Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17
ROD AND STREAM
BY Perry Miller

last Thursday the two amended fish
hills introduced in the Maryland Legis-
lature to place a restriction around the
purse meters and affording better pro-
lection to the large and small mouth
bass in tidewater streams were passed
nv the Senate of that legislative body.
The bill now goes to the House. where
it is expected to meet little or no oppo-
sition.
The bill, as passed by the Maryland
Senate. provides that the operations OF
the purse meters shall be confined TO
the waters of Chesapeake Bay. and the
season for these commercial nshermen
opens July IS, instead OF June ID, under
the old law. The bass bill provides for
closed season during the months
of April, May, June and July, ana
under the provisions of the bill no bass
shall be offered for sale In Maryland
during those months and no bass are
to be shipped in or out OF the state
during that period. The rod and reel
anglers are allowed to fish for bass on
July In tidewater the same as In in
land streams.
While the action Of the Maryland
Legislature is a disappointment to many
thousands of anglers, who consider that
the compromise by the fish and game
committee of the Maryland Senate was
all in favor of the commercial fishermen,
as far as the bass bill Is concerned,
something has been gained, because II
protects these fish during their spawn
ing season, Heretofore, illegal net hsh-
ermen for bass have taken these game
fish when they were full Of spawn,
thereby destroying thousands OF future
fish. Closing of the Baltimore markets
during the spawning months, In our
opinion, is the greatest help possible TO
the District of Columbia and Virginia,
| which have a law prohibiting the sale
Of bass at any time, Neither bill was
| what the anglers wanted but it is hoped
they will serve as an entering wedge.
There is small doubt in the minds
of the anglers that the next session OF
the Maryland Legislature, which meets
| two years hence, will be forced to pro-
hibit the purse meters from operating.
There is one thing and one thing only
that the rod and reel anglers want
when they go fishing. and that Is fish.
There undoubtedly will be large num-
Der of them visiting Chesapeake Bay
again this year to try to hook trout,
rock and taylorS, but, II they are not
successful, so far as the bay is con-
cerned they will be through. And when
this time comes and they cease their
visits to the many points along the
bay and the $4,000 or $4,000 spent
weekly by them in Maryland stops
flowing into the pockets of men who
cater to the wants of the anglers, then
the legislators Of Maryland will be
forced to take the action that was re-
fused this year.
On the first Of April the trout season
opens in Maryland and Virginia. The
trout law in both states Is the same
and allows the angler to fish for them
during April, May and to June 80.
In Virginia the best trout streams
are Jackson Run, located near Ho,
Springs, Va, and two streams known
as Cow Pasture and Calf Pasture
located near Goshen Pass in Rock.
bridge County. near Staunton, about
200 miles from Washington.
The majority of the trout stream:
in Fappahannock County have beer
closed in order to stock them. It Il