June 6, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
961 
Save Our Game Fish. 
New York City, May 29.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The outlook for striped bass fishing 
in the waters along the shore of New York and 
New Jersey is certainly getting worse and worse. 
There are various causes for the disappearance 
of this splendid game fish. The slaughter of 
very small fish is enormous. They can be seen 
in most of the markets, and, although the legal 
size is eight inches long, thousands are taken 
that do not come up to the limit. 
The vast menhaden fisheries are responsible 
for devastating the waters of the most valuable 
food for our game fishes. The consequence is 
that the fish do not stay where they can find no 
food, but go where they do find it. Another 
is the pound net, the mesh of which is so small 
that the smallest fish can scarcely escape. 
What can be done to save our game fish? A 
question of vast importance not alone to the 
sportsman, but to the fish trade, to the rod, reel 
and tackle manufacturers and the public in gen¬ 
eral. 
I wrote to the press some years ago, outlining 
the situation as seen then, and making an earnest 
appeal to all anglers to join hands and try to 
enforce the laws already made relating to the 
game fish question, but unfortunately very little 
notice was taken of it at that time. Now the 
chance for anyone enjoying a day’s sport is 
decidedly blue, and unless concerted action is 
taken by all interested and by the fish authori¬ 
ties we shall no longer have the striped bass, 
bluefish, kingfish and many other kinds of fish 
along our shores. 
My opinion on the question of protection is 
that we must have a close season for several 
of our game salt water fish. We must give the 
adult fish a chance to spawn, also the legal size 
of the striped bass should be increased to twelve 
inches, and all wardens should be instructed to 
warn all anglers and others to this effect. Were 
there not close seasons for black bass and trout, 
as well as limit in size, there would not be a 
single fish left in our rivers and streams in the 
space of a year. 
We cannot expect an everlasting supply of 
fish if we continue to destroy all the eggs. If 
the menhaden fisheries are to continue they 
should be kept from our shores on the three- 
mile limit and there should be a very heavy 
penalty against them for taking any edible fish 
in their nets. 
Another fish food is the mullet, and there is 
no doubt that these little fish are scooped up 
by the millions and, like the menhaden, find their 
way to the oil and fertilizer tanks. The anglers 
of both States are greatly to blame for not or¬ 
ganizing and doing their utmost to prevent the 
utter destruction of our salt water game fish. 
George M. Watson. 
Bass Lures. 
Valleyfield, Quebec, May 24. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: In your issue of April 11, Willard 
P. King asks for information about lures for 
small-mouth bass. The best artificial bait that 
I have ever used is a double spinner with blades 
very much like the screw on a boat. There are 
two double blades set about an inch apart re¬ 
volving in opposite directions. I have three 
sizes in my possession; No. 22 is the largest, the 
two smaller ones have no number marked on 
them. The medium size I find the best for bass, 
No. 22 for maskinonge, pike and pike-perch. 
I have caught a good string of bass with this 
spinner when the bass would not take minnow, 
helgramite or fly, using a bait-casting rod either 
from shore or a boat, and I find I get larger 
bass and more of them with this spinner even 
when the bass are taking the minnow freely. 
I was out on the rapids of the St. Lawrence 
one day last summer. There were a great many 
boats anchored in all the likely eddies, but the 
fish were not taking the bait very freely. Half 
a dozen to a boat was about the extent of the 
catches, and as all the likely places were taken 
I drew my boat to the shore, and taking my 
casting rod, put on my medium sized propeller, 
as I call it, and started casting. In a little over 
two hour’s time I landed thirty-nine bass run¬ 
ning from 1 y 2 to 3 pounds, one maskinonge and 
one pike, all taken from under the rods of those 
who were anchored still-fishing with live bait. 
There is fine bass fishing near here, and I may 
be tempted to tell your readers a few more 
yarns about that—and what I think is the finest 
sport of all maskinonge fishing—later on. 
W. J. G. 
An Important Arrest. 
Avalon, Santa Catalina, Cal., May 21.-— Editor 
Forest and Stream: For violating the Blake- 
Hueston International fish and game laws, which 
recently came into effect at Santa Catalina, 
Augustino Exposito, an Italian fisherman from 
San Pedro, was to-day fined the sum of $100 
with an option of fifty days in jail. Exposito 
pleaded guilty to the charge placed against him 
by the three deputies who, after a two hours' 
chase, accomplished his arrest. At the sugges 
tion of Deputy Game Warden Brewster, Justice 
E. L. Havens, in consideration for the first of¬ 
fence, “let the man down easy.” 
