Your Own Fishing Grounds 
Uncle Sam Will Stock Your Waters. 
This Article Tells How to Go About It. 
at that little lake on your place, 
or the creek that meanders so 
peacefully through your favorite mead- 
ow, or even the little ice-cold brook that 
purls its way through your woods on 
its journey from the mountain top to 
the river, and wished that it was teem- 
ing with fish—gamy ones, like trout or 
bass, worth the sport of catching? 
You can make this wish come true. 
Uncle Sam will stock your waters up 
for you with brook trout, rainbow 
trout, black spotted trout, large- 
mouthed bass, small-mouthed bass, rock 
bass, sunfish, crappie, catfish or what- 
ever other species of fish his experts de- 
cide to be best adapted for your par- 
ticular waters. 
Furthermore, this great service is 
extended to you free of charge if you 
follow certain simple regulations laid 
down by the Bureau of Fisheries. The 
two principal ones are that you or your 
representative be on hand at the sta- 
tion with receptacles (five gallon milk 
cans being most generally used) person- 
ally to receive these baby fish and sign 
for them; and that you do not allow 
any illegal fishing in your waters. 
You must act 
quickly if ‘you 
wish to plant 
your fish this 
spring. Trout are 
distributed early 
in March, so it is 
imperative that 
i [is many times have you glanced 
your application 
be in by March 
Vet, » So, that, 71 
trout be suitable 
for your waters 
you will get them. 
Other fishes are 
distributed later 
in the season, but 
as the applica- 
tions are filled in 
the order of their 
receipt, it would 
be well to get 
your application 
in as soon aS pos- 
sible. 
The method of 
procedure is this: 
1. Send to the 
Bureau of Fish- 
eries, Washing- 
222 
By H. M. HICKERSON 
ton, D. C., for an application blank. 
2. On receipt of the blank fill it in as 
fully as possible. 
3. After it is filled in, send it to your 
Representative or Senator to be en- 
dorsed, with the request that he for- 
ward it to the Bureau of Fisheries. 
4, Write a letter to the Bureau, tell- 
ing it that you have forwarded your 
application to (name the Congressman) 
for endorsement, requesting them to 
notify you if it is not received from 
him within a reasonable length of time. 
Probably the most fascinating fea- 
tures of the restocking of your waters, 
to the younger members of the family 
at least, will be the watching of the 
fish grow, as the fish that are given 
you are not matured, but are of various 
sizes. 
ROOK and rainbow trout are vsu- 
ally sent out as fingerlings or year- 
lings. Bass, bream, and other pond 
fishes are usually sent out from three 
weeks to several months after they are 
hatched. Sunfish are sent out when 
they are from 2 to 4 inches in length. 
Commercial species, such as_ white- 
fish, etc., are sent out as fry. 

Interior of a hatchery showing one of the jars in which 
eggs are placed 
As all good fishermen know, fish will 
not live in polluted waters. If you are 
not sure whether or not your waters are 
polluted, examine them closely. 
F you see any of the following vari- 
eties of plant or worm life in them, 
you will know that pollution is present, 
and that it will be necessary thoroughly 
to cleanse your waters and stop the 
source of pollution before fish can be 
successfully propagated in them: 
1. Water molds and scums, particu- 
larly if of colors other than green. 
This indicates decreasing oxygen, and 
oxygen is just as necessary to fish as 
to people. 
2. Tubifex—a small, tender, red 
earthworm. This marks approximately 
the limit of fish life. 
3. Rat-tail maggots. If these are 
abundant over the whole bed of the 
stream, they are an almost certain in- 
dication of prohibited pollution. 
Bloodworms, on the other hand, in- 
dicate recovery and conversion of 
wastes into fish food. Green plants, 
mosses, silks, and nets, also are a hope- 
ful sign, and usually indicate good and 
improving conditions, 
There is an- 
other thing we 
can do, and ought 
to do, although it 
is not required, 
and that is to free 
our lands and 
waters of such 
animal life as are 
detrimental to 
fish: life.” sO 
course, in exter- 
minating these 
predatory birds 
and animals, due 
regard must be 
State, and Fed- 
eral game laws. 
The worst of 
‘these pests, ac- 
cording to the 
Bureau of Fish- 
eries, 
below, together 
with its recom- 
mendations as to 
how to get rid of 
them: 
(Cont. on p. 250) 
—— = 
ob 208 oh 1 —< 
paid to local, ™ 
are listed | 
* 
HM 
