The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-31
Clarence Deming Reports on the Fish
 of 1911.
Lftchfield Enquirer.) )

(L1tCnI1elQ EnQulrer.)
 Clarence Deming, who, with his son
 ing trips to Bantam Lake, reports some interesting features. The lake began it's annual working later than common this year and has not thus far become as opaque and dingy as usual. This indicates, though far from
 conclusively, that the water will clear up somewhat earlier than in past years or at least not be filled with the obstinate spores which last win ter so interfered with the ice cutting Usually the lake has begun to clear up with first frosts of late September and has been quite clear early in Oc- tober. Last winter, for the first time in the lakes history, the vegetable impurities continued through most of hence we shall know whether the bad precedent is likely to be repeated.
 The general fishing has been about the same as that of recent years, the average daily catch of the Deming boat for fish of all kinds being about forty-five. The largest single catch, of bass, has been nine. of which the heaviest fish was of about three and half pounds. One fish caught by Robert Deming some ten days ago, was curio among bass. It was nineteen inches long, six inches broad, perfectly symmetrical, and weighing about four and a quarter pounds. It's markable features were it's thickness and fatness which made it in thise re- spects a record specimen. Two bass of five pounds each caught by MT. Deming, several years ago, of the nor- mai bass type, were each some two inches longer as their diagram show.
 The supply of that esculent food fish the yellow perch, for the high table quality of which Bantam Lake has been famous continues in Mr. Dem ing's opinion, to decrease. None of the great schools especially in deep water, which used to be pretty common are now to be found and while the perch maintain their average size. the large fish are scattered and relatively few. But pickerel are as abundant as ever, fifteen in one day being taken in the Deming boat, though not speci- fically fished for. The most striking feature, however, ofthe season and a bad omen for the future, is the amaz- ing increase of the white perch which first made their appearance in the lake a few years ago. This year they have been taken in strings of hun dred and even more, usually on the common worm bait, and their increase since last season seems four or five fold with acute danger hereafter that they will to a great extent, run out" better fish by destruction of spawn and young-perch and bass being es- pecially in peril. The white perch have hard scales and sharp spines which seem to save them from retail liation The largest of them caught by MT. Deming have not exceeded five inches in length and about three ounces in weight though there are vague reports of others taken consid- erably larger They are the greediest of feeders, one of them not five inches long, taking a Tive" bait almost as long as himself. They are a fair food fish but soften and lose flavor quickly after taking. If reports from Lake Waramaug are true as to the injury to the bass fishing there by white perch the future of the Bantam Lake and yellow perch looks cloudy
 A singular feature at Bantam Lake this year is the apparent failure of the hard drought to affect the height of the water very seriously-in strik- ing contrast with the low water of last year. There have been the usual vagaries of the Lake vegetation. The crop of water lilies is immense, while, by contrast, the so-called "spikeweed" potamogeton), the deep water plant is decidedly short. At two favorite fishing points, where the waters are usually thick with this water weed, not a single spike has thus far ap peared