled line handy
158 KINKS OF ALL KINDS
at all times. I know this to-be a
fact, as I have been in the same
boat on many occasions and had
to do my fly fishing with a water-
soaked line, which runs very
poorly and makes the sport hard
work. . However, last summer I
thought out a trick that works
well in this case, and it is done
as follows: Before going to the
river or lake, hang your ordinary
line out in the hot sun, rub it with
wax, and then run it through
your hands to smooth it off. Take
the line in the shade, reel it up,
and you are ready for business.
A line treated in this manner will
be fairly stiff and give you good
results.
A CARRY-ALL BAG
By D. T. BARNETT
The rough sketches accompany-
ing show a bag that my friends
tell me has solved the carrying
problem. I have made six of
these bags so far, and they have
been a real success.
It is surpris-
ing what a lot
of junk may be
carried in a bag
of this shape.
Mine has often
held a quart
Thermos bottle
at the bottom.
Next a 14 by 10
by 4-inch tackle
box, “a pair, of
hip: - boots, a
raincoat or a
silk wedge tent. And to top it all
off, a light blanket.
This bag can be made out of
any suitable material. The top is
left any width to suit your fancy,
sf
beds n — _—l
~
mt a meg tt
being pulled together with i
drawstring after the bag is filled.
The shoulder straps are 2 inches
wide. The left one is sewed on
at both ends. The right one is
sewed on only at _ the top,
fastening at the lower end by
means of a harness snap to a D
ring sewed to the bag. The flap
is in two pieces, sewed together
KINKS OF
through the middle and _ then
turned. This bag is “good med-
icine” and worth trying out.
HANDY CLEANER FOR
THE .22
By Roy FYIeEtps
Here is a kink that may be ap-
preciated by some of our “light
armed.” It is a cleaner for a.22.
Get a speedometer “chain” of
the type that is nothing more than
a small coil spring. These are
made of the best spring wire and
are just the thing for a cleaner.
Cut it off the right length. Coil
it up and put it in your pocket
and when you get ready for it you
have it without the bother ofa
long brass wire, etc.
FREEING THE LEADER
By A. C. BIGELow
It may be possible to fish in a
trout stream with a fly and never
get the leader with the fly caught
in some high-hanging branch of
a tree; but I believe that one of
the most frequent causes of justi-
fiable profanity comes from this
kind of an occurrence. In many
cases, aside from the ordniary
vexation, is added the loss of
tackle because the branch is too
high to be reached.
I now always carry a heavy
hunting knife with keen edge, in
the usual leather case, strapped
on the belt about my waist. When
my tackle is caught quite beyond
my reach, I simply look about
for a small straight sapling with
ALL KINDS 159
small branch growing near the
bottom. Then cut it off just be-
low the branch, trim it to make
a crotch (trimming all other
branches off) and reversing the
sapling, I loft the crotch end till
I can hook on to the offending
branch to bring it within reach
and get my tackle. As the knife
is always right to hand, I use
it for all cutting purposes, in-
stead of fishing in my pocket for
my other knife. A fairly heavy
knife will cut a good sized stick
in short order.
FOR CARRYING SPOONS
By Ray E. Parker
Here is a kink that may be of
use to some brother who uses
the fly-spoon and the regular
spoons as well. Take a sheet of
thin stiff metal (I used spring
brass) and cut same into sizes
same as the leaves of your fly
book.
Now get some large brass
hooks, such as are used on skirts,
etc., and rivet or solder them in
a row at each end of the sheets
about 34 of an inch apart and
about % inch from the ends of
the sheets. Now put the tying
end of the fly-spoon on one hook
160 KINKS OF
and, slipping a small rubber
band over the fly hook, loop
the other end on the hook
opposite the one on which the
other end of the spoon is fast-
ened. Thus the spoons are easy
to get at at all times and never
become snarled as they do when
carried loose in a tackle box,
which sure saves a pile of cussing
in the course of a season.
By placing hooks in similar fash-
ion in the bottom and in the lid of
a tobacco box which opens up
flat-ways, the some good results
can be obtained with spoons hav-
ing treble hooks.
MACARONI FOR BAIT
By GILBERT DUST
Get a dime’s worth of macaroni
and put it in a pan of cold water,
breaking the macaroni into lengths
of about three inches. Put it on
a fire and allow it to get hot
through, or until it is tough and
limber and then take it off and
pinch into lengths of about one
and one-half inches and it is then
ready for use.