The tournaments of 1908, which are now in 
operation, have suffered greatly from the con¬ 
stant visits of these promiscuous fishermen who 
at dusk drop their set nets, and at daylight ap¬ 
pear again for incredible hauls of fish. For 
several years this enterprising trade has been 
allowed to proceed uninterrupted, but a recent 
visit of Game Warden Morgan brought the de¬ 
sired end. All night Deputies Brewster, Gard¬ 
ner and Wilson in the fast launch Nevada 
patrolled the waters off Isthmus Cove, and at 
daylight when the fishing smack Lucy hove in 
sight they drew the set nets and gave chase. 
After almost two hours of doubling and dodg¬ 
ing, the Nevada drew alongside and the deputies 
placed the men under arrest and brought them 
back to Avalon for trial. In all probability the 
example which was made will suffice to stop the 
illegal methods of obtaining fish from these 
waters. Ernest Windle. 
Fishing in California. 
San Francisco, Cal., May 23.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: Interest still centers in trout, 
though complaint is made that the nearby 
streams are already pretty well fished out. The 
unusual weather conditions this season have 
permitted fly-fishing in a number of streams 
which under normal conditions are not ready 
for the fly until July or August. The fishing 
in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties has been 
good, but the streams easy of access are now 
practically exhausted. The same is true of Los 
Gatos, Guadalupe, Smith Lagas, Uvas and Sara¬ 
toga creeks. Light colored flies have been most 
successfully used in the Santa Cruz streams 
where the fish appear to be frightened by spin¬ 
ners. 
Anglers are already beginning to make plans 
for pilgrimages into the mountain country. 
There is but a light snowfall in the sierras this 
season and the streams have already about 
reached their normal state. By the middle of 
June or the first of July they should be in the 
best possible condition for fly-fishing. 
A number of members of the San Francisco 
Fly-Casting Club spent the last two Sundays 
at their headquarters on the Truckee River 
where fly-fishing seldom amounts to much be¬ 
fore July. 
The State Board of Fish Commissioners has 
procured for the State the exclusive rights of 
fishing on Scott’s Creek, one of the most valu¬ 
able fishing streams in Santa Cruz county. In 
times past the creek was known as one of the 
greatest steelhead streams in the country. At 
the time when it was lawful to take steelhead 
trout with nets many tons were taken from the 
mouth of the stream. The commissioners plan 
to close the stream from all fishing for a term 
of three years. A. P. B. 
Trout in North Carolina. 
Linville Falls, N. C., May 27. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: The fishing is better than for sev¬ 
eral years. The restocking of the Linville River 
through its feeding tributaries is counting, and 
some fine specimens of the rainbow trout and 
the speckled trout are being taken with the fly, 
both in the river and in the creeks that flow 
into it. The company that owns the falls is 
stocking the streams and protecting them, in 
which it has the co-operation of the people here. 
The great impenetrable gorge below the falls is 
an ideal fish preserve of itself, furnishing stock 
to the pools that are accessible. Above the falls 
the young fish come in by tens of thousands 
from, the small streams, especially one that is 
closely watched. The Blue Ridge never looked 
more inviting or more invigorating than it does 
now. Frank W. Bicknell. 
Trout in Minnesota. 
Knife River, Minn., May 23.- — Editor Forest 
and Stream: May is now nearly gone, and so 
far the catch of trout on the North Shore 
streams has been small and most all small fish. 
This can be accounted for by the heavy rains 
that have kept the water so high that it has been 
rather discouraging to many anglers. The 
weather has now settled and the nights are much 
warmer, so that fishing will be much better from 
now on. I have seen some good baskets though 
that have come from Beaver River. They run 
larger in size there, though one may not catch 
the limit in a day. The Duluth and N. M. Rail¬ 
way has put on a fisherman’s special that leaves 
Knife River on the arrival of the Duluth train 
and makes all the streams from there to Shauf 
Lake, returning in time to connect with the re¬ 
turn train at Knife River, giving the fisherman 
the whole day for sport. Fred Chase. 
All the fish laws of the United States and Can¬ 
ada. revised to date and now in force, are given 
in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
