Pennsylvania

JANUARY 1983

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'OONNZH Since March 1975, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been required to exert broad authority over both freshwater and saltwater wetlands. When the Corps was given this responsibility we were somewhat apprehensive, but as it turned out they have done a fine job. Although we lose between 300,000 and 500,000 acres of wetlands per year, it could be more than double that number without the protection of what is called Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Section 404 is a per­ mit program that allows dredging and filling of wetlands and waters, but applicants must justify their requests, which are reviewed by all federal and state resource agencies involved. In May 1982, the Presidential Task Force for Regulatory Relief announced a series of reforms, stating that the 404 permit program could be streamlined "without sacrificing its environmental protection." The streamlining has been extreme, and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works William R. Gianelli is systematically destroying the effectiveness of wetlands protection. In his keynote address to the New England Governor's Conference on September 21, Mr. Gianelli boasted, "One of the things we've managed to do is eliminate the referral pro­ cess." Appeals to 404 permits, which will affect other federal and state resource agencies, can only be referred, or "elevated," if Mr. Gianelli personally agrees to hear the appeal. On July 22, 1982, the second stage of the Task Force's recommenda­ tions went into effect with the Army publishing new rules for its regula­ tory program. The regulations expand existing nationwide permits to include all waters and adjacent wetlands above the headwaters, and all isolated waters and wetlands. This regulation would remove protection from almost 900,000 acres of prairie potholes, 1-2 million acres of lakes and associated wetlands adjacent to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and here at home, about 73,000 acres of wetlands in the Pocono Mountains. Furthermore, approximately 75 percent of the wetlands in Vermont would be left unprotected. In addition to other changes, the Army has directed its district engi­ neers to issue "statewide general permits," which delegate granting 404 permits to the states. We maintain that this delegation is illegal. In fact, the district engineer in Buffalo, New York, has said that such de facto delegations are illegal. We wonder how long he will remain the district engineer. On August 23, 1982, the National Wildlife Federation and other environmental organizations gave notice to the Corps that they intend to sue if the nationwide and statewide permits are not withdrawn. Write to the Congress and express your strong support for wetlands protection and for the retention of an effective 404 program. Ask them to look into the deliberate gutting of the 404 program by the Corps, in blatant violation of the Clean Water Act.

ub> 'Pennsylvania JANUARY 1983 VOL. 52 NO. 1 FIND GRA VEL BAR

QUICKLY. A New Appoach to Ice by Gerry Kingdom TAKE 4 The author reveals his step-by-step secrets of ice fishing success. Game Plan for Winter Bass by Jim Gronaw ANOTHER 8 Here are the specifics for taking bucketmouths through the ice. The Bicolor Leatherneck by Chauncy K. Lively TURN. 12 This out-of-the-ordinary streamer could help you increase your catch. Jj"*f bass game plan page X Zane Grey's River by G. M. Farley The famous writer's river revealed as never before.

Pennsylvania Fish Commission Annual Report (Special supplement)

17 Ice Fishing Tips by John Swim on Here are helpful hints for beginners and more experienced ice fishermen.

Chapman Dam's Icy Brook Trout Delight by Mike Bleech The author shows you how to take brookies from this waterway.

29 Pennsylvania Wild Resource Conservation Fund

Straight Talk 2 Anglers Notebook 22

Currents 20 Mail 23 The Cover The Law and You 20 Boating 25 Book Review 21 Profile 30

You could have a monopoly on catching bass Staff through the ice if you follow the advice in "Game Plan for Winter Bass" on page 8. Our cover this EDITOR/ Art Michaels AR month, which depicts the goal of reading this arti­ T/T 0m Duran cle, was painted by Robert O'Donnell, Jr. PHOTOGRAPHER Russ Gettig ^IRCULATION/Eleanor Mutch PENNSYLVANIA HSH COMMISSION BOATING ADVISORY BOARD STAFF ASSISTANT/Ja^ Javne Calvin J. Kern. President John A. Hugya Povleski Clayton Buchanan, (hail man Whitehall Johnstown Pittsburgh .1. Wayne Vorks. Vice Ross J. Huhn Nicholas Apll ER: Sl f rms Nsh C^mmI '"" ''"" " "' Pennsylvania Benton President Saltsburg Hairless Hills '7105-16?T 7' '°- Bov l6"- «"""«"* PA l9 P Robert L. Martin »3 k nnh'r , ",'"""" <'«'«• (ISSN003l-434X).« Marilyn Black Charles C'hattaway Meadville Bellefonte Monongahela Sub; cn 'hrccvears SU - P"™ rates: one year. $5; Walter F. Gibbs Jerome E. Southcrton Sherwood Krum ">• monev '„'•, '"^ C0P'es "re 50t each. Send check Titusville Honesdale Hawley J;""-' Hs"-> h "HlerCon. anil nil ,•,,,-,rcspondenc i e to.. Pennsvl„ - PA I7| '". P.O. Box [673. Harrison™. Leonard A. Green Leon Lyon Carlisle Bellefonte ___ • .-••••.•••iv-.Vi

*'" A New Approach to Ice Fishing

These new ideas of ice fishing preparation may help you increase your catch and enjoy b y Gerry Kingdom your sport more.

have f '^kSi my fismn8 travels around the world I 'round no other form of fishing extract as little ice fishing. At first, the work seemed overwhelming, but ment preparation from its adherents as ice "suing. little by little a plan evolved that has improved our cold weather immeasurably. Though it may involve eeor° d°Ubt there'S a reason- Most ice anglers are some extra preliminaries, our technique can work for you cone -ab°Ut the'r PreParation- Rather than now. specie tht["g °n h°W theyVe g0'ng t0 aPProach the Prena 7 ^ tryi"8 l° Catch' they devote their energies to Inverse stratification enoueh"gn '^ °Wn corntort- "Am ' going to be warm During summer months warm water lies atop a lake I Pnin ' have enough hot food and drink? What am with colder water at the bottom, but this situation i.s not com"8 •S,t °n? WiH mv rubb«r boots leak? These are so under a cover of ice. In midwinter, cold water is SuTl" 'Ce ang'erS' PreoccuPations- directly beneath the ice, with increasingly warmer water C V arC necessar once'C ^^ y considerations, but too often, below. This annual cycle of stratification is caused by the ansler°m t Cd they become the onlv preparation the ice relationship between water's density and its temperature. Drnrf,, f' Consequently, a long, cold day on the ice In winter this shifting of temperature is known as Produces only water hauls. inverse stratification. Its effect on native fish is great. U C SS C meS n y after adec uate year s ac ° ° ' l preparation. Several Despite an angler's belief to the contrary, cold-water summpr°',at my W'fe'S suggestion, we began applying our species like trout may be found closer to the ice where planning formula with some radical changes to water is cooler. January 1983 5 Baitfish replenishing an ice-covered lake, creek inlets become The color of some baitfish species like shiners may be important suppliers of oxygen at this time of year, and radically darker beneath the ice than it is in open daylight, should be sought out by the angler. because some species adapt their colors to the environment. For this reason many anglers carry their bait Underwater obstructions in light-colored or white pails to keep the bait shining. Submerged fences, stumps, fallen timber, and Though this may attract curious predators as long as the other obstacles that camouflage predatory fish in open bait remains bright (usually less than an hour), we prefer water are subordinate in importance to lake topography in to keep our baitfish colored as similarly to natives as winter. Because the former provide hideouts from solar possible. So we carry our baitfish in dark containers. discomfort, they lose significance beneath the ice. Look for mid-lake humps, down slopes, and deep Lake oxygen content dropoffs. These areas are particularly productive for the In winter, oxygen is at a premium under an ice cover, jig because a vertically worked lure fits the and its availability is often a clue to the whereabouts of contour of these places. fish. An oxygenated area is a winter oasis for fish life. Several factors cause its depletion. Decaying vegetation The general survey and timber are one. Because decaying matter is found at If you hate preparing each time you go ice the bottom of a iake and near its shorelines, these areas fishing, another useful strategy to increase your catch is to frequently do not provide a rich harvest of oxygen. select one lake that you can study in depth and stick to it. Consequently, fish are more likely to be found elsewhere. If you're familiar with its reputation and it produces for The lack of wind is another. Because the wind is not you during warmer weather, it should do so during winter, though you must alter your approach radically. First, examine the lake's circumference. Old roads that once meandered over what is now the floor of the lake are a feature of the lake that can help you pinpoint action. These roadbeds, especially those with ditches, serve as migratory routes for a wide variety of species. Natural depressions in roadbeds also serve as sanctuaries and ambush spots. Here large predators lie in wait for an easy-to-reach meal. Several years ago while on a solo trip to one of northeastern Pennsylvania's picturesque lakes, I spotted what looked like an old cattle path running into a remote section of the lake. After using the depth finder to pinpoint its underwater whereabouts, 1 set up tip-ups and dropped two live baits to the bottom, raising them less than a foot off the lake's floor. . Within 45 minutes I had performed a wintertime feat. 1 had taken two nice-sized bass that either had been migrating along the cattle route or had been lying in ambush for food. Because of their metabolic slowdown bass do not usually strike in cold water, but reading the lake's shoreline and then following the trodden depression to the floor of the lake enabled me to place the bait almost in their jaws. Time spent in preparation paid off. Sandbars along the shorelines are also important features of the lake. Because these places are generally not encumbered by oxygen-devouring vegetation, they frequently harbor heavy action. Trout, especially, seem to have an affinity for this type of area. To complete your preliminary survey, look for land points that jut out sharply into the lake. These areas are generally as effective as their inclines are precipitous. Fish jigs at various depths off the wall of the point until you find action. Then stick to that depth. Don't forget the creek inlets. Because they provide both food and oxygen they are highly attractive to nearly all species. Keep in mind that much of what you see at first observation is important in assuring the success of an ice fishing trip. Perhaps as much as three-quarters of Once you've approached ice fishing in an orderly available territory can be eliminated by a cursory glance at manner a few times, you'll begin to appreciate the surroundings. the ease this approach assumes, and you'll love the action it leads to. Pinpointing a hotspot Nothing adds up to learning like doing. Get that stored geartogether, find an ice-covered lake,and start catching fish.[pA Once we've given a lake a quick preliminary reading, we prepare for using the depth finder by looking over a topographical map. We use the map primarily to avoid long, flat lake bottoms, because these areas are generally nonproductive. We try to locate creek channels with many bends in them. Precipitous dropoffs are also high on our search list. Tricks that Put Fish on Ice Maps for areas east of the Mississippi River are Walleyes available from the U.S. Geological Survey, 1200 South Eads Street, Arlington, VA 22202. Write and request a • Because walleyes are a schooling fish, to free index of Pennsylvania maps. intercept a school, space tip-ups at intervals in a Deep-water access areas are also among the most straight line from shore. important features to locate on a topo map. Fish feed atop • Avoid weedbeds. Look for clear bottoms. these points because the safety of deeper water is nearby. • Set tilts for light biters. Without the topo map you'd have to do a considerable • Use small hooks and light sinkers. amount of walking to locate them, even with a depth • Walleyes often hit a bait or lure as it descends. finder. When in doubt, strike! After detecting attractive subsurface structures on the • Remember, walleyes have tender mouths. Be topo (a task that can be done at home), the depth finder especially careful when raising them through the enables us to pinpoint them on location. hole. Pike and pickerel The electronic connection • Due to oxygen depletion and the scarcity of From here we look for signals signifying the presence of food, these fish are not as likely to be found near fish. Surprisingly, the fish locator is somewhat simpler to submerged vegetation in winter as in summer. use on ice because it remains stationary. A momentary • Don't overlook fishing open water. fash is unmistakably a fish. In summer, under a moving •Jigging with spoons is very effective. boat, the flash can signify a number of things—a fallen • Whatever the bait, let fish take it. tree, a rocky ledge, or even a weed patch. Once bypassed, • Avoid depths greater than 15 feet. each of these must be relocated, restudied, and eliminated when the intention is to spot fish. When we've found attractive structure a bonus is the • Always search out schools of panfish. Because Presence of baitfish. These usually appear as a series of the schools travel slowly, action is enduring. quick, thin, dull flashes. Nearly always they signal a •The more miniscule the gear, the greater the fun. successful day. Fractional pound-test lines add up to superb action. Though we don't currently use one. the next item on °ur "must-get" list is an oxygenator. This little gadget can •Try worms and grubs on size 14 hooks for best help spot pockets of oxygen that are known to form in results. winter even at the bottom of an ice-covered lake. These spots • Perch eyes for perch are super baits. of hard-to-get oxygen are havens for fish. Bass Proper presentation • Bass metabolism is much slower during cold With the absence of intense solar light rays, lure color months, so they feed much less often. Bouncing the selection becomes even more important on ice. We bait in front of their noses is usually the only method generally avoid red and yellow lures because even in clear, that works. sunht water these have a maximum visibility of about 40 •The more varied the structure, the more likely feet. Blue, white, and metallic colors are the best all- bass will be near it. Look for rocky points and gravel around colors. bars near deep water. ]f bait fishing is your pleasure, avoid pulling up the bait repeatedly to check its condition. Much harm can be done Trout m the process because water pulled against the bait's gills • You needn't go deep for trout in winter; they are ean cause drowning. Furthermore, at various often in cooler surface water. depths with a crossline swivel increases success odds. • When fishing with bait, use a three-inch minnow Finally, if you're using worms the best procedure is to /or best results. hook them through the necks and then at one inch •Trout are especially attracted to sandbars, intervals. This keeps them secure and allows for lively so find these and fish them. action. Panfish love it! ^^^••••^^^^^^••••li^^^^HHMMI^^^HHHaHHIIi^^H^^lHHMBH^^^^^HHHM^B^^^^^^HMH^^^^Hi^BMMi^M

•HMMHMMnflMNHnHHHSBBflttHMMMMBS SPUDBAR Just w FALLS TO for LAKE Take BOTTOM. , ti LOSE ONE norm* TURN. FIND GRAVELBAR QUICKLY. TAKE ANOTHER TURN. No action yet. Take your normal turn.