To bait your hook simply string
on like a worm and you will
doubtless find you have a good
all-around substitute for such
fish as channel cat, white perch,
buffalo, carp and suckers.
AN EXCELLENT PERCH
BAIT
By R. B. Hockincs
Anglers who have fished for
perch, find it very disgusting to
ALL KINDS
keep changing the water on min-
nows every little while, and then
having some of them die; having
to put their hands in the pail to
catch a minnow, and having a lot
of trouble getting minnows at all
when they want to go fishing. So
I have a kink to tell you that will
relieve you of all further trouble
of this kind.
I was visiting with an old ang-
ler a short time ago and we got
to talking about bass, pickerel; in
fact, all kinds of baits.
After talking a while I got him
to tell me how it was he always
managed to catch so many perch.
He said he always used to use
minnows until recent years, and
A i
Ja
always with pretty good success.
But one day, as he was walking
along the street, he saw a piece
of tinfoil lying on the sidewalk.
He picked it up and began to
smooth it out, when a thought
came to him. Why not use tin-
foil instead of minnows? He
made up his mind then and there
to try it the next day.
Bright and early the next morn-
ing he rowed out to his favorite
fishing spot to try out his new
bait. He dropped anchor, got out
his poles, then took a piece of tin
foil about 1% inches square (Fig.
A in sketch) and rolled it (Fig.
B in sketch). Then took his hook
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 161
and hooked it in about the mid-
dle of the rolled tinfoil. Then
he twisted it about three times
and bent the corners down on one
end, making it pointed so that it
looked about the shape of a min-
now (Fig. C shows it completed).
When this was done he tossed it
into the water and in just a few
minutes he was rewarded with a
nice, big perch, and in a very
little while he had a big string
of fish. Then, too, he was able
to catch from five to six perch on
the one tinfoil bait, where with
minnows, one perch usually meant
one or more minnows.
Anyone trying this kink will find
it an interesting, excellent and
inexpensive perch bait.
CATCHING CATFISH ON
WILSON WOBBLERS
By Geo. KRUMSICK
Here is a little kink that some
of our stream fishermen might try
when they go camping and get
tired of eating bass at every meal.
This kink is being used here by
some of our anglers and is bring-
ing them channel cat without
using live bait. The stunt is
simply this: When you have fin-
ished casting your wooden min-
nows in the deep pools for the
day, tie them to a short trot-line
and stretch it across the riffles
where the water is swift and
about two feet deep. The current
will keep the wobbler going all
night, and when Mr. Channel Cat
comes up to feed he'll nab the
plug and stay there. Here in the
Meramec River ‘catfish weighing
up to eight pounds are caught in
this manner.
A HANDY SWIVEL-SNAP
By Lee STIBBE
The wire shank and_ swivel
taken from an old spoon makes
an excellent snap for fastening
baits on a bait-casting line. Re-
move the hooks, spoon and beads,
leaving only the wire with the
swivel at one end. Fasten the
line to the swivel. The loop at
A B = Pa
Bi
A? Loop for Barts CrSwired
Cs Acrevtant Deicne
the other end of the wire forms
a perfect snap for taking off end
putting on bait. This rig has
the special advantage that the
swivel prevents the line from be-
coming twisted. The spoon may
be left on the shank at times to
make the bait more killing.
A NEAT TRICK
By JoHN M. SmitH
After casting along the edge of
the weeds from a boat I found
that for some reason I could not
catch fish, although I had a num-
ber of strikes. So a thought came
to me. I fitted out a hand line
and fastened it to a 20-foot cane
rod, used both live minnows and
grasshoppers for bait. After bait-
ing the line I laid it in the boat
and went on casting. When I had
another strike I did not make a
second cast for the fish, but
162 KINKS OF
dropped the bait, which was
fastened to the cane rod, as near
the spot where the fish struck as
possible, and in a short time I
had landed a good bass.
ROD SPLICING
By H. J. BLACKLIDGE
Having never seen directions
for splicing a broken rod in
Outer’s Book, I will give my
method for the “Kink Korner.”
