November 1995/ $1.5 Pennsylvania

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< •*.*# \ ' :W In April 1992, the Fish and Boat Com­ mission awarded the Ralph W. Abele Con­ StmigkiQalk servation Heritage Award to Dr. Maurice K. Goddard for "a lifetime of service to con­ servation of the environment in Pennsylvania and our nation." Dr. Maurice K. Goddard: In response, Doc shared some of his phi­ A Giant Among Conservationists losophy of government and reminisced about his friendship with Ralph Abele. Doc re­ minded us that in government, bigger is not necessarily better, and he urged preserva­ 1 had the opportunity and honor of meeting Dr. Goddard at several Corps of Engineers tion of the Fish and Boat Commission as meetings in the early 1970s when he was a small, independent agency focused on fish the Secretary of the Department of Envi­ and boating. Peter A. Colangelo "When you get yourself involved in a big ronmental Resources. More recently, I had Executive Director the pleasure of talking to him at former Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission conglomerate, you certainly lose stature," Executive Director Ed Miller's retirement he concluded. Doc had always urged that dinner in the spring of ] 994 and then again servation in Pennsylvania. His record of the Department of Environmental Services while .serving with him i ») llie Ralph W. Abele selfless public service in the cause of con­ be split into smaller, more focused agen­ Conservation Scholarship Fund Board in May servation and protection of the environment cies, and lie lived to see it happen with the of this year. He was someone who I ad­ is unmatched and, probably, unmatchable. creation of the new Department of Environ­ mired and respected greatly. Everyone in Doc Goddard served as the last Secre­ mental Protection and the Department of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commis­ tary of the Department of Forests and Wa­ Conservation and Natural Resources. sion was saddened to learn of his death. Dr. ters (1955 - 1971) and the first Secretary He reminisced that he got to know Ralph Goddard was a true friend of the sportsmen of the Department of Environmental Re­ Abele during the campaigns for the Project of Pennsylvania. As Larry Schweiger wrote, sources (1971 - 1979). Doc Goddard's 70 and Project 500 bond issues. He told "There is not a single Pennsylvanian who dedicated efforts on behalf of conservation his listeners that "with Ralph's leadership, does not enjoy the benefits of Goddard's touch everyone who fishes and boats in Penn­ the Fish Commission was the environmental work." sylvania. He had a vision of a network of conscience for the environment in Pennsyl­ The following is an article on Dr. Goddard state parks to provide outdoor recreation and vania." He related that he was greatly honored prepared by Dennis Guise, our Deputy Ex­ enjoyment within 25 miles of every citizen to receive an award named for Ralph Abele. ecutive Director/Chief Counsel. I asked Den­ in the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania's state Doc Goddard, Ralph Abele and Ken Sink nis to prepare it so we could dedicate it for park system, with 114 state parks, stands helped form an informal group of conser­ this "Straight Talk" since Dennis was most as a perpetual legacy of Doc Goddard and vation leaders known affectionately as the familiar with Dr. Goddard's many accom­ his work. "OB's." They would get together at a camp plishments. Doc Goddard was the moving force be­ and focus on the big questions of right and hind Pennsylvania's two great conservation wrong that sometimes get obscured in the On September 14, 1995, Dr. Maurice K. bond issues: Project 70 and Project 500. details of deadlines and daily decisions. Out Goddard died from injuries received in a Through his untiring efforts, these bond issues of their discussions came a sense of direc­ fire at his home. He was 83 years old. were approved by the voters to allocate $570 tion and a vision for the better protection Doc Goddard's death marked the end of million for conservation in Pennsylvania. of Pennsylvania's precious resources. If the an era. Pennsylvania's anglers and boat­ Much of that money was used to provide streets of heaven are paved with gold, then ers and all who love the outdoors lost a true fishing and boating opportunities for present let's hope there's no runoff of heavy met­ friend. Doc Goddard was a giant of con- and future generations of Pennsylvanians. als to the heavenly waters or Somebody up Odds are that every Pennsylvania angler has there may hear about it from the OB's: Doc, wetted a line in, and every Pennsylvania Ralph and Ken. boater has launched a boat on, waters pre­ We will remember Doc Goddard for his served through Doc Goddard's efforts. good humor, his great knowledge and his Doc Goddard had a close and abiding profound mission. We will remember him friendship with Ralph Abele, the late ex­ when we hear of the Goddard Chair at the ecutive director of the Pennsylvania Fish Perm State School of Forestry or the Maurice Commission. Ralph awarded Doc one of K. Goddard State Park. We will remem­ the first "White Hats" that the Commission ber him when we paddle a state park lake, awarded to the "Good Guys" in the conser­ fish in a stream bought with Project 70 funds vation movement. When Ralph retired in and enjoy the wonders of our state forests. May 1987, Doc returned the favor by sur­ Doc Goddard left his mark on all who knew prising Ralph with a White Hat of his own. him and the world around him. After Ralph's untimely death in 1990, Doc When Dwight Eisenhower, with whom Goddard assumed a leadership role in the Doc served in World War II, bought his farm Ralph W. Abele Conservation Scholarship at Gettysburg, he said his goal was "to leave Fund. Doc came to every meeting of the the place better than he found it." Of Maurice board, and he led the Fund's effort to pub­ Goddard it can truly be said that he left Penn­ Dr. Maurice K. Goddard (left) lish the collection of Ralph's "Straight Talk" sylvania better than he found it and that his and Ralph W. Ahele columns. dedication to conservation has been an in­ spiration for us all.

2 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler ania November 1995 Vol. 64 No. 11 & Boat Commission Howard E. Pflugfelder President Pennsylv i . New Cumberland Donald N. Lacy Vice President ANGLER Reading The Keystone State's Official Fishimg Magazine ^^ Donald K. Anderson Meyersdale Samuel M. Concilia November Panfish in Eastern PA by Vic Attardo 4 North East Ross J. Huhn Catching Trout in Not-Quite-Frozen Lakes by Mike Bleech 7 Saltsburg Paul J. Mahon Clarks Green PAAngler NET WORK 11 Enoch S. "Inky " Moore, Jr. Newville On the Water with Ken Salkowski 14 Leon Reed Honesdale William J. Sabatose North Coast Steelhead by Darl Black 15 Brockport 7. Wayne Yorks Benton The Orange Flash: A Streamer for Bass by Chauncy K. Lively 19 Boa Gary Miles Hatch Basics by Charles R. Meek 21 Chairman North East Gary Babin Delaware River Striped Bass by Vic Attardo 25 Lancaster Clayton Buchanan SMART Angler's Notebook^ Carl Richardson 31 Pittsburgh Thaddeus Piotrowski Bloomsburg This issue 's front-cover bluegill was photographed by Wally Eberhart. Vincent P. Riggi Clarks Summit Muskies! Ex Officio members: "This past spring we had a pretty good year trap-netting for muskies," says Ron Peter A. Colangelo, Executive Director; Lee, Commission Area 2 Fisheries Manager. We found good numbers and quality John F. Simmons, Director, Bureau of Boating; sizes of muskies in several lakes." John C. Oliver, Acting Secretary, Department of Lee says that the Commission's Tamarack Lake was the most productive musky Conservation and Natural Resources lake. Lee and Fisheries Technician Al Woomer netted 41 muskies that ranged in size from 24 inches to 46 inches. Ten of those fish were over 40 inches long. All Editor—Art Michaels the muskies were purebred-that's what the Commission stocks as fingerlings there. Editorial Assistant—Chadene Seifert The Crawford County lake is 562 acres. It was scheduled to be drawn down in October, Art Director— Ted Walke so the fish are concentrated. Circulation—Eleanor Mutch "Conneaut Lake, Crawford County, was another solid producer," Lee says. "We Circulation—Patti Copp sampled seven muskies there in sizes from 36 to 47 inches. Four of those fish were over 40 inches. Staff Assistant—Rose Ann Bartal "In Tionesta Lake we netted four muskies that were 34,44,46 and 48 inches. We Staff Assistant—Nita Lynch also trapped a 5-pound+ smallmouth bass there that was the largest smallmouth I've mtributors ever seen in my 20-something years with the Commission. There are quite a few Darl Black smallmouths in Tionesta and in Conneaut, and they're nice-sized." Mike Bleech Lee says that in Woodcock Creek Lake he netted 27 muskies. Five were bigger Charles R. Meek than 42 inches, and the three largest were 44, 46 and 47+ inches. Vic Attardo "Union City Fish Culture Station personnel netted 50 muskies in Edinboro Lake, Pennsylvania Angler (ISSN0031-434X) is published monthly by Che Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, 3532 Walnul Street, Harrisburg, PA 17109. ©1995. and two were over 45 inches," says Lee. "Canadohta and Sugar lakes also produced "thing in this magazine may be reprinted without the written permission of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. Subscription rates: one year, S9; three nice muskies. They trapped 50 in Sugar, a Commission lake. There were no fish years, $25; single copies are $ 1.50 each. Second class postage is paid at Harrisburg, over 45 inches long in Canadohta, but Sugar Lake is a consistent producer of qual­ A. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Pennsylvania AnglerCxeuiM\

