American Fisheries Society. IS 



. The President : He is a bad boy and something of a fisher- 

 man himself, and that is why I know he is a bad boy. He said to 

 me this morning, '-'Dickerson, did yon ever know of a fish called 

 the bee-fish ?" I said no, I had never heard of him, and he went 

 on to tell abont fishing off the dock down here at Milwaukee and 

 he said he caught one of those bee-fish and it weighed seventeen 

 pounds and when he got him on the dock and ciit him open he 

 found a hive of bees in him and thirty-two pounds of honey. I 

 think he is eligible. 



(Great laughter and applause). 



Ex-Governor Peck: I had supposed that the Fish Gommis- 

 sioners were the ones that told those stories. Before Fish Com- 

 missions were appointed the laymen who do the fishing were sup- 

 posed to tell those remarkable stories, but as I understand it, the 

 appointment of these Fish Conmiisioners was made for the pur- 

 pose of having them start out and tell the stories that the people 

 might adopt. That certainly was my idea in appointing two of 

 the most distinguished citizens of Wisconsin as Fish Commis- 

 sioners. (Laughter and applause). 



I have been interested in fish since I was seven years old. At 

 that time I was provided with a three board boat that would hold 

 a barrel of water to wade in, and I had my trousers rolled up, 

 what there was of them, and I caught the sunfish and the bull- 

 head. That was my first experience, and I have great confidence 

 in the bullhead because he never goes back on the fisherman. 

 AVhen a l)ullhead bites you have got him ; you haven't got to fool 

 away any time with a tlaree ounce rod in poling him all over the 

 lake or river to get him into your boat. When he begins business 

 and swallows the bait it goes clear down to the bottom and the 

 best way is to cut it out from the other side. (Laughter). The 

 bullhead is the best thing that a young man can begin on, l3e- 

 cause it teaches him that the fisherman is invulnerable and the 

 hullhead is a fool. But the bullhead is good eating. After that 

 I caught all kinds of fish that I could; I never worked any when 

 I could help it and never shall (laughter and applause). I be- 

 lieve that it is the duty of every citizen of Wisconsin particu- 

 larlv to go fishing all of the time that he can. Business is some- 

 fhinu- tliat some have to attend to, I)ut when men g'et to be 50 or 



