Evening star., 1925-01-11

John L. Buckin CHAM, well known
local angler, paid the writer a visit to
praise the movement and to lend
whatever assistance he could He
said he had fished the upper Potomac
more than 43 years ago, and that for a
great many years always returned
with eight or nine good sized small
mouth bass. Il could have taken so
bass from the water had l wanted
them, but l always have been con-
tent TO take only enough for my per-
sonal needs"
He added he used to catch bass
ranging from 21a pounds 10 5l2
pounds, but that in recent years he
considered it a waste of time to fish
in the upper Potomac, adding that for
the last three years he had not been
on the upper river at all.
Many Are at Fault.
Some anglers have gained the i'm
preston that this movement is aimed
at the rod and reel fishermen; that
they are the ones who are depletin &
the upper river-of small-mouth bass.
That is erroneous. OF course, some
of the rod and reel anglers are not
content with a small number and are
willing to take home with them all
the bass they catch, irrespective of
the minority.
This movement is started, first of
all, to have closed season of three
years in order to restock the stream
and allow the fish to mature and be
unmolested during the spawning sea-
sons. Then an effort will be made to
stamp out the following evils: Taking
of more than 10 bass iH any one days
fishing; catching of any bass that
does not measure 10 inches; the use of
out lines, which include any use of
live bait to catch bass; netting, gig
ing and traps.
One letter says eff you want to do
something real big, stop the tannery
at Williamsport from dumping refuse
into the river" The refuse, it claims,
covers the whole stream with tannic
acid, which not only is harmful to the
bass, but affects the eyes of fisher
men, causing them to become sore and
swollen
Another letter says that one of the
chief causes of the depletion of small
mouth bass is that no one ever sees a
game warden anywhere along the
upper Potomac to enforce the laws
already in effect, and so it goes.
A few of the most interesting let
ters concerning this movement are
printed herewith to show the different
ideas and different violations of ex-
listing laws.
Would Halt Sales.
Your article of January was
very interesting to all who follow the
sport of fishing for large and small
mouth bass in the waters of the Po-
tomac. L am in accord with your
movement for closed season for
these gamy fish, but do not think
you have gone quite far enough
with it,
There is no doubt that some rod
and reel fishermen do hog it quite
often, but, however, / do not think
that even the hogs could hurt tic
any great extent the breeding of the
| fish in such a natural breeding place
as the waters of our great Potomac
even though they did exceed their
quota a few times each season.
What 1 would suggest at this time
| to combat the depletion of this won.
| derful fighter is a good, solid, strin-
gent law prohibiting the sale and in
! terstate shipment of both large and
small mouth bass for an indefinite
period, said period to be regulated by
! the United States Bureau of Fish
| cries.
For example, say we have a closed
season for three years only and still
| have the sale and interstate ship
ment law effective until the bureau
has gone far enough ahead with its
work of propagation to see fit to re-
| scind the law for commercial fishing
| This Ghree-year closed season.
am sure, would not be too much of 9
hardship on the angler and at ths
same time would give the fish Z
chance to breed sufficiently for an
| Cling purposes. Furthermore, swisl
to state and I think every reals hon,