8 Pennsylvania Angler . Waiting a bite.

; Your LOSE ONE < turn. TURN. Game Plan for Winter Bass

Bass can be taken through the ice with surprising consistency. Here are the details of how, when and where.

by Jim Gronaw

M,.an y Pennsylvania ice three winters. We've taken anglers regard the largemouth and largemouths and smallmouths that smallmouth bass as rare wintertime ranged from one to five pounds, with catches. With the majority of these the majority weighing in at about two fishermen zeroing in on panfish, bass pounds. By keeping detailed notes on get a cold-weather break from the these catches we discovered a simple, usual onslaught of plastic worms, no-nonsense pattern for locating and spinnerbaits, and topwater lures. catching them. First, we considered However, bass can be taken through these ideas about wintertime bass: the crust with surprising consistency. •Bass feed all winter long, but their During the last six seasons my metabolism and feeding activity slow angling buddies and 1 have recorded considerably. 203 bass caught through the ice, 157 •There is practically no fishing of which were caught during the last pressure on bass once the lakes lock

January 19X1 9 »""»*l»"™'""^^1^"^^^«^^™^"^^^™^™»^1 IIMIMIIIIIII MMM^•MMMM

CATCH A Snagged FIVE- on the POUNDER! CROWD bottom GA THERS. Lose one GO AGAIN. turn.

up. Of all the ice fishermen 1 know, I small device can mean the difference released from hook impalement seem have seen only three gear their efforts between success and failure. It is to trigger more strikes. We've also specifically for bass. standard equipment on ice rods for found that single hooks hold bass •Winter bass seem to lose some of those seeking light-striking bluegills much better than the smaller sets the wariness they possess during the and crappies, but bass also inhale of treble hooks that come with the summer because there are few outside baits with a feather touch during the spoons. The hooks include the Mus- influences that affect these critters winter. To increase the effectiveness tad #92661 or #92641 and the Eagle after ice-up. For instance, boat of the wire even more, paint the very Claw #186 or #181 in sizes four or traffic, skiers, sunlight, and storm end with several coats of bright red six. fronts are warm-water factors that nail polish. This makes it easier to see Fish these offerings between six play no role at this time. This makes in the water. inches and two feet off the bottom, it easier to discover a consistent and jig them in a slow, methodical pattern for locating and catching Jigs pattern. A quick, sharp jerk at the bass. Although tip-up fishing with rod's end not only appears unnatural, minnows takes bass, it also kills but is far too active for a lethargic, Tackle smaller ones because they swallow midwinter bass. I have caught them The gear required for this brand of hooks. We prefer to jig lures. One- simply be raising and lowering the bassing is for the most part standard. sixth-ounce Swedish Pimples and spoon in slow motion with no real We use short, two-foot rods and we Kastmaster spoons of '/8-ounce or jigging action at all. Any detectable attach a wire loop to the rod tip for 3/ 16-ounce are the top bass getters. movement of the wire should be increased sensitivity. The use of this Gold and silver finishes work equally treated as a strike, and a sharp wrist well. Tie them directly to quality snap upward is all that's needed to four-pound-test line that is spooled set the hook. Keep in mind that if on an ultralight spinning reel. Keep you're not getting strikes, you may be your reel and drag in good operating fishing the lures too vigorously or too condition so you don't lose a large far off the bottom. Winter bass, as a bass. rule, are right on the bottom. Some anglers may question the use of our light gear, but most bass will Fish location be one to three pounds and can easily The same areas that draw bass in be subdued with such tackle. This midsummer are often cold-weather spinning outfit also lets you keep hotspots. Long gravel bars that taper constant pressure on a large fish as it down slowly and then drop off quickly tires in the cold water. sharply at the 12-foot to 18-foot Most crucial in landing bigger bass depth often hold bass. Instead of the is keeping the line from being cut on fish suspending at the outside edge of the bottom edge of the hole as the the drop (a summer holding bass nears the ice. If it's a big one, position), they usually hold close to have a partner grab it behind the gills the bottom on the bar itself. Creek as its head surfaces through the hole. channels in 12 to 22 feet of water have also produced bass for us. Areas Jigging methods of flooded timber and boulder-strewn We always bait our spoons with a sections of bridges and dam faces can mealworm or mousie grub. A baited spoon has the little something extra Jim Gronaw is the outdoor columnist that bass seem to like. By keeping a of'The Carroll County (Maryland) fresh bait on these lures, the juices Times. MISS TWO &l@3' *e>A STRIKES. TAKE

ANOTHER

be very good, especially if green moss vacate these areas. But if you catch is still covering the rocks. Such areas little fish in one spot, then get out the Catch two draw small panfish—food for bass in spoons and stick with that area. the winter. 16-inchers Almost without exception we have When to fish caught bass in or very near areas that Early and late ice have been the hold small perch, bluegills, or prime times, but make sure at least in a row. crappies. We've taken a few stray four inches of solid ice are available bass from vast, flat-bottomed areas for safe fishing. When the ice first Take your where structure and baitfish were appears and there is no snow cover scarce, but our records clearly on it, bass hold deeper, perhaps normal turn. mdicate that pint-sized panfish are a because they are alarmed by foot drawing card for sluggish winter travel and by the augering of holes bass. Most anglers abandon such through the new, thin ice. As winter areas in search of bigger and better progresses the ice thickens and snow Panfish spots. If we start picking up deadens the sounds of angler activity. scrawny perch and bluegills on our When this happens bass move into t'ny dots and jigs, we switch over to the 12-foot to 18-foot depths for a the larger spoons. In almost every brief period. Then they offer depend­ mstance, a few bass, and sometimes able action. several, were iced after the During the coldest part of winter, changeover. bass are difficult to entice, but from 't pays to spread out and search mid-February to mid-March they or the quarry rather than relying on turn on again, and jigging for them is their finding you. About 20 minutes productive. ls all I fish any given hole, unless it Our records show that midmorning Produces a strike or a fish. Some and midafternoon are prime feeding sections may produce bass for several periods, but occasional catches at days in a row, and then the fish sunset have made us fish until dark.l

Where to go Pennsylvania has many good bass lakes, but you may want to concentrate your efforts only on those that contain good populations of two-pounders to four-pounders. Numerous farm ponds throughout the state are excellent proving grounds for winter bassing, and the following waters have rewarded ice anglers with good winter bass catches.

Lake Wilhelm Mercer County 1,680 acres Lake Arthur Butler County 3,225 acres Rose Valley Lake Lycoming County 39 6 acres Little Buffalo Perry County 88 acres Gifford Pinchot York County 340 acres Long Arm Dam York County 240 acres Promised Land Lake Pike County 422 acres Marsh Creek Lake Chester County 535 acres

January 19X3 Streamer flies had their genesis early in the history of . In fact, some of the crude flies The Bicolor Leatherneck fashioned by the ancient Macedonians probably were attempts to represent baitfish known to be eaten by larger fishes. by Chauncv K. Lively There is also evidence that in the 1700s the Eskimos and American Indians were fashioning similar lures of bone and hair. But it was Theodore Gordon, known as the father of the American dry fly, who began the development of the modern streamer fly with his Bumblepuppy patterns late in the 19th century. Other fly dressers soon responded to Gordon's stimulus, and within a few years many patterns now considered "standard" had been created. However, the maturation of the streamer fly didn't stop there. Following the principles of form and proportion set down many years ago by people like Carrie Stevens and Bill Edson. modern-day tyers have applied new materials and techniques to the classic style. As a result, many new patterns are found in contemporary fly boxes to supplement the traditional ones. Formerly, the long-winged flies dressed to represent baitfish were divided into two categories. Those dressed with hair wings were called bucktails, while feather-winged flies

I. Cut dark and light fur strips, one 3. Remove the hook from the vise and each, an eighth-inch wide with hide insert the point through the slit in the light intact. Trim the rear of the hide strips to 2. Clamp a regular- fur strip. Slide the wing up and around the a taper. Measure one hook shank length shank hook (size two to bend as far as it will go. The after-wing from the tip of the hide, and mark the six) in the vise and tie in should now extend from the rear of the hide with a pen at this point. Coat the black monocord thread bend, and the free ends should point forward bare side of each strip with contact behind the eye. Cut an with the dark strip above the shank and the cement from the tip to the mark. After a eighth-inch length of fine light below. Reclamp the hook in the vise. few minutes press the coated surfaces copper wire and lash it together. Then, next to the juncture of along the shank from the the strips, cut an eighth-inch slit thread tie-in to the bend. lengthwise in the hide of the light fur. Then wind the thread forward and half-hitch it behind the eye. were known as streamers. Inevitably, properly positions the free ends of I'll select a size four regular hook tyers began to incorporate both the strips with the dark fur above the instead of a 3X long in size eight, feathers and hair in certain patterns, shank and the light below. A body which has the same overall length a nd the designation of bucktail was of fine copper wire is then wound, but a considerably smaller gap. eventually dropped. and the fore ends of the fur strips The pattern's after-wing—the Now all minnow-type flies are are tied off in front. 1 like to apply a cemented portion—may appear stiff termed streamers, regardless of the throat of scarlet hackle barbuies to when freshly dressed. However, like wing materials, and it's just as well- add a small splash of color, but this most leathers the hide becomes soft Now we have streamers with wings feature is optional. and pliable when soaked. In use the neither of feathers nor of hair. Almost any contrasting furs may fly is extremely responsive to a Notable among these are the fur- be used for the Bicolor twitching retrieve. There is a hinge strip streamers. Leatherneck's wings. My preferences effect where the after-wing joins the In the April 1981 Angler I are the long-fibered furs of rabbit, hook. The action is accentuated by described one fur-strip streamer called muskrat, or mink. A combination of the weight in the forward half of the the Leatherneck, dressed with a wing dark mink or muskrat above and fly, which causes it to dip nose-down 01 fur on a narrow strip of hide. 1 white rabbit below has proven between twitches. Owing to the became so fascinated with the action effective. 1 like to leave the shiny width of the hide strips there is little °f fur-strip wings in the water that 1 guard hairs intact because they add sideways motion in the after-wing. decided to carry the pattern a step a sheen to the otherwise dull fur. This is an advantage because it further with two-tone wings—dark The strips should be cut sufficiently prevents the wing from fouling on the °n the back and light underneath— wide to accommodate safe insertion bend of the hook. specifically to represent our common of the hook. I've found a width of The Bicolor Leatherneck has been ehubs and dace. The result is the one-eighth inch about right for a size a good producer on both trout and Bicolor Leatherneck, this month's four hook. The hides should be well- bass, and 1 have a hunch it will take pattern. cured, supple, and relatively thin. walleyes, too. fished slowly and The dark-back, pale-belly effect of Fur-strip streamer wings generally deeply with a sinking line. I dress the Bicolor's wing is achieved with have more bulk than standard hair the pattern in sizes two to six, with l^o separate, contrasting fur strips. or feather wings, and a lower center the edge going to size four. The The rear portions of the hide strips of gravity is required to permit the soaked fur wing holds quite a bit of are joined together with contact fly to swim upright properly. For water and the pattern is rather cement to form the after-wing, and this reason I prefer hooks of cumbersome to cast with light rods the fore ends are left open. A small standard length instead of long- carrying three-weight or four-weight sht is cut lengthwise in the bottom shanked hooks. I first determine the lines. However, a six-weight outfit hide strip adjacent to the juncture; fly's length and select a regular- throws the fly with ease. Just fish it the n the point of the hook is shank hook measuring about one- slowly with sharp twitches to "iserted through the slit. Sliding the half that length. Thus, if I'm Win activate the soft fur. The current will g up and around the bend dressing a Bicolor 2!4 inches long. do the rest. I PA]

5. Bend the fur strips backward and hold them out of the way while you wind the copper wire forward in close turns. Tie 6. Stretch the dark fur strip over the wire 4- Hold the wing in position with it off at the head and trim body and tie it off in front. Then stretch the your left hand and part the fur above the excess wire. light strip underneath the body and tie it off. and below the shank at the top of Trim the excess strips to a taper at the head. . ben

January 19X3 13 /ane Grew the man who loved the Delaware River.

14 Pennsylvania Angler ZANE GREY'S RIVER by G. M. Farley

Zane Grey's Lackawaxen home as it appears today.

still owns it. For several years it was the Zane Grey Inn T and Museum. Recently the inn was closed, but the museum remains open to the public for a nominal fee. ]• , ^:ne Delaware ran quietly and mysteriously in the In the museum there is tangible proof of why the th f ear'y dawn. Low voices came occasionally from shrouded wa Delaware held such fascination for the aspiring writer. skv h°^ ters where the boats lay hidden. The Two mounted bass still grace the wall, bass that would v brightened, the scattered clouds became tinged with v;J ! and the mist hanging over the river took on a pale make any angler proud. Vl0'et color. How Zane found out about the Delaware is not chill "^ " and tW° Sma11 boys' Jacketed against the spring b yS wearin br known. He fished it once and found it to be an angler's the h ° 8 ight orange life jackets, loaded delight. At the turn of the century a lot of people visited mo'r boat- They shoved it into the water, started the and disa ea Lackawaxen from New York, and most of them stayed at one PP red into the fog. Soon the scene was the Delaware House. It was here, while on a canoe trip touVif1" wraPPed in silent tranquility, and the sun tHe Penns lva with his brother R.C., that Zane Grey met the young La t y nia hills. A few yards away the ckawaxen flowed quietly into the Delaware. Lina Elise Roth, who became his wife five years later. The Delaware House is gone and few people who fish 7an.^ Grey Iived at the confluence of the two rivers. He from Cottage Point realize that Zane Grey once owned dfe •• U "CottaSe point," built a home there, and after nearly 1,000 acres in the area, and won his battle for •continuing his dentistry practice, settled down to fame in the large white house. e a wnter He While Grey had nothing to say about shad, he f,sh°? . - worked hard and for relaxation certainly extolled the virtues of the black bass, and ea the waters surrounding his home. He probably did fishermen today, when the shad have disappeared for the anv nth pubhcize the Delaware's fishing qualities than season, continue to seek out the green pools in hopes of y otner man. His first published story was entitled, "A y on the Delaware," which appeared in Recreation Magazine in May 1902. G. M. Farley has made a lifetime study of the life and Jame0"!1932 Grey turned his 'arge home over to Alvah works of Zane Grey. Farley has written nearly 400 es, the man who acquainted him with Buffalo Jones, articles and short stories about Zane Grey, and Portals GrevCOweCLUent,y' W'th fame' After Grey's'death, Mrs. Pr/ss will soon publish G. M. Farley's book, Zane Grey: y sold the property to James's daughter Helen who The Man and his Works.

