January, 1946
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PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER OFFICIAL STATE VOL. XV-No. 1 PUBLICATION JANUARY, 1946 OFFICIAL STATE PUBLICATION ca PUBLISHED MONTHLY EDWARD MARTIN Governor by (he PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF FISH COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA COMMISSIONERS BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS Publication Office: J. Horace McFarlaiul Co., CHARLES A. FRENCH Crescent and Mulberry Streets, Harrisburg, Pa. Commissioner of Fisheries Executive and Editorial Offices: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Board of Fish Com missioners, Harrisburg, Pa. MEMBERS OF BOARD 10 cents a copy—50 cents a year CHARLES A. FRENCH, Chairman Ellwood City JOHN L. NEIGER EDITED BY— Scranton J. ALLEN BABKETT, Lecturer Pennsylvania Fish Commission JOSEPH M. CRITCHFIELD South Office Building, Harrisburg Confluence CLIFFORD J. WELSH Erie NOTE Subscriptions to the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER J. FRED McKEAN should be addressed to the Editor. Submit fee either New Kensington by check or money order payable to the Common wealth of Pennsylvania. Stamps not acceptable. MILTON L. PEEK Individuals sending cash do so at their own risk. Radnor CHARLES A. MENSCH Bellefonte PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER welcomes contribu tions and photos of catches from its readers. Proper EDGAB W. NICHOLSON credit will be given to contributors. Philadelphia 11. R. STACKHOUSE Secretary to Board All contributions returned if accompanied by first class postage. Entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office C. R. BULLER of Harrisburg, Pa., under act of March 3, 1873. Chief Fish Culturist, Bellefonte C» IMPORTANT—The Editor should be notified immediately of change in subscriber's address. Please give old and new addresses. Permission to reprint will be granted provided proper credit notice is given. PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER VOL XV—No. 1 JANUARY, 1946 COVER "MIDDAY MEDITATION" By WALTER E. BAILEY 31st prize winner in nation-wide photo • •'*•.;•*• contest conducted by SOUTH BEND BAIT COMPANY, South Bend, Indiana. Photo courtesy of South Bend—A Name Famous In Fishing. EDITORIAL In This Issue: SHOOTING STARS By SAM WEITZ 1946!—and with it the dawn of new hope, the expectation of better THE PRINCE OF ANGLERS and bigger things to come. The reunion of loved ones. The cleansing By ARTHUR M. COON of streams and waterways. The back yard house-cleaning of industry. The "cease-fire-order" to the reckless dumping of human filth into the streams of Pennsylvania—the beginning of far-flung programs LOAFING aimed at restoration and reclamation of our natural outdoor resources. By ROY C. HUNTMAN Yes—1946 really and truly ushers in the dawn of a brighter and more promising era—replacing the alarm and chaos now bundled and filed away in the history of the last hectic years. TAKE A GUN ALONG By BOHERT L. RINEARD The success and the advancement of the general best interests and welfare of all these grand things outdoors, of course, resolves into a problem which nestles right in the laps of us all. It's entirely up to NOW FOR LIVING us, you and I! * By GEORGE ROREY It must be team-work and a diligent cooperation between us all; or it will all be a disturbing dream. FLY AND BAIT CASTING The sportsmen of Pennsylvania are awake! Sportsmen of Pennsyl vania have learned and learned the hard way just what a heritage Distance Records and privilege we as free men, enjoy here in America! They are determined more now than ever before to improve and protect and SEA TROUT stand guard over these noble, yes—sacred outdoors, for which so many have died. Ry TALROTT DENMEAD There can be no room for the chiseler and cheat! The days of persistent law-breaking must be past! THE REAL VALUE OF LIVING By CHARLES H. CALLISON, Editor For America is marching home! Home to these things we love so Missouri Conservationist dearly! In complete harmony we shall approach the task of conser vation and with proper thought and planning we shall realize our goal. FOR MANY THE WAR IS NOT OVER Over a firm threshold we enter the new year—a year of promise By WILLIAM F. BLADES and HOPE! —THE PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER TACKLE TERMINOLOGY Pennsylvania Fish Commission HONOR ROLL 194 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER JANUARY had A Puj test The [in scat Bur Witl the ing real feet H *itt be < ever It Clou fron choj °ont *as Way trie! toug °Ppc the tttig} Le Dick Miller, Huntington Beach, Cal. World's record Salmon Fly-Cast 192 Ft. Photos by Sam Weitz HE Detroit Bait and Fly Casting Club made The technique displayed by Miller in the each had to