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MAY PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER 1953

BIO STINK AT ERIE CANAL DAYS ROMANCE OF THE SHAD

RHYTHM OF THE RISE NYMPH FISHING NEW DRY FLY CAST wrty

The Pennsylvania Fish Commission

— L^oraLaltu Jsnvites Ljou ^Jo — Fisherman's Paradise - SPRING CREEK PROJECT - CENTRE COUNTY

Famous the World Over for Wonderful Trout Fishing

Season opens May 15 — Closes July 18 (Both Dates Inclusive)

AMPLE FREE PARKING SPACE. BRING THE ENTIRE FAMILY FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE OUT­ DOOR ADVENTURE!

(See Regulations on Page 23) COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER PENNSYLVANIA

HON. JOHN S. FINE GOVERNOR • PENNSYLVANIA VOL. 22, No. 15 MAY, 1953 FISH COMMISSION BERNARD S. HORNE, President PITTSBURGH PAUL F. BITTENBENDER, Vlce-Pres. WILKES-BARRE MILTON L. PEEK RADNOR WILLIAM D. BURK IN THIS ISSUE MELROSE PARK GEN. A. H. STACKPOLE DAUPHIN THE "BIG STINK" AT ERIE Bill Walsh 3 LOUIS S. WINNER LOCK HAVEN THERE'S FISH IN THE OLD CANAL AGAIN Harvey Frantz 5 PHILIP E. ANGLE SHARON MEMORIES OF CANAL DAYS Don Shiner 6 EXECUTIVE OFFICE C. A. FRENCH, Executive Director PENNSYLVANIA ROMANCE OF THE SHAD William Boyd 10 ELLWOOD CITY H. R. STACKHOUSE RHYTHM OF THE RISE Albert G. Shimmel 12 Administrative Secretary ROBERT P. DEITER Comptroller NYMPH FISHING NOTES AND NOTIONS Chauncy K. Lively 14 R. C. McCASLIN Deputy Comptroller • BEAUTIFUL PENNSYLVANIA STREAMS Center PUBLIC RELATIONS J. ALLEN BARRETT FLY TYING, PART V George Harvey 18 Director A NEW DRY FLY CAST Eugene Burns 21 FISH CULTURE C. R. BULLER 1953 FISHERMAN'S PARADISE REGULATIONS 23 Chief Fish Culturist GORDON L. TREM8LEY Chief Aquatic Biologist ARTHUR D. BRADFORD Pathologist CYRIL G. REGAN Chief Dlv. of Land and Water Acquisition GEORGE H. GORDON Official Photographer THE COVER . . . Beautiful falls on THOMAS F. O'HARA Construction Engineer Wild Creek, Carbon County, as pho­ HATCHERY SUPERINTENDENTS tographed by La Mar Mumbar. Dewey Sorenson—Bellefonte Merrill Lillie—Corry & Union City Edwin H. Hahn—Erie T. J. Dingle—Huntsdale Howard Fox—Linesville J. L. Zettle—Pleasant Mount BACK COVER—A Forrest-Cypher conserva­ George Magargel—Reynoldsdala Bernard Gill—Tionesta tion cartoon. ~ John J. Wopart—Torresdale

ENFORCEMENT W. W. BRITTON Chief Enforcement Officer DISTRICT SUPERVISORS Northwest Division CARLYLE S. SHELDON Conneautville, Pa.; Phone 3033 Southwest Division George W. Forrest, Editor 1339 East Philadelphia Street, York, Pa. MINTER C. JONES 361 W. Lincoln St., Somerset, Pa.; Phone 5324 North Central Division C. A. BIDELSPACHER 747 W. 4th St., Williamtport, Pa.; Phone 24561 The PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER is published monthly by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, South Central Division South Office Building, Harrisburg, Pa. Subscription: $1.00 per year, 10 cents per single copy. HAROLD CORBIN Send check or money order payable to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. DO NOT SEND 521 13th St., Huntingdon, Pa.; Phone 1202 STAMPS. Individuals sending cash do so at their own risk. Change of address should reach Northeast Division us promptly. Furnish both old and new addresses. Entered as Second Class matter at the C. W. SHEARER Post Office, Harrisburg, Pa., under Act of March 3, 1873. Box 3, Sweet Valley, Pa.; Phone Dallas 4S427 Neither Publisher nor Editor will assume responsibility tor unsolicited manuscripts or Southeast Division illustrations while In their possession or In transit. Permission to reprint will be given JOHN S. OGDEN provided we receive marked copies and credit is given material or illustrations. Only 242 E. College Ave., York, Pa.; Phone 7434 communications pertaining to manuscripts, material or illustrations should be addressed to the Editor at the above address. •

2. MILLIONS of gizzard shad tossed into Erie boat slips, some six inches thick on top of the water. Only the curious and the brave can take the stench.

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER I. NOR'WESTER over Lake Erie washes "dead tide" into Erie docks, lashes public steamboat landing at foot of State Street. Fishing parties take off from here for pike in summer season. the ?? BIG ST I Mi 99 at erie

by bill walsh

BIG STINK from a dead tide of decaying gizzard shad washed inshore from Lake Erie to the city of Erie in January and February 1953 gave city fathers a big headache. A pall of stench over the city from the millions of fish washed ashore prompted the city health authorities to prohibit hauling them away through city streets. Though not a food or sport fish, the gizzard shad make a nuisance of themselves and can be used only for fertilizer by farmers of the area and by an Ohio firm manufacturing dog and cat foods. High in fat content the fish spoil quickly and smell more like fish than any fish known. Reasons for the dead tide are not yet fully understood. L MAY—1953 3. 180 TONS OF BIS STINK removed via con­ veyor belt onto trucks, eventually to be processed into dog and cat foods or fertilizer on local farms. At Erie The Pennsylvania Fish Commission cooperates with park and harbor authorities supplying nets and other equipment to help clean up the nuisance.

4. HARDY GENTS operate the con­ veyor without oxygen masks. Certainly no one has envy for their task.

5. FISH RIGHT OFF ERIE STREET as workmen keep plug­ ging, getting smelly dead gizzard shad off city streets along Erie docks. City Health Department often wish these finny critters were extinct.

i£v «WF3 There's Fish in the Old Canal Again

By HARVEY R. FRANTZ

N THE afternoon of November 28, O 1952 a group of sportsmen of The Inter-Club Canal Commission, along with numerous junior sports­ men eagerly awaited a truck load of fish from the Pennsylvania Fish Com­ mission. This was the culmination of INTER-CLUB sportsmen sign for the fish. Young almost a year and a half of work— fishermen demanded to know what procedure was dirty, hard work that was accom­ followed. plished on weekends and holidays. JUNIOR ANGLERS eagerly watch "puttin' 'em The Inter-Club Canal Commission, in" process. Fish were bass, perch and suckers made up of representatives of six local consigned to the canal by the Pennsylvania Fish sportsmen's clubs, had rented a two Commission. mile portion of the old Lehigh Canal from the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company in August, 1951. After clean­ ing out the bed and cutting the brush from the banks, a crib-type dam was constructed at the lower end. Incident­ ally, it was necessary, before build­ ing the dam, to send plans and draw­ ing to the Water Resources Board of the Department of Forests and Waters for approval. Almost as much time went into ac­ cumulating materials for the dam as went into its construction. Using old railroad ties and cast-off power poles, a frame work was built. For rock ma­ terial an old stone building was com­ pletely torn down with the aid of a COMPLETED DAM showing typical canal-dam construc­ winch and some dynamite. Clay for tion. High water flowing over dam will fall on rock apron fill was obtained from excavating con­ thus preventing erosion. tractors. Although the dam was completed in September, 1952 the Inter-Club Canal Commission were under the impres­ sion that any stocking by the state couldn't take place until at least the fall of 1953. However, in October a fishery biologist of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission accompanied by the local fish warden inspected the im­ pounded portion of the canal and took water samples for analysis. Between the completion of the dam and the visit of the fishery biologist, the City of Bethlehem's new sewerage treatment plant went into operation. Sewerage that formerly found its way into the canal was now picked up by

(Turn to page 28)

MAY—1953 Memories of Canal Days

By DON SHINER

NLESS you can remember the Wright Brother's first flight, the U assassination of President McKinley or the Civil War, the Penn­ sylvania Canal probably is just something mentioned on historical markers. But from 1828 until the turn of the century when railroads came to the front, the great canal was a vital system that hummed with acivity all the way from the Great Lakes to the Chesapeake Bay. It was the only efficient artery for transporting volumes of freight between the interior and the old established coastal cities and it figured largely in the development of small towns along the Susquehanna river in Pennsylvania. In fact, the old canal even influenced the sport of fishing, and now as then, remains one of the favorite fishing spots for thousands of anglers! The canal was a huge engineering task undertaken in those early years when this state was but a youngster. Gouging the 1,200 miles of waterway from the earth and building hundreds of locks with simple tools was a feat surpassing the construction of the modern super high­ ways of today. But after years of toil by men and mules, the waterway was completed, linking the Chesapeake Bay area with all the towns par­ allel to the Susquehanna through New York state to Buffalo, Rochester S-H OWING TU£ \100 and New York City. Celebrations in all communities marked the formal MILE CANAL ROUTE opening of the canal in the memorable year of 1828 and vessels laden with great loads of freight, pulled by teams of mules, began trickling through the narrow canal, set the pattern of commercial shipping for the next 75 years. From boating molasses, flour, fish, oysters, coal, lime, lumber, bed 13/5 (Continue story on page 24—more photos on page 8 and 9)

MAP showing canal route that paral­ leled the Susquehanna River. ! ;W f H ..

MULES AND HORSE TEAMS towed the canal boats. Travel was slow and leisurely, seldom more than 25 miles covered in one day.

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER CANAL WAS DRAINED in late autumn prior to winter freeze. Here a boat train rests on dry canal bed, awaiting spring business. Note large tiller at end of boat in foreground which was used to steer, keeping boat away from bank where team was doing the pulling walking along the tow-path on bank.

OLD TIME BOATMAN, Bruce Cain of Lime Ridge, Columbia County, demonstrates how he often sounded the conch shell horn. A boatman in early youth, Cain remembers well the old Pennsylvania Canal days.

TOWNS AND VILLAGES sprang up along the canal. °me repaired and built boats for the canal traffic which dually measured 80 feet in lenqth, capable of hauling a '°0-ton cargo.

CONCH SHELLS were used by the old boat­ men as horns to signal the lock keepers. The mellow tones could be heard 3 to 4 miles away and some boatmen could actually get a fair tune out of them. LOADING CARGO at Columbia Pennsylvania. This rare old photo was taken about 1890.

LATEST MODELS of canal boats anchored at Berwick, Columbia County, shown awaiting cargo to be removed. Many of these boats were caught in the canal when the waterway was abandoned in 1904, remained deeply mired in the mud as ghostlike re­ minders of a great industry.

OLD LOCKS still remain as masterful masonry of years ago. Through crumbling from frost and weather, many of the old locks remain as monuments to a thriv­ ing transportation industry of yesteryear.

S PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER THERE'S GOOD FISHING in many localities along the old canal. An anglerette shown here is fast to a big pickerel. The canal still holds sunfish, suckers, chubs, pickerel, bass, carp, a few eels and catfish.

CANAL TODAY looks like this ln many spots, choked with weeds but open water for catfish. Many anglers periodically visit [he old waterways at evening, wishing by the light of kerosene interns. Shad gill nets at night on the Delaware, about 1900.