January 19X3 15 I have caught a good many Delaware bass hooking that big one. He also wrote of the monstrous running over six pounds, and 1 want to say that pike lurking in the deep pools, and spoke of a 26-inch these long, black and bronze fellows, peculiar to bass.hanging on his wall. the swift water of this river, are the most beautiful and gamy fish that swim. I never get tired of I^^lo doubt on the Delaware has changed in the studying them and catching them. 1 ^Ipast 70 years, as it has in almost all of America's rivers, The Lackawaxen flows into the Delaware about 15 tnit by careful conservation practices Pennsylvania has miles north of Interstate 84, and some 30 miles east of kept these waters from becoming polluted and oxer- Scranton. From Port Jervis, N.Y. Route 97 winds north fished. The Pennsylvania Fish Commission has purchased past a rickety toll bridge, a relic of the old canal days, Cottage Point, and it is now open to the public. There is less than a half-mile from the Zane Grey home. Coming a small space where mobile homes can be parked, and from the west. Pennsylvania Route 590 goes into the lodging is available in the area. hamlet of Lackawaxen and offers the tourist some When the shad are moving upstream there is a lot of breathtaking scenery. For several miles it follows action on the river from daybreak until after dark, and alongside the river which gives the hamlet its name. some nice catches are brought in. Zane Grey left Lackawaxen in 1918 to be near the big While boat fishermen lace the waters of the Delaware, game-fishing grounds off Catalina Island. California, but fly fishermen wade the Lackawaxen for trout. Others fish as late as 1928 he returned to his old home and the river from shore or from the huge boulders overlooking deep he loved. On November 3. 1933, Grey wrote to his friend pools. While some complain of having no luck, others Alvah James: stand with quivering fishing rods bent in a familiar arc. and still others proudly display their catches. 1 have your letter and was very glad to get it. Contrary to most of your letters, it had only one or In Zane Grey's book Tales of Fresh-Water Fishing, he two paragraphs of that subjective, mystic wrote: thought of yours. This. I presume, is Winding among the Blue Hills of Pennsylvania accountable to the fact that you are at the old there is a swift amber stream that the Indians stomping ground on the Delaware. It sure made me named Lack-a-wax-en. the literal translation no homesick. one seems to know, but it must mean, in mystical Just to get your letter made me see the old and imaginative Delaware, the brown water that familiar places as vividly as if I had been there. 1 turns and whispers and tumbles. could see the October colors on the hills and the He was not far wrong, because the name actually old Delaware winding down from the mountains, means "swift waters." and the purple asters blooming along the trails, the The story is titled "The Lord of Lackawaxen Creek — smokey Indian summer colors and the smell of the pine. 1908." and it is about a huge bass that lived in a pool near the confluence of the two rivers. In the story the e did not return to see the colored hills or smell the author was never able to land the bass. He spoke of the fragrant pine or fish the pools of his river. His remains black bass as a newcomer to these waters, and in a sense Hwere shipped back and he is buried beside his wife on the he was correct. Black bass were introduced to banks of the Delaware a few yards south of his old Pennsylvania's streams, and incidentally, the Delaware home. was the first on October 26. 1870, by a group of Easton In 1906 or 1907. Alvah James, already famous as an and Philadelphia fishermen. The venture proved explorer and writer, had introduced Zane Grey to Col. successful and plants were later made in the Susquehanna Charles J. "Buffalo" Jones who was in the East raising and Schuylkill rivers. funds for a trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. By 1873 the Delaware had become popular for its bass Jones permitted the aspiring writer to accompany him on fishing and was supplying fish for stocking other streams. the trip, a trip that produced The Last of the Plainsmen, Today, bass of 24 inches and larger can be taken from the Roping Lions in the Grand Canyon, Don, the Story of a Delaware. Lion Dog, The Young Lion Desert, and the famous About four miles north of Zane Grey's home is Mast Riders of the Purple Sage. Hope Brook, a tributary of the Delaware. This spot was Alvah James followed his wife's death by only a few also one of Zane Grey's favorite fishing spots, and hours, and later Mrs. Zane Grey sold the home to Helen according to a story written in 1910 there were some James who still owns it. Even though in her seventies, exceptional trout in it. He started the story by saying, she is very active, bubbling with humor, and greets "Of the myriad of streams that Cedar. Reddy, and 1 have everyone with a warm, heartfelt smile. She and her fished in. Mast Hope Brook is the one beyond compare." husband Al Davis delight in showing people through the On this particular excursion his brother out-fished him. interesting Zane Grey Museum, which may soon be listed Reddy (R.C.) finished with a limit, none under 10 inches. on the national register of historic places in America, and Zane produced a 15-inch beauty, and Cedar (Ellsworth) discussing both Grey and Alvah James to everyone who eclipsed their joy by revealing a trout of 18 inches. is interested. By this time the aspiring writer had fished the Gulf Whether a person is visiting the Zane Grey home or Stream for sailfish, the waters of Cuba. Nassau, Zane Grey's river to fish, he will not be disappointed. Yucatan, and Mexico, and had explored and fished the The quiet village, the soft sound of the converging unknown Santa Rosa River. Yet it was the Delaware he waters, and the sighing of the wind in the tall pines have returned to and praised the highest. He knew the waters a soothing effect on visitors. They do not wonder that intimately from Hancock to Port Jervis. In 1907 he such an isolated, lonely spot could produce such a man wrote: as Zane Grey. | PA]

16 Pennsylvania Angler

long-term solutions to a 12-year-old in those waters where fish problem. D ring this, the 117th year in populations are inadequate to Shad restoration the history of the Pennsylvania Fish sustain the at desired levels; As we worked toward possible Commission, the nine-member panel (5) develop appropriate regulations settlement with the public utilities in met four times: July 27, 1981; and operational strategies to replace the lower Susquehanna through our October 17, 1981; January 23, 1982; policies that are not compatible with continuing litigation before the and May I, 1982. management through resource Federal Energy Regulatory Details of the Commission's classification." Commission, our interim shad operations and achievements follow restoration efforts at Conowingo in the individual bureau and division The Commission continued its Dam got the most favorable results reports. Some highlights of this year intensified training sessions for in the last 10 years. Over 2,000 need emphasis. deputy waterways patrolmen, using American shad were caught in the Commissioner Walter Gibbs was full-week sessions as well as trap and lift, and over 800 of these elected president for this fiscal year, successive long weekends. Over two- were passed around all four dams with Commissioner Kern serving as thirds of our deputies have now and returned as pre-spawn adults to vice president. received at least basic training. the Susquehanna River near Our work in fields outside the Harrisburg. At the same time, we Operation FUTURE Commonwealth included chairing continued our out-of-basin Operation FUTURE ( the Alosid Workshop under the transplants from the Connecticut Utilization Through User and auspices of the Atlantic States River and this year from the Hudson Resource Evalution), which affects Marine Fisheries Commission, of River; all these shad went into all phases of the Commission's which 1 am vice chairman. The upstream portions of the operations, was adopted as a policy results of that workshop included a Susquehanna. Eggs from the James in this fiscal year and is the request for a proposal on a River, York River, and even the outstanding accomplishment for coastwide management plan for Columbia River went through our more than just the year—perhaps for American shad and river herring, Van Dyke hatchery, with the many decades. The Commission which is now underway and resulting release in the fall of over 2 went on record adopting a policy for contracted with all 15 Atlantic Coast million juvenile shad. the conservation and management of states participating. We have taken Our efforts to secure additional resources: part in a number of meetings with revenues through an increase in our northeast fisheries agencies and license fees were dragged out with "It will be the policy of the Fish other workshops, including the the defeat of one bill in the House Commission to protect, conserve and National Fisheries Academy at and finally an amendment to a enhance the quality and diversity of Leetown, West Virginia. We hosted previously passed House bill by the the fishery resource of this the meeting of all the state directors Senate. House bill 1244 was passed Commonwealth, including reptiles of the Northeast Association of Fish unanimously in the Senate with that and amphibians—and to provide and Wildlife Agencies at Stackhouse increase, and three days later in the continued and varied angling Training Center. House by a substantial margin to opportunities through specific During the year we saw the provide for increased license fees inventory, classification and finalization of a merger of the two beginning in January 1983. At the management of that resource. To cooperative research units at the same time, frugalities on the part of achieve the objectives of this policy, Pennsylvania State University. With the staff allowed us to lapse, or keep the Commission will: (1) establish the federal establishment trying to in our reserve for continuing and maintain a current data base on abolish these cooperative research operations, over $1.1 million. the quality and quantity of the units, we found an economy move The Commission is, as usual, aquatic and fishery resource of the feasible by merging them into the grateful for the support and Commonwealth for effective Cooperative Fish and Wildlife meaningful help from the environmental protection and Research Units, both housed in the Pennsylvania Federation of resource conservation; (2) develop College of Agriculture, where, in an Sportsmen's Clubs, , statewide management programs to extremely friendly atmosphere at the B.A.S.S., and independent assure consistent treatment of all University, we are beginning to see organizations whose involvement resources within any given class. positive results. and support enable us to continue Similar waters will be managed to Using the expanded authority our role as an independent meet the same objectives under the given to us under the Fish and Boat administrative agency. We are also same philosophy on a statewide Code, we asserted authority with the most grateful to the Pennsylvania basis; (3) manage self-sustaining fish Borough of Quakertown in Bucks General Assembly for its populations as a renewable natural County in a matter concerning understanding and helpfulness. resource to conserve that resource improperly treated sewage, and we and the angling it provides; (4) use believe our efforts were influential in Ralph W. Abele hatchery fish to provide recreation positive action to find interim and Executive Director

2 Annual Report and generally communicate with the magazine for the first time in its 51- public about fish, fishing, the year history. The magazine also has Commission, and what its employees a new masthead, new column "do for a living." Based on the headlines, an expansion of the success of this program, the Corps is "Currents" section, and a redesigned tabbed for expansion this coming title page. year. The changes were more than a face lift—They also involved the Field fishing seminars editorial content of the magazine as During the year the Commission well. New columns and features were conducted its first Field Fishing created ("The Law and You," Seminar—a 4l/2-mile float trip "Boating," "Book Review," down the Juniata River. Jointly "Profile"). Some old ones were organized by the Office of changed or remained the same Information and the Southcentral ("Leaky Boots" became "Mail," Law Enforcement Region, the Chauncy Lively's works, "Straight seminar was the pilot for a series of Talk," "Anglers Notebook"), and "hands-on" fishing education some were dropped. Even the feature programs. articles themselves took on a new How successful was the seminar? look—how-to and where-to articles The answer can be summed up in Office of Information became the mainstay of the the words of one of its magazine. participants—"Super! When's the The dissemination of information How has the new Angler been next trip?" to the public and education of the received by the readers? So far the public are the responsibilities results have been "outstanding." The Media relations °f the Commission's Office of bottom line says it best—circulation A greatly expanded news release Information. The office maintains a is on the way up. program highlighted the Office's broad-based public information accomplishments in the area of Program that takes on many varied Awards media relations. Concentration of forms. One-on-one contact, speaking Over 1.200 Angler Awards were effort in this area has resulted in engagements, shows and exhibits, issued during the calendar year. New more than a 300-percent increase in education workshops, a news release state records were established for the number of press releases Program, special publications, bullhead (2 lbs., 15'/2 oz.), generated this year as compared with fishing seminars, radio largemouth bass (9 lbs., 7% oz.), last year's output. Programming, an angler awards chinook salmon (24 lbs., 7 oz.), Greater emphasis was also placed Program, PLAY, and the Common­ striped bass (22 lbs., 4 oz.), and on the diversity of materials wealth's official fishing and boating steelhead (15 lbs., 9 oz.). In fact, the produced. Topics ranged from magazine, Pennsylvania Angler, are steelhead record was broken five littering, to stocking and just some of the tools used to meet times during 1982. management, to acid precipitation this mandated responsibility. The Commission also issued some and virtually every subject in 329 Conservation Award certificates Although long recognized as one between. to adults and 18 Conservation °f the finest information/education Service Awards to adults and Programs of any conservation PLAY organizations who rendered agency in the United States, the The Pennsylvania League of outstanding service in the form of Office of Information's activities Angling Youth (PLAY) underwent conservation activities. during the past year could be some of the most dramatic changes characterized by change and new of any information program during direction. Those changes reflect not Deputy Information/Educa­ the past year. Originally, PLAY was only new personnel, but a sincere tion Corps created to reach the young angler effort to do what is already a good One new direction for the (and future angler) with information job even better. Some of the Commission has been the formation about , boating highlights of the Commission's of a Deputy Information and safety, and conservation ethics. ^formation program during the past Education Corps. The 11 individuals During the past year the materials year follow. chosen were all selected not only for created for the program have been their knowledge of the resource we redesigned to reach youngsters at the The magazine manage, but for a sincere desire to fourth through sixth grade level. The Pennsylvania Angler underwent spread the word, to young and old new materials feature short articles many editorial and format alike, about the value of the on a variety of subjects along with changes during the past year. The Commonwealth's aquatic resources. puzzles, word games, and cartoon- format now includes 32 pages on The volunteers distribute PLAY styled art that not only provide coated stock with full color materials, give talks to various information but promote reading, appearing on the inside of the organizations, help staff exhibits, math, and logic skills as well. January 1983 3 provides the bread and butter with which the Commission is able to provide its services. The small Boating Education Section's staff works to pass along its expertise and knowledge to provide the most enjoyable and safe boating experiences. Through their efforts, hundreds of novice boaters are introduced to safe boating. Boating Education Section The Commission's Boating and Water Safety Program, Implement­ ing Boating: A Practical Approach to Instructional Method is continuing to grow in popularity. New to the Office of Information's PI A Y Program is the creation of a full-color eight- page tabloid. Copies of the publication, designed for use by teachers as part of an The course was primarily designed elementary school curriculum, will be distributed to every fourth grade, fifth grade, to assist instructors in presenting and sixth grade student in the state during 1983. For complete PLA Y details, contact: small-boat safety information, which PLAY, Office of Information, Pennsylvania Fish Commission, P.O. Box 1673, requires the student to demonstrate Harhshurg. PA 17105-1673. proficiency in on-the-water recreation. The pattern of instruction Publications A pre-production market survey set forward by the program is The Office of Information indicated that as many as 200 explanation, demonstration, and maintains an active special Pennsylvania stations might offer practice. The accompanying manual, publications and promotion our programming. The material developed by the Commission for campaign. Special publications distributed has been well received, the program's instructors, has just include both free and paid literature and new stations are joining our recently been printed on waterproof and include some 26 different titles. "network" every week. paper, which permits poolside as The Commission boasts a number well as on-the-water use. of promotion items that range from An important development in the educational wall charts to the area of safety on the water is the popular Pennsylvania Anglers' Commission's River Rescue Cookbook. These not only provide a Awareness Program, which was source of income for the highlighted by a state conference held Commission, but judging by their in Harrisburg this past fall. The popularity, also serve as valuable program and the conference stress public relations tools. Bureau of Waterways safe rescue techniques. The number New items "hot off the press" for of persons using the state's the upcoming show season include The Bureau of Waterways, waterways is growing, so to deal salamander and cold-water fish comprised of the Law Enforcement more successfully with this increased charts and a new mesh "I'm a Division, the Marine Services/Boat interest in water-related activities Pennsylvania Angler" ball cap. Registration Division, and the and the water emergencies they Boating Education Section, has sometimes bring, the Commission Radio programming developed and continues to improve developed a program to assist water Another new direction for the comprehensive fishing and boating rescue personnel. Office of Information has been radio programs. Most visible of the Rescue responsibilities have grown programming. Where PLAY offers Bureau is the Law Enforcement to include a number of concerns: the Commission an outstanding Division, whose activities in low-head dams, icy-cold water, river opportunity to reach young anglers, protecting fishery resources are well- obstructions, and flood stage radio offers us a chance to known. Their many hours of boat conditions, all representing hazards communicate with the vast audience patrol also bring them in contact to the rescuer. With the it reaches (over 90 percent of all with many Commonwealth boaters. Commission's rescue program, the Pennsylvanians). Last August the The Boat Registration Division risk encountered can be predicted Commission began producing works behind the scenes providing and avoided. inhouse and distributing a three- boat owners with security against The Commission's goal is that not minute radio program that deals boat theft through a system of only the rescuers achieve a higher with all phases of the fishery registering boats and ensuring level of competence, but that rescue resource found in the ownership before validating each personnel attending the program Commonwealth. registration. The revenue collected become knowledgeable enough to through the registration system return to their local organizations

4 Annual Report and Fisheries Committee, chaired by Approximately one-third the number and help educate their communities Senator Wilt. The purpose of these of applicants failed to qualify as to basic boating and water safety hearings was to make a study to dealers in accordance with Commis­ ideals. determine whether operators of sion regulations. The Commission's Personal powerboats should have some Flotation Device Program, included formal training before operating in both Implementing Boating and boats. The input at these hearings is Marine Services Division the river rescue program, has been still under review, and no decisions recognized nationally and is a basic have been made. The Marine Services Division is presentation on the proper use of Overall, accidents this year PFDs. continuing to replace and update the showed neither a sizable increase Commission's patrol boat fleet. Boating accidents nor decrease in comparison with Within the past year, seven new past years' numbers. boats and engines and four new There were some 31 reported trailers have been purchased and boating fatalities in 1982. While the placed into service. This new Memorial Day weekend itself was Boat registrations equipment has been used to replace sunny and clear throughout the six aging patrol boats, which were Commonwealth, rain-swollen For the 19th consecutive year, the phased out of service. streams contributed to the loss of The passenger-for-hire vessels and eight lives over the weekend. number of boat registrations increased. This year nearly 217,000 operators have been active on state Another accident of note involved a waters of the Commonwealth with commercial passenger-carrying registrations were processed, an increase of about 7,000 over last the certification of 26 operators and vessel and a recreational runabout the issuing of 11 certificates of °n Conneaut Lake in Crawford year. One item not increased was the registration fee for pleasure boats. inspection for passenger-for-hire County. This accident resulted in the vessels. loss of two lives and injuries to more The fee remains $4 for boats up to The boat capacity plate program than 30 persons. 16 feet and $6 for boats 16 feet and also remains active. In this program, In 1982, the non-use of PFDs, longer. These fees have not increased since 1963 when Act 400 was passed, owners of boats, built before 1972 operating under the influence of that do not have capacity plates alcohol, and the hydraulic action of which provides for registration of d boats in accordance with the attached by the manufacturers, may ams played a major part in causing obtain one from the Commission. fatalities. The southwest corner of federally approved numbering system. Capacities are computed based on the state, with its diversified boating the size and type of boat. The owner waterways and large group of Dealer registrations were scrutinized during the year to make then receives a small metal plate, users, again showed a concentra­ which he attaches to his boat. tion of serious accidents. certain all applicants met marine dealer requirements prior to being During the year, 1,805 plates were This year several public hearings issued. were conducted by the Senate Game issued a boat dealer registration.

