Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-16
DAYOUS Full OF FISH
Clinton County Farmers Scoop
Wagon Loads Of Fish
From Sloughs.
Sport Will Be Good This Season
on the Upper Missis.
sippi.
Monster Catfish Are Scarce
The Turtle Industry Along
the River.
Special to Times-Republican.


Clinton, May 16.-Perhaps next to tie
riverman, the good stage of water of
the Mississippi is most appreciated by
the angler, for he knows that high wa
ter in the spring means good fishing
during the entire season, and that low
water means the reverse. This is due
to the fact that the high water gives
the fish chance to spawn, filling in
the sloughs and bayous of the river.
Local fishermen expect fine pole and
line fishing all summer long, and no
doubt their expectations will be real
lied.
The buffalo and carp We're running
up the river last week to spawn and
Thousands of these fish were taken from
the upper river. A story is told of two
farmers below Camanche who backed
their wagons into slough and shov-
elled the fish out of the water until tho,
wagon boxes We're filled to the top. The
next day the fish were all gone, having
passed up the river. The local anglers
went spearing last week, and some good
catches were reported, mostly Of buff
falo and carp.
At this season of the year game fish,
such as bass and croppies, are scarce,
and on account of the muddy condition
of the water pole and line fishing is
t.a, e,,,1,
sides the anglers in this vicinity will
have some good sport. The fisherman
Will sally forth with his rod and line,
and seek his favorite haunt at the
Beaver Island lakes, or the Redford on
the Illinois shore above the mouth of
Cedar creek, or at Rock creek, on the
Wapsie, where he will spend a pleasant
day Turing the river fish from the cool
depths.
While the number of average size
and weight is apparently as great as
ever in the upper river, judging from
the quantities which find their way
into the markets a Clinton dealer re-
marked that the giants of the river.
the overgrown specimens of buffalo
and catfish, are few and far between
of recent years, altho the tishermen's
stories OF huge river monsters that
"got away" are as numerous as ever.
Occasionally an upper river fisher
man drags in an S0-pound cat, and
sometimes even 80 or 100-pound fish,
but very rarely. A 40-pounder is con-
sidered a good catch. Muskallenge.
or overgrown pickerel seldom weigh.
more than thirty pounds and the buff
fol tho oil ri oh
have been known TO attain great size.
Rock sturgeon Weighing thirty pounds
are common in the Mississippi, and
spoonful cats of forty pounds weight
and even much larger. A channel cat
of more than IL pounds is the eNcep-
ton, not the rule, while the pike sell
dom attains a greater weight than
eight pounds. There is a good de-
mand for ali these varieties, as there
is of course for the smaller fry, sun
fish, black and rock bass, croppies, etc.
The turtle industry along the upper
is more or less developed
according to the location, but in this
vicinity very little attention is paid to
it. Nevertheless an immense quantity
OF soft shell and terrapin is taken from
the river and sent to Philadelphia and
Baltimore markets in the winter, where
it is sold for diamond back terrapin, a
Chesapeake bay variety which is al
most extinct. There is little if any To-
cal demand for turtle, and the Clinton
dealers handle but few.
In proportion to It's size. the Illinois
river is the greatest fish producing
stream in the United States. The ILL
nois fish commission has assisted mate
rally in bringing about this condition.
The steamer Illinois, formerly the Rein
deer, plying these waters, was pur-
chased q couple of years ago by the
and taken to the Illinois
river. The boat was properly equipped
for her new work, and it is said, with
eer competent crew, has been working
on the Illinois river. Every |
summer, during low. water, the fish |
which have been left by the receding
water in ponds and sloughs are seined |
,ut and taken to the main channel. This |
method has been productive of the best
results, and the waters of the river
tenn with fish. If it We're put in force
N the upper Mississippi, and the illegal |
seining peremptorily stopped, no doubt
he same gratifying conditions would
be the result.