May 13, ign.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
741 
Improved Conditions. . 
St. Johns, N. F., May 4. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Ihe report of the Game and Inland 
fisheries' Board for 1910, is an interesting and 
comprehensive document. 
It is the record of the very first systematic 
effort made in the island to classify and reduce 
to order the results of game and fish protection 
all over the country. 
One of the first duties of the commission was 
to appoint competent wardens for the various 
rivers. This was a work of some difficulty, as 
many of the wardens imagined they had a lien 
on certain sections, and resented anything like 
innovations. Ihe board had information that 
many wardens only performed their duties in 
the most perfunctory manner, and in many cases 
they were the worst offenders against the law. 
It was decided to send new men from other lo¬ 
calities to the principal rivers, so that they would 
be independent of local connection, and do their 
duty without fear or favor. On the whole, the 
results prove that this was a wise measure. 
1 hree supervisors of wardens were appointed to 
see that the wardens carried out the law. Re¬ 
turns show that on the whole the work of pro¬ 
tection was well and faithfully carried out. 
In 1909 it was estimated that about 400 for¬ 
eign anglers visited our shores. The exaction 
of a license fee of $10 put a sudden stop to a 
large number of these visitors, as they resented 
being asked to contribute for the protection of 
the livers that they had fished for years with¬ 
out let or hindrance. 
In 1910 about 231 foreign anglers, mostly from 
the United States, took out licenses and paid into 
the treasury the sum of $2,310. This was a 
valuable addition to funds of the board, and as¬ 
sisted materially in paying wardens for the vari¬ 
ous rivers. In addition to this was the sum of 
$3>6 °o paid for caribou licenses, making a total 
revenue from both sources of nearly $6,000. 
1 he board appointed over ninety wardens and 
three supervisors. About thirty-six rivers were 
visited by foreign sportsmen. The total number 
of salmon reported amounted to 3,369; total 
weight about 20,415 pounds. 
Some of the rivers fished were: Little River, 
Codroy, 173 fish; weight, 1,630 pounds. Grand 
River, Codroy, North and South Branch, 375 
fish; weight, 2,749 pounds. Robinson’s, 305 fish; 
weight, 1,890 pounds. Harry’s Brook, 119 fish; 
weight, 893 pounds. Humber, 422 fish; weight, 
1,814 pounds. Hawke s Bay, 138 fish; weight, 
829 pounds. Indian Brook, H. Bay, 53 fish; 
weight, 325 pounds. Indian Bay Brook, 109 fish; 
weight, 840 pounds. Gander, gi fish; weight, 395 
pounds. Salmonier, 499 fish; weight, 2,343 
pounds. Southeast, Placentia, 113 fish; weight, 
624 pounds. Grandy’s Brook, 103 fish; weight, 
654 pounds. 
These do not represent exact totals, because 
there were very many fish caught by local ang¬ 
lers and others in those and many other rivers 
not reported. 
Last year, for the first time, nets and other 
obstructions were removed from the mouths of 
the streams and from the estuaries, and the con¬ 
sequence was that immense numbers of salmon, 
many of them very large, succeeded in getting 
to the spawning grounds unimpeded. 
After a few years, if this protection is con¬ 
tinued, the increase will be so marked that un¬ 
doubtedly the coast fishing, as well as the river 
fishing, will improve, and we need not bother 
ourselves about artificial propagation, as the 
natural increase, if the spawning grounds are 
protected, will more than supply all demands 
for many years to come. The rivers of the 
South Coast are scarcely fished at all, and these 
are among the very best in the island. 
The commission also took measures to pro¬ 
tect the caribou and fur-bearing animals, but the 
protection of these is a harder matter than that 
of the game fish, as there are many serious diffi¬ 
culties in the way of complete supervision of 
the caribou and other animals. But the board 
has done much and has formulated plans for 
the future that will tend to increase the supply 
of these valuable animals. 
W. J. Carroll. 
An Impromptu Vise. 
Recently finding myself unexpectedly within 
reach of some decent fishing there was a ques¬ 
tion of tying some flies, and nothing in the way 
of a vise being procurable, necessity called forth 
the following substitute, which may be of interest 
to others who may be faced with the same diffi¬ 
culty, says a correspondent of the Field. 