Law Enforcement Division the Division secured the new weapons Training is greatly benefiting our at no cost to the Commission. enforcement effort. In fiscal year 1981- The most important information the Training for all patrolmen occupied a 82, 10,851 persons were prosecuted Law Enforcement Division has good portion of time during 1982. The and 20,681 persons received warnings received in the past 116 years came last annual inservice training for full-time for violating the Fish and Boat Code. May: Radios! After several years of officers included subjects such as A total of 449 pollution cases were both strategic and financial planning, search and seizure, the misdemeanor investigated, with $240,323 paid in all patrol cars are equipped with 100- process, new regulations, and prior fines or payments in lieu of watt mobile radios. Additionally, a years' accomplishments. Part-time prosecution. number of 20-watt portables and six- officers continued to attend the Worthy of note are two jury cases watt handitalkies were purchased. The required training, consisting of topics involving misdemeanors in Erie radios provide better protection for such as laws of arrest, search and County. One was a officers, and they help the officers seizure, use of force, laws and violation and the other involved a perform their duties more efficiently. regulations, officer image, fisheries disturbance of a watershed without the proper permits. The Letort Creek Other new items include new management, watercraft safety, pollution incident was closed via an sidearms for the salaried officers. Each Commission public relations agreement in lieu of prosecution officer is now issued a four-inch, programs, the Game Law, and stream requiring $10,000 payment to both the stainless steel .357-caliber revolver. improvement. Presently, over 80 Fish Fund and Clean Streams Fund. Stainless steel withstands the rigors of percent of all deputies attended the Unlawful snaggers of breeding fish weather and water better than blued mandatory training sessions. By July were prosecuted for taking salmon and steel. Through competitive bidding 31, 1983, attendance will be 100 walleye. and trading all our previous weapons. percent. January 1983 5 The Law Enforcement Division's new 100-watt radios are part Training, which has been a major emphasis of the Law of a ear-to-ear mobile communications system that lets officers Enforcement Division, provides officers with intensive, inservice contact the county police radio system. Future plans include preparation in areas such as the misdemeanor process, new placing base radio stations in each regional law enforcement regulations, search and seizure, use of force, fisheries office, in the Harrisburg office, and in the Walnut Creek Station. management, and watercraft safety.

When officers were not apprehend­ programs. A total of 2.123 sportsmen, shows and expos were manned by law ing violators, they were informing the scout, and civic organization meetings enforcement officers in Pennsylvania public of various Commission were attended. In addition, many and in surrounding states.

Bureau of Fisheries of Engineering

Division of Engineering Division's engineers to turn the The Division of Engineering is Commission's 13 hatchery, or fish benefiting 65 counties, it consists of keenly aware of the "need to build a cultural station, complexes into the over 248 fishing and boating accesses better hatchery" not only to put into most up-to-date system in the to recreation waters, which include, practice advances in fish culture country. but are not limited to, 58 lakes technology, but to respond to For the near future, the Division's belonging to the Commission. changes in other technologies. engineers are in the process of The continuing task of maintaining, repairing, and Achievements meeting the existing technological changes that are being forced upon improving the dam structures on the Today, the advances achieved in the Commission by the energy crisis. Commission's 39 man-made lakes is hatchery design through the One such project, which is already part of a rigid inspection program contributions of the Division's on the drafting boards, will result in the Division performs in compliance engineering staff are especially savings on heating costs for many of with the National Dam Safety Act. apparent in the projects undertaken the buildings in the hatchery system. A total of 200 access areas in the with the Commission's share of the Commission's program are Commonwealth's Project 500 Responsibilities maintained by their own forces, and program. The development, The Division is largely responsible another 48 through lease agreement renovation, and improvement for the operation of the with local agencies, such as munici­ performed with the funding from Commission's access area program. palities. The Division's professional that program is enabling the Begun in the early 1950s and now staff, in addition to surveying,

6 Annual Report Mahoning Creek Lake, Armstrong designing, and supervising the County. That project converted a County (PFC share of cost: construction of new access areas, length of former canal into a pond $185,000). Completed surveys, plans, also conducted engineering investi­ for rearing shad hatched at the and specifications; secured permits; gations of several proposed access nearby Van Dyke Shad Rearing and scheduled for construction in sites. Other services performed by Station. The Division also furnished FY 1983 the Halifax Access Area, the Division concern the engineering design services to other Dauphin County (cost: $150,000); Commission's ongoing program to agencies in the process of installing and the Tecony Access Area, restore shad to the Susquehanna fishways over the Hamilton Street Philadelphia (cost: $124,000). River and Delaware River drainage Dam in the Lehigh River at Completed surveys, plans, and systems. Another is the design and Allentown, Lehigh County, and the specifications, and scheduled for building of special displays and Hepburn Street Dam in the West construction in FY 1982 small-scale exhibits used by the Commission in Branch Susquehanna River at access projects at the Laurel Run promoting boating safety, Williamsport, Lycoming County. Reservoir Access Area, Elk County , and conserva­ (cost: $15,000); the Long Arm Dam tion at sportsmen's shows and at Access Area, York County (cost: other public events. Access areas The following are the more signifi­ $24,000); the Long Pine Reservoir Hatchery system projects cant individual projects Access Area, County (cost: The following is a brief accomplished for the access area $22,000); and the Harris Pond description of the more significant program during this past fiscal year: Access Area, Luzerne County (cost: individual projects the Division Completed surveys, plans, and $18,000). performed during this past fiscal specifications; secured permits; and The Division's basic work force year for the Commission's hatchery scheduled for construction in FY during the year consisted of 17 system. Corry Fish Culture Station, 1982 the Middletown Access Area, personnel performing professional Erie County: Procured and Dauphin County (cost: $111,000) engineering, architectural, drafting, commenced installation of two diesel and the Sunbury Access Area, and surveying services; 17 personnel generators to operate main water Northumberland County (cost: performing the skilled trades of supply pumps during power outages; $112,000). Completed surveys, plans, plumbing, electrical wiring, commenced architectural design of and specifications for initial phase of carpentry, welding, auto mechanics, Proposed administration and visitor's a five-year development project equipment operation, and heavy center building. Bellefonte Fish beginning in FY 1982 at the construction; and 23 personnel Culture Station, Centre County: Frankford Arsenal Access Area, headquartered in five regions Installed a standby diesel generator Philadelphia (cost $1.5 million). covering the state, preforming the to operate main water supply pumps Participated with the U.S. Army routine maintenance and repair of during electric power outages; Corps of Engineers in the the access area and related public- commenced architectural design of development of one access area on use systems. Proposed administration, propaga­ tion, and visitor's center building. Benner Spring Fish Culture Station, Centre County: Continued construction of new coolwater fish Production system (new trout system went into production in FY 1979); continued renovation and expansion of the station's existing administra­ tive facilities. Big Spring Fish Culture Station, Cumberland County: Prepared contract specifications for a pole-type vehicular storage building; redesigned and rebuilt mid-point and head aerators to improve water quality. Fairview Fish Culture Station, Erie County: Completed water line from gravel pit ponds and two springs, increasing station supply; installed a new furnace, plumbing, and wiring in on-site foreman's dwelling. Similar work was performed at five other fish culture stations. In connection with the Commis­ The Blue Marsh (Sheidy Road) Access Area in Berks County was one of the sion's shad fishery restoration access areas developed by the Division of Engineering. AH construction was program, the Division designed and completed on the access site's public use facilities, including parking lots, fish­ constructed the Thompsontown ing pier, boarding dock, and launching ramp. In addition, the Division com­ Shad Rearing Pond, Juniata pleted property surveys for the acquisition process and prepared plans for other improvements at seven other access areas throughout Pennsylvania. Division of Fisheries Research Brood stock development. The by evaluating each hatchery's brood 25 million shad eggs originating from brood stock program is designed to program, followed by an annual East and West coast shad stocks. coordinate the spawning maintenance meeting with the respective produc­ The percent viability of the East of brood fish at the Commission's tion chief and hatchery superinten­ Coast stocks was far superior (60.2 designated brood stock hatcheries, dent to discuss plans and procedures percent) to Pacific stocks (30.1 per­ and to select, test, and evaluate desir­ for the following year. cent) and resulted in an average egg able strains of trout in hatchery pro­ American shad—Van Dyke. The viability of 35.7 percent, or 8.8 mil­ duction trials or in the natural envi­ Van Dyke facility was again operated lion viable eggs. From these eggs, ronment. This effort is accomplished by personnel who handled more than more than 5 million American shad were released into the Juniata River. Lake Erie Research Unit. The Lake Erie Research Unit concen­ trated its activities in three major areas: 1) Great Lakes Fishery Com­ mission activities, 2) modifying the Lake Erie fishery regulations, and 3) population assessment for fishes of Fish stocked this past fiscal year Lake Erie. included 8.6 million trout fry, Effluent studies. As a continuation fingerlings, and catchahle adults. of the previous data collected and More than 1.4 million salmon were reported in "Guidelines for Economi­ stocked, and the total number of cal Commercial Wastewater Treat­ gatnefish stocked exceeded 31.3 ment Systems," three Fish Commis­ million. The Division of Fisheries also sion fish culture stations, Oswayo, stocked more than 14,000 panfish Tionesta, and Big Spring, were eval­ and nearly 800,000 forage fish. The uated in an effort to develop econom­ grand total offish stocked was more ically efficient operation schedules for the utilization of the rectangular than 42.2 million, which weighed and the circular wastewater clarifier more than 1,000 tons. systems.

Fisheries Management Section is designed to collect baseline data and created to promote better communica­ The Section information necessary to manage Penn­ tion and relations within the Commis­ consists of field personnel and a cen­ sylvania's diverse fisheries properly. In sion and to create an effective working tral office staff. The field personnel, field examinations, approximately 145 force for the resource-oriented agency. seven area fisheries managers, and streams received attention in terms of Accomplishments include development their support staffs are assigned on a the assessment of their social, physical, and implementation of a special regu­ drainage-area basis. The central office chemical, and biological characteris­ lations program designed for the resource staff is comprised of a clerical group tics. Some 30 lakes received similar and the angler; recognition of a formal and a technical group of specialists attention from staff fisheries biologists wild trout management program, includ­ that includes a rare and endangered and technicians. ing the increase in minimum size limit species coordinator, a coldwater unit The Technical Guidance Project provides to seven inches for the 1983 season; leader, and a warmwater unit leader. guidance to other regulatory bodies, and a greater recognition of the tasks The role of each specialty group is to groups, institutions, and individuals facing law enforcement personnel. coordinate management of all fisheries on the specific impact that their activ­ (including reptiles and amphibians) to ity or the activity of others regulated Cooperative Nursery Branch conserve, protect, and enhance the by them has upon the resource. Sub­ Cooperative Nursery Branch files fishery resource, and provide optimum ject matter included expansion of an list 154 organizations as sponsors of recreational fishing for the angler. existing lake, habitat improvement, 174 coldwater and seven warmwater lake drawdowns, oil and gas explora­ nursery units within 50 counties. Funded projects tion, stream channelization, pollution The number of sponsors remained The bulk of the Section's time was investigations, and other topics. the same while the number of nursery spent between two Dingell-Johnson units increased by one. The county fig­ Act-funded projects: The Fisheries Man­ FUTURE Task Force ure decreased by one. Four established agement Project and the Technical During fiscal year 1981 the Section sponsor units and two prospective sponsor Guidance Project. had the pleasure of being represented units were under construction as of The Fisheries Management Project on the Operation FUTURE Task Force, June 30, 1982. 8 Annual Report iHiiffiiMWHiriiiMr" "

