The Washington herald., 1919-03-29
Fishing
BY Dick Peed

/ many a plan well laid for tomorrow.
The fierce northwest wind has
blown almost all semblance of tide
and good portion of the water out
of the river and 1t will be several
days before the tides will become
normal or the condition of the
water fit for fishing except for cat
4 fish. However. local sporting goods
houses have blood-wor orms and If you
| are eager enough to try a forlorn
hope, go to 1t.
Dale Sheriff and Benedict Kirsch.
two printer-anglers, were among the
early birds of perch fishermen on
Wednesday afternoon. They caught
a string of more than thirty perch
Of fair size. fishing from a boat just
below Fletchers.
Every angler who INDUCES in the
pursuit of bass should Join the Po-
tomac Anglers Association. The in
itiation fee is but 81 and II the aims
of the new organization are followed
out there will be ten bass in the Po-
tomac and its tributaries where now
there is one.
| Monday will be the last day for
legally taking bass until Memorial
Day. Be true sport and obey the
law.
Raymond Streeter go E street south
| west, made an auspicious entry for
the Atlas Sporting Goods House prize
for plymouth bass last Wednesday.
| He caught two bass. casting live bait
from the wall of the Tidal Basin. The
largest fish weighed 5lh pounds, and
second one. 81.
Word comes from Benedict that hard
heads have already appeared there
and are being caught in nets. How
ever, we do not vouch for the authen-
ticity of the story and only give it for
| what 1t is worth to you.
J Al. Ford, avant-courrier of the
Shakespeare Manufacturing Company,
| Kalamazoo, Mich, makers of fish,
ing tackle. was in town two or three
| days this week visiting the trade and
making some .lew friends among the
| Washington fishermen. Mr.. Ford Of
fers one of the finest split bamboo
rods made by his company for the
| largest small-mouth bass caught be-
tween the opening OF the season on
| Memorial Day and November Is. To
become a contestant for this valua-
BILE prize your fish must be seen
and weighed by a representative of
| The Washington Herald. Contest
ants will be confined to Washington
ians or residents within twenty-five
miles of the District of Columbia.
II. II. Jefferies caught a string of
! GSht
one Of the piers OF the long bridge last
TUESDAY There were no whales in
the catch, but the lot weighed forty
five pounds.
Russell o. Beane. chief statistician
at the Government Printing Office.
tried his luck casting -non, in 49,
Tidal Basin one day in the early part
of the week. He LANDED I.Lee 49,
bass.
! Charlie Holbrook is on a ten day
leave of absence, eight of which he
proposes spending fishing for perch.
The perch season will. no doubt, be
much earlier in the District this year
than usual, providing the condition OF
the water is cleasS The movement of
streams for the purpose of depositing
their eggs depends both upon the
warmth and the clearness of the wa
ter. In the upper stream of the Po-
tomac no ice or snow of any conse-
quence has formed during the winter,
and the smaller mountain streams are
comparatively clear End unusually
warm for this time Of the year.
While the run of perch is on in the
Potomac. the best locations for fish
ing easily reached by boat or street
: car will be found between Georgetown
and the Chain Bridge. Very few
perch are caught from the shore, and
those always of the small variety.
The most successful fish from a boat
anchored generally near the channel,
fishing with line sufficiently weighted
to carry it to the bed of the river.
II On account of the rocky bottom of
the river bed, sinkers, lines and
hooks are frequently lost in one
4 days fishing. This may be over
, come to some extent by tying a cot
, ton string or other easily broken
string of about one foot in length
on the end of the line; then fasten
the sinker on this line with the
snooded perch hooks adjusted on the
line proper, one at the end of the
line and the other about eighteen
!, inches above. with this arrange
ment of hooks and sinker in case OF
entanglement usually the sinker
alone is lost.
1t is by no means unusual to catch
two good-sized perch at one time
and with a timber rod and light line
one may experience the thrill SINH
lar to catching the more game and
livelier fish. At times the larger
perch will take small minnows, al
though the best bait is the common
angle worm or blood-worm, which
are sold by the majority of dealers
in fishing tackle and sporting goods.
Too large a bait should not be
used; a piece of blood worm that
covers two-thirds of a perch hook
being sufficient.
II one does not meet with a
catch within half an hour after an
choring, II is a good plan to move
elsewhere and hunt the fish as they
swim in large schools. When the
i fisherman locates one of the schools
he is assured of lively sport.
My experience has been that the
perch move with the incoming tide.
and the best catches are made when
the tide is coming in or at it's
height. inexperienced boatmen
should use caution in anchoring or
fishing in the swift water near the
Chain Bridge. as the water is very
deep and with a powerful under
current. Carelessness in dropping
the anchor in the boat may spring
a leak or knock a board from the
bottom of the boat, which would
be very dangerous to one not ex-
pert in swimming.