The courier-index., 1920-10-29

the Marianna Fly Fishing Club does not close until Sunady, October 31 it is reasonably sure that Dr. A. H. Cohen, who caught a bass in Old River on October IT, weighing four pounds and twelve ounces, has won the first prize of $50 in gold, and H. M. Jackson who caught a bass weighing four pounds and six ounces in Mill Seat Lake on Monday August IT, has won the second prize which is thirty dollars worth of fishing tackle. The con test opened on March 22 and is to close on October 31. Under the rules no bass was to be counted un- less the fish was caught on fly rod and in Lee county waters. The weights were made at Daggett's drug store. Each member of the club contributed $2.00 to the prize funds and in addition several prizes have been offered by Maxcy Daggett, dealer in fishing tackle, and by sev- eral out of town sporting goods houses. Those who caught bass large enough to be entered were re- l quired to register their catches in book at Daggett's drug store and were also required to make affi- davit that the bass was caught on fly rod giving the make of the rod, the kind of lure used, the date of the catch and the lake or river in which it was caught.
 | The contests were organized last year but on account of the early overflows no big bass were caught. Rex Pollock, a mechanic in the | Griffis and Newborn garage won first prize with bass that weighed only three pounds and thirteen ounces. This year, however, the | fishing has been much better and as the table above indicates, the con | test has been rather spirited. A number of big bass have been caught in Old River weighing from five to eight and a half pounds but they were taken on casting rods with nine and fifteen-hook minnows and not on delicate fly rod with only one hook.
 If the weather is clear during | November it is expected that bass fishing will be good in Old River and in the numerous lakes within radius of ten or fifteen miles of Marianna. The one fly in the fish ing ointment this year, however, has l been the activity of market fisher men who have spoiled several of the best lakes with their seining. Lark in lake, four miles from Mariana, one of the best bass lakes in the county, has been ruined this year with seining. Roaring lake, also within few minutes run of Mari anna, has been no good this season, on account of the seining. Long lake, above Cody-always a fine bass lake-is now being seined. The market fisherman, with his seins, may not catch many bass or crappie, but he destroys their breeding places and runs them out of their nests and keeps the water so stirred and | so muddy that those who indulge in live bait or artificial bait fish ing can get no sport. While the law gives the fisherman the right to seine with a net with meshes not less than 21a inches square and the net not more than 100 feet m length, and permits him to catch and sell fish over certain lengths and weights, the average market fisher- man is not over scrupulous Tn con forming to the provisions of the law. He may be honest enough to throw back into the waters the un- der sized fish or those under weignt' but the chances are he has so ser iously injured the fish that they die.
 The legislature of 1919 so shame fully emasculated the law protecting fish and game that the amended law gives little relief from the dep relations of the market fisherman. movement is now on foot to have a special game and fish act passed applicable to Eastern Arkansas only If the members of the general as- sembly from the hill counties do not want a drastic law protecting the small amount of game and flsh they have, it is argued the people of Eastern Arkansas have no ooJec- tion to the absolute repeal or all protective measures so far as they
 may apply to other sections ot the state, but there is not the shadow of a doubt that the people in East, ern Arkansas where there are still few deer, turkeys and game flsh
 want corrective and protective meas ures passed that will conserve the
 rapidly diminishing wild life. A: rule the market fisherman and game hog is man who has httie or no interest in the community Some of them pay poll taxes but tht
 bulk of them own no property ano , are interested solely in capitalizml the fish and game for personal prof
 if and in many cases they dispose , of their catches outside of the state %-&-%-&-@-4-$-~-~-~-9~>-%-0- : whelming defeat of every ca , Iov,4t Iovrr,o vrho hos a6O-anf