WATERSNAKE WITH TROUT MAY , 1941 TEN CENTS V^ A ^V OFFICIAL STATE VOL. 10—No. 5 PUBLICATION ^ANGLER? MAY, 1941 PUBLISHED MONTHLY ARTHUR H. JAMES GOVERNOR by the COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS Publication Office: Telegraph Press, Cameron & Kelker Streets, Harrisburg, Pa. Executive and Editorial Offices: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Board of Fish Commis­ sioners, Harrisburg, Pa. CHARLES A. FRENCH Commissioner of Fisheries Ten cents a copy—50 cents a year MEMBERS OF BOARD CHARLES A. FRENCH, Chairman ALEX P. SWEIGART, Editor Ellwood City South Office Bldg., Harrisburg, Pa. MILTON L. PEEK Radnor HARRY E. WEBER NOTE Philipsburg Subscriptions to the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER EDGAR W. NICHOLSON should be addressed to the Editor. Submit fee either Philadelphia by check or money order payable to the Common­ J. FRED McKEAN wealth of Pennsylvania. Stamps not acceptable. New Kensington Individuals sending cash do so at their own risk. JOHN. L. NEIGER Scranton PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER welcomes contribu­ JOSEPH M. CRITCHFIELD tions and photos of catches from its readers. Proper Confluence credit will be given to contributors. CLIFFORD J. WELSH All contributions returned if accompanied by first Erie class postage. H R. STACKHOCSE Secretary to Board Entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office of Harrisburg, Pa. under act of March 3, 1873. C. R. BULLER Chief Fish Culturist, Bellefnnte IMPORTANT—The Editor should be notified immediately of change in subscriber's address Please give old and new addresses Permission to reprint will be granted provided proper credit notice is given Vol. 10. No. 5 \ANGLER7 MAY, 1941 EDITORIAL From the flood of letters received from sportsmen's groups in practically every section of the State, there is little doubt that the large trout stocked this spring has been a very popular move and the beginning of a sound program to provide really worthwhile sport for the fishermen. Not only do larger sized fish provide much more of a thrill and do their share in affording a real battle, but most fishermen who really enjoy a fine trout breakfast will be content with fewer fish for his family meal. True, not all the fish stocked this spring were large fish, but they were all legal and by far the greater percentage were well above the legal size. In connection with our policy to stock larger fish, I am pleased to announce that our program of line breeding is well under way. This experiment, beginning with brown trout and scheduled to start with brook and rain­ bows this fall, we believe will solve the problem of stocking annually trout that will average 10 to 12". The original trout used in this experiment are now at the Bellefonte Hatchery and their growth has been remarkable. I sincerely hope every fisherman in the State, who has an opportunity, will pay a visit to the Bellefonte Hatchery as often as possible and keep in close touch with this line breeding program as it develops. Now that the 1941 season is under way, let me suggest that you stick to your favorite fishing spots and when weather and water conditions adjust themselves, we feel sure you will enjoy a very fine fishing season. Commissioner of Fisheries PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER M*l WET FLIES FOR TROUT By WILLIAM R. WALTON ET fly fishing for trout is that variety Royal Coachman standing first, Fig. 1, is one leave the matter in that condition is o" Wof angling art practiced by our grand­ of the gaudiest, most unnatural of flies entirely fair. Anyone familiar with troi1' fathers and their progenitors—that is such of and yet as every experienced fly angler soon learns that the prime desire of the ft5" them as fly fished at all. It is in other knows is among the most effective inmates is for food, and even more food, and '® words, the original style of American fly of the fly box. The second fly, Fig. 2, really that reason the wet fly fished either as s fishing and one which is still in wide and resembles quite closely a number of land drifting animal or pulled through the wate1' effective use. insects, but does not bear much of any re­ is usually mistaken for something good *' Anglers in general apparently labor under semblance to aquatic forms of insect or eat. the impression that skill in wet fly fishing crustacean life. Number 3, on the list "Par- In his recent admirable studies of troi> is more easily attained than with the dry machene Belle," Fig. 3, is another anomaly food, Dr. Paul Needham, of the U. S. ~S'^ fly. However, except