The apparatus merely consists of a pair of 
flat-nosed pliers and a block of hard wood in 
which a slot is cut to take the handles of the 
pliers, so that when these are pressed home the 
pliers are tightly closed. This proves as easy 
to use and as efficient as any fly vise I have 
ever worked with. 
[While the block may be useful as a base for 
the pliers, if the latter are to be held in the 
hand a rubber band passed round the handles 
several times will be found equally effective, 
without unnecessary bulk. 
A better device for the purpose is the little 
jewellers’ pin vise, which is no larger than a 
fountain pen. The jaws are operated by a 
knurled sleeve, and the stem being knurled also 
it rests very securely in the hand, and will hold 
a hook rigidly at any angle. If, however, it is 
the angler’s practice to carry small pliers, the 
hint is a useful one.—E ditor.] 
Fishing Notes. 
Berkeley, Cal., May 1.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: Trout streams in the coast district 
are still high and fishing is not of a high order. 
In Section 3, of the new game and fish division 
of the State, trout fishing will open to-day, but 
will be poor for several weeks, owing to the 
fact that all the streams in the sierras are very 
high, and there is sti.l a large amount of snow 
to be melted. In streams where there is usually 
fine fishing by the middle of May, it will be 
almost impossible to take fish before the middle 
of June, and the best sport will not be enjoyed 
until July. It is usually the case that a large 
number of anglers leave San Francisco for the 
Truckee River for the opening day sport, but 
none has announced his intention of making the 
trip to-day, owing to the unfavorable conditions. 
Salmon fishing is now on in full swung in 
Monterey Bay and enthusiasts are flocking there 
from all parts of the country. Quite recently 
William H. Holden, of Pasadena, spent several 
days there enjoying royal sport, and Isidor 
Strauss, of New York, has also been trying this 
lively entertainment. Others well known in the 
angling world who have visited Monterey Bay 
during the past ten days have been J. L. Stack, 
of Chicago; A. C. Frost, Oakland, and A. D.’ 
Shepard and Homer Boushey, of San Francisco. 
The fish have commenced running in the bay 
earlier than usual and are to be found in large 
numbers. 
Most salmon anglers use rod and reel. For¬ 
merly in trolling for these fish a fixed lead sinker 
was used, but it was often commented upon that 
the weight of the heavy lead did as much to 
tire out the salmon as the efforts of the fisher¬ 
man. Now the sinker is attached with a piece 
of line just strong enough to carry the weight 
and so arranged that when the fish strikes, the 
sinker is released and falls to the bottom, leav¬ 
ing the line clear for the fish. Iron sinkers are 
being used, and as they cost little the angler is 
willing to put on a new weight every time he 
secures a fish. Golden Gate. 
Kansas City Bait- and Fly-Casting Club. 
Kansas City, Mo., May 1.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The wind and light were bad, caus¬ 
ing a postponement of the fly events. In spite 
of the unfavorable conditions some of the boys 
had good eyes, as a number of them rang the 
bell. Mr. Noland was trying out his new $50 
reel, which caused his poor showing. As soon 
as he gets the hang of it, he will make the rest 
of us hustle. 
W L Rock. 98.7 
E G McLean.’ 9S 7 
I D La Brie. 93.3 
U H Hosterraan. 98.2 
O C Viquesney. 98 § 
O H Pitkin...... 977 
C E Heite. 97 !6 
J M Clark. 
J G Hollingsmith.. 
A G Brandenburg. 
G L Robirds. 
N F Malard. 
L Carlton (visitorj 
96.7 
96.3 
95.2 
95.1 
87.5 
96.3 
E. G. McLean, Sec’y. 
Fishing in Northern New York. 
Batavia, N. Y, May 6 —Editor Forest and 
Stream: We are having some good perch fish¬ 
ing. Two or three years ago we stocked the 
nearby ponds and we are now getting results. 
Fish for stocking purposes may be had from 
market fishermen of the Great Lakes, by first 
securing the permission and co-operation of the 
fish and game commissioner of your State. 
Charles W. Gardiner. 
