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r PENNSYLVANIA %.«? rs>„ \x Aprj|^1851 0 Co F EMOA OFFICIAL STATE PUBLICATION VOL. XX—No. 4 APRIL, 1951 PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION 7 Division of A HON. JOHN S. FINE, Governor PUBLICITY and PUBLIC RELATIONS * J. Allen Barrett AtT Director PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION MILTON L. PEEK, President PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER The RADNOR George W. Forrest BERNARD S. HORNE, Vice-President PITTSBURGH Editor 1339 E. Philadelphia St., York, Pa. •fou WILLIAM D. BURK MELROSE PARK 10 Cents a Copy—50 Cents a Year GEN. A. H. STACKPOLE 'rou DAUPHIN Subscriptions should be addressed to the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER, South Office Building, Harrisburg, Pa. Submit fee j PAUL F. BITTENBENDER either by check or money order payable to the Commonwe alth of Pennsylvania. Stamps not acceptable. Individuals sending cash WILKES-BARRE do so at their own risk. 'l-Ou LOUIS S. WINNER LOCK HAVEN PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER welcomes contributions, letters and PHILIP E. ANGLE photos from its readers. Proper credit will be given to con' tributors. Send manuscripts and photos direct to the Editor \IIH SHARON PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER, 1339 E. Philadelphia St., York, Pa- * EXECUTIVE OFFICE Entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office of Harri*' burg, Pa., under act of March 3, 1873. »Nc C. A. FRENCH, Executive Director '-"•n, ELLWOOD CITY IMPORTANT! H. R. STACKHOUSE The ANGLER should be notified immediately of change in sub V Adm. Secretary scriber's address. Send both old and new addresses to Pennsyl' vania Fish Commission, South Office Building, Harrisburg, Pa. * Permission to reprint will be granted if proper credit is given- C. R. BULLER Chief Fish Culturist T THOMAS F. O'HARA Construct! on Engineer ac| Publication Office: Tele graph Press, Cameron and WILLIAM W. BRITTON Chief Enforcement Officer Kelker Street, Harrisburg, Pa. Executive and Editorial Offices: Commonwealth of ROBERT P. DEITER Comptroller Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Fish Commission, Harris- burg, Pa. The COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA 'SH COMMISSION HARRISBURG, PA. The Angler flout l&iue . f Tne Sign of The Trout Lily . By N. R. Casillo he Kid's First Trout 5 By Jack Anderson EDITORIAL BY A TROUT *• (The one on the right) °ut Fishing in April 6-7 By Don Shiner As told to an ANGLER Correspondent •• f0ut Double Cross 8 You might think it odd that a trout writes the Editorial for the April issue. By Dick Fortney But, is it so extraordinary, considering the important part we play in the • lives of almost a million Pennsylvania anglers? Certainly none can deny we ut have become the symbol of the Chapter Genesis in outdoor life each year. ° Season 10 By Albert S. Shimmel Men have toiled over microscope and test tube in the finest and most modern research laboratories to be found anywhere in the world so that we A 6ri may have health, vigor and the glorious colorings to match our native can Fishing Books, Part 4 14 ancestors. Men sweat, machines grind over endless miles distributing us By Charles M. Wetzel throughout the length and breadth of this Commonwealth, yes ... to streams «. in your own locality. •DISFEATURES Folks might wonder whether the expense, time and effort is worthwhile, b simply look upon us as martyrs on the road to the frying pan. But if some 6nri6r Spring Profile 12 folks ruthlessly think of us only as meat on the table, it is we trout who are wn.sylvania's Thundering indeed sorry for them, missing as they do the modern angling philosophy of W «ters 15 fishing for fun and relaxation. * We are the first to admit our worthlessness commercially in terms of ^*TMENTS folding money. But our destiny is not fulfilled by comfortably fitting into the pit of your stomach. Our true worth can be measured only by the ^'V .. times we, in our sometimes reluctant manner, helped iron out the kinks and nat's New In Fishing Books .. 18 wrinkles of your mind, caused your lungs to absorb the clean, fresh air of Spring, gave your body the will to recover lost vigor, instilled in your soul Ur Anglerettes 2! the peace you've been yearning for these many Winter months. 