HREE hundred years ago shad and Tother migratory fishes annually as­ Pennsylvania cended the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers and their tributaries in such vast numbers that the shallows were beaten into foam by their struggles to reach spawning waters. romance As soon as the shad appeared on their annual journey to the spawning beds the Indians, who found them a prolific source of food, became busy. They placed large stones close together of the in the water so as to make a huge V-shaped pen. Then every redskin in the village or villages, if friendly feel­ ing prevailed, fell in line across the river, and moving slowly toward the shad open end of the driveway, yelled at the top of their voices and beat the water vigorously with brush.. Affrighted, thousands of fish swam straight into the pen built for them and, when they were well within, by william boyd escape was barred by a huge net stretched across the entrance. Thus the

10 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER Wl

fish were imprisoned to be slaughtered 1784 the Pennamites had destroyed ing was done mostly at night, com­ at leisure by their captors. their seines, and so reduced them to mencing soon after dark, and continu­ ing until dawn of the next day, when The vast abundance of fish in the the verge of starvation. rivers and streams of the colony of The bloodshed through which they the shad caught would be made into Pennsylvania excited the astonishment passed left the settlements with so as many piles as there were "rights" of early European settlers, prepared as many widows and fatherless children in the seine. they had been beforehand by tales of that special provisions of bounty had One of their number would then the multitudes of animal and fish life to be made for them. In this .situation, turn his back and another would touch in the new world. fish formed the chief item. them off saying, pointing to a pile, Eventually, the fame of the fishing, An arrangement was made among "who shall have this, and who shall especially that of shad in the Susque­ the fishermen by which one of the have this," and so on until all were hanna, reached the hardy and thrifty hauls at each fishery every year was disposed of. The happy fishermen settlers of Connecticut, and many of given to the widows and the fatherless would often go to their homes well them left their homes in that part of of the neighborhood, and to this was laden with the spoils of the night. the country, settled in the picturesque given the name of the "Widows' haul." Knitting the nets was done on rainy, Wyoming Valley from Wyoming to By common consent it was agreed that cold days and evenings. The nets were Tioga Point, now known as Athens. the widows were to have every fish of knit in sections by the shareholders, These Connecticut Yankees brought a haul made on the first Sunday after each one owning so many yards of the their nets with them and each neigh­ the shad fishing commenced. net, and each one receiving his share of the fish according to the number of borhood established a fishery for its In one of these annual hauls it is yards owned. When the sections were own accommodation. For a long time said that at a fishery known as all done, one or two of the most skillful the chief food of these hardy people the Stewart, about midway between would knit them together and hang was taken from the river. Wilkes-Barre and Plymouth, 10,000 them, putting on the corks and leads. Soon after their arrival trouble arose shad were caught and turned over to between them and the government of the fund. The early shad fisheries were not Pennsylvania over the right of posses­ Records coming down from that day common property. The owner of the sion of the Wyoming Valley. A war tell how ten men would form them­ soil was the owner of the fishery, and began that lasted 30 years, during selves into a company for the purpose no one was allowed to fish without a permit. When the owners were not using the seines they often rented them out to others and took pay in fish. Records which go back to 1787 dis­ close that one Caleb Wright purchased a half interest in a fishery between Shickshinny and Nanticoke, called the Dutch Fishery. For this share he paid $53.33. In connection with this par­ ticular case there is a note which gives an idea of the vast amount of fish that must have ascended the Susquehanna in those days, it being related that a son of Caleb Wright once received as his share of one night's fishing alone 1,900 shad. In those days a right in a fishery was worth from $10 to $20, while once in a while such a right was held at as much as $100. To the holders of these rights the returns apparently were large. One Jonathan Hunlock's half interest in the Hunlock Fishery was considered worth from $500 to $600 a year. Others ran from $300 to $400 a year, while some­ times from $30 to $40 a night was taken PHOTO BY BOB MOTTER in by fishermen. These fisheries netted some $12,000 annually. which time buildings, farm produce, of establishing a shad fishery. They Not long before the migration of and personal effects were destroyed by raised the flax, their wives would spin the shad was prevented by the dam­ fire or carried away as plunder. Every­ and make the twine, and the men ming of the Susquehanna there were one suffered. would knit the seine. With the river about 40 permanent fisheries between For much of this time the Connecti­ an average of 40 yards wide, the seine Northumberland and Towanda. would be from 60 to 80 yards long. cut settlers had to live almost alto­ At Northumberland, or just below, gether on fish caught in the river. The shad congregated mostly on was Hummel's Fishery. Between Dan­ Sometimes it was difficult to obtain shoals near the point of some island ville and Northumberland there were even these for, according to records, for spawning and there the fisheries eight fisheries. Then there was another it was a matter of bitter complaint in were generally established. Shad fish­ {Turn to page 25)

MAY—1953 11 AFTER THE HATCH The evening hatch is over and the dark Slides down a stairway of the Veery's notes. Above the hemlock's somber sol- houette An insect-hunting highthawk dives and floats. My fern lined creel contains its the rhythm brace of trout And memories that will be mine evermore My weariness approximates content, Prom wading where the waters leap and roar. It's not the trout I caught that bring me back of the rise To cast the dainty fly on shadowed pools, Or memories of the ones that got away, Because I erred in following the rules. The wild azaleas light an alter Are; The incense fallen needles of the pine, Soft melodies from organ breeze and stream With alter cloth, aneddue's lacy line. My humble thanks, Oh God of fish­ by albert g. shinimel erman Accept, and grant me now and then a day, With true companions by the waters bright Where laughter reigns and fellow­ ship holds sway. HEN the angler goes trouting, Wparticularly in mid or late sea­ son he hopes for a good hatch of in­ stream is feeding gluttonously, when sects. The belief that such a hatch was they move to the smoothest part of the an omen of a heavy creel was gathered feeding lanes and lie near the surface from the writings and practices of taking the bounty that comes their way Father Walton himself and like many with a minimum of effort leads the half truths have taken a firmer grip average angler to express his feelings on the imagination of his followers with vitriolic profanity if nothing throughout the years. The angler finds worse. An artificial no matter how the surface. At such a time the angler ideal conditions in a sparse hatch with artfully constructed or skillfully cast can scarcely miss as the fish is actually trout actively feeding in water where is simply lost in the multitude of assisting in the setting of the hook. the surface is broken enough to hide naturals that pass the trout's lie. A During the abundant hatch most the artificial nature of the lure. The poorly constructed or carelessly cast trout lie just under the surface and heavy hatch when every trout in the fly is simply ignored while the average simply tilt the body until the mouth trout continues to feed with seemingly is in position to take one or several reckless abandon. The wise old cam­ insects at a time. Whether they close paigner that would be the envy of their mouths entirely except at inter­ other anglers, stops rising or moves to vals is an unanswered question. This another feeding location. The percent­ may account for the many times age of hooked trout to the rise de­ anglers strike on the rise only to have pends to some extent on the character the fly flick against the fish for a frac­ of the rise and the lie. tion of a second without taking a firm A trout feeding on a sporadic or light hold. "For every action there is a hatch will usually lie near the bottom corresponding reaction." This law when of the pool and rise to individual in­ applied to angling might be the result sects after observing them minutely. of habit. The angler sees a rise and Such a fish will even turn and follow places his fly either just above or an insect several feet before either exactly in the center of it much as a taking or rejecting it. Once the decision marksman tries for the ten ring on a has been made to take either the target. The theory seems to be the natural or artificial the mouth closes quicker the fly is placed in position the over it firmly and the trout turns from quicker the rise. Now if the fly is so placed immediately after the rise there is a possibility that the combination disturbance caused by the rise and the

12 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER ••^•••••m

return of the fish to his position on or hundred casts during the hour and only made the cast at the approximate time near the bottom will cause the fly to four fish. It adds up to a considerable that trout was due to rise again, rather pass unnoticed. By the time the trout amount of wasted effort. than at the rings that marked the com­ is ready for another bit of food the The problem remained unsolved for pleted rise. His skill at casting was above average, his equipment of good fly in all but the stillest water has a number of years yet it was con­ quality but it was the rhythm of his floated beyond his range of vision. tinually coming up for discussion by timing that brought the strikes. Proof that an overabundant hatch a group of anglers with whom I asso­ may be a detriment rather than an aid ciate. Confident I had discovered his secret I moved downstream, to another still to his sport has been proven by almost One afternoon I chanced upon three pool to prove the truth of the rhythm every angler, if he will go back through anglers working a smooth, rather deep theory. Six casts netted four solid memories of past seasons. Two such pool, on a limestone stream. Moss and strikes and an investigating refusal. experiences will serve as examples. water weeds had almost reached the , During the next week I had two op­ surface providing excellent feeding A number of years ago on the now portunities to experiment. In both tests pockets for fish and a decided hazard famous Spring Creek, Centre County, the results were conclusive. The actual for the anglers. Overhanging willows the large Mayfly usually known as count averaged a trifle less than three and Silver Maples, drag of diverse Shad hatched in great abundance. On strikes in four casts. the second evening of the hatch three slow currents, and water too slow and Relating the theory to several other better than average anglers took posi­ deep to wade posed a complicated anglers and asking them to make tions in a rather large pool. They problem. In spite of these factors thorough tests they reported an aver­ watched the flight of shads drop from numerous rings made by feeding fish age of better than fifty per cent. The the trees and dance lower and lower kept the three anglers rooted to their best was made at Fisherman's Paradise until they began to settle on the water respective positions. I had no sooner when two friends casting alternately in the act of depositing their eggs. settled myself where I could observe during a hatch of Iron Blue Midges Few at first, then in greater abundance the trio than a fourth appeared at touched ninety-one fish in one hundred they came until the air seemed filled, the lower portion of the pool. He casts. the surface of the pool covered with moved into position and waited so them. An occasional trout slashed along long that I turned my attention to As the tests progressed certain facts the surface gathering them by the the others. Each cast was made either became evident. First; the heavier the mouthful but mostly content to lie to a rise or directly above it but the hatch the more regular the time inter­ just under the surface and feed on results were only exercise. Two were val between rises of individual fish. what the current carried to them. For apparently satisfied with the fly they Second; the variations in the time ele­ three quarters of an hour the pool were using while the third changed ment was shorter for smaller trout fairly boiled with feeding fish. The regularly. I became so interested in and greater with the larger ones. It anglers worked industriously. Then him that I almost forgot the late comer seemed after testing, one could almost almost as if by magic the hatch ceased. when a movement drew my attention. distinguish the larger trout by the Bodies of flies lay an inch or more He was fighting a fair rainbow and longer time interval. Third; while trout deep in the eddies and still waters. The it was the flash of one of its leaps that seem to be less wary in the presence water was undisturbed except for the drew my attention. Slowly he moved of large quantities of food it required ripples as the three anglers waded into a favorable position, netted the fine terminal tackle and good imitations ashore. Their lone victim, a brown of fish then gently returned it to the to bring results. Fourth; the most about a pound in weight. Four strikes, water. Moving up the pool to the next effective flies were those that floated one other fish hooked and lost was re­ rising fish he paused, squatted against low with the body supported by the ported. Yet it is safe to assume each a convenient tree and watched the water rather than riding high on its had made at least one hundred casts water through at least a half dozen hackle tips after the manner of spiders to fish actively rising and undisturbed rises. Getting to his feet he moved and variants. as trout can be when they are taking slowly into position, worked out line Give the above methods a thorough advantage of nature's bounty. smoothly and dropped the fly, a swirl trial—it may help solve the problem and he was fastened to another trout. of taking trout during the big hatches. Now a percentage of four strikes One by one he hooked and played the and one fish for three hundred casts rising trout with a regularity that be­ over rising fish does something to an spoke complete mastery of the problem. angler's ego. That he lost several almost at the The second example came from an instant of the strike, did not in the observation made at Fisherman's Para­ least detract from his skillful perform­ dise during a flight of blue gray flies ance. The other anglers moved back of the midge type. It is conceivable from the bank to observe. As he moved that some anglers were handicapped into position directly across the stream by leaders that were too heavy or flies from my spot I noticed one thing that of the wrong size and color. Choosing gave the clue to his almost perfect a convenient location I watched some results. He watched the time between twenty anglers for an hour period. rises and counted silently to establish Within casting range of the anglers the rhythm of that particular rise. At least his lips moved as if he were 4 were over a hundred rising fish yet during that hour I observed only five counting. Once the time interval was fish were taken. Three of these fell to established he moved into position and a single angler. By a very conserva­ tive estimate there were over twelve

