36 THE REPORT OF THE No. 31 



tlie same as last; but there was an improvement in size, one trout caught 

 in Normanby Township weighing 4 lbs. and 2 oz. The Mount Forest Fish- 

 ing Club caught several nice ones on their reserve at Orchard. 



No speckled trout were exported or sold, all being used for home con- 

 sumption, and caught for sport only. 



No abuses came to his notice, and the close seasons were well observed. 



He knows of no illegal fishing being done. No fines were imposed, 

 and no confiscations made. 



The mill owners are all observing the law in respect to sawdust and 

 rubbish being deposited in the water. He had to call the attention of the 

 Holstein mill owners last winter to a little sawdust leaking into the water 

 through a floor in their mill, and it was stopped at once. 



There are three fish slides, in his division in fairly good order; one is 

 a new one replacing the old one which was .useless. One of the dams at 

 Woodland was let away, therefore, no slide is required there now. 



The general wish of the sportsmen and others in his division is for the 

 tiout season to close on September 1st. 



Overseer Nash, Rat Portage, Lake of the Woods, reports that this year's 

 business shows a marked increase over that of 1903, the value of the catch 

 being some $9,600 in excess. The value of the boats, nets and fishing 

 material has also increased and there appears every evidence of contentment 

 amongst the fishermen, which is the best of signs. He has been over his 

 district some time during each season, and is pleased to report that the close 

 seasons have been well observed, and no infringement of the law has come 

 under his notice for the year. The fishermen seem to be quite satisfied 

 with the law as it now stands, and have made no complaints to him. The 

 Dominion Fish Company, the largest license holders in his district, reports 

 a most satisfactory year's business on the Lake of the Woods. He says 

 that our many small lakes close to Rat Portage are fast becoming popu]ar 

 with the ever increasing number of tourists, which is largely owing to the 

 foresight of the Department in stocking many of them. 



Overseer Nicholls, Hall's Bridge, Peterboro County, reports that during 

 the past season bass and maskinonge have been fairly plentiful in his dis- 

 trict; tourists and their guides report having as a general rule caught their 

 lawful number. 



The fishery regulations and close seasons are well observed. A few 

 cases of illegal fishing came under his notice, and were dealt with as men- 

 tioned in his monthly reports. 



There are no fishways in his division, .and the mill owners have taken 

 every precaution to prevent the pollution of the waters by mill refuse. 



He would suggest that the measurement for maskinonge be twenty- 

 two instead of 30 inches, as at present. 



Overseer Xorris, Bolingbroke, County Lanark, reports that the past 

 season was a quiet one, very little fishing being done. There was but one 

 set of hoop nets fished during the year, and that only for one month. The 

 run of pickerel was the smallest known for_ years; he thinks the cause of 

 tnis was that the spawning season was on before the ice was out of the lake, 

 and the pickerel deposited their spawn on the shoals and in the small swamp 

 creeks and did not come into the rapids at all. The laws and regulations 

 of the Department were well observed, no violations having been brought 

 to his notice. The anglers think it would be a benefit to the angling for 

 game fish in Christie Lake if a license for a hoop net was granted to destroy 

 the ling and other coarse fish that are numerous in those waters; he thinks 

 if the coarse fish are thinned out, the better quality of fish will increase in 



