Casting Digital Nets

Rapid City, March 9, 1930.

Mr. A. G. McBride, Commissioner, Department of Game & Fish, Lake Andes, South Dakota.

Dear Mr. McBride:

I got in touch with Duffy Algar Allgier and find that the seining crew has not to date shown up at Lake Andes and presume from present indications that they may not get down there until just as the ice is or has gone out of the north end of the lake. Duffy said he was getting in touch with some-one someone connected with the seining work and taht as I understood him to say, he had talked or heard from "Moose" Randal.

The sum and substance of the letter enclosed, copy of letter sent to Duffy today, I talked over with him on the phone, station to station call at $.75 so the expense was not great and I wanted to be sure whether or not they were seining at this time down there.

I am making an effert effort to get in touch by mail with Mr. Randal in order to be sure that things will terminate in the proper manner at Lake Andes this spring in reference to the Carp Some part of the Randal outfit is just starting operations again at Hendricks lake from a word I got from my supervisor there, so will trace "Moose" from there since I believe his borther brother is the one operating at Hendricks at this time.

Had some difficulty getting through to Rapid owing to that big storm out Midland way but plows etc. were rapidly getting the road in shape.

truly yours,

. Ripple

Rapid City, March 9, 1930.

Mr. "Duffy" Algar, Lake Andes, South Dakota.

Dear Mr. Algar:

Carp.

In line with our talk over the phone today, Mr. McBride told me at the Pierre meeting that he understood the seiners would be down there ready to start operations at this time. Mr. Randal phoned me a couple weeks ago that he had a man down there watching conditions for the spring seining and that just as soon as conditions were right that the crew would be on hand to again try for Carp.

As I understand conditions, the smallest freshet came early this spring and so far as this freshet is concerned, the crew was not there to work under the ice. However we must deal with present and the near future conditions and I know as well as Mr. Randal that little can be gained by trying to seine under the ice the while the soft weather of early spring will put water on the ice and otherwise make conditions for working on the ice anything but satisfactory or safe.

If the warm weather continues until the break-up, I cannot see how much can be accomplished until we can seine in open water at the north end of the lake where the remaining Carp that have been attracted by the fresh waters will remain until such open water seining is attempted. So speaking, I am at the mercy of the Randals to be on hand for such open water fishing since they have promised me all winter that they would do the work of spring Carp fishing down there.

Bass.

Referring to our conversation in reference to the Bass pond etc. The bottom of the new pond should be burned off or mowed off if it is not dry enough to burn and the bottom if it can be arranged, plowed up and dragged or leveled off so we can later in the season, plant water vegetation. We will have a heap of green algae or green slime as it is commonly called, in that new pond the coming summer in any case and as is always the case in the flooding of water over land the first year, but we will have less of the nuisance if we can plow up the bottom and turn under the land grasses and weeds. There will be no reason to hurry the filling of the new pond with water since that can be done much later on.

Mr. Algar Allgier . . . 2,

We should make every effort to obtain breeding Bass from the seining operations or otherwise in order to get the parent Bass from the lake as soon after the ice goes out as possible, the breeders thus gotten for use in the new pond this season. Any breeders taken this spring can be placed in the lower or old pond until we drain that pond down to sort what breeders for males and females that we have there.

It is my opinion that possibly we will have better results in the nesting and hatching of Bass in our new pond this year that in that old pond for various reasons and especially so if we can arrange to get the bottom of the new pond burned off or mowed off and plowed and leveled up over the area of the bottom that is not under water at the present time. The area of the new pond that is at present under water at the center over the lower part of same and covered with cat-tails will not be harmfull harmful as it is for it will affort cover for young fish and is water vegetation in itself.

Personally, I have considerable work out here in connection with some new road grading at the hatchery and numerous other details to look after previous to turning east for the spring work at the Pike hatcheries, Bass hatcheries and the rough fish work at various places so kindly keep me informed in reference to when anything is attempted in seining at Andes As you say, you can arrange to look after any seine hauls and getting the new pond in condition until such time as I can go from here to Andes and then to my other eastern work.