820 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Nov. 19, 1910. 
in. A good sized turtle—an inland terrapin— 
came to the surface on the hook, and then let 
go and sank out of sight. But he almost imme¬ 
diately took hold again, and the judge again 
pulled him to the surface. This time I picked 
up a little .22 rifle we had along for shooting 
frogs and sent a bullet through the turtle’s back, 
whereupon it again let go of the hook and sank, 
leaving blood stains on the waters. 
“An hour or so later we were fishing near 
each other a hundred yards further down the 
lake, when Judge Smyth, getting a bite, again 
drew a turtle to the surface, which, however, 
also let go, but in turning it nabbed my minnow 
which I was trailing near it with the hope of 
hooking it beneath the shell, and I landed him. 
To our astonishment we found it to be the same 
turtle I had shot over an hour before a hundred 
yards up the lake. The bullet had gone through 
its body, and its entrails were protruding through 
the hole in the belly shell, yet it had followed 
us up for more. Do you think there ever was 
a bass much hungrier than that turtle?” 
Sandy Griswold. 
Fishing in California. 
San Francisco, Cal., Nov. 12. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: Striped bass fishermen are still 
meeting with rather poor success at the various 
fishing grounds, but the belief that a big run 
will soon be on brings out large crowds every 
Sunday. O11 the lagoon at Tiburon fish can be 
taken almost every day, but in small numbers 
only, and none of them is of large size, a fifteen- 
pounder being the largest to date*. At San Pablo 
and at Rodeo a few fish are taken regularly, but 
anglers are not visiting these places in numbers, 
as the fish taken are not regarded as being good 
to eat, there being so much crude oil in the 
water. At Black Point and in Petaluma Slough 
there was a good run of fish a short time ago, 
but by the time the news spread and the fisher¬ 
men arrived in numbers, the run had died out. 
At Wingo and San Antonio sloughs the con¬ 
ditions are favorable for a big run, but so far 
this has not made its appearance, and but few 
big fish have been taken in these favorite grounds 
where the record sized fish are usually secured. 
Clams are usually used for bait in fishing for 
striped bass, but this season splendid success has 
been met with in the use of anchovies, and large 
shipments of this fish from Monterey are being 
made regularly for this purpose. 
A number of anglers recently made the trip 
to the Russian River in the hopes of securing 
some excellent sport with steelheads, but when 
they reached the grounds the bar had again 
closed and the fish were not running. When the 
bar was open a short time ago, the water of the 
stream was muddy and the sport spoiled. 
Trout fishing in the sierras is stil good, there 
having been no rains this season to make the 
streams muddy, and a few anglers are making 
belated mountain excursions. On the Klamath 
River the sport is excellent, and on the Little 
Shasta fine results have been secured. 
The open season for salmon is now on in 
California and some anglers are taking a few 
fish in Raccoon Straits. However, most of the 
fish are now inside and are to be found far up 
the river. The run has not been heavy, and 
fishermen are not making as large catches as 
' usual. A. P. B. 
The California Commission. 
Berkeley, Cal., Nov. 9 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: The resignation of F. W. Van Sicklen 
as a member of the State Fish and Game Com¬ 
mission of California has just been accepted by 
Governor Gillett, and the appointment of Lendal 
M.' Gray, manager of the Cosmos Steamship 
Company of San Francisco, has been announced. 
The resignation of Mr. Van Sicklen was sent in 
some time ago, but was accepted only recently by 
the Governor, as he entertained hopes of retain¬ 
ing the well known sportsman on the commis¬ 
sion. The appointment of Gray is the beginning 
of an attempt to straighten out the tangle in 
which the fish and game commission is now en¬ 
compassed. Some time ago William G. Hen- 
shaw, of Oakland, was appointed to the commis¬ 
sion, .and immediately Henshaw and W. F. Con¬ 
nell, of Los Angeles, combined and ousted Chief 
Deputy Charles Vogelsang, who is very popular 
among the less wealthy sportsmen. In his place 
John Babcock, of British Columbia, was installed, 
and this resulted in the resignation of Commis¬ 
sioner Van Sicklen. The State Legislature be¬ 
fore closing refused to confirm the Governor’s 
appointment of Henshaw, and there is still a 
cpiestion as to the legality of the dismissal of 
the popular chief deputy. 
At the State election held in California, Nov. 
