The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1922-02-21
ANGLER REPLIES
TO FISH ARTICLE
Bourbon County Sportsman Answers
Anglers Objections TO Closed
Fish Season
SCIENTIFIC FACTS. 8 STATED

As member of the Bourbon
County Fish and Game Club and be
ing firmly convinced that the fish il
our streams should be protected dur
ing the spawning" season I cannot
but disapprove the article that ap
peared in recent issue of your pa.
per. The so-called sportsman who
objects to the measure to protect
fish during the Matching season evil
IDENTIFY is ignorant of the true habits
of fish, or has been grossly misin-
formed.
| Under favorable weather condi-
lions fishing is good in our streams
early in the spring, and until the
fish begin to pair off for the spawn
ing and Matching out of their young,
during which time they seldom take
bait as food. However, prior to
the spawning season, although heav-
lily laden with undeposited eggs,
they will bite rather freely. There
fore, every such fish taken from the
streams means a total loss of from
one thousand to twenty thousand
little fellers," a goodly proportion
of which might have some day
grown into sturdy tail-kickers for
the sport of the fisherman, and,
! moreover, food for the table.
1t is deplorable, yet true, that
some of our most distinguished fish
hogs during the past season with
hook and line, and with no appar-
ant sense of shame did wilfully and
skillfully and by unsportsmanilke,
unfair, and deceiptful methods take
from our streams a great number of
bass that with their God-given in
stinct, were carefully guarding their
young.
With the bass, as with all other
species of the finny tribe, the care
of eggs and fostering of the young
devolves upon the male parent who
watches over the eggs until Matched
and protects the young fry until they
leave the nest.
Due to the "cannibalistic" char
acter of the bass, only a small pro-
portion of the fry attain maturity.
1t is not logical, therefore, to con-
clude that the greater the number
permitted to hatch out the greater
number reach a fishing size
In section two referring to TAX
ing the pleasure away from the
poor" and benefitting the "rich,"
that is the same old story I have
heard since childhood. Perhaps it
would be we'll if the so-called
sportsman" would stop to think of
how few of the richer" classes act
ually fish these streams to any ex-
tent.
Section two sounds little too
Russian" for the Kentucky sports
man.
This measure is not intended to
benefit any particular class of peo-
pie, but is for the benefit and pleas
ure of all the people regardless of
class, whether rich or poor. Our
streams are open to all, absolutely
without restriction, and if a law is
enacted that will protect poor old
mother fish from the unscrupulous
'fish-hog," our streams in a little
while will furnish an abundance of
sport for an angler as we'll as a
bountiful supply of food for the ia
BILE.
Section three states "you will find
8 against to 1 for this measure. ~
This is erroneous, for at the last
outing of the Bourbon Fish and
Game Club held at Xalapa Farm
with over three hundred members
present, it was voted unani-
mously to encourage a law to protect
the fish during spawning season.
Section four states "such a law
would be of no benefit on account
of the rise and fall of our streams.
Such an argument will not hold
good. / will say, however, that tt
some extent, at least, the lowering
of the water level by the mill race
during the spawning season destroys
quite a number of nests, yet not neal
so many as were destroyed by
the ''fish-hog"
Section five attempts to leave the
impression that nine hundred ani
ninety-nine out of every Thousand
fish Matched do not stay in the
stream of their birth. This state
ment is erroneous. Scientific data
furnishes an abundance of proof thai
fish habit certain selected district!
which to them is home. They leave
it only in search of food, or to give
way to increasing numbers.
Section six is most absurd wher
it states that eff this measure be-
comes law and fishing prohibited
from April Goth to June LIST the
streams would become overstocked.
1t moreover contradicts section five
and is inconsistent to the extreme