June 20, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
977 
The California Anglers' Association. 
San Francisco, Cal., June 10. —Editor Forest 
and Stream: This organization has accom¬ 
plished much along the lines of its creation. 
It is the foremost organization of its kind on 
the Pacific coast, and its untiring zeal and 
activity in behalf of the preservation of our 
game fishes have endeared it to all lovers of 
outdoor life. 
The following is from the last report of the 
board of directors: 
“Your board is pleased to report that its work 
along the lines of securing good legislation and 
preventing bad legislation at the last session of 
the Legislature was productive of great good, 
and such work has been of great value toward 
protecting our game fishes, and also of great 
benefit to all anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. 
“Many bills affecting game fishes were intro¬ 
duced during the session of the Legislature and 
more or less vigorously supported by their 
authors and adherents. 
“Notably among the bills were: Senate Bills 
113, 82, 545, 731, 739, 833 and Assembly Bills 
386 and 827. 
“Senate Bill 113, that became a law after many 
amendments thereto, was amendatory of many 
sections of the Penal Code, all relating to fish. 
Its principal feature was an amendment to Sec¬ 
tion 628A of the Penal Code, known as the 
striped bass law. The section of the bill as pro¬ 
posed and advocated by many was as follows: 
Every person who, at any time, buys, sells, offers for 
sale, or has in his possession for sale, any striped bass of 
less than five pounds in weight, or who, at any time 
offers for shipment, ships or receives for shipment or 
transportation from the State of California to any place in 
any other State, Territory or foreign country, any striped 
bass of less than five pounds in weight, caught or taken 
in the waters of this State, is guilty of a misdemeanor; 
provided that the possession of such striped bass shall be 
prima facie evidence of the fact that such striped bass 
were caught or taken in the waters of this State. 
JAMES WATT. 
President of the California Anglers’ Association. 
“This bill virtually sought to remove all pro¬ 
tection to the striped bass as anyone can readily 
understand from its reading. Nowhere in its 
provisions did it seek to make it unlawful for 
anyone to take, kill, destroy or have in one’s 
possession a bass under five pounds in weight, 
but simply sought to make it unlawful to buy, 
sell or have in one’s possession for sale. One 
could take, kill, destroy and have in his pos¬ 
session so long as he did not sell or offer the 
same for sale. 
“Your board is pleased to state that the efforts 
of the association to defeat this measure and 
retain the present law for striped bass was suc¬ 
cessful, irrespective of the great fight that was. 
made for its passage. In this contest for the 
preservation of the striped bass this organiza¬ 
tion stood alone and every angler for this game 
fish owes a debt of gratitude to the association 
that successfully fought to retain the present 
law. 
“The law of California with reference to 
striped bass referred to and which was sought 
to be rendered void is as follows: 
Every person who, at any time, buys, sells, offers for 
sale, or takes, catches, kills or has in his possession, any 
striped bass of less than three pounds in weight; or who, 
at any time, offers for shipment, ships or receives for 
shipment or transportation from the State of California 
to any place in any other State, Territory or foreign coun¬ 
try, any striped bass of less than three pounds in weight, 
caught or taken in the waters of this State, is guilty of 
a misdemeanor; provided that the possession of such 
striped bass shall be prima facie evidence of the fact 
that such striped bass were caught or taken in the waters 
of this State. 
S. A. W ells and a 31-pound Quinnat Salmon which 
he caught in White House Pool. 
“Your board caused Assembly Bill 829 to be 
introduced. This bill in brief sought to place 
a closed season upon striped bass. This measure 
was not pushed on account of a strong oppo¬ 
sition and the fear that our forces would be 
weakened in the fight against the proposed five- 
pound bass law. 
A 32-pound Quinnat Salmon that was hooked near the 
dorsal fin in casting a spoon with a 6-ounce rod. 
Further, we caused to be introduced Senate 
Bill 82 and Assembly Bill 811, which afterward 
were converted into the General Appropriation 
Bill and passed. This was an appropriation of 
$7,000 with which to erect a striped bass hatch¬ 
ery. This was in line with what the associa¬ 
tion proposed doing itself, prior to April, 1906. 
“With a part of this appropriation the State 
Board of Fish Commissioners in May of last 
year, acting with the Federal Bureau of Fish¬ 
eries, erected a small hatchery upon Bouldin 
Island in the San Joaquin River. The first sea¬ 
son’s take of eggs amounted to something over 
18,000,000. The largest number of eggs ever 
taken in any Eastern State was 11,000,000 in a 
season. It is confidently expected that this 
year’s take will be from 50,000,000 to 100,000,000 
eggs. The establishment of the hatchery for 
the artificial propagation of the striped bass will 
insure the future of this magnificent game and 
table fish. 
This association has been and is the pioneer 
in the advocacy of the artificial propagation of 
the striped bass, and the great results that have 
been achieved by reason of its untiring zeal and 
activity justly entitles its position as the fore 
most organization on the Pacific coast. 
“The present law, making it unlawful to take 
a trout, steelhead trout or salmon less than five 
inches in length, was introduced in the Legis¬ 
lature, advocated by and became enacted at the 
instance of this association. The wisdom and 
justice of this law is recognized by all. 
“Your board wishes to call the attention of 
the members, and all anglers who frequent the 
coast streams, to a measure that passed the Legis¬ 
lature and became a law irrespective of a strong 
fight made by us against the same. The chang¬ 
ing of the trout season from April-November 
to May 1 to Nov. 15 was deemed unwise by your 
board because it would interfere with the angler 
of our coast streams when fishing was at its 
best, and such change would not be of any 