8, an amendment to the State constitution in re¬ 
gards to v the rights to fish on streams in this 
State was voted on, and from all indications has 
passed by a very large majority. The amend¬ 
ment is as follows: 
“Section 25. The people shall have the right 
to fish upon and from the public lands of the 
State and in the waters thereof, excepting upon 
lands set aside for fish hatcheries, and no land 
owned by the State shall ever be sold or trans¬ 
ferred without reserving in the people the abso¬ 
lute right to fish thereupon, and no law shall 
ever be passed making it a crime for the people 
to enter upon the public lands within this State 
for the purpose of fishing in any water contain¬ 
ing fish that have been planted therein by the 
State; provided, that the Legislature may by 
statute provide for the season when, and the 
conditions under which, the different species of 
fish may be taken.” 
This amendment was fostered by W. J. Cos¬ 
tar, of Plumas county, chairman of the Assembly 
committee on fish and game at the last session 
of the Legislature. Lie advances the following 
reasons why the amendment should be passed: 
“The inland streams and coast waters of the 
State of California abound in a great variety 
of fish, and aside from the sport of taking them 
they furnish a very large proportion of the 
State’s free food supply. That the fish may not 
be exterminated and this great item of popular 
food depleted, the people of the State are spend¬ 
ing large sums annually for its protection and 
propagation. 
“For maany years the people of California 
have enjoyed the right to take fish from the 
waters of the State pretty generally, but since 
the vigorous development of California’s natural 
resources by individuals and lai^e corporations, 
many of the : streams have been Cosed to the 
public, and trespass notices warning the public 
not to fish are displayed to an alarming extent. 
“The people afe-paying for the protection and 
the propagation of the fish. For this reason, if 
for no other, they should have the right to take 
them. It is not fair that a few should enjoy 
the right to take the fish that all the people are 
paying to protect and propagate. 
“To reserve the right to fish in a portion of 
the waters of the State, at least for the people, 
Assembly Constitutional Amendment No. 14 was 
introduced and adopted at the last session of the 
Legislature of the State of California, and as an 
evidence of its popularity it was unanimously 
adopted by the Assembly and by the Senate with 
but two dissenting votes. 
“If the people of the State vote favorably up¬ 
on this proposed amendment to , the constitution, 
it will give them the right to fish upon, and from 
the public lands of the State and in the waters 
thereof, and will prevent the State from dispos¬ 
ing of any of the lands it now owns or what it 
may hereafter acquire without reserving in. the 
people the right to fish.” M. L. Church. 
Tuna Fishing in Nova Scotia. 
Colonel Cann, of Detroit, Mich., who recently 
visited Cape Breton, N. S., on a tuna fishing ex¬ 
pedition, had his first day’s sport in St. Ann’s 
Bay, says the London Sporting and Dramatic 
News. A large fish was hooked, but unfortu¬ 
nately after a most exciting chase it broke the 
rod and got away before it could be gaffed. 
The tuna is stated to have been twelve feet long 
and to weigh some 6oo pounds. 
Colonel Cann, who has a wide experience in 
tuna fishing in California, where, however, this 
fish does not run so large as those found in the 
Cape Breton waters, is preparing for further 
expeditions with heavier tackle and .boats, with 
which he hopes to be more successful. 
C. G. Conn, of Elkhart, Ind., is probably the 
“colonel” referred to. 
Tarpon in the Gulf. 
Late advices from Tarpon, Tex., state that 
W. C. Boscher, of this city, in one day’s fishing, 
had twelve strikes and landed three tarpon. 
Several other well-known anglers are at Tarpon. 
On the Bay. 
Along the prow the tender wavelets lapping, 
Sang of content through all the dreamy day; 
And softly hung the autumn hazes, wrapping 
The low blue hills that bounded Sodus Bay. 
My silver hook in gleaming spirals whirling, 
Like a lost sunbeam chased me on my way, 
While from my pipe the pale clouds softly curling, 
Join the faint mist enfolding bluff and bay. 
My shining oar blades in the sunlight dripping. 
Shed opal dews like drops of bright Tokay; 
And now and then a darting swallow dipping, 
Grazed his swift shadow in the dimpled bay. 
A thrill, a shock, a rush at sudden angles; 
A gleam of broken circles far away; 
Alas! a fractured pipe, a line in tangles. 
But one less spotted beauty in the bay. 
“Content, content,” the lapping wavelets whisper; 
“What more hath life?” their rhythmic murmurs say, 
Aye me, what more? Yet in reproachful answer 
Come gleams of towered cities far away—- 
Come sweet blue eyes, a sudden longing bringing. 
Content? Ah, yes, were she but here to-day 
To hold the line and join me softly singing, 
While twilight faded down our sky and bay. 
M. M. Cass, Jr. 
