^NNSYLVANIA He JULY—1979 Keystone State's I Official FISHING BOATING 2L ngler Magazine... ^ 40c Single Copy "Proud of the record ..."

\Jn May 28, 1931, Governor Gifford Pinchot signed into law Act 121, placing the responsibility for "the licensing of motors and the regulation of boats" with what was then known as the Board of Fish Commissioners. Motors were licensed at a fee of $1.00 per year per cylinder. The first boating regulations appeared in 1932, requiring only that motorboats "should be equipped with fire extinguishers and life preservers, sufficient in number to take care of the capacity of the boat." The only operational requirement stated: "It is suggested that in passing there should be 100 feet between the two craft." Not very complicated, but in those days of the Great Depression there weren't many people who could afford a boat. The boom did not begin until after World War II and the Korean Conflict had ceased to distract our country's resources and energies, so it was not until the mid-50's that we began to find the time and money for recreation. Fishing and boating were naturals for growth. The old Act of May 1931 underwent major revision in 1963 with the enactment of Act 400, known today simply as "The Boat Law." Some unique features of Act 400 should be discussed here. The Act created an Advisory Board for boating within the Pennsylvania Fish Commission. This Board consists of five members appointed on staggered terms by the Governor (without the necessity of Senate confirmation). The law further mandates that the Fish Commission shall solicit the advice and opinions of the Board on all proposed regulations affecting the equipping and operation of boats. Coincident to Act 400, the Administrative Code was amended adding a ninth member to the Fish Commission to be appointed at-large by the Governor, with the stipulation that this Commissioner "shall be an experienced boatman." The Boating Advisory Board meets at least twice a year to consider proposed amendments to the boating regulations, and to be briefed and brought up to date on boating activities by the staff of the Commission. This is a two-way street, as the Board also provides input to the staff based on their own areas of expertise. Potential access sites and their development are discussed. The proposed regulations are then considered for adoption by the entire Commis­ sion. It is usual for the Commissioner-at-large for boating to steer the proposed regulations through the Commission proceedings. It is also a practice for the Chairman of the Boating Advisory Board to be on hand at Commission meetings to provide further background and advice. Does the system work? Let's look at the record. On only two occasions, and these were very minor, has the Commission declined to accept the advice of its Advisory Board. We think that's a good track record — considering the continuing and dramatic involvement of recreational boating. When you consider that about one-third of our Waterways Patrolmen's time is spent in boat law enforcement and education work, this is a very significant activity on the part of the Fish Commission. This spring, two of our Waterways Patrolmen were instrumental in saving the lives of three boating fishermen. Last fall, one of our Patrolmen saved the life of a five-year-old girl, using CPR and other training provided by the Fish Commission and the American Red Cross. In April of this year, the National Water Safety Congress recognized the Pennsylvania Fish Commission for its outstanding boating education program. It is logical that the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, already patrolling the waters of the Commonwealth, should have jurisdiction over boating; and we are proud of the record the Commission has been able to accomplish with the signal help provided by its Boating Advisory £o Board. Ha' Ralph W. Abele, g> Executive Director r^ Pennsylvania Angler Pennsylvania's Official Fishing & Boating Magazine

Published Monthly by the PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA Richard L. Thornburgh, Governor

MEMBERS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION Jerome E. Southerton, President Honesdale John A. Hugya, Vice President Johnstown William Cox Elysburg Sam Guaglianone Johnsonburg Walter F. Gibbs Reno William O. Hill Erie Leonard A. Green Carlisle Calvin J. Kern Whitehall James J. Stumpf Laughlintown

MEMBERS OF THE BOATING ADVISORY BOARD Nicholas Apfl, Chairman Fairless Hills Clayton Buchanan Pittsburgh Sherwood Krum Hawley Charles Chattaway Monongahela Leon Lyon Bellefonte

Volume 48 - No. 7 CONTENTS July, 1979

Fishermen—Part VI by E. W. Fisher 6

When They Caught Eels by the Ton by Ted Fenstermacher 8

Deep Trolling for Erie's Salmon—Part I by Howard Bach 10

Deep Trolling for Erie's Salmon—Part II by Bob Chandler 12

Suburban Boat Cruise by Julia M. Gilman 14

Summertime Trout with "LTT" by Linda Steiner 16

Sunfish are Funfish by Frank Lucas 18

Boat Trailering Primer by Virgil Chambers 20

Booze & Boats by Jeffee Palmer 22

The Incredible Woodchuck Flies by Clayton L. Peters 24

Make That Small Boat Larger by Gary Diamond 27

ON THE COVERS Hot and humid weekends bring boaters of all sizes and shapes, and from "home ports" near and far, to Lake Wallenpaupack. Access points, like the Ledgedale area pictured on our covers this month, become almost unbearably crowded, demanding exceptional maneuvering skill, but more especially, common sense and courtesy. Photos by the editor.

