Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-01-02

lButaud Herald,
The fish Law. as amended by the last
legislature i evidently the work If per-
SONS who not only never went a-ii,hing
but are ignorant "a the habits OF the
valuable food fishes Of or Vermont
waters In the first place tne expert
ment- of our t>h commission for ne last
ten years ought to satisfy any intelligent
angler that it is money thrown away to
attempt to restock or Vermont waters
with ,hdd and salmon indeed we believe
il is money thrown away to attempt To re
stock Lake Champaign and our river, and
ponds with any fish save orr native valua-
bic food fishes, such is he Wdll-eyrd pike,
the black bass and the white fish. All
that is necessary to make Lake ChImp,Hln
TEEN with these fishes j. To protect them
during the spawning season. If this l. ef-
fcctUaliy done there will he no need to
prohibit fishing with the hook aud line a.
late rs the 18th Of June. which the new
law does. The law provides that 10 wall
eyed pike, black ha>s, pike or ehau shall!
he taken With nets, snnreS, or any device
Tor capturing fish from amy of the waters
of Lake thamplain, between the first day
Of February and the fifteenth day OF June.
80 far aS net fishing is concerned thi, pro
lection if enforced, j. ample for the wall
eyed pike. whose spawning grounds are
i'm MisSoquui Bay 80 far as fishing with
the hook and line is concerned, the pro-
lection is excessive hOpl, and line FISH
/ ING from the - tn day oi May could he
safely permitted Tor Wdli-eycl pike, ~
they are then entirely through spawning I:
and if net it-hiuI j. prohibited, the few
fish captured with the hook and line does
not apprrcHbly diminish uur fish supply.
But while the law protects the pike at ills
spawning season, il does not protect thor
oughlN the black bass aui the white fish,
for ii permits seine fishing during the
months IF October and November 80 the
law il detective IN this respect, that while
it obliges any man who takes IA black bass
less than ten inches IN length with Il hook
and line to return such 1iSu To the water,
ii does not prevent bass and white fish
from being taken with the seine in Octo-
Der and November when they are frequent
ly hiG with spawn. We believe these fish
e spawn twice IL year. but the law -mi,kcrS
evidently are ignorant that in October and
November bass and white fish need pro
lection from the net fishermen Further
more, ii is queer justice Ia prohibit the
capture with hook and line of black bass
less than ten inches long, when every ang-
Ter IN Vermont j. permitted in the fishing
season to skin our mountain BROOKS of
hundreds Of trout thai Will not exceed
four inches III length. In Twenty-Five
years angling the writer never SAW but
weight or more than 20 inches in length,
We are inclined To pelieVe that the few
black bass taken under ten inches in
length and not returned To the water Will
never apprcClubly diminish their numbers
in orr lake, while we heard last season of
400 trout averaging four inches in length
being taken from one mountain stream in
a day by Il party : the trout cannot he pro
teCtcd save in the head waters of our
mountain brooks where they 20 to spawn.
and here il Is where they are skinned OIL
in their infancy by eager and Wastplul
anglers. The bass and the Wall-eyed pike
need no protection save from the net fish
ermcu in the spawning season they need
no protection from the angler the white
fish needs no protection from tn" angler,
Is he seldom or never takes the hook. bUl
the law does not protect HIM from the
seine in the spawning season, during Octo-
Der anG November. The trout from his
habit, does need protection from the
angler, for these great catches OF little
trout in the head-Waters of the streams,
are fatal to the increase of the fish IL
takes no skill to catch out Il swarm Ol
these little trout and yet the fellows who
are So determined that no black bass shall
be taken under ten inches, do not prOhih!t
the capture of trout four inches in length.
The best fish law would he the prohibition
of all seine fishing during he spawning
season of our food fishes, which would in
clude February, March, April and May
for Wall-eyed pike and black bass and
October and November for black bass and
white fish .Oake shad), If this law was
rgidly enforced all Vermont might fish
with a hook and line the year round with
ont diminishing appreciably, our fish sup
ply. Then let the fish commissioners de
vote themselves to stocking with white
fish Lake Champaign and its tributaries
and our ponds, that are suitable. with
black bass aud wall-cycd pike. The sal
mon and shad experiments are not worth
| further pursuit. The law to be effective,
ought to give the whole of the proceeds Of
/ fish seizures to the person making the
seizure and sale, instead of half, rs at
present.
/ French Grape Brandy, distilled Extract of
! Wntcr Pcppcr or Smart Weod, lnmaIrN Gln-