Ten Cents October, 1937

Painting by TEN CENTS FRED EVERETT OCTOBER, 1937 PICKEREL A; OFFICIAL STATE RL* OCTOBER, 1937 PUBLICATION * AN G LE Vol. 6—No. 10 AL.1 «T» PUBLISHED MONTHLY COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA by the BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF FISH >d»5K COMMISSIONERS 111 fH I CHARLES A. FRENCH Ten cents a copy — 50 cents a year Commissioner of Fisheries I MEMBERS OF BOARD 111 CHARLES A. FRENCH, Chairman I Ellwood City ALEX P. SWEIGART, Editor MILTON L. PEEK South Office Bldg., Harrisburg, Pa. HARRY E. WEBER Philipsburg SAMUEL J. TRUSCOTT Dalton FRANK J. PENTRACK Johnstown NOTE Subscriptions to the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER EDGAR W. NICHOLSON should be addressed to the Editor. Submit fee either Philadelphia by check or money order payable to the Common KENNETH A. REID wealth of Pennsylvania. Stamps not acceptable. Connellsville Individuals sending cash do so at their own risk. FRED McKEAN New Kensington H. R. STACKHOUSE Secretary to Board PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER welcomes contribu tions and photos of catches from its readers. Proper credit will be given to contributors. All contributions returned if accompanied by first C. R. BULLER class postage. Chief Fish Culturist, Bellefonte C'SJl — <Jt IMPORTANT—The Editor should be notified immediately of change in subscriber's address Please give both old and new addresses Permission to reprint will be granted provided proper credit notice is given A 0^ m \ Casting for game ^ANGLER/ fish is a favorite sport of Governor Earle. Vol. 6 No. 10 OCTOBER, 1937 EDITORIAL CONSERVATION AT THE CROSS-ROADS By GEORGE H. EARLE Governor of Pennsylvania (Courtesy Hunting and Fishing Magazine) 1ERE is little reason to wonder why fishing today is termed for the specific purposes of administering fish and game re "a cosmopolitan sport." Its appeal to mankind is instinctive. sources respectively, maintain the sports they cherish. Creation In the dim eras of the past, the Dawn Men relied upon of the Fish Fund has made possible a system of 10 modern fish their crude skill in fishing and hunting to gain a livelihood. In farms which last year had an output of 314,891,951 fish of the that distant day, man was forced by circumstances to fish and various species, ranging in size from fry to adult. The Game hunt; under modern conditions, he finds in these instinctive Fund has been the backbone in the building of Pennsylvania's sports, relaxation from the monotony of everyday life. Fishing famed Game System. Both stand as monuments to the unselfish has, in other words, progressed from a method for seeking efforts of Pennsylvania anglers and hunters in improving their livelihood to the status of a restful pastime vital to the well- sports. being of thousands of people. It seems to me, however, that distribution of vast quantities of fish and game is not the final solution to our modern con There is a real need in our present day American scheme of servation problem. Rather, this distribution should be linked living for the vitalizing influence of vigorous outdoor sports. with a comprehensive program of environmental improvement, While, it is true, competitive sports such as football, baseball the bettering of conditions under which stocked fish and game and tennis annually attract vast numbers of our people to must exist. Through the program of the Works Progress Admin stadium or tennis court, the invigorating, uplifting atmosphere istration, improved environment on many of our state fishing of fast mountain streams, picturesque lakes and rivers, or hunt waters has already been accomplished. Increasing available ing covers is definitely lacking in the bleachers. Thrills, yes, areas for small game cover in the form of refuges is one of the plenty of them, and I personally enjoy to the utmost a good objectives of the Board of Game Commissioners. football or baseball game; but, like thousands of my fellow citi zens, I prefer to blend with these grand pastimes days astream The practical improvement of fishing waters with an eye to with rod and line or in the hunting covers with a steady dog. increasing the amount of cover and food available, as well as increasing aeration of the water through properly installed de Present day conservation of both fish and game, a practical vices, is vitally needed in eastern states such as Pennsylvania, plan for the restoration of a grand American heritage, is an where streams are annually being subjected to more intensive obligation resting with every one of us. Other generations have fishing. been profligate in their waste of natural resource; to our gen In most industrial states, the threat of stream pollution is a eration comes the