Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-04-18


FOR THE ANGLER'S EYE.
Fishing ON the Upper POtOmac-The
Law On the Subject-When, Whore,
30 Taken.
Below will be found the text of the Fish Law
passed By the Legislature of Maryland last year.
and such other reliable Information bearing on
the same general subject as we have been able
to collect and compile from various sources:
lss2CHAPTER 40.
An Act to add additional sections to article one
Fisher and to protect the sh in the waters Of the
eon
Of Code Of Pubic General Laws 1t IisS
lSE: 10 D, Is f l5a, Is H:
fish in the Of the Potomsc river or trbat.ries
and e L s s %s
catch or destroy or to attempt to catch destroy fish
' the at
M s 1s bn OF or by pos OF outlines set
or attempt to catch or destroy any black bass or sal
m dy Of nn the FIRST Of Nay AND
full for person XIII fish with poison drug by
IS G. or s
shore of the state sha erected the
sss rs sS
the a tine the s
dollars. much thereof may be necessary. is
section Is B. OF all dams
bs now or be rect a
r,vsr up which fsh are accustomed to run an spawn
afford to the fish in the said streams free
ways to be approved by tn fish commissioner and If
any @ or Of such dams shall fail to comply
been served hereinafter provided. he they shall
il the court of the county where such owner resides
shall be fined not less ths $500 than $500 and
abated other nuisance the laws OF the state
S Fl h county Of the
tie to be erec:ed In or across the Potomac river or
or dams are SO Constructed as to cut of the
n FROM free course up and down said river or
na Keep IN repair proper sways or LADDERS as here
Section 10 i Nothing in this act shall be so construed
20 to prevent the catching of mnnows small fish for
Of ssrss e to ssV ae IN
shep employ from ON catching sn with nets or otherwise
n in " sssasS as sS dam Or
secon e. Ay violating n the OF
aen sSa
t fsien before any magistrate having arsdeton in
s aS be imprisoned II The county ja for not less than
Of to the Counties 's Shall be-
reserved to all parties under the provisions Of this
Section IS H. This act shall apply to the Potomac
known as the as
lection 2 This act shall take effet from the date Of
Speaker OF the House of Delegates.
GEORGE HAWKINS WILLIAMS,
President of the Senate.
Approved this 80 day OF May. 1882.
WILLIAM T. HAMILTON,
IN MARYLAND
The article of the code Of general laws en-
titled "Fish. and Fisheries" referred to In the
preamble and first section of the law above
quoted refers solely to shad and herring fishing
In the lower Potomac, and its provisions are
generally well understood AS they do not re-
late to angling. nor to the waters above the
Little Falls their publication is not necessary in
this connection. But by the law just passed it
will be seen that it is unlawful to fish in any
way for fish of any kind, except shad and her
ring. in the upper waters of Maryland during
the month Of May. AS the term 3" Little Falls"
as used in the above act, IS somewhat vague, it
is likely that it would be construed as referring
to the decided cataracts just above the Chain
bridge, and lying within the District. still
closer construction would however, doubtless
limit the application OF the law to the territory
lying outside of the District of Columbia, and
within the territory of Maryland-the dividing
line between which crosses the Potomac at a
point about $40 yards above the Chain bridge,
VIRGINIA AND WEST VIRGINIA.
Under the law Of Virginia Black Bass may not
be caught in the waters OF that state from the
18th Of May to the LIST Of July By the law of
West Virginia the close season for Black Bass in
her waters is from the LIST Of January to the 18th
of June. Why there should be so wide differ
ence In the protecting season adopted by three
contiguous states, all having substantially the
same climatic and other conditions affecting
the nny tribes, is little difficult to understand
Practically, however, these differences do not af-
feet anglers for bass and salmon in the upper PO-
tomac SO far at least, as that stream serves as
dividing line between Maryland and the other
two states named. Under existing statutes the
state of Maryland Is conceded and exercises iu-
rsdictiOn over the Potomac to low water mark
on the Virginia and West Virginia shores This
practically makes the fishing law of MARYLAND
operative On the whole of the upper Potomac
from the District line to Fairfax Stone, or the
southwestern corner Of the state.
AS TO TROUT.
According to the best authorities available at
the present time, trout (salnao fontinaHs) NAV
only be caught in the waters Of Virginia from
the LIST Of April to the 18th OF September
The law of Maryland as to trout fishing is
found In the Code Q870 Art xiv, sections SO
to g. inclusive, which incorporates the act of
1874, chapter 253, that act being entitled IAN
Act for the Protection and Preservation of Fish,
&C., in the Waters of the State of MARYLAND.
The text is as follows:
That from and after the passage of this act Il shall
not be lawful Tor any person to take catch kill any
specked brook trout, speckled trout save
only with book and line, to have any such trout in
his her possession. except during the of April
May, June, ay. and the first fifteen days the month
of August uder per lty of five dollars for each trout
caught had i'll his her possession; but this sec
ton shall not prevent person corporation from
catching trout in any manner at any time in water
owned by them their premises to stock other
waters.
H. That it shall not be lawful for any person within
the state OF Maryland to take catch any brook trout
at time In of the waters of the state by means
Of any fish basket seine senes. net nets trap or
traps, under penalty OF Ave dollars for and every
fish so taken.
III That no person shall place in any fresh water
stream lake or pond. without the owner
or in the waters and estuaries with the
ing into them any lime other deleterous substance
with the intent thereby to poison catch fish, under
penalty OF one hundred dollars.
~; that whenever any person who owns controls.
OF which he 4 In legal possession and shall put therein
hsh or the eggs or spawn Of fish, for tho purpose
Of breeding and cufhvat1ng fish, and shall give notice
or by written printed han6bi1ls put up in Dnb 10
L 20 n knnn INV t1 0kA