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PAGE FOUR Just think, by the time you read this I will be three or four hundred miles from this typewriter which has held me in bondâ€" age all winter. The speckled and lake trout know I am cominf or so Len Hughes claims. All I am hoping for is some decent weather along with the fishing. _ 2o Last year we spent twice as much time tryâ€" ing to keep the boat from being blown off the lake and us from freezing to dut:a as we did fishing. Even the trout re to come out in the cold, and fishing was poor enough to discourage the .m?s_t enth.usil.lt‘}c. _ _With rain every day of this week so far, there is the faint possibility that the weather will clear and all will be serene. Real sportsmen everywhere will rejoice in the news that Frank Slater of Owen Sound will cancel his Annual Speckled Trout conâ€" test this year. _ _ _ o Editor of the Owen Sound Herald refers to this as a "popular" contest without addâ€" ing that it was popular only with those who were fishing for what they could get and not for the fun of it. In referring to an article we wrote he says: "Insofar as ‘commercialization‘ is conâ€" cerned, we fail to see the logic behind this charge. Certainly, publicity, but why should a man be condemned for plugging his own business?" {_ Why indeed, Mr. Editor, except this contest encouraged undesirable "mob" fishing right at the start of the season when trout are usuâ€" ally easy to take. Any game or any fish beâ€" longs to everyone, but there is no point in encouraging its destruction. If our 'fiovem- mental backbone did not resemble the conâ€" sistency of a wet stick of macaroni, they would have put a stop to this exploitation of fish and game for personal gain, a long time ago. We do however think that Mr. Slater is to be commended for his abolition of this conâ€" test. Certainly the sportsmen, if not the meat fishermen, will hold him in much higher reâ€" gard. The boys from Mel Weber‘s sporting goods store will put on a tackle demonstration and SPAWNING HABITS OF FISH OUTLINED It is probable that since primitive man first acquired a taste for fish and fishing, interest has centred around the reproduction habits of this form of animal life. In primitive societies, catches made while fish were in spawning runs formed a dietary staple for many weeks each year and even toâ€"day many of our fish are of interest and value only when they are preparing to spawn. Runs of smelt which yield barrels of these little fish are yearly occurrences and, legend has it that salmon running into streams in the Lake Ontario basin were once so thick that a nimble man could cross a creek dryshod on their backs. c The complicated behaviour patterns which many species of fish exhibit during their spawning season have held the interest of naturalists and anglers through the centuries. The startling colour changes which often occur, the apparent determination to surâ€" mount any obstacle to reach a spawning ground, the preparation of nests and redds, and the battles between rival males for a mate seem to require a foresight, determinaâ€" tion and courage which would reflect credit on a member of the human species. This has led many casual observers almost unconâ€" sciously, to attribute to fish an ability to think and plan into the future in a way that would require mental equipment far above that possessed by the fish. Indeed, many adâ€" mirable human qualities such as courage, singleness of purpose, and acceptance of parental responsibility are cited by enthusiâ€" astic anglers as stars in the respective crowns of their favourite prey. Disillusioning as it may be, such an anthroâ€" pomorphic concept is not supported by scienâ€" tific investigation. Evidence indicates that the behaviour of a fish before and during spawning is the result of glandular changes brought about by changes in the external and internal environment of the individual, changes which, in most cases, follow an anâ€" nual cycle. For instance, spring spawning fish are stimulated by the warming of the water and the longer periods of daylight which accompany the onset of summer. The actual onset of the spawning urge can be gostponed for long periods by placing the sh under environmental conditions in the laboratory which would be found in winter in