m Eastern Pennsylvania

It was mid-November and the fishing rods were nestled safely Now, I am not about to suggest that you'll catch the same in their racks and the rifle was polished and sighted for the start number of bluegills, crappies, redbreast, perch and pumpkin- of deer season. seeds that you might on a hot summer evening when the fish At least that's the way it was in my household for many years are busting bugs or chasing minnows in the shallows. But you when, after the first hard frost, 1 would traditionally uncoil the can catch good numbers of the skillet species right up until the old fly lines and strip the spinning reels of their over-stretched ice fishermen take over. What's more, these fish are likely to monofilament. Like thousands of statewide anglers I figured be some of the largest you've landed all season. the fishing season was over until next spring and better pros­ pects lay in the field than on the water. Whys and wherefors But then two things happened: First, the formerly named Penn­ Something happens to fish in the fall. Sensing that their warm- sylvania Fish Commission, sometime in the 1970s, extended weather feast is about to end, they go on an eating binge to put trout season past Labor Day and the second was a personal on a little extra weight to get through the winter. At the same discovery-that I could still catch both warmwater and coldwater time they're searching for a hearty meal, their metabolism is fish even as the fresh turkeys were being stocked in the gro­ slowing, which translates into different periods of peak feed­ cery store. ing than their summer standards. I remember that insightful season. The frost had already chilled When the sun doesn't set until 8:30 p.m. on a hot July night, the pumpkins in my family's fields when I decided to visit a few most fishermen know that late evenings and early mornings are of my spring and summer hangouts. Right off they looked and the best time to be on the water. But anglers who fish the November felt different. The green leaves had turned a rainbow of colors scene can practice bankers hours. Once the sun spends its day then fallen to the shore leaving wide-open vistas where once there on just one side of the sky, the hottest fishing usually occurs had been a dense curtain of foliage. The water seemed still and in late morning and mid-afternoon as our big yellow star adds lifeless and I didn't see the dimpling of fish or insects that were two or three degrees to the water temperature. usually the sign of a good day's fishing to come. But as I cast Whereas in summer I usually hoped for an overcast sky and to those languid ponds and lakes 1 learned, much to my surprise, a little breeze during the heat of July and August, I want my that with a change in technique and equipment 1 could still land fall fishing filled with clear skies and as little wind as possible. a stringer of fish on even the brightest autumn day. I've found that as the sun shines down on a pond or lake cove, My number one target that fall was the variety of panfish swim­ the fish are turned on by this slight warming and will feed un­ ming in our southeastern waters. And one of the keys to catching til the sun begins to slant away. those spunky critters became a careful study of the weather patterns Throughout the year I always pay careful attention to The and water temperatures. Weather Channel, but for mid- to late-fall angling, I look for a 4 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler completely different pattern than I did when wading the shoreline A word must be said about fishing farm ponds for fall panfish. with just a pair of shorts and sneakers. During the summer, Truth be told, it was in my favorite ponds that I first learned the approach of a cold front or low pressure system was not that fish were still active when the hunters were in the field. necessarily a disaster. But when a series of cold fronts invades I regularly fish a half-dozen ponds in Montgomery, Berks my territory in the fall, I've learned to enjoy other pursuits. For and Chester counties, and for years thought the appearance good fall fishing I look to the weather map for the coming of of Halloween on the calendar signaled the end of it all until a high pressure system or a warm front that may hang around next spring. I'd visit a pond on a raw day in mid-October, ex­ for a few days. That's the time to take the rods to your favor­ perience a fairly slow bite and give up on the place until next ite waterway. March or April. But now, by following the weather patterns During fall warming trends it's still possible to catch panfish and returning to the same locale under a warming trend, I find on the surface. My fishing diaries of the last 15 years show that the bluegills and crappies, and even the largemouth bass, at least a dozen instances when I came across a late-afternoon rebound to a surprisingly active level during a warming trend. hatch on a small lake and had a ball catching feisty bluegills I have also learned that shallow farm ponds are even quicker with a fly rod and popper or with a floating minnow and a to respond to two days of pleasant weather than most deep lakes. spinning rod. Certainly this is the result of the ponds holding less water for For the most part, however, this is the exception to the rule the sun to heat thoroughly. and I generally approach fall fishing using either dressed jigs For this same reason, one of the first places I hit when fishing or jigs tipped with live bait. a larger lake under pleasant fall conditions is a sheltered bay or To be successful during this time of year, retrieval speeds cove where the water will be more affected by the sun's rays. must be slowed. The rule of thumb is that when you think you're During the fall I don't waste a lot of time fishing Ashless areas. reeling slowly, slow down some more. For this reason a lot of While in the summer, knowing that a few fish can be holed up lures entice fish during the summer season with fast, steady just about anywhere at any time, I cast to shoreline cover based or erratic retrieves. Just don't husk the corn in the fall. on the appearance of the cover. But in the fall, before even wetting a line, I search for roving schools of panfish with my depthfinder. The jig is the best When I find where the fish are concentrated, I toss them the Because of its ability to be crawled slowly along the bottom jig-and-fly rig. or bounced with the slightest action and still impart a lifelike appeal, the number one fall lure in my arsenal is the round- Planning a fall excursion headed jig. Whether casting from shore or trolling in a boat, It's also a good idea to plan your fall panfishing trips along a jig can be made to crawl, skip and jump along the bottom regional and lake-size guidelines. If the upper northeastern section and still look alive. I prefer my fall jigs either not be adorned of the state is enjoying a mild season, head to the mountains with added plastic or that the tails extend no more than a half- and fish the larger, shallower lakes like Shohola orTobyhanna. inch from the hook bend. If the tail is too long, the slow-bit­ If the northeast has had successive early frosts and the south­ ing fish first grab the plastic, sense that it's fake, and drop the east has remained mild, travel below 1-80 and fish the smaller jig before reaching the point of the hook. I like my jigs to dis­ lakes such as Leaser, Locust, Towhee and Hopewell. Carefully play some inherent action, so 1 tie a short puff of marabou feathers study regional newspaper reports to determine which lake is hot to the shank, or buy jigs with marabou tails. Still, I don't want and which lake is not. the tail to extend any farther than a half-inch past the bend, so On any given day, the panfish in one waterway can be turned I snip off any long marabou fibers. completely off while the fish in another lake just a few miles The next issue regarding jigs has been debated ever since away will be filling their stomachs. For this reason, it's a good the first sporting magazine was published. That question is whether idea to have a multiple plan of attack for your fishing trip. Select or not to add live bait to your lure. When fishing for panfish a region where you can reach at least two, possibly three lakes in a soft-bottomed pond or a small lake, I don't bother adding in one day. This may be a little tiresome when lugging a boat bait, but when fishing in a large river, like the Delaware, I add around, so I often use a boat at one location and then fish from either a two-inch shiner or a wiggly leech. The river seems to shore at another. require the adornment of bait during the mid- to late-fall pe­ For instance, I like to make a day of it stopping first at the riod and there is always a chance for a lunker walleye with this Ontelaunee Reservoir in Berks County-where no boats are kind of trap. permitted-and then pushing on to Blue Marsh outside Read­ This late in the year, all of the surface weeds are probably ing where there are no restrictions. Another pair of lakes I can dead and generally the fish will not hang around the decaying hit in a day is Nockamixon and Lake Towhee in Bucks County stalks. But I've seen where a late-fall warming trend brings and also Hopewell and Struble lakes. Farther north I might combine panfish back to the shallows and into areas where they typi­ one-day stops at Promised Land, Tobyhanna and a number of cally spawn in the spring. Generally this situation is more likely other Pocono waters. By remaining flexible, I can convert what to occur in shallow lakes where the sun can easily and quickly might otherwise have been a Ashless day into one with a high penetrate the water and warm the bottom. degree of success. If you are fortunate to be on the lake at this time, consider Late-fall panfishing requires an adjustment from typical sum­ yourself lucky. The jig-and-fly rig trolled or retrieved with a mer techniques, a rethinking of your usual fishing styles and moderate speed will entice the turned-on fish. Don't be afraid change in fishing hours. But once you make these alterations, to speed up the retrieve when you find the fish are actively feeding you just might find that the waters are as alive with scrappy in this type of situation. In fact, it's possible that you can fish panfish as they are when shorts and not sweaters are part of too slowly and your lure is ignored. As in any situation, vary your fishing gear. gggwg your retrieve until you find what the fish want. November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler ',;••• •'"

in Not-Quite-Frozen Lakes by Mike Bleech

Frozen grass and leaves crackled under trout fishing is a new experience for most It is fortunate that we have so many my feet as 1 walked to my favorite shore- Pennsylvania anglers. For an explana­ smaller trout lakes and ponds, because trout casting spot at Chapman Dam Lake. A tion of the reasoning behind this new use all of the water in a lake when all of hooded merganser startled when I emerged season, I spoke with Del Graff, Director the water has suitable temperature and from the strip of hemlocks that line much of the Bureau of Fisheries. oxygen, which is often the case during of the lakeshore. It pattered across the "The reason was simply to expand the the cold-water period. Most of our water to gain flight speed, flew just a few recreational opportunity," Graff explained. warmwater fish are bottom-oriented, at hundred yards, and landed close to three "We see so many people who want to go least to the point where we can concen­ common mergansers mat were swimming fishing when you get those nice days." trate our efforts close to the bottom. Trout and diving close to the opposite shore. In fact, several fall and winter stock­ are apt to be anywhere between top and Probably they were after the same thing ings are intended for open-water fishing. bottom. Finding them in large lakes is I was after-trout. Graff explained that some lakes are stocked much more difficult. But in our smaller That hooded merganser knew what it during October and November strictly for lakes you can cover a large portion of the was doing, because I hooked my first trout this purpose. And many of the lakes that water during a single day of fishing. You on my second cast. The small spinner are stocked during the November-Decem­ need a good search fishing method, though. stopped dead, at first giving the impres­ ber period are either open through most Spoons are one of the best search lures sion of a snag, but then the rod tip began of the winter, or are open a couple of weeks because they can be cast so far and they throbbing. 1 gained line while it thrashed, before becoming ice-bound. Spreading can be retrieved at virtually any depth. but then it ran for deeper water and peeled the stocking out to early fall, late fall and They are also very effective trout lures. line through the protesting drag. Its power late winter provides more fishing time. If I had to choose one lure for all of my startled me. I hadn't expected such a trout, "They don't get any more trout," Graff cold-water trout fishing in lakes and a stocky 15-inch brookie that pushed my noted. "We just change the stocking tailwaters, it would be a spoon. I would ultralight spinning outfit to its limits. around." choose other lures for specific situations, Either I have been incredibly lucky, or Winter trout fishing in open water is but spoons handle most situations well the trout stocked during fall and winter another fine example of the growth of enough. are a notch above those stocked during fishing in our state. Not so long ago, open- One of the quickest ways to learn spring. You have probably noticed this water trout fishing was restricted to spring locational habits of trout in our small lakes if you are an ice angler. Relatively few and summer. Now trout anglers never need is to fan cast spoons while walking along anglers have sampled these larger stocked to put their rods away. the shoreline. This covers every bit of water trout in open water, though, to feel their that can be covered from the shoreline. drag-squealing runs. That's a shame, Patterning trout in cold lakes Even though it is the quickest way to because the only thing holding most an­ Trout, especially brook trout, are quite accomplish this from shore, it is still time- glers back is the impression that spring aggressive in cold water. In terms of relative consuming to do thoroughly. You can cover is the time for trout fishing. activity, they behave more like warmwater most of the smaller lakes in a day, but one Opportunities for this kind of fishing fish such as bass or walleyes during summer. day of fishing does not reveal all of the have increased dramatically during the past So your approach to cold-water trout fishing lake's secrets. few years. Several lakes around the state should not be the slow, lethargic approach Here is what you should be looking for. have been stocked during October, No­ you might use for warmwater fish during I suggest that you carry a map of the lake vember and December, and last winter the winter. Be prepared for various patterns, while fishing, and note whatever you learn Fish and Boat Commission initiated a late- from trout congregated on irregular struc­ on the map. winter open-water trout season at 50 lakes ture, to feeding trout scattered on flats. Of course, you are looking for trout first and tailwaters, with accompanying stock­ Search aggressively, and try different fishing and foremost. Mark the locations of ev­ ings. Except for the Lake Erie area, winter methods. ery hit on a map, with notations describing

6 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler special conditions and the number of hits ducks, for example, if they are a fish-eating the shoreline closely enough to make at any given spot. variety such as mergansers, can be a sure notations in relation to landmarks. Then Sketch on the map any structure and cover sign that some kind of fish is there. cross the lake between landmarks, so you you discover. By allowing the spoon to sink Figure 1 is a sample map. It is a com­ can make accurate notations on the map. to the bottom you will learn relative depths bination of what I have found at several For example, troll between a lone pine and any significant deviations in the bot­ small trout lakes. Notice how patterns and a boulder, then back between the boul­ tom structure. Trout frequently congregate emerge as you study the map. This is the der and a beach house. near irregular structure such as points, sunken goal of making the map. It makes pat­ Figure 2 is a map made through this creek channels or humps. Cover like sunken terns easier to see. procedure. Observe the trolling path, and trees, boulder piles and manmade structures, Only shore fishing was allowed dur­ how notations begin to form patterns. This unfortunately, often results in snags. But ing the initial late-winter trout season. Del map is just intended to show how to make cover is such a trout magnet that it is well Graff said that the Fish and Boat Com­ notations. It is not a real lake, but it fits worth this aggravation. mission took a cautious approach. Boats the general description of many small lakes Watch for signs where other anglers have will be allowed this year, opening a new in Pennsylvania. spent considerable time. Trampled ground dimension to this fishing. Trolling can be a very effective cold- and bait scraps are good signs. Litter, Trolling is a much faster way to learn water trout fishing method. I would rather unattractive as it is, also might indicate a lake than shoreline casting, especially stop the boat and use another method once a hotspot. if the boat is equipped with sonar. Use I locate trout, because this keeps my lure Keep an open mind for anything else the same mapping procedure described in high-percentage water all the time, and that might help you catch trout. Diving for shoreline casting. Begin by paralleling because I think it is more fun. November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler Zero in on the patterns Cold Water-Big Trout If I had to pick one place to fish for trout If you study records of big trout catches, during the cold-water period, perhaps in you should notice that many of them were a situation in which I was new to a lake caught during cold-water months. Fall and but had just a limited time to fish, it would late winter are peak times for trout fish­ be an underwater point that breaks quickly ing in general, and especially for larger trout. into deep water. If you have had the time Even stocked trout are larger. Though the to search a lake thoroughly, you almost larger trout in the nursery raceways are certainly have found trout by such a point selectively stocked during spring, the re­ (see Figure 3). maining trout have several more months Points act as one-sided funnels, concen­ to grow before they are stocked during fall trating the movements of both baitfish and and late winter. However, if you are a serious trout. Trout probably like the cover af­ trophy trout angler, it isn't the larger fresh forded by the steep break. Perhaps they stocked trout you seek, but the holdovers. learn that it is a good place to hunt for food. Holdover trout inhabit many of our For whatever reason, points are likely places stocked lakes, but seldom in significant to find active trout. numbers. Tailwaters of dams are gener­ tivity ceases they generally retreat to deeper To fish a point effectively you should ally better places to find big trout, because water via a steep break (dropoff). By spend some effort determining the shape trout move upstream during fall or spring targeting the steep break you can often of the point. This is easy in a boat equipped and congregate where their progress is extend the fishing peak by a few casts. with sonar. But from shore you have to stopped by dams. The Kinzua Dam Often enough you can get occasional hits let your lure be your underwater eye. Use tailwaters, for example, give up many of all through the day by retrieving along the either a spoon or a jig, and count the lure the biggest brown trout caught in the state steep break. down to determine depth. You could simply each year. During summer these trout are Just because trout move off the bar does let the trout reveal themselves, but this alone dispersed over a much larger area. not necessarily mean they move deeper does not give you much information to Keep track of big catches you hear about in the water column. You might also find plot a strategy. to zero in on likely trophy trout hotspots. willing strikers suspended over deeper Trout spread over a bar or point while Watch newspapers and bulletin boards at water adjacent to the dropoff, often at the they are most active. When the peak ac- tackle shops.-MB. same depth as the top of the dropoff. November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 1 Many lures get the task accomplished Rigging bait on a leadhead jig is par­ ability of food. Trout can afford to be se­ once you locate trout, as long as the lure ticularly effective during the cold-water lective feeders during summer. But from can be cast far enough to reach the trout, period. I feel quite sure the reason is the fall through winter and into the follow­ and it runs at the proper depth. Small, color that can be added to the jig. Naturally ing spring, natural food is in relatively short gold spinners, sometimes with yellow or colored lures are generally best for trout supply. Trout are apt to eat whatever they orange tails, can be worked at any depth. during summer, but loud calling colors see. So the better they can see a lure or Leadhead jigs are excellent for retriev­ perform better during the cold-water pe­ bait, the more likely it is to be ing along dropoffs. Black, brown, red and riod. I assume this is caused by the avail­ eaten by a trout. white have been the better jig colors in my experiences. Vertical jigging with Swedish Pimples or other small spoons is sometimes the most efficient way to catch trout from deep water. Adding a splash of color to silver or gold spoons, or add­ ing a grub or half of a minnow can make a big difference in your catch. You should be quite certain that trout are concentrated in any place if you use such a slow method as bait fishing. I do it at my home waters because years of experience has taught me several places Figure 1. Map notations from shore-casting search. where trout can usually be found. Nearly As you make notations on your lake map, notice how patterns become evident. all of these are at obvious places-points, The redXs show every hit. Numbers with Xs indicate the number of hits at that tributary mouths, fallen trees, dropoffs and spot. Other significant observations are the shapes of the underwater points, and deep places in shallow lakes. cover, such as the fallen tree and boulders. On your map you will probably find Accuracy is very important when bait that most hits occur near structure or cover. fishing because the bait usually covers much less water than an artificial lure. If trout are holding close to a fallen tree, then the bait should be within a couple of feet of that tree. If a dropoff that holds trout drops from a depth of 6 feet to 9 feet, then the bait should be somewhere in that same depth range, not suspended 3 feet above it. If trout are on a rocky bar, when your bait drifts off that bar, retrieve it and cast again. Only rarely do I let trout bait rest on the bottom. One reason is that trout must be close to see it. Another is that trout Figure 2. Map notations made using a boat equipped with sonar. readily swim upward to take a bait, though The dashed lines show the trolling passes. The first pass was made parallel to the the distance they go is relative to their state shoreline. Subsequent passes were made directly between landmarks. Red Xs of aggressiveness. To keep baits up where show where hits occurred. Using the depth notations, structural elements, in this trout can see them, floats, or bobbers, are case underwater points, become evident. You should also be able to get an standard bait-fishing tackle. indication of the sunken creek channel. From these preliminary trolling passes it Treat float fishing as a science and you appears that the creek channel runs roughly through the center of the lake. It will will enjoy much greater success than a more take different fishing methods to learn whether trout are in the deep channel. random approach. Use an accurate pre­ sentation both vertically and horizontally. Use a float that is just barely large enough to accomplish your purpose. Best is a float just large enough to hold the bait off the bottom. But you might need a larger float for casting purposes. Floats should be easily adjustable for depth. I prefer not to use a slip bobber because it requires a certain amount of weight at the terminal end to slip the line through the float. If the bait should be Figure 3. deeper than about 4 feet, though, a slip Trout move onto this underwater point across the steep break. When they are bobber is worth more than its drawbacks. most active they spread over the point. But even when they are not that active, It is terribly awkward to cast with more some trout can often be caught right along the steep break. This is the reason why than 4 feet of line past the float. learning the precise shape of the point is useful. November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 125>

