Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-09-27

In his letter Col Sheriff. asked the
bureau officials when they wanted to
have the racks installed and was In
formed by Commissioner O'Malley
that, Ia his opinion, the best time
would be next February or March.
This change in the plans for tbs
installation of the fish screens from
this Fall to next Spring, according TO
the Bureau of Fisheries, was made
after careful consideration. In the
first place 1t is the intention of the
commissioner to have the Tidal Basin
seined just as soon as vegetation died
down and all undesirable fish taken
from it's water, principally carp and
catfish. The carp are particularly de-
structive to the spawn of the bass.
After this work has been completed
the bureau figured that cold weather
will have set in and 1t will be much
harder to collect the fish to be planted
Commissioner O'Malley plans to col
lect some 5000 aduf. Ash to be planted
in the Basin next spring. some time
around March. A conservative esti-
mate of the result of next years
spawning would place about 100000
fry in the Basin. Under normal con-
ditions these fish should develop and
gain about a pound year.
Now everything is ready to proceed
to finish this project with the excep-
ton that the anglers of the National
Capital have not done their part,
namely. have not sent in their sub
scriptions to close the $1,000 pledged
to Col Sheriff. when the proposition
was first undertaken.
The fishing fund today amounts to
s522.75. which leaves a balance of
S477.25. Surely the sportsmen of this
city will do their share and make up
this balance. This project is not a
dream, but reality.
Glen c. Leach, head of the depart
ment of fish culture of the United
States Fish Commission. has stated
that he knew of no better place in the
whole United States for the breeding
of these fish than the Tidal Basin, and
reiterated his statement made last
Spring that not only will Washington
be provided with an ideal breeding
ground for plymouth bass, crappie
and sun fish, but that as the fish ma
ture 1t is his intention to liberate, at
stated intervals, many of them to
stock the Potomac around Washing
ton. the Georgetown Channel. Little
River and the Eastern Branch, and
possibly many of the creeks and coves
of the lower Potomac, both on the
Maryland and Virginia sides.
Some question has been raised by
anglers as TO the effectiveness of these
racks, and when the question was put
to Leach he said that he had just re-
turned from trip to Maine, where he
inspected a -15-acre lake where the
same kind of a rack had been placed
by the Bureau of Fisheries to prevent
the escape of trout. He said before
these racks were installed from 10000
to 5000 trout were lost annually, es.
Gaping out in various other streams
and feeders. Leach said his recent
visit was the first since the racks
were placed over a year ago and that
nothing but praise from all sides was
heard about the good fishing now to
be enjoyed in that lake.
The first two Sundays i'm October
will be busy ones for many of the local
anglers, when the Potomac Anglers
Association. chapter of the 1Zaak Wal
ton League of America, and the Ma
tional Military and Sport Shop will
hold their annual fishing excursion to
Chesapeake Beach.
On Sunday, October 4, the Potomac
Anglers Association. WIN visit the
beach on their excursion and a big
turnout is expected of both men and
women. A special train will leave the
District Line at $50 am, returning
at $50 pm Special prizes have been
donated by the leading sporting goods
stores and by The Washington Star
and the Washington Times:
The rules for the contest, as laid
down by the executive committee, con-