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A: Jase? nd ‘ FT : _) , po 0 Orth em ’ ‘ ’ ‘ . | 4 ane" 4s on SPR PAINANROR LD he Pate q ; egy pare Poi te oe tomy ae. 9 1 abe “iad ricstbukantneat 9 ToS amine ; ; ; uy i ath Ly mrtg a we ae wets re , . be tg ds Bn ‘HY, ’ i Spey ere h v° , ; Wire. \ ° panes : HOP i Mansi sp ples eae os 3 \ Paw ie hte y ie ahi por f Faahiewaes ewer tote orl ees ie Neto e = ty Oa si “ss —— = - 2 Aap} 3) + emeee he orn Pea dete OLY hole pean) whe or SS ° rt 5 et Rete Fede er eee oe . ‘ é ) ’ i ¥ baits s i, : Davies » F ‘ ‘ » ; . ‘ se ’ of) % : ; ’ ; . ; ‘ ’ ‘ ; : Wy aves ; e+ be weber ; URNS : ’ ‘ a’ he ei ON OL LA wh, : “yy it re he ee ae Uebel ba hod herbs ’ sie ; : 7 Hebe bad aye ‘ eee PUTIN tea et “ ; ‘ tue : - ; : ; : i : ’ ‘¥ ‘ , ‘ ' ’,* - . , are . - 4 DAREN RY TY : A. ‘ ‘.* x ; . , shy ; ; ; . ** ; WM Web a ‘i i ’ Wr kine . | 7 a 7 ee, Lae Orit eeu ate rd i ‘eed ’ he , ri Mai a oka i aa. : ie) Ne : aw ae eh) a ly f iy ‘i . : ris as i oy 7 i) Is / ie aig te : \ As a : a 8 Y | Ml lode Poh h We my ane Be) ah ie ony ve a Ny Ht sae EOE —— rer So 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 WN eo COPYRIGHTED, 1917 By THE OUTER’S BOOK COMPANY tea, _ah) 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 —- ey — 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 St / SS 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 RRR yeti 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 — SS — ie — MY ay KY AX XX) XX) WX SRK ROCA Kt ed 8 Hooks NH iaananeanmenttey ae eaeatanrd oY WV ~ XxX) \ ball of twine and I decided to try to; make Head = SS ~-~-Cleat 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.