Permits. Fish culture stations that NPDES Reviews 50 have received DER industrial waste Environmental Services Section Hydropower Project Reviews 69 and/or sewage treatment permits EPA Reviews 36 Were monitored in accordance with This report condenses the Envir­ Staff members attended 84 formal Permit requirements. These fish cul­ onmental Services Section's activities meetings and workshops in an advi­ ture stations include Big Spring, during the fiscal year in fulfilling the sory capacity to the various agencies. Huntsdale, Pleasant Gap, Reynolds- Section's responsibilities of fisheries Also, 47 field reviews were con­ dale, and Lower Spring Creek. protection and enhancement. ducted. Educational programs per­ taining to fish habitat improvement, Coolwater dry diet studies. Dur­ The following applications, public E&S control, etc., were provided to ing the past fiscal year, the Fish Cul­ notices, etc., were reviewed during various groups on 13 occasions. ture Research Unit was involved in the fiscal year. No. The Small Operators Assistance two coolwater dry diet studies at the Type DER Encroachment & Sewerage Program (SOAP) crew conducted 28 Pleasant Mount and Union City fish Applications 901 general data surveys to accumulate 528 culture stations. The projects were DER Mine Drainage Applications premining information on streams undertaken to study the effects (in DER Stream Improvement/Flood 36 likely to be affected by future surface terms of growth and survival) of feed- Control Applications DER Solid Waste Reviews 60 mining, and three site specific sur­ *ng several formulations of "dry," DER Permit Reviews 523 veys. They also assisted Fisheries commercially milled feeds to muskel- COE Public Notices 1,035 Management with the Spring Creek iunge fry. Experimental results have PennDOT Plans 230 wild trout inventory. been encouraging although inconsis­ DRBC Projects 5 tent, and indicate that the precise die­ tary requirements of coolwater fish have not yet been determined. Further experimentation will provide the information needed to make the rearing of coolwater fish, on dry feed, a routine practice. Statistical Services Branch During fiscal year 1981-82 the Sta­ tistical Services Branch continued to manage a contract for the project entitled, "Data Management and Programming for Management by fishery Resource Classification." This project provided for data man- agement of the Fisheries Manage­ ment Section's stream, river, and lake 'nventory reports and the Lake Erie angling and boating use and angler harvest survey reports. The Statistical Services Branch Provided the Fisheries Management Section with statistical analyses of lhe Justus Lake angler use and har- Vest survey. Review of the sampling Plan for the jointly conducted (PFC, New York DEC, U.S. Park Service) Delaware River boater use and angler use and harvest survey was a'so accomplished along with the design of a sampling strategy of a PFC-conducted angler use and har- vest survey on the Delaware. The Statistical Services Branch also con­ The Water Quality Laboratory completed 2,199 water samples in fiscal year ducted several sessions at motiva­ 1981. The samples required 8,047 physical, chemical, or bacteriological tests, tional training sessions, which were for which the commercial fee is about $8 per test. The value of these tests is Provided for U.S. Park Service about $64,400. rangers and interpretive naturalists. The entire fisheries management staff conducted or participated in the Jot- Finally, a statistical analysis of the lowing projects: Diadromous Fish Restoration; Nockamixon Rearing Marsh; effects of recirculated water on Lake Somerset Northern Pike Project; Miller Pond Chain Pickerel Work; Big growth of hatchery-reared trout was Spring Creek Brook Trout Project; and seven other similar endeavors. Provided to the Fisheries Research Section. January 1983 Real estate In this period of governmental budget restraints, it would be natural to assume that cuts would be made in acquisition of lands suitable for access to the waters of Pennsylvania. Although land acquisition funds have been sharply reduced, reduction of governmental budgets at federal, state, and local levels has resulted in the availability of government-owned and/or municipal-owned lands that were unobtainable in more favorable times. Access lease agreements finalized: Turbot Access, Northumberland County and Montgomery Access, Lycoming County, accesses to the Susquehanna River, West Branch; White's Ferry Access, Wyoming County, access to the Susquehanna River, North Branch; Lewistown Access, Mifflin County, access to the Juniata River; Pennsbury Manor Access, Bucks County, access to the Bureau of Administrative personnel and payroll, planning, Delaware River; Franklin Access, Services issuing special licenses and permits, Venango County, access to the liaison between other state and Allegheny River; Long Arm Dam The main functions of the Bureau federal agencies, legislative review, York County, access to reservoir; of Administrative Services include inventory control, internal stores and Long Pine Run Reservoir, Adams responsibilities of budgeting and mailroom, warehousing, data County, access to reservoir; financial programming, processing management, labor Nebraska Bridge Access, Forest recommending policy, issuing fishing relations and training, real estate County, access to Tionesta Lake; licenses, affirmative action, acquisition, federal aid coordination, Crooked Creek Lake, Armstrong purchasing and procurement, and other administrative functions. County, access to lake; Sheidy Road Access, Berks County, access to Blue Marsh Lake; Sheppard-Myers Figure 1. Planned Anticipated Cost Reimbursement Reservoir, York County, access to Anadromous Fish Act reservoir. **Coho (AFS-5-12) - submitted but not approved Fee simple acquisitions: Sunbury for federal funding assistance $ 403.000.00 $ — 0 — Access, Northumberland County, Fish and Wildlife Restoration (D-J) additional land; Fairview Fish **D-J Maintenance (F-30-D-17) $437,360.00 $ 328,020.00 Cultural Station, Gravel Pits, Erie **Fisheries Management Project (F-57-R-5) 932,406.00 699,304.50 County, additional land; ••Fisheries Technical Guidance (F-61-T-3) 175,840.00 131,880.00 Middletown Access, Dauphin $1,545,606.00 $1,159,204.50 County, access to the Susquehanna Commercial Fish Act River; Phoenixville Access, Chester ••Commercial Effluent Study (3-337-R-3) $ 23,182,00 $ 17,386.50 County, access to the Schuylkill ••Commercial Fish Study-Lake Erie (3-339-R-3) 80.252.00 60.189.00 River; Frankford Arsenal Access, Philadelphia, access to the Delaware $103,434.00 $ 77.575.50 Federal Land & Water Conservation Fund (NPS) River; West Falls Access, Wyoming ••Recreation Planning Update (42-01030) $ 10.094.00 $ 5,047.00 County, additional land; Liverpool •Multi-Purpose Building - Corry Fish Cultural Access, Perry County, access to the Station (42-01093) 300,000.00 150,000.00 Susquehanna River. •Tacony Access Area 253,720.00 126,860.00 •Multi-Purpose Building - Bellefonte Fish Properties under option: Deer Cultural Station/ Fisherman's Paradise 450,000.00 225,000.00 Creek Access, Allegheny County, access to Allegheny River; $1,013,814.00 $ 506,907.00 Cowanshannock Creek Access, Coastal Zone Management Act ••Lake Erie Study-DER Subgrant (CZL2FC) $ 69.928.00 $ 52,000.00 Armstrong County, access to Allegheny River; Appletree Road $ 69,928.00 $ 52,000.00 Access, Luzerne County, access to GRAND TOTALS $3,135,782.00 $1,795,687.00 Susquehanna River, North Branch;

10 Annual Report Auburn Access, Schuylkill County, Fishing License Section % Personnel transactions. A total access to Schuylkill River; Ephler The Fishing License Section is of 1,321 transactions were processed. Access, Berks County, access to responsible for the supervision of The salaried complement was Schuylkill River. approximately 1,800 issuing agents reduced from 436 positions to 429 Miscellaneous agreements fina­ comprised of businesses and county during the 1981-82 fiscal year. lized: Fairview Fish Cultural treasurers. Station, Erie County, township Sand and gravel royalties gravel removal permit; East Bangor During fiscal year 1981-82, the Dam, Northampton County, school Personnel Pennsylvania Fish Commission bus shelter agreement; Wayne and The personnel office develops and received $229,076 in royalty Pike counties accesses, agreement implements a variety of programs payments from dredging companies with National Park Service for for Fish Commission employees, operating on Commonwealth waters. access areas use; Middle Creek Lake, including recruitment and placement, This represents an increase of $3,398 Snyder County, low-head hydro classification, employee benefits and over fiscal year 1980-81. Income from electric power agreement; Tarentum services, personnel transactions, this source of revenue has averaged Access, Allegheny County, leave administration, performance approximately $250,778 in the past additional development agree­ evaluation, manpower planning, five years. Receipts for the two most ment; Sunbury Access, Northumber­ training, employee records, codes of recent years (1981 - 82 and 1980 - land County, pole relocation ethics and conduct, labor relations, 81) seem to indicate a leveling off of agreement with PP&L; Middletown and affirmative action. These revenue, which can be attributed to Access, Dauphin County, responsibilities are developed and a continuing stagnation in the maintenance agreement with implemented in conformity with construction and building trades. borough; Harrisburg, Dauphin agency policy, civil service law, the County, warehouse agreement; administrative code, executive board Northwest Regional Office, Franklin policy, and several collective Miscellaneous licenses and County, Venango County, lease bargaining agreements. permits renewal; Hereford Manor Lakes, The following are some highlights The Miscellaneous License and Beaver :County, dwelling lease; Piney of the activities of the personnel Permit Section reviewed and issued Creek, Blair County, Royer Mansion office during the 1981-1982 fiscal the following numbers of licenses lease. year: and permits: Right-of-way licenses finalized: % Recruitment and placement. Mine Drainage 507 Virgin Run Lake, Fayette County, Assisted program managers in the Regulated Fishing Lake 224 with Bell of Pennsylvania; Kaerchers hiring of new employees, including Artificial Propagating 135 Creek, Berks County, with the director of the Office of Live Bait Dealer 662 Metropolitan Edison; Speedwell Information and Education, the Live Fish Dealer 13 Forge Lake, Lancaster County, with editor of Pennsylvania Angler, and Resident Transportation 77 PP&L; Hereford Manor Lakes, about 45 seasonal employees. Nonresident Transportation 8 Beaver County, with PA Power % Employee benefits and services. Net Permits 199 Company; Huntsdale Fish Cultural In addition to providing counseling Scientific Collector's 151 Station, Cumberland County, with and estimates to employees planning Drawdown Permits 104 PP&L; Fairview Fish Cultural to retire, a new type of health care Dynamite Permits 8 Station, Erie County with PA coverage that emphasizes the Electric Company; Somerset Lake, prevention of illness was offered to 2,088 Somerset County, with General employees in the Pittsburgh, Telephone Company. Philadelphia, Moshannon Valley, Federal aid York, and Allentown areas. The section on federal aid % Leave administration. The Fish coordination prepared and submitted The 1980 and 1981 license sales Commission had the lowest sick- formal documentation for federal were as follows: leave usage per employee of all state assistance on three new projects* agencies. and eight new segments to existing 1980 1981 % Training. A variety of training projects** during the year ending Resident 924,197 944,882 programs was offered in such areas June 30, 1982. (See Figure 1.) Total Non- as performance evaluation, project reimbursements from all federal Resident 45,022 47,634 supervisory techniques for managers programs, exclusive of $135,022.40 Senior and line supervisors, grievance reimbursed by the Federal Land and Resident 69,914 64,837 handling, and time management. Water Conservation Fund for 7-Day % Labor relations. Five labor/man­ deposit to the Project 500 Fund, Tourist 17.633 19,094 agement meetings were held with the were $1,518,846.63, distributed as Senior law enforcement and maintenance follows: Lifetime 12,065 12,131 and trade units represented by the Fish Fund $1,385,814.38 Free 4,156 3,881 American Federation of State, Boat Fund 133,032.25 County, and Municipal Employees 1,072,987 1,092,459^ (AFSCME). Total $1,518,846.63 January 1983 11 Comptroller's Report annual leave payouts to separated Fish Fund employees, in- and out-service short-term securities increased The unreserved fund balance of training, etc., have all contributed to approximately $150,000 over last the Fish Fund as of June 30, 1982, this increase. Operational expenses year's total. Federal aid was $7,843,922, an increase of held the line with most cost reimbursements and motorboat $343,815 over the unreserved fund categories reflecting minimal registration fees accounted for the balance at the end of the previous increases totaling $75,000. This remaining increase comparisons. fiscal year. increase, however, was offset by Expenditures and commitments Total revenue deposited in the fixed assets and capital totaled $3,203,985, a decrease of Fish Fund during the fiscal year was improvements decreasing $60,000. $78,900 from the June 30. 1981, $13,862,824, an increase of This increase in results of total. While personnel services $1,197,421 over the previous year's operations, where revenue increases increased approximately $225,000, receipts. Revenue from all fishing exceeded cost increases, reversed operational expenses decreased licenses and fees accounted for previous trends. These minimal cost $107,500 and fixed assets decreased approximately $400,000 of this increases, in conjunction with a lapse $197,000. increase. Other revenue sources in excess of $1 million of unused denoting significant increases over monies at fiscal year end. indicated Project 500 Fund the previous fiscal year's receipts that a serious, conscientious cost The Project 500 Fund is a were interest earnings on short-term reduction effort had been made statewide bond issue established by investments, $303,000 higher; during the 1981-82 fiscal year by the legislature in 1968 for the restitution for fish killed, up Fish Commission management and development of public outdoor $176,000; and federal aid reimburse­ rank-and-file personnel. recreation areas and the ments exceeding the prior year's total conservation of Commonwealth land by $125,000. Boat Fund and water resources. During the Expenditures and commitments The unreserved Boat Fund 1981-82 fiscal year. Fish Commission during the 1981-82 fiscal year totaled balance as of June 30, 1982, was expenditures amounted to $673,687, $13,828,867. an increase in excess of $4,403,875, an increase of $395,583 bringing the cumulative total of Fish $800,000 over the previous fiscal over the previous fiscal year-end Commission expenditures since the year-end total. This increase is total. inception of Project 500 to directly related to personnel services. Total revenue received amounted $22,652,813. The total commitments While the Fish Fund payroll to $3,211,005, an increase of as of June 30. 1982, were $482,933 complement has remained constant $448,163 over the previous fiscal and the amount available for future or decreased slightly in recent years, year's receipts. Transfers from the commitment and expenditure was the increased state share of employee Motor License and Liquid Fuels Tax $286, 111. Project 500 is in the final benefits and cost-of-living increases Funds accounted for almost half this segment, and all funds must be from previously negotiated collective increase. Interest from the sale of expended or committed by June 30, bargaining agreements, sick and 1983.

PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION BALANCE SHEET, June 30, 1982

FISH FUND BOAT FUND

ASSETS Cash with Treasurer S 43,834 $ 57,410 Temporary Investments 10.112,002 4,448.465 Petty Cash Advances 110.000 — 0 — Miscellaneous Receivables 82,341 — 0^

$10,348,177 $4,505,875

Future Revenue for Contingent Commitments 493.095 142,930 Less Reserve for Future Years' Encumbrances 493.095 142,930

Total Assets $10,348,177 $4,505,875

LIABILITIES, RESERVES, AND FUND BALANCE Vouchers Payable ; 116.074 i —0- Reserve for Restricted Receipts 250,658 — 0- Reserve for Encumbrances 2.055,182 102.000 Reserve for Receivables 82.341 — 0 — Unreserved Fund Balance 7,843,922 4.403,875

Total Liabilities, Reserves, and Fund Balance $10,348,177 $4,505,875 12 Annual Report PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION STATEMENT OF UNRESERVED FUND BALANCE JUNE 30. 1982

FISH FUND BOAT FUND

Unreserved Fund Balance. June 30. 1981 $ 7.500.107 S4.008.292

Add: Revenue subject to executive authorizations 12,408,484 3.071.763 Lapses from prior fiscal year's encumbered executive authorizations 309,857 388,564

Total beginning fund balance and additions $20,218,448 $7,468,619

Deduct: 1981-82 executive authorizations 13,454,000 3.989,000 Less 1981-82 executive authorization lapses at year-end closing 1,079.474 924,256

Net deductions 12,374,526 3,064,744

Unreserved Fund Balance. June 30, 1982 $ 7,843,922 $4,403,875

FISH FUND REVENUE Deposited July I, 1981. to June 30, 1982 Licenses and Fees: Resident Fishing Licenses - Regular $ 8.839,738 Lifetime Fishing Licenses - Senior Residents 129,107 Resident Fishing Licenses - Senior 123,362 Non-Resident Fishing Licenses 683,976 Tourist Fishing Licenses 174,543 Pennsylvania League of Angling Youth Fees 5,156 F"ee-Fishing Lake Licenses 13,640 Miscellaneous Permits and Fees 9,675 Commercial Hatchery Licenses 6,025 Lake Erie Licenses 4,990 Scientific Collectors' Permits 3,810 H. R. Stackhouse Facilities User Fees 1,301 Technical Service Fees — Non-Government Organizations and Individuals 433

Total Licenses and Fees $ 9,995,756

Fines and Penalties: Fish Law Fines $ 210,175

Miscellaneous Revenue: Interest on Securities and Deposits $ 1.114,271 Income from Sand and Gravel Dredging Operations 229.076 Restitution for Fish Killed and Contributions for Restocking Streams 280,285 Miscellaneous Revenue • 220,449 Sale of Pennsylvania Angler 161,440 In-Lieu-of Payments for Fishways 75,000 Reimbursement of Van Dyke Shad Station Operational Costs 62,798 Rental of Fish Commission Property 31,107 Sale of Unserviceable Property (Through Department of General Services) 15,325 Sale of Publications 12,802

Total Miscellaneous Revenue $ 2,202,553

Total Revenue Subject to Executive Authorization $12,408,484

Augmentations: Federal Aid Reimbursements for Fish Restoration. Research, Development, etc $ 1,385,814 Sale of Automobiles and Other Used Vehicles 68,526

Total Augmentations $ 1.454,340

GRAND TOTAL, ALL REVENUE DEPOSITED IN FISH FUND $13,862,824 •^——~—i. - i mum. „

FISH FUND REVENUE FUND REVENUE

$13,862,824 S3,211,005

I, 1981 TO JUNE 30,1982 1981 TO JUNE 30, 1982

RESIDENT FISHING LICENSES NON-RESIDENT, TOURIST 65.6°. 59,092.207 FISHING & OTHER LICENSES 6,5", 5903.549

INCOME FROM SAND & GRAVEL DREDGING MOTORBOAT FINES 1.7-. S229.076 2.1% $67,715 FISH LAW FINES OTHER REVENUE 1.5 $210,175 .9% $26,922 SALE OF PUBLICATIONS 1.3 5174,242 RESTITUTION 4 CONTRIBUTIONS 2.0% $280,285 N-LIEU PAYMENTS OF FISHWAYS .5 $75,000