“A” shows the broken ends, “B”
the way they should be whittled
down to a long level. In my
pocket tcol kit I carry an eight-
inch, fine-tooth wood rasp. With
this I smooth the irregularities
left by the pocket knife until the
two long bevels fit perfectly when
placed together. Then they are
covered with a thin layer of shoe-
maker’s wax, and pressed tightly
together.
Next they are wrapped with
well waxed silk. Let the end lie
along the rod and wrap over it
a dozen turns in beginning. Wrap
carefully — conscientiously— until
you have gone beyond the ends
ALL BINDS
of the beveled part. Then to tie
an invisible knot proceed as shown
in the last sketch. Make four or
five loose loops just as shown and
pass the end under last lap of the
winding. Now, as you go on
winding, the loose loops you have
just made will unwind. When
they are all unwound, pull the
end through and cut it off close
up and—go on fishing. Of course,
your rod will be a little lighter
and a little stiffer than before,
but that is better than quitting,
isn’t it?
It is well also tc have a little
bottle of shellac along with you
and give the splice a coat of it.
The shellac will dry while you are
smoking one pipe—if not sooner.
THE TROLLING LINE
SPRING
By W. J. FULLER
Here is a Kink that is the re-
sult of sad experience. While
trolling one day, the long looked
for “big one” hit my bait and im-
mediately broke the line with his
first heavy lunge. I thought the
matter over on my way to town,
and went to a hardware store and
bought an ordinary coil spring,
such as is used on screen doors.
One end of this I hooked to a
screw eye in the rowing seat at
my right hand. At the other end
I fastened my trolling line. In
the stern of the boat I placed a
yoke or fork through which the
line ran out. An extra oar lock
can be used for this purpose.
KINKS OF ALL KINDS 163
For those who like to go troll-
ing alone, this Kink will be very
useful, as the spring does away
with all chances of your line be-
ing broken by the strike of a big
fish or by being snagged.
A SIMPLE LINE DRYER
By Geo. C. WHITNEY
A very simple line dryer kink
is to pull the line off the reel or
spool into a pile or heap, just as
it piles naturally on the floor,
chair, table or dresser. Leave the
end lying to one side so as to be
easily found when dry. No fold-
ing contrivances or rusty nails
whatever to bother with and al-
ways some place handy. When
dry run top end through rod, fas-
ten to reel and wind up. Simple
as rolling off a log and no “kink”
either.
A very handy back-lash tool,
and I believe an improvement on
Brother Field’s, smaller, lighter
and neater, is a woman’s crochet
needle, size No. 6.
AN EXCELLENT PERCH
BAIT
By N. D. Hacer
By following these directions
you can make a bait that will
catch from one to a dozen perch
before giving out.
We will assume that you have
already caught a perch, that being
necessary in order to make the
bait.
Cut a section out of the top
edge of the tail of the perch,
about one-half inch thick and one
and one-half inches long (see
Fig. 1).
You will then have a piece
shaped like Fig. 2.
Put this on hook by running
hook through, as shown in Fig.
3, and your bait is ready.
You will find that perch will
bite on this bait quicker than on
a minnow.
Good luck to all who try it.
FLOATING THE TROUT
BAIT
By Tuomas J. Lutron
On small and very’ brushy
streams, where one must fish for
trout with bait if at all, a float
or “bobber” is usually considered
more of nuisance than a help.
And indeed this is so over many
parts of the stream. Many ang-
lers, as a result of this, forget
164 KINKS OF
entirely that there is such a de-
vice and that it may possibly be of
use to them sometimes.
But there is a time and a place
for everything and the float has
a most decided place on this kind
of a stream. Often you come
to beautiful little holes, but so
brush covered and with such a
slow current that it seems impos-
sible to get your bait down into
them. Here is where the float
comes in. I always carry a good
split cork, but a small branch or
chip will do nearly as well. Fasten
this on the line so that it will
carry your bait just above the
bottom. Then flip it into the
water and watch it slowly carry
your bait to the exact spot you
want to reach. And it gets the
fish, too, fish that you could not
possibly connect with in any other
way.
BEADS FOR SALMON
EGGS
By E. S. Brooks
It is unlawful to use salmon
eggs for bait in Oregon, but there
is nothing said about amber beads.