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Pennsylvania residents add 6% SALES TAX GRAND TOTAL $ Make check (no cash please) payable to: Allow six to Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and mail to eight weeks Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission delivery. P.O. Box 67000 • Harrisburg PA 17106-7000 DAYTIME TELEPHONE __

GOING, GOING, GONE! b@ Some 117 bait and tackle shops, sporting goods stores and book stores across the Commonwealth, including two in New Jersey and one in Ohio, sell Pennsylvania Angler magazine and subscriptions over the counter. These outlets are called the Pennsylvania An­ gler Network. To all our Network members the Commission extends a big "thank you" for your help and cooperation.

A & B Fishin' Center B & B Lures Bill's Ace Hardware Bradford County Bull Run Bait & Tackle 3335 County Line Road 918 York Street 220 Center Street Courthouse RDl,Box218,BullRunRd. Chalfont, PA 18914 Hanover, PA 17331 Dushore, PA 18614 Treasurer's Office Wrightsville, PA 17368 215-822-6286 717-637-9611 717-928-8870 Towanda, PA 18848 717-252-4446 717-265-1700 Ackley & Son The Bait Shack Black's Bait & Tackle Cammal General Store 311 West Main Street 7816 N. Radcliffe Street 24 East Pine Street Bressler's Food Mart & Route 414, Box 70 Westfield, PA 16950 Bristol, PA 19007 Selinsgrove, PA 17870 Sports Cammal, PA 17723 814-367-2732 215-943-7339 717-374-BAIT 611 W. 15th Street 717-753-8020 Tyrone, PA 16686 Anderson's Appalachian Bart's Tackle Shop Blue Mountain Sports & 814-684-0341 Ceglar's Bait & Tackle Trail 460 Lovett Avenue Wear 624 Lehigh Lane 1116 New Castle Road Tullytown, PA 19007 34 Susquehanna Street Brinkman's Bait & Tackle AltoonaPA 16602 Prospect PA 16052 215-943-0174 Jim Thorpe, PA 18229 4999 Linden Avenue 814-944-0587 412-865-2178 717-325-4421 Philadelphia PA 19114 Beltzville Pro Fishing 215-632-0674 Chip's Bait & Tackle Andrejko Sporting Goods 5620 Interchange Road Boardman Fly Fisherman 325 E. Gay Street 193 West End Road Lehighton, PA 18235 5667 Mahoning Avenue Bucks County Outfitters West Chester, PA 19380 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 610-377-9115 Youngstown, OH 44515 2300 N. 5th Street 215-696-FISH 717-829-6666 216-726-3773 Perkasie, PA 18944 Bessemer Bait Shop 215-257-9843 Clouser's Fly Shop Angler's Pro Shop 1106 E. Poland Avenue Bob's Archery, Hunting & 101 Ulrich Street 1340 Justus Blvd. Bessemer, PA 16112 Fishing MiddletownPA 17057 Clarks Summit PA 18411 412-667-7563 RD 3, Box 217 717-944-6541 717-586-6170 Harveys Lake, PA 18618 717-639-1917 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 11 International Angler Moncrief Corner Market 503 Freeport Road RD 1, Box 555 Pittsburgh PA 15215 Fombell, PA 16123 412-782-2222 412-452-8858

Jim Hakes Sporting Goods Muller's Store 100 Willow Street 3200 S Delaware Drive Wrightsville, PA 17368 Easton, PA 18042 717-252-1072 610-252-8726

Hosterman & Stover Nockamixon Sport Shop Route 45 808 Doylestown Pike Milheim, PA 16854 QuakertownPA 18951 814-349-8321 215-538-9553

Kountry Korner Oil Creek Outfitters RD 2, Box 51 RD 1, Box 206 Hegins. PA 17938 Oil City, PA 16301 717-682-3753 814-677-4684

JejfHemf^Tfo Am Fishing Shop, Allentow. Lehigh River Bait & Bow O'Neil's Sports & Hobbies 209 W Union Street 510 McKean Avenue Allentown PA 18102 Donora, PA 15033 Cold Spring Anglers Dick's Sport Center Gordon's Sport Supply 610-432-2511 412-379-5430 419 E High St, SteA Route 322, POB 134 Route 100, Box 700 Carlisle, PA 17013 East Earl, PA 17519 Uwchlan, PA 19480 A.F. Leidy Hardware The Outdoor Shop 717-245-2646 717-354-2218 215-458-5153 1010 Gravel Pike 23 Quakers Way Schwenksville, PA 19473 Quakertown, PA 18951 Conneaut Lake Tackle Elk Creek Sports Great Northeast Sport Shop 610-287-8121 215-529-7117 110 Water Street 10543 Old Lake Road 1822 Sixth Street Conneaut Lake, PA 16317 Lake City, PA 16423 Bethlehem, PA 18017 Little Lehigh Fly Shop The Outdoor Shop 814-382-6095 814-774-8755 215-861-8118 RD 2, Fish Hatchery Road Box 310 Main Street Allentown, PA 18103 Volant PA 16156 Coplay News & Tackle Ferguson's Sports Greenville Sunoco 610-797-5599 412-533-3212 2 South Second Street 408 N Mountain Road 303 Main Street Coplay, PA 18037 HarrisburgPA 17112 Greenville, PA 16125 Leonard's Sporting Goods Peck's Pond Store 610-262-5987 717-545-3040 412-588-1970 8508 Lansdowne Avenue HC 67, Box 485 Upper Darby, PA 19082 Dingman's Ferry, PA 18328 County Store Fishing Creek Outfitters H&B Enterprises 610-449-6409 717-775-7237 RD2, Box 140C RR 1, Box 310-1 P.O. Box 66 Rockwood, PA 15557 Benton PA 17814 Kylertown, PA 16847 Little Professor Book Center Pete's Outdoor Store 814-352-7713 717-925-2225 814-345-6416 1647 N Atherton Street 305 West State Street State College, PA 16803 Kennett Square, PA 1 9348 Dale Clemens Custom Folly's End Campground Haller's Sporting Goods 814-231-2665 610-444-0482 Tackle RD 2, 8600 Avonia Road 632 Elm Street 444 Schantz Spring Road Girard, PA 16417 Tionesta, PA 16365 Mac's Sporting Goods Philadelphia Boat Supply Co. Allentown, PA 18104 814-474-5730 814-755-4475 127 West Main Street 2828 Cottman Avenue 215-395-5119 Ligonier, PA 15658 Philadelphia, PA 19149 Flyfisher's Paradise Hornick's Sporting Goods 412-238-4900 215-332-5117 Dave's Sports Center 2603 E College 316 Broad Street 1127 North Easton Road State College PA 16801 Johnstown PA 15906 Manhart's Pinchot Bait & Tackle Doylestown PA 18901 814-234-4189 814-535-7724 RD 8, Box 8478 3220 Rosstown Road, Route 215-766-8000 East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 177 Forest County Sports Center E. D. Huffman & Sons 717-223-0644 Wellsville, PA 17365 Davis Sporting Goods 311 Elm Street Route 209, Box 86 717-432-2032 9 Charleston Street Tionesta, PA 16353 Marshalls Creek, PA 18335 Mike's Bait & Sport Shop WellsboroPA 16901 800-458-6093 717-223-8468 328 East Lawn Road Pine Grove Mills Texaco 717-724-2626 Nazareth, PA 18064 Corner Routes 45 & 26 Fort Hunter Bait & Tackle Imperial Archery 215-759-2905 Pine Grove Mills, PA 16868 Dee's Bait & Tackle 5415 N Front Street 258 Main Street 814-238-9090 3359 Jasper Street Harrisburg, PA 17110 Imperial, PA 15126 Mahoning Valley Milling Co. Philadelphia, PA 19134 717-599-5412 412-695-2697 3018 Indiana Street, POB 48 Pro Am Fishing Shop 215-634-7670 Punxsutawney, PA 15767 5916TilghmanStreet Gohn Brothers, Inc. Indiana Angler 814-938-8850 Allentown, PA 18104 Efinger Sporting Goods 870 Delta Road 218 Grandview Avenue 215-395-0885 513 W. Union Avenue Red Lion, PA 17356-9998 Indiana, PA 15701 Mock's Sporting Goods Bound Brook, NJ 08805 717-244-4449 412-463-2011 Route 56, Box 13 Pop's Bait & Tackle 908-356-0604 Brush Valley, PA 15720 Route 940, Dee's Deli Complex 412-479-3243 Pocono Lake, PA 18347 717-643-7677 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler Jt 4'VSfiSS'fe

