FISH AND FISHING. 



465 



WORK OF WISCONSIN WARDENS. 



Fond du Lac t Wis. 

 Editor Recreation: A party of deputy 

 fish and game wardens, assisted by Sheriff 

 Shafer of Fond du Lac, captured 117,900 

 feet of nets, 9 miles off Oshkosh, last win- 

 ter. When the news reached Oshkosh, 

 fishermen there became furious. A party of 

 35 armed fishermen started out to meet the 

 victorious wardens, and recapture their nets 

 at any cost. Chartering an ice boat, a local 

 reporter sailed out and informed the war- 

 dens of their danger. By the aid of glasses, 

 the wardens saw, and easily avoided the ex- 

 cited fishermen. Had the 2 parties met, 

 bloodshed would have followed. Twenty- 

 nine names were taken and arrests will fol- 

 low. In the 2 sleigh loads of nets taken 

 were 393 gill nets, averaging 300 feet in 

 length (between 22 and 23 miles) valued at 



$3,144- 



William Able, of Oshkosh, was recently 

 convicted of illegal fishing, and is now serv- 

 ing sentence in Fond du Lac jail. This is 

 the first of 29 similar cases that will follow, 

 and is a great victory, for the state of Wis- 

 consin. A good deal of night angling is 

 being done on Lake Winnebago, through 

 the ice. A bright light is used to attract the 

 fish to an opening, where they take the 

 hook readily. Fifty to 100 pounds is said 

 to be the average night's catch, for one 

 man. Fish caught during the past 2 weeks 

 were ready to spawn. Therefore the season 

 should have closed 6 weeks ago. Some 

 months ago a man named Lucia was con- 

 victed of illegal fishing, and his sailing 

 yacht confiscated. The boat's timbers were 

 chopped to splinters, and the sails burned. 

 Lake Winnebago was the scene of another 

 raid, in which the warden captured 72 nets, 

 and 8 barrels of fish. When catching fish 

 that are ready to spawn, fishermen do not 

 seem to think they are " killing the goose 

 that lays the golden egg." S. L. C. 



WHAT THE LOCH LEVEN TROUT IS LIKE. 



Please describe the Loch Leven Trout, in 

 the columns of Recreation. Do you con- 

 sider them valuable for inland lakes, in 

 Michigan? 



W. F. Prescott, Leslie, Mich. 



The Loch Leven Trout may be de- 

 scribed as follows: 



Body rather more elongate than in our 

 Eastern Brook Trout; head pointed; caudal 

 peduncle slender. A double row of teeth 

 usually present along the body of the 

 vomer, and a transverse row of 3 or 4 op- 

 posite its junction with the palatines. Fins 

 moderate, the caudal emarginate, becoming 

 square in large individuals. 



Color, generally grayish or greenish 

 along the back, lighter on sides and belly: 

 round black spots on head; , upper half of 



body with numerous x-shaped or even 

 rounded black spots; dorsal fin gray, with 

 numerous black, white-edged spots, but 

 without any white tip to fin. The young 

 have the par marks like most other trout, 

 and small reddish spots are' also present 

 which usually soon disappear. 



The Loch Leven Trout was originally an 

 inhabitant of Loch Leven and other small 

 lakes of Scotland, but it has been intro- 

 duced into many other waters. It seems 

 better suited to lakes than to streams, and 

 might thrive in the small cold lakes of 

 Michigan. 



It attains a weight of several pounds, the 

 largest one I have seen recorded weighing 

 18 pounds. The average size probably does 

 not exceed 4 or 5 pounds. One example in 

 the ponds at Howieton, 6 years old, 

 weighed 7 pounds. 



This trout is generally highly esteemed, 

 not only for the red color of its flesh, but 

 because it possesses a peculiar delicacy of 

 flavor. 



Like the Brook Trout this trout ascends 

 streams, for purposes of spawning, which 

 occurs in the fall, between September and 

 November inclusive. It is, I believe, not 

 regarded as possessing good game quali- 

 ties. 



The U. S. Fish Commission has culti- 

 vated the Loch Leven Trout to some ex- 

 tent, and has met with good success with 

 the plants which it has made in numerous 

 small lakes. 



SALT WATER NOTES. 



Asbury Park, N. J. 



Editor Recreation: Little has yet been 

 done in the line of angling, in this vicin- 

 ity. April is always a month of expectancy 

 and is ever one of small results, so far as 

 salt water fishing is concerned. White 

 perch are plentiful in our tidal streams, and 

 are taking the hook fairly well. 



There are many surprises in store for the 

 angler who is skeptical in relation to the 

 merits of this fish. With trout tackle, and 

 a fair amount of endeavor, coupled with the 

 " how and where," there is sport at hand 

 for the wielder of the rod. The perch will 

 take a large variety of baits, but of all, the 

 salt water shrimp is far and away the best. 



Flounders are now in evidence, in all the 

 streams, and afford some sport. They are 

 better than no fish, to take on the line, but 

 little can be said of their game qualities. 

 They are, however, welcome, as they are 

 the first to break the monotony of our long 

 winter wait. A great disappointment is 

 felt at the almost total absence of the whit- 

 ing, which was so abundant last year and 

 which afforded such grand sport through- 

 out the entire winter. The cod has not put 

 in appearance in-shore, so the winter has 

 been a Ashless one. 



Preparations are now well under way to 



