Evening star., 1896-02-13
P L & TY OF FL S H
Possibilities Are Bright for the Coming
Season.
Big Hauls Already at the Shores-Are
Ready TO Engage I'm the
Work.

Fishermen are looking forward to the
coming spring season In anticipation OF q
good catch, and with more larger fish
than the past few seasons have produced.
The mild weather during last month
brought out the fish, and even 30 early In
the season those who operated small seines
found their business very profitable Al
though 1t will be about six weeks before
the big haul seines are all in operation,
some few shad and herring are being
caught within a few miles of the CITY, more
than have been taken so early in the sea-
son for many years. Last weeks inspec-
uons included nearly 1900 herring and one
shad, but more shad were caught down the
river. There were also twenty black bass
recorded. The catch Of black bass in seines
and trap nets has increased in recent years.
ana now the supply is about equal to the
demand. They are not all caught in this
river however, although at times the catch
OF this delicacy amounts to several hum
dred fish. Most Of them, however, are
caught In forbidden water. principally in
the river In the vicinity of Analostan Is
land. Occoquan bay and Accotink creek
are also good places for the net fishermen
to catch bass, for from these waters hum
dreds OF bass are caught in nets with shad
and herring, rock fish and perch.
Getting Ready.
But the fishermen who use the large haul
a harvest from the sale Of bass They de-
pend principally on shad, herring, white
perch and rock fish. Local fishermen are
now busy arranging their nets and fishing
appliances, for about the LIST of March a
number OF them will pack their traps and
start for the several shores down the river
At Wind Mill Point, the fishing shore of
r. A. Golden, and what is known as The
Gums, the shore Of the Ballangers, large
haul seines are now in operation, the only
large seines that are now in use down the
river. The seines are taking from the river
rock fish, white perch and an occasional
small eaten Of shad and herring, but at
this season of the year they are operated
principally for the perch and rock fish.
In addition to these a number of small
seines are being operated. These are what
are known as winter seines," and they
furnish plentiful supply of yellow perch
and catfish as well as rock and white perch
during the winter season. The season at
the two large shores mentioned has OPEN
ed so early that the dealers have put on
the small boats to haul the fish here and
no longer depend on the steamboats,, but
the steamboats, bring all the fish from salt
water and from most of the small seines
along the river at different points.
Plenty of Nets.
Later on, when the small army OF fisher
| men leave here for the lower Potomac,
William Knights well-known shore at Stony
Point, opposite Glymont will be in OPERA
tion. This and Golcen's shore at Wind Mill
Point are the only two large haul-seines
that will be operated by steam power the
others using horses or men. Then the fish-l
cries at Monkeys and Chapman's Points,
not far from Fort Washington, will COM
mence operations. AT Ragged Point J. r.
Faunce & Brother will have their large
,l trap seine in In operation; while the shores
on OccoquaL bay, as well as the trappers
at Accotink creek, will also furnish large
quantity of fish for market. At the three
latter places many black bass are caught
throughout the spring and summer months.
Already number Of them have been taken
from Occoquan bay. Besides the shores
mentioned, number of other shores will
be worked, and, in addition 10 these 1t
is estimated that there will lie at least
three hundred trap nets set in the river.
When all these are in operation there
will be about two thousand men employed
along the river, while about the same
number will be employed at the business
in the city, making total Of about four
thousand men employed for a few weeks.
This number includes the hucksters and
their assistants, who handle fish during
the season when shad and herring are
plentiful.
Big HauIs.
In one haul at Ragged Point last week
1900 herring were caught. This is said to
be the largest catch of this fish SO early in
the season for many years They brought
$25 a thousand, and later on they will sell
will be slow. This seasons catch of carp
has also been unusually large, and the fish
have been Of good size. During a wind
storm about two weeks ago. when the wind
lowered the water on the marshes and
along the shores, great many carp were
left high and dry, and country people
waded about the mud and picked them up.
1t is said that about two tons of the fish
were caught in this way.
While the legitimate fishermen are pre-
pairing for the down river fishing they are
anxious that the fish law applying only to
the waters in the District be enforced.
Last fall and even this winter the law has
been violated, and a great many fish have
been caught. AT one nights haul in Little
river several barrels Of fine black bass were
caught, and this spring II is likely that the
violators of law will continue their work.
The fish wharf at the foot Of 18th street,
which has been virtually unused during the
winter months, will be a scene Of great
activity soon the season is fairly
opened, and the fishermen say when fish
are running times are always good.