1911 GAME AND FISHERIES. VS 



He is not at all in sympathy with the guides for fishermen. The system in 

 his experience is a failure in every way. A few take out a guide's license, and 

 they simply hold up the tourists for big pay, and do not give them good service, 

 while there are other men just as good guides, and better, but cannot afford to pay 

 $2 for guiding for a couple of days. If the license was only $1, the tourists 

 would get better service, as he found quite a bit of dissatisfaction with tourists 

 about guides this season, simply because not enough of them took guide's licenses. 

 He has never yet met one guide that was a benefit in assisting in the enforcement 

 of the game laws. 



He states that the steamer " Naiad " has visited these waters regularly with 

 Capt. Carson and crew, and has done a great deal in helping to enforce the Game 

 and Fisihery Act. The " Naiad " arrived there in September with one of the 

 officials of the Brantford fish ponds with a fine stock of small-mouthed black bass, 

 which were in good condition. The number he would judge to be from eight to 

 ten thousand, and great care was taken to deposit them in a proper place in 

 Cameron Lake. 



One more suggestion he would like to make is, that in place of bass hariTig to 

 be ten inches in length, as the law calls for, those fishing should be allowed 

 to take their number, no matter what size. He has found out that a great many 

 people throw the small bass back into the water, and a great many died in this way 

 this season. He has seen quite a few small bass dead, and by making enquiries he 

 found that that was the cause. The people all want the large ones. 



Fur-bearing animals, such as mink and muskrat, are decreasing in that dis- 

 trict, owing to the water being low in the fall of 1909 and rising through the 

 winter, thus compelling the rats to retire, and a great number were frozen as a 

 result of this. Ducks appear to be plentiful, and the law is strictly observed. 

 Partridge are more plentiful this season than they have been for several seasons. 

 Deer in the Haliburton district are not so numerous, and he has heard it said that 

 a great deal of hunting is done out of season. The reducing of the number to one 

 deer should have the desired effect, and is a good move. Moose are more plentiful 

 than in years previous. In Haliburton district several have been seen in the set- 

 tlement, and one came into Minden village in October. Wolves are on the increase, 

 and are responsible for the decrease in deer around Clear and Black Lakes north 

 of Haliburton. He thinks muskrats should not be killed for at least one year. 



Overseer A. J. Kent, of Bewdley, reports that the close season has been very 

 well observed in his division, although he is convinced that a few fish were taken 

 in close season out of Rice Lake. He is satisfied that if there were 25 overseers on 

 that lake, a few fish would still be killed, as it seems impossible to stop the illegal 

 fishing entirely. However, he is pleased to say that the entire lake was fairly well 

 protected last spring during the spawning season. But the Otonabee River is the 

 sore spot. Good men should patrol that river, not only in the spring, but the 

 entire year. 



The fi&hing this summer was better than the previous one. Some very large 

 fish were caught at the head of this lake — in fact no small ones. The run was 

 from 9 to 24 pounds. 



All the overseers on Rice Lake should work together harmoniously. That is 

 the only way to give good protection to the fish, and if there is any illegal fishing 

 going on in one division, and oomes to the notice of an overseer from another 



