Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-17

| Sportsmen have put away their guns
! and Ammunition for the season and are
giving thought to spring fishing. The sea-
son for duck shooting in the District of
/ Columbia closed more than u month ago.
and there is no open season for quail. so
/ that there is no available game in the
! District
| when Congress enacted Il law to pre-
vent the shooting OF quail in the District. "
! remarked sportsman, discussing bird
protection. 'iit was done for the purpose
! of protecting the birds. but the lawlnak
| ers fell short of the mark. They should
have shortened the season for the sale of
birds killed in other Jurisdictions
He added that the season for selling
| quail does not close until the middle of
March. South Carolina. he stated. is the
only state that permits the killing OF
quail so iaie in the season.
! SO the quail that are received from
! other places late in the season. the
! sportsman observed. must be outlawed
birds. and. to MY mind. it is Just as bad
| to permit the sale Of such birds as it
would be to permit them to be killed in
! the District. ....
THE harm is done in other sections.
he concluded. land it is evident that the
| birds are not given the protection in
I; tended
Quail have not been plentiful this sea-
son. it is noted, though number of gun
, ners had good shooting in Maryland and
Virginia. Wild ducks have been fairly
+; plentiful all winter, gunners say. and To-
! cal sports,nen who visited nearby places
! returned with bags filled with ducks and
! geese.
a
| made records shooting rabbits. and some
| few were able to return from Maryland
! or Virginia with a turkey or two.
| But no more shooting until next year
| was the sad remark of one of the experts
who possesses an ample supply of am
munition and good gun.
/ While many anglers We're t41king about
! the possibility of landing Mississippi cat
fish early IN the season. Mack Spar
I. rough took a supply of shad bait went
to the deep water a short distance above
| the Aqaeduct bridge and succeeded in
getting fish enough to increase the num-
Der in his big aquarium.
What is there 10 prevent them from
i.bitin2? he wanted TO know OF the
tSportsEuan Who always willing to
discuss fishing problems. but who dc not
take Kindly to suggestion that fishing
i.can be done in cold weather
/ Only few of the faithful. ones We're
i
but they did not actually go TO it until
! Mack Sparrough had set the example.
The three days preceding the cold snap
the enthusiastic angler landed total
OF about twenty Mississippi catfish.
! Warren Reed. William Wynlloop. John
Sebastian and Thomas Collins learned
of the successful catches. caught the
fever and, later caught fish. Other
anglers also learned Of what was doing.
and last Sunday fully twenty of them
We're on the river
! John Sebastian holds the record for
the biggest fish caught this year having
landed an eightpounder. Mack Spar
rough has caught the greatest number.
"A four and half pound fish is worth
handling. Sparrough remarked. point
ing to his specimen. and it gave me a
strong fight.
Fishing with two hooks. SparrouGh
managed to land two ,hrec-pound fish al
Il time.
| Il could scarcely realize what had on
my line he remarked. 1T never dawned
upon ne that [ would get two fish at a
time, especially at this season. aud when
TIN. fish pulled in opposite directions
aaS puzzled.
But 1 landed the pair.
Speaking Of fishing for Mississippi
cats" said Sparrough to Star re-
porter. the great trouble with the I'm
successful angler is that lie uses bait
that is large enough for Il whale.
Many fishermen do not have proper
bait" he declared. The only bait for
such fish early in the season is the en-
| trails of shad, and shad are in season. It
makes no difference If the shad has been
frozen
Further discussing the question, Spar
| rough stated that so many sportsnel
think it is necessary to feed the fish great
chunks of bait. but the idea is wrong.
Bait the hook with enough of the entraiis
to a lit c more than cover it, and be sure
the hook is not too big.
"A hook Il little larger than what is
used for perch fishing is what is neces
sary" he said. land such a hook will
land the largest fish the river produces.
| And there are some whoppers in the
Potomac"
He explained that the bait should be
neatly trimmed with scissors in order
that no torn pieces will bangle from the
/ hook Improper bait. he said, often
means the loss of hsh.
Charles r. Holman and Edward A.
Strachan, anglers and gunners, had a
| successful season at Aqua creek. They
caught fish and shot rabbits and birds
and their trips proved SO enjoyable that
they have located log cabin for oc-
cupancy in the future.
Plans for bungalow had been pre-
pared for them. but before they COM
pleted arrangements for its construction
they found a log cabin tnat had not been
they wanted
1T is already furnished, commented
Holman. thinking of the early opening of
| the spring fishing season
Holman was at the cabin week ago.
He went down there to inspect the build
ing. and he admitted he would have cast
a line had he thought there Were any
fish there to take the bait Shooting from
| shore. he killed two mallard ducks.
| II might have killed a turkey If |
hadn't been frightened he said.
He was strolling near the shore, he
stated. when a noise startled him. and
looking i'll the direction from which the
noise proceeded he spied a big turkey. A
second turkey came in sight. but it was
too far away He got neither.
e. p. Sterick and Thomas C. Malone
we're at Owinss Calvert county. Md,
shortly before the close of the cunning
season, and We're surprised at their good
/ luck.
a When fellow goes cunning late in
/ the season." commented Sterick. he is
t naturally surprised if he gets bunch of
birds.
I'VE got forty-six BIRDS he said
Oh inc d,,,.