MONTHLY COLUMNS LEAKY BOOTS 2 STREAM NOTES 28 MEALS FROM THE CREEL 4 ASHORE & AFLOAT 30 ANGLER'S NOTEBOOK 32

~^^ James F. Yoder, Editor

T\f£taASTER: All 3579 forms to be returned to the office of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, P.O. Box 1673, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 17120. Har/^nsylvania Angler, (ISSN 0031-434X), Copyright 1979, is published monthly by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, 3532 Walnut Street, s u 0ne ' " rg, Pennsylvania. Second Class postage paid at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and at additional mailing offices. Subscription rates: —$4.00; Three years—$10.00; 40 cents per single copy. Send check or money order payable to the Pennsylvania Fish Commission. Do tece^id Cash. Changes of address should reach us promptly giving both old and new addresses, including both zip codes. Subscriptions tesjv. ec? and processed by the end of the month will begin with the second month following. The Pennsylvania Fish Commission will not assume tia„ "?'bUity for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or illustrations while in their possession or in transit. Communications pertaining to the lii,5 p'°e should be addressed to: The Editor, Pennsylvania Angler, Pennsylvania Fish Commission, P.O. Box 1673, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. '•cited materials, manuscripts, or photos will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope for their return. burg but you people don't seem to want chemical and social aspects of stream*} these holes printed about in your maga­ result in a classification system by * zine. Also, could you print more articles on streams will be managed according t0 J smallmouth bass fishing in Pennsylvania? resource potential. These investigation* To date, I haven't seen any yet. Come on identify those waters that support oi^f guys, how about a little justice to Harris­ reproduction of trout, and the exte" „ burg. which this reproduction contributes W overall fishery of the stream. .^ STEVEN THOMPSON There are many variables which <>' f Harrisburg mine the success and contribution of n ,;. With the exception of occasional articles ral reproduction to a fishery. Water <) ^ of a technical nature which are staff- ty, especially siltation, is a factor Wy KEEPER! success of egg hatching. The carO ^ written, the feature articles which appear u I'm a recent subscriber to the Pennsyl­ on the Angler's pages are written by free­ capacity of the stream and the am° ^ protective cover for newly hatched tro" ^ vania Angler, and I'm very pleased with it. lance writers. And, although some fabulous f My name is Tim Yost and I'm 12 years fishing exists in the Susquehanna River in affects survival of the less vulne old. I'd like to tell you about an experience the Harrisburg area — both upstream and fingerling stage. „<* I had last June at Pinchot State Park. I downstream from the State Capital — few Due to the extensiveness of the was fishing with my father and two friends writers would suppose they could entice stream inventory program, as well as * ., >n in a rented boat. I was using 10-pound- anglers to journey into a metropolitan area water stream and lake evaluations [( a test-line, and a worm for bait. All of a (with its crowds, lack of parking, and other management area, I will not be " .,et sudden I got a small nibble; 1 pulled up to detriments to a fishing "experience") and schedule an inventory of the ***$ set the hook and realized I had a small fish simply don't write about it. No — it isn't Breeches until the summer of 1980- j on. So, I started to reel up and suddenly my that we "don't want these holes printed survey of the entire system will take * . line stopped completely, and swiftly about . . ." we just feel about the same as weeks to complete. Interested sports started going back down, doubling my 7- the writers and don't pursue the matter. are always welcome to observe survey8, „ f foot spinning rod. I couldn't stop this The number of successful boat and shore I am sorry I could not be more in«° | "f, downward motion. Quickly, I looked down fishermen to be seen on the Susquehanna tive, but I hope that this response ^ into the water and, surprisingly, I saw the would lead us to believe that most of the suffice until a biological survey ca back end of what I believed was a huge "locals" know these "holes" and need little completed. muskellunge. As I watched, it swam under prompting or guidance. Smallmouth bass? Larry Jackson the boat. It kept pulling for a minute or so. We have printed, and will continue to print Area Fisheries Manager As quickly as it came, it let go. I reeled up smallmouth bass articles — when they my line and found a chewed up sunfish. To become available. Ed 'NO MATTER.. this day I'm not fully sure what grabbed the sunny. I am sure it was a keeper. This is a picture of George Sm.ith' ^: ' "HOW MUCH CHANCE?" Elizabeth, Pennsylvania with one ° ,. TIM YOST many catfish he caught in the Mon° ^ New Cumberland I did a lot of trout fishing in the Yellow hela River here this past summer. ue' Breeches Creek in November. I saw a lot of 32 $ spawning beds and they all had trout in will be 89 years old on February *" ^ has fished all his life around here- i, SATISFYING... them. These beds were not just in one en section of the stream. I fished 7 different getting him a subscription to the P A K vania Angler for his birthday and hop 'J I was more than casually interested in sections of stream that had trout spawn­ 10 the article "Pennsylvania's Wilderness ing. will print this picture for everyone Trout" in the March Angler. How refresh­ I was wondering how much chance there that, no matter what your age, fishing ing, and encouraging it is to read of such is of any of these eggs being hatched and wonderful sport. enlightened management practices. It producing streambred trout? I thought one RUTH GR'F echoes (or does the reverse apply) the basic of the Fish Commission biologists might be Elizabeth policy of Trout Unlimited, essentially, to able to answer my question. manage a trout resource to its highest potential. HOBART ACKER, JR. In these days of overworked, and under­ Harrisburg paid staff, budgetary problems etc., it is I am replying to your letter regarding satisfying to read that Pennsylvania's Fish trout redds seen in the Yellow Breeches Commission can operate effectively. Creek during November. Unfortunately, I Keep up the good work, and perhaps have not had the opportunity to be at the we'll meet along one of our lovely streams. stream often enough to have seen spawning DR. PETER T. B. SHAFFER redds myself. I believe that you and others (a displaced Pennsylvanian) who regularly fish the Yellow Breeches may Grand Island, N.Y. already have an indication of the spawning successs of trout in the Yellow Breeches based on the number of fingerling trout that you catch. GRIPING? NAH! The Fisheries Management Section is I don't want it to sound like I'm griping now in the process of inventorying the but why don't we have articles on fishing fishery resources of trout streams through­ on Harrisburg waters. I am certain there out Pennsylvania. This program, through must be some good fishing holes in Harris­ evaluation of the biological, physical, F IRST"? Send the Angler to a friend — c 0fE" 'osed is the February 27, 1979 issue c cle tL °°^ 'ty Ledger the following arti- ^at was printed. tl, e bought you might like to use this in Name (please print) toy? ^er which we read from cover to r ^ ' ^e thought this humorous and that Street or RD#—Include Box Number readers might enjoy it too.

MR. & MRS. PHIL HERGENROTHER State Zipcode Ellwood City City D New Use Check or Money Order for Remittance D $4.00—1 year "Fish Crossing" • Renewal (DO NOT SEND CASH!) a $10.00—3 years by Henry Bazzichi MAIL TO: Pennsylvania Fish Commission J^otorist stops truck to let fish Angler Circulation acr bm »ss roadway is a fish story, P.O. Box 1673 J* true one. Harrisburg, Pa. 17120 Ronald Sheldone, North Sewickley dfj.' r«ad foreman, reported he was % r^ to wor'i yesterday at 4:45 a.m. li8hthUl,try C,ub Road when his head" 4k "eam picked up the eye of a carp tWo on the ' ' S' swimming across a of w° ^' There were about three inches sw at^r on tne roadway. The fish was Oming from the creek side to the Co„J^ area of the Connoquenessing ^"try Club golf course. Up ne'done stated he stopped his pick­ ax ruc'1 to permit the fish to swim 7s* the road. i to j!ehJone reported the fish incident t|,0 "Pervisor Jerome Skelly, who ity j^"t the fish story was too good to '•let6 recorded in the press and called Udger to contact Sheldone. $Lo, ,done, in relating the incident to y 1 s > stated "You won't believe what * and did this morning." be **% jokingly remarked that he'll S| 8 the matter U at the next v °>"s' meeting about having the 'his S- ^ Put UP a "sn crossmg s»gn at site. (Erf fep .a,tor's note: the above was t?iilnted with permission of the ^WCity Ledger.) **A»*H,LE...

*'th tkC t'le above incident was shared di,j . "e Angler, a "Fish Crossing" sign deed Hoa^ appear on Country Club

%j0ne» left, and Skelly, right, join (Wi« township employes in denying a ti0h grin) responsibility for its erec- ^ur special thanks to Henry for the report and the photo. Hn, nenry: "The sign brings a little vie*, and helps to brighten the day for *erers.s '" Ed.

