Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-05
STANDS up FOR
RIGHTS OF POLE
Line FISHER
c. c. Campbell Declares Law is
Framed for Commercial, not
Sporting Purposes.

Rock Island, July 5.-Editor
The Argus: In your issue OF July
appears an article In regard to fish
ing in Rock river within 100 feet OF
the dams. According to the warden
SIS against the law to fish within
100 feet of said dams.
1 should like to ask through your
paper why it is against the law t.
fish within 100 feet of the dam and
yet 1t is perfectly lawful TO Ash
within 101 feet of said dam. what
harm can come from fishing with
pole and line right up against the
uam?
Is it the man with a pole and line
that is DISCRIMINATING the fish IN
Rock river? Nine out of ten men
who fish out at the Rock river
dams fail to get a good mess of
fish. The fishing at these dams is
controlled wholly by the Mississippi
river. In high water the fish come
UP to the dams from the Mississippi
and in low water they go back
again. Therefore our fish come from
the Mississippi
Now. then, it is perfectly lawful
for man to go to Iowa and pay
$40 for license to use a tramInei
net 300 feet long, and a little more
for longer one, with the privilege
of using it from shore to shore. This
net is used for what they call a
floating set, or Juggling" At any
rate, it is stretched across part OF
the river and arranged so that it
floats in a perpendicular position,
the current carrying it down stream
and the fishermen following IN
boats. Every fish travelling up
stream in that part of the river, if
it strikes the net, is enmeshed with
no chance of escape. That is per-
fectly lawful
And yet a man with a pole and
line within 100 feet of the dam, with
some sort of bait, trying to induce
fish to bite-and it is an even
chance that if it does bite it getsi
away without being caught-that
man is a law-breaker. 1t is almost
criminal to be caught in the act.
The law also says that every
dam or obstruction of the river
where the river is completely shut
off must have a fishway of sucn
proportions as to allow free pas
sage of fish up or down stream, La. I!
the dam at Sears has no tisn way
in it. When the water gets low in !
Rock river the power company J
places planks on top of the dam, |
thereby shutting the water off en- |
tirely. 1t is done so suddenly that |
what fish are at the dam are pen |
ned in and with no way to escape. |
The south channel is almost dry. |
Thousands of CLAIMS and fish die
every year from that, and yet there
is no complaint.
But the man who wants to go /
fishing with pole and line is made |
the goat. AS everybody knows the |
only place in Rock river to fish f.
with pole and line is within 100 feet
of the dam.
In looking over the game and
fish law one can readily see that
these laws were made for the COM
mercial fishermen, or the fish hog.
There are more fish caught in tram
mel nets on one Saturday evening
between Rock Island and AndaIusia
than are caught with pole and line
within 100 feet of the dams in two
months.
I would like to impress it on the
mind of every man who likes to fish
with pole and line and at the
dam, that his rights as a free
American citizen are fast disap-
pearing. According to our constitu-
ton our government is of, by and
for the people. Therefore that fish
ing hole in front of the dam belongs
TO the people. If we expect to main
tain our rights as citizens we will
get busy and organize ourselves to
fight against the monopoly of the
commercial fisherman, and every
must remember that our
state legislators are responsible for
the law as it stands.
CHARLES G. CAMPBELL.
Editors Note-Mr. Campbell
seems to be misinformed in regard
to the absence of a fishway at the
Sears dam. There is one, though it
is probable that a fish would break
its neck If it tried to negotiate NJ