Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-13
Lively Tilt Over
Question Ice Fishing
In Belgrade Lakes

Question Ice Fishing
In Belgrade Lakes
Extent of the honesty and integ-
rity of the Maine fisherman Is the
| sizeable question confronting the
members of the inland fisheries and
game committee as the result of a
somewhat spirited hearing held
| Thursday afternoon on the PROPOSE
| ton of allowing ice fishing on waters
| of the Belgrade chain.
The pending bill to allow ice fish
| ing for smelts and pickerel had
| plenty Of support in the hearing and
| opposition about equally as formida-
BILE. In the latter element was Ches-
| ter Thwing of Belgrade, speaking as
| a camp owner along that chain OF
| lakes. who declared that he knew
| that camps along the lakes would be
broken into by those who would take
advantage of passage of the ice fish =
ing bill. This had happened years
ago when ice fishing was permitted
| and he was sure it would again. This
was one Of his arguments against
! passing such n bill.
Then along came Brother Francis
| ThWing, also a camp owner and a
| the bill because he felt certain that
! while the bill specified ice fishing for
smelts and pickerel that the fisher
| men along the lakes would suddenly
forget the differing earrlarks of
smelts. trout, bass, salmon and pick
| ercl IL they CHANGED to pull any of
| the kind not specified in the bill.
especially if fish warden did not
| chance to be near by.
! Charles Hill of Belgrade, another
| opponent OF the proposed measure,
was also somewhat doubtful of the
honesty of ice fishermen to throw
| back salmon. trout or bass that
! might be caught while fishing pre-
, sumably for smelts and pickerel.
Gee, they must think fishermen
are lot of crooks" commented one
| prepayment of the bill to friend.
| The hearing started amicably
enough with Rep. Edward l.. Hall of
Waterville explaining briefly the pur-
pose of the bill. Then Carroll n.
! Perkins of Wateryille rendered the
committee petitions for passage of
| the bill as signed by sol persons on
| one sheet and ISL on another. Point
| ing out that the bill would permit one
| day week of ice fishing for pickerel
! and smelts alone Mr.. Perkins said
| he believed that taking pickerel
| through the ice would actually help
| to preserve the fish supply in the
| Belgrade chain, as pickerel consume
many small fish and are therefore a
| menace to the black bass supply.
DIR. Z. W. Payne of Winslow said
! that Belgrade Lake was once known
! the country over for It's famous black
bass but that this supply had dwin-
| died because Of unrestricted fishing
| and improper legislation. Some
years ago. when the supply first
started to give out. interested fisher
men Of Belgrade began stocking the
| waters with trout and salmon but
because of the pickerel and bass in
| the lake this supply did not greatly
| increase and he felt 1t now time to
| return to the old time habit Of stock
| ing the waters with bass. He stated
that it was truth that every pond
that has had ice fishing for years IS
Astounding with black bass in sum-
| mer, proving, he felt that Ice fish,
ing would be n benefit.
Charles Anderson Of Belgrade said
his town had voted almost two to one
in town meeting for the ice fishing
bill and John Gleason OF Oakland
said his town had similarly voted
approval of the measure. Willard
Gleason, owner of the Snug Harbor
Camps. said that as a camp owner
dependent on the summer fishing
visitors for his livelihood he favored
the act. At request of Chairman
Crafts OF the committee all in favor
of the bill arose, about 25 persons
from Waterville. Oakland. Belgrade
and adjacent towns being counted.
- e.. h. -,
Charles Hill said that he would
favor ice fishing IL 1t were possible
to restrict the fishermen to taking
of smells and pickerel alone as pro-
vided in the bill. This could not be
done, he believed.
Here rose the usual fshermen's dis
cussion as to who caught the biggest
fish.
Mr.. Hill started 1t by telling Of
New Jersey man who caught sal
mon weighing better than II pounds
from Belgrade Lake in 1918. winning
first prize for the entire United States
for that year. Immediately another
disciple of Izaak Walton arose and
said Mr.. Hill was wrong because he
had seen two salmon. each weighing
II pounds, taken from Moosehead
Lake in 1913. Chairman Crafts
thought this argument irrelevant to
the question and ended It.
Henry l.. Hunton of Waterville also
opposed the bill. stating that where
as black bass may have been plenti-
full in Belgrade years ago the pro-
ponents of the measure who made
that statement did not seem to realize
that years ago a matter of hundreds
of fishermen came to Maine while
today thousands are seeking bass.
He could not see, therefore, why ice
fishing should be held up as the
remedy for this d'windling supply.
A proposed measure to defer the
opening of the open season for catch
ing bass and perch was the center Of
an interesting hearing.
The opposition Immediately got I'M
der way with Henry Hunton of Wa
terville leading the discussion. Rep
resenting camp owners alorg Bel
grade Lakes Mr.. Hunton said passage
of the bill would be almost a fatal
blow to the camp owners along the
lakes who depend on the visiting
fishermen who come there during the
months Of April, May and June.
Daniel Marshall. owner of the ia
maica Point Camps in Belgrade, re-
iterated that passage Of the act would
keep out Of state sportsmen from
coming to Maine In those early
months. Edwin D, BeSsey of Oak