The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-04-16
Fisherman UP Against It.

new game and fish laws passed by the
last legislature carry the emergency
clause? Published reports have
failed to state, but if the emergency
clause does apply then there is an
interesting question for someone to
answer who is acquainted with the
why's and wherefores of the latest
fish law.
1t is not exactly clear to the aver
age fisherman why the closed season
has been pushed along till June l, in
the case of black bass while pickerel
may be caught lawfully with hook and
line during April and May as hereto
fore.
But the state legislature has ordered
it, and in the case of the fisherman,
whether they understand why or not
it is Theirs not to make reply!
Theirs not TO reason why! Tkeirs'
but to do and die"
Hence cince pickerel can be caught
during April and May and black bass
not until June l, if not this year at
least every year hereafter, what is the
angler to do who goes pickerel fishing
with a spoon hook made especially to
attract pickerel-what is this innocent
and law-abiding angler to do if a
black bass takes the liberty of grab
bling the hook before it is lawful for
him to do so? Suppose the poor man
does not know he has hooked a bass
and swings him high and dry and
lands him on the ground so hard that
he breaks his back, or suppose the
cruel hook tears the BASIS delicate
mouth or penetrates the eye and in
jures him for life-what shall the
fisherman do who would be blamless
in the sight of the law, should he
throw the injured or expiring bass
back into the water? Wouldn't a men,
Der of the Legislature himself, if he
caught a bass under the above con-
ditions be justified in taking him home
and frying him for supper?
Before this year Clearwater fisher
men were not troubled much by black
bass as they seldom got farther west
than the Neigh mill dam. People up
this way had to be content with bull
heads, sunfish, sloppy, Shiny carp till
you couldn't rest, and an occasional
pickerel athletic enough to vault the
Neigh dam
However it is an i'll high water that
blows nobody good, and while Neigh
housewives have been resurrecting
old kerosene lamps and cleaning
smoke, greasy lamp chimneys the
while blessing old John d. for invent
ing standard oil and the Elkhorn river
for knocking the stuffing out Of their
dam electric light system, would-be
fishermen west of Neigh could hardly
wait till the LIST of April before
straddling their fish-poles and gallop-
ing out to round up the maverick
bass or pickerel that had slipped
through the hole in the dam. They did
well, however, in holding back their
enthusiasm as no cases of illegal fish
ing before the list of April were re-
ported except the hint thrown out by
the Neigh Leader in March that GER
tain parties in that metropolis had
best watch out and quit their selling
fish. A word to the wise should be
sufficient-don't try selling fish to an
editor before the open season, just
slip him one on his way home and all
will be well.
Results have been rather disappoint-
ing but there has been some improve
ment, whereas last year the proper
ton of game fish to fishermen was
about one to seven, indications so far
this year would seem to point that
there will be no less than one fish to
every three fishermen not counting
carp, bull-heads and sunfish.
Now the question is, is it lawful for
a man to take home and eat a bass
caught out of season when he went
fishing for pickerel without any in
tention of catching black bass?