MAY—1953 IS IMHKSEBMB

ANY volumes have been written Here a little puff of muddy water M about the romance of dry fly would appear, followed by another fishing in all its phases. Dry fly fisher­ flash down deep as the trout hurried men since the days of Halford and back to the tail of the run to resume Gordon have been thrilled to the arch­ his swirling. As I watched, the whole ing rise of the rainbow in fast water, procedure began to take the form of to the gentle dimpling of the brown, routine—and became even more per­ and to the reckless, explosive smash plexing to my uninitiated eyes. of the brookie. That the popularity of Finally, as I watched, the puzzle this sport is justifiable I can attest for began to resolve itself. The trout was I am ameng the great number of its rustling up his own meal by nosing up enthusiasts. stones at the. head of the run, dis­ Yet equally thrilling to me is the lodging nymphs—and creating the little probing of the unknown; the searching clouds of muddy water in the process. of unseen depths with a hidden fly in Then, I reasoned, he'd rush down­ iiyiaigili quest of giants of the stream that stream to his feeding position and pick singularly refuse to be lured to the up the nymphs as they drifted down surface by the dry fly. The strike is to him—just like shaking apples off often a deceptive thing, seemingly cal­ a tree. culated to catch the angler off guard, Meanwhile, the fisherman's frustra­ for the biggest trout sometimes take tion was mounting as the trout con­ the sunken fly with a gentleness that tinued to ignore his fly. He stood it as fishing is entirely out of keeping with the long as he could and finally moved on size of the fish. It induces an aurora of to try other pools upstream. The trout mystery and uncertainty, for one never was feeding as busily as ever and I knows—for a few breathless moments lost no time scrambling down the slip­ —exactly what has taken his fly. These pery bank to take up my stand by are the exciting elements in the subtle the pool. art of nymph fishing. notes In my kit were three new nymphs, Unfortunately, nymph fishing has recently acquired but as yet untried, been so closely allied with conventional and this seemed to be an opportune wet fly fishing that many fishermen time to try one. The choice of one of include a few random nymphs in their the three flies was made in the logic kits merely as "a few extra wet flies" typical of fishermen; I picked a and and they are fished accordingly—often flat, brownish one because it looked with disappointing results. While it is "buggy" to me. This was tied to my true that occasionally wet flies and leader point and cast upstream to the nymphs can be used interchangeably head of the run. It had drifted per­ with success, they are nevertheless two haps eight or ten feet when, to my distinct phases of angling and should complete amazement, the floating line be treated as such. suddenly stretched taut and I was fast notions Several years ago, on a famous Penn­ to the fish. Subsequent netting proved sylvania stream, I had an opportunity it to be a two pound brown of sixteen to watch a wet fly fisherman match inches—and chock-full of nymphs. wits with a particularly industrious This was my first experience in trout. My vantage point was under a nymph fishing and, needless to say, I tree on a high bank where I had taken was quite elated over its possibilities. refuge from a drizzling summer rain, It didn't take long to find, however, and I could see clearly the drama that the nymph wouldn't lure a two which unfolded in the pool below me. pound trout to every cast.—Far from The fisherman was casting his fly it. But I did learn, in my fumbling by (a Black Gnat wet, I believe) obliquely way, that a really good nymph, fished downstream and twitching it back in properly, will take trout from the first short jerks through the lower end of day of the season to the last. t'liaiuicv k. lively a run where a good trout was swirling Nymphs are a staple in the diet of at regular intervals. The fly was being trout in most streams and as such, they manipulated skillfully in the best tra­ comprise much of the food taken. Some ditions of orthodox wet fly style and authorities claim nymphs make up 85% I fully expected that it would only of the food eaten by trout. But what- be a matter of time until the trout e*ver the actual percentages may be, a would take it. Suddenly it occurred cursory examination into the stomachs to me that much more was taking place of your daily catch will be enough to than was apparent in casual observa­ convince you of their importance. tion, for out of the corner of my eye While there is a great variety of I saw a flash down deep as the trout nymphs in our trout streams, th« more streaked toward the head of the run. common ones are a drab, neutral color PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER Lead Wire Strips .025 Lead Wire, (usually dark), with a definitely flat body. The trout are well acquainted with these and the wise fly fisher will profit greatly by their imitation. A few years ago, in an effort to imitate this average appearance, I hit Pheasant Tail upon a happy combination of materials in the strictest sense of the word, it is Fibers(2) and a unique method of tying that fished as a nymph and thus qualifies Condor Quill resulted in a weighted, flat-bodied as such. I don't know whether the nymph that has proved more versatile trout take the wooly worm for a cased than any I have ever used. It is called caddis or perhaps a heavy dragon fly 'iiiiiiiiinmiiiimii,)^ the Condor Quill Nymph and its dress­ nymph but it has taken its share of ing is as follows: fish when conditions would seem to Hook—Size No. 12 Model Perfect— indicate only live bait. Paul Young's 3X or 4X long. strawman nymph is also an effective Underbody—Two strips of .025 lead imitation of the cased caddis. The wire cut slightly shorter than hook smaller flat-bodied nymphs are great shank. Cement one strip on either early season killers, too, if the water side of hook shank and bind with is clear enough to warrant their use. *«"** 6/0 thread. Taper wire slightly at A few weeks later, when the water '*5is*. rear of hook. has warmed up a bit and fly hatches Tail—Two fibers from ringneck are beginning to progress, the mayfly pheasant tail, tide to flare. nymph imitations such as the condor -•>'•' Abdomen—Unstripped condor quill— quill nymph really begin to come into wound closely but not overlapped. their own. By now the trout have be­ Wing Case—Section of gray goose come much more active in their feed­ quill—about 3/16" wide. (Tie in on ing and they are beginning to take top of hook shank, facing tail. Pro­ their food from the surface as well as ceed to next step.) along the stream bottom. This is the Thorax—L o o s e dubbing of dun time the dry fly fisherman has been so beaver or natural seal fur. Tie fairly full to give a slightly humped eagerly awaiting and I can be a bit Goose Quill appearance. (Tie in dubbing over sympathetic if he goes all out for the Wing Case butt of wing case, wind forward floater to the virtual exclusion of other and tie off at head. Bring free end methods. However, if he can constrain of wing case up and over thorax himself to make opportune use of the and tie off at head.) nymph as a supplement to the dry fly Hackle—Partridge or grouse—tied as he will find its use rewarding, for there are periods during even the peak of throat hackle. the dry fly season when the fish prefer Whip finish and lacquer head and the nymph to the floating dun. wing case. (Note:—if unweighted Nymphs become active directly pre­ nymph is desired, nylon shanks of similar diameter may be substi­ ceding a hatch, and the nymphs that tuted for lead strips.) are about to emerge into duns swim Nymphs are great favorites for early about nervously for a while before season fishing when the streams are making their final ascent to the surface high and the water temperatures are to become adult insects. The trout feast low. However, their effectiveness at royally on them at this time and this this time depends much on the ability is one of the best times of all to fish to get them down to the level of the the artificial nymph. Generally, the fish. The self-weighted nymph is gen­ trout turn their attention to the float­ erally not heavy enough to sink to ing dun as the hatch develops in the bottom in heavy water and the ad­ intensity, but it is interesting to note dition of lead to the leader becomes that occasionally the duns are com­ necessary. Trout are prone to lie near pletely ignored throughout the hatch the bottom of deep pools when the low and the nymphs are taken exclusively. water temperatures of the early season This condition seems to occur more prevail, and their reluctance to move often in some streams than in others, about makes it essential to bounce the but when it does happen, a well fished fly along the bottom—literally brushing nymph can be deadly. the noses of the fish. Early June offers the cream of dry The Martinez black wooly worm is fly fishing in central Pennsylvania and, an excellent early season fly when the being geared for some high powered water is high and off-color—partic­ ularly if it is fished deeply and fishing with the floaters, I was com- slowly. While this fly is not a nymph (Turn to page 26) MAY—1953 15 Third Falls on the Wapwallopen Creek.' <

Beautiful Falls on Pond Creek in Luzerne Co.

DON SHINER PHOTO beautiful PENNSYLVANIA streams

LA MAR MUMBAR PHOTO

k, I County. DON SHINER PHOTO

LA MAR MUMBAR PHOTO The famed Broadheads Creek near Canadensis, Monroe County.

Familiar waters of Big Creek, Carbon County. THE STREAMER FLIES HE feather and hair winged Fly Tying Tstreamer flies are probably the most interesting for the beginner to tie. Many patterns are quite gaudy insofar as colors are concerned and really eye­ .. . via simplified methods catching in their beauty. Practically every conceivable combination of feathers and hair has been used to construct these flies, and the beginner can experiment at will. Strange as it PART V may seem to some, it will be practically impossible to tie up any creations that will not take fish. The streamer flies are usually tied on long shank hooks. No particular size or length is standard because in different By GEORGE HARVEY localities and waters, larger or smaller flies are in order. The shorter winged Associate Professor, School of Physical Education and Athletics streamers are popular in Pennsylvania; The Pennsylvania State College but in New England the same pattern tied on the same size hooks will have wings nearly twice as long. I suppose the reason for this is because the min­ nows that supply the bulk of the food for fish in New England waters are Illustrated by James E. Cartey longer than those in Pennsylvania waters. Of course, there are many fancy and highly colored patterns that do not imitate anything and are, no doubt, taken by fish simply out of curiosity. These should really be called attractor flies. The streamer flies are by far the most versatile type of fly known today because any fish that will take any artificial lure can be caught on a streamer fly. This not only applies to fresh water fish but to all the salt water species as well. These flies are effective because of the undulating action they produce when wet. It is well for the beginner to keep this in mind because if the flyi s dressed too heavily, much action is lost WEIGHTED BODIES (35) This loss of action is especially true with the hair winged streamers.

Diagram No. 35 Many streamer flies are tied with weighted bodies. Strip lead is generally TINSEL conceded to be the best because it is START S END HERE flat and easy to work with. Any \\\\\\\\\\\T\W weighting material that is not flat makes the winding of smooth, ridgeless, tinsel bodies difficult. Lead may be purchased in sheets and cut into va­ rious widths suitable to the hook size. The lead may be wrapped compactly, or slightly spaced as in Diagram No. 35. The spacing you use depends upon the weight you desire to have in the fin­ ished fly. The lead may be wrapped on in precisely the same manner used in TIE IN TAPERED the building of bodies previously de­ END OF TINSEL (36) scribed. However, I prefer to spin on 18 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER the strip lead, hence will describe this WING method only because I feel it is the quickest and best. Grasp end of lead between thumb and finger of right hand, and hold lightly a bit farther back with left hand. Twist end in right hand one or two turns counter-clockwise around shank of hook just back of the eye. Now the lead is started. Keep feeding lead with the left hand and spinning counter-clockwise with the right-hand thumb and finger until you have the shank of the hook covered as in Dia­ gram No. 35. Do not run the lead all the way back to the bend, or up close to the eye. Secure the tying thread back of the eye, then take a few turns over the first turn of lead, back of the eye, to secure the lead and keep it from spinning when the body is wrapped over it. All bodies with the exception of tinsel bodies are tied and wrapped on in the usual manner.

Diagram No. 36 Diagram No. 36 illustrates the tech­ nique used in winding on the tinsel body. First, cut one end of tinsel to tapering point. This end is tied in at point marked "start" in diagram. This tapered end makes it much easier to start winding the tinsel smoothly. Just to convince yourself, try tying in tinsel with square end and see how it is nearly impossible to start winding tin­ sel without causing a hump. Wind tinsel clockwise and close together over the lead base up to the bend of the hook; then return, as diagrammed, to starting point and tie off in the usual manner. If the tyer is going to tie sev­ eral flies of the same pattern, it will save time if he ties all the bodies first. This is the procedure most professional tyers use. Of course, they may tie sev­ eral hundred dozen of the same pattern.

Diagram No. 37 Diagram No. 37 illustrates the method of tying on the hair wing or bucktail type streamer fly. It is rather difficult to suggest an exact length for the streamer wing because in different lo­ calities the length of wing varies. I be­ lieve the most popular length is about one and one-half times as long as the shank of the hook. Cut section of hair near roots and hold by tip ends in left hand. With right hand pull out all short hairs and fur. Now hold by butt end and pull out long hairs, and put back CUT OFF in bunch so as to keep tip ends as even STUMP as possible. If you do not have an idea of the amount of hair to use for this wing, I suggest you purchase a hair- wing streamer fly to use as a model.

