Evening star., 1931-12-07
= LEN G. LEACH, chief Of FISH
culture of the United States
i Bureau of Fisheries, in his


i Bureau of Fisheries, In his
speeches before fishing clubs
during the past year, has stressed the
need of rearing pond or pool for bait
for the anglers. Leach asserts the bu-
reau receives thousands of requests for
bass and other fish each year to be
planted In different streams, many OF
them within a comparatively short dis
tance of Washington. One Of the prin-
cipal articles of diet for these fish are
the minnows In the streams. He said
that while the bureau is working over
time to supply these requests, anglers
and river men constantly are depriving
the game fish of their food by seining
minnows from the streams.
Acting on Leach's suggestion, the
Washington Chapter Of the Izaak Wal
ton League of America has taken steps
to carry out his program. 1t has made
arrangements with Harry D. Bailey
we'll known boatman at the east end
OF Renning Bridge to handle the bait
problem for the anglers Of Washington
Bailey has been supplied with
brand-new seine and immediately will
start to gather smelt, pike and bull
minnows and place them in a specially
prepared pond, where they will be al
lowed to propagate. The pond will be
fed by the rise OF the tide in the East
ern Branch, and the little fish will re-
ceive their, microscopic diet from this
source and also from beef hearts and
other tempting morsels, eagerly sought
by the denizens of the deep and recon-
mended by the Bureau of Fisheries
With his new seine Bailey expects TO
have large number of smelt, bull and
pike nlinnows on hand this week for
anglers who have not put away their
rods. The smelt will be sold for rs
cents dozen and the bull and pike
minnows at Is cents q dozen or two
dozen for as cents.
THE bass season above tidewater
/ came to an end in Maryland De-
cenber /. In Virginia the season
will remain open until March Is. In
tideWater in Maryland anglers seeking
large mouth bass can fish until next
April.
Despite the cooler weather local an
glers still are casting for plymouth
bass with varying luck in the lower Po-
tomac on both sides of the river. In
salt water in the lower Potomac we are
informed that two Baltimore anglers
last week made a good catch of rock
fish and trout off Rock Point. These
fish were seen here in Washington by a
friend of this column.
George Knight at Leonardtown re-
ports that few anglers who fish for
the sport OF 1t, in spite of the
rainy weather, have been returning
with small strings of rock averaging
from five to six pounds, caught trolling
tho hast R~I, L.
of st. Patricks Greek, in the lower Po-
tonac.
John Choporis Of Balmers. Md,
trolling off st. Patricks Greek last
Tuesday landed four rock weighing
from four to six pounds. He said sew
eral other boats were noted, but that
they reported mo luck"
W. j. Leishear has received a report
from the Eastern Shore around Thigh
mans Island that rock fish still are
cutting up capers." With John e.
thompson, his partner, Leishear is plan
ming another trip across the bay after
some of the "hig fellers." Ieishear on
his last trip, with B. B. Hunt, landed
some rock running from z to IL pounds,
but he said he lost a lot of strikes be-
cause he had only 35-pound test line.
oil LIS ue8t Trip ne plans to use 72-
pound test line. Leishear claims to have
seen rockfish breaking water weighing
as much as 40 pounds, and he thinks
some OF the strikes he lost were from
these big fish.
THE American Game Association at
i its recent meeting In New York
City unanimously adopted a resolution
requesting the nine remaining States of
the Union which have no closed season
on bass to adopt one. 1t is understood
that these States provide no spawning
grounds for the bass and that they are
allowed to be caught at all times.
Talbot Denmead, law enforcement
officer of the United States Bureau OF
Fisheries, who has just returned to
Washington from this meeting, informs
us that it was the largest attended of
any meeting Of record.
Much interest was manifest at the
meeting in the question Of raising quail
Heretofore this was thought to be i'm
possible. Now thousands of these birds
are being raised, chiefly in MARYLAND,
Virginia and North Carolina, and are
taking the place of the birds imported
at cost Of $3.50 each from New Mex