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Punxsutawney Outfitters S & S Sport Shop The Sportsman's Shop Trout Run Sports, Inc. Westside Bait & 210 West Mahoning Street 1010 E. Main Street 101 West Main Street 438 North Reading Road Sporting Goods Punxsutawney, PA 15767 Rockwood, PA 15557 New Holland, PA 17557 Ephrata, PA 17522 453 West 8th Street 814-938-9018 814-926-2465 717-354-4311 717-738-2525 West Wyoming, PA 18644 717-693-0248 B.W. Reeder Hardware Schafft Treasury Steve & Sons Tackle Shop Tyrone News Agency 7 S. Division Street 102 Lower Lake View Road 1016 Lawrence Avenue 20 West 10th Street Wilderness Connection Mount Union, PA 17066 East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 Ellwood City, PA 16117 Tyrone, PA 16686 601 W. Spring Street 814-542-4742 717-223-1533/8858 412-758-3600 814-684-0167 Titusville, PA 16354 814-827-6533 Rick's Bait & Tackle Shelly's Sue's Bait & Tackle Uncle Phil's General Store RR 2, Box 2424 440 Bridge Street RR 1, Box 222 111 Sugar Street Wimpy's Tackle Shop Reading, PA 19605 New Cumberland PA 17070 Cooperstown, PA 16317 Fallentimber, PA 16639 1018 Chestnut Street 610-926-8888 717-774-7400 814-676-8013 814-687-3594 Douglasville, PA 19518 610-582-8382 Rich's Outdoor World Simko's Sporting Goods Susuehanna Fishing Tackle Unkel Joe's Woodshed 690 Shaffer Road #82 Route 403, Box 23 1226 Harrisburg Pike 3415 Pleasant Valley Blvd. L.D. Wood Design DuBois, PA 15801 Tire Hill, PA 15959 Lancaster PA 17603 Altoona, PA 16602 187 Carpenter Street 814-371-8210 814-288-6880 717-397-1399 814-942-4900 Dushore, PA 18614 717-928-9522 Robinson's Gun & Tackle Sisters Country Sports The Sporting Gentleman Valley Fishing & 855 Street Road Route 1, Box 86V10 306 E. Baltimore Pike Hunting Supply Woodland's Edge Southampton, PA 18966 Dingman's Ferry, PA 18328 Media PA 19063 136 Main Street Sporting Goods 215-357-7381 717-828-2929 215-565-6140 Catawissa, PA 17820 432 Salem 22 Plaza, 717-356-2434 US Route 22 Rothrock Market Shearer's Bait & Tackle Taylor Bait & Tackle Delmont, PA 15626 RD 1, Box 44 P.O. Box 6, Main Street 6633 Buist Avenue Wacky Worm, Inc. 412-468-5999 James Creek, PA 6657 Glenville,PA 17329 Philadelphia, PA 19142 Route 209, Box 82 814-658-3290 717-227-0771 215-365-2697 Gilbert, PA 18331 Yellow Breeches Outfitters 215-681-6226 2 First Street, P.O. Box 200 Russell City Store Sport Master Transue's Bait & Tackle Boiling Springs, PA 17007 Route 66 6301 Ditman Street 321 Butler Road Wellington Sporting Goods 717-258-6752 DeYoung, PA 16728 Philadelphia, PA 19135 Kittanning, PA 16201 140 Main Street 814-968-9930 215-331-5644 412-543-2971 Souderton, PA 18964 Young's Mart 215-723-6217 2073 Sumneytown Pike S & B Clothing/Sports Sportsmen's Center Trop Gun Shop Woxall, PA 18979 Box 858, Mountainview US Highway 130 North 709 Cloverleaf Road 215-234-4567 Plaza Bordentown, NJ 08505 Elizabethtown, PA 17022 Hallstead, PA 18822 609-298-5300 717-367-5585 «2^ 717-879-5025 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 13 On the Waterwith Ken Salkouski The Catfish and the Snake

One summer day in June of 1993, I was alone, enjoying a the snake's capture. But the snake was too fast and it had the fish peaceful day of fishing in the stretch of the Schuylkill River back in its mouth in a fraction of a second. Twenty minutes passed. that lies between Spring City, Chester County, and Royersford, It is an amazing thing to watch nature at work. I consider myself Montgomery County. 1 fished this area all summer long-it to be one of the luckiest human beings on this planet. Some of has some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the area. About the things that I have experienced on the water will stay with me a quarter-mile upstream from the bridge that connects the two until 1 grow old and die. To some people I would be considered towns, there is an island of trees and thick brush. The is­ a fool, relishing these small moments in time, but I hold them dear land is about a quarter-mile long and no more than a hun­ to my heart. I look forward to the day dred yards wide. It hugs the Spring City side of the river, when I can sit with my grandchildren and a long canal runs between the island and the river bank. and tell them about the places I have An old train trestle reaches across the island and spans its been and the things that I have seen. way to the Royersford side. The trestle is no longer opera­ To tell them of how I watched tional and is missing most of the railroad ties that once car­ a great owl hiding high up ried trains across the river. It is now a rusting monument to in the trees of the canal. To the long forgotten industrial age that once joined these two tell them of how I watched the Pennsylvania towns. sun rise and dance on the line of I was fishing the stretch above the trestle when something anglers fishing for shad, on the Delaware, on the bank 20 feet downstream caught my eye. It was white and the low rumbling sound of my friend and it looked like it was trying to crawl up the side of the Earl's boat engine

calling us to the river. By this time, I could tell the snake was getting tired. steep embankment. Even though I was stand­ The catfish was too big of a ing in water up to my waist, I reeled in my line meal for it. It was actually a comical and began to work my way slowly through the sight, and I giggled lightly. The snake tried water to investigate this activity. again to work its way up the embankment, and the I was about 10 feet from the bank but still catfish, sensing the movement, began to squirm. Again, could not make out what this thing was. I moved the catfish was free. It flipped and slithered its way to the wa­ in for a closer look. For a moment, I could not believe what ter. The snake frantically tried to recapture the fish, but this time I was seeing. About five feet in front of me was a large water it wasn't fast enough. The catfish plopped into the river and swam snake measuring almost five feet long. In the snake's mouth off to deeper water. The snake chased after it, but I knew it would was a young catfish, about seven inches long. The snake held never catch it. I could almost hear the snake cursing the fish. the catfish around its midsection, and was trying desperately I laughed at this thought and turned around, facing the open water, to pull it up onto the shore. The small catfish was still alive- and began to fish again. As I reeled, another funny thought passed I knew this because I could see its gills moving back and forth. through my mind: I could see that little catfish years from now, In all my countless days of fishing, I had never seen any­ all grown up, sitting down with his grandchildren and telling them thing like this before. I stood in awe as I watched the snake the story of how he almost got eaten by a mean old water snake. struggle with its large dinner. Five minutes passed and the I laughed, and I fished. snake still had the fish in a death grip. Suddenly, the catfish began to squirm, and for a moment, it worked itself free from November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler North cSast