u LY- 19 7 9 V

pated dangerous uncertainty as well as '/2 cup oil promise. xji cup flour MEALS Pickling is one method of preserving food by which the first settlers of the PICKLING MARINADE Keystone State survied. Today, pick­ from the led fish and vegetables can be a light 1 cup cider vinegar meal from your creel for a hot day this '/t cup water CREEL summer, in addition to giving you a 2 tablespoons brown sugar taste of the last century. And, even 1 thinly sliced lemon though the herring is the most 2 cloves garlic, sliced by Arthur J. Michaels common fish to be commercially pick­ 1 bay leaf led, just about any species found in the 1 pinch each sage and grated Keystone State can be deliciously nutmeg pickled to perfection. salt and pepper to taste f Anything that's pickled, of course, Sift the fish fillets in flour, an,df" ' Pickled Fish is preserved by salt and acid. Gener­ them in oil until browned on .^ ally speaking, salt takes away sugar sides. Place fish in a medium d> s f you and your family were trekking and moisture from the pickled ingre­ oblong glass dish to cool. Set aS ^ westward through the Allegheny dients to form lactic acid which guards Make the pickling marinade $ 1 Mountains in July, 1879, your main the ingredients against bacterial spoi­ putting all ingredients except lef " {( concerns were shelter, clothing, and lage. Fish is either pickled for a short a medium saucepan. Cook J food. Carving your own highway, your shelf life or for a long storage period, medium heat for four minutes .. journey was burdensome and slow; up to six months under refrigeration. bring to boil. Remove saucepan *jf your storage spaces brimmed with Consider first a quick pickle. (You heat and cool. Pour mixture over ^ tools and equipment for building shel­ may even call this, simply, a mari­ fillets and add lemon slices. ^ 1$ ter; and, there was no room for the nade.) glass dish tightly and refrigerate a frills of the covenient cooking contrap­ two and a half days. Serve ° tions of that era. PICKLED FRIED BASS (Serves four) ,^i You had to preserve food out of Pickling recipes have less s130^1 necessity then, because with each 11/2 pounds fresh bass fillet specified ingredients than just £ » struggling mile westward you antici- (largemouth or smallmouth) any other cooking procedure. In * I 4 PENNSYLVANIA A N G L h Q, Vajiia, at least, the reason is simple. Do not use peanut butter, coffee, or difference. "sider again your westward travel commercial pickle jars. First, a warning: If your fish pickle C e hundred years ago through the Furthermore, us a vinegar of four to smells uncharacteristic of any product H^ier of the Alleghenies. With six percent acidity, or 40 to 60 percent you've included, don't taste it — just 'ted storage space, you, a pioneer grain strength. White distilled vinegar discard it. Besides unwholesome smell, m f;° an, had scant space for the luxu- is a good choice because it will not cloudy liquid and abnormal appea­ L ^,°f the Atlantic seacoast farm. Left darken light-colored foods. In addi­ rance of the ingredients indicates spoi­ • "id were your bins brimming with tion, white vinegar contains no sedi­ lage. ns> squash, and dried corn. And ment or flavorings which may change If your pickled ingredients are soft Ur large cache of pickling and the taste radically of your pickled fish and mushy, you didn't use enough salt, e erv n not to your liking. A vinegar's percent ldt ? ' g spices cluttering the or the strength of the salt didn't last. "en were now a homesick memory. of acidity should be written clearly on You'll get soft and mushy results, too, *ou and your determined husband the bottle's label. if the vinegar was not strong enough or ^e not to be beaten. Sewing small And for each pickling recipe you if some of the ingredients were not ets in the hems of your dresses try, use fresh, whole spices. Especially kept submerged in the liquid. Petticoats you stored small during hot weather, spices and herbs Ingredients turning dark in your ,. °unts of herbs, seeds, and spices. In lose their flavors quickly. Old spices fish pickle is another common failure. s way you fashioned each frontier will produce a peculiar tasting pickle, If you use iodized salt, of if you used had W'tn a sma^ amount of what you and they may discolor your fish pickle hard water containing iron, your cm •anc* w^ tne new sP'ces a"d ingredients unattractively. pickle will darken. Using old powdered 'ngs you discovered along the way. If you want your fish pickles to be spices may also darken your pickle. ^ 'ckling recipes today still feature delicious, don't use tap water. Mineral As your pickling prowess pro­ lin ^Ue ^avorm8s- each specific pick- laden, chlorinated hard water will gresses, you may wish to try herbed 0j.« recipe concocted from the group interfere with the pickling process. and flavored vinegars instead of the s&' °Ver e'8nty different herbs and Boil water to be used, and let it stand usual white vinegar. Here is an herbed (j s available in supermarkets to- for a day. With the sediment settled on vinegar you may wish to use for a fish a , ut just as you did a century ago, the bottom, skim the top and ladle the pickle. fr pickling plans are guided by water from the top. Is this too much u8al originality. trouble? If so, use bottled distilled MARJORAM VINEGAR Commercial pickling establish- water. ^ ts have their own recipes and Do not use brass, iron, galvanized, 5 cups white vinegar a "'nations of seasonings. Here are or copper utensils. The salts and acids 4 ounces fresh marjoram snj twelve most common pickling you're working with will react with Break the herb leaves and add them es y0 which you can combine to suit these metals producing undesirable to the vinegar in a tightly covered jar. g: r °Wn taste: allspice, mustard seed, colors and tastes. More importantly, Let stand for six weeks. Strain herbs er C| *> > coriander seed, black pepper, you may even produce poisonous from vinegar and store remaining pe "anion stick, cloves, bay leaf, red compounds this way! You'll produce liquid in well sealed jars. Use this PPer, dill seed, mace, and carda- the poisonous compound copper ace­ herbed vinegar in salads as well as in tate if you heat vinegar in a copper fish pickles. Try this same recipe with 0u c tj0 an experiment with combina- utensil! Use stainless steel or wooden tarragon, thyme, or sage, but use only fishS ^tnese seasonings in this simple utensils instead. a stainless steel pan for cooking and a Pie Plckle- Cut any fish into bite- size Try also not to stick your fingers in wooden spoon for stirring when neces­ tyj.,es- In a glass jar, layer the fish a pickling solution. Tongs and a jar sary. Pen S d onion rings, pieces of red lifter may also come in handy. In addition to herbed vinegars, a^d > black peppercorns, a bay leaf, If your pickling recipe calls for salt, celery vinegar will add delicious 5ld K m'xture °f na^ white vinegar do not use table salt. The extras in flavors to your fish pickles. Spj a'f fresh lemon juice. Add any table salt — bicarbonates of sodium, e c CELERY VINEGAR tas, °mbination that suits your starch, and iodine — will soften and discolor your pickled ingredients. In­ fU|, " Refrigerate this fish pickle for a sho 1 am* serve c°ld- The fish stead, use a pickling or kosher, pure 5 cups white vinegar refr tUrn white, "cooked" in your granulated salt. 1 large head of celery, well- er a.c: ," ator by the lemon juice's citric Begin your pickling pioneering with scrubbed the recipes in Pennsylvania Anglers' 1 tablespoon salt If U Want our Cookbook (available from the Penn­ 1 tablespoon brown sugar ^Oc H° ^ advanced pickling Ures Pour the vinegar into a stainless Pay ^? to produce near-perfect sylvania Fish Commission for $2.50, "ten-i Cons'der carefully the correct P.O. Box 1673, Harrisburg, Pa. steel saucepan. Chop the celery finely lew • am* 'ngraiients. You must use 17120. Checks or money orders, and add it to the saucepan with, the Seal ^3rs' ^or instance, with vacuum please.). salt. Bring to boil over medium heat and remove from heat quickly. Pour cijD ' Select jars with metal spring Having tried your hand at fish pick­ a ruhK SCrew bands, both of which use ling, you now know that things can go the celery and vinegar into a jar. Seal '1 w sealing ring. Soak a new jar wrong. If you're a novice fish pickler, the jar and let stand for two weeks. •lUst ^ Water f°r a few minutes, and some things that appear wrong are Strain and store remaining vinegar in Prior to use, dip it in boiling water. really okay. So here's how to tell the well-sealed jars. 'U L Y 19 7 9 Those Crazy People . . . Fishermen

PART VI — Of Tippets, Tails & Other Endings t!