be carefully studied as to size.J Tan ideal host to the visiting clubs at the 37th photograph shows clearly how his marvelous taper, etc. annual casting tournament of the National timing, combined with a terrific punch, enabled "When I finally got the outfit worked out to thej Association of Angling and Casting Clubs held him to shoot that fly for the distance of 192 feet. point that suited my technique best, I con on August 22nd—26th, 1945. It was held on the He actually had one amazing toss of 212 feet, but tinued to study the reasons for the faults as tol Scott Fountain Basin at Belle Isle, Detroit and the officials ruled it out on account of a techni why my fly did not find the target, when all the! despite the strong winds which persisted through cality ... a lost fly. Hats off to a real champion. conditions seemed perfect, back cast and powerl out the meet, was one of the finest competitive Roaming around the casting pool, I came application just right, flight of the line started! events ever sponsored by the Association. To across John S. Burdick of Muskegon, Michigan. correctly, but something unseen happened. Thej the interested gallery, it was a post-graduate He was practicing for the dry fly contest that was fly missed the target. course in the art of casting. To me, as a competi scheduled for the next day. It was a real treat to "One day while hunting I was sitting on aj tor, it was an opportunity to test my skill against watch his skillful handling of the line and the stump in a small clearing in a wooded section.^ the finest shots in the country. way he gently laid the fly in the circle. He must There was a light fluffy snow falling, apparently] The distance plug events were scheduled on be a swell fisherman on a trout stream. To the straight down, but on closer observation, II the first day of the tournament. The field was best of my knowledge he is the first man to bring noticed that while there was a constant lightj about a mile north of the pool and the courts the forces of nature to his assistance in studying breeze hitting the back of my neck, there ap-| were so laid out that the casters had the wind the action of the dry fly. In his unique "snow peared to be a shifting of the air current in frontl directly on their backs. Arriving there about fall practice" he actually casts during a snow of me, noticeable by the variable flights of thej 10:00 A.M., I ran into Dick Miller, former all- storm to study the air currents and determine snow flakes in the air currents directly ahead ofl round casting champion, who was about to their influence on the line, leader, and fly in the me. Then and there, I decided to use snow falls! compete in the J-gOz. plug distance event. Dick art of tournament casting. of this kind, as a medium to find out what unseen! consented to pose for a couple of pictures, and To quote from his experience: "When I phenomenon took place to distort the line, leader! then with the event under way, I managed to get started competitive casting in 1931, I soon be and fly in flight when all else seemed to be inj some action shots of him under fire. came interested in the dry fly event and procured order for a perfect cast. I tried this experimentl The next day however, I had the unusual good the best equipment I could get as recommended at the first opportunity and thereby found thej fortune to snap Miller in action as he was about by one of the best dry fly casters—rod, line, answer to many reasons why the apparently per to tie the world's record for the Salmon Fly leader and fly. I gave a great deal of attention fect cast missed the mark. Distance Cast. The picture which heads this to balancing this tackle by way of experimenta "I memorized some of the air current influences j article is the only one taken of this feat ... a tion. I tried different rods, their flexes, their so that when in actual tournament casting I real scoop. weights and lengths. Lines, leaders and flies could tell pretty well by the false casts what I 1946 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER had to guard against in the unseen air currents." When the announcer called upon Fujita Sr. as Among the interested listeners were Henry the next contestant, the gallery became tense Fujita Sr. and his son Henry Jr. A friendly con as he stepped on the platform. How would the test was suggested and immediately arranged. old master fare with the elements so unfavorable? The targets, which were made of rubber 30 inches There was no outward show of emotion as he "i diameter, similar to a bicycle tire, were calmly stepped into position and started to false scattered in a calm sheltered corner of the pool. cast, stripping out line in preparation for the test "Urdick elected to cast first and he set the pace at the first target.