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by Darl Black

It was a shallow, narrow stream with the occasional un­ dercut bank and deep hole—the kind of creek where neighborhood kids collect crawdads and fish for chubs with a piece of string tied on a willow branch. The undercuts and holes were dark enough, however, to hide large fish from casual eyes. The finny acrobats that shot from the white foam at the base of the small concrete dam provided clear evidence of what lurked in the hidden recesses of this stream. Every few attempts, a 6- to 8-pound fish would clear the five-foot high impediment and disappear into the deep pool behind the dam to recover before moving upstream. The stream was Temple Run, a tributary of Conneaut Creek. Although Conneaut meets Lake Erie in Ohio, most of the stream and its tributaries are in Pennsyl­ vania. The dam on Temple, located just east of Albion, had been constructed many years ago to provide a water supply for a now defunct railroad yard. The leaping fish were steelhead, driven by the spawning urge to move past any blockage and into the headwaters of this wa­ terway. The timeframe was perhaps a dozen years ago. My attempts to catch a steelhead that day had been fruitless. Nonetheless, I marveled at the steelies' re­ peated attempts to clear the barrier. Overview Although considered an exotic non-native species, steelhead are actually nothing more than an anadro- mous form of rainbow trout. Steelhead, like rainbows, are susceptible to any number of fly, lure and bait pre­ sentations. It's largely a matter of what you prefer to use. Before launching into specific tactics, let's take a quick background check of steelhead on Pennsylvania's North Coast. Any gamefish that strips line from a reel as if your hook had been caught by a speeding locomotive cer­ tainly deserves special respect from fishermen. It's no wonder steelhead are very popular with many anglers. The 1993-1994 Fish and Boat Commission Steel­ head Angler Survey shows that only 5 percent of the boat anglers on Erie are currently targeting steelhead. However, when examining shoreline fishing, there is November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 15 little dispute that steelhead rank number one. The report states, traduction into the lake. His most successful tactic is drifting "Outside of Presque Isle Bay, steelhead ranked first in species fresh skein, which he accomplishes with an old 8'/2-foot fly rod most targeted by shore anglers. Almost 3 of 4 (72 percent) that converted to a spinning rod. were not fishing Presque Isle Bay were trying to catch steel­ For years, Bob Johns was one of the many anglers who traveled head." from down-state to the Erie shores every weekend in search of The Pennsylvania steelhead program started in the 1960s with steelhead. Now retried, he is able to devote much more time a small stocking of to his favorite pas­ fingerlings obtained time—fishing for from the West Coast. steelies with spin­ Today, between the ners. His rod selec­ Commission and 3- tion for spinner C-U Trout Associa­ delivery is a tion (a club in the 7 '/2-foot forgiving-tip Fish and Boat spinning outfit. Commission's Co­ operative Nursery Fly-fishing tips program), about 1.5 Bishop depends million fingerlings largely on flies that are stocked annually. imitate individual Currently, all of fish eggs or small Pennsylvania's masses of eggs. stocked steelhead Glow Balls and come from eggs Sucker Spawn are at obtained from ma­ the top of his list. ture fish captured in "Sucker spawn, al­ the tributaries during though only recently the fall and winter. discovered by area This eliminates the Walmt Creek> near the Commission access. anglers, is a pattern potential of disease, which has become very prevalent in West that has been around a long time," says Bishop. "It is simply Coast fish. four strands of pastel-colored Angola yarn tied in varying size Juvenile steelhead five to eight inches in length, called smolts, loops to the shank of a hook. Can't say it really looks like a are stocked in the tributary streams in the early spring. Within mass of sucker spawn, but that's the name it was given." a few weeks, the smolts migrate from the streams to the lake. Glow Balls, on the other hand, represent individual salmon It is hoped the fish become imprinted in the tributary to return or steelhead eggs. They are tied with hot-orange or red yarn, to these same streams when sexually mature. Following a period and trimmed into round balls to look like a single large egg. of one to three years in the main lake, many fish do find their Although not egg imitators, Woolly Buggers and Bead Head way back to tributaries and attempt to spawn. Nymphs are two other excellent steelhead flies. Steelhead begin showing up along the lakeshore in late Au­ The small, brush-lined streams common to the Erie drain­ gust and early September. When conditions are right, groups age may pose problems to fly-casters attempting the traditional of fish move from the lake into the tributaries. These "runs" backcast. Bishop, however, depends on the roll cast when fishing continue through the winter, climaxing with the peak spawn the tributaries. in April. "You still encounter some anglers who insist the steelhead For many years, Commission fishery biologists believed will not take a fly in our streams. Not true. I've found that with steelhead could not successfully spawn in Pennsylvania's Lake water temperature below 50 degrees, flies are more effective Erie tributaries. However, some natural reproduction was than bait. Perhaps they are not the best option in the fall, but a documented in 1994. properly presented fly will produce through the winter. And The steelhead survey concluded that anglers were very sat­ in the spring, steelhead will actually chase a fly." isfied with their experience for steelhead on Lake Erie shore Bishop's top tips include: (1) Using a 9-foot to 12-foot leader, and tributaries. According to the study, based on overall shoreline tapered to a 6X tippet. (2) Dropping down in fly size to a 16 catch rate offish per angling hour, a fisherman had to fish 3.5 or 20, especially in low, clear water. (3) Walking to find fish-^— hours to catch one steelhead. in other words, get away from the easy access areas that are pounded by anglers. (4) Present your fly to steelhead for 15 to Fish of many tactics 20 minutes—when fish start backing away from the fly on a Tom Bishop, Lee Weaver and Bob Johns are steelhead fa­ drift, it's time to move on to another pool. natics. All three pursue the same fish, but each has his own The biggest mistake he observes among fly-fishermen is not specialty when it comes to luring lake-run trout. presenting the fly to individual fish. Novice anglers simply cast Bishop has been chasing Erie steelhead for 12 years, spending to a pack of steelhead bunched up in a pool. Target fish indi­ about 50 days a year on the streams when the steelies are run­ vidually. Generally the fish on the sides of the pack are the more ning. He prefers fly-fishing, although insisting he is not a purist, aggressive ones. and will pick up a lure or bait at times. His weapon of choice is a 9'/2-foot 7-weight fly rod. Bait tips Lee Weaver has pursued the steelhead since their initial in- "I've been floating skein as long as I have been fishing steelhead," 16 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler Novice anglers simply cast to a pack ofsteelhead bunched up in a pool. Target fish individually. Generally the fish on the sides of the pack are the more aggressive ones. .?-..' North C&ast says Weaver. "The secret is obtaining fresh Johns' best tips include: (1) Avoid riffles. steelhead skein early in the fall. When the Instead, concentrate on the heads and tails steelhead first show up along the shoreline, of pools. Pay particular attention to current be sure to hit the lake and keep a couple breaks or parting water where the main flow of females. That should be enough eggs to keep you in skein is slowing down. (2) Steelhead resting in the center of a pool the entire winter. Otherwise you will be at the mercy of pur­ are usually inactive. However, if suckers move in and stir things chasing your skein from a local bait dealer." up, expect the steelhead to become super aggressive. (3) If there During the fall, the eggs are firm in the skein. The longer is bright sun, fish brass or copper. In low light consider silver, the fish are in the streams, the looser the eggs become. The but watch out—fish might shy away from too much flash. (4) entire egg sack is removed and treated either with Borax or a In small streams, stay out of the water and walk softly on the commercial preparation available at tackle shops. Weaver adds bank. some red or orange dye during the preparation of the eggs so The biggest mistake that Johns observes with anglers using the color remains brilliant. The skeins are placed in baggies, spinners is retrieving them too fast. "Steelhead generally move and refrigerated or frozen until needed. no more than 15 inches to take a bait or lure. Anglers crank "Only a small amount of skein is needed on a hook. Place a spinners like crazy to avoid snagging the bottom. However, splitshot about 12 inches from the hook, using only enough weight the faster you retrieve a spinner, the higher it rides in the wa­ to keep the eggs rolling along the bottom." ter. The likelihood of a steelhead in a tributary running down Weaver considers green or slightly discolored water the best a spinner is remote. Slow down so you can literally count the condition for drifting eggs. Low and clear conditions can be blade revolutions and thereby catch more fish." very tough. The skein should be drifted through deep runs with strong Future directions but not overpowering current. Cast upstream and follow the The panel of expert anglers should be extremely pleased with line with your rod until it drifts past your position. Then reel the biologists' conclusions drawn from the most recent Com­ in for another cast and subsequent drift. Never still-fish eggs. mission Steelhead Angler Survey. The 1993/1994 report rec­ Keep them moving. ommends: (1) Increase angler use of steelhead fishing by allowing Weaver's top tips are: (1) Use as light a line as possible. This year-round fishing in as many Lake Erie tributaries as possible, translates to 4-pound test under most conditions, and no more and utilizing a higher minimum size limit (15 inches) to pro­ than 6-pound for heavy cover. (2) Use small hooks, primarily tect stocked trout from March 1 to the first Saturday after April size 8 or 10. (3) Use only a little bit of skein, not a big gob. A 11. (2) Eliminate steelhead stocking directly into Presque Isle piece the size of your fingernail is just about right. (4) Repeti­ Bay because few anglers target steelhead in the bay, thereby reducing tion cannot be over stressed, says Weaver. "Make no fewer than production costs. (3) Produce an article about steelhead biol­ six or seven drifts to the same run. Often fish won't move to ogy and management in Lake Erie and have it available in re­ take eggs, so you must put it right in front of their noses. print pamphlet form. (4) Repeat the steelhead survey in 1998. "The biggest mistake I see anglers make is trying to hurry (5) Assess smolt steelhead catch-and-release mortality. ESS the fish to the net. In doing so, they end up losing it. Don't rush a steelhead. Have fun. Play it out—but not to total ex­ haustion if your plan is to release it." When, where to go Starting in late August, steelhead anglers focus their atten­ Spinner tips tion on the main lake shoreline near stream outflows. Steel­ "Fishing the lake at the stream mouth is the most produc­ head stage near the mouths, with some steelies following the tive site for slinging spinners," says Johns. "That's not to say salmon into the streams. Unlike salmon, steelhead do not die a spinner doesn't work in the tributaries, but spinners work best after spawning. for fish staged in the lake waiting to move into the tributaries." October through first ice is a period when many fish are taken Johns uses a special heavyweight French-style blade that spins on the streams. Steelhead are caught through the winter whenever at slow retrieves. A spinner blade, he emphasizes, should ro­ the streams are ice-free. Anglers generally look forward to ice- tate slowly for the best attraction. "If you exceed the thresh­ out in March for some very good fishing opportunities before old of attraction with too much flash, it will actually spook the season closes briefly for two weeks in April. steelhead." According to the Steelhead Survey, the latter part of April When working the lake at the stream mouths, Johns uses a is the single best month for catching steelhead. By May 1, tributary brass blade in sizes 2 or 3. In the streams, he recommends a 0 catches are dwindling as the steelhead return to the lake. or 1 in brass or copper. Silver blades, he says, usually put out The stream mouths of Elk, Walnut and Trout creeks are heavily too much flash for Pennsylvania's shallow, clearwater streams. fished, as well as several upstream portions of Elk. Elk Creek "If working a big, deep pool, I like to fish from the down­ is the largest Erie tributary. However, there are over a dozen stream corner and throw upstream," Johns says. "However, in other named streams that flow into Lake Erie. These streams most situations on our skinny water tribs, slowly working a spinner and their tributaries see runs of steelhead. Fishermen tend to with the current will surely result in a snag for the average an­ target the easy access areas. Anglers willing to walk the brushy gler. Then you upset everyone else trying to get your lure back. streams will be rewarded. Instead, make a quartering cast across the stream and let the Be sure to check your Summary of Fishing Regulations and current sweep the spinner past you and into the parting water. Laws for approved waters. Some tribs are nursery waters and Then complete the retrieve against the current." 'Parting' wa­ therefore closed to fishing. Sections of other waters are posted ter is Johns' term for the current edge between the fast main by landowners. Be sure to obey property rights.-DB. channel water and the slower water near shore. November J 995 Pennsylvania Angler by Chauncy K. Lively If conventional casting-across and downstream-doesn't pro­ Fly fishing for bass has had a duce results here I concentrate spotty past. To this day in most on individual pockets that al­ parts of the country the standard most always hold bass. rigs for both largemouth and small- I like to stand above (but not mouth bass are spinning outfits too close to) a pocket and al­ or bait-casting gear. I know of low the streamer to hang in the popular lakes frequented by hordes current behind the rock. Hold­ of anglers. Yet, if you needed to ing the rod tip high keeps most purchase some bass bugs or a new of the line off the water and fly line you would be hard put to permits better control of the fly. find such items in the many shops All the angler needs to do is hold along these lakes. Nevertheless, the fly in position; the current the long rod is appearing with will do the rest, activating the more frequency these days along fly's sensitive wing fibers and the more popular rivers and causing it to look like something streams, although it is still regarded by a lation. The Orange Flash combines a slith­ alive. Occasionally moving the rod tip few as a novelty. ery action with a glittering, attention-draw­ a few inches up and down and side to side Streamer flies for bass have been around ing appearance, which bass apparently find will further accentuate the action but this for a long time, but they haven't received appealing. movement should be subtle. Too much the attention accorded floating bass bugs Most experienced anglers who fly-fish movement in this regard will pull the fly over the years. Actually, in Florida the for river smallmouth acknowledge that from the pocket. Seminole Indians used minnow-like lures there are times when these fish can be very This kind of in-your-face pocket fishing of bucktail hair to catch bass as early as difficult to catch. Indeed, they can be as seems to raise the ire of river smallmouths 1700. Gradually, their use spread north­ cussed as brown trout. But given the right and it often works when all else fails. Bass ward and eventually, Canadian Indians were circumstances they can often be teased in riffle pockets are usually smaller than making similar lures of caribou hair. Some into striking. those inhabiting the deep eddies but now of the early pioneers of bass fly fishing- There is a moderate riffle in the Allegh­ and then I've been surprised by unexpect­ Henshall, Dilg, Wilder, Peckinpaugh and eny River at the mouth of one of my fa­ edly good fish from these places. MacCarthy-were known mainly for their vorite tribs. Generally, floating bugs do I dress the Orange Flash unweighted bass bugs. However, many of their bugs good work along the shallows in the ed­ to retain the marabou's maximum sensi­ evolved from feather-minnow types-both dies. But there are also times when it tivity. If weight is required to carry the floating and sub-surface. appears the bass have left town and I can't fly down in deep or fast water, I prefer Streamers can be an important part of buy a strike. That's when I move to the using a sink-tip line or adding weight to the bass fisherman's kit, supplementing head of the riffle and tie on an active the leader. Otherwise, my first choice is surface-riding bugs and deep-drifting streamer like the Orange Flash. It's a a floating line with unweighted fly and nymphs. Basically, they represent min­ typical riffle with bouncy water punctu­ leader. This rig also works best on those nows, which are staples in the diets of most ated by pockets formed where the currents occasions when bass are chasing minnows gamefish. A streamer's long wing is its break around larger-than-average rocks. in shallow water. )£y?ft Principal attractor. If H is made of materials easily activated by the currents or by manipu­ lation by the angler, the Hook: Size 4 to 8 long- fly is likely to be suc­ shank streamer hook. cessful. Few materi­ Thread: Black 6/0 als can surpass the soft, prewaxed. fluffy feathers of the Body: Gold tinsel chenille. marabou stork for ac­ Underwing: Yellow tion in the water and bucktail hair. they are widely used as Wing: Orange marabou streamer wings. In­ feather with a few deed, marabou stream­ strands of pearlescent ers are among the Krystal Hair. easiest to fish in still Topping: Six peacock water because they re­ herls. quire so little manipu­

November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 19 Coat the shank with cement and wind the chenille to the hanging thread. Tie off, trim the excess and stroke the chenille from front to rear. Cut a sparse bunch of yellow bucktail hair and even the tips. Tie in the hair as an underwing. Trim the excess hair and wind over.

