12 COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



Game Qualities. As a game fish the landlocked salmon is said to 

 surpass the larger Atlantic salmon and give splendid sport to the 

 fly fisherman as "they jump high and often and are very strong for 

 their size." Nearly all sportsmen who are experienced with them 

 attest the fact that they are wise and wary. The same flies and 

 tactics cannot always be relied upon. Trolling with the "phantom 

 minnow," or with the "spoon," must often be resorted to. The best 

 time for fty fishing for landlocked salmon is in the early spring. 



CHAPTER II. 



THE COLLECTION OF DATA AND STATISTICS RELATING 

 TO THE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES. 



Your Commission has spared no effort to make the data contained 

 in this chapter as accurate as possible. It must however be borne in 

 mind that some of the data is far from complete. It is regrettable 

 that some such legislation as exists in neighboring states has not been 

 passed in our State that will make this valuable portion of the work 

 of the Commission complete and accurate. Numerous requests, both 

 from this country and abroad, have been received, requesting data in 

 regard to the commercial fisheries of Rhode Island, and while we have 

 replied as best we could, still, in certain cases, our answers were only 

 approximately correct. 



GENERAL CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES. 



In general, the fishing season in Rhode Island waters was very 

 poor in 1911. Among the "stub" trap fishermen within the bay the 

 season started well, but the catches soon diminished. Off Newport 

 the appearance of various fishes was late and although there was 

 a considerable variety, the runs were not very large. Around 

 Block Island, swordfish and bluefish were more plentiful this year 



