The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1921-03-26
SEASON
TO OPEN SOON
COOPERATION URGED BETWEEN
SPORTSMEN AND WARDENS.
FISH ABUNDANT
Can Sell Bear Skins and Meat Now.
How Spawn Are Secured and
Where Young Fish Are Planted

Where Young Fish Are Planted
Fishing will be good this year, as
good as Stevens county has ever
known and probably better. because
of the fact that the hatchery has
been increasing its plant every year
for the past eight years, is the sub
stance of a statement made by G. j..
Rhode. superintendent of the hatchery
in Colville. The fishing season opens
April /, with very few of the lakes
and streams accessible on account of
the condition of the roads.
Fish in Stevens County Waters
Stevens county abounds in streams
and lakes in which there is good
fishing. the best fishing grounds de-
pending, of course on the fisherman
and the condition of the water and
the weather at the time, as fish are
moody and affected by the weather.
Eastern brook trout are in the ma
iority in Stevens county waters.
More lake trout are taken from Loon
Lake than any other body of water
in the county and the trout from
that lake are large, weighing from
8 to 35 pounds. Bass, rainbow and
eastern brook trout are to be found
in Loon lake. Waits lake is the
best for silver trout. Eastern brook,
rainbow and cutthroat are to be
found in the Pend O'Reille lakes.
Some of the lakes west Of Bossburg
contain nothing but bass. At North
port there is good fishing on the
Big and Little Sheep creeks for
eastern brook and cutthroat. Mill
creek is fshed harder than any other
stream near Colville. Little Pend
Oreille river will not be open for
fishing for two years.
Sportsmen. Lend Hand
Fishermen and sportsmen could
furnish the wardens and game COM
missioners valuable information each
year and in other ways assist the
wardens in enforcing the game and
fish laws, if they so desired. Mr..
Rhode states that each sportsman
should constitute himself a game
warden, not particularly to make ar
rests or report any violations, but to
prevent the violation by calling any
ones attention to the fact that they
are exceeding the limit or otherwise
violating the law. The fisherman is
right on the job and very often they
run across conditions that the war
dens would not find once in month
and if the sportsman will throw his
influence for the protection of the
game and the enforcement of the
law, it will have more effect than
any warden's work, because it will
throw the impression to the violator
that unless he obeys the law, he is
going to get in bad with the better
class of sportsmen if they would
lend a hand with this work.
Over Million Small Fry
There are 100000 small fry in
the hatchery at the present time for
free distribution in the public waters
of Stevens county during the coming
week. Mr.. Rhode has an order in
now for 100000 rainbow trout from
Wisconsin and a trade under way for
100000 steel head fish which are SINH
lar to rainbow and the state has
promised the same number, so there
are enough contracted for to fill the
hatchery again as soon as the present
lot is planted.
The Planting of the Fish
Where these small fish are planted
in the streams, depends on how the
stream is fished and the water sup
ply. Some of the streams that
would be large enough, are not suit
able for the planting of fish be-
cause the water is taken for irriga-
tion. Mr.. Rhode states that they
endeavor to plant where there will
be the least danger of the large
fish devouring the smaller ones and
in this the sportsmen, cooperating
with the wardens would be of assia-
tance in informing the wardens
where the big fish are to be found.
One precaution taken is that of plant
ing just few in a place, to string
the plant out along the stream. In
lake, the system is to take the
little fish out in a boat distance
of two or three hundred feet from
the shore and row around in a circle,
planting few fish in a place at
intervals of several feet If the
little fish are planted too near the
shore, they are washed up by the
waves and perish. When planted
further out, there is no danger of
this. When the little fish are three
to five months old and about IL