20 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler by Charles R. Meek It happened more than 30 years ago on underneath can copy the emerging dun an early June evening in northcentral with a wet fly or the nymph with an ap­ Pennsylvania. Several angling friends and propriate pattern. I decided to head to Elk Creek, a tribu­ Are mayflies the only insects that can tary to the Loyalsock in northern Lycoming create a hatch? No way! You'll find trout County. I had convinced Lloyd Williams feeding on stoneflies, caddisflies, midges, to re-acquaint himself with fly fishing after craneflies and even terrestrials like winged a hiatus of 20 years. Lloyd, Tom Taylor ants. Most often when anglers match a and I stood by the bank of the stream talking hatch, they match a mayfly appearing. But about patterns to use and where we would often stoneflies like the little black stonefly fish. Then it happened—for the first time that appears in March and the early brown in my fly-fishing experience. First a few stonefly that appears in April can also create cream-colored mayflies appeared on the hatch-like conditions. You'll find surface of Elk Creek—then dozens—and caddisflies appearing on the surface from then hundreds. April through October. Black-bodied Where the stream seemed void of trout caddisflies anglers often call "grannoms" just minutes before now more than a dozen appear on many Pennsylvania streams the trout took up feeding positions and fed last two weeks in April. Midges appear on this new-found food source on the on Pennsylvania waters every month of surface. All three of us hurriedly tied on the year. These small downwings appear a size 14 Light Cahill to match those light- especially heavily from December through colored mayflies, or hatch, that appeared September on many Pennsylvania trout on the surface and began casting in a frenzy. streams. You can fish over hatches of dark- Light cahill mayflies continued to appear a pattern that copies the hatch, you'll often gray midges on many limestone waters on the surface and trout continued to feed come away with a frustrating, unrewarding like Spring Creek in December, January for almost an hour. By the time the hatch experience. The more you fishth e hatches, and February. had ended Tom, Lloyd and I had landed the more you'll learn about each. and released more than 20 trout. Not bad Of course, matching the hatch is only Life cycle for the first time Lloyd had fly fished in part of a successful experience. You can Stoneflies, caddisflies, midges and two decades. That's all the encourage­ match a hatch all day and if you don't get mayflies all begin their life cycle under­ ment the three of us needed to match the the proper drift—drag-free—you'll de­ water. Many live, feed, and grow for hatches from then on. crease dramatically the number of fishyo u approximately a year as a nymph or larva. Twenty trout in an hour's time? That's catch. As George Harvey has preached The point that makes many hatches im­ what a hatch does for you. It concentrates for years, the proper pattern is nothing portant to anglers is that when one member the feeding activity into a short period. without a slack leader cast. In other words, of a species appears, so often do hundreds It encourages trout to lose their timidity you can have a proper match and fish over of others of that same species. Let's look and feed right in front of you. You can a hatch all day long, but if you don't present at a member of the sulphur genus compare trout feeding on a horde of in­ that pattern in a natural manner, many trout (Ephemerella rotunda) as an example. sects or a hatch to a hatchery feeding fish will refuse the imitation. Sulphur hatches usually occur from mid- pellets. Trout feed continuously until the As you can see by the opening story, May through early July. Anglers clump supply of pellets is gone. Similarly, they when anglers refer to a hatch they're together almost a dozen species and call prey on this concentration of insects un­ generally talking about a quantity of in­ them under the general body color til it has ended. Match the hatch with a sects on the surface. Trout often feed on "sulphurs." E. rotunda presents one of pattern of the appropriate size, shape and this source of food. When anglers copy the most common and heaviest hatches color and you'll likely come away from the insect on the surface they're match­ to occur in the state. These mayflies of­ the experience a winner. If you don't have ing the hatch. Anglers who prefer to stay ten appear near dusk or about 8:15 p.m. November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 21 However, the first couple How many times have I of days they appear, in mid- You can have a proper match and fish over a heard anglers complain that May and on any overcast, they looked for a hatch on dismal day, you can find hatch all day long, but if you don't present a certain stream and didn't sulphurs emerging from find it? Don't expect to find late morning until the that pattern in a natural manner, many trout every hatch on every evening. When the sulphur will refuse the imitation. stream. Certain trout wa­ appears on the surface it ters in the state are famous might rest for a second or for only one or two hatches more depending on several elements. If surface to emerge. For some mayflies like a year. Streams just miles apart can contain the mayfly appears on a cool overcast, driz­ the green drake the life cycle takes two totally different mayfly, caddisfly and zly day, it may not readily dry its wings years. For others like the slate drake two stonefly hatches. Much of what a stream and therefore it might stay on the surface generations appear in the same summer. contains depends on the type of water and for a longer time. Other sulphurs might You find slate drakes firstemergin g in late the substrate or bottom it contains. A highly have difficulty escaping completely from May and the second generation in late pure fast-running mountain stream might their nymphal shucks. Duns not able to September and October. The sulphur, hold a good quill gordon hatch in mid- take off rapidly from the surface make easy however, has only one generation each April. Another nearby stream with slower, prey for feeding trout. year. Most insect emergences are fairly less pure water might hold few, if any, quill After the mayfly, now called a dun, or predictable, occurring approximately the gordons, but holds a decent hendrickson subimago, escapes from the surface, it flies same time each year. hatch. toward a tree or bush near the stream to Sulphurs often appear in a concentrated Henry Groff of Pittsburgh often com­ rest. On cool spring days you often find hatch—that is, on some fertile streams plains that he sees few hatches on area plenty of duns resting on streams. If you've fly fished for rocks, logs and debris on long you already know that the shore. After a day or many streams in the state have two, depending often on only marginal hatches. To see the weather and the spe­ the best and most prolific cies, the dun sheds its outer hatches, you have to fly fish the skin, or pellicle, and be­ state's top streams. Streams like comes a spinner, imago, or the Little Juniata River, Fishing mating adult. This mating Creek (Clinton County) and adult has glassy clear Penns Creek host dozens of top wings and is a much more hatches throughout the season. accomplished flier than its previous phase. Caddis hatches Male and female spin­ Pennsylvania is also blessed ners mate at around 7:00 with plenty of caddisfly hatches. p.m. Female spinners, now Many of these appear in late with the fertilized eggs April and early May, but expect exposed, appear over to see some explosive caddis riffled sections of a stream. hatches throughout the fishing Usually around dusk spin­ season. These insects resemble ners drop the fertilized eggs moths and when at rest they fold onto the surface and die. Upper Allegheny River their wings tentlike over their Often thousands die and backs. Anglers often call caddis- fall to the surface at one flies and stoneflies "down- time and create a feeding opportunity for thousands emerge in a short time. You wings, because of the way their wings trout. Duns emerge from underwater, and often find that other mayflies don't ap­ lie when at rest. Caddisflies escape of­ the previous day's duns, now spinners, ap­ pear in the concentrated numbers I de­ ten extremely rapidly from the surface, pear on the surface at the same time. Now scribed earlier. Over the years I've so trout often refuse chasing the adult. anglers must decide which phase each trout designated some as concentrated hatches You see fish chasing the emerging cad­ is feeding on. and some as sporadic (see the accompa­ dis pupa, following it to the surface in a Nymphs emerge out of the fertilized nying hatch chart). On some occasions splashing rise. Caddisflies emerge rap­ eggs a few weeks after they're deposited. with some hatches too many insects ap­ idly from the pupa to the adult and sel­ Eggs of other species deposited in late fall pear on the surface and I've quit in dis­ dom rest long on the surface. Anglers don't develop into larvae until the following gust after trying for several minutes to often use an emerging caddis pattern or spring or when the water temperature again compete with these naturals. I often prefer copy the returning mated adult. These rises into the 50s. Nymphs grow by shed­ a more sporadic hatch—one that doesn't adults often move to the surface or un­ ding their outer skin as many as 20 times appear in heavy numbers. Often the spo­ derneath to lay their eggs. Trout often or more (these are called instars). About radic hatches appear for several hours chase these adults. a year after the eggs were deposited, the where concentrated hatches might appear dark-brown nymphs move toward the only for an hour or less. ^5 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler Pennsylvania Hatches

Common Name Emergence Dale for dun and spinner Time of Day Hoot: Size Paracapnia species (S) Little Black Stonefly March 1 Morning and afternoon 18 Baetis tricaudatus (M) Dun: Little Blue-Winged Olive Dun /Spinner: Rusty Spinner March 15 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. 16 to 20 Callibaetis skokianis Dun: Speckle-winged Dun/Spinner: Speckle-winged Spinner April 1 Morning and afternoon 14 to 16 Strophopteryxfasciata (S) Early Brown Stonefly April 10 Afternoon 14 Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (M) Dun: Dark Blue Quill/Spinner:Dark Brown Spinner April 10 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 18 Heaviest: 2:00-4:00 Spinner: 4:00-7:00 p.m. Brachycentrus solomoni Grannom April 12 Morning and afternoon 10 Epeoruspleuralis (M) Dun: Quill Gordon SpinnenRed Quill Spinner April 18 1:00-3:00 p.m. 14 Spinner: 11:30 a.m. -2:00 p.m. Rhithrogena jejuna Dun: Dark Quill Gordon DumDark Quill Gordon April 18 1:00-3:00 p.m. 14 Siphloplecton basale (M) DumGreat Speckled Olive Dun SpinnenGreat Speckled Spinner April 18 1:30 p.m. 10 or 12 Brachycentrus fidiginosus (C) Grannom April 18 3:00-7:00 p.m. 12 Brachycentrus numerosus (C) Grannom April 20 Morning and afternoon 12 Ephemerella subvaria (M) Male dun:Red Quill/Female dun:Hendrickson/Spinner:Red Quill April 23 2:00-4:00 p.m. 12 to 16 Spinner: 3:00-8:00 p.m. Leptophlebiacupida (M) DumBlack Quill/SpinnenEarly Brown Spinner April 25 2:00-4:00 p.m. 12 or 14 Spinner: 1:00-6:00 p.m. Chimarra atterima (C) Little Black Caddis April 26 ll:00a.m.-6:00p.m. 16 or 18 Psilotreta species (C) Tan Caddis April 26 Morning and afternoon 14 Isoperla signata (S) Light Stonefly May 8 Afternoon 12 or 14 Ephemerella rotunda (M) DumPale Evening Dun/Spinner:PaIe Evening Spinner May 10 2:00-8:00 p.m. 14 or 16 Spinner: 6:00-8:00 p.m. Rhyacophila lobifera (C) Green Caddis: caddis flyappear s later (around dusk) in June anc July May 10 4:00-9:00 p.m. 14 Stenonema fuscum (M) DumGray Fox/Spinner:Ginger Quill Spinner May 15 Dun emerges 12 sporadically throughout heaviest hatches 4:00-8:30 p.m. Spinner: 7:00-8:30 p.m. Ephemerella septentrionalis (M)Dun:Pale Evening Dun/Spinner:Pale Evening Dun May 18 8:00 p.m. 14 or 16 Leeucricuta (Heptagenia) aphrodite (M)Dun:Pale Evening Dun/Spinner:Pale Evening Dun May 18 8:00p.m. 16 Ephemerella i i (M)DumPale Evening Dun/Spinner:Pale Evening Spinner May 20 3:00-8:00 p.m. 16 or 18 Spinner: 7:00-8:30 p.m. Stenonema vicarium (M)DumAmerican March Brown/SpinnenGreat Red Spinner May 20 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. 12 Spinner: 8:00 p.m. Symphitopsyche slossanae (C)Spotted Sedge May 23 1:00-6:00 p.m. 14 or 16 Eurylophella bicolor (M)DumChocolate Dun/Spinner:Chocolate Spinner May 25 Late morning and afternoon 16 Siphlonurus quebecensis (M)Dun:Gray Drake/SpinnenBrown Quill Spinner May 25 Evening 14 Stenonema ithaca (M)Dun:Light Cahill /SpinnenLight Cahill May 25 Evening 12 or 14 Epeorus vitreus (M)Male Dun:Light Cahill/Female DumPink Cahill/Spinner:Salmon Spinner May 25 Evening 14 Stenacron interpunctatum canadense (M)Dun:Light Cahill/SpinnenLight Cahil May 25 Sporadic during day but 12 or 14 mainly 6:00- 8:30 Spinner: 7:00-9:00 p.m. Litobrancha recurvata (M)Dun:Dark Green Drake/Spinner:Brown Drake May 25 1:00-8:00 p.m. 8 or 10 Spinner: 7:00 p.m. Ephemera simulans (M)Dun:Brown Drake/SpinnenBrown Drake May 25 8:00 p.m. 10 or 12 Ephemera guttulata (M)Dun:Green Drake/Spinner:Coffin Fly May 25 8:00 p.m. 8 or 10 Stenonema modestum (M)Dun:Cream Cahill/Spinner.'Cream Cahill Spinner May 25 Evening 14 or 16 M = Mayfly C = Caddisfly S = Stonefly Parentheses denote old name for mayfly.

November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 23 Pennsylvania Hatches Time of Day Hook Size Common Name Emergence Dale for dun and spinner Drunella (Ephemerella) cornuta Dun:Blue-Winged Olive Dun/Spinner:Dark Olive Spinner May 25 Sporadic during day 14 Morning with a possible spurt at 11:00-12:00 Spinner: 7:00-9:00 p.m. honychia bicolor (M)Dun:Slate Drake/Spinner:White-Gloved Howdy May 30 Sporadic, but mainly 12 7:00 p.m. Spinner: 8:00 p.m. Ephemerella needhami (M)Dun:Chocolate Dun/Spinner:Chocolate Spinner May 30 Afternoon (early) and morning (late) 14 or 16 Spinnenafternoon and evening Agnetina capitata (S)Perlid Stonefly June Evening 12 Ephemerella dorothea (M)Dun:Pale Evening Dun/Spinner:Pale Evening Dun June 8:00 p.m. 16 or 18 Serratella (Ephemerella) defwiensD\m:Dark Blue Quill/SpinnenDark Brown Spinner June Evening 20 Paraleptophlehia mollis (M)Dun:Dark Blue Quill/Male spinnenJenny Spinner/ June 3 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. 18 Female spinnenDark Brown Spinner Paraleptophlehia strigula (M)Pun:Park Blue Quill/Male spinnenJenny Spinner/ June 5 Early morning to 18 or 20 Female spinnenPark Brown Spinner mid-afternoon Attenella (Ephemerella attenuata (M)Pun:Blue-Winged Olive Pun/ June 5 Sporadic during day often 14 or 16 SpinnenPark Olive Spinner with at heavy burst at 11:00 a.m. Isoperla bilineata (S)Yellow Stonefly June 5 Morning and afternoon 14 Alloperla imbecilla (S)Little Green Stonefly June 5 Morning and afternoon 16 Psilotreta frontalis (C)Park Blue Sedge June 8 8:00 p.m. 12 Leptophlehia johnsoni (M)Pun:Iron Blue Pun/Male spinner:Jenny Spinner/ June 9 11:00 a.m. 14 or 16 Female spinnenBlue Quill Spinner Spinner: evening Dannclla (Ephemerella)cornutella (M)PumBlue-Winged Olive Pun/ June 12 Morning and afternoon 16 SpinnenPark Olive Spinner Serratella (Ephemerella) simplex PumBlue-Winged Olive Pun/ June 15 Morning 20 SpinnenPark Olive Spinner (sometimes afternoon) Spinner: evening Heptagenia marginalis (M)Pun:Light Cahill/SpinnenOlive Cahill Spinner June 15 8:00 p.m. 12 Stenonemapulchellum (M)Pun:Cream Cahill/SpinnenCream Cahill Spinner June 15 Sporadic, from midday 12 or 14 to evening Spinner: evening Ephemeravaria (M)Pun:Yellow Prake/Spinner: Yellow Prake June 22 8:00-9:15 p.m. 10 or 12 Leucrocuta (Heptagenia) hebe (M)Pun:Pale Evening Pun/Spinner:Pale Evening Pun June 22 8:00 p.m. 16 Paraleptophlehia guttata (M)Pun:Park Blue Quill /Male spinner Jenny Spinner/ June 25 Sporadic during day 18 Female spinnenPark Brown Spinner Spinner: morning and afternoon Anthopotamiis (Potamanthus)distinctus (M)Pun:Golden Prake/Spinner:Golden Spinner June 25 9:00 p.m. Tricorythodes attratus (M)Pun:Pale Olive Pun/Male spinnenPark Brown Spinner/ July 23 7:00-9:00 a.m. 24 Female spinner:Reverse Jenny Spinner or Trico Spinner Spinner: 8:00 a.m. Caenis species (M)Pun:Little White Mayfly/Spinner:Little White Spinner July 15 Evening 26 Acerpenna (Baetis) pygmaea (M)Pun:Little Blue-Winged Olive Dun/Spinner:Rusty Spinner Aug. 1 Morning and afternoon Ephoron leukon (M)Pun:White Mayfly/Spinner:White Mayfly Aug. 15 7:00 p.m. 12 to 16 Hexagenia atrocaudata (M)Pun:Big Slate Prake/SpinnenPark Rusty Spinner Aug. 18 8:00 p.m. 6 or 8 Spinner:6:00-7:00 p.m. Baetis tricaudatus (M)Pun:Little Blue-Winged Olive Pun/Spinner:Rusty Spinner Sept. 15 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. 16 to 20 honychia bicolorD\m:Sl&t£ Prake/Spinner:White-Gloved Howdy Sept. 13 Sporadic, but mainly 14 afternoon M = Mayfly C = Caddistly S = Stonefly Parentheses denote old name for mayfly.