So I take a small vial, frill it with
"Ele,
ee HOGA SS
rr
COLE OO
small amber beads the size of
salmon eggs, put in some water
ang: cork: 4t) up? vol “attach: amy
triplé hook with a small rubber
ALL KINDS
band around one hook, tasten it
to the neck of the vial with a few
turns of a fine fish line, and there
you are.
It works equally well with a
good, fat grasshopper or gram-
pus, but in that case I do not put
any water in the vial, as they are
surface baits. The glass being in-
visible in the water, the redsides
go for the bait to beat three of
a kind.
A LITTLE TIME SAVER
By F. H. Bonw
When fishing for trout or other
small fish one wastes considerable
time and a good deal of patience
while taking them off the hook. I
have found that it pays well to
kill them before taking them off.
Just slip the thumb under the gill
on one side and the forefinger
on the other, and give a quick,
hard squeeze with the nails, where
the head and body connect. The
fish is killed instantly and will
not bother you by kicking and
flopping while you are extracting
the hook. I have found also that
fish killed as soon as caught keep
much longer and better than if
they are allowed to die a linger-
ing death in the basket or on a
stringer.
A HANDY ROD HANGER
By Georce H. SACKETT
Having had trouble in hanging
up my Heddon $1.50 rod (in
order to straighten it), I devised
the arrangement described here-
KINKS OF ALL KINDS
with, which holds it straight and
does it almost anywhere. The
material is a piece of heavy gauge
copper wire about seven inches
long; this is doubled back on it-
self (Fig. 1). It is then twisted
Fig.
Fig.
Rod top.
ROD HANGER. NOTICE
ANGLE AT “A.”
ade
for about two-thirds its length, as
shown in Fig. 2. It is then bent,
‘as in Fig. 3, which shows finished
holder with rod in place. The
angle at A (Fig. 3) should be
the same as the angle of the top,
so that same will not turn. Now,
it is finished. Slide the tip in the
opening (shown in Fig. 2 at B),
and hang it up by a ring from the
ceiling or anything that the top of
the holder will slip over.
A CARP BAIT
By Louis E. MYERS
This is a “carp” bait kink of
mine where I cannot catch any-
thing else. To one pint of corn-
meal mix one-half pint of flour
and work until you can hold by
small pieces and it will spring up
and down. Make into balls about
the size of small marbles. Drop
in bunch of fishworms about the
size of a walnut and also mix
some sweet anise roots if you can
165
get them, as it has such a sweet
savor that if the carp come within
2 feet they will sure jump for this
bait. Put the dough balls in hot
water and cook about ten minutes,
or until they will float. The balls
will then be firm and slick. The
sweet anise roots can be found
along the sides of creeks or bluffs.
This bait will get the carp if you
want them. Try it, brothers.
OILING FERRULES
By SHERWOOD BUCKSTAFF
Most anglers clean and oil their
steel rods several times a year, but
4 bamboo rod does not require
such attention, and most anglers
do not take the bother to oil the
ferrules regularly, often neglect-
ing them for a whole trip. Con-
sequently the joints stick annoy-
ingly, and sometimes cause seri-
ous trouble, since if one attempts
to loosen them by heating he runs
the risk of melting or loosening
the ferrule cement. I always
carry with me a small piece of
flannel which has been soaked in
oil and squeezed as dry as possi-
hile‘: This.’ does net make the
pocket oily —indeed, one can
hardly tell by feeling of it that it
is oily—but it will oil a rod very
nicely and keep it in perfect con-
dition. Moreover, it will keep
oily almost indefinitely. I picked
mine up this winter when it had
not been fixed since summer, and
found it as good as ever. Try it
and see. It may be a lifesaver
some time.
166 KINKS OF
WHEN THEY STEAL THE
BAIT
By CARROLL CRANK
While out fishing last fall I had
the fortune, or misfortune, as you
choose to call it, to find a place
where the fish were well educated
along the lines of bait stealing.
After my supply of minnows
was nearly exhausted it occurred
to me to change baits. But min-
nows were all I had, so I had to
manufacture some.
I took a piece of white cotton
wrapping cord from my pocket,
doubled it several times, and tied
a knot in the middle of it and
hooked my hook through the
knot. I then picked the ends
apart till it was quite bushy. Then
it was ready for the water.
I caught more fish in the next
hour on that one bait than I had
in the three hours previous, due
to the fact that the fish could not
steal my bait.