for the more difficult so far as small animal life is concerned. It and Wildlife Service, apparently demo11' tricks of the latter art, it is extremely doubt­ has been contended that its undoubted kill­ strated that over 66% of the food taken W ful whether this is true. For instance, the ing qualities in some waters is due to the brook trout consisted of caddice flies, ttf<j' dry fly angler usually sees his fish feeding or fact that it imitates the fin of a male brook winged flies or mayflies. Furthermore, cad" basking before he makes his cast, and fur­ trout, Fig. 4. However, if this is the case, dice fly larvae (or young) were the fi^ thermore can almost invariably see him attention is called to the fact that the red choice of the trout during 7 months of & when he accepts the lure. On the contrary, and white stripes in this pattern, as or­ year, it is therefore reasonable to assu111 the wet fly caster may have no warning dinarily tied, are reversed, in other words, that, at least the neutral colored wet flie5' whatever of the strike until, or if, he feels it represents the fin turned bottom side up! when fished beneath the surface are n»9 it and therefore must exercise a swiftness We might except the pectoral fin for sake of taken for members of sub-surface aqua", of nervous reaction not usually required of argument but this particular fin is usually insects. The evidence for the feeding ® the devotee to the dry fly. However, after not nearly so brilliantly colored as the both rainbow and brown trout on such SUP' the fish is hung, the advantage usually is ventral and anal fins of this trout. Also surface insects was even more significa1™ with the wet fly man, as the leader and there is in the fin a black longitudinal for it was found that the former took 93f< hook used may be of a considerably stouter streak, absent in the fly. But anyhow, does of its food in this way while the latter to"'1 character, a fact which provides a better the brook trout in nature, go around feed­ 91% of similar food. In view of this coO' chance of landing his prey. ing on the fins of its mates? What I am vincing evidence it would seem that the co"' As regards the most effective wet fly leading up to in all this is that the selection tention of Cholmondeley-Pennel, so long afJ patterns, much has been said and written of these funny flies by so excellent a cross as the 1860's, that all one needed to ca^ during the past 300 years. In case your section of American fly men apparently puts trout were a few hackle flies of differ6*" conk, like mine, is frosted and you have the kibosh on our rather general impression colors and sizes was not so far from the tru^f' been a student for years of fly fishing litera­ that flies, to be effective, must resemble It should be appreciated, however, that * ture, you may perhaps remember that for some form of insect or crustacean life con­ many streams, there occurs a period ea1^ a number of years prior to 1923, in New tained in the particular stream fished. year when there is a scarcity of caddl^ York, a now unfortunately deceased and Of course all this reverts to the moot ques­ fly and other aquatic nymphs. This is p lamented monthly periodical, "The American tion of "what does a trout see in the form period following the annual transformati" a e Angler," filled a niche in the national angl­ and color of an artificial fly?" Who knows? of the insects when they leave the W * ing heart at present so admirably occupied, Probably only his Creator. Just what a trout to mate and reproduce their kind. i° , u in a more restricted territory by your mistakes a wet fly for to be seems a good tunately, not all such insects have an arin ^ 0 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER. Well, along in 1919, deal of a mystery and although the litera­ life cycle, or in other words, it takes fr 11 there was published in this magazine a so- ture of fly fishing bulges with theoretical 2 to 3 years for some of them to beco* .. e called symposium entitled "Three Favorite writing on this point, since no man has ever full grown. This is the case with the * orlfl Flies" which was summarized in the July been a trout all theories of what, if any­ known hellgramite and some other f fj nseC issue of that year. I say "so-called" because thing, transpires in the cold brain of a trout but the great majority of free-living i .n this really was a poll taken among a repre­ are worse than futile. I say this in the forms inhabiting streams become mature sentative cross section of expert fly men knowledge that some enthusiastic investi­ a single year.