nature. Similarly, recent experiments inâ€" dicate that a female stickleback may be inâ€" duced to produce eggs by bunting her gently in the abdomen with a pencil, in a manner lsproximatmg the attentions which the male 0 erm'ith his snout. In fact the whole spawning mechanism may be set in motion by displaying, to the female, a red coloration similar to that taken on by the male in spawning season. â€"Fishing j T . M d Fishing y3 Supplement j( ' Supplement * 60 King S. By HERB SMITH By D. N. OMAND HUNTIN FISHIN For the largest selection of Spinning Equipment see our display. Flies â€" Creels â€" Landing Nets â€" Tackle Boxes Don‘t let improper tackle spoil your trip â€" $ We have everything you need DOUG‘S RECREATION & movies at the Wilmot Rod and Gun Club this coming Thuesday. These boys are 'flfiné‘:mmdwnumcfnhmdhvoa ghow. ¢ acmbm of this club are asked to make a real effort to get out to this meeting. The last meeting was well attended and most of the boys went away from it vowing they n ouls be Laek. This spocial. entertninment fesature should hasten your return. ticed in his Tuesday higx‘t column this week (yeah, I read it, Pete) that he advocated usâ€" Gd:: to dun,ne with our good friend Pete McGillen of the Telegram again. Noâ€" ing small hooks on trout so they could be reâ€" turned to the water unharmed. If you are a bait user &:u know what a fiulper a trout is at the t of the season. e usuaui isn‘t too active and will sit on the seat of his pants and let *z;: roll the bait practically into his mouth. n he inhales it. A small hook, such as Pete advocates, will go down the trout‘s gullet along with your ait. He may survive if you are willing to let your hook go and cut it off your leader, but if his stomach has been pierced or you tutlon the hook, he‘s a dead fish. ith a good big hook, and I recommend nothins smaller than a #4 bass hook for opâ€" ening day, he can get it into his mouth, but the effort to swallow it will, for the most B:rt tip you off and you can slap the hook to him. The big hook will hold better and will usually fasten in the mouth. It is also easier to remove. The small hook when used on an artificial does not do the same amount of damage. Trout may guzzle a juicy worm or minnow, but he‘ll slash at a moving fly. The reaction of a fly fisherman is fast enough that he sets the fly in the trout‘s mouth. Should I add, sometimes? â€" â€" RODS â€" REELS â€" LINES â€" LURES, etc. Carrying on an experiment last summer extending over three weekâ€"ends, we found that even an eight inch trout would take a two or threeâ€"inch minnow and swallow it, completely decorated with a husky #6 Eagle Claw hook. You fellows who have not taken a lake trout on a fly or spinning lure are in for a big surprise when you finally get around to it. â€" â€" â€" e We have never fished for them with the copper wire and dredging hook outft, but have been licked by them on numerous occaâ€" sions on light tackle. _ 0 0 â€" Don‘t is erstand me. I usually got the fish, byt my wiists would be so tired by the time I{slipped Zhe net under him, that it was a tossâ€"kp who won. ThesA big trout will take a streamer fly in the spring. This may seem hard to beâ€" lieve for those who have gone after them with wire line and lots of weight, but in the spring, I have actually seen their backs and Most of our Ontario fish fall into two cateâ€" gories with reference to spawning habits. Fall spawners lay eggs on rocky and gravelly shoals in lakesâ€"or streams in the fall, just before the ice cover forms. Lake trout, brook trout, whitefish and herring are in this group. These form a rather small group and the majority of our fish spawn after ice cover breaks up in the spring. These include a group which runs in streams to spawn such as rainbow trout, suckers and lampreys. Pickerel and smelt often run in streams in inland waters. Another group spawns on exposed lake shores and beaches, such as the smelt and pickerel in the Great Lakes and a third group spawns in still, quiet water in marshes and backwaters. The large mouth bass, pike and maskinonge are in th_is group. Recent investigation has revealed several interesting points about the spawning of lake trout, many of which probably apply to other fall spawning fish. The eggs are laid on the broken rubble and boulders of rock shoals in