The morning call., 1894-04-08
FISH AND GAME.
The State Sportsmen's Convention.
What Protection Will Guarantee.


ana, as result. only iingerings were left for
the men who observed the law.
This is a bad state of affairs when 1t is taken
into consideration that the Fish Commission
ers-Messrs. Murdoch the banker Redding The
lawyer and musician. and Mcneil a silent part
ner, as 1t were, OF Los Angeles-have at their
command an appropriation Of $4,000 which
the State allowed for the sole purpose of hav-
ing the fish protected.
Hundreds Of letters have been sent the Com
missloners from interior spoltsmen during the
past winter informing the officers OF the most
fragrant way the breeding fishes have been
steelheads when the latter are on their annual
run TO the spawning beds.
No notice has been taken OF the appeals for
protection and as result the streams are de-
pleted OF their tinny inhabitants, thanks 10 the
noble Board of Commissioners, WHO laugh and
grow far at the expense OF the sportsmen and
anglers, who have 10 nay the piper.
The question now before the sportsmen and
anglers of this city and State is, How long
Will this absurd Fish Commission be tolerated?
There will be a convention OF spOrtSmen held
IN this city in a few days purpOsey so regulate
the fish ana game laws and TO provide measures
for the future protection OF game birds and
fishes.
AS previously stated in THE CALL the only
way TO guarantee shooting and fishing for all
lovers of outing is TO protect The game and fish
during the months of the year they breed.
Two thousand dollars added TO the fund now
at the disposal OF the alleged Fish Commission
would settle the matter provided the money
was nut TO good advantage.
"HOw can this be done ?" you ask.
1t is just az easy TO accomplish it as it Is TO
slaugh er game out OF season without fear of
arrest under the present system of protection.
In the first place the State Sportsmen's Asso-
citation should have the dispos al of the appro-
priatiOu.
Good fearless men who will nor shuuder at a
V7a i'm mr. al 1hraqfG
should be appointed on the stan OF the com
mission. If necessary, man can be appointed
for every county in The State, VINO Will patrol
The rivers during the closed st ason Tor angling
and the fields and forests during the closed sea-
son for game BIRDS and animals which are in
Guided in the game book.
Sixty dollars month Is toerably good wages,
ana tirst-ciass men can be had ar these figures
who Will work faithfully 10 Ca rry out The OBJ
jects intended. An incentive dded, such as
portion of the fines obtained from men caught
iD the act of transgresSlng the laws, will assist
very materially In having the Keepers work all
the more faithful.
Now then, If one man was appointed for
every county-say h1ty countleS-at 500 per
mouth, the amount expended would nor equal
the present appropiia tion OF the State Fish
Commission.
This State is yet Young, and naturally wild OF
course. Game and fish are very plentiful in
comparison 10 any OF The Eastern States.
Therefore to guarantee good sport Tor the
angler and sportsman of the future all that is
required now is 10 protect the present stock
during the seasons in which they propagate
their species.
A gentleman who recently returned from a
visit 10 Lake PilarcltoS Informed a representa-
tive OF THE CALL that the muskalonge fry
Which were put In that lake last year are doing
splendidly, and that several youngsters and
10 inches 10 length have been seen swimming
close TO shore. If such favorable reports come
from the highland" lake ii is 10 be presumed
that the muskalonge which were dumped into
Lake MERGED a or about The same time must
certainly nr0SnPrluU ThA "A
spring the water of which is very cold.
Among the few successful anglers who visited
POINT Reyes last sunday were ID. C. Stewart OF
Rio Vista and Al Smith of this city. These
gentlemen landed some large fish, which, from
all accounts, afforded them grand snort. Smith
landed 10-pound steelhead on No. trout
hook
In reference to a very common expression,
ga gamy fish," A. \. Cheney, who conducts the
angling department of Forest and Stream says:
We often read that fish Is gamy (and some
ii mes the word is incorrectly spelled gamey) or
that one is gamier than another, or that still
another Is gamiest OF all. To-day read re-
port OF State Fish Commission that 1.-THE
pike-percn Is very gamy fish,; and again.
"Mr. NJ. says he cannot speak TOO highly of
this handSame and gamy fish Drown trouD."
Another State report records: They (back
bass have no superior among fresh-water fish
in point Of gamness" That may be mis-
print, but a newspaper clipping on my desk, IN
which is quoted something that L wIote abour
landl Ocked salmon, makes HE say 'gameSp
where wrote gamest. In a local newspaper
when wrote that 1.-The Loeb Leyen trout IS one
OF the handsomest and gamest OF the trout of
Great Britain" the printer made ''gamest"
into "gamiest." and when read proof l COR
rected ii, but as he printer had The last whack
at IL lie let it stand gamesr, but the word APP
peared in quotation marks, as though be pro-
tested in the most emphatic manner of "Yours
truly, Slug Two"
An authority upon the proper use of words
says: Game is an adjective, meaning pertain
ing to certain animals or birds that a sports
man hunts, as game animals. game birds. Ii
also means having plucky spirit like such
creatures. Comparison: Game, gamer. gamesf.
like tame, tanner tamest. There Ia another
adjective gamy, which describes the flavor of
grouse hung by the leg ill he drops! Gamy,
is sometimes, though only colloquially, used In
in the sense Of plncky. IL runs; Gamy,
only with reference TO flavor"
AS time aud again stated In THE CALL, II the
Fish Commissioners attended properly 10 their
duty there would be less heard OF the growing
scarcity OF game and fish. The following eX-
cerpt from New York exchange Will show
that teaching is the only way OF education.
few years ago a man was arrested in Northern
New York for breaking the game law. He had
been rather pronounced In his declarations that
he should catch fish when be wanted them, and
he was not particular about the means en-
ployed to this end. He was NOT considered
bad man except in his disregard or the game
laws, and those he regarded as infringing upon
his rights as citizen ana taxpayer. game
protector finally caught him redhanded with
fish that he had taken Illegally. but he gave
the law a tussle" and the law got The best OF it
and the man was landed in jail There he had
time for reflection, evidently, for so far as is
known he never again put himself in position
TO "haye a tussle'' with the game law. A
few DAYS ago | was talking with the
officer who arrested this man, and he told me
that the one conflict with the law and the re-
suit had completely changed the man. and lie
was now a strong advocate of the game law,
and was active In enforcing Ii In the commun-
iIy where be lived
Some years ago number of gentlemen Wis
tied tile mountains of Colorado Tor he pur-
pose of fishing. Among The parry was Bishop
of an Eastern diocese OF the Episcopal church.
Fishing was the sole occupation and amuse-
ment of the visitors; so when Sunday came, as
there was nothing else to do. the laymen of the
party got out their rods, preparatory 10 casting
a line. But they were in Quandary as to the
Bishop. They did not want 10 hurt his feelings
by leaving him behind. nor did they want 20
offend his religious principles by Inviting him
10 go fishing on Sunday. Finally one Of them
plucked up courage and told him of their di-
iemma, whereupon the good man said that lie
would tell them of a happening in his earlier
lie which he thought rather aprOpos
..SOme years ago." he said, when l had
charge OF the affairs of parish, / was awak-
ened about O'clock one morning, and upon
inquiring who was there. heard mans voice
reply that he was there with Miss Blank, ana
that they wanted TO get married. ] reasoned
with him about the untimely hour, but TO no
avail; he meant 10 get married right then and
there. SO l put on my clothes and gown and
went downstairs and began the marriage SER
vice. Everything went along as dictated In the