/\bout a week ago some wise guy with a wild look on his face saying, they could find like someone ha i called me a fisherman. It startled me, "Oh no! A fisherman! Quick, honey, tossed in a bomb, and the waitreS, to say the least, especially after all the it's time to go home! In the car! Hurry dropped a whole order of franks an work I've done in the past six months up!" And as I looked up, he scooped beans on the floor, and went runiiin5 to teach folks how to recognize fish­ his little girl up in his arms and went out the kitchen door pulling her ha' ermen, to hear this seemingly intelli­ running off the bridge and into his car. out and screaming at the top of he gent fellow up on the bridge suddenly With a screech of tires and a cloud of lungs. And the time Earl and I *ef call me one. I mean, just because 1 was dust they were gone. I don't know bowling at the Tuesday night leagu, lying there on my belly in the middle what they were so all-fired excited and he dropped the bowling ball on h' of Spring Creek watching the annual about. foot and said, "Aw, @#$%! W emergence of Ephemerella subvaria is It's strange, but now that I think blankety-blank toe!" and everyo'"' no reason to start calling me names. about it there have been quite a went running out, leaving their bo^ Everyone does that when the hatch number of strange things like that ing balls and their shoes and the' comes .. . don't they? happening lately, ever since this series four-seven spares and everything! I was lying there with my arms started back in February. There was Yes, it's all coming back to me noVV.' crossed on a piece of limestone and my the time I went into the Knotty Pine There was last Saturday when 1 wa, chin in my hands, watching these Restaurant down at First and Water over at Earl's place for dinner. He atl nymphs turn into flies, and I heard this Street and ordered potato salad. The his wife live in this quaint W* little girl laughing. I looked up at the whole place cleared out in ten seconds, farmhouse at the edge of a w>"e' bridge and there was this wise guy folks going out every door and window sloping cow pasture, and their kitche

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLE11 know: 1 went running and slip-sliding of onion and a spoonful of horseradish b E. W. Fisher after him with my dish towel and a on each one. Then the strange things landing net. began happening. I wrapped each And one weekend my brother D.W. sandwich in waxed paper, went and called me and said my little nephew got the cooler out of the closet in the C.W. wanted to come spend a couple hall and laid the sandwiches in the days with his uncle E.W. It was bottom of the cooler. They looked suggested I take him to the zoo and awfully small and alone in there, so I then go downtown to catch the Satur­ tossed in a six-pack and a jug of water day matinee, then maybe go out for a and covered everything with ice cubes. milkshake or a sundae. When little Then I left. I don't know what came C.W. arrived, though, something came over me, but I took the cooler with over me and we went up to the county everybody's sandwiches in it, went seat and watched some guy from the down to the car and drove up to the local trout club give a seminar on How lake. to Bleach Brown Hackle to Obtain Beth found me there that night, Light Ginger. Then we hurried down sitting in the poison ivy halfway down to the lower Raystown Branch to catch the bank, gawking at the bass rising the latest caddis hatch. My little and pushing peanut butter and sardine nephew hasn't come back to see his old sandwiches into my mouth. There was uncle E.W. since, and my brother and foam around my lips and three empty his wife aren't answering their beer cans lay in the half-melted ice in phone. the cooler. I don't understand it. And now this wise guy fisherman up Every time Beth and I go into a on the bridge is calling me, of all the store I go running off to the sporting names he could think of, a fisherman. goods department to squeeze one of And I guess if he went down to the those red vinyl pillows with the heat other bridge and saw Earl down on his inside, and I always buy some gadget knees in the creek turning over stones like a Synthetic Sponge Line-wiper or and grabbing at crawdads and scream­ a Fluorescent Landing Net. When we ing to beat heck every now and then walk into the grocery store I head when a crawdad grabs him, he would straight for the meat counter and ask probably shout, "Fisherman!" again the butcher for all his calf innards and and go running back to his car. Well, I chicken entrails. What bothers me suggest to you, fella, that you read this most is how all the customers in the here series. Fishermen are terribly stores take one look at me squeezing easy to recognize, and if you would my red vinyl pillow or reaching for my only take the time to learn one or two calf innards and then scream, "Fish­ basic characteristics of the real fish­ erman!" and go puffing off to the far erman you wouldn't be running the conclusion side of the nearest counter where they around calling normal red-blooded stand shaking in their shoes and star­ American folks like me and Earl all ing at me as the world's first mailman these insulting names. jjj n^0w looks out over the pasture at a no doubt stood staring at the world's Come to think of it, the wise guy gg fish-filled riffle on Spruce Creek, first Doberman pinscher. Beth always even had a copy of the ANGLER in Was n ms r nk a ron has to come after me and lead me di H ' f '"y P' P doing his back pocket; I saw it as he went eS anc J was ar away, nodding and smiling and apol­ looi! ' * drying. >d we were running away. Wonder why he never n ogizing to everybody for letting me opened it and read what it had to say gr *' g out the window at the cows a n loose. . . . ? 0v ^ g and the stream rushing down lisr l^e r'me' wnen we saw a trout I guess the strangest incident of all, Well, Fd like to sit here at my tying ch ^ar' 'et out a whoop and went though, happened about three weeks bench and write all day, but I really r8'ng out the door trailing soap ago. I took this notion to have a have to go. It's a quarter past two > grabbed his flyrod from the rack sandwich one afternoon. We had already and the major solunar period ne starts in an hour. I have to meet Earl jn back porch and, without break- guests, and naturally I felt it was my si^ sleP> came down on one of those place to ask them if they would like a down at his place: he's got the boat all g Pery things you so often find in a sandwich too. They said yes, they ready to slap on the top of the car, and % K- °0vv Pasture, and went skidding would, so I went out into the kitchen to he said he was asking his wife to go hjH s backside all the way down the make a few innocent little sandwiches along and operate the anchor. So it's „ and into the creek in his frilly pink while Beth kept the conversation going been nice writing for you, and I hope °ut°n' double-hauling and shooting in the parlor. They were beautful we've all learned a little something, 1^ as he went, with an enraged sandwiches, and 1 didn't skimp on the but 1 really have to be going now — I still have to pick up the potato ef rd sardines or the peanut butter, and just him ° to make them a bit fancier I put a slice salad. bull about six yards behind m- He caught the trout, Earl did. I I L Y — 1 9 7 9 The author took to the air for these views of Berwick (right) and Nescopeck (left) and a look at a few old eel walls-