about three feet of water. After fertilization the movement of the water rolls the eggs about until they fall into cracks and crevices in the rocks, and they quickly disappear. It is probable that this saves countless eggs from the attention of bottom feeding fish which move over the shoals in search of food. A long incubation period ensues and the fry presumably hatch early in the spring. â€" Eggs which are laid in the spring on the other hand, hatch much more quickly and the fry are generally out by early summer. Our fresh water basses, which are regarded as members of the sunfish family have the peâ€" culiar habit of constructing a nest. This is done by the male fish. Pebbles and stones are nosed off the site, and silt and mud are fanned off by movements of the fins. A saucerâ€"shaped depression in clean sand, or small gravel is formed, about two or thre& feet across. The eggs are laid in this by the female, who then leaves. The male tends the nest, keeping water moving over the eggs with the fins, and driving off intruders. Other fish develop a strong urge to swim into streams, and will frequently pass strong currents and even fairly high falls before depositing their spawn. Rainbow trout, salmon and suckers are noted for this. Pickâ€" erel sometimes run in streams, but more often the spawn is deposited on the exposed shores and beaches of lakes, where wave action is considerable. â€" _ _ Our i;ik_vzv'iaâ€"rit‘iâ€"-t;;s-.fiinonge sg'awn in shalâ€" low, still water, in marshes, or s eltq‘ed b_ay§, Most species of fish spawn in rather shalâ€" low water and this constitutes an important problem. Water levels change considerably in our inland lakes, and in the case of fall spawners a sudden drop in water levels after a shallow spawning may lead to freezing and BUY YOUR TACKLE NOW AT DOUG‘S! â€" aj0wea ... MA00. _A TROUT SEASON OPENS THIS SATURDAY MAY Ist WATERLOO dorsal fin when they turned to take the fly or spinnl.n’ lure. _ Personally we think this grand fish has long outgrown the dubious standing he now has as both a commercial and game fish. From a commercial fisherman‘s net he is worth a few cents a pound. As a quarry for anglers, a conservative estimate would figure out a fifty dollars per fish. CIN;“ from the Waterloo Rod and Gun ub: At a directors meeting held recently, it At a directors meeting held recently, it was unanimously l‘freed that we start the year out right, and that our fifst meeting should be a dinner meeting. In years gone by, these meetings always proved quite sucâ€" cessful and were well attended. In view of this arrangements have now been made for a dinner meeting to be held on our next meeting date May l0th. _ _________ _ _ _ This meeting will be held at the Hotel Waâ€" terloo at 6.30 p.m. and a turkey dinner will be served at gl.so a plate. Tickets will be available up to and including May 7th, from any of your Executive members. A time limit had to be set, so that Uncle Dudley will be able to notify the Hotel in ample time, the number of meals to prepare. _ s s Highlighting this dinner meeting will be our guest speaker Pete McGillen, Outdoor writer of the Toronto Telegram, whom we are very fortunate in securing for this occaâ€" sion. Pete is well known throughout the Proâ€" vince and usually has speakini engagements booked for months ahead. have never heard Pete speaking personally, but I have talked with people who have heard him, and they all were of one opinion, that was, that he sure had a lot on the ball. Se do not delay get your tickets early and help make this one of the bamgâ€"up meetings of the year. _ This Saturday, May lst, a number of our members will be playing their favorite streams and lakes for those wary speckled trout. For those members who are not going fishing, your property committee chairman, Fred (Westside) Brohman, has a job at the Club House. This is the Saturday that Tony and his men are 1going to move the Club House and they will need any help they can get. If you are not going fishing try and be at the Club House at 8 a.m. and lend a hand. The following Saturday, May 8th, plans call for enlarging the Club House. Tony and his men are again donating of their time free, but they will need all the help they can get, from the rest of the Club members, do not let them down. â€" â€" In closing this