The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-08
State Is Supervising Work of
Transforming Ponds Into
Fine Lakes.
BETTER PICKEREL TOO

ALBANY. Aug. "A campaign for bet
Ger fishing. which will transform two
private ponds into fine trout lakes and
greatly improve the pickerel fishing in
q third private lake and In several OF the
public waters. is on In Sullivan county.
The work Is being conducted under the
supervision OF the Conservation Commits
sion. and at the Joint expense Of the
HARDWOOD Club, the Fallshurg Fishing
and Boating Club and Ambrose Mcneil.
HARDWOOD Lake, of thirty acres. owned
BY the HARDWOOD Club. and Mcneil Lake.
OF fifty acres. owned by Mr.. Mcneil. are
being drained and cleaned OF coarse fish
preparatory to stocking with trout. They
are ideal trout waters. fed by good trout
brooks. and originally contained nothing
hut the gsmy speckled fighters. So
long ago that the time Is not remem-
bered. however. and long before the ad-
vent Of scientific fish culture. plckerei.
perch. sunfish. bullheads and suckers
were introduced by enterprising natives
Of the lower Catskills. on whom an ex-
elusive diet of trout was palling. Their
misdirected efforts are now beirig un-
dom at considerable cost.
Permission to clean the lakes was
granted By the Conservation Commits
sion on condition that the fish taken out
should not be thrown away and that
the pickerel. which give fine sport in
many other waters, be transferred for
cross breeding. The redistribution of the
pickerel Is In charge OF J. T.. Scott OF
Middletown. president OF the Fallsburg
Fishing and Boating Club. They are
being put into Fallsburg Lake. the prop.
sa- ~ shA ~ En1l0hr0 IA
into public waters now inhabited by
pickerel which cannot be well cleaned
Of these coarser fish.
1t Is believed that the introduction OF
this fresh stock will materially improve
the pickerel fishing within a short time.
The lakes were first stocked with but a
few specimens and the small size OF
those now caught leads TO the belief thaf
the stock has run out and that the new
strain from the HARDWOOD and Mcneil
lakes will result in large sized fish.
A deep channel. low enough to drain
che lake down to a small rivulet carrying
only the water from the inlet. was dug al
the end OF HARDWOOD Lake. This artifi-
cial outlet was screened to prevent the
escape of the fish. and another screen
was placed In the inlet TO keep them
from running up.
Turtles for the aquarium
As the water receded word spread
among the summer residents OF Sullivan
county that something was doing and
that the bottom OF the lake might yield
unheard of monsters. From DR.. Town
send OF the New York Aquarium came
q request that any large swapping tur-
ties discovered be Grated and shipped to
him. He Is planning also 10 get pickere!
from one of the lakes for the AQUARIUM
tanks. On the day appointed for net
ting to begin automobiles were parked
in the open spaces about the lake and on
the banks were arrayed summer visitors
from all the surrounding country.
Before this grand stand appeared Wes-
ley Decker of Middletown, professional
in such operations. with a corps of as
%sistants. They were spick and span, ana
one OF them wore new white oNeralls
The bottom OF the lake lay before them
with the water but a narrow stream III
the middle. Upon this bottom they
strobe, n had gone scarce two steps
before 1t opened and swallowed them to
their middles. For a good three feet IN
most places the bed of the lake was COW
cred with muck and ooze, sound enough
20 the eye but sucking and holding at
every step.
Hin deep in this Shiny sediment OF
: years, and sometimes up to the neck IN
water besides, the netting went on. The
D4lneS were nduleu 10 III uctcpliNS S'c
and the fish removed to a small woven
wire crate. which stood in the water,
From this they were transferred to a
larger enclosure at the outlet, where
they could wash the mud from theiT
Gills. They were then placed In tanks
on an auto truck and carried eleven
miles to Fallsburg Lake and to the other
waters selected.
The netting and redistribution are
- hF Nh az IA No
chief game protector of the southern
division. and Protector Eugene Cross
As soon as II Is finished at HARDWOOD
Il will he started at Mcneil Lake. The
muck from the bottoms of the lakes vii
he carted out on shore where 1t can dry
and 1t will then be spread on the LAND
and ploughed In for fertilizer. This fina
cleaning of the bottom is expected e
make the removal of the coarse fisl
complete and certain.
To Improve Other Lakes.
1t Is believed by George ID. Pratt
Conservation Commissioner, that WORK
Of this sort can be effectively carried GU
In many other places where the lake:
are not too large and that fish and game
associations In all parts of the state car
materially Improve their local fishing Il
public waters by cleaning operations
financed by local subscription. Subse
quent stocking can then be done by thu
State hatcheries. The assistance anC
advice Of the Experts of the Conserva
ton Commission, he has announced, ar,
at the disposal OF associations for thi,
purpose.
In Vermont the Fish and Game Com,
missioner IL working ont scientific plans
Of treatment for all of the waters Of tn,
State, With money realized from fish
ing licenses these plans will be carried
out. The license there, which costs bu
50 cents for both residents and non
residents, with chillren and women ex
empted, 10 the result of a demand from