24 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler by Vic Attardo

It used to be that once the shad run was over, the Delaware River But not any more. between Trenton and Easton was as empty of anglers as a school- In recent years, smallmouth bass have come on strong, and house in July. now, because the word is out that striped bass are migrating A handful of smallmouth fishermen came out in the morn­ above the salt line, the Delaware is the scene of almost year- ings and evenings to take up their summer trade, and some carp round activity. Now's a good time to consider this remarkable and sucker fishermen could be seen sleeping on the shores as fishery, and how you'll get in on the action next season. canoeists and water skiers passed by. Time was, the non-tidal While not as busy as in shad season, parking lots and pull- river took a siesta for a few months until things perked up with offs along the river are heavily occupied in the evenings by striper the approach of fall. fishermen, and a drive along routes 611 and 32 reveals a con- November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 25 Delaware River

Why the Bass Are Back In 1984, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) finally came to grips with the declining bass stocks and received Congressional au­ thority to shut down the striped bass fishery in states refusing to abide by its minimum size regulations. Despite valid concerns about rural-based commercial fishing in areas like Long Island, New York, where surfmen had fished for generations, commercial fishing was nearly completely halted while sport fishing was reduced to one fish daily with a large minimum size. •:• '>'• While the debate raged on over whether to blame the commercial en­ terprise or degradation of spawning habitat by pollution and over-develop­ ment for the decline in striped bass, bass stocks suddenly, almost inexplicably, improved. By 1990, ASMFC had re­ laxed certain restrictions and sport fishing regained its popularity. Some believe that the lack of striped bass along the East Coast during the 1980s was a result of the fish's natu­ ral cycle, and point to the now declin­ ing stocks of bluefish along the coast as a piece of the pie in the striper's re­ covery. One thing is certain, however: The striped bass population in the Delaware watershed needs continued protection. One female bass measuring between 32 and 34 inches, within the range of the new legal limit, will produce some 1.2 million eggs for spawning. Such a fish is about eight years old and has outlived many a family dog. It is obvious that the Delaware above the tide line contains an abundance of small pre-migratory fish. These fish, which have become the target of some fishermen, are both fragile and important to the future of the bass to protect fu­ ture spawning stocks. Because 1993 produced an all-time record number of bass, next year should see large num­ bers of three-year-old, 18-inch fish in coastal areas and in the river.-VA. stellation of glowing lanterns as anglers ply their trade into the Memorial Day holiday. But the season really heated up in late wee hours of the morning. June and was at its peak during certain periods in July and August. Since the late 1980s, "old linesides" has been showing up In fact, some bass anglers maintain that the hotter the weather, with increasing abundance in the Easton area, and has even been the better the fishing. reported as far north as the Zane Grey Pool in Lackawaxen. I have kept logs of my own and my friends' fishing for the Where just a few years ago some riverside tackle shops barely last three years and have also followed newspaper reports. They survived on the sale of worms and minnows, now there is a thriving indicate that the weeks after the July 4th holiday, all the way business in live American eels, a preferred bait for big striped to Labor Day, are the prime time for striped bass in the river. bass. When the stripers are in a good mood, bait shops often While this idea is now becoming generally accepted, I first run out of this costly commodity, and local anglers have been want to debunk a common misconception that striper fishing known to beg store owners to keep a secret supply for their use. on the Delaware is only a nighttime pursuit. Why all the fuss about a fish? Because a good-sized striped This year, for four days in late June, a low pressure system bass in the river will run through 50 yards of line before you hung over eastern Pennsylvania. The skies were perpetually can blink your eyes and clean your glasses. A bass of between cloudy with intermittent light showers, and during the first three 7 and 10 pounds will race from the shores of Pennsylvania to days of this weather pattern striped bass were on the feed from the banks of New Jersey, breaking the speed limit in both states. nearly sunrise to sunset. On the fourth day the clouds began to And a fish over 28 inches-the new legal limit-can spool the most thin and the bass activity became spottier. densely packed reel in seconds. And that's just for starters. During the peak, the fish could be seen chasing prey less than a few feet off a rocky creek mouth where Ernie and I had planted ourselves to intercept the bass. At first we thought these fish Anchored beside a bridge piling I had watched a hot-orange were large suckers. When they turned on their sides we saw the moon rise with the sunset and glide across the black sky in a flash of white and silver just the way a sucker looks feeding along slow arc. The moon's muted light fought with the glow from the bottom. But when the fish would rise near the surface, the the bridge poles, and the two seemed to cancel each other out long black lines that run down a striper's back were clearly vis­ in the hazy darkness. I could see the rough outline of my fish­ ible in the shallow water. And when they engulfed small fish, ing partner, Ernie Dallarosa, two seats up in our 14-foot boat, the opening and closing of their mouths was unmistakable. but the river around us was a black mystery. The peaceful scene What was simply amazing was the sight of these big bass and the late hour had nearly put me to sleep. turning on their flanks in an attempt to reach under the rocks Suddenly I saw Ernie straighten up. His heavy 6 1/2-foot for whatever was seeking cover. casting rod had been placed in a rod holder, the tip occasion­ At first, we were puzzled and couldn't figure out what the ally flexing with the struggle of a 12-inch eel at the end of the bass were taking during these feeding raids. No eels were present, line. Now I watched as he gingerly picked up the rod, careful for surely we would have seen the shoestrings snaking along not to telegraph the slightest message that the eel was nothing the bottom in the clear water. The answer came when a small more than a free swimmer. sunfish-a pumpkinseed-suddenly dashed into the shallows by Ernie's reel was set in free spool and the 20-pound monofilament our feet, and in a flash of orange and lavender successfully wedged was starting to inch out from the rod tip. Suddenly a bolt of itself beneath a small rock. When Ernie picked up the rock the line shot through the guides and only his moistened thumb kept startled fish bolted for another stone where it again hid from the reel from backlashing. our view. We understood then that the large stripers were nos­ "Feels good," was his only reply to my question of size and ing along the rip-rap trying to force the sunfish into giving up species. Both of us knew, however, that he was locked tight to their hiding spots. a big striped bass. After a few days of this strong June bite, daytime fishing slowed The fish's initial run was like a flash of lightning. It ended considerably for about two weeks. We'd see an occasional fish somewhere in a deep pool below the bridge, and when its run nudging along the creek mouth and occasionally we got a hookup. was complete, Ernie gathered up most of the line and started Then came a series of strong evening thunderstorms that muddied slugging it out with the bass at close quarters. A couple of shorter the river and raised the water level by more than a foot. It was runs later, the fish appeared by the side of the boat. It mea­ senseless to fish under these conditions, but once the Delaware sured nearly 32 inches and was quickly released. cleared, striper fishermen up and down the river reported ex­ I caught my first non-tidal striped bass in the Delaware in cellent fishing and we again took fish in broad daylight. In late 1991 on cut bait, and later that same afternoon I caught another July, in the middle of a terrible heat wave, we caught fish from on a fly. In the past, I had fished for stripers below the salt­ the morning to early afternoon as the stripers focused on the water line in Trenton and also on the Jersey coast in the surf, juvenile shad now feeding on the Delaware's minutia. but the taking of these two juvenile bass in the rocky riffles around Despite our daytime success, most striper fishermen don't Riegelsville, where I normally landed smallmouth bass and shad, get to the river until around sundown, and some don't leave until was a new experience. The swift waters and deep channel gave the following dawn. Bass fishermen are consistently debating the bass a whole new fighting power and I became hooked on whether to fish dark, moonless nights or nights when the moon pursuing these fish in freshwater. is as big as a summer watermelon. I subscribe to the dark night theory-the darker, the better. The bass are not as spooky when the moon is down and they The season-the availability-of striped bass in the Delaware are more easily fooled by surface lures. Still, some bait fish­ usually begins around the end of May and continues to early ermen do well using live eels when the moon is bright. When fall. This year the first reports of big stripers were heard in the fishing next to an area such as a bridge or dock that is regu­ tackle shops in Easton and Belvidere, New Jersey, during the larly lit, the effect of the moon does not seem as critical. November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 27 Best locations yards of 14- to 20-pound-test line. Smaller reels suited for The best locations for striped bass are next to creek and river largemouth bass are out of place when fishing for big linesides. mouths. The influx of cool water from these streams and the They simply don't hold enough line to contain a really large tendency for the river to create a deep channel off the mouth striper. of the creek attracts bass like a magnet. I measured the water When fishing a live eel I prefer a baitcasting or a "conven­ temperature at one of these locations on a hot July day and found tional" reel. I like the ease with which a properly spooled casting that the river above the creek entrance was 80 degrees. Below reel releases line during the striper's long runs. A gear ratio the creek the water temperature was 68 degrees, 12 degrees less. of 4.5:1 seems better for this heavy duty fishing than a reel with Two rivers that empty into the Delaware from the New Jer­ a 6:1 ratio. Rods should be in the medium to medium/heavy sey side, the Pequest at Belvidere and the Musconetcong at class in 6-foot and 7-foot lengths. Riegelsville, as well as Martins Creek at Easton and Cooks Creek at Durham, have been particularly successful places to fish for Fly rod gear stripers. When I'm out in a small boat with friends, I enjoy using my Other key locations are the channel edges adjacent to fast casting equipment, but I do 90 percent of my freshwater striper water. The bass work these edges like mine sweepers, and then fishing wading the banks with a fly rod. chase their prey toward the bars and flats. When scouting a The first large, freshwater striper I caught in the Delaware new site, I look for places where bass can push and trap bait. measured 25 inches and I took it on a 6-weight fly rod. When At night, heavy rip-rap, where eels are likely to be found, have it hit, my fly came to an abrupt halt during a speedy retrieve. become another hotspot. There was a brief pause, as if a strange notion had come into the fish's head and it was trying to decide what to do. Then Tackle my line started running out of the reel and in a few seconds I The most often-asked question about striper fishing is what was deep into the backing. A few seconds after that I began to lure should the angler use. The answer is to use anything that see daylight on a bare spool. imitates herring, eels and juvenile shad. To this day I don't know why that bass stopped when it did, At night, lure fishermen should try noise-making surface plugs. but I know I'll never forget that first fight no matter how many Once the overall water temperature reaches 70 degrees, bass stripers I catch. The next time I hit the river for bass, I was pursue baitfish into the shallows and flats off the main chan­ carrying a heavier fly rod and a reel with a lot more backing. nel. Use plugs like the Striper Swiper, the Little Neck Popper Like the casting and spinning equipment, leave your trout and Surface Swimmer-traditional saltwater plugs-and the Rebel fly rods at home when going for stripers. Rods should be at Pop R, to name a few. least an 8-weight with the 9- and 10-weights preferred for heaving Where there is more current, lures that have a more erratic the big, wind-resistant flies that imitate the wide-bodied her­ subsurface action, such as the Red Fins and the Bomber Long ring. "A," work best. Early in the season use lures that have silver Depending on the type of water you're fishing, either a floating, sides and black or blue tops, which resemble the river's herring. sink-tip or full sinking line can be used, with the latter two the Along the river's faster riffles use baits constructed with internal most common. Fly selection can be kept to a minimum as long noise-makers. The noise of these lures cuts through the sounds as you consider the type of prey the bass are keyed into. of the riffles and calls up a striper that is feeding in the area. No matter if you're fishing a spinning, casting or fly reel, Boat anglers can use jigs tipped with plastic, but I don't use it's important to set your drag lightly. A striper's initial run is them while wading because they hang up too often. Nevertheless, long and powerful and can not be stopped without breaking the leadhead jigs are taking bass in the river. Some anglers tip their line or pulling the hook from its mouth. With a conventional jigs with plastic eels and score on bass hunting along the rocks reel I set the drag just tight enough to prevent a backlash. With for the real thing. With plastic eels use silver spinner blades a fly reel I keep the drag at the lowest setting and lightly let or a string of revolving beads as an attractor. the line run through my thumb and index finger to deter the Live eels are, of course, an excellent bait as are-believe it fly line from doubling around the spool. or not-chicken livers. I have seen large numbers of juvenile Recently I've been applying a dab of soft fly flotant to my bass-fish between 10 and 13 inches-taken in broad daylight line-holding fingers. This not only allows the line to flow out on chicken livers. But I believe the use of this bait to catch smoothly, but prevents the burned digits I'd get when a big bass these small bass should be avoided. ran with dry line. According to Commission Area 6 Fisheries Manager Mike Be careful when landing a large bass-stripers have sharp gill Kaufmann, striped bass sustain a high rate of mortality when caught plates. on cut bait. Kaufmann believes the bass often swallow the liv­ It's a mistake to believe you're going to catch a lot of large ers, making hook removal difficult. In addition, when the river bass on any particular outing. Ernie and I consider it a good water temperature rises into the low 80s, the reduced oxygen content day when each of us lands two bass above 20 inches, but there makes the striper's recovery even more tenuous. have been times when three and four bass apiece have come Obviously chicken liver is very popular on the river for cat­ to our feet. Still, striped bass fishing should not be a numbers fish and I still enjoy that activity. But once I determine that a game. Just one of these powerful fish can be a wonderful memory, school of small stripers is in the vicinity, having caught one or and the knowledge that a great fish has returned to the Dela­ two on bait, I put away the liver and move onto something else. ware is a comfort all its own. Both spinning and baitcasting reels have their place in striper See you on the river next season! *—— fishing, but the reels should be capable of carrying at least 200 2^25