week‘s news, I wash to conâ€" vey the Club‘s sincerest thanks to all those chaps who donated the use of their trucks and their own time to haul gravel for the road into the property, they sure did an excellent job. (Herb Smith is the editor and outdoor writer for The Waterloo Chronicle). crushing of the eggs. In the case of spring spawners, it may lead to exposure of the eggs, and loss of the hatch due to drying out. There is strong evidence for the belief that the amount of spawn deposited is not really important in the maintenance of populations. Survival of the fry after hatching is believed to be the determining factor. ~ Nature is notoriously wasteful of her proâ€" ducts, especially among her less highly organâ€" ized groups. The thousands and sometimes tens or hundreds of thousands of eggs laid by one female fish are far more than enough to completely populate a habitat, and«a loss of 95 to 99.9 per cent is to be expected. If conâ€" ditions are unfavourable for the life of the fry which do hatch, however, serious detriâ€" ment to the population may result. Such conditions may be the result of flood, drought, or inordinately hot weather, or heavy silting. Cases are on record where an entire year‘s hatch has been lost, and serious decline in fishing ensues, until the fishery has time to recover. The following table indicates in a general} way the spawning seasons of many of our Ontario fish. The data was compiled from Ontario hatchery records by Dr. H. H. Macâ€" Kay and Mr. C. Hartman. It is noteworthy that considerable variation in spawning dates is indicated. This is principally due to variaâ€" tion in weather from year to year, a late spring or early winter having a profound effect on spawning habits. Figures for the number of eggs are given in terms of the weight of the fish, except in the case of the basses. Some idea of the number of eggs deposited may be obtained when it is realized that pickerel of over 20 pounds are someâ€" times found in spawnâ€"takers nets, and masâ€" kinonge of greater size are not uncommon. Where our more valuable fish are conâ€" cerned we have come to the point where we no longer fish the spawning runs, as did our ancestors, but a visit to a spawning stream in the spring will yield dividends in interest and knowledge, if not in fish. The following table lists the specie, the spawning season and number of eggs: Speckled troutâ€"Oct. 1st to Nov. 30thâ€" 1,000 eggs per pound of fish Brown troutâ€"Oct. 20th to Nov. 25thâ€" 500 eggs per pound of fish Rainbow troutâ€"Mar. 1st to May 25thâ€" 500 eggs per ;ound of fish Lake troutâ€"Sept. 20th to Nov. 20thâ€" 500 to 1,000 eggs per pound of fish approx. S. M. Bassâ€"May 10th to June 25thâ€" 4,000 to 6,000 eggs per pound of fish L. M. Bassâ€"May 10th to June 15thâ€" 2,000 to 7,000 eggs &er pound of fish Maskinongeâ€"April 10th to Mayâ€" 10thâ€" 5,000 efigs per pound of fish Pickerelâ€"April 1st to May 20thâ€" 10,000 to 20,000 eggs per pound of fish Whitefishâ€"Nov. 1st to Dec. 10thâ€" 6,000 eggs per pound of fish Herringâ€"Nov. 20th to Dec. 10thâ€" 15,000 eggs per pound of fish (Mr. Omand is the District Forester, Lake Erie district. Department of Lands and Forests) Waterloo, Ontario, Friday, April 30, 1964 Phone 2â€"5792 Rainbows Favorite of Yank Angler Trout fishing is the most exasperating form o{) lnnxling. and also one of the most pleasurâ€" able. Far more persons are skunked on trout water than when chasing walleyes or any other freshwater game fish. A recent creel census taken in the North Bay regions, by Lands and Forests reveals it takes two hours flshini, on the average, before getting a bite. This, I feel is gross optimism. For trout I‘d make it one fish for ever 10 hours angling. The casual sportsman reads of lunkersâ€" three, four, five pounders, etc.