FISH FIND - EXPENDITURES & COMMITMENTS BY DIVISION Incurred July 1, 1981, to June 30, 1982

Executive Office $ 127.391 Comptroller 236,673 Bureau of Administrative Services: Administrative Services 1.084.423 Land and Water Acquisition 132.950 Office of Information 535.742 1 egal Sen ices 37.321 Division of Fisheries: Propagation Sections 5,557,569 Fisheries Research 600,285 Fisheries Management 1.209.903 Environmental Sen ices 98.072 Division of Engineering: Engineering and Development 1.195.895 Maintenance 581.430 Law Enforcement Division 2,366.648

Fish Fund General Operations Total $13,764,302 Department of General Services - General State Authority Rentals 62.565 Treasury Department - Replacement Checks 2.000

Total Expenditures and Commitments $13,828,867 BOAT FUND RESERVE Deposited July 1. 1981, to June 30, 1982

Licenses and Fees: Motorboat Registration Fees $ 959.321 Boat Mooring Permits - Walnut Creek Access 12.741 Boat Capacity Plate lees 3.748

Total Licenses and Lees $ 975,810 lines and Penalties: Motorboat Lines $ 67.715 Miscellaneous Revenue: Reimbursement from Motor License and Liquid Fuels lax Funds* $1,390,900 I merest on Securities 633.115 M isccllaneous Revenue 4.224

Total Miscellaneous Revenue $2,028,239

Idtal Revenue Subject to Executive Authorization $3,071,764 Augmentations: Federal Aid Reimbursements for Access Area Development $ 133.032 Sale of Used Automobiles and Other Vehicles 6.209

Total Augmentations $ 139.241 GRAND TOTAL ALL REVENUE DEPOSITED IN BOATING FUND $3,211,005

•Act 65, Session of 1931, as amended March 12, 1957. provides for an annual transfer to the Boat Fund the amount of the Liquid Fuels Tax paid on liquid fuels consumed in the propulsion of niotorboats and other motorcraft on the waters of the Commonwealth, including BOAT FUND - EXPENDITURES & COMMITMENTS BY DIVISION Incurred July 1, 1981, to June 30, 1982

Executive Office i 11,262 Comptroller 71.179 Bureau of Administrative Services: Administrative Services 150,619 Land and Water Acquisition 135,950 Boating Safety - Information and Education 98.389 Legal Services 4,465 Division of Engineering: Engineering and Development 507,254 221,638 Maintenance ,411,218 Law Enforcement Division 588,026 Watercraft Division

Boat Fund General Operations Total $3,200,000 Department of General Services - General State Authority Rentals 1,985 Treasury Department - Replacement Checks 2,000

Total Expenditures and Commitments $3,203,985

PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION CLASSIFICATION OF EXPENDITURES AND COMMITMENTS (Incurred Jul) 1, 1981, to June 30, 1982) Combined Funds Charged to Charged to Expenditures and 1SH FUND BOAT FUND Commitments

PERSONNEL SERVICES: Salaries and Wages $ 6.593,176 $ 1.309,777 $ 7.902,953 Employee Benefits State Share 2,439,777 389.655 2,829,432

PERSONNEL SERVICES TOTAI $ 9,032,953 $ 1,699,432 $10,732,385

OPERATIONAL EXPENSES: $ 905,518 Fish Food $ 905,518 $ — 0 - Vehicle Maintenance - Gasoline, Oil. Repairs, etc 553.420 140,400 693,820 Utilities (Electricity, Heat, Water) 572,131 21,289 593,420 Payments to Other State Agencies for Services Rendered 344,946 135.436 480,382 Printing and Advertising 289.254 111.956 401,210 Maintenance and Rental of Office, Copying, Tabulating and Data 294,255 Processing Equipment 225,903 68,352 Travel and Special Conference Expenses 200.921 56,518 257.439 Machinery and Equipment Repairs and Building Upkeep 177,372 46.142 223,514 117.850 209,542 Postage 91.692 50,873 187,179 Telephone Expenses 136.306 28,142 184,297 Supplies (Educational, Office, Laboratory) 156.155 Contracted Specialized Services 129,594 23,170 152,764 Rental of Buildings for Offices and Storage 65.022 48.135 113,157 Contracted Maintenance Service of PFC Buildings and Cirounds .. . 88.412 19.798 108,210 Purchase of Uniforms, Clothing, Footwear 25.259 14,657 39,916 Insurance - Liability, Surety, Fidelity, etc 23.820 5,252 29,072

OPERATIONAL EXPENSES TOTAI $ 3,985,725 $ 887,970 $ 4,873,695 FIXED ASSETS (Capital Improvements):

Access Area Development and Improvements to Lakes and Streams $ 43,984 $ 330,956 $ 374,940 Purchase of Automobiles, Trucks, Watercraft 218,245 77,534 295.779 Consideration Costs of Land, Lakes and Streams Acquired 132.950 135,950 268,900 Machinery and Equipment (Radio, Off-Road, Office) 171.259 62,591 233,850 Building Improvements to New and Existing Structures 154,740 5,008 159,748

FIXED ASSETS TOTAI $ 721,178 $ 612,039 $ 1,333,217

GRANTS (to Outside Organizations for Research and Services) ... $ 15,040 $ — 0 — $ 15.040 SUBSIDIES (to Local Political Subdivisions in-lieu-of Taxes) 6,004 403 6,407 NON-EXPENSE ITEMS (Refunds of Revenue) 3,402 156 3,558

Pennsylvania Fish Commission General Operations Totals $13,764,302 $ 3,200,000 $16,964,302 Department of General Services - General State Authority Rentals . 62,565 1,985 64.500 Treasury Department - Replacement Checks 2.000 2,000 4.000

TOTAL EXPENDITURES AND COMMITMENTS $13,828,867 $ 3,203,985 $17,032,852 PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION DIRECTORY

State Headquarters: 3532 Walnut Street, Harnsburg, PA 17109. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1673, Harrisburg. PA 17105-1673. Southwest, Thomas F. Qualters, Supervisor 814-445-8974 Mailing Address RD 2. Box 39, Somerset, PA 15501 Location On Lake Somerset. Somerset, PA EXECUTIVE OFFICE Southcentral, Richard Owens. Supervisor 717-436-2117 Ralph W. Abele, Executive Director Mailing Address RD 3. Box 109, Mifflintown, PA 17059 Location On Route 22, 3 miles west of Mifflintown, PA Chief Counsel, Dennis T. Guise; Administrative Assistant. Howard T. Hardie; Southeast, Stanley Paulakovich, Supervisor 717-626-0228 Comptroller. Ross E. Starner. Mailing Address Box 6, Elm, PA 17521 Location On Speedwell Forge Lake OFFICE OF INFORMATION Michael J. Bickler, Director 717-787-2579 BUREAU OF FISHERIES AND ENGINEERING Education, Stephen B. Ulsh 717-787-7394 Edward R. Miller, P.E., Assistant Executive Director Special Publications, Larry Shaffer 717-787-7394 Robinson Lane, Bellefonte. PA 16823 Tel. 814-359-2754* Media Relations, Dave Wolf 717-787-2579 ("Unless otherwise indicated, all offices within this bureau may be reached at Pennsylvania Angler, Art Michaels. Editor 717-787-2411 this same address and telephone number.) Angler Circulation, Eleanor Mutch 717-787-2363 F>ed W. Johnson, Water Resources Coordinator 717-783-2802 Dennis Ricker. Administrative Officer* Robert Hesser, Fishery Resource Biologist* BUREAU OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES (State Headquarters) ENGINEERING DIVISION* Carl H. Nordblom, Chief Paul F. O'Brien. Director 717-787-6487 Personnel & Employment, Allison .1. Mayhew .. . 717-787-7057 Construction & Maintenance Section, Eugene Smith, Chief* Budget Analyst, Vincent Rollant 717-787-2599 Architectural & Engineering Section, K. Ronald Weis, Chief* Real Estate, .lohn Hoffman 717-787-6376 Purchasing (Harrisburg). Avyril Richardson 717-787-2732 License Section, Mary Stine 717-787-6237 FISHERIES DIVISION* Delano Graff, Chief Federal Aid Coordinator, Glen C. Reed 717-787-6391 Trout Production Section, Ken Corl, Chief* Office Services Supervisor, Chester Peyton 717-787-2363 Warmwater Production Section, Shyrl Hood, Chief 814-683-4451 Purchasing (Bellefonte), Dennis Shultz 814-359-2754 Box 127, Linesville. PA 16424 Fisheries Environmental Services Section, Jack Miller, Chief* Fisheries Management Section, Richard A. Snyder, Chief* BUREAU OF WATERWAYS Research Section. Vincent Mudrak, Chief 814-355-4837 Gene Sporl, Assistant Executive Director 717-787-2192 Benner Spring Fish Research Station. R.D. 1, Box 485. Bellefonte. PA 16823 John Simmons. Administrative Officer 717-787-2192 Cooperative Nursery Branch, Paul Byers, Chief* Virgil Chambers. Boating Education 7 i 7-787-7684 Joseph Greene. Boating Education 717-787-7684 FISH CULTURAL STATIONS Bellefonte, William Hoover, Superintendent 814-355-4159 LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION RD4. Box 230, Bellefonte. PA 16823 Edward W. Manhart, Chief 717-787-2350 Benner Spring, William Kennedy, Superintendent 814-355-4837 Kerry Messerle. Deputy Chief 717-787-2350 RD 1, Box 485. Bellefonte. PA 16823 Barry A. Mechling, Deputy Waterways Patrolman Big Spring, Eugene J. Rozaieski. Superintendent 717-776-3170 Coordinator 717-787-2350 RD4. Box 341. Newville, PA 17241 Corrv-Union City, Tom L. Clark, Superintendent 814-664-2122 Corry. PA 16407 BOAT REGISTRATION/MARINE SERVICES DIVISION Fairview, Neil Shae, Superintendent 814-474-1514 Paul Martin, Chief 717-787-3042 2000 Lohrer Road, P.O. Box 531. Fairview, PA 16415 Timothy Whitsel, Marine Services 717-787-3042 Huntsdale, Ted Dingle, Superintendent 717-486-3419 Betty Stroud, Boat Registrations 717-787-4480 Box 393, R.D. 5, Carlisle, PA 17013 Linesville, James Harvey, Superintendent 814-683-4451 Box 127, Linesville, PA 16424 REGIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICES Oswayo, D. Ray Merriman, Superintendent 814-698-2102 Northwest, Walter G. Lazusky, Supervisor 814-437-5774 R.D. 2, Box 84, Coudersport, PA 16915 Mailing Address Box 349, Franklin, PA 16323 Pleasant Gap, John Bair, Superintendent 814-359-2754 Location 1281 Otter St., Franklin. PA Robinson Lane, Bellefonte, PA 16823 Northcentral, Paul F. Swanson, Supervisor 717-748-5396 Pleasant Mount, Zenas Bean, Superintendent 717-448-2101 Mailing Address Box 688, Lock Haven, PA 17745 Pleasant Mount, PA 18453 Location 129 Woodward Ave., Lock Haven, PA Reynoldsdale, Ralph Berkey, Superintendent 814-839-2211 Northeast, Clair Fleeger, Supervisor 717-477-5717 New Paris, PA 15554 Mailing Address Box 88, Sweet Valley, PA 18656 Tionesta, Charles Mann, Superintendent 814-755-3524 Location On Harris Pond. Sweet Valley, PA Tionesta, PA 16365

16 Annual Report 17 Ice Fishing Tips Here are great ideas for both beginner and veteran hard-water by John Swinton fishermen.

Fortunately, an ice fishing combination of warmth and mobility. "o this is the winter you've beginner can consult a whole library Tight-fitting vests and zippered cover­ s. alls look neater bu( just don't work finally talked yourself into ice fishing, of booklength guides and several and you've already bought some tip- hundred magazine articles. But the as well. ups, a jig stick, an auger, a skimmer, best approach is to get out on the and some lively minnows. You're lake and watch the local folks do it. Keep your feet warm and dry lucky. You're about to have a good In the meantime, here are 17 useful and you've got ice fishing 90 time, and you'll soon discover that ideas the books and articles some­ 2percent licked. Wear two pairs we hard-water fishermen are the times overlook. of warm, loose-fitting shoes, and then most generous of sportsmen. We wel­ pull on a pair of old-fashioned come company, and we love to share Veteran ice fishermen often rubber galoshes, the kind with the our secrets. There's nothing like good resemble hoboes more than sportsmen bracket buckles. Your feet will stay conversation and a tall tale to pass 1because several layers of com­ comfortable, and you'll enjoy some the time on a frozen lake. fortable old clothes provide the best extra traction on the ice.

January 1983 17 These pickerel were caught in less than 10 feet of water in a northeast Pennsylvania lake during January. The fish hit three- inch minnows. See tips 6 and 12, and keep tips 1, 2, and 3 in mind, too.

As much as half the body heat As winter progresses, fish While they sound scary, the we lose escapes through the tops gradually congregate where loud booming noises that carry 3of our heads. So even on a rela­ 5underwater plants, flowing 7across a frozen lake are more tively warm ice fishing day, wear a water, or translucent patches of ice typical of solid ice on the freeze than hat. supply the dissolved oxygen they weak ice on the thaw. Watch out, need. Do your fishing in or near the though, for spongy, grayish, honey­ Some ice fishermen like to weeds and along the sides of sub­ comb ice that seems to "sigh" under explore, moving rapidly over the merged streams that retain a mild your weight. 4ice from location to location. current. Let the sun shine in by clear­ This habit can be dangerous on ing the snow from around your holes. The sporting goods stores now spring-fed lakes. For example, I often stock all manner of spuds, fish Black Moshannon Lake near Ice fishermen quickly learn 8drills, and gasoline-powered Philipsburg where only a few steps about "vertical migrations." I augers for digging holes in the ice. can separate two feet of hard ice 6once fished Colyer Lake near They all work well, but the tactic that from an inch of snow-covered skim Boalsburg for crappies all afternoon works best is to take Mondays off, if ice over an active spring. So if you at 20 feet only to learn around dusk you can, and use the holes the week­ don't know the lake, stay with the that a huge school lay right under me end fishermen leave. You're sure to crowd. at 23 feet. Only one vertical yard find enough to go around. stood between paydirt and a skunk­ ing. In shallow lakes (say, 30 feet deep or less) start fishing just off the bot­ tom and raise your bait a foot for every 15 minutes you go without a bite. In deep lakes fish the shallow water first, and only then fish up through the richer oxygen strata in k the deep water.

