May 1986 Vol
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Pennsylvania ANGLER The Keystone State's Official Fishing Magazine Out of almost 12,000 prosecutions effort, and some positive results are Straight for violations of the Fish and Boat beginning to show. More than 300 Code and other statutes within our sites in northwestern Pennsylvania authority, 565 cases of water pollution have been identified where oil wells, Talk and stream disturbances were pits, and pipelines have leaked oil into investigated and prosecuted. Of those the streams. Due to oil spillage, many cases, 498 were closed, and 67 are still of the once prime trout streams in the pending. The types of pollution and Allegheny National Forest are now stream disturbances involved included incapable of supporting a reproducing poisons/ pesticides, manure, food trout population, while others are products, chemicals, metals, oil and totally sterile. The industry claims that gas drilling, water systems, railroads, these spills are minute, but the boat discharges, stream channel deleterious effects on the streams are RESPONSIBILITY AND izations, stream crossings, evidence that these spills and leaks are EXPLOITING NATURAL erosion/ sedimentation, construction, quite significant. Brine is even more fertilizers, coal mining, paper deadly to the streams. RESOURCES products, petroleum products, sewers, Fortunately, this new enforcement swimming pools, truck spills, effort is getting some results and After our February comments on this pipelines, stream banks, stream filling, cleanups, either by the industry itself page related to soft coal, we had two wetlands, and siltation. or by the Coast Guard's contractors letters of protest, but we also received If we had to pick on the source of with the final bill paid by the a significant number of comments the most cases, we would have to say producer. indicating agreement with our it is the petroleum production and/ or Perhaps one of the beneficial results viewpoint. One of the comments that mishandling of petroleum products. of the current OPEC disagreements was critical of our position came from Looking back over almost 15 years and the downward plunge of oil prices someone whose ox was apparently of commenting on this page, we have will be the effect of discouraging being gored, and they asked why we referred to those activities more than irresponsible development. It is almost weren't doing something about other 10 times. The newest complaints on predictable that some automobile polluters. We thought we had clearly our part came at the same time as the manufacturers will bring back gas- explained that we were just talking most recent energy crisis and the guzzlers as they look at this very about coal in that particular item, so muddying of our waters by oil and gas short-term phenomenon in the use of we thought best to give you a little exploration and development. In finite resources. more detailed picture of the whole 1986, we had to take a stream off our Ten years ago we quoted the thing. stocking list because of posting National Academy of Science as protesting the relatively new oil and saying, "The next generation is gas law. These people have been destined to be the major participant in relatively unregulated for so long that a process whereby in a brief instant of even the current rather mild historic time the entirety of the regulations are too much for some underground resources of liquid and of them. gaseous fossil hydrocarbons will have Oil and gas development, been irreversibly consumed. Yet we particularly in the northwestern part have scarcely begun to arrange for of the state, had accelerated what is to happen when the stores of immensely, and because of the petroleum and natural gas will be problems that accompany such exhausted during the lifetimes of development, it has been necessary for persons already born." the U.S. Environmental Protection During that short period, it is not Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, the asking too much for us to demand Pennsylvania Fish Commission, and total responsibility on the part of DER to spend much time on their on- those exploiting natural resources. the-ground strike forces to clean up Their individual motivations are not what has been lumped together as necessarily evil, but added together "one large oil spill." they are not adequate for safeguarding In less than a year, the agencies the values of a democratic community. Ralph W. Abele have spent over $2 million in the Executive Director Pennsylvania Fish Commission <^^JL ad- OTUJU, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Fish Commission Marilyn A. Black, President ANG Meadville May 1986 Vol. 55 No. 5 Theodore T. Metzger, Jr., Vice President Johnstown The Hatches of May by Dave Wolf Walter F. Gibbs This month offers something