MAY—1953 19 Hold hair in the same manner as was does not extend beyond the point of by pulling up. This is just the reverse illustrated for the tail, and tie in as the hook. It will probably be easier for of the procedure used to tie in the tail. illustrated. After hair is secured, cut the beginner to take the hook out of off excess on angle as (1). Hold wing the vise and turn the bottom side up Diagram No. 40 up and wind tying silk around base as before tying in the throat. It may be in (2), and continue making several tied in by the same method as the tail. The shoulder, cheek, or eye are all more turns over wing in the usual The experienced tyers never change tied on in the same manner. Select two manner. the hook, but hold the material under feathers with identical markings and as near the same size and shape as pos­ Diagram No. 38 the shank and tie it in from the bottom. sible. Strip off the fibers until the On some hair wing patterns, topping I will describe this method. First, select feathers are the desired size. Do not is used. Quite often this may be pea­ material and cut to the desired length. cut off the quill or mid-rib. Hold on cock herl or golden pheasant crest Straddle shank of hook with thumb side, and tie in by securing quill at feathers, but many others may be used, and finger of the left hand. Pick up point where fibers start with several depending entirely upon the pattern. throat material with right hand and- transfer to thumb and finger of left so turns of the tying thread. Now take Tie in as illustrated in this diagram hold of mid-rib and gently pull feather (No. 38) and cut off the excess. that the tip ends of the fibers point toward rear of hook, and stump end is in to desired position as illustrated in Diagram No. 39 at position where it should be tied in this diagram. It is a good idea to pull The throat on the streamer fly is (right below wing). Bring tying thread the shoulder feather far enough so that usually fibers from a large hackle, but down between finger and throat mate­ a few of the fibers are just under the fibers from many other feathers are rial, then up on the opposite side be­ tying thread. This will help keep the used, depending upon the pattern. The tween the thumb and throat. Squeeze shoulder from turning or twisting out of position. Follow same procedure for length of the throat varies but usually thumb and finger together and tighten the other shoulder. Cut off excess stumps and complete by winding on enough tying thread to cover all visible material, and to give a nice smooth head. Finish in usual manner, and lac­ quer head any desired color.

Diagram No. 41 The feather wing streamer is one of the most popular and one of the best "fish-takers" of all streamer flies. I be­ lieve one can more closely imitate many of the natural minnows with this type of fly because of the wide variety of feathers and numerous-colored hackles one has to choose from. In ad­ dition, the undulating action produced (41) by the saddle hackle is very lifelike STREAMER and, as a result, presents a very tempt­ ing lure for the fish.

COMBINATION BUCKTAIL a STREAMER Saddle hackle—the long, tapering, fine-quilled, or mid-ribbed hackle that hang down on the flank of a mature cock bird—are the best feathers for this type of fly. If none are available, the large neck hackles may be substituted. I would recommend, when using the neck hackle, to select necks that have slender-quilled hackles if possible. The heavy quilled hackles do not have nearly the undulating action, when fished, and are harder to work with. First build body, then select match­ ing hackles for wings. I usually use four hackles, two on each side, with the concave sides facing each other. Be sure to have ends even. Strip off excess fibers from stump end until you have the desired length. Hold in exactly the same manner as when tying in the tail. All other steps are the same as pre­ viously described. ORDER IN WHICH MATERIAL IS TIED ON (Turn to page 23)

20 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER HE Basic problem of dry fly cast­ they are washed out by the action of Ting has changed very little since this more rapid current while leaving Dame Juliana Berners wrote her "Trea- the dry fly to float independently on tyse of Fysshynge Wyth an Angle." To­ the quieter water. day, as then, the problem is to present I had the pleasure of making a rather an artificial fly to the trout so that the dramatic presentation of the Lazy S fly will float in perfect harmony with cast on the North Platte river of the current and, happily, to deceive Colorado two summers ago. The North SI HO%V the fish into thinking it is a natural. Platte is a high meadow stream and To achieve this end result, dry fly the water glided smoothly. A feeding anglers have perfected a hundred com­ trout dimpled the water under some plicated casts: right hooks, left hooks, overhanging willows almost directly slack cast, and roll casts, tower casts across the stream. After wading out, and snap casts, to say nothing of the there were still 65 feet of this mirror- reverse cast in which the angler topped water intervening. For the actually turns his back to the stream benefit of Steamer Brannan who was 9/ and his trout! with me, I first made a conventional Added to these now is a new type of cast with a slight left hook and my full dry fly cast which I worked out to palmer, Gantron-dressed light Caddis, meet the difficult problems of getting a No. 16, dry fly (tied by John Kolzer, good float in conflicting currents which Blue River, Oregon), floated high and usually exist in streams. dry over the trout. No response. As cast More than a dozen expert anglers my fly dragged out, I retrieved it as have watched me use this cast and gently as I could and, happily, the have adapted it themselves. I think fish kept dimpling the water. they are too enthusiastic when they "Gosh," said Steamer fervently, "that say it may supplant many of the old should have gotten him." complicated hook casts and upset a lot "Watch this one," I said with per­ of established dry fly procedures. How­ haps a greater show of confidence than by ever, I have found that with this cast I should have. I can ignore many of the more or less Then I put down my Lazy S cast complicated methods of casting—and dropping a dozen elongated SSSSes eugene burns take fish. For example, instead of cast­ on the swifter mid-channel between ing in the approved manner from quiet the feeding fish and me but this time, water into swifter water, this cast although my light Caddis alighted in allowed me to cast across the swift almost the same spot, it remained water and drop my fly into the com­ motionless while the SSSSes washed paratively quiet water and to get an out of my line! Actually there was no unusually good long float. Approached surface current where the fish was thus, this area is usually the "hot spot" feeding and my first dry fly had been ing the rod cross-ways more vigor­ in most streams. Besides, this cast can dragged out immediately, however im­ ously. Smaller SSSSes are usually bet­ be used with a roll cast, which I be­ perceptibly to Steamer and me but ter for quartering upstream and can be lieve can not be said of any of the certainly not to the trout. But this put in the line by driving a tighter hook casts. time the reward was not lacking. The loop and waggling the rod more gently. I have called it the Lazy S cast trout sucked under the fly and I was Better yet, with a little practice the because the line makes a series of Sssss fast to a scrappy deep 14-inch brown. angler can put the SSSSes into almost which lie, lazy-like, on the side. I repeated this cast throughout the any part of his line he chooses—near This Lazy S cast is extremely easy day many times—and Mr. Brannon was the fly, near the centre of the line or for the average fly fisherman to learn. amazed at the control I was able to near the angler, depending upon the The dry fly angler lifts his line off obtain with the Lazy S cast. Certainly swifter current. the water in the conventional manner it was much more accurate and the Suppose the angler has waded out and throws it high in the air behind effects were much better than using into swift water and 20 feet beyond him with a short but powerful back the conventional method of overcast­ this, against the bank under some wil­ cast which stops at about half past one, ing the spot, stopping the rod mid-air, lows, a large fish is feeding. Certainly and then as he drives the line forward and having the end of the line spring he doesn't want a lot of SSSSes to fall —still in the orthodox manner—he back. And more gratifying, the long on the quiet water near him. It would stops the rod at 11 o'clock and as the floats the Lazy S permitted, without merely handicap him in striking the line loops forward, he waggles the rod drag, produced trout. rising fish. The place for these SSSSes from side to side quite vigorously Once the basic rudiments of this is strictly on the swift water where while he lets the line slip forward easily-learned cast are mastered, there they wash out. To place the SSSSes through his fingers. This cross waggle are many refinements. The SSSSes can properly in this instance, the angler waits until the forward cast is almost puts a series of SSSSes into the line be made large or small, befitting the completed, then, almost belatedly, he and this waggle can be continued if water. Where the currents are highly waggles in a half dozen large SSSSes. necessary while the tapered line is still conflicting, the large SSSSes seem Properly timed, they will fall on the shooting through the guides. When better. These can be made by casting these Lazy Sssses fall on the fast water the line in a larger, slower loop, shak- (Turn to page 28)

MAY—1953 21 chase agreements employed by the Fish Resolutions affecting the Pennsylvania Fish Commission and Commission in acquiring public fishing Public Fishing in Pennsylvania which were adopted at the waters. . Annual Convention of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sports­ NE. Whereas: The present laws gov­ erning the use of motorboats in the men's Clubs in Harrisburg on Saturday, March 21, 1953. public waters of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are inadequate and in NC. Whereas: The Pennsylvania and aged persons from fishing at such some instances unenforceable, and Game Commission and the Pennsyl­ junctions which has been enjoyed at Whereas: The apparent trend is vania Fish Commissions are supported, that time of year in all past years, now toward higher powered and faster controlled and maintained from monies Therefore Be It Resolved: That the boats, and wholly from the sale of the respective PFSC recommend that said law be Whereas: The size of the water area licenses as issued by the department of amended to close said trout streams upon which the motorboats are to be revenue, and down to a point 500 feet from their operated is not considered in the pres­ Whereas: The Department of Forests junctions with rivers and creeks in the ent law, and and Waters is supported and main­ class above named, and with all Whereas: Anyone regardless of age tained from monies derived from pub­ streams and creeks or portions of such can operate any size motorboat without lic taxation, as granted by the Penn­ streams, not stocked with trout. any license or proper regulation, and sylvania State Legislature, and Whereas: The use of motorboats un­ Whereas: We feel that a consolida­ S. Resolved: That the special amend­ restrictedly can cause definite loss of tion of the three agencies, if combined ment of the fish laws passed by the fish through disregard of the operator into one commission, would eventually 1949 legislature and amendments as to speed and proximity to shore line, lose the state grant which is now sup­ thereto by the 1951 legislature be now porting the Department of Forests and changed to read as follows: All fishing Therefore Be It Resolved: That the Waters and the burden of maintenance is prohibited from March 14 to April 15, Joint State Government be requested would fall on the monies derived from in any waters stocked with trout. to formulate a new Motorboat Code in the hunting and fishing licenses, now 1. In this connection the phrase, which the above mentioned facts be Therefore Be It Resolved: That the "waters stocked with trout by the Fish given consideration and the use of PFSC be firmly opposed to any legis­ Commission" shall be defined as mean­ motorboats in the waters of the State lation in the future which might lead ing such waters as are themselves ac­ be governed to the greatest advantage to the eventual consolidation of the tually stocked with trout, and shall not to the greatest number. With due con­ above named agencies under one head. be construed to include waters to sideration to the size of the water area, 65. SE. W he r e a s : Pennsylvania which only the tributaries, feeders, the power and speed of the boat and sportsmen are adverse to any and all outlets, or inlets have been stocked. the age of the operator. efforts of any individuals to in any way 2. Not less than 30 days prior to make the game or fish funds available March 14 of each year, the Fish Com­ NE. Whereas: In Hickory Run State to the disposal of any agency other mission shall advertise, throughout at Park, Carbon County, frequented an­ than the Game or Fish Commission, least one popular newspaper, and all nually by thousands of sportsmen, and now license issuing agents in each county visitors, Mud Run, one of the finest Therefore Be It Resolved: That any affected, all such waters the Commis­ streams in Pennsylvania, and travers­ consolidation of the Game Commission sion has stocked, or intends to stock, ing this park for a distance of 2.66 and/or Fish Commission with the De­ before April 15. miles, has not been stocked with fish partment of Forests and Waters be and for four (4) years, now hereby is opposed by the Pennsylvania SW. Whereas: It is becoming more Therefore Be It Resolved: That in Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs. and more difficult for fishermen to gain the future all lakes, ponds, streams, 66. C. Whereas: The little Hoover access for boat launching on the Alle­ canals and rivers of Pennsylvania State Commission recently appointed by the gheny River due to property owners Parks, State Forests, State Game Lands, Governor has recommended that in the refusing trespass for this purpose, and and other said public lands, be stocked interest of economy, many departments, Whereas: There is a growing fisher­ under the supervision and management including the Fish and Game Commis­ man population against diminishing of the Fish Commission, with a species sion, be placed under one head. points of access for boat launching and of fish suitable to the habitat by the Whereas: The money for expenses of there is a danger of total loss of access, Pennsylvania Fish Commission. the Fish Commission and the Game now Commission are self supporting through Therefore Be It Resolved: That the C. Whereas: The increasing number their respective licenses. Fish Commission or other appropriate of fishermen and the decreasing mile­ Therefore Be It Resolved: That each agency, singly or in collaboration, shall age of trout streams has made the un­ of these departments function sepa­ cause to purchase or lease points of limited catching of these game fish very rately in order that the best interests access for the purpose of launching undesirable to the majority of trout of the sportsmen will be served. small boats in all navigable waters of fishermen. this Commonwealth, and Therefore Be It Resolved: That there NW. Whereas: The present law Be It Further Resolved: That these be a season limit on trout, said limit to closing trout streams from March 15 to points of access shall be of sufficient be fixed by the Fish Commission. April 15 prohibits sucker fishing at the area to provide for parking of motor junctions of such streams with such vehicles. SE. Resolved: That the PFSC re­ rivers and creeks as French Creek, SE. Resolved: That the State Federa­ affirm its previous action to support the Allegheny, Clarion, Shenango and tion appoint a study committee to re­ organized sportsmen of the State of Monongahela rivers, depriving children view the leases rights of ways and pur­ New Jersey in their efforts to make