IS Pennsylvania A ngler K

In these two photographs, left and below, ice anglers have their hands full subduing Lake Wilhehn catches. The seven- pound northern pike below is particularly troublesome. Next time around these anglers may find hand gaffs useful. See tip 12. Both fish took minnows fished from hooks on wire leaders.

w*

A lot of ice fishermen mount lf muskies, walleye, pike, ^ JBPlce literally floats on the wooden boxes on old sled or large pickerel live where ^^water it covers, so the holes 9runners to accommodate their you're fishing, expect to JL *»Jyou drill, the fire you start, catcnh them. Use flexible wire leaders and one or two warm days will not equipment. This mode of transporta­ tion works well on the ice, but not in and large minnows, and visit every weaken solid ice. But use common deep snow. Use an old pair of skis waving tip-up flag with a hand gaff. sense. A blazing fire on two inches of instead of sled runners, and you'll go ice could easily lead to a dunking. smoothly both in snow and on the -«g /^Once off balance on ice. •^slippery ice, you will ^ ^"Puddles of water do not JL %^probably fall backward and •^necessarily mean the ice is Whatever you do, don't are liable to give the back of your JL VFunsafe. Water often seeps look directly down on a head a nasty whack. I've seen more up onto the ice through cracks, par­ 10spring-triggere d tip-up. A serious ice fishing accidents happen ticularly around heavily used access gust of wind, a slight justle, and a this way than any other. Relax, and areas. If you're nervous about this sudden bite can flip the flag into your always move more deliberately on surface water, wait for the local pros eye. When making the rounds to slick ice. to arrive. If the ice is really unsafe, check your bait and skim your holes either they'll tell you or they won't lift the tip-ups from the side. -g| ^I've always found ice show up. /Bcreepers more trouble than Many successful hard-water JL •they're worth. Awkward to .^t ^»Before you set up for the anglers fish two ways at put on and wear, they don't always I day, make sure you've left once. They set out tip-ups grip properly, they usually bruise the JL / your car where you can free fonr larger fish and then jig for pan- bottoms of my feet, and they can it from the mud, snow, or slush that fish. Because panfish are the natural damage tackle and equipment. I find can alternately thaw and freeze as the food for larger fish, I often start my it easier just to move about slowly hours pass. I always try to park day by jigging up a few small perch and cautiously. Besides, rough or downhill facing a cleared section of or bluegills for tip-up bait. snow-crusted ice is the rule rather road or parking lot. | PA] than the exception. (Not everyone agrees with me: My friends who wear heavy-soled boots appreciate a good Avid ice fisherman John Swinton is a pair of creepers.) freelance writer-editor based in State College.

January 1983 19 ANGLERS CURRENTS MB The LAW and YOU LIFE IN A An intense 2!/-month investiga­ A conspiracy allegedly resulted tion by Fish Commission law with some of the suspects stealing WINTER POND enforcement officers and police fish from the hatchery and delivering BY FREP GUfiiRD/NEER^. departments in northern them to a hotel owner, who was AFROZENPONDISUUSTAS Montgomery and eastern Berks dispersing them to customers and ALIVE IN JANUARY AS IT WAS IN counties into a series of fish thefts friends. ZUfiB."WAJERTURNOVER" CON­ has culminated in the arrests of four Of the four suspects charged in TINUES UNTIL ALL DEPTH5 REACH Montgomery County residents. the fish thefts, three were charged 39°F. SINCE WATER H0LD5 TWICE with theft, receiving stolen property, AS MUCH OXYGEN AT 3Z°F. AS According to Waterways AT 77°F.,IT IS AN OBV\OU5 Patrolman Guy A. Bowersox, who criminal conspiracy, criminal ADVANTAGE TO ITS RESIDENTS coordinated the investigation, more trespass, trespass with intent to fish y//S^" UNDER THE than 1,000 trout had been stolen on hatchery property, creel and 5 over a one-year period from possession limit violations, and UP Michefeldor's Trout Hatchery in unlawful methods of taking Boyertown, Berks County. gamefish. The fourth suspect was Police informant information charged with three felony counts of provided the probable cause receiving stolen property; criminal necessary for the patrolman and solicitation; criminal conspiracy; local police to obtain search unlawful purchase/sale offish; and S warrants, which led officers to the creel, possession, and size limit ^ recovery of several stolen trout, violations. illegal nets, drugs, sawed-off As a result of the investigation, PREDATORS shotguns, stolen property, and a police have charged numerous SUCH AS BASS, PICKEREL, runaway 15-year-old female. suspects with the other crimes TROUT, AND PERCH REMAIN "We began by searching a hotel- discovered. Among the charges are ACTIVE/EEDING ON DORMANT FISH AND EACH OTHER. restaurant-bar establishment for possessing prohibitive offensive stolen trout," Waterways Patrolman weapons, possession of marijuana, SUNNIES Bowersox said, "and it snowballed receiving stolen property, witness AND PAN- into the detection of a potpourri of tampering, and corrupting the morals FISH... illegal activities." of minors. 1983 Season The Pennsylvania Fish Commis­ Raystown lakes, and rivers and sion has announced the fishing sea­ streams (season open year-round). sons for 1983: •Muskellunge, pickerel, pike, wall­ • Trout and salmon: January l to eye, and sauger: January 1 to mid­ BECOME LESS ACTIVE IN WIN1ER, CONSUMING LESS FOOD, BUT midnight, February 28; and 8 a.m., night, March 14; and May 8 to mid­ WILL TAKE MEALWORMS April 16 to midnight, Labor Day. night, December 31. DANGLED ON A Extended season: Midnight, Labor •Shad and river herring, striped bass HOOK. o Day to December 31. (From the and hybrids, sunfish, yellow perch, period January 1 to midnight, Feb­ crappies, rock bass, catfish, suckers, ruary 28; and midnight, Labor Day to eels, , and white bass: Open December 31 the creel limit is three year-round, except that the Susque­ per day). During the regular season, hanna River is closed to shad and April 16 to midnight, Labor Day, the river herring fishing due to creel limit is eight per day, restoration efforts. Remember—the new size limit of A new license increase is in effect seven inches is in effect for the entire for the 1983 season. The new prices 1983 season. are as follows: Resident, $12; senior •Bass (largemouth and smallmouth): resident, $2; senior resident lifetime, CARP January 1 to midnight, April 15; and $10; nonresident, $20; seven-day AND BULLHEADS WRIGGLE June 18 to midnight, December 31, tourist, $15. The issuing agent's fee of INTO THE BOTTOM MUCK AMD RE­ except Kinzua, Wallenpaupack, and 25e per license remains unchanged. MAIN SLUGGISH AND DORMANT. 20 Pennsylvania Angler Book Review

North America's Freshwater Fishing Book Mike Rosenthal, 260 pages, Charles Scribner's Sons, 597 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10017, $17.95 hardbound.

Novice anglers who want a well-organized compendium of fishing know-how wi probably want to read this book, but even though some experienced fishermen can find useful material, much of the information is common knowledge among anglers with only a few years of fishing experience. For instance. Chapter 17, "Knots," specifies only three knots—the improved clinch knot, the blood knot, and the nail knot. Most anglers know many more useful knots, so only those new to fishing would value this information. Another drawback of this book is that it is illustrated only sparsely. Large gray masses of unbroken type may put off many readers no matter what the content may be. The book's 44 short chapters are divided into three sections. The first section, "Equipment," covers topics such as kinds of tackle, lures, and baits. The second part, "The Fish and How to Catch Them," contains 22 chapters on fish species, and offers practical fishing techniques. The third section covers , ice fishing, and catch-and-release fishing. All in all, the book would best appeal to fishermen who want basic, general information in one source.—Art Michaels Catch a big one Subscribe today and sign up a friend!

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• New MAIL TO: Pennsylvania Fish Commission Q Renewal Angler Circulation Please photocopy Ibis lorm if you don'l P.O. Box 1673 wish to cul your magazine. Harrisburg, PA 17105-1673 New Angler index Angler Seeks Oral History Contributions Just published are new author and Are you 60 years of age or older postcard that includes your name, subject indexes of Pennsylvania and have you been fishing in Penn­ address, telephone number, age, and Angler's feature articles in Volume sylvania for at least 50 years? If so, a brief description of your earliest 51, January 1982 through December Pennsylvania Angler would like to fishing experiences in Pennsylvania. 1982. The indexes are useful aids to talk with you about your earliest Also let us know the best time of day finding feature material in memories of fishing in the Keystone for us to call you. Pennsylvania Angler. Copies are free State. Our goal is to compile an oral Address postcards to The Editor, of charge by writing to the in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Angler, P.O. Box 1673, Publications Section. Pennsylvania the first of its kind, and we'd like to Harrisburg, PA 17105-1673. The Fish Commission, P.O. Box 1673. tape record your recollections. deadline is March 31. Harrisburg. PA 17105-1673. If vou can contribute, send us a PENNSYLVANIA Anglers Notebook BY Richard F. Williamson $J» COMM/S^ are the favorite food of Streamers and bucktails often brown trout, unless they grow so produce more strikes if during the large that only minnows and other retrieve they are made to dart up or large forage satisfy their appetites. down to one side of a straight line. In this way they look more like minnows. Bass and perch usually are found Dedicated to the sound conserve in the same areas of a lake. They tion of our aquatic resources, th'' get along well together, even if the protection and management ol tW bass eat the perch fry and big state's diversified fisheries, and t>' perch prey on fingerling bass. the ideals of safe boating aril optimum boating opportunities.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE The caddis nymph builds its Ralph W. Abele. protective "house" with grains ot Executive Director sand and bits of bark and leaves that are held together by a sticky Howard T. Hardie. Administrative Assistant substance secreted from the Dennis T. Guise. nymph's body. J*^*B*^ J~& Chief Counsel Ross E. Starner. Comptroller Any plug that floats at rest can be BUREAU Oh ADMINISTRATIVE popped and maneuvered strictly as a SERVICES 717-787-6487 surface lure, even though it is Paul F. O'Brien. intended to dive during the retrieve. Director Allison .1. Mayhew. Personnel Action is the key to the John Hoffman. Real Estate Cilen Reed. Federal Aid productivity of any . No Mary Stine. Licensing matter how attractive it looks or BUREAU OF FISHERIES how faithfully it imitates a baitfish, AND ENGINEERING 814-359-275J it will not evoke strikes if it doesn't Edward R. Miller. P.E., seem alive. Remember this idea Assistant Executive Director Scientists believe that a musky every time you use a spinner, spoon, Delano Graff. Fisheries must eat five to seven pounds of plug, or any other lure. Carl H. Nordblom. Engineering forage fish to gain one pound in BUREAU OF WATERWAYS weight. 717-787-2192 Big bass bugs for fly rodding can Gene Sporl. be used with ultralight spinning gear Assistant Executive Director Bluegills and lake trout are at in lily pads and other vegetation that Edward W. Manhart. Law Enforcemen' the extremes of the ranges of water would entangle surface spinning Paul Martin. Boat Registration temperatures in which fish are Virgil Chambers. Boating Education lures. OFFICE OF INFORMATION comfortable. Ideal temperatures for 717-787-2579 bluegills range from 70° F. to 75°F.; for lake trout, 40° F. to Michael J. Bickler. Director 45° F. l.arry Shaffer, Publications Stephen B. Ulsh. Education Dave Wolf, Media Relations J About 21,000 species offish have been identified by fisheries biologists. Dear Mr. Jones: Carp can be as cagey as trout, so some specialized tackle adaptation is in order if you want to fool the big ones. MAIL Take a one-ounce bank sinker and carefully hammer it evenly flat without closing off the hole in the top of the sinker. Then cut it in half (side to side, not top to bottom) with a large knife or pair of clippers. This modified half-ounce sinker is useful for carp fishing in rivers with moderately moving currents. A few rivers in my area have a When a carp nibbles the bait, the fish will drop the bait if it great many large carp. feels the resistance from a sinker that's embedded in mud. Your Sometimes when I get a bite and hammering the sinker flat prevents the sinker from digging in I think it's a carp, the fish seem too deeply in the bottom, yet it's still heavy enough to hold the to mouth the bait for a moment bottom in a current. The fish will be more likely to take your and then let it go. How can 1 bait because it feels little or no resistance from the sinker. hook these critters? We wish you luck with your future carp fishing, and we hope this sinker tip works for you. Ted Jones Philadelphia, PA Art Michaels, Editor Pennsylvania Angler Over the years I've read several Angler articles on Upper Woods Pond's good trout and salmon fishing. Now I've heard Dear Mr. Aguiar: it's been poisoned by the Fish A few years ago we were asking ourselves the same question. Commission. What happened? What happened to Upper Woods Pond? We were well aware of the excellent trout and kokanee salmon fishery present in the Manny Aguiar 1960s and early 1970s. We knew that the deep, cold water was Hellertown, PA still available for the salmon, but despite our continued stocking of fry and fingerlings the fishery continued to decline to the point that stocking was no longer feasible. Trout stocked as I've been fishing for over 30 adults continued to provide angling, but it was apparent that years and have had many Upper Woods Pond wasn't as it used to be. successful fishing trips. However, A series of lake surveys was initiated to determine the cause this past year, two trips to the of the fisheries decline. We found that in the late 1960s and early Delaware River in the Shawnee 1970s populations of golden shiners, bullheads, and yellow perch area made 1982 my most began to increase, and as they did the kokanee population enjoyable year ever. declined. It was apparent that these fish were competing with Last spring I went with a the kokanee for the limited food supply available. Furthermore, friend to try , and because of the cold water in Upper Woods Pond, the perch and on my first trip I caught a roe bullheads grew at a very slow rate and provided little fishing. shad. It was one of the most The solution was obvious—competition from nonsalmonid exciting fights I'd ever species had to be removed if the kokanee were to be restored. encountered. The shad put on an Reclamation of Upper Woods Pond was the only viable aerial display that put the Air solution. Chemical pond reclamation is a common practice in Force to shame. other northeastern states and was common in Pennsylvania at My second trip last September one time. In fact, Upper Woods Pond was first reclaimed this in the same area was a float trip. way in 1956, which initiated the excellent trout and salmon The scenery was great, and the fishery you read about. fishing was even better. I caught In 1982 we reclaimed Upper Woods Pond in much the same five smallmouth bass, keeping way we had in 1956. We reintroduced the kokanee salmon and two and returning the rest. brook trout in November 1982. The good old days are coming Thanks to the Pennsylvania back to Upper Woods Pond, and the fishing will be better in the Fish Commission for access- future. areas and the constant fight for clean waters. William M. Frazier Fisheries Technician Jack Perry Coldwater Unit Doylestown, PA January 1983 23 Chinook Eggs to Co-ops New Size Limit Because of federal budget cuts, the The 3CU Association will release To Be Studied Pennsylvania Fish Commission has its fish at six months of age and the Implementation of a new size limit had to suspend temporarily its Chi­ East Side Salmon Club at 18 months. for trout in 1983 became effective nook rearing program (the coho and All fish will be fin clipped to allow January 1. Designed to protect steelhead programs are not affected), the Fish Commission the opportunity brook trout into their fourth year, but co-ops in the Erie area are busy to collect scientific data on fish taken the increased size limit, from six maintaining a stocking program by anglers. inches to seven inches, is the subject In cooperation with the Michigan The Commission is particularly of a two-year study by Fish Department of Natural Resources. interested in determining whether or Commission biologists as part of the Fish Commission was able to not fish released at six months of age Operation FUTURE. obtain 75,000 chinook eggs from fish grow as well as those released at 18 trapped in the Little Manistee River. months, and what differences can be Although the new seven-inch regulation applies to all trout in The eggs have been delivered to the expected in return to the creel. Pennsylvania, the primary reason for 3CU Trout Association, which will Despite the loss of federal funds, its implementation is to protect a incubate the eggs and rear them to chinook salmon will continue to be Keystone State native, the brook the swimup fry stage. They will then planted in Lake Erie in a cooperative trout. deliver half the number of fish to the effort between the Commission and East Side Salmon Club. the sportsmen of Erie. Biologists have found that angling pressure often has serious effects on brook trout populations, and that SPORTSMEN EDUCATORS brookies usually reach sexual maturity at three years of age. The NATURALISTS six-inch size limit allowed the Send for these full-color pictorial guides to Pennsylvania's selective harvest of the fastest reptiles and amphibians. Each wall chart measures 17 inches by growing fish before they carried out 22 inches, and each is suitable for framing. The charts are useful their first spawning. The slowest growing brookies were then left to teaching aids, giving common and scientific names and depicting comprise the majority of the adult-sized animals. Also great for the den and kids' rooms. following year's brood stock. The Charts are sent in hard tubes. Each $1 postpaid, complete set of six-inch limit also restricted natural four charts for $3 postpaid. reproduction to one or two of the youngest age groups, reducing the Name size of the fish in the angler's creel and creating periods of good and Address poor populations of legal-sized fish. The seven-inch size limit came as State Zip a result of extensive biological studies. However, the Commission is Snake chart @ $1 each Total S not intent on putting to bed the Frog chart @ $ 1 each Total $ management of the "little native" Turtle chart @ $1 each Total $ just yet. Tubbs Run in Forest Salamander chart. _@ $ 1 each Total S County. Dunham Run in Warren County, and Dennison Run in Complete 4-chart set __@ $3 each Total $ Venango County have been selected as study sites to evaluate the new • check • money order enclosed size limit. Biologists electro-shocked Grand Total $ . these streams last spring and fall, To order, send your check or money order and will do the same in 1983. payable to the Pennsylvania Fish Commission to: "What we're looking for," Publications Section Commission biologist Ron Lee said, "is whether or not the new size limit Pennsylvania Fish works on streams with little food Commission source. We will be gathering growth P.O. Box 1673 and population estimates so that we Harrisburg, PA 17105-1673 can evaluate the new program's effectiveness." 24 Pennsylvania Angler B O A T I N G by Virgil Chambers

