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JANUARY—1978 the HeKeystone State's , MI Offieiat y FtSHtNG BOATING I Magazine... J^ 30 tmmmm^mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmtm/s\nq\e Cop SUMMING IT UP nr he January issue of the Pennsylvania Angler has traditionally -*- contained the Annual Report for the fiscal year which ended last June. Because of the time needed to summarize and assemble the statis­ tics, and the lead time needed for publication, the printing of the Annual Report is delayed until the end of the calendar year. The natural tendency would be for our readers to suppose that in these comments we are really summarizing our "boasting" and "complaining" for the calendar year which just ended. Such is not the case but we certainly hope that the readers of this publication will take the time to read in detail the contents of that Report because it is the closest most of our stockholders come to really getting an understanding of what a relatively small but complex organization does with their money. The 1976-77 fiscal year was not a year for sitting back and relaxing. It seems that the speed at which the world turns over must have tripled recently ... or else we're getting old. We have been more and more involved with activities that somehow seem to be just on the fringe of our purview but yet take so much time. Our involvement with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the time spent in trying to provide input for the implementation of fishery management plans from three miles offshore to 200 miles out will, down the future years, certainly affect Pennsyl- vanians indirectly; in many ways we look for direct benefits from the protection and intelligent management of anadromous fish. We're involved in long-range planning and interfaces with all of the environmental agencies and organizations, and we don't dare miss any of these because of the possible effects on the resources we have sworn to protect. We have had some breakthroughs this year inside Pennsylvania which we think are worth writ­ ing home about. The fish ladder over the Fairmount Park Dam, in downtown Philadelphia, should be completed next May, enabling anadromous and indigenous fishes to migrate upstream and down. When that's finished, we'll go after the dams upstream. Our inventory and classification project is showing more and more evidence of water quality improvement and we're going to defend that with everything we have. We're finding young-of-the- year bass in the Monongahela River just off Charleroi — that river was not much more than an open sewer laden with industrial wastes toxic to anything alive just ten years ago! We're even go­ ing to stock esocids, members of the pike family, in the Ohio River from Pittsburgh downstream since that water has shown dramatic improvement. The renovation and updating of our fish cultural stations continues toward our goal of modernizing and making more efficient the production units that are such a vital part of our pro­ grams. So far, so good. We regret that our attempt to secure a license increase has stalled in the Senate. House Bill 792 passed the House of Representatives handily in October, with a vote of 160-33, but has been stalled in the Senate Committee on Environmental Resources and cannot possibly be considered in time to make the approved increase effective in 1978. This is going to have a serious impact on our activities for 1978 and 1979. We can only hope that the sportsmen who benefit from our programs will continue their support to keep us fiscally sound in the face of continuing inflation and personnel costs. All in all, it's been a good year and my hat is off to our loyal and dedicated employes as well as the people on the outside who help us in so many ways. Ralph W. Abele, Executive Director Pennsylvania Angl Pennsylvania's Official Fishing & Boating Magazine Published Monthly by the PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA Milton J. Shapp, Governor MEMBERS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION William Cox, President Elysburg Jerome E. Southerton, Vice President Honesdale Walter F. Gibbs Reno William O. Hill Erie Leonard A. Green Carlisle John A. Hugya Johnstown Sam Guaglianone Johnsonburg Calvin J. Kern Whitehall James J. Stumpf Laughlintown Volume 47-No. 1 January, 1978 CONTENTS Leaky Boots — Letters from our Readers 2 Stream Notes — Reports from our Waterways Patrolmen 3 Taking a Closer Look by Tom Fegely 4 Ice Fishing at Middle Creek by George E. Dolnack, Jr 6 Winter Crappies by Fredric Doyle 8 The Pennsylvania Fish Commission's Annual Report 9 The Angler's Notebook by Richard F. Williamson 25 Fly Tying by Chauncy K. Lively 26 Make Your Own