WHEN THEY CAUGHT EELS BY THE TON

by Ted Fenstermacher

JL wo old-timers were reminiscing at number of walls, also called "weirs," high stages during the winter an" the traditional eel fry held annually by in that area. spring the walls bore at least a rea;so" ' the Nescopeck Volunteer Fire Compa­ Dozens of walls were operated able resemblance to the prev jo"* ny. As one crunched his teeth through between Bloomsburg and Shickshinny, year's. a crispy piece of eel he observed, a distance of less than 20 miles. The But if the river had been °n; , "These eels are good, danged good, V-shaped walls were only about two rampage, trees and other float' but isn't it awful to have to bring eels feet high but were usually two to three debris could, and often did, tear from the Delaware to Susquehanna hundred feet long. whole sections of the carefully pile" Valley? Why, we used to call this the Countless hours of hard work were stones. Such happenings were t? 'Eel Capital'!" represented in each because they were cepted as being part of the game. f His companion agreed. He, too, built up of stone taken from the river Practically all of the eel fisher^ 0 could remember when the best eel bottom. held regular jobs with most emp' ^ ( walls in the Berwick-Nescopeck area The river, of course, belongs to in the Berwick plant which, at t" yielded up to a ton of eels each in a everyone, but the walls were consid­ time, was the biggest railroad single night during the "run." ered the property of the builders. They building plant in the world. . ^ even Not that the stone walls were used the same walls, year after year, Hours of late afternoon and !n« unique to that particular part of the and the second generations were the work had to be spent in scroung1 , 1 Susquehanna River — they were also "owners" of many. rocks from the river bottom and bu ;) in use for many decades at points all Most of the eel fishermen started ing the walls. It was anything bu along the river. Perhaps the "capital" work early in the summer on their rest — after a day at the car shop* t angle came from the exceptional walls. If the river had not hit really but as one veteran fisherman said, 8 PENNSYLVANIA ANGL t ^ it was a change." short distance over land. outlet hole prevented the escape of n Wa addition to the stone work there At such times the eels will wriggle what were to eventually become tooth­ carpentry involved. The so-called through grass but only in bright some morsels. The water was of no Nod,e n "baskets" had to be built and sunlight. Even the passing of a cloud special concern because there were no '"stall,e d at the lower end of the V- over the sun will cause them to stop water meters in most homes up until !ha Ped walls, and hide. Eels are said to be able to the time most walls were abandoned, fhei hold some air in their bodies for the "around the thirties," according to one tiou re were a series of sets of slats, en ntec^ cl°se'y on crosspieces. They more difficult parts of their trips. veteran. hou"^ up at an an8^e from tne "ver The Susquehanna was a beautiful Not everyone had the concrete the °m' ^s l^e water Poured through sight at night during the fall eel run. tanks. Some found old bathtubs to be a •L s'ats the eels would suddenly find The soft glow of dozens of lanterns reasonable substitute. ves being raked into gunny could be seen. They were on the boats Most of the fishermen sold the eels Sack; instead of continuing their used, and also on the small platforms, from their homes. The late John Hart- *n-Hver trip. and, in some cases, on shanties at the er, veteran riverman and wall opera­ le Substantial amount of wood was baskets. tor, said some customers had standing : ed for tne frarnework and the The walls were, of necessity, built in orders for a few eels each week. f slats in the big traps That parts of the river that were not deep. Fire companies, lodges and other PUM! ° ' c0st • Se °^ W00C^ was tne principal groups sponsored eel fries for many 1 involved — if the fisherman did decades — the custom is still contin­ Q ' c0Unt his time Jhey didn,t u a0 ued by the Nescopeck firemen. There III"6 under the heading of "sport." was also a good market in cities and 1 j{ 'act it usually also yielded a prof- dealers from there sometimes came to d' s°metimes a large one, didn't the Berwick area to purchase the fish. .Pen the men's enthusiasm, While eels were pouring into the tio ^le'ded a profit, that is, if condi- baskets substantial numbers of fish, were right. Sometimes the bass and walleyes in particular, also er, • u,^ y awaited fall rise in the river came into the weir and were caught. f K}> coupled with the first hard "That provided a real test of the s started the eel run, was far too respect for law on the part of the n su s0i' ' ch a case the eel baskets men," one veteran wall man once eti cUr mes were torn out by the commented. "There were some who rent tj0 despite the elaborate precau- tried to keep all the fish that came in, ^made to anchor them. but I'll have to admit that even the 'herr law-abiding, including me, usually flVi e also were times when the er's" rise was so high that it carried kept a fish or two while tossing the rest ri back into the river." ha.asi 8"t over the tops of walls and kets. Dale C. Andres, Sr., a retired florist 0st Wa years, however, the project and fishing buff, clearly recalls when, rea ye sonably successful. Year after as a youth, he would, at times, spend tne a.n(j same wall operators labored nights on the eel walls of the Berwick n waited for tne area. He recalls that wall operators State e "New York T els to start to run.' included: Harry Swank and his sons, Cndin The 8 the wall was the next task. Charley Stout, Otto Parr, John Hart- sta ee|s te prohibited the trapping of er, George "Corky" Shortz, Jr., and Ur Each year the outlines of the old Warren "Mollie" Pifer. His father, l0 . i"8 the day and the weirs had eel walls in the Susquehanna w open m da Charles Andres, who had also been a asd yhght hours. That become more indistinct — a fading ne florist, felt that eels were an excellent w0u, ° to make certain plenty of eels monument to a busy bit of and K et down the river to the bay "moonlighting" in another era. food and the son recalls his father had lhe t0 l^e Atlantic from where a specially made pair of pliers (which could both cut and hold) made for the ^e cels went to the Sargasso Sea, near As a result, the boats were usually ^uda. poled instead of rowed. skinning of eels. tneor the i y was, °f course, that after After the eels were raked into the Eels coming down the river were in Sea ee's sPawned m the Sargasso burlap bags the tops were secured and good flesh because they needed a e new riye' eels would return to the the catch placed in the boats. reserve of fat to keep them going while s tnat Par had been the homes of the Many of the area fishermen had en route to the Sargasso Sea to spawn. pownt eels- And so theydid — until concrete holding tanks — usually six That unique sea, near Bermuda, is so r or eight feel long and three or four feet filled with "gulf weed" that boat navi­ a[m dams of utilities made return •"nost 'nipossible. wide by about three feet high. They gation is difficult in places. Oh, it" would seem that a few eels do were of poured concrete with the forms Scientists believe the eels go to the get C cauau ^" Occasionally an eel will be made of scrap lumber by the fisher­ Sargasso Sea to spawn because they in rtie,f i, the Susquehanna by fisher- men. need the deep water, it's about 1,200 s can ' *ti may be due to the fact eels Water was run continuously feet there, in order to eject the eggs. ' according to biologists, travel a through the tanks. Screening over the (continued on page 26.) V — 1 9 7 9 'John Smith holds coho salmon he has just landed — one of nine that three of us landed that evening in about three hours." Deep Trolling for Erie's Salmon - Part I How it began ... by Howard Bach 44' T T ho would have believed this?" to a successful salmon fishing pro­ no shortage of information on n0VV J John Smith was speculating, to no one gram: organization and communica­ catch the salmon, the equipment a in particular, as he landed his third tion. So long as individuals would lures to use, or the necessity of fin°' . coho salmon while fishing about seven catch their individual salmon, and not them out in the lake during the ^ miles north of Shorewood. We were tell others where and how they caught summer weather. What was lack"1^ one of about 35 boats in the vicinity, them, there could never be a program and would be the key, was the ceflt most of which got their limit that day. that would benefit everyone — includ­ organization to unite them l0 y I couldn't resist answering John's ing those individual anglers. common endeavor and proper two-^ question, even though he was well Although a handful of determined communication among all the ang1 aware of the history of the Lake Erie salmon fishing addicts tried to get the involved. ^ salmon fishery. necessary cooperation started, their The result of the meeting was l "John, many people not only would attempts were not successful prior to formation of a 14-man steering c° •, have believed this, but actually knew it 1977. To get the program moving it mittee headed by Ted Halgren. Th K would happen. For seven years various would take many more boats, the more assignment was to review and ma believers have persevered to get this the better, fishing on a regular basis, recommendations to bring about tb« fishery working, and this is just the and reporting their successes daily. necessary organization and comm1* beginning." The real birth of the Lake Erie cations system to locate and track The reason these people knew the offshore salmon fishing program came salmon in the summer water. ,•,) great salmon fishery in Lake Erie was one snowy night in January, 1977, A formal organization never ' s to come alive was that we were all when a meeting was called in Erie to arrive, but the informal team that W intent participants in the similar bring together those interested in guided the activities in Erie has fu salmon fishery, and in some cases the seeing the salmon fishing program tioned as few formal groups ever ha emergence of that fishery, in Lake working in the lake. In spite of incle­ done. They set up the communica1'0 Michigan. ment weather, over 50 salmon enthu­ required to follow the salmon act'v'u Two elements were absent in the siasts turned out. and provided aids to all fisher^1 Lake Erie program that are essential The meeting revealed that there was desiring to share in the salmon bona

