Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-14
TROUT STREAMS
FULL OF FISH
Thousands of Fine Young
Specimens PLANTED
by the State

Harrisburg will be eating the de-
licious trout tomorrow night for sup
per it all tokens observed at the State
. Department OF Fisheries do not fail.
! Never has there been such excitement
over this delightful sport, and the city
to-day was alive with buying of tackle.
| so orisk a patronage that all sporting
stores threatened to be cleaned out be-
lore tonight. as the season opens to-
morrow. Fishermen are blessing their
good fortune in having a man like y.
h BuiIer as Commissioner of Fisheries,
I ior MS efforts resulted in adding two
mlillon trout TO the PENNSYLVANIA
streams since last August. They ever
age from TO inches and the winter
was so mild and ideal for these beauti-
iu game fish that they grew into big
tat fellows and will now make the very
t'neSt game until August /.
So eager has the public been that
the Fisheries Department to-day has
It's hands full in taking care of many
hundred culprits who broke into the
season ahead of time. Every county
is reporting its quota of slackers who
took desperate chance on beating the
starting gong and now the eXcheuuer
Will be fattened by thousands of fines,
for II costs ten spot for every trout
captured out of season or under six
inches in length.
The Fisheries Department had a big
squad of sleuthS out all week. and the
bag is something phenomenal Aiding
were the State Police and the Game
! Protectors and many n sly fisherman
who thought he could evade. fourd
; himself caught in the act The State
Police We're telling the story to-day of
District Judge who mistook one of the
officers for a fellow fisherman up in
Lycoming county. and displayed bag
of beauties many of which were under
size. Il guess you'll have to come along
with me-" said the policeman disguised
as an Isaac Walton, and showed his
badge.
The judge put up an awful squack.
but had to pay sT5 fine. He wrote
four pages demanding the dismissal of
the officer. but Captain Lumb replied
in four lines thanking him for calling
notice to the officers efficiency.
The criminal fishermen have no ex-
cuse. for fishing is without license now.
and the State has been mighty generous
in its stocking operations. The next
fish to be scattered in our streams
abundantly is the bass. now being grown
in the hatcheries at Union City and in
Wayne county.
Trout live on flies and bugs and
vegetables" explained one of the Fish
cries officials to-day. "and they know
how to care for themselves. In this
particular neighborhood we stocked
with the brown-speckled variety. but
in colder sections of the State with the
brook trout. They develop to weigh as
much as pound and there have been
records of two-pound trout. Each
fisherman is permitted to catch % a
day. which certainly is fair limit. for
the only way 10 give the sportsmen
run for their money is to protect sharp
ly. A bill is now before the legislature
to issue a fishing license for nominal
sum, and If this passes our Department
will have some badly needed funds
wherewith to increase our stocking
plans. All hatcheries are running full
swing now, but funds are needed to
increase the output. The trout like
cold water and so they stick to the
smaller streams. which are so healthy
for them. 1t should be emphasized that
every fisherman learn how to take out
a hook carefully so that trout under
size are not ruined. II the hook is re-
leased properly the fish does not suffer
and is soon kicking with life.