82 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER striped bass a hook-and-line game fish only. Whereas: "An act relating to fish and Fisherman's Paradise Regulations amending, revising, consolidating and RULES AND REGULATIONS—SPRING CREEK PROJECT—SEASON 1953 changing the law relating to fish in the 1. OPEN SEASON—May 15th to July 18th, both dates inclusive. inland waters and the boundary lakes 2. OPEN—from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. (Eastern Standard Time) or until and boundary rivers of the Common­ Klaxon is sounded. wealth" as last amended by the act 3. ALL ANGLERS MUST PERSONALLY REGISTER BEFORE FISHING approved the 3rd day of August, 1951, AND PERSONALLY CHECK OUT AND RETURN IDENTIFICATION P. L. 1148, and BUTTON BEFORE LEAVING PROJECT. NO SUNDAY FISHING. Whereas: * This act has worked a 4. FISH IN THE POSSESSION OF ANGLER MUST BE DISPLAYED AND hardship on the warm water counties, CHECKED AT REGISTRATION BOOTH WHEN CHECKING INTO PROJECT. FISH NOT SO REGISTERED WILL BE CONSIDERED AS and HAVING BEEN CAUGHT ON THE PROJECT. Whereas: It is the desire of this or­ 5. ANGLERS MUST PARK AUTOMOBILES BEFORE CHECKING IN AND ganization to have this act amended so MUST CHECK OUT BEFORE REMOVING AUTOMOBILES FROM that "All counties that do not have ten PARKING LOT. (10) miles of trout fishing streams, 6. DAILY LIMIT—Only ONE FISH may be killed. The Angler must stop lakes or rivers, shall be open to fishing fishing after ONE FISH HAS BEEN KILLED. from March 14 to April 15. 7. Only artificial lures of hair or feather construction with barbless hooks Now Therefore Be It Resolved: That or regular hooks with the barbs removed may be used. No spinners or swivels permitted. the Legislative committee be instructed 8. Fishing with, or possession of, any live bait, angle worms, meat, liver, or to prepare a bill amending the Act of any other bait, is a violation of the rules and regulations. August 3, 1951, P. L. 1148, to the effect 9. SIZE LIMIT—All fish caught from large stream under 10 inches in length that all counties with less than ten and on ladies stream under 7 inches in length must be carefully returned miles of trout fishing on streams, lakes, to the water. or rivers be opened for fishing from 10. All anglers holding a Pennsylvania Fishing License will be permitted to March 15, at the discretion of the Fish fish five days during the season. Commission, and 11. The dressing or cleaning of fish on the property is prohibited as all fish must be weighed when checking out Be It Further Resolved: That all 12. POSITIVELY NO WADING—in the stream for any purpose permitted. trout waters closed in said counties be so posted. 13. Sinkers or lures not exceeding the weight of 2BB Shot are permitted. No casting or spinning outfits permitted. Directors. Whereas: Sportsmen in 14. Feeding fish PROHIBITED except on Sunday. Pennsylvania are losing more fishing 15. Assisting in hooking or landing fish prohibited. All foul hooked fish must water from vandalism than from new be carefully returned to the stream. pollution, and 16. Violation of the rules and regulations will be subject to a fine of Twenty Dollars ($20.00), revocation of your fishing privilege on the project for the Whereas: There seems to be no balance of the season, and revocation of your fishing license. adequate law to prevent it, now If you like this project you can help the sportsmen of the state by obeying Therefore, Be It Resolved; That the these rules and reporting any infraction to the officers. PFSC promote legislation to have the Section 251 of the Act of May 2, 1925, as amended, provides the Pennsyl­ penalty for (a) destroying property vania Fish Commission with authority to promulgate such rules and regula­ and Ob) discarding containers such as tions for the angling, catching or removal of fish in or from any waters of bottles and cans set at: this Commonwealth as may be deemed necessary. Penalty for violation— ($10.00) for each fish caught, taken or had in possession, contrary to these (1) $50 for the first offense, and Twenty Dollars ($20.00), and in addition thereto may be fined Ten Dollars (2) $50 fine and loss of fishing li­ rules and regulations. cense for at least one year for the second offense. GENERAL NC. Resolved: That we go on record bination bucktail and feather wing hackle, rarely extending beyond the to have Game Protectors and Fish streamer. I will describe the Grey point of the hook. Four strands of pea­ Wardens Salaries increased. Ghost, with red throat added. cock herl are tied in first, then white SE. Resolved: That the PFSC ap­ (1 and 2) Body is orange silk floss and yellow bucktail. (6) Throat is red point a committee of representatives ribbed with gold tinsel. (3) Wing is hackle fibers. This throat description is from all divisions to sit with the Game four slate gray or blue dun matched added for illustrative purpose only. and Fish Commissions to review and saddle hackles. (4) Topping is golden (7) Shoulder is silver or zebra pheas­ revamp the salary schedules of fish pheasant crest feathers. (5) Belly is a ant breast feathers. (8) Eye is jungle wardens and game protectors in order term I.use that is new to the fly-tying cock neck feathers. that said salaries shall be commen­ trade. I use it whenever any material This article concludes the series on surate with present cost of living and fly tying. May all who have profited by wage standards. is tied on the under side of a streamer that represents the belly of a minnow, this series spend many enjoyable hours and is approximately as long as the at the fly-tying table, and may all your wing. The term, commonly used to de­ creations when finished give you many FLY TYING-Part V tight lings. (From page 20) scribe this, "the throat," is not an ade­ Diagram No. 42 quate term because both "throat" and EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Harvey has kindly "belly" may be used on the same fly. consented to do an article on bass This diagram shows the order in cork and hair bugs for a summer issue. which materials are tied on for a com­ The throat is really a beard-type Readers will welcome this addenda. MAY—1953 23 MEMORIES OF the tall aquatic weeds. Old timers tell stormy nights, with only the light of how livestock was left to roam on the kerosene lanterns dimly lighting the CANAL DAYS farms and when the grass was cut to shore, the resounding bellow of the (From page 6) float down the canal, pigs would flock conch horn can be heard as boatmen to the banks to feast upon the sweet sound their warning to lock tenders foliage. Toward evening the farm years ago. Some say this is only the women would venture along the canal, wind whistling among the tree tops whistling and calling for the pigs to high over the waterway, but who can ticking and assorted merchandise, the return home. deny boats and boatmen are not travel­ canal became an efficient freight artery. After trudging some 25-miles during ing this same waterway on misty nights Toward the turn of the century it just as they did in days of old? slowly declined, conceding defeat to a day, evening found the boating crew the steam locomotive and the iron rails. pulling into a layover station. There All was not toil and work on the Many adventurous and romantic the mules were fed in muzzle bags and canal. There were moments of gaiety stories centered around these old water­ taken aboard for the night or placed in and merry-making plus many hours ways. Funneling the boating traffic of nearby stables. Letting the driver-boy of good fishing. Boatmen tell how those early days, the canal was the to guard the cargo, captain and bows- baited lines were trolled and husky scene of exciting activities for robust man would occasionally wander into suckers, chubs, catfish and pickerel men and wide-eyed, barefoot young­ a nearby saloon for an evening of wine were caught for breakfast or dinner. sters. Ponderous vessels, measuring 80- and song. Daybreak would find the Tales are told too, of passing through feet long, loaded with as much as 75 mules harnessed and plodding over the villages where the farmers' ducks and to 100-tons of cargo, were towed tow path, the driver-boy at side, the geese were swimming in the canal. through the canal with teams of horses steersman guiding the tiller, and the Some boatmen baited hooks with corn and mules. Two and in some cases captain full of strange oaths, out of and dangled the bait to these birds. three boats were coupled together and sorts with the slow progress through Fresh fowl was welcome on the eve­ a team of three to five .mules labored the locks. ning meal menu! strenuously pulling the heavy vessels. The canal was not of one continuous Row boats were shoved into the canal on Sunday afternoons and grand­ Though the lead boat carried some depth but a series of locks lifting or ma and grandfather, only youngsters cargo, it was fitted with a small cabin lowering the boats to various levels then, spent hours drifting on the slow which served as sleeping and eating corresponding to the height of the land. moving race perhaps planning their quarters for the crew. Here the cap­ Hundreds of locks were scattered along wedding in the local church. Moon­ tain made his quarters and did the the entire length of the canal, and light rides on the canal had a be­ cooking for the boatmen. The bowsman locking through was the term applied witching air that made youngsters very or tiller steered the vessels while a to lifting or lowering the canal boats susceptible to the whims of cupid. driver, a young lad eager for the ad­ on their uphill or downhill journey. venturous life on the canal, drove the The locks were simply stone walls on The canal offered good fishing too; team of mules over the clay packed opposite sides of the canal with gates youngsters and old timers spent after­ banks. The driving of the team is de­ at opposite ends. The vessels were noons fishing, watching the boats go scribed in an early ballad of the Erie pulled into these locks, gates and wick­ by. With grassy banks, shady willow Canal. ers closed until the water within trees and deep, inviting pools, it was raised or lowered the boats and al­ one of the favorite fishing spots in those "So haul in your tow-line lowed them to pass into another early days of yesteryear. And take in your slack, stretch of the canal. Take a reef in your breeches The approach of winter found the old As the vessels approached these And straighten your back; canal drained and boats placed in huge locks, the boatsmen would sound the Through sunshine and storm basins for the dormant months. Tons approach with a long blast on a conch Down the towpath we'll walk, of fish were gathered in the autumn shell or boat horn. Tenders would get And we'll touch up the mules as the last pools of water seeped the locks in readiness. When they kick and balk." away, but in spring, when the river People in the villages scattered along was diverted into the canal, equal The canal was hardly more than 25- the waterway remarked how pleasant, numbers of fish returned. feet wide, but this narrowness offered during the summer months to hear, This draining of the canal was men­ no hardship when boat trains going amid the starry darkness, the boatman tioned in an article published in the opposite directions met in the canal. wind his mellow horn in summons to Berwick Enterprise Newspaper issued The boatmen simply slackened the tow the drowsy tender of the lock to make December 22, 1900. lines to the heavy vessels, the lighter ready his approach. How the echo from "Perhaps for the last time the water boats passed over the lines and con­ the conch shell rolled between the hills! was let out of the canal last week. For tinued on their way. Clearly heard at distances of from all the boating that has been done Loaded heavily with coal, lime and three to four miles, the far reaching, this season it was hardly worth while lumber, the boats sank deeply into the pleading call was the signal for nearby to let it in. In fact this statement ap­ water. Eel grass was a constant hinder- youngsters to run and watch the boats plied with equal relevance to the pro­ ance to speed and taxed the endurance pass through the locks, journey on ceeding three to four years. During the of the mules. Entire crews were as­ their way. Old boatmen were masters period with the coming of the winter signed the task of keeping the weed at tooting these large sea shells and and the closing of navigation it has growth mowed. Crews of five to six some could even play a fair tune with been surmised each time that the old men stood on the edge of big mud flats them. waterway was to be abandoned. But and swung long-handled scythes from It is said today that when fisherman now it may almost be accepted as a side to side under the water, cutting visit the canal for catfish on dark, reality. All the lock tenders have been