very special to fly fishermen 4 Titusville Leonard A. Green A Pennsylvania Walleye Fishing Seminar by Darl Black Carlisle Pennsylvania walleye fishing experts tell their secrets of success 6 Ross J. Huhn Saltsburg Boating and the Effects of Alcohol by Larry Shaffer Calvin J. Kern Heed the warning of this insidious danger 11 Whitehall The Black Caddis Revisited by Chauncy K. Lively Joan R. Plumly Take a fresh look at a classic producer 12 Jenkintown Jerome E. Southerton County Features—Schuylkill County by Gary L. Stutter and Honesdale Northumberland County by Ronald L. Hoffman 14 J. Wayne Yorks Benton Shad-Taking Techniques by Dave Wonderlich Let this information help you bone up on the tactics to score Boating Advisory Board on shad in a variety of fishing conditions 20 David Coe Chairman "Do-Nothing" for More Crappies by Jim Gronaw State College This easy technique can help you catch more panfish 24 Clayton Buchanan, Pittsburgh Catfish by the Bushel by Gary Diamond Leroy Guccini Catching catfish isn't as easy as you might think, but if you use these Greentown ideas, you can increase your chances of hooking up with big ones .... 26 Helen B. Lange Sharpsville Edward J. Rogowski Holland Staff EDITOR/Art Michaels Straight Talk 2 GRAPHICS/Ted Walke PHOTOGRAPHER/Russ Gettig Byte2'- '^lili V Anglers Currents 28 pSflji-1'^. ' J^SJCfe, CIRCULATION/Eleanor Mutch •• «C*«-^~.; Anglers Notebook 28 STAFF ASSISTANT/Jayne Povleski Notes from the Streams 30 • • mm POSTMASTER: Send 3579 forms to Pennsyl vania Fish Commission, P.O. Box 1673, Harris- burg, PA 17105-1673. Pennsylvania Angler (ISSN003I-434X), © 1986, is published monthly. Second class postage paid at Harrisburg, PA. The Cover Subscription rates: one year. $6; three years. $ 16; single copies are 80 cents each. For subscription The front cover, photographed by Chris Dolnack, shows an angler on and changes of address, contact Angler Circula Hicks Run, Cameron County, netting a trout that took a streamer fly. tion, Pennsylvania Fish Commission, P.O. Box 1673, Harrisburg, PA 17105-1673. Address all For more details on fly fishing for trout this month, see the article that other correspondence to: The Editor, Pennsylva begins on page 4. If shad fishing interests you, the information on nia Angler. P.O. Box 1673, Harrisburg," PA 17105-1673. Editorial contributions are wel page 20 could be useful. Panfish enthusiasts will want to check out the comed, but must be accompanied by a self- angling strategy detailed in the article beginning on page 24, and addressed, stamped envelope. Submissions are handled with care, but the publisher assumes no anyone who wants to catch some nice walleye shouldn't miss the responsibility for the return or safety of submis feature on page 6. sions in its possession or in transit. The authors' views, ideas, and advice expressed in this maga zine do not necessarily reflect the opinion or offi cial position of the Pennsylvania Fish Commis sion or its staff. There is death among the waters of the trout. Not that type of death that one mourns for very long — if at all. But rather the life-and-death struggle of nature, the formation of the food chain so essential to life there. Perhaps the fly fisherman will add to the chain by killing a trout, perhaps he will not. Still, the decision of what part he plays will be his — and his alone. The coffin fly hovers overhead, dipping and diving so that it might land on the surface film of the river, to perform its last act — that of egg laying that will assure the survival of By 6 o'clock, I had caught and month to be there. I would begin a her species. Beneath the surface a released over 60 trout ranging in size typical day, fishing caddis imitations trout, born of the river, notices the from 5 inches to 18 inches. in the morning, terrestrials during the struggle, and with little hesitation Little did I realize that the best was afternoon hours, and meeting the utilizes the resource provided to him. yet to come, because around 7 the hatch in the evening. Unknown to the trout, a fisherman spinner or coffin fly started to dip and As in all fly fishing, observation is lays a long line on the water. Attached dive over the water. I took 20 more the key. A trout sipping during midday to the end of a 6x leader, a neatly tied trout from 7 to 9:30. Three were over along an overgrown bank is more drake cocks upon the moving water, 16 inches and one was over 20. But than likely taking terrestrials. A well- the trout again notices the fly, rises that is the exception, not the rule. cast and floated ant or beetle should quickly, and finds the sting of the I also recall a year in which the take him. Evening hatches should be barb. The food chain is now complete. drakes did not appear at all, or so 1 easy to identify, but don't let a larger You will find the river in May with thought.