28 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler Commissioner Ross J. Huhn has been honored by the Penn­ This patch marks 125 years sylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs (PFSC) with induction of the Commission's manage­ SMALLMOUTH BASS into the organization's "Hall of Fame." ment of bass. The full-color Huhn, of Saltsburg, has served on the Pennsylvania Fish and patch is 3 1/4 inches across and Boat Commission since his appoint­ 4 3/4 inches tall. The patch sells ment by then-Governor Richard for $5 each postpaid including Thornburgh. During his tenure he has state sales tax. Send checks or served as both President and Vice-Presi­ money orders (please do not dent for two years. He currently chairs send cash) to: Publications Sec­ the Commission Law Enforcement tion, PA Fish and Boat Com­ Committee and serves as a member of PENNSYLVANIA mission, P.O. Box 67000, FISH &B0AT the Boating, Fisheries, and Adminis­ Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000. COMMISSION trative Services & Personnel commit­ Quantities are limited. tees. Huhn represents the Southwest Region. He was instrumental in the develop­ Commissioner ment of the Commission Conservation Revised PFD Pamphlet Ross J. Huhn Acquisition Partnership (CAP) Pro­ "Personal Flotation Devices" is a com­ gram. The CAP Program is a special-use fund comprised of pletely revised and updated publication voluntary contributions from sportsmen. Money from the fund available from the Commission. The full- is used for the purchase of land and land easements for fishing color pamphlet explains what a personal and boating access. flotation device (PFD) is, laws about PFDs, Huhn was selected for the honor on the basis of his more than types of PFDs, who has to wear a life jacket, 20 years of service to the PFSC. Along with his activities at and how to choose one. Also included the county and division levels, Huhn served the Federation at n JOT 45 is information on caring for PFDs. the state level-four years on the PFSC's Board of Directors and Single copies of this pamphlet are free, 10 years on its Fish Committee. but please include a business-sized self- The Federation represents some 400 sportsmen's organiza­ addressed, stamped envelope with requests. tions and more than 75,000 individual members. In inducting Contact: Publications Section, Pennsyl­ Huhn, the Federation noted that Huhn has "served the sports­ vania Fish and Boat Commission, P.O. Box men of Pennsylvania with distinction."-Dan Tredinnick. 67000, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000.

FISHING LICENSE APPLICATION Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Attn: Ucense Division PRINT PLAINLY (PFBC-L-118, Rev. 07-95) P.O. Box 67000 Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000 DATE FISHING LICENSE NO.. . (Official Use, Issuing Agent Only) ar's worth NAME. PHONE. fishing. ADDRESS

CITY. STATE. ZIP.

BIRTHDATE mo. day_ year_ HEIGHT. WEIGHT.

AGE SEX. EYES- HAIR. •• •* HA I • M £tt A Jfi &tL BA

CHECK THE LICENSE DESIRED Applicant must establish identity, age, and the fact that he O Resident $17.00 or she is a bona fide resident of Pennsylvania to the Makes a • Senior Resident 4.00 satisfaction of the issuing agent. great gift, too! • Non-Resident 35.00 Type of ID . I certify the above to be a true and accurate statement. • 7-Day Tourist 30.00 Note: Include a copy of Valid from to your birth certificate or • 3-Day Tourist 15.00 Valid from to driver's license when you APPLICANTS SIGNATURE • Trout/Salmon Stamp 5.50 apply by mail for any kind of resident license. • Lake Erie Permit 3.50 Cost includes Issuing Agent Fee. 75 cents for each license; Total $ SO cents for each stamp and permit. • 'Resident 100%Disabled War Veteran Claim No Free Agents Please Note: No application necessary tor the purchase 'Available only from County Treasurers of Trout/Salmon Stamp(s) or Lake Erie Pennit(s).

November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 29 Last Chance for a The remainder of the 1993 trout/ salmon stamps will be destroyed in 1993 Trout/Salmon Stamp February 1996. The 1993 stamps are The Fish & Boat Commission invites you to write letters to the editor in this 1993 Pennsylvania no longer valid, but if you'd like to purchase one as a collector's item, the space if you have an idea on Pennsylva­ stamps cost $5.50 each and can be pur­ nia Angler content, a question or concern chased by mail. Send a check or about the Commission or about fish and money order (payable to the PA Fish fishing and conservation, or a helpful idea & Boat Commission) to: Mary C. for anglers or boaters. Letters are edited Stine, Chief, Licensing Section, PA for clarity and space considerations. Fish & Boat Commission, P.O. Box Address correspondence to: Art Michaels, 67000, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000. Editor, Pennsylvania Angler, P.O. Box 67000, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000; (717) Orders for purchasing 1993 trout/ 657-4549 (fax); CompuServe: 76247,624; salmon stamps must be postmarked Internet: [email protected]. no later than January 31, 1996.

The mission of the •M! Pennsylvania Fish & Boar fingler's Notebo ^ I Commission is to provide • / fishing and boating • / opportunities through the Walleyes prefer deep water in rivers during When you fish worms for largemouth bass, f protection and management of aquatic resources. the late fall and winter. The best way to catch use a size 2, 1 or 1/0 hook. Rig the worm on

a river's biggest walleyes is to use a jig-and- the hook so that you impale it twice with a lot Peter A. Colangelo. minnow combination. Try a 3/8-ounce black of room on both ends so the worm can wiggle. Executive Director Dennis T. Guise, Deputy Executive bucktail tipped with a 3-inch chub or fathead That tells the big bass that this offering is alive Director/Chief Counsel minnow. Cast the offering, and when it touches and well. Crimp a splitshot about 12 to 18 inches John Arway, Division of Environmental Services down on the bottom, "hop" it back toward you. above the hook. Use more weight when cast­ Joseph A. Greene, ing to bass that are deep. Legislative Liaison Pause a few seconds after each lift. Dan Tredinniek, Media Relations Tom Ford, Resources Adult crayfish mate anytime from spring to Planning Coordinator late fall. The female produces some 200 to 300 eggs, which she carries under her abdo­ Ross E. Stamer men and tail. Eggs hatch in about five weeks. Crayfish molt during their entire lifespan of Wasyl James Polischuk, Jr., Director three to five years. Rafael Perez-Bravo, Personnel Brian Barner, Federal Aid If you think fly fishing action is poor now Mary Stine, Fishing Licenses that it's November, guess again Choose a day when the air tem­ Delano Graff, Director Rickalon L. Hoopes, perature and the water tem­ Division of Research perature are in the 50s. The Richard A. Snyder, Division of Fisheries Management best action with flies occurs Dennis C. Ricker, Division of Trout Production about 11 am and 5 pm. Terrestrials like crickets, Martin T. Mareinko, Division of hoppers and ants can work. Hatches you en­ WarmlCoolwater Fish Production counter in November include blue-wing olives, caddisflies and stoneflies. James Young. P.E., Director A jighead's collar helps you attach body ma­ James 1. Waite, Division of Construction & Maintenance Services terial. A straight collar works well for tying Eugene O. Banker, P.E., Before you give up on a fishing spot or change a bucktail body and for impaling a plastic tail. Division of Properly Services lures, change your retrieve. Often a change in Flared collars are made for seating hair bod­ retrieve is all you need to coax reluctant fish ies on the jig. Barbed collars are used with Edward W. Manhart, Director into striking. If you've been retrieving fast, slow plastic bodies. Collarless jigheads are made down. Try an erratic (fast-slow) retrieve, or to be used with live bait. "hop" a lure. John Simmons, Director Virgil Chambers, Division of If you haven't winterized your boat, motor Booting Safety & Education Fishing for smallmouth bass in the fall can Andrew Mutch, and trailer. Do so now. Water can accumulate Division of Boat Registration be terrific. The best presentations are topwater in the outboard and rust the internal parts. It lures and jigs. Pick a day when the air temperature can also freeze and crack internal parts. Con­ is over 50 degrees. A stretch of two or three ditioning your fuel now ensures quick starts John Simmons, Acting§ Director mild days is perfect. Kimberly S. Mumper, Education next spring. Carl E. Richardson, Education Art Michaels, Magazines, Publications Ted R. Walke, Graphic Services

30 November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler ready know, fish are sensitive to movement. They have plenty of the special cells in their eyes called rods. Rods are sensitive Fish Senses: Sight to movement and contrast. Each eye can function on its own to THE FISH SYZ detect movement and contrast. Fish eyes work the same way human eyes do, similar to a camera. There are COLOR some differences, though. Fish eyes don't To understand how fish see color, forget how have eyelids or tear ducts. They don't you see colors. Water absorbs and scatters light. have an iris that adjusts to different The way light is reflected or absorbed allows amounts of light, as we do. There is a animals with color vision to see colors. lens that focuses light into the eye. The Inside the eye are cells, called cones, that detect lens of a fish eye moves back and forth colors. Groups of cones are more sensitive to to focus. certain colors. Humans have three different types DEPTH PERCEPTION, of cones that are sensitive to either yellow, green DETAILS, THPEE or blue light. They can detect other colors, but DIMENSION they are more sensitive to these. Because their eyes are on the sides of their heads, fish are There has been some research on fish and color vision, but able to see nearly all around themselves. They have blind not a lot. Scientists believe that freshwater fish have good color spots at the tip of their noses and behind their backs. An­ vision, especially those that live in shallow-water habitats. They glers can sneak up on fish if they stay in the fish's blind spot. also think that Two eyes must work fish have three VERTICAL together to enable the sets of cones. animal to see in three Two sets of these dimensions (height, cones may be length and depth). This sensitive to col­ is called binocular vi­ ors we can see, sion, and allows the like green and animal to determine dis­ orange. Some tance from the object. fish researchers With fish and other ani­ think the third set mals that have eyes on of cones is sen­ the sides of their heads, sitive to ultravio­ the area of binocular vi­ let light, which sion is very small. Fish we can't detect. have a narrow cone Putting it all (about 30 degrees) of together makes it interesting for the angler. Which lure color binocular vision to the do you choose, since the fish may see your blue lure as gray or front and directly above black? Use this rule of thumb: In clear water and bright sun, their snouts. Outside use subtle colors. In low light and cloudy water, use lures with this cone, fish see only lots of contrast or bright colors. how wide and tall an object is-they can't tell how far away it is, or FISH SYZ FACTS how deep it is. • Walleyes have a special membrane inside their eyes that works Fish are nearsighted. to reflect and focus light even more. This is the glow we often That is, objects at a dis­ see when looking at old "marble eyes." tance aren't seen clearly. • Bright sunlight doesn't hurt fish, even though their pupils That is why some fish, can't adjust to changing light. especially trout, get right • Shade on bright, sunny days may be important, depending next to your lure, close on the water depth. The deeper the water, or the more cloudy enough to eat it, before the water is, the less important shade is. they turn away. • Black or dark lures show up better at night, because the lure's As most anglers al- outline contrasts against the water's surface and the night sky. blirid = binocular November 1995 Pennsylvania Angler 31 terckuj—

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