24 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER spinners or live minnows for pickerel them, they were hauled to Boone's and bass. farm and used as fertilizer to enrich Long sections of the canal have at­ the ground. tractive pools that hold pickerel, cat­ The annual catch at the Hunlock fish, carp, sunfish, bass and eels. Fishery is said to have been more than Though known to many fishermen, 10,000. At Dutch Fishery, in one night, these sites are seldom spoken of for 3,800 shad were taken, while at the they remain as one of their secret Fish Island Fishery nearly as many shad spots where they gather afternoons to were taken once at a single haul as enjoy fishing in solitude. Indeed, many were taken at Hunlock's in a whole fishermen would rather let you smoke year. their favorite pipe than tell you of Both at Wyalusing and Standing their fishing spot in the old "ragin Stone, popular rendezvous of bass fish­ canal." ermen of this day, the annual catch Though today nothing churns the of shad was between 3,000 and 4,000. waters, the old canal is not forgotten. Apparently the fisheries down the river With the old boatmen holding annual were much more productive than those re-unions at Rolling Green Park, tales above. As the river was ascended, the and exciting moments of boatings and shad appear to have diminished in fishing in the old canal are told and numbers but to have increased in size. advised to accept, if offered, other re-told among veteran boatmen. But Opinion of many during the shad more permanent positions, and this in­ there are others too who will remember fishing days was that the great size formation together with the repeated these old water ways, perhaps not for obtained by the Susquehanna shad threatenings of discontinuance leads the boating activity, but as their secret was due to the long run up the fresh one to think that the canal is now an rendezvous for afternoons of fishing. water stream—carrying the idea of industry that is to fade in history." The railroads and highways have be­ the survival of the fittest. That they The canal business steadily declined come the life-lanes of the old canal were of great size is beyond doubt, after the upsurge of the iron rails and towns, but the canal will continue to those caught at the fisheries in North­ steam locomotive, was finally aband­ live on, if only in the hearts of fisher­ umberland and Montour Counties oned in the year 1904. Die hards and men! ranging from three to nine pounds. those who fought desperately to keep Thousands of shad weighing from 8 the shipping business alive refused to to 9 pounds were caught in Columbia take their boats to the bay. Many of County and one weighed on a wager their boats were trapped in the canal turned the scales at 13 pounds. as it dried after the last emptying of ROMANCE OF THE water. For years the boat hulls, mired The price of shad varied, according deeply in mud, remained as ghostlike SHAD to their size, from about 4 to 25 cents, reminders of a lost transportation in­ (From page 11) depending upon their scarcity or abun­ dustry. dance. In those days they would cost about as much as a pound of beef, a One cannot estimate the great part pound of tobacco, or a dozen eggs. this old waterway played in the de­ one about four miles above Blooms- velopment of this state or even its burg, others below and above the town At the time the first dam was built stimulation to the sport of fishing. of Berwick, and still another at Beach in the Susquehanna, they sold for from From the beginning of the canal days Haven. Between this place and Nanti- 10 to 12 cents, and there is a record to the present time, anglers of all ages, coke Dam there were three. Above of a man who gave 20 barrels of shad from grandfather to grandson, visited Nanticoke, others were at Fish Island, for a good Durham cow. In exchange the sluggish man-made stream. Young­ the Wilkes-Barre bridge, at Mill Creek, for maple sugar one good shad was sters played upon the grassy banks, at Monocacy Island, Wintermoot Island, worth a pound of sugar. swam in the deep pools shaded by Scovel's Island, and additional fisheries Every family along the river with overhanging willows and experienced were scattered from here to Standing any means whatever, had its half bar­ their first joy in catching colorful sun- Stone, about six miles below Towanda. rel or more of shad salted away each fish, fat suckers and pickerel. Though At the eight fisheries near Northum­ season, and some smoked shad hanging many parts of the canal are now filled berland 300 shad was a common haul, in their kitchen chimneys. The plenti- in and converted into everything from while some ran from 3,000 to 5,000. fulness and cheapness of shad benefited drive-in theaters to truck gardens, About the year 1820, the Rockefeller the entire Commonwealth. other parts are choked with weeds, Fishery, just below Danville, gave an Country folk from, a radius of 50 brush and garbage. But long sections annual yield of from 3,000 to 4,000, miles came to the Susquehanna to remain clean and offer surprisingly worth from 12% to 25 cents apiece. get their winter's supply, people jour­ good fishing! The most productive fishery was the neyed from the New York State line, Evenings in the early spring and one just above Berwick. Here thou­ from Easton, and from Philadelphia to summer the tow path and sod banks sands upon thousands of shad were get these splendid food fish. are dotted with lights from kerosene caught, and at the Tuekanow Fishery Most of these people camped on the lanterns of fishermen in quest of cat­ thousands of shad were caught day river bank, and brought with them fish, giving the appearance of a tiny and night in the early spring. whatever they had of marketable sleepy village at night. July finds other So many shad were taken at the nature in payment as well as partial anglers wading in the canal or walking Webb and Boone Fishery that when a reimbursement for the journey. From along the clay banks casting spoons, market could not be found for all of the New York State line and Easton

MAY—1953 25 was brought maple sugar and salt; along the Delaware did not care for tne little spider floated on as jauntily from Milton cider and whiskey and a shad, for it is said that while shad and as dry as ever. Cast after cast was mixture of the two which, when im­ were very numerous they were de­ met with the same indifferent response bibed even in moderate quantities, spised and rejected by the English. and finally I resorted to changing flies. produced such violent intoxication that This was not true of William Penn A size smaller, perhaps—or a size it was called "cider royal." The Quaker who, when he came to America, recog­ larger.—Or maybe a shade lighter—or City folk brought leather, iron, and nized the importance of the fisheries a shade darker. The dilemma continued commodities of a like nature. and made a stipulation with the Dela­ but nothing worked. Finally, in desper­ Sometimes residents along the Sus­ ware Indians at a council held in the ation—just before dark—I went back quehanna River took their surplus forest, which provided that he and his to the original spider and caught a catches of shad to distant markets colonists could have the right to fish gullible ten incher which I returned to without waiting for trade to come to in the Schuylkill River. the water. them. A firm at Tunkhannock did In the upper waters of the Delaware The next evening I was back again, quite an extensive business in shad, the earliest shad fisheries apparently facing the same conditions, and still sending the cured ones up the river were established around 1751, and were without a solution. For lack of any­ to New York State and down the river "day" fisheries. That is, contrary to the thing better I started off with the little as far as Baltimore. usual custom, no hauls were made at honey spider again, hoping that the This firm cured large quantities of night. When it ceased to be a fishery trout would treat it more kindly this- shad which they bought from the is not known exactly but it was still time. The first two casts were ignored fisheries in the neighborhood. They had in existence in 1815. completely but the trout soon tipped their difficulties, for salt was extremely Heavy toll was taken of shad in the their hand. The little fly had become scarce, only that available which was upper reaches of the Delaware by submerged in heavy water after a long brought in wagons from the cities in people who set fish baskets one above float and I was retrieving it hurriedly the way of trade, or by the same kind the other until it was virtually impos­ for the next cast when two good trout of vehicle from, the salt works at sible for fish to get past them, so appeared from nowhere and raced after Onondaga, N. Y. So scarce was salt that mature fish could not reach their it. I couldn't stop my backcast in time that a bushel of it would purchase spawning waters. to accommodate the fish but I managed 100 shad. to get the fly back into the water in a. But an even heavier toll was taken split second. This time I pulled the fly Aside from the people who traveled of the young shad on their way in under and began bringing it back in. to the Susquehanna River for shad, and the autumn from the upper reaches of short, fast spurts just beneath the sur­ the residents there who took them to the river to the sea. So delicate is the face. That did it! A furious fifteen inch distant places for sale, nearly every structure of the young shad that the brown nailed it before it had moved boat which plied the Susquehanna took loss of even a few scales means death. a yard, and thus began one of the down shad, paid for in leather, cider, Into the fish baskets nearly every busiest evening's fishing I have ever whisky, cider royal, salt, iron, and young shad was forced to go, and had. Until dark, almost every cast drew other material. thousands upon thousands annually a rise and invariably the trout were No deep sea fish appears to have perished there. good ones. gone up the west branch of the Sus­ It is said that as many as 50,000 What I had failed to recognize the quehanna in such quantities as they young dead shad were taken from one evening before was the fact that the did the North Branch, unless it be eels. fish basket at a time, and it is esti­ trout, even though they appeared to be There has come down from colonial mated that as many more died of in­ rising to the duns, were interested only times a record of Indians, returning juries suffered while jammed in the in the nymphs. The nymphs of these from a treaty at Philadelphia, who baskets. little mayflies are very fast swimmers landed their canoes and borrowed from and this accounted for the frenzied a farmer's wife a big kettle to cook jumping of the trout. I would be the their dinner. They built a fire under last to recommend the use of the dry the kettle, put in shad just as they NYMPH NOTES fly fished wet for nymphing trout, but were taken from the river, and cooked AND NOTIONS I can only say that in this instance it it with beans, cabbage, potatoes, and worked. A conventional nymph or wet onions. (From page 15) fly might have been even better but I The owners of fish houses had ar­ suppose that the little spider, with its rangements so that when they ran out hackles folded back along the body, of salt they could dry and smoke the pletely unprepared for a little surprise resembled the nymph closely enough to shad, much as herring and salmon are the trout had in store for me one be effective. Besides, the fast retrieve now smoked and dried. evening. I was stationed near the head made it impossible for the trout to get After the Susquehanna ceased to be of a large pool when a sizeable hatch a close look at the fly. a spawning place for shad, the Dela­ of tiny cream colored mayflies began There are several varied techniques ware River became probably the best to come off the water. Trout were be­ for fishing nymphs and they all share shad river on the Atlantic Coast. The ginning to show all over the pool— original Dutch and German settlers not in the usual swirling rises but in success when applied to conditions along the Delaware either did not clean, porpoise-like jumps that carried favorable for their use. Probably the know, or did not make use of the them completely out of the water. Con­ most widely used method is the up­ seine for fish catching until long after fident that a size No. 18 honey spider stream, natural drift cast. This closely the Connecticut colonists settled in the would match the hatch, I made my first resembles the conventional upstream Wyoming Valley. cast to the nearest rising fish. A slow, dry-fly cast and is particularly effective It is possible, too, the English settlers lazy swirl appeared under the fly but in big water and in large, deep pools.

26 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER The line should be well greased to float and the leader should be as long and as fine as possible to allow the nymph to tumble freely in the current. Drag should be avoided in the first part of the drift but it can be utilized to advantage when the fly begins to swing below the angler. When the deeply drifting nymph pulls taut against the line it swings toward the surface in an arc that emulates the ascent of the natural when it emerges into the dun stage. This is often a critical point; trout sometimes follow the nymph as it drifts freely and take it when it makes its upward swing. Often the take will be delayed until the nymph reaches the surface—to the everlasting satisfaction of the angler who likes to see the fish strike. One of the fondest pictures to come to my mind is of a heavy, brashly colored, nineteen inch rainbow that rolled to the surface and took my condor quill nymph as it drifted over a sunken boulder. The deep, freely drifting nymph is "I know you like your coffee strong so I put very effective when the fish are lying some lye in it." on the bottom during periods of sur­ face inactivity. Particular attention should be paid to underwater ledges, pockets or cover the angler wishes to of the weed beds. We use twelve to boulders, undercut banks, and other guide it. fourteen foot leaders for this fishing places of obvious cover for it is here Pockets in broken water are often because the water is deep and the that the larger trout will be found. very productive in nymph fishing and nymph must literally "crawl" through This can be very exciting, albeit subtle they should be given special attention. the outer fringes of weeds. business. The trout take the nymph In pocket fishing a short line is gen­ As is inevitable in such rich waters, confidently as it drifts to them and erally used and the nymph should the limestone streams occasionally pro­ they seldom have to move more than drift deeply, allowing the current to duce trout that far exced the average a few inches to take the lure if it is eddy it around in the little whirlpools trout in length and weight. These travelling at proper depth. This makes that are created behind rocks. legendary giants are seldom seen; even it necessary for the angler to rely on In Pennsylvania we are blessed with more rarely are they hooked and his sense of sight for he will rarely some exceptional limestone streams— landed. But they are there, and once in feel the fish take as in downstream, streams which in physical make-up are a while a luckly angler turns up with taut line fishing. This is where the im­ counterparts of the celebrated chalk one. portance of the floating line enters in. streams of the British Isles. These No discussion of nymph fishing If the end of the line stops, twitches, streams are almost unbelievably rich should overlook midge nymphs for, or moves against the current it should in insect life and the trout that they much as midges are cursed, the little be treated as a take. There is no need harbor certainly bespeak high living. beasts are here to stay. The occurrence to strike hard; a smooth tightening of These fish are epicures, carefully of midges seems to be sporadic over the the line will hook the fish without choosing their fare and growing fat summer but it is usually late in the danger of leader breakage. from the vast cuisine the limestone season when the trout really take a streams offer. Slower, more placid sec­ fancy to them. Many an otherwise ra­ Upstream nymph fishing is not tions of these streams are almost in­ tional fisherman has torn his hair out always feasible in small, shallow variably bordered by lush beds of watching trout dine on these "unsee- streams and the downstream cast often watercress or other aquatic vegetation, ables," yet midge nymphs are often becomes the better method because the and in this vegetation live the scuds— great medicine for these difficult trout, angler has better control over his fly. known locally as "cress bugs." These providing the artificial is small enough This is particularly true on narrow, are little crustaceans—almost nymph­ brush lined pools where casting space like in appearance—that abound by the is limited to the head and tail of the thousands in the water weeds and they IF YOU WOULD pool. Here the nymph can be cast furnish a choice and ever-abundant CATCH MORE downstream on a slack line from the food for the trout. TROUT — head of the pool, allowing it to drift These limestone waters are fruitful naturally with the current until the hunting grounds for the nymph fisher­ desired drift is completed. Then a man and many beautiful trout have shuttling retrieve will bring the nymph been taken by fishing the condor quill KILL LESS! back—swimming it through whatever nymph very slowly along the edges