ALL KINDS
Of course, this bait would not
be practical for still fishing, yet it
will work to perfection while
trolling.
KEEPING CRAWFISH
FRESH
By J. C. ATHEY
While contemplating an ex-
tended fishing trip the keeping of
crawfish came up. Having taken
them alive several times without
success, decided on the following
method:
Get about one bushel of nice,
large craws. Peel the tails while
alive; put in a Mason jar and seal
tightly. Place in your refriger-
ator and keep ice cold. On go-
ing out set jar in minnow bucket
filled with crushed ice and bait
will keep as fresh as when peeled.
If ice is not to be had, peel
craws, put in water and bring toa
boil, which will toughen and pre-
serve them very satisfactorily.
THE KINK WE’RE LOOKING FOR
By S. W. EVERETr
Gosh all fish-hooks, Jake,
These yere kinks are some sur-
prisin’!
Orter ketch a fish
If they’re only half a risin’.
Yep, says I, they do seem fair,
Yet I’m leetle short o’dubious;
Ef you’d a had my luck
You wouldn’t be so solubrious.
Fer the kind o’ kinks I’m lookin’ fer—
Just mark yer Uncle Benny—
Is how ter ketch a fish in this yer creek
When yer know there isn’t any.
CONTENTS
Pobre toee | Pai ey DNB oe nua cs kok neon sis oe ca es bbe cem ae 75
ME rst TE RES A RY ce th hos aia a hare eee bids 7 PADRE eee ctw n ar 104
BetaterMae: Enon, DOR) AGES 5.cscin ao ste ec Os Ou wow aed eeeds ie ae eee , 28
Pere ete RING SEH oo osc eip le hens Sc ok bee otc ees wat bleees wets 127
er RIE EICED oi. Stee St cash c cea teal eg Sao SS bp Siasidn's he WO ee ee eeE 86
Peete ree Seimei ae (poe ON ccicr's ed ie heed wk # evn Se ou Ae eae CL ee 68
eereeen it) POSE Ae MER aoe’ < Haslam twinew oe ee we Ha emaue tole ees 103
RAO RE Ne es a aN aie Su oe & Cla Ob wie & eed os Sass oe OR Bato 121
eaeRE Re MEN CMNCEN IE cle ole a 5e alain Gok ceilecae Bia hoe k.e «boy pate oan 76
Bateew ie an Momercaat. CRE ts sio6s,. dos sce bw esice acne bed eet ae ee 74
Bamboo Rod Case, A. ..22...5 0... FF Cusine We Maire seem e ai eileen SIE 94
POSE PE SIN SES SSS oO AU i ee Re 67
PeteOresdaiton Pers. oc Lo. wastnsd Gadwusis Hewes cheb dated 2,3 :208
Lg EOS SST) 205 ea at pie Rach tare ate end ee 82
Pannen Aine! Ch ola ko be laeitee awl wis LeeNaisws £ sed ede Oh 43
ete TMNT Ne Se ga i oehn GSMO EN BALE oi) Ge ES aM Send cha ceed 143
Rae IN AEE O Toe nae re Cy a ceo hice wtb sb thls bw ake weal eee 76
Sete gay IGE SOG MC. eco aliic s W's cunts) a's ase ab aces o's Cate ove 134
EMEC GENE CE STITOTAS he oS hc. 2 « am ae hE wie RELEASE owe diet’ 25
regres ISTIC PVN oe Ss Win os Wie a KG Cah cain BeimOtew «ee BR Maan 111
(STS ee TV As RRS ao eo ee 52
eine et ERC I Pet Sk Paar es el yendo a e's, au da w Goad oO OR we ceed bes 35
Meek itg Oe PBR Tr oe a Oye ore h cals Suk eat elem eae 82
MR cnl es SE RERPE EES ea oc eet rn he ao Nihon oe acne wee HORNE Slt Sos 24
rem Memes Lei Pes 5 is ta! 4 diac boo nee dai ue bie elke eee 46
MRR PRTA EIGER LCS Cree eters tate CMe, eG ork sce aie be dk o dace ew ceceh 165