â€"taken by soâ€" and so from suchâ€"andâ€"such a lake or stream. It sounds ridiculously easy. Yet the reason such incidents reach print is because they are the exception rather than the rule, thus are news. You never read of the millions of trout angling hours that pass without a strike. Why, in some of the best trout water in this province I‘ve gone 38 straight hours without even a strike! Yet another time on the same :aters I could have kept my limit within an our. Well, that‘s trout fishing, and it‘s my conâ€" tention that only one out of ten trout trips amounts to anything fishwise, although most of them may be pleasant enough jaunts. Which brings up the hoary old chestnut of the joys of just being out in the open and who cares a fig if the fish aren‘t biting. Hah! Let‘s be honest. If we only want to walk in the outdoors why tote a flshin&hpole along? We go fishing to catch fish. ich doesn‘t mean we are fish hogs, for the vast majority of finny scrappers can be returned to the water unharmed after a good bout on rod and line. TROUT _ NEWS AN DBy!!E!WI%Al PPRETE SUR C By E. R. MEADOWS Saturday, May 1st, again marks the opening of the Trout Season in Ontario. â€" s Some fishermen have already opened the season on their own and those who have been appreâ€" hended by our officers surely now realize that it would have been less embarassing and cheaper to have waited until May 1st. Three cars, fl.shi;g equipment and fish were seized in the Owen Sound area during the F”t three weeks for the taking 0 l_hint_:ow_’l‘rout‘ But back to trout Seasons are set by the Departâ€" ment for the protection of fish. The season is never open when protected fish are spawningâ€"alâ€" though the pike season is elosed for a period of 1‘% months from April Ist to May 15th, it is posâ€" sible for warm weather to set in which may cause the spawn in the fish to mature earlier. _ The -&éfi season also protects the fisherman, as everyone is then on an equal par the opening date. No person, this year, can be in possession of more than one day‘s legal take of each kind of m- tected fish. For example, a â€" erman may take and put on ice 15 Speckled Trout, 3 Brown Trout and 2 Rainbow Trout the opening day. The following days of the open season he could take 2 more Brown Trout and 3 more Rainâ€" bow Trout, which would then be his limit of possession. As long as these fish are in his possession he cannot take any more of these species until he has disposed of them â€" It‘s not easy to tame and hold a huge maskinonge for spawning, but these Lakefield rearing pond attendants know how to get results. A thumb and finger slid along the belly of the fish forces the eggs from the egg sac. This does not harm the fish; many are retained and proâ€" vide spawn for five or more years before being released in natural waters. There is no change in the length limits of trout, but a fish is now measured from the end of the snout to the end of the tail. Forâ€" merly fish were measured to the centre of the tail. _ _ If you desire to fish in Southern Ontario where the land is privateâ€" ly owned, it is advisable to obâ€" tain the landowner‘s permission. Better public relations will result By BOB TURNBULL Your Fishing Headquarters for 1 9 5 4 LIPHARDT HARDWARE W damnably unpredictable critters. 1, for instance, was a blustery, cold, rainy day on which, by the book, no selfâ€" l?oetlna trout should have been stirring. Yet the speckleds and rainbows hit like crazy. It is claimed that a slightly overcast, © REELS ® LINES ®©® FISHING RODS cnzl It is claimed thal a slightly overcast, mild day with a soft southerly zephyr is the perfect trout weather, but I‘d hate toâ€" estiâ€" mate how many times I haven‘t caught trout on such days. That is what the beginner in trout fishing must learn â€" gcy little attention to what you hear or read. Just keep the lure in the water, even in the most unlikel{ places, times or weather. I know a creek in the Toronto suburbs that no respectable trout nnTler would look at, but not being respectable I‘ve taken many a nice panful of brookies there in the past couple of years, plus a few smallâ€" mouth black bass in late summer. In general â€"for it doesn‘t always hold true, save for brown troutâ€"trout are shy, scary fish. So whether you are worming, fll;y fishing or spinning the idea is to stalk the prey like a heron: step carefully, watch, Wwait, alert to strike. Don‘t go clumping along the bank like a cart house or wade a stream like a wallowing buffalo. Take it easy, go slowly. Take reasonable care to stay out of sight of trout, especially those browns, which might mean casting from well back on a stream bank to some likely looking trout lair, or even using nearby shrubbery as a blind. I know one spinning expert who often decks his hat and clothing with grass reeds and leafy twigs and