26 
REPORT OF BOARD OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS. 
without loss of a single fish to southern California and distributed in 
suitable waters of limited area in Orange County. This being the third 
shipment made into these waters in the past eight years, it should be 
sufficient to determine beyond all question their adaptability to the 
conditions found there. The natural range in this State seems to be 
from Monterey Bay northward as far as the mouth of Russian River, 
in Sonoma Coiioty. 
«/ 
THE TROUT LAW. 
The opening date for the taking of trout was changed at the thirty- 
seventh session of the legislature from April 1st to May 1st. As com¬ 
pensation, the open season was extended two weeks from November 1st 
to November 15th, giving an open season of six and one half months. 
It applied to all varieties of trout except the steelhead, which could 
be legally taken, beginning April 1st, in tide water; but during the 
thirty-eighth session, the tide water restriction was removed, so they 
may be taken wherever found, beginning April 1st. While this has 
led to some confusion as to the identity of a steelhead, we believe that 
in the main the change lias met with favor. Practically all the fish in 
our coast streams are of the steelhead variety. Under normal condi¬ 
tions the larger fish by the 1st of May have nearly all gone to sea or 
are hovering arouncL in the deep pools from which they have easy 
access to the ocean when necessary to go there for food and protection. 
With the season opening on April 1st, thousands of our people who 
can not afford the expense of trips into the higher mountains would 
lose their only opportunity to catch trout, therefore we are not inclined 
to recommend any change of the opening date, as applied either to 
the steelhead or other varieties. We are, however,' strongly of the 
opinion that six months of open season on all trout, except steelhead, 
beginning May 1st and ending November 1st, is ample and more liberal 
than any other state in the Union. Many eastern states grant only a 
three months’ open season. Long before the 15th of November all 
genuine anglers have left the higher altitudes, and no sportsman really 
desires to take trout after that time, the exception being the market 
fisherman, the legality of whose operation can always be questioned. 
Pie fishes from the beginning of the season to the end, and takes advan¬ 
tage of every loophole in the law. Fish that happen to be of legal size 
are sent to market, everything under a pound in weight is disposed of 
through evasion or subterfuge. The two weeks now allowed in Novem¬ 
ber simply give an additional opportunity to the market fisherman to 
deplete the streams when the fish are easily taken with bait. We, there¬ 
fore, feel that the best interests of most of our people will be served by 
closing the general trout season on November 1st. 
During the past two years efforts have been made in the direction of 