MR er R ADO IN be wey eID Gy ks charm Oh wi SGlnre als «a ebin a dien 158
Barryine. Creel’ or; Canteen ...4 !)5'.. 0 < Bee pics Clarita Pie S55 ueee 19
Ree a ee NOES SEE Le Af Ashe scile ieee win vl Sackn toes bpd oe ee ae 159
Mer RC ORCC EES ete ecm ewe opt tr cl Ce ae oe 41
ete ANNE EMC Po RNNIy Wel IIR RoI TE OY Se we cow Sis4 aid we #an ecb a ob sade lcwee 148
Parehine tlatasm on Wison Wobblerss.. ois .ke ss aw cece cblce fad dos 161
Sen Meee IG ECie. eae PMC oe etl Ses edn eis Cia sigieaiowt vRR Se acon fe 101
Sipe Paes Caer ke ol ete oS ls sg Sa dees Han oe eee ax 56
icmp utoG Pinger Hiecse. Gcca c's cites biokis Uiirec ac ale Une Shed oo oeeetac one 11
Peed Ce ON SEG a leo. ck alate eter ea Bee okie ole F. oa00 aka’ AU eeeadY x in biel mle 50
eile CRIS CHIE SHILO ON Clee 2a, west pte ate i Mievcuc Ula aunts & Reo we, & clethe te Greoklmterne 43
REO Te COG a teeter ero wed ihe See tin OLS Petrarch Sten eae 54
nuproved (@ar Lock Wasteming <5 Joie. ds catiass wee aw ced be eee 61
aprouetomidie. Living: attics ss vot ait aka ol Geka ow kd oe ceceuenuthewe 55
Improving, tne Model 1914 Savage 22:2... 000.00 eels Lae wc eeee 30
fare Owmreenes NanIHOW. CAI oe cals oss idis oe bo 54 as b's fe Soa ele aaleek 7
GeRT Ey anem Ge M Sey ot oc Se eet crys ew cise syed sa aah oe ae ane 12
ECO VISES Latimer, Uitte crate oaths tne tO lec lew a 2 ale SOS Rew eke 10
Le Dres a nveg PAST ceil Ree mI ROE A ar Saar eR oe ne Pee 25
Peeeninus . Wackic bos, ; ita etme tO erred wv ctivicn lew hin emu bas 38
Pie sbi One. Meh tee ee he ee ae 138
170 CONTENTS
ast: Adhesive’ Plaster oa )iiiie2 5 c0e's aajoei ae oes oe OO eer ee ee 85
Keep’ Your Hopper Alive. ss oo0ca 5 Sok an eb ee eee 42
Keeping Agate Tip from Chipping or Breaking.’:.:..:.2..2. 2. ee 72
KReepme Crawhsh- Fresheso.ss save ae olek We ou ae ee 166
KReenme Hyed RHES os sibs ds bees 280 Lk be eee eee 70
Keeping Minnows Alive ssi. leds 65 be So a eee 65
Rank“ot | Kinks: "Phe coos Gate eee ok tee ee eee Cee 137
Kink on’ Fish ‘Fransportation, 25. {55.208 2o6 ise ee eee 154
Kink “Pole: Holder? As 5 525 hehe sesso eu aee eee eee 98
Kinks "Spreadet, Ay. oo. oes oe ek soe eo eee a eee 150
Kink? That. Saved the-Day, Aw oci 27 bcs oc sc octane ten eee 109
Kink We're, Looking. For, "The: 05... « o ee R CAEN Ty LR a toes v ee eS 58
pipe Ee loP Gates © EW Yat ee ek een Eee he Cu wk 2 cae 130
imate (Or (CHMSLEMACHINS) HINT eee ca Sha hsb nieveiale sachet e/o oie bax 50
2) AFORE Gs Ze ORs Se ee po 30 a ce pes van 90
Ping salt Wah rees NVALEr tush bec ot ks aN 2 ee 132
Sine mlm. emp yver, VAN Pe tke Be ea iets chek lice sasuke dsemes 28
SUREI E72 so hs REG eg 2p sre Rs 11
SUR Eo RTD Tis SRM ape UMRTRES? RES Rae a a Ok EA Rt ad aan ee gs 163
SST EAMES MB 5 970 IMR Rp Pa oe oa COR eg a 23
PPUMIED ISTE SPIRE CCM DNS dicey oi ah Mane ES ache cle sid W Ok dos Mae bares 152
Bante Maat Ae raniremment Nae re i) Pa kd ok oc Use nd niche ced bat 48
Siding Gloat- tor Bart Cacterer ies ya cis ss...5. scads oovcad voces 122