who will wriggle along on hands and knees to stalk a big fish. He gets them, too, on a much higher percentage than most of us, so his theory must have something. Clothing is important. Wear drab colors to approximate as closely as possible the surâ€" roundings in which you are fishing. White or yellow shirts or sweaters, for example, are gaudy danger flags to any fish. Better a dark green shirt or a brown one. 16 King St. South This color business extends to boats, too. I much prefer to use a dark grey or green boat (possibly a weathered red one) to a sparklingly clean white craft. _ All the foregoing is just logic, like not silhouetting oneself against the sun on a high bank; and fishing upstream because that is the direction in which trout face waiting for the current to bring food down to them, (and IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY â€" The Waterloo Rod and Gun Club brought the lure of the great outdoors inside for the hundreds wo visited the Arts and Crafts show in Waterloo last week. The display was designed and conâ€" structed by members of the club.* LIM IT ED WATERLOO who has ever seen a worm sW the current?). It is much easier to fish down»â€" meum.too,butuyouninlnxu fiou will find it more profitable to your rst beat upstream and cover any high .fl where you might have missed an strike, on the return trir' downstream. This is the gospel of all g spin fishermen. No matter your form of angling a long leader is a must in trouting â€" at least 7 feet, with 9 to 14 feet even better although a bit harder to handle. Now for a word or two about bait. Don‘t stick exclusively to worms, but give the fish some dessert once in a while to perk up their appetites Live minnows are exâ€" tremely effective, better than worms in my book, particularly in lake fishing. Hook a minnow through the lips ahead of a small spinner and troll slowly â€"just fast enough to keep the hardware rotating â€" behind boat or canoe. Grasshoppers are dandy come midâ€" summer. Hook ‘em through the collar and toss, kicking, onto the surface of a deep cool ggol. Best time to collect the ‘hoppers is fore the dew is off the grass and they are still dopey. Crickets pay off, too, quite often. Helgramites are pretty good, but not as effecâ€" tive as they are trumped up to be, in my opinion. The foregoing is good not only for trout, but bass fishing, too. When it comes to flies and streamers I prefer darker patterns. Jack Sutton‘s Despair is by far the best allâ€"round fly. With it in your book you rarely need anything else! Well, maybe a badger hackle or deerhair streamer to be used to fish ‘em deep and brought up in darting jerks â€"but first be sure to give lots of time for the lure to get ‘way, ‘way down. Purely personal is my feeling that the bulk of North American anglers use fly and streamer hooks in far too large sizes. I inâ€" cline to the European taste for small hooksâ€" 12, 14, 16 for trout patterns, maybe an 8 (rarely) or 10 in waters where the fish run large. Coming to spinning lures you can‘t go wrong with the following in your tackle box: halfwave spoon, Record spoon, RB spinner. A new Mozzi spoon introduced this Spring is said to be a knockout, but I can‘t speak &.et from personal experience. I‘ve yet to d a midget plug worth a hoot where trout are concerned, and no great shakes either for other game fish. In spinning it seems best to stick to spoons and spinners. Now you‘re all geared up to *go trouting. My advice is not to worry too much about the technical, or tackle side, of this sport. Use light gear, small lures and a long leader. Most important of all is to study streamcraft â€"the where and why and habits of trout, what they eat and where they rest, water temperatures, etc. It‘s a fascinating study and the deeper you get into it the more and more mysterious avenues that open up to explore. This is the sort of thing that makes angling a greater pleasure than just latching on to loads of fish. It is the thing that helps une over the disappointments of the many slow days and permits one to say quite truly that fishless days can be funâ€"sometimes. Do I contradict what I said earlier? Probâ€" ably, which just proves that trout anglers, like their fish, are exasperating fellows. (Bob Turnbull is the outdoors editor for Globe and Mail, Toronto) PLUGS