The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1905-06-30
ARE RAISING FISH IN KANSAS
TROUT Is THE COMING LUXURY
OF HER PEOPLE.
Streams OF the State to Be Stocked
With New Kinds by Fish War
den-LOcaI Fish Ponds.

den-LOcaI Fish Ponds.
Some light-hearted man in eastern
Kansas yeIls out, How would you
like to go trout fishing IN Kansas
This sounds like a joke Neverthe-
less. it may be possible, within a few
years to do just this thing Game
Warden Del Travis has found three /
or four good trout streams in the |
state; all they lack is the trout, and /
to supply this deficiency is just what |
Mr.. Travis is about TO attempt
The last legislature gave the game |
warden a fund Of IS, 900 to spend in
building a big fish hatchery at Pratt, |
Kan 1t is the first time that the leg
islature has ever done anything much
for the fishermen Of the state, and in
dications are that Mr.. Travis is going
to make the results appreciated. The
brook trout idea is one Of the things
which Mr.. Travis believes viii be pos
sible. He says:
Rainbow trout can thrive only in
clear, cold water. know Of three
streams in the state where believe
that trout will do well. One is the
Ninnescah river, which flows through
Pratt, and which supplies the water
for the state fish hatchery. This is
a beautiful little stream, about eight
or ten feet wide, a foot or so deep,
and flowing very swiftly over a grav-
el bottom. Another is a little stream
up in Brown county, which is fed by
a big spring. The third is the Pawnee
river above where it flows into the
Arkansas river at Larned. These
streams are all good trout streams,
and 1 believe that by properly stock
| ing them, we will be able to cultivate
a little trout fishing right here at
| home. They tell me that in northern
Nebraska they have number Of very
good trout streams which have been
| stocked in this way"
Mr.. Travis says: "a soon as pos
sibIe I want to put in three more
ponds for the raising Of young bass
| and copies. Fish Of the bass family
| thrive better in Kansas than any 9th
er kind.
Transportation for the fish over
/ the railroads costs US nothing. The
| railroad companies are glad to help
i the state Stock the stream; because
/ when there is good fishing, it encOUr-
/ ages railroad travel. In order TO make
a shipment of bass, II IS necessary to
send a Mi right along with them
The bass are all right so long as the
train is kept in motion, and the water
| is kept in vibration, but when the
| train stops, the bass begin to suffer
| unless carefully attended to.
| I have not yet decided which
| streams I will stock with bass this
year, but I want to pick out about 25
| of the best ones in the state and put
| about ], 200 bass into each. Within
| few years they Will multiply and be
| sufficiently abundant to make good
fishing. 1 can't stock all the streams
at once, but with the improved facili-
| ties at the fish hatchery, we can do
! more in the future than in the past"
Trout in Kansas does not sound
| more wild and chimericaI than the
true stories Of hail storms, grasshOp-
pers and tOrnadOes in KansaS-nOt so
| much The longer one lives, the
| stronger he is prepared to swear by
| the fact that truth is stranger than
| fiction The editor of this paper,
| while spending two days in Rawlins
! county the first Of the month, had an
| invitation to go trout fishing and it
| was no joke, either. Charley Scott
| who with his father, publishes the
/ Atwood Citizen, reports that trout ex-
| ist quite plentifully for the skilled
! fisherman in the Beaver stream in
| Rawlins county. His proof is, he has
| caught and eaten plenty OF them In
| that part Of its course the modest lit
| tie stream never goes dry. It works
/ its way along the hillsides, and its
! waters are kept cool by the shade Of
| the Overhanging trees. How they got
| there is a question harder Of solution.
| How animal life Of many kinds attain
| a certain habitat, without any inter
! ventiOn on the part Of man, is wrap
Il ped up in mystery. But the facts re-
| main to awe and delight US.
/ So long as the farmer upon these
Il western nlafnS-uuira removed from
/ the rivers that bear the finney herds
maintains his yeritable little lake,
/ and whose water he lifts from its
| subterranean bed, whence he irri-
| gates his garden and makes the trees
| to spring forth into beauty-sO long
| as he remains thus faithful, he may
| serve fresh fish to the members Of his
| family, and the stranger that happens
within his gates He may not be able
| to maintain a lake Of trout, but he
can easily rise bass and carp. One
notable example along this line is
the pond Of / Warner, four miles
east Of GOOdland, which today, and
has for a number Of years, been in
habited with carp Of generous size.
They live well in their little world and
multiply and grow with every pass
ing year This is but one Of many
such piscatOrial delights in Sherman
county.
Fish on the plains Of western kan
sas! You betl