THE BROOK TROUT Fr ' ^E Brook Trout—When Taken °M Fas^ Co\D Waters—Offers Light L«Cklea Angler1 S Sporta O N„ Iith
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BBSSP**""!, *!r' NSYL OFFICIAL STATE PUBLICATION VOL. XVIII—NO. 4 APRIL, 1949 PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION JAMES H. DUFF Governor ,£L. Division of CHARLES A. FRENCH . Commissioner of Fisheries PUBLICITY and PUBLIC RELATIONS J. Allen Barrett Director MEMBERS OF BOARD CHARLES A. FRENCH, Chairman PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER ELLWOOD CITY Fred E. Stone Editor MILTON L PEEK South Office Building, Harrisburg, Pa. RADNOR SEN. A. H. STACKPOLE DAUPHIN 10 Cents a Copy—50 Cents a Year Subscriptions should be addressed to the Editor, PENNSYL BERNARD S. HORNE VANIA ANGLER, South Office Building, Harrisburg, Pa. Submit PITTSBURGH fee either by check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Stamps not acceptable. Individuals sending casn do so at their own risk. WILLIAM D. BURK MELROSE PARK—PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER welcomes contributions and photos of catches from its readers. Proper credit will be given to con PAUL F. BITTENBENDER tributors. Send manuscripts and photos direct to the Editor WILKES-BARRE PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER, South Office Building, Harrisburg, P.. CLIFFORD J. WELSH ERIE Entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office of Harris burg, Pa., under act of March 3, 1873. LOUIS S. WINNER LOCK HAVEN, PA. IMPORTANT! H. R. STACKHOUSE The ANGLER should be notifi ed immediately of change in sub Secretary to the Board scriber's address. Send both old and new addresses to Board of Fish Commissioners, South Office Building, Harrisburg, Pa. Permission to reprint will be granted if proper credit is given. C. R. BULLER Chief Fish Culturist Publication Office: Telegraph Press, Cameron and THOMAS F. O'HARA Construction Engineer Kelker Streets, Harrisburg, Pa. ROBERT P. DEITER Comptroller Executive and Editorial Offices: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Board of Fish Commis sioners, Harrisburg, Pa. TT COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF FISH Let's Be Consistent COMM ISSIONERS HARRISBURG, PA. A N AVERAGE Citizen was walking to his office one morning. His "*"*• way led past the hardware store and he stopped to see what was new in the sporting goods display. Happening to glance into the store, he saw a lounger snatch a pocketknife from a rack and conceal it in his coat pocket. The Average Citizen was outraged; bustling into the store he called the proprietor and told him about it, pointing out the culprit who lingered by the counter. Mr. Citizen and the owner accosted the The Angler thief and held him until a policeman could be called. In jig-time the scoundrel was on his way to jail and the Average Citizen was re ceiving the owner's thanks for his prompt, public-spirited action. Later that morning, a friend called on the Average Citizen. Both were ardent quail hunters and the talk soon turned to the late quail *he Brook Trout 3 season. The friend passed on some information about a certain locality Heddon Fish Flashes where, he said, a mutual acquaintance had reported getting his limit easily one day. The Average Citizen laughed. ^r°ut Fishing Tactics 4 "You don't know how Jim got his limit so fast? He slipped in on By Donald S. Shiner the refuge. And it wasn't just a limit—it was quite a bit over." —• "No!" exclaimed the friend. "That's hard to believe. Are you a t and Mike and the Rainbow sure?" Trout 6 By Don Blair "I ought to know," said the Average Citizen. "I watched him •• do it." «le Unexpected 7 "But that's breaking every law in the book! Why didn't you tell By Albert G. Shimmel the game warden?" Mr. Citizen glared. "Think I'd tell on a man? Besides, it's the ^ood Old American Fishing ... 8 warden's job to catch him—it's none of my business." By Joseph Marshall They said goodby, then, and the Average Citizen returned to work. When he got home that night, and sat down to dinner, he Tr'cb in Landing Fish 10 regaled his family with the events of the day, emphasizing—with By Frank J. Floss conscious virtue—how he had twice demonstrated his code of ethics. Mrs. Citizen applauded dutifully, but 14-year-old Joe was silent. a- Reptiles & Amphibians . II "What's the matter, Joe?" his father asked, with heavy humor. By Hal H. Harrison "Don't you approve of my conduct?" C| "I—I guess so," Joe said, squirming, "but—Dad, if you helped ub Activities 12 arrest the man in the store, why didn't you help the warden? Wasn't Mr. Jim breaking the law, too?" '°ur Fishing Photographs .... 