MAY—1953 87 and is served up the way the fish the swifter current it falls into a series necessary to move the hook a quarter want it. of SSSSes and beyond that the dry of an inch to set it. It helps, of course, My favorite midge nymph is nothing fly floats undisturbed for an appreci­ to keep the point of the hook needle­ more than a short body of black tying able length of time. point sharp, as it should be. By using silk on an extra short No. 18 hook In employing the Lazy S cast up­ the same power utilized in striking with a sparse fringe of black ostrich stream where most dry fly anglers with the conventional cast, the angler herl as hackle. The short shanked hook think they are getting a good float will set his hook softer and therefore permits a very small fly to be tied on with conventional casts, the fisherman he can usually step down to a finer a hook of obviously greater hooking will be amazed how effective this cast tapered leader tippet which is less vis­ qualities. can be here, too. By throwing in some ible and which will deceive more of the bigger trout. And that, to be sure, Midging trout often hang just under small elongated SSSSes, he will see is the ambition of all trout anglers. the surface in flat water and this makes that his fly will tend to float more it necessary to grease all except the slowly and independently as the lower The second seeming handicap is that last few inches of leader so that the SSSSes near him straighten out first. the strike is slower in travelling from fly drifts only slightly under the sur­ Also, it is quite possible to employ angler to hook through the longer line face. Cast across stream or quartering this cast with a roll cast to get the and the SSSSes. For large fish, again, downstream to rising fish and don't fly under overhanging brush or when this is a decided benefit. They are de­ strike too quickly. Trout take these a cliff or brush in the background do liberate and most anglers, including flies with a slow, lazy movement and not permit a back cast. Then, as the myself, have the bad habit of taking an over-anxious strike will take the roll is committed in the conventional the fly away from their big fish. This fly away from the fish. manner, waggle the rod as the line cast therefore forces a certain amount of slowing down upon the angler. One of the best ways I know to brush slips through your fingers and the up on nymphing technique is to get SSSSes, again, will form in the line. All of which goes far in taking the an occasional workout on a good pan- Frankly, there are two drawbacks to trophy fish! fish pond. Panfish love nymphs and the Lazy S cast—both of these, how­ they'll do a lot toward sharpening your ever, can become assets if they are reflexes for that next session with the recognized and properly evaluated: trout. Just remember to keep that line The Lazy S cast adds a great deal of FISH IN THE OLD floating and use a long, fine leader. slack to the line because of the SSSSes CANAL AGAIN Nymph fishing is not the panacea and because the angler will find him­ (From page 5) for all angling ills, to be used as a sure­ self fishing farther off than with his fire method when everything else fails. conventional cast. Fortunately, in Much of the charm of fly fishing would striking the fish the impulse will travel be lost if it were. It is, however, a through the slack SSSSes if the line the new plant. The local health officer form of angling practiced very success­ is floating properly—thanks to surface meanwhile had taken care of the ad­ fully by those who use it judiciously, tension. It will soon become second joining cesspool drainage that had but grossly neglected by the average nature to the fisherman to judge the been emptying into the canal. fisherman. It is no more complicated or amount of slack, and strike accord­ By this time the ever-present boys difficult to master than the other forms ingly, remembering that it is only were fishing in the canal for whatever of fly fishing; fish the nymph confi­ would bite. During the warmer days dently where there are trout and you they were "accidentally" falling in, un­ will take fish. dressed, and swimming. Signs posted by the Inter-Club Canal Commission prohibiting swimming until okayed by the health authorities were used to hang clothes on. According to a local NEW DRY FLY newspaper columnist the canal looked CAST like the good old days when it was a main artery of transportation as well (From page 21) as a recreational spot for the local people. Then came the notice from the Fish swift water near the angler while the Commission stating they would stock rest of the line closer to the fly will the two mile portion of the canal be­ remain much straighter, while the fly longing to the Inter-Club Canal Com­ floats naturally. When the situation is mission on November 28, 1952. By reversed—with the quiet water near evening, it was the main topic of con­ the fisherman and the swifter water versation in the participating sports­ near to where the big fish is feeding men's clubs as well as throughout the —then the angler waggles his rod just Borough of Freemansburg. as the line is looping overhead, and as the line completes its forward ac­ The Fish Commission stocked a total tion, he follows through with the of 4,860 fish in five different locations normal cast. What happens? The line along the rented portion of the canal. near the angler falls almost straight "Had tough luck with your rod, There were 500 yellow perch, 3,000 into the quiet water; farther out on Joe . . . Lost a nice one." suckers and 1,360 black bass. A caval-

28 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER cade of cars containing sportsmen, the adult emerges to use the empty junior sportsmen and townspeople fol­ case as a support until it is ready to CLUB NOTES lowed the fish truck in its stops along fly. These characteristic struggles make Ralph Berry, secretary, Dormont-Mt. the canal. The event was also covered it very easy prey for trout and other Lebanon Sportsmen's Club, reports club by the local papers resulting in com­ fishes. membership may hit 500 any day now. mendable publicity for the Fish Com­ The American dressing of the fly, on It's an indication the club is on the mission as well as the Inter-Club fine wire hooks, preferably the short ball providing a well rounded activity Commission. shanked spider type, is tied with the schedule and seasonable entertainment. The Inter-Club Canal Commission wings pointed forward at an angle of was greatly pleased with the splendid 45 degrees. They are made from the tip cooperation of the Pennsylvania Fish of a well marked flank feather of teal. Commission and they feel their time Divide them with tying silk and fan Miss Clara E. Franz, secretary of the and effort in rehabilitating the old them into a half circle. The upper third West Chester Fish and Game Associa­ canal has been well rewarded. Two of the body is tied of peacock herl tion, gives the following list of new similar sportsmen's organizations along and helps brace the wings in their for­ officials elected for 1953: Stephen the canal above Bethlehem have since ward position. This represents the dark Sheller, president; Elwood Tucker, requested permission from the Lehigh thorax of the natural. The lower two- vice-president; Clara E. Franz, secre­ Coal and Navigation Company to do thirds is of light red silk that darkens tary; Lee Tyson, treasurer. Miss Franz likewise with other portions of the to a blood color when wet. The body is in a postscript says she enjoys the canal. It appears now that within a few longer than normal, covering about half PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER with photos of years many miles of the Old Canal will the bend of the hook and adding to the waterfalls and streams very pleasing. be reclaimed to serve as neighborhood resemblance to the natural. The hackle Her hobby is photography, waterfall recreational areas for thousands of is red-brown in color and as small as photos among the favorites. Takes the people of the Lehigh Valley. practical. About three turns is sufficient editor to task for not including sites and care should be taken to see that and locations of those appearing in the not a single fiber extends backward ANGLER. Says it's frustratin' to want to from the natural position but rather get a shot of the same falls in color but forward to help brace the wings. know not where it is! We promise to In fishing this fly the wings and give locations in the future, honest! hackle are waterproofed to float, while the body is dampened and encouraged to break through the surface. This posi­ tion represents the hatching midge in President George Hafer, Daniel Boone its most helpless plight. Trout take it Rod and Gun Club, is urging members softly, with a minimum of disturbances. to cooperate in a planting program for That they are completely fooled is the farmer, furnishing cover for game, shown by the fact that many of the preventing erosion. We feel this is real The Fly Book flies are taken so deeply that it is diffi­ conservation effort, commend Mr. cult to release the fish even though the Hafer, hoping he includes that land By A. G. Shimmel hook is barbless. which lies along the stream. Fish also The TEAL and RED is equally at need cover and shade! Teal and Red home on either freestone or limestone streams and among all species of trout, Among the patterns imported into but it is probably at its best in late this country from the British Isles was season on the cool shaded mountain one that had its beginning in an ortho­ streams. Here it bobs along its wings dox manner as a large brilliant attrac- showing as tiny gray specks among the tor of sea trout and salmon. This ex­ bubbles and foam flecks of the crystal cellent example of the tyer's art be­ water. Blase indeed is the trout that came one of a group of specialized will pass up such a delicacy. hybrids used as reasonably exact imi­ tations. This was so far from its crea­ tor's original conception as to appear fantastic. The American TEAL and RED is tied on No. 18 or 20 dry fly hooks to imi­ IF YOU WOULD tate the pupa of the midge Chironomus. Its larva live in tubes at the bottom of CATCH MORE pools and backwaters of the cooler TROUT streams. They are commonly known as blood worms. When ready to hatch they leave their slime tubes and float to the surface where the enlarged dark thorax is supported by its inclosed air "Anyone bubble and its silvery air tubes. It KILL LESS! lashes its body in a perfect fenzy of for motion until the pupa case splits and seconds?"

MAY—1953 29 • ..