6 School Page 23 No . we do not make differences in race, creed or color. Nor does it matter if we fall victims to the worm or the fly. Your angling pleasure, your outdoor recreation is all that matters to us. May you have your fair share of these in the 1951 season. "-The April 15th Story- Photo by Don Shiner L I carefully scrutinized the bit of steel The following Friday evening til and hackle. "Do you think the fish phone rang. "What's up?" I demanded will be able to see that in this light?" upon recognizing George's voice. George was supremely confident. "At exactly 2:20 o'clock in tU "They'll not only see it, but take it." morning, that's tomorrow, you knov': And he was right, too, for on his a full moon comes into being," he elafr first cast there in a bit of ice-free orately explained and then added, "an1; water, he nailed a twelve-inch brownie. we should be on the stream at aroun?. George is like that. His guesses are daybreak or better still, a little before. so consistently correct as to be un He continued rapidly. "All but tWfJ canny. What is more, when he directed of my calendars are in complete agre^ OLD weather on the opening day me to "lay that monstrosity of yours ment, even to the minute." C of trout season can be usually ex over there under that overhanging He paused and I managed to ask I Parei pected. But, not so cold as to freeze hemlock," I did, and hooked a fish on he meant that the calendars were 9 f Woul great stretches of slack water and a medium hair streamer of our own agreement as to the time the moo sheath tender spring growths in an icy concoction which we call the Hot Dog. made its debut. armour. "It's beyond me," I breathed as "No," he snapped impatiently. "The) 'hat George went about the business of agree on the time that the fish wij First day fishermen moved aimlessly utes about or huddled disconsolately around landing another fish. start biting." Twenty minutes later when we left I didn't know that fishing calendai" that', fires, waiting and hoping for a break in f but ( the weather. I had left the cozy the spot we had four fish that had been indicated the exact minute when actio warmth of the parked car and started caught within an interval of five could be expected. So, after express' minutes. ing my doubts I asked him to divul^i hopefully up stream, but soon had to had give it up. Returning to the car I "Notice that the insects have dis the time. "At 5:15," he came back unhes' evei. started the heater and soon lolled lux appeared," my companion pointed out M „' when we passed the spot where we tatingly. n uriously in the rear seat. 1 George, my companion, who had had first seen them. "Then, at what time do you wai proceeded me upstream by some twen ty minutes, returned at noon thor oughly chilled and Ashless. "Let's go home," I urged. "No, let's wait," he returned. "I have a hunch that things will open up." AT THE SIGN OF I was about to say something in re turn when my eye caught a song spar row ascending an icy branch. When he had gained the top he attempted a song. I changed my mind. "Okay, The trout lily blooms when the trout bite best. we'll wait," I quietly assented. Then, for the first time I noticed a lighter area in the leaden clouds as though the sun was trying to burn through. By two o'clock things looked brighter. Even the air seemed warmer, but our thermometer showed a rise of but fou" degrees. Ten minutes later while poking about the stream banks we noticed a small cloud of mosquito-like insects dancing crazily about in a little protected hollow. "That's the green light," said George as he nodded toward the insects. "Let's head for the car and get our outfits." "You mean that those bugs—?" I trailed off helplessly, mystified by the significance of my companion's obser vation. George knew what I meant. "Ex actly," came the emphatic reply. ' 'When the gnats dance the trout snatch.' That's an old saying right from the Scottish highlands." "It doesn't even rhyme," I remon 1 strated. Just what's wrong with carrying a rabbit's foot along the creek if you figure it br ^'- luck? If a talisman, like the trout lily determines your angling destinies, se^'; "Aint suposed to," corrected George them out and salaam! as he bent a minute, spidery gnat to his leader. By N. R. CASILLO ^ PENNSYLVANIA ANGl^ A brace of browns on a bed of trout lilies. 10 leave here?" h. I'll be on deck at 3:20." Even in /s phone conversations George exudes , e utmost confidence in his piscatorial Ructions. ^nroute to our favorite stream, the akkvell, up in Warren county, I asked ^orge to explain if he could, the ap- r oj? ent relationship between the time ftioon rise and that of when the fish °uld begin biting. ,, Well, four of my calendars predict at the fish will begin taking hold ac u, tly two hours and fifty-three mim 6 t, s after moon rise.