Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-12

- INCE the start of the trout season
on April /, several complaints
= have reached this column about
conditions in Maryland. Mary
lands law prohibits the taking Of a
trout less than inches in length. This
size is as it should be and every honest
angler will obey the law, but in so doing
he is compelled to return to the water
many fish under size. In returning
these fish to the water many die, some
owing to swallowing the hook and others
from too rough handling. Anyhow, the
fact remains that hundreds of dead
trout are reported seen in trout streams
in Frederick County. One angler re-
ports that in Fishing Greek, which is
perhaps better stocked than any other
in Frederick County, he saw as many
as Is dead trout on the bottom in
different pools.
You can't stop a fish from taking a
lure when it is offered, but in the opin-
ion of this column the fish hatcheries
could keep these trout until they are
of legal size and then place them in the
different streams. Fish hatcherieS all
over the country are awakening to the
fact that mortality among fish Is due
principally to planting them when too
young, fry and fingerlings; an age when
they are unable to battle for themselves:
The fact that stream has been well
stocked with trout or other fish does
not necessarily mean that the stream
will become a good fishing place. There
are too many things entering into the
eternal battle of fish life to take any
unnecessary chances on the planted fish
surviving them.
Three local anglers have visited trout
streams in Frederick County twice since
the opening of the season. These men
have compiled with the law by securing
their fishing license at q cost OF $3.50
each. They flShed April l and and
returned with II or IL trout, but they
caught large numbers of them which
they returned to the water, all being
understood. How many of these fish
will eventually die is problem. Two
of the above party returned to Fishing
Greek last Saturday and Sunday and
reported that they returned to the
water about IS understood trout. Thou
sands of anglers have been flashing
Maryland waters for trout and again
there is no telling just how many hun
dreds of undersize trout were caught
by them and returned to the water,
many to meet sure death. The Mary
land law for the protection of trout Is
good, but according to the above re-
ports the fault lies in planting so many
undersize fish.
7 Asst Sunday a local angler visited
- Fishing Greek and caught a trout
which swallowed the hook. This angler
Immediately saw that the fish would
die in a few minutes and despite the
fact that it lacked one-third of an inch
of being of the legal size, instead OF
throwing it back in the water he put
it in his creel. Just as he was landing
another fish, this one being inches
in length, game warden appeared,
found the one measuring only ga
inches and arrested the angler.
Several fishermen were arrested the
same day for similar offenSes. This
column ventures to say that not one OF
these men had any intention Of violat-
ing the law. It is true that perhaps a
little discretion now and then may be
used by game wardenS, as circumstances
always alter cases, but If SO many I'M
der-Sized fish had not been planted these
unintentional violations would not occur
and so many dead fish would not be
seen.
TT is reported that the advance guard
/ of the annual run of white perch
reached the swift waters of the Potomac
River around Chain Bridge last, SUM-
day. One angler reports that he caught
q good string, some weighing ne lrly one
pound. AS reported last week by this
column, Glen G. Leach of the B lreau of
Fisheries informed us that the perch
were to be seen IN large fchool around