tama aan. CTUNT NUMAN CE COR E2980 ee dior ain. sine vce Sek Uc wece baantae 55
172 CONTENTS
Strelled> Hook. Catrien) As o.oo g ee a e eee a eee 83
Splicing’ a Break “ia-a Bambpo Rodi .2. 33.5 <6 oles Lee ee 64
AS10700 Mel SB C0 || nee 2 AM a OR MARU car NE NAIR CC oh Yj
Spoon Minnow. “Baits GAG}... Rash ok. cs won eee aareene oe eee 107
Sqtinret Vail. Batt. ites)! <5. ase tin ie 0 oe tls ee ae ee eee 9
Seceleime (Guides. i. sso 3 osha ooo ooo ole. sao oe ee Cee 59
Sere sroolsma MH by A cates oct sha AN oe ear ecg US eee ar ee eee 153
ake-Dows: line-Drver, Arc. ia a aaled kia dels Gok eo Ree ee 51
Lape ior: meel=Sedtsn.: ./Sht.c as yee anes bal we dnee ered te ee 130
Temporary Minnow: Net, WA. geese oe ce ae ee 15
hree: Mandy Ones: 5.5 rd ores ole x cases ee hae ald ualen Oot 95
dhrees Kaaks. trom One Kanker ons. ocos Se cece noe ee eee 90
‘Bhree: Practical’: Suseesttons. s 06.8) oc ake. vie date Ca eet ee 139
mishtultolstes.: he rests oatowate vaaeee + cms SU cles bieke See 103
‘ite Cath OtbaE PAG cies is okies Ve dae ook en eae eee ‘44
i Can Rance Prone! Ties: . otoccc Las Gab eae eeen oat eee 87
Mo nGets ENG HE EGGS ees oe eke Oe Ro ao oon eo ESS Se 53
fo the Batt; Casteramd ‘Duck “Hunter se... scccsscenee cent eneee 116
(erolling bok WCAlCOeS sc... 2.6 se nied ol we ce aed seek Se ee ee 124
Gerotlias: Harotia ACANOEs oa. a5 Vie wale ter elo eye aie dels Seeks oleae Oe re ee 37
Micon ling sPane Sprig,» DHE ise aie e: d<.< sicievons ie Cave oie wk ue eR ee ee 162
oll; SISMEEMAN, MOT S05 0 cece) a vate eelele ee waa oa re Oe le Cen ae 6 3
rot eines siciniks | Als 48 ccd anon ewes hole santas Gree ee 142
SE Mar Eley Se aga AN waa eh os which fe ot oie bes guaie deeiathetele! ace alteyetil Sie ere eee 84
wie Cup dandle, Accs. icecdain dew oe elec b te tats te oo eee 54
Twist preventer, ~Acscs-dsc ele ddd oes ek De Se ee 36
Pwo tOtdsbetends . i oiotcin. cic eatcdse awio pike 4a tae De 84
Wnhookigas, the’ Bullhead 2 si cciscasieoese. sae eae eee tee oe 81
Wsefuliesatety (Pin. The seccvct os foes han diadiolenieiaie- he aera 60
Watch, Spring Weed. Guards. 000. .0.40 0 et iun ee ce s oe 28
Waterproon) Match Sate. A eae oes oes wicca «ing ebom oe el nes ieee 76
Waxtrrerollk Threads: for Rod Winding. 0.0.5.0. + cose eee 136
Wihea tine stream | Got Roly 3206 oo cic acon 2 acie o See alolene Be 32
Wiens hey Steal uthe Battie. oc isc sn. e wis wale eae oe ie ee 166
Wise Games Carrer UAC ee a aie Oa co 85
Worm nV eced Gtlard Tne. of 246 oc ctl k marae eee hee eee pie |
SUPPLEMENTAL INDEX
Because of the impossibility of making a satisfactory classification ,of
the contents of the Kink Book, the publishers realize that the foregoing
index is not as helpful as it should be. Doubtless every reader will find
kinks to which he will want to refer frequently, and for his convenience
the following pages are provided so that he may make his own index of
favorite kinks.
Title Page
173
174 SUPPLEMENTAL INDEX
Title Page
Title
SUPPLEMENTAL INDEX
175
Page
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