Evening star., 1932-05-08
FINEST FISHING
IN YEARS IS SEEN
Fisheries Bureau Chief De-
cIares Conditions Favor
Big Catches.
BY COMMISSIONER HENRY
O'MALLEY,

United States Bureau of Fisheries.
Many Washington Easements and
attics are serving as a hideout for the
bead of the family while he is perform
ing strange rites with rods. reels, lines,
lures and other angling paraphernalia.
This is sure sign that the fishing
season is abca5 x E1rst into fl%' bloom
like the cherry blossoms
This army of anglers is. of course,
wondering whether the prospects for a
successful catch are favorable 1t is
my opinion that the average angler may
reasonably hope to do as well as, or
better than, he has done for several
years. Water conditions are probably
as favorable sS we can reasonably hope
to expect, and this factor has tre-
mendous influence on the seasons
prospects.
Must Depend on Nature.
In Chesapeake Bay the angler will
have to depend largely on what Nature
has been doing for him. since Federal
and State Conservation Departments
have little latitude in improving the
abundance of the fish which inhabit
Chesapeake Bay and the lower Potomac
Certainly, the curtailment of purse nets
in the former area should leave many
more fish to keep the angler satisfied
The restriction upon the sale of bass in
Maryland. which became effective last
year, may not accomplish great deal,
since it fails short of what is required;
but 1t will certainly have some bearing
on the happiness of the bass fishermen.
AS far as fishing in the inland waters
within reasonable distance of Wash
1ngton is concerned, the prospect is
also pleasing The Conservation De-
partment of the State of Maryland has
accomplished wonders in producing and
distributing an abundance of legal sized
trout for waters in Washington, Ale
gany and the Western counties.
The Bureau of Fisheries is putting
into operation a new hatchery in JEFF
ferson County, w. Va which will also
be supplying young trout for Western
Maryland. West Virginia and Northern
Virginia. These fish, however, will not
be sufficiently large to enter into the
fishing picture during the coming
NeaSon.
Conditions Favor Anglers.
Water conditions in the bass streams
IN this area, including the upper Poto-
mac. Shenandoah and others, should be
all in favor of the fishermen. Aside
from The DdSS WHICH Jle F6Qera1 ana
State hatcheries will place in these
waters, we should now begin to receive
the benefit of the phenomenal hatch of
bass which occurred during the drought
season in 1880. All reports indicate
that the bass population took tre-
mendous upward juBp during that
year, and if the subsequent low water
did not have too haf,aful effects, these
fish should be reaching catchable ma
turity this season fne curtailment of
fyke nets in the tributaries to the Poto-
mac close to Washington, such as Oc-
coquan Bay, Hunting Greek, etc, should
likewise give a favorable break to the
large-mouth bass fishermen who fire.
QUent these areas
The role of prophet is a dangerous
and thankleSs one, particularly when
the seer attempts to prognosticate fish
ermen's chances. The prospects are all
favorable. however, and there is every
reason to expect that there will be
more fish than alibis brought back TO
Washington when local anglers return
from their week end journeys to Chesa-
peake Bay, the Potomac, Shenandoah
and the trout streams of Western.
Maryland and Northern Virginia.