14 "You don't understand, son," was the indulgent reply. "The man By Dick Fortney was stealing. Jim was just outsmarting the warden." -» Joe slipped out of his chair. His face was red. "Mr. Jim was opening Day 18 stealing, too!" he declared. "I want to go hunting when I grow up, By Bob Moog * and so does Jim Junior. If his father and other fathers break the laws and kill more'n they oughta, there won't be anything for us kids to ^•th the Outdoor Writers ... 20 -* hunt. He was stealing—from u;s!" And then Joe ran from the room. ^ater Silk 21 The Average Citizen, his imouth open, stared after him for a By Carsten Ahrens moment and then picked up hi$ fork. "That boy!" he exclaimed. "I -»— can't figure him out. Saying Jim was stealing those quail; arguing Str eam-Side Life 23 that I should have told on a fellow-sportsman!" By Robert Leo Smith Mrs. Citizen didn't look dutiful now. "Well, he was breaking a law!" she snapped. "That isn't just his game, but Joe's, too. What's the difference if it's quail or a jack-knife?" And she walked out also. 6 credit The Average Citizen looked hurt. "Women!" he growled. "Kids! t L to Hal Harrison's good photog- in i ^e sno* was *a'ten on Kitchen Creek You can't reason with 'em. They're so inconsistent!" Luzerne County, a typical Pennsylvania u ° ntain brook trout stream. W. O. N.—Missouri Conservationist 1949 Season, Size and Creel Limits on Game Fishes, Etc. in Pennsylvania MUSKELLUNGE JULY I TO NOVEMBER 30. NOT LESS THAN 24 INCHES. 2—(one day) LARGE MOUTH BASS JULY I TO NOVEMBER 30. NOT LESS THAN 9 INCHES. 6 (combined species) {one day) BASS: White, Crappie, Strawberry or Calico; SUNFISH or BLUEGILLS, (any time of year, no size and 15 combined species of each). ROCKBASS, (otherwise known FROGS as Retf-eye or Goggle-eye); YELLOW PERCH; CATFISH; SUCKERS; CHUBS; TERRAPIN JULY 2 TO OCTOBER 31. FALLFISH; CARP, [any time of year, no size, 15 in one day. EELS, (any time of (Red Leg) [Sunday excepted) year, no sizes, unlimited}. BAIT-FISH or FISH-BAIT, (any time of year, no sixes, 35 NOVEMBER 2 TO MARCH I* NO SIZE. 15—[ono day) of each or 50 combined). (Sunday excepted). NO SIZE- 5—(one day) PENNSYLVANIA ANGL* Heddon Fish Flashes Edited by LOU S. CAINE JyTUCH of the glory and romance as- i * sociated with the trout family can , e credited to that speckled beauty, the °r°ok trout. Dear to the heart of the r^ist fly fisherman, the "brookie" , a choice prize, either streaking . °ut at the end of a taut leader—or ^zling in the skillet. {L °- 1 on the hit parade of fly casters, , e brook trout holds the same spot ,ere that the bass occupies among £lug casters. Perhaps it is due to that Peculiarity which makes the brook out seek out the less frequented Waters. n Nearly every brook trout fan has his secret" good holes, far off the beaten Fath, which he will divulge to none Vii hosom buddies. Such an angler , lu toil through miles of tough cover th reac^ his haven, considering two or ree modest-size specimens as ample ie^ard for his pains. jJue to its varied diet and lusty ap- THE BROOK TROUT fr ' ^e brook trout—when taken °m fas^ co\d waters—offers light l«Cklea angler1 s sportA o_n„ iith. e_ 1highes •_! t England states, the brook trout is now hangout—the wider his menu. Ordi Maail e. Beautiful, game, speedy, rugged found from Georgia north to Labrador narily its diet will consist of flies, i., ^ delicately delicious to eat—the and west to Saskatchewan. worms, insects, small fish, nymphs, j r°okie" deserves every measure of mollusks and crustaceans. ts It has been introduced in most likely esteem. waters in the United States but is not Each angler has his personal con i<i. he specific name—fontinalis—means native west of the Mississippi except in coction or variation but, generally lying m springs." The following collo- Minnesota and Iowa. It has done well speaking, wet or dry flies, spinner and Jal names are derved mostly from in the west and runs from the cold bait combinations, wilder dilg spooks, ppearance and habitat: Eastern brook mountain streams of California, north spinning lures and small midgit-Digit k°ut> speckled trout, square-tail, trout. to British Columbia. casting lures are widely—and effec °okie, mountain trout, native trout Fishermen who know the score will tively—used. atld coaster. work the riffles, eddies, rips, deep pools Although fly fishermen probably are Strange but true, the brook trout is and undercuts along banks, logs, rocks the most loyal subjects of his nibs, the to U?^y not a trout but a charr—due and other similar spots where the cur brookie, others also find its favor. They Mr if hone structure of its mouth rent naturally carries along food for are taken spinning, still-fishing and jj Jch differs from that of a true mem- the taking.