10 P E N N S Y LVANIA ANGL W'tk came the maP °f Lake Erie spoiler was the weather. Not only did impetus needed to get the activity ' " a grid to identify location of the it keep the boats off the lake for peri­ started earlier in future years. j> m°n (every square mile of water in ods of several days, but some violent In 1978, the salmon action started ennsylvania's section of the lake was storms in late August stirred up the earlier, but really didn't take off prop­ jg'Uued). There had been a map in lake and scattered the fish. Then it erly for a very good reason: the bass „. "> but the new map had accurate took several weeks before they were and walleyes were hitting so well near of u es and snowed bottom contour again located, this time moving closer shore that there was not enough incen­ I ne lake, an invaluable assist to to the streams they would eventually tive to move out to deeper water for ^ing the fish. reenter. the salmon. When the "fleet" finally moved out, the rewards were worth­ hotr'-they set up a "hotline-" The As with most active programs, there lne is a recorded telephone mes- were spin-off benefits, this time to the while, for regular limits were taken anri ^at 's updated at least weekly, land-based, or cartop boat fishermen. from mid-July to October. Hot m°re frequently as changes are Many of the coho taken out in the lake This year salmon fishing might start- ra Without an organization to were fin-clipped, identifying them as earlier and be even more successful. Se funds for the project, a lot of salmon planted in the bay. This would As the salmon fishery grows, we vate funds were donated to the indicate that a great many salmon predict that offshore Lake Erie salmon u Se- It remained for John Smith, should be returning to the bay, making fishing will begin shortly after ice-out ^anager of the Howard Johnson it better (or as good, at least) than the and continue steadily until the fall k aurant, to offer to sponsor the traditional action seen on the tributar­ spawning run. lne r„ - The project was off and ies each fall. We can foresee a Lake Erie salmon inning The 1977 action was only the begin­ fishery with daily activity reaching uoys were constructed, at a cost of ning. It proved that organization and about 100 boats deep-trolling in well- UieT $40-00 each' with fiaSs t0 mark communication could get the job done defined migration routes. There could '°cations of salmon schools as they — i.e., making an offshore fishery well be charter boats available for fish­ k ^ located. Volunteers from the work. This small success, with the ermen who want a day or two of u *? ^re of active salmon fishermen widespread notice it received, was the salmon fishing! th u tne buoys and demonstrated be Salmon coming to net, extreme right of photo (angler is out of photo, to right). in ginning of the program by pass­ im n8 their findings to all persons Rod and downrigger assembly in foreground belongs to another angler. Rested in knowing, id ulv 1977 th lr "I ' ' brought success to (jv efforts. They found salmon — Sey Separate schools of them — about tty 6n m''es north of Shorewood over 0 underwater "hills." The mounds the ab°Ut 40 feet below the surface of th Water adjacent to the point where Urif'ater ^roPs °ff steeply to about fe °°t depth. One common pattern 6$ a tne nsn were taking lures in sin" l° ^-foot depths just off the north of the hills For those who called .th? hotline? , they- could learn the exact rUn Coordinates of the schools, then the °Ut tnere t° nnd a flag marking s er>, P°t- There was even a "big broth- Program among the leaders of the Vem ha ent to gather their boats at the ^dd at ?'^ a"m' anc^act as Suides (and that msurance) for the smaller boats t made the trip to the site, the i re *as no Jeal°usy to keep secret the at'on °f the schools. Rather, PQ . encouraged as many boats as ^e 'hie to participate, knowing there J re Plenty of salmon for all. Also, the sai that is helped in finding the today might be the one to rePort u T nhe a new school tomorrow. ty, action continued for weeks. neve We^ r the boats could get out, tat' .Permitting, that is, they were ln g limit catches of coho. The one JlJLY-i979 11 "Without an understanding of the equipment needed to fish deep water, it is very difficult to run up a score."

4.

Basic deep trolling system consists of (1) deep trol (2) trolling line, (3) trolling weight, (4) lure or bait, (5) release mechanism, and (6) fishing rod and line. Deep Trolling for Erie's Salmon — Part II

How it's done . . . by Bob Chandler

X he salmon fishing in Lake Erie and needed to fish deep water, however, it engine, and an angler might just hi its tributaries was not all that great in is very difficult to run up a score. able to troll for and catch fish wh>' 1977. There was a small group of an­ Maps were made which divided under sail (we promised one friend glers, however, that did find and catch every square mile of water in that give it the old college try this year!) their share. The "Erie Downriggers," section of Lake Erie within Pennsylva­ Deep-water equipment ranges froij as their club is named, ran up some big nia's "borders." Radios were used to five dollar planers, such as "P1. scores. The club was formed after their report where the fish were — from Ladies," to thermo-probe electf successful season that year. And, after boat-to-boat, and boat-to-shore. In downriggers which cost more than n only four official meetings, they 1978, instead of twenty or thirty boats hundred dollars! Sport tackle is us6£ boasted 150 paid members. searching for fish, there would be over and ranges from medium weight freS at With over fifty outdoor-related seventy. Several anglers have since water tackle to lightweight saltw *f sports clubs in Erie County, I must traded in their fourteen- or sixteen- gear. Most anglers are using ^ admit that I had my doubts about the foot boats for larger fishing platforms. walleye and bass tackle. For those * ran afFnrH pvtra AiitfitQ «t«*plhf*.ad f^ club's possibilities. My doubts have Almost every boat has two or more can afford extra outfits, steelhead fi since diminished because of the qual­ hav downriggers, and a half-dozen trolling are very popular. Several anglers f ity of leadership, and the programs the planes. There are fourteen companies built 8- or 9-foot blanks up to the' club has developed. Ted Hallgren is making downriggers and six making own personal preferences. the president and is working hard to electric models. The manual downrig- While trolling, your line is attach6 insure success. ger is just that — you must reel the to a release on the downrigger. WhC1 The purpose of the Erie Downrig­ steel cable up by hand. On the electric fish strikes, the line pulls off * gers is to help its members catch fish. models, naturally, a motor does the release. From this point you're fre6 The speakers appearing at the mini- work. play and net your fish with your reg seminars that have been held are help­ Some old salts with sailboats have lar sport tackle, just as if you ca«g ing everyone do just that. Without an asked if they can troll the depths for him on a "flat" line. . understanding of the equipment salmon. Most have an auxiliary Spoons resembling smelt and a

