The Washington times., 1938-06-10


over $4,000.
Bob Wilson 900 pounds
annually and the Chesapeake
Bay area gives up three.fourths
Of the Atlantic States yield.
The maximum size is about
20 inches in length and 4
pounds in weight. The croaker
reaches an average length of
about 6 inches at the end of its
first year of life and about 812
inches of the second year. On
the average. an 11.inch croaker
Is 4 years old.
It's Croaker time in the Chesa-
peake and if you're hardhead
inclined now is the time to take
the best of the season.
Here's a sample of how the
hardheads are being taken on
the GOoseS. Last Friday eve.
ming. from 6 to 10, Mr.. and Mrs.
Bisselle. Mr.. and Mrs Swanton
and the Messrs. Jack Cassel.
bury, Hildebrand and Donald.
son boated 247 fish, ranging
from IL to 334 pounds in weight
Capt. Clinton Pearson, of Ken.
wood Beach, whose reputation
as an expert boatman is never
questioned. was the guide of the
night.
Herring Bay is enjoying the
greatest early-season hardhead
fishing in its history and boat
men operating out of the locality
at Deal, Md. declare that 1888
has all the makings of banner
year Only yesterday Gerald
Ladner, John Shupe. Thomas
Arnold and Charles A. Thurtell
boated A croakers. averaging
212 pounds each.
The boatmen of Deal. Md. on
Herring Greek, at Twin Bridges,
know the waters of the CheSa-
peake and have a reputation of
never coming into port with their
flag lowered, indicating no
catch. Their way of finding
fish is uncanny, whether it's
trolling, drifting or still fishing.
A popularity contest for fish
Is being launched. The National
Wildlife Federation, which Spon.
sored Wildlife Week, proclaimed
by President Roosevelt last
March. wants to know the social
standing of various members of
the bass, trout and other fish
families.
There are about 100000
fishermen in the United States"
says Carl D. Shoemaker, eXeCu-
tive secretary of the National
Wildlife Federation, but what
they think about various species
of fish is a mystery.
Perhaps the mighty muSkel-
lunge is the favorite in northern
States, but again it may be the
toothsome bluegill. What rates
higher in the South. the large.
mouth bass, or the sporty crap.
pie? Among trout. is the rain
bow king, or the brown, or the
brook? What salt water species
are in highest favor?
We're trying to find out, and
we'd like to have a vote from
as many fish fans as possible"
If you have any favorites
among the finny clans let this
column know and we'll tell our
readers.
Through the help of Earl God.
win, of the White House staff,
we give you fine fish story:
Fishin' time-and the PreSi-
dent of the United States holds
up White House business to
view a silver chest full of the
mystery trout from Mystery
Pond at Ossippee, N. H. Trout
which in two years grow to be
a foot long and four inches
thick, which is gigantic size
for a four-year-old trout. And
these are brook trout, too. Put
into the old Snake Pond on the
old Wood place at Ossippee, N.
H., about two years ago, when
they were mere three-inch fin
gerlingS. The Snake Pond was
just an old quarry hole and the
State game commission wrote
Mr.. Wood what he calls "a
nasty letter" for throwing
away" 5000 fingerlings in that
useless spot.
But today. the President of
the United States has these mys-
terry trout from the old quarry
hole, which is now called 'Mys-
terry Pond" because scientists
from far and wide have been
delving and dredging. analyzing
and specializing on what it is
in the old quarry hole that pro-
duces Gargantuan sized brook
trout where no one thought
even a mud turtle would grow.
Probably the reason for the
huge brook trout on the White
House table is the presence
of almost solid microscopic
water animal life in this myS-
terry pond which is presumed
now to be an outlet for a long
dead and forgotten volcano. as
the scientists have dredged up
from a 65-foot depth a handful
of solid lava mud. In addition,
the water in the old pond never
gets above 80 degrees even in
summer