Proper storage of your boat and like depth finders, radios, PFDs. the bearings burn out. This leads to trailer during the winter can make first aid kits, and other gear, and trailer breakdown. getting the boat ready for spring a store them in a cool, dry place. •The best way to prevent this lot easier. When you consider the •Trailer wheel bearings are a breakdown is to repack the wheel headaches associated with dry rot. constant problem because water bearings with grease at the end of rusty trailer wheel bearings, rotten frequently gets into the hubs. Water each boating season. tires, water damage, mildew, and may not damage the wheel bearings •Also during the winter, trailer other problems, this preparation can during the boating season because it tires need to be turned occasionally be very important. Here are some circulates each time you use your to prevent rot. In fact, for long specific storage ideas. trailer. But during winter storage the storage periods, it's a good idea to water stays in contact with the small block the trailer up off the ground •Canvas covers are useful because bearing surface for extended periods. and remove the wheels. they keep your boat clean. However, This contact causes rust. Then when If all goes well and you follow these covers shut in warm air and you use the trailer next spring, the these few tips on boat and trailer moisture, the two elements that rust causes friction and heat, which storage, you could be first on the promote wood rot and the growth of causes the grease to run out, so that water next spring. mildew. •To prevent mildew and wood rot. leave part of your boat cover Boating publications open so that fresh air can circulate. If your boat is kept outdoors and The Pennsylvania Fish Commission publishes many useful pamphets exposed to snow and rain, place a and other materials for boaters. For instance, in Boat Trailering you will support underneath the canvas to find practical information on trailer selection, equipment, maintenance, bear the additional weight. Position and launching and retrieving. Marine Fire Extinguishers explains how the support to create a slope so that to prevent shipboard fires, what to do if you have a fire aboard, and how precipitation runs off. to select the right kind of fire extinguisher for your specific boating needs. For a complete list of Fish Commission publications with •Take out of the boat equipment ordering information, contact the Publications Section of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission at P.O. Box 1673, Harrisburg, PA Virgil Chambers is a Fish 17105-1673. Commission Boating Education \ I Specialist. January IVX3 'i Chapman Dam's Icy Brook Trout Delight

by Mike Bleech

T. h e air had a chilly bite the morning Bill Anderson, Bill Doland. and 1 arrived at Chapman Dam. Patches of fog hung over the ice, silhouetting the dark green hemlocks on the shoreline. Many anglers already were on the ice, and we saw a few nice trout caught while we walked to the area we planned to fish. Favorite jigs We had come equipped with both jigging rods and tip-ups. and minnows, maggots, and small jigs for bait. We had fished here many times before, so we had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the trout. Live minnows, preferably two-inch to three-inch shiners, are the most popular bait at Chapman, while grubs, cheese, corn, and worms also get some use. 1 prefer to jig for the trout, using a small homemade jig tipped with a maggot. My favorite jig has a bright orange body spiraled with silver tinsel, and a yellow tail. Pink or white jigs also work fine, as do small lures like the Swedish Pimple or jigging Rapala. Some anglers just won't touch a maggot. To accommodate them, local bait shops carry wax worms or mealworms. Here are the details for taking brookies through the ice at this waterway.

After chopping a half-dozen holes anglers around the lake were faring. through the ice, we went to work What 1 found was a lot of happy with our fishing. The first move was faces. There were at least 50 anglers to work a jig in each of the freshly- on the ice that day fishing in groups, cut holes. and every group I checked had Trout for some reason are often caught fish. Actually, the biggest attracted by the activity of cutting a worry most had was limiting out too hole through the ice. We got two soon! Otherwise, it was a pretty quick hits, but the closest we came typical ice fishing party atmosphere, to catching a fish was getting it with fires burning in homemade partway through the hole. This at stoves, food cooking, and stories least gave us a clue to the location traded. of the fish because the hits were in A couple of anglers had come adjacent holes. close to landing big brookies in the Our bait and jigs went untouched 20-inch class. Chapman and its for the next half-hour, so we decided tributaries are well known for to cut a few more holes near the two producing some of the biggest brook holes that had produced hits earlier. trout in the area. My biggest I cut the first hole and plopped brookie, slightly over two pounds, down a jig as soon as I cleaned out came from Chapman during an the ice. A fat brookie smacked it unusually warm winter when the immediately! After a short tussle our lake's water was open. first trout of the day was flopping All but two of the trout that I saw on the ice. Taking turns in that hole on the ice were brookies; the two and in another we cut a few feet exceptions were beautifully marked away, we soon collected seven fat browns. Most of the fish were brookies before the action stopped. caught on live minnows, but a few All had succumbed to a jig tipped anglers took trout using jigs tipped with a maggot. with maggots. I already had my limit of trout, so I took a walk around the lake while Mike Bleech is editor of Drop Off, my two friends continued to fish. 1 the newsletter of the Pennsylvania was anxious to see how the other B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation. Line and hooks The few anglers who were having trouble catching fish had one thing in common using heavy line. Along with using the light bait, ligl t line .of four-pound-test or six- pound-test was a key to success. The standard minnow rig consisted of a si/c eight hook and a small splitshot pinched on about eight inches up the line. Hooking the minnows lightly through the tail produced more hits because the small shiners remained more lively than if they were lip- hooked. This method, however, can result in more missed hits. Bait depth Few trout were taken with tip-tips. Ice rods proved far more effective. A small bobber is used to suspend the bait and to detect hits. Most of the lake is less than 10 feet deep, but the trout are sometimes fussy about the depth of the bait, so slide the bobber up and down the line to find the most productive depth. Extra hits can be encouraged by jigging the minnow occasionally, or by lifting it to the bottom of the hole. It also pays to check different depths while jigging. Ihe trout often hit the jig or bait as it is rising, possibly because it appears to be getting away. By the time 1 returned to my companions, they had both limited Light ice fishing rods spooled with four-pound-test line make perfect rigs out. Those last two brookies fell to for Chapman's hrook trout. Small jigs lipped with maggots provided these minnows in holes that had not fishermen with fast action. produced fish before. One was a chunky 14-incher that capped off our day perfectly. Chapman State Park lies in a quite, end-of-the-road setting, but it is only five miles off U.S. Rt. 6. It Chapman Dam's area facilities can be reached by turning west off Rt. 6 at the traffic signal in Clarendon. Chapman's popularity Bait and tackle can be measured by the notion that Kinzua Field & Stream. 1917 Pennsylvania Avenue East, Warren, PA it is a favorite among locals, even 16365. Phone (814) 726-1889. though it is in the shadow of Holmes Gulf & Sporting Goods, corner Pennsylvania Avenue East & Kinzua. Buchanan Street, Warren, PA 16364. Phone (814") 723-8810. Other winter activities at the park Finley's Sporting Goods, 236 Pennsylvania Avenue West, Warren, PA include ice skating, sledding, cross­ 16365. Phone (814) 723-9020. country skiing, and snowmobiling. There is usually enough ice for Camping and lodging winter activities by January I. For There is year-round camping at Chapman State Park. However, the more information, contact Chapman camping is primitive in the winter. There are numerous motels in Warren, State Park. Department of which is just a short drive from Chapman. Environmental Resources. R.l). I. Box 1610. Clarendon. PA 16313.[771 (This information is provided by the author.)

28 Pennsvlvania Angler Pennsylvania Wild Resource Conservation Fund

Sadly, two species long listed as here is still time to gather the endangered are now believed extinct. Tnecessary information and take Both are fishes that once inhabited the necessary steps to prevent the the Great Lakes: the blue pike and possible loss of other species and the the long-jaw cisco. Their demise was gradual diminution of various facets largely the result of our continued of our own existence here in Pennsyl­ plundering of their populations and vania. The effort requires new habitats in the face of obvious funding and manpower commitments declines in their apparent abundance, that to some may seem too costly. Our coupled with a lack of knowledge failure, however, to make an ade­ possibly 40 of the 250 species about their population structures and quate effort now will in the long run ^or subspecies of fishes, habitat requirements. Although a be even more costly to future genera­ Pamphibians, and reptiles plan designed to prevent the extinc­ tions. The Wild Resource Conserva­ known from Pennsylvania might be tion of the blue pike was imple­ tion Act supplies us with the considered game animals, and most mented, it came too late. necessary legal framework; the rest is of these are fishes. This element of up to us. I PAJ Pennsylvania's wild resource has been the primary beneficiary of traditional manpower and funding priorities. While Wildlife Check-Off some of the 210 remaining species have benefited indirectly from The Pennsylvania Legislature has wild plants. Some of the programs habitat management directed at the followed a course set by several other already under way include the re- game species, most have not been the states in the establishment of a pro­ introduction of the bald eagle, osprey, direct recipient of management prac­ gram that permits individual tax­ peregrine falcon, and river otter; the tices designed to preserve and payers to use a "Wildlife Check-Off" development of nesting and feeding enhance their status for the benefit of on the 1982 state income tax form. habitats for songbirds, turtles, rep­ future generations. This "check-off" enables an indivi­ tiles, and amphibians; and the identi­ dual to donate money to the new fication of native wild plants. Wild Resource Conservation Fund. Because the personal income tax resently, five fishes and 11 The taxpayer designates an amount structure in Pennsylvania precludes Pamphibians and reptiles of the he or she wishes to donate from the refunds for many taxpayers, they 210 species not considered game spe­ tax refund on line 19c of the long may makedirect contributions 10 the cies are listed by the Pennsylvania form, PA 40, or on line 10c of the Fund by writing a check payable to Fish Commission as endangered or short form, PA 40-A. the Pennsylvania Wild Resource threatened, and an additional 36 spe­ The money generated by refunds Conservation Fund and mailing it to cies that could become endangered or will be allocated by the Wild Resource the Comptroller, Box 2063, Harris- threatened are listed as status indeter­ Conservation Board to the Pennsyl­ burg, PA 17120. All contributions, minate. A further 16 species are listed vania Fish Commission, Pennsylva­ whether by refund or direct payment, as extirpated—once found in Pennsyl­ nia Game Commission, and the are tax deductible for 1983 federal vania but no longer believed to Department of Environmental Resources income tax purposes, including 25 exist within the state. Many of these for the protection and management percent of as much as $100 for those extirpated species presently exist in of the state's non-game wildlife and taxpayers who don't itemize deductions. nearby states and could exist again in Pennsylvania with our help.

January 1983 PROFILE The Incomparable Walleye

by Charles C. Cooper

When a serious fisherman thinks of the walleye, he can't get stung by erratic temperature changes, large numbers help but be awed. What other Pennsylvania fish can be should survive, which hatch in about two weeks. In caught best after nightfall, is widely stocked to help fisher­ another two weeks the fry disperse into the upper levels of ies managers control overpopulated panfish, can grow to open water. There they feed on minute animals called over 30 inches in length and over 10 pounds in rod- zooplankton. As they grow, they slowly add more and snapping weight, and for many holds the position of being more fish to their diet, including their own kind. By fall, the best-tasting fish that cruises the waters of our Com­ the young-of-the-year walleyes approach eight inches in monwealth? Although this extraordinary fish was histori­ length and will have migrated to deep water. cally abundant only in the rivers and northwestern glacial Because of their light-sensitive eyes, walleyes prefer deep pools of the state, it has been deemed so valuable that it or moderately turbid water, or some type of sun-shielding has received statewide stocking in just about every river cover during the day. At night, these aquatic predators stretch and lake open to public fishing. ascend to the shallows in loose but discrete schools to Currently, this coolwater species is referred to as wall­ hunt down and feed on any species of fish readily avail­ eye. However, in the past it has been labeled with a var­ able. Research has shown that yellow perch, when present, iety of names such as pikeperch, jack, yellow pike, wall­ are at the top of the walleye's preferred menu. When fish eyed pike, and even pickerel. In 1818 a scientist by the and insects are plentiful, other animals are rarely name of Mitchill first identified it using a specimen taken consumed. from Cayuga Lake, New York. Today's fisheries biologists The growth of the walleye depends not only on the know it as Stizostedion vitreum vitreum, which means, presence of good water quality and plentiful forage, but "the pungent-throated fish with the glass eyes." also on its gender. After sexual maturity is reached at The walleye can be described as a large fish with a body about 12 to 15 inches in its third growing season, the shaped like a perch. Its color varies, but it is usually olive male's growth abruptly slows, but the female continues at brown or gray-brown to golden yellow, with undersides of a fairly steady rate. Undoubtedly, Mike Holly's state white or yellow-tinted white. A small walleye has a milk- record of 17 pounds, 9 ounces, a 36'/2-inch, Kinzua Lake white tip on the lower fork of its tail fin, and may have walleye, was a female. large vertical bands across its back. Other prominent fea­ is most fruitful at sunset and sunrise. tures include a mouth full of sharp teeth and a large, dark This highly sought-after gamefish can be taken on min­ blotch on the rear portion of the spiny dorsal fin. The wall­ nows and various artificials. Some avid anglers prefer eye's large eyes appear silvery from the light reflected by spinner and worm combinations. Because walleyes school, light-sensitive cells, which enable it to hunt the shallows at those fishermen who drift or troll their lures should be twilight and at night. able to locate and catch them successfully. When the wall­ Spawning occurs in the early spring. Shortly eye takes your bait, it does not jump like a bass, but it after the thinning ice breaks up. male walleyes begin bulldogs for the bottom. When you hoist it from the water swimming into the rocky or gravelly shallows of lakes and after a hard fight, you know it is not just another fish. It's rivers. The females soon join the males. Spawning takes the incomparable walleye! | PA] place at night when the water temperature has risen into the 40s. Unlike sunfish or trout, this large member of the perch family does not prepare a nest, and the males are Charles C. Cooper earned a bachelor of science degree in not territorial. Females generally contain 25,000 to 50.000 biology from the University of Pittsburgh, and has com­ eggs per pound of body weight. If the newly fertilized eggs pleted additional graduate courses at Penn State. He is a do not get eaten by predators, become smothered by silt. fisheries technician in the Commission's Fisheries Man­ become exposed to the air by water level fluctuations, or agement Section. 30 Pennsylvania Angler Illustrated by Tom Duran Walleye

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