12 P E N N SYLVANIA ANGLE11 caught "average" size coho last year which were even larger than those taken from Lake Michigan. Their chinook are averaging much bigger, but their coho have been coming down in size each year. On several occasions we caught coho that averaged over ten pounds. When we found a school of mature fish they would run from seven to fourteen pounds each. You will catch some three- or four-pounders, but not as often as seven to nine, or eleven to fourteen. The chinook are not being caught as often, and that might be 6 'Riviera I," above, is admittedly not your everyday cartopper! But then, because of the way we are rigging up. L-ake Erie is not your average farm pond, either! Big rigs such as this We are fine for coho — but a chinook e 'deal, naturally, but not absolutely essential (in good weather!) for an is a much different feeder. s^/ offshore deep trolling expedition. The photo below, save for Erie's To catch chinook, you must "hunt ^0r> fishery, could not pass for a Pennsylvania scene — but it certainly is! ... off away from the pack." A chinook will travel alone, or with maybe two to four of his kind. They are much spookier, even as smolt in holding pens. To really hope to take them, an angler should fish at a mini­ mum of fifty yards, i.e., one hundred and fifty feet behind your downrigger weight. You should also fish your lure as close to the bottom as possible. By close, I'm not recommending five feet, but one foot. The same lures or spoons will take either a four-pound coho or a twenty- four-pound chinook. The coho, howev­ er, will hit the lure two feet behind your weight — a chinook will not. Chinook hit better when a dodger or flasher attractor is used. They seem to need more of an incentive to strike. The Erie Downriggers have learned by studying and have had considerable help from the Michigan anglers. Several of us have made the trip to the Lake Michigan fishery to try our luck. We have usually done very well there. On one trip, George Simon, Bud Curry, and Stan Skrypzak caught twenty fish over sixteen pounds. Their largest was twenty-four pounds — a beautiful chinook. Several of our angl­ ers have also brought home nice fish, but more important than fish alone — knowledge. en " are very effective. Color prefer very well on fiat lines, they tend to Trout are an added bonus for Erie 'i&K. "a"ge with density of water and tangle behind the deep-water equip­ anglers. Nice brown trout, lake run CQ^, Penetration. Silver and blue ment. rainbows (steelhead) and a few lake S b^e ' and chartreuse colors, have Reels, too, become a matter of trout are being caught. Start looking CW H most talked-up and pur- personal preference, although one forward to some ten-pound browns, W^n • Plugs normally used for bass, thing to consider is a large line capac­ twelve-pound steelhead, and six- to ^°in» anc* nortnern P'ke are also ity and an excellent drag. Fish caught eight-pound lake trout. I recently 8 Ve caught a brown trout over seven fec ry well. Spinners are not in deep water with downriggers aver­ iters tnen^ed for use with downrig- aged much larger than the fish caught pounds and it was worth the price of a 0r trolling planes. While they do conventionally in prior years. We lifetime of fishing licenses! L V _ i 9 7 9 13 **™f si >«t*T«r»

SBiP*:. tMk

&& * am.. IN

'More than a few" Pittsburghers take advantage of the water sports available — some are content to be spectator

A ransportation, shipping, and com­ surprise, especially if you're a rf merce are all words that come to mind comer to the area, it is wise to l^' tf when thinking of the Allegheny River, where the dams are before using but for our family and many other river. Pittsburghers, the Allegheny River After leaving Exit 5 on the Penfl^., it means simply beauty and fun. Sunday vania Turnpike, we were ready Suburban afternoon, having little time for trail- launch the boat at the nearest lau:V ' ering our powerboat to a distant lake, ing ramp. Using our book of Navl we took a short cruise on the Alle­ tion Charts, we saw the nearest lau Boat Cruise" gheny River near Oakmont, a suburb site was at Harmarville, just off fW of Pittsburgh. We were very pleasantly Twelve Mile Island in the River. - surprised. The beauty of the wooded turned out to be private property a". { hills that line the shores and the cost us a total of $4.00 for laund^ number of pleasure boaters using the 6 and parking. This was the first tim (, river were unexpected. We soon found had paid a launching fee in the his* • by Julia M. Gilman that a good many people use the river of owning our boat. Apparently (-Ut too, as marinas nearly lined the launch sites in the Pittsburgh area shores. private. Jl Being cautious people, we had After a rather treacherous launj purchased a set of Allegheny & ing on the very steep ramp we *^L Monongahela Rivers Navigation the boat and were immediately u 6 photos by Charts. This book gives very thorough trigued by the houses along T^ 0\ charts on both rivers in their entirety, Mile Island. This is a long pieO^ Russell Gettig, showing launch sites, bridges, channel land in the river which is not line, and most important, dams. The actual Staff Photographer price is $2.00 and may be ordered an island, but comes very close to >', t from the Corps of Engineers, 1000 there is a footbridge to the "^"itj- Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. The summeThe houser cottages ares alanl d obviouslvery ineMermaid restaurant overlooking the river. This I$| °on we rounded the end of the ings, but otherwise there were only an restaurant has windows along the side l0 d and were in the middle of the boat docks and steep wooded banks in a. er Allegheny River. The amazing view. East of the Pennsylvania Turn­ that resemble porthole windows. The .H about the river is how far across pike, upriver in the Cheswick area, full length of the back is windows a ^rge it is here. It is much larger there are factories lining the river, so looking out on the spectacular yachts QSn many of the nearby lakes, such as the Oakmont area is a better choice for tied at the docks below. Most of the Rooked Creek Lake. This was a hot pleasure boating. food is Italian with a few delicacies I v and pleasure boats were out in Our children wanted to water-ski. such as stuffed mushrooms on the menu. Prices were quite reasonable. f Se numbers. We saw a sailboat, a Waterskiing on the river does involve Feeling completely stuffed, we re­ canoes from the Duquesne Canoe some danger. There are some turned to our boat, and decided to take CluK Db and many large houseboats and branches, tin cans and other debris TO a look at the locks on the dam. \Verlv-.„t_erboat s ...:.withL water-skier4. I.: s Ibehin u:~Ad floating in the water. The current must "em. also be considered. The downed skiier A person could actually take a boat Cr tends to float downriver faster than a all the way to the Mississippi. It would * Rising west, or downstream on Ver we asseQl a boat. If possible it is best to steer the take quite a while however, because of among them the Blawnox Boat boat upriver, against the current, so a bU°' Oakmont Yacht Club, and downed skier will not float into the through locks. Between "The Point," H rbor Isle Boat Club. Tied up at boat. The water appeared reasonably at Pittsburgh, and the town of East Se docks are boats seemingly large clean, but it is still best to avoid taking Brady, a distance of some forty miles l^°ugh to be at home on the ocean. an inadvertent sip of it. on the river, there are eight dams, each h any of the houseboats were the The water is indeed much cleaner requiring the process of "locking 0 through." We didn't own any bumper I 'nes 0f Pittsburghers. We specu- than in previous years. There were ^ ^ on the difficulties of carrying all numbers of fishermen, and women, pads to protect the sides of the boat so we decided to "lock through" another L groceries down the long piers to the fishing from the shores and from fish­ time. Returning to our car, we ^ats ing boats. reflected on a quick and very enjoy­ Thle What is a boat outing without food? fUls unspoiled beauty of the wooded able cruise on the mighty Allegheny, *as very surprising. This close to As the dinner hour approached, we vowing to return again. ntown Pittsburgh (approximately decided to try one of the several excel- 4 Person could actually take a boat all the way to the Mississippi," says the author. We wonder. . . how many have?