Ice Rod by Gerald Almy 28 Ashore & Afloat by Gene Winters 30 ON THE COVERS: There is little argument about the yellow perch being just about the tastiest morsel ever to grace the dinner table and this little gamester provides plenty of action all season. Photo by Russell Gettig, Staff Photographer Back Cover: Later on, as ice becomes thicker power augers like the one being used by Dr. Dale Steventon on Bradys Lake become a welcome piece of equipment to ice fishermen all over the Commonwealth. Photo by Tom Fegely James F. Yoder. Editor POSTMASTER: All 3579 forms to be returned to the office of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, P.O. Box 1673, Harrisrmro PrniKvlvonia I7i?rt T'h• hhe e PennsylvaniPenncvlvania AnglerAn„l»r , PublicatioP.,Ki;^„ti„n„ #874880jiQ-rAQQn, Copyrighr :„ut . 19781(179, is: „publishe _..ui- 1..d Jmonthl .LI.y ,b yu. ,th ,ue_ Pennsylvani a-1 i a• Fis—h •Commissio ^ '""""urgn ,353 reimsyirania2 Walnut'street, I /liM' . narnsourg Pennsylvania. Second Class postage paid at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and at additional mailing offices' Subscription rates: Nm rnrTV?™ years-$7.50; 30 cents per single copy. Send check or money order payable to the Pennsylvania Fish Commission. Do rlt. -j j Changes of address should reach us promptly giving both old and new addresses, including both zip codes Subscriptions n d P r0CesSe b he end of the mo th wa be in ith esnon\ M , f f. > ' " ' 8 " the second month following. The Pennsylvania Fish Commission win not assume expansibility for unsolicited manuscripts photographs, or illustrations while in their possession or in transit. Communications pertaining to the" Cnfi-'-fJh0Uld ^addressed to: The Editor, Pennsylvania Angler, Pennsylvania Fish Commission, P.O. Box 1673, Harrisburg Pennsylvania unsolicited materials, manuscripts, or photos wUI not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope for their return! me. I went home, I returned 3 days later Finally, in the middle of October, Mr to pick up the minnow bucket and found Antolosky called to say that a local somebody had been stealing all of the min­ fisherman, Nick Lambert of Boalsburgi nows out of the bucket. I blew my temper, finding my boat floating on the lake, had wa/iting to shoot the thieves. I installed a taken it home and notified the Com­ padlock on the bucket—now the thieves mission of its whereabouts. Apparently stole everything, bucket and 25 minnows someone had jimmied the lock, used the all gone! I read "Keeping Minnows," by boat and then set it adrift. Kenneth Hassler in the July issue of the As for the conscientiousness of the Angler and I am thinking of keeping the State Police and the thoughtfulness of minnows in a tank in the basement of my Messrs. Antolosky and Lambert, I hope home. Which is the best tank: glass, fiber­ these facts speak for themselves. glass, polyethylene foam or galvanized — MIGHT WORK. MAYBE size 15 to 20 gallons, to keep live minnows JOHN SWINTW in all year? I think it was a mistake to put State College Couldn't sleep ... got up and decided my name and address tag on the bucket; the thieves will follow me wherever I go to catch up on my reading: the October BACALAO Angler. The "Leaky Boots" comments on fishing for the minnows! float stockings and license fee increases ALLEN SPONSLER I have been reading the Angler, but started the old gears turning. It is surpris­ Altoona might have missed this subject. I'm look­ ing how clearly one thinks at 5:00 a.m. I ing for something on salting fish like the usually am in bed at this time unless pre­ The "best" tank, Allen, is largely a matter Indians and Portuguese do so it ends up paring to go hunting or fishing (you may of personal choice and application. If like Italian Bacalao—which is codfish. reverse the order if you wish). you've got a cool spot to keep it in, you I don't want brine and smoke methods. Anyway, I have recently begun kayak­ won't need the insulating qualities of a foam It looks like salt and air cure so it is good ing and it just hit me that this might be an tank; if not, this might be a consideration. for a long time. How long in salt—per excellent way to stock certain trout Metal tanks would seem to be the pound of fish—and what kind of salt? streams. The water is usually high in strongest—should you have to move the Maybe Leaky Boots readers could help. spring and it is amazing how shallow the tank frequently—glass would undoubtedly The Morton Salt Company could not. water can be for a kayak to pass. If the be the cheapest to obtain, if you watch the trout were put in small nets and dropped classified ads for a second-hander someone GLENDON L.

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