responsibility, in no small measure, of bring major one insofar as fishing is concerned. Anti-pollution laws ing back, to the greatest extent possible, these resources. True, with more teeth in them should be of assistance in solving this we have many obstacles to overcome: stream pollution which problem. here in my home state now affects in varying degrees 85,000 of our 100,000 miles of waterways; reckless destruction of cover Of one thing I am convinced. Our great army of American for both fish and game, and the need for constantly increasing sportsmen are today on the alert to remedy many of the con education in fish and game conservation are only a few of them. ditions responsible for the present dearth of fish and game. In that spirit of conservation-mindedness we shall go forward dur In no nation of the world does the average sportsman enjoy ing the years to come. greater privileges than those now existing for his pursuit of fish We want better fishing and we want better hunting. Co and game here in America. Rich and poor alike may fish our operation in overcoming obstacles in the way to achieving these streams or hunt our covers. There is no line of distinction drawn, objectives seems a logical method in securing both. which is as it should be. Here in Pennsylvania the licensed fish ermen, through their Fish Fund, and the licensed hunters through Let's make America a model in conservation achievement their Game Fund, both of which are earmarked and set aside not only for our present generation but for generations to come. PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER BETTER PLUGGING A Practical and Instructive Bait Casting Article By CHARLES K. FOX The Writer in Action 4t/ I \HE difference between taking fish casting his plugs into the hole below him. frequently such fish which are chasing min J. and not taking fish is very slight." All at once there is a great surface commo nows can be caught, and one fisherman has These are the opening words of John Alden tion against the opposite bank just above a certain plug which he uses when he sees Knight's excellent book, "The Modern An him. Some minnows skip out of the water this type of feeding activity. gler," and how true they are. We almost closely followed by the gaping jaws of a Carefully he works his way out on the catch a lot of fish that we don't catch and large bass. As the big fish swirls in the ledge, going as fast as possible without we almost spoiled it on many we do catch. shallow water a suction noise is audible making noise, either on the surface with his Parenthetically, the difference between the as the fish attempts to snap in its prey. knees or on the bottom rocks. Great care is fishing ability of the man who catches a Now here is something which invites a taken not to make the bass suspicious, for lot of fish and the man who catches but a test of the angler's skill. Here is a big suspicious bass won't feed. As he travels few may also be very slight. wise fish which has frequently been fished within casting distance the old reliable lure Picture, if you will, a fisherman standing over, but now he is on the feed and it may is tied to the ten-foot, fifteen-pound test ar on a submerged ledge in a large creek, be possible to catch him off guard. Very tificial gut leader, and the leader knots .are PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER 3 tested. The lure is a little quarter of an the left hand is placed on the back of the ounce wobbling plug in a natural scale fin reel spool and acts as a light drag every ish. Even as the angler approaches his time the fish takes a run. The rod is held casting position he notes the location of this at right angles to the line at all times. A pool perfectly for future reference. huge bass comes out of water, vigorously The process of getting within casting shaking its head. As "it" is in the air the range of the fish and at the same time angler tightens the line and tips it over, changing lures took about one minute by sort of knocks it off its feet. The throbbing the clock. Now if the bass does not take the rod absorbs the shock of lunges and jumps. first, second, or third cast it will be rested Sometimes the fish is taking out line, at while a cigarette is smoked, then a series other times when it eases up in its fight of casts are in order. If the bass did not or when it comes toward the angler the line catch a minnow it is probably just off the is being retrieved. As a rule bass fight in edge of the splatter-docks ready to tear a small area but this one, with the aid of into the first living thing which moves into Double Water Knot (Leader light, line dark) the current, made a long run, and at one the open.

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