^Jhe C^dlLor 5 Ornate

would have a tasty morsel for breakfast. W. E. McClennen, 620 Rutledge Ave., TALL STORY CONTEST Being softhearted, I reached out and Folsom, Delaware County, Fa., took third lifted the bee into the boat. The sun prize with this, "Truth Stretcher." At Philadelphia Hatches came out, and in a short time with it's "It was a beautiful, quiet, early morning wings dry the bee was able to fly again. on the lake. The boat drifted slowly along, Some "Whoppers" I resumed casting, and the bee watched until reaching a spot that looked like it. my every move. It soon got on to what I quietly dropped anchor, and prepared I was doing, went off on a scouting trip. for a few casts. Was wearing a fairly broad Upon returning it started buzzing around brimmed hat, on the band of which I had excitedly. My attention thus attracted, it attached a plug. In some unaccountable made a bee line toward the shore. I took manner the hat became dislodged from my The "Tall Story Contest," conducted and head, and fell into the water, upside down. sponsored by the Employes' Hunting and this "B" line and wound it on my reel. 1 made a beautiful long cast to the spot It moved out of reach, and almost immedi­ Fishing Club of P. T. C. (Philadelphia the bee was hovering over, the fly gently ately started for the shore line. As it Transportation Company), at their booth, landing alongside a submerged log. Then moved along, it's momentum increased. By at the Philadelphia Motor Boat and Sports- it happened. Wham!! A huge bronze-back the time I straightened out, anchor up, and mens Show. March 6th to 14th, produced leaped clear out of the water as I set the oars in position, it had reached the shore some real corkers. The really true stories, hook. What a strike! After a terrific battle, line, and started down parallel with the as usual, hardest to believe. I landed this big bass, and in a big fish shore. contest conducted every year by a National I started in pursuit. By this time the hat There were two sections, the "Tallest Sports Magazine it captured first prize. was making quite good time. I watched it, Hunting Story," and the "Tallest Fishing I used this line to win many casting and shortly it lapped itself directly over Story," with three prizes in each section. a limb of a tree which was sticking out, First prize in the fishing section went to, contests, and set new records. just above the water line. "Truth Stretcher," Samuel Weitz, 517 Spruce The National Association of Casting The limb started to move back and forth, St., Phila., Pa. Clubs were so impressed when they saw the tree began to sway, and by the time this line in action, they voted to adopt the Sams' "Whopper," went like this: I reached it, the hat was full of chestnuts, "B" line as official in all their registered and hanging on the plug was a six pound contests in the fishermen's distance event, The "B" Line big mouth." "Of course, many people will "Some Line!" not believe this story," says Mr. McClennen. Opening day of bass season. These magic Judges for the contest were, Charlie words sent me on a fishing trip I will Bruce A. Smith, 65 Hilltop Drive, Trum­ Vaughan, writer of the "OUTDOORS" col­ never forget as long as I live. It was a bull, Conn., entered this "CUTIE," and was umn in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ed gloomy day, and the early hours were awarded second prize, by the judges. Harvey, popular M C of the "HERE'S unproductive. My casts lacked distance, "Back home in Texas, I was fishing for HARVEY," the "HI' NEIGHBORS" pro­ and the fish were not biting. catfish. I caught one that took two days grams heard over radio station WCAU and for the water to fill back the hole. No one Quentin Fehr, associate editor of "The Just ahead of the boat, I noticed a bee believed me, so I took a picture of it, and Pennsy," Pennsylvania Railroad magazine. struggling in the water. If it didn't get the picture weighed one hundred pounds." Besides conducting the Tall Story Con­ help soon, it would drown or some fish test at their booth, the Club had two petitions, which the visitors to the Show were asked to sign. One petition was to, "Make Striped Bass a Hook and Line Fish," and the second petition, "To Build a Fish- way Over or Around the Fairmount Dam in the Schuylkill River," There were over five-thousand signatures on each of the petitions. In its booth, the Club displayed an enlargement of its Resolution to have a Fishway Built Over the Fairmount Dam," and also a sketch of the Schuylkill River, from its mouth to just above the Flat Rock Dam, with actual photos of both dams placed opposite the dam areas. The object of the Club is to make the entire Schuylkill Basin a recreational para­ dise, now that the river is much cleaner. In the very near future it will be capable of sustaining more fish, and a larger variety of fish; because migratory fish, such as herring, striped bass, and sturgeon have been taken in the Delaware, above and below the mouth of the Schuylkill. Herring were seen in the Schuylkill below the Fairmount Dam in the Spring of 1952, and a sturgeon was taken at the confluence of the Schuylkill and the Delaware at the s?me time. There is a chance some of these fish would have ascended the dam, and gone on up the Schuylkill as far as the Flat Rock Dam. Members of the Club, along with the men of the Aquarium are keeping a watch on the waters below the dam now, and will record any new specie that may appear. Joe Friel, of the Aquar­ ium who nets fish at the foot of the dam to put on display in Aquarium reports he Left to right: Bob Martoaz, age 14, 628 N. 35th St., Camden, N. J., 1st prize—Hunt­ has netted gold fish, large carp, catfish, ing: Jack G. Heron, 516 Jansen St., Essington, Pa., 2nd prize—'Hunting; Jim McCormick, suckers, eels, calico, crappie, largemouth, 213 W. Baltimore Ave., Clifton Heights, Pa., 3rd prize—Hunting; Merviile Robert E'We, and smallmouth bass, including a large- President of the PTC Hunting and Fishing Club; W. E. McClennen, 620 Rutledge Ave., Folsom, Pa., 3rd prize—Fishing; Samuel Weitz, 517 Spruce St., Phila., Pa., first prize- mouth 18 inches long, weighed 5V2 pounds Fishing. Bruce A. Smith, second prize winner in the Fishing division of the tall story when netted, which can now be seen in contest, is from Trumbull, Conn, and could not attend the awarding of prizes. the tank there. 30 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER %i

To the Memory of Izftsk Walton. Born at Stafford Auo ix^mdxcm. Died Dec xv">mdclx*xiit. Buried in Winchester Cathedral, Author of "The Compleat An0ler."alsoof tbeTJws'of DrDorme, Rii Large trout have also been netted in the i Iwrwerv Law West sid- and between t6jJ2and f6f4 fast water at the foot of the falls. The land on both sides of the river below the * t- HI* tvvrseerof the Poor.a $\d< smart.anda Vestryman

Dear Editor: Please find enclosed two dollars to renew with sinker attached was wrapped Dear Sir: subscription to THE PENNSYLVANIA ANGLEH around her legs. After taking the line If you and other fisherman want good for two years. It's the most interesting fishing try the North Fork Paradise at magazine I have ever read. Thanks again from her leg they cut the line off at Brockway, Pa. A number of years ago the for printing a fishing book so a "Dumb her bill. They then placed her on the Sportsman Club of Brockway decided to Woman Fisherman" can understand all of shore. commence a fishing project on the North it. Hoping to get some real good fish from Fork, a few miles outside Brockway with Lake Mashanon next season. Next morning same men returned to the cooperation of farmers, the W. P. A., JANE KETZEL fish at the same spot and found the and The Pennsylvania Fish Commission. Homestead, Pa. Under the supervision of Robert Hender­ duck had died. Special Fish Warden son of the Brockway club plus advice and Russell Heycock of Lemoyne was told recommendations of the Fish Commission, the story. He opened the duck to see the stream was cleared of debris and a number of dams built. Old logs were left what he might find. He returned the in the stream as hiding places for fish. hook but the fish had been digested. Regulations were set up and the Fish Com­ mission furnished fish for about eight It will perhaps always be a mystery as miles of the stream that borders the to what the duck had eaten with the Paradise. Artificial lures are only legal hook. bait permitted and signs tell fishermen the rules, the balance of the stream is open One might guess that some fisher­ for live bait Ashing. man's line had gotten fast on the bot­ This year the newly organized Brookville Sportsman's Club has united with the tom and was torn off. Later a fish was Brockway club in the stocking program. caught and the duck, of the diving The North Fork is about 20 miles in length, winds through woodlands and farms, be­ species subsisting mainly on fish, ginning near the game school ending at found the chub or other fish on the Brookville, the town's water supply. Today thousands of anglers from all parts of the line, ate the fish and swam away. Later state enjoy the project that took so much she became entangled in the line which hard work to become a reality. prevented her from feeding in the nor­ RAYMOND FELDMAN mal manner. It is believed the duck, Brockway, Pa. Adrian Meyers, Idaville and H. N. Heffel- because of this impediment, simply bower, Lemoyne showing carcass of red breasted merganser that died from odd starved to death. accident. Dear Sir: Enclosed please find one dollar for the On February 22, 1953, Adrian and next 12 issues of the best sports magazine in print. Elton Meyers, Idaville, Pa., and H. N. I would like to know what is in the Heffelbower, Lemoyne, Pa., were fish­ bucket into which they are dumping trout, ing for suckers in the Conodoguinet inside front cover, March 1953 issue of the ANGLER. Looks like milk or a soda solution Creek a short distance below the mouth and there's a deposit of same on the cuff of Silver Spring Creek. A female red- of the pants of man on right. breasted Merganser duck, in distress, WILLIAM FEDDOCK Forest City, Pa. was noted by these men. Her condition was such that she drifted with the cur­ That IS water in the bucket, Mr. Fed- rent aimlessly. dock, topped by a foam that is whipped up by constant streams of water pumped Combined group of Brockway and Brook- Getting her to shore they found part through the tanks. The deposit on the cuff ville Sportsmen's Clubs with Pennsylvania of a fishing line protruding from her is snow and ice. It was a snowy day and Fish Warden Dead Davis (second from right) cold when photo was taken. as they completed the stocking of the North mouth, the other portion of the line Fork Paradise.

MAY—1953 31 Dear Editor: Enclosed you will And a short poem writ­ ten by yours truly to express the thoughts of the anglers in our club. I thought you would print it in THE PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER. The club is a fishing club which spon­ sors a trout contest for the local gang. En­ trance fee is one dollar and ten prizes are given at end of season for largest trout. Every year we have at least one entry of over 20 inches. Most of the gang are sub­ scribers to the ANGLER so we hope to see the poem in print. EDWARD I. SOUTHAM Hazleton, Pa.

THE DIAMOND ANGLERS THOUGHTS Harvey O. Wren, member and reporter for the Have you ever passed a quiet stream Southern Clinton County Forest, Fish and Game As­ Or else a babbling brook sociation, sends in this photo of Big Fishing Creek And wished you had inside your car A fly rod and a hook? near Loganton, Pa., during a late fall freshet. The stream, 16 miles of trout water, extends the full length Have you ever stopped to cast a glance of Sugar Valley, flows through Nittany Valley to Upon some shimmering stream And see an angler cast a fly finally enter the Susquehanna. For trout or colorful bream? Have you ever waded streams so clear spring dinner of the Delaware County It urged planting willow shoots along In quest of elusive trout Always mindful of the strike Chapter, IWLA, at Media. P. G. Piatt, the stream by simply shoving a cut and That means a lively bout? president of the Chapter, was toast- trimmed branch into moist ground in master. an open place exposed to sun, yet in a Have you ever watched a rainbow trout As he rises to the fly * * * spot where the shoot would not be With arching back and flns ablaze Special Fish Warden Nick Ratamess, trampled. And battle in his eye? Berwick, reported catching a small alli­ Have you ever watched the hemlocks green gator while fishing the upper Delaware As they swayed with every breeze Or have you stood among the ferns River. He offered a photo as proof of That brushed your very knees? the catch. Dear Sir: til Received my first issue of THE PENNSYL­ Have you ever thought deep inside yourself VANIA ANGLER and it's the best, Just like Why some men cannot see The Spring Creek project, Fisher­ being away from home and meeting a Why men like us enjoy this sport man's Paradise, was scheduled to open hometowner. I enclose a picture I think And live in harmony? some of your readers who fish in North on May 10, 1938. Park Lake would be interested in. The It's men like us who love to fish * » * photo is of my father, Howard C. Ebner And who are sportsmen to the hub with a 12-lb., 33y2-inch carp he caught last That we want in this group of ours "Do sucker fishermen travel far to July at the spillway of the North Park The Diamond Anglers Club. Lake. The fish is said to be the largest reach good fishing waters?" the 1938 ever taken at the lake and was caught on —Edward I. Southam ANGLER asked. E. L. Frampton and a nightcrawler while fishing for bass with E. P. Updegraff, member of the Wil- a spinning outfit using a 4 lb. test line. Dear Editor: ... No great feat but a lot of fun. The kinsburg Sportsmen's Club, reported lake contains lots of bass that run from I am sorry to report you have copied my 9 to 22 inches. carp bait recipe incorrectly. Here is the they had been out on 14 different occa­ correct recipe: sions in quest of suckers prior to the HARRY P. EBNER "This carp and catfish bait needs no Homestead, Pa. cooking, is effective for both. Use whole latter part of March. On these trips wheat bread. I use 2 or 3 slices, moisten they traveled a total distance of 1,880 with pancake syrup and a little water to miles by auto. They reported also, nice make a soft dough, then add flour until you have a stiff dough that will stay on catches. the hook. The rest of your printed recipe is all right." 10 YEARS AGO MRS. AMY EDMONDS C. Leroy Wanner of Reading caught Pittsburgh, Pa. a 30 lb. snapping turtle while fishing a Mrs. Edmonds' original recipe we gummed up was first printed on page 29 of the pond for yellow perch. The line was March issue. Please forgive us, madam. 6 lb. nylon and a small claw type hook. It took over 45 minutes to work the big snapper into the boat. He was grabbed by the tail and swung aboard. In the According to Mr. Wanner, then the fun began. Wearing only sneakers the an­ gler did some adagio dancing to keep PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER away from the powerful jaws of the reptile. * * * ANGLER friends were sending PENN­ 15 YEARS AGO SYLVANIA ANGLER subscriptions to mem­ Fish Commissioner Milton L. Peek bers of the armed forces. and Col. Nicholas Biddle, president of * * * the Pennsylvania Game Commission, The 1943 May issue of the ANGLER were principal speakers at the annual stated open trout streams need willows. x> PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER Ir

^M*ass the Worms Pappy!*3

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