L Y — l 9 7 9 Summertime Trout with "LTT"

Not that I'm against enjoying a fish "Light Terminal Tackle." dinner once in a while, but it being one After we tire of bass fishing, afl« mov of those August "dog days," it seemed even the bluegills have AM. by Linda Steiner best to let the trout slip back under the deeper water, my fishing bud midstream log than to steam in the husband Bob, and I often return to .. creel all afternoon. I picked up my April trout streams to see *" t minnow container from the cold spring happening on them and if the tr illustrated by the author a that entered the hole, my worm box are still there. They invariably f from the cool shade and walked We've fished a number of the WK upstream. Pennsylvania streams in midsuify Too many people think that trout and caught trout, using the "L I watched in fascination as my rod tip fishing after June is the domain of the method. ^ bent double. The throbbing through fly fisherman solely. That is an enjoy­ Here's our recipe: buy the ^ the ultralight wand told me I had able and deadly method of angling, monofilament line you can afford hooked a good fish, and the flashing but not the only sporting way to catch two-pound-test strength, or less, i» I u form beneath the water confirmed it. I trout. The confirmed bait and lure can get it. It takes a big trout to w eig played him slowly and carefully, fisherman can score in midsummer as over two pounds, and we have afraid to break the two-pound-test line well, but he'll need a change in tactics Erie County lakerun rainbows of & _, or pull the number 16 hook from his and techniques. Take a tip from the fly than twenty inches on the wispy M jaw. When the foot-long brown was at rodders. What do they do as the water If you can't find spools of it, ^>.uf my feet, I reached down and dislodged warms and becomes glass-clear? They fishing leader material in ^"I^j, the hook, and watched him swim away use the finest tippets and smallest flies strengths and tie a tippet to your j to the deep green water where I had they have. Spinning rodders can cash We never use more than four p° hooked him. in on this secret and fish similar test for trout, even in early spring- \ 16 PENNSYLVANIA ANG L* Minnows are an excellent bait any tolerate slightly warmer water than it time of the year and even worms, espe­ likes, provided a large amount of cially the small ones, will catch fish all dissolved oxygen is present. season long, but don't forget that in Making this work for us, we scout the summer, trout are also eating land "trouty" places before casting: where insects which fall into the water. As a cold stream enters the larger creek, the major mayfly hatches are over, fly or where an icy spring seeps in. We rodders now would be fishing Letort also fish the prime areas below falls, Hoppers and crickets, flying ant and heavy rapids or riffles that churn the beetle imitations, and inchworms. You water, dissolving that needed oxygen. can use many of these critters live by The middle of large, slow holes may I I hooking them lightly and attaching a have held some trout in the springtime, small, clear plastic bobber to the line but now with the oxygen grab, unless to give casting weight. they are deep enough that the water is Don't overlook offbeat baits that are dramatically colder on the bottom, naturals to trout: June bugs, mud bugs they'll be homes to only the warm- i (dragonfly larvae), stone fly nymphs, water residents of the stream, such as softshell crayfish and hellgrammites, suckers and fallfish. Fish the head of for example. One of the best ways, to pools where the trout can get oxygen. fish in the summertime is to find bait Remember that baitfish, fishbait and once you get to the streamside: under stream insects can be found in the logs, rocks or tree bark. Crayfish and same highly oxygenated areas, espe­ minnows can be cornered in a back­ cially riffles. water or kicked from under rocks and A trout also needs food and cover, scooped with a small-meshed landing but these are generally readily avail­ net. Minnows can also be caught in the able in a summertime stream with its shallows on tiny hooks and pieces of abundant bug and minnow life, brushy worm. If you take minnows with you, banks, midstream obstructions and keep them active by chaning the water overhanging, leafy branches. Trout often or leaving the container in a cold will be seeking shelter not only from spring or creek while you fish. you, but also from predators such as Lure fishing in the summer can also herons, kingfishers and larger fish, so bring good results. Again, use the don't neglect to fish pockets under logs, snags, rocks and especially over­ Light lines give longer casts, but be smaller lures, such as 1 /32nd ounce on an ultralight rod, and try the darker hanging banks. If you have ever Prepared to tie on lots of hooks. When observed an electrofishing survey, you Sumrner arrives, the largest hooks in colors or those with black blades, Ur rather than flashy silver. However, in know that trout can hide in the ° fishing vests are size 12, and we craziest places. Prefer 14s, 16s or even smaller. If a the clear water, lures may spook more Quality hook is purchased in these fish than they catch. We have fished such streams as the sizes, it will hold surprisingly large More so than at other times of the Tionesta and Lehigh, below cold feed­ tr°ut. Consider the fly fishermen again year, fishing is best in the summer at ers entering the larger creeks, and had a"d the midges they'll be fishing. dawn or dusk, or even after dark. good luck. In these cases, wading in tennis shoes, the big creeks felt like The whole idea is for the line and Cloudy, rainy days spell fishing bath water, while, just a few feet "°ok to be invisible, so use no weight, success, as well. However, we had one away, our legs were numbed by the 0r at most a small splitshot or two of our best days in the middle of an flow from the springs. One summer where the water is moving too quickly August afternoon by being selective as to where we fished: below a cold feeder day on the big Pine Creek, in its lower |° get the bait down. Crimp these at reaches, we caught a number of trout 'east eighteen inches from the hook. stream. In the summer, trout may be scat­ by fishing the deep pool and side runs You must be "invisible," as well, below heavy rapids. *nd fish the "LTT" with a light touch. tered into a few comfortable spots in Follow the fly men again and choose the stream, and angling luck will have On smaller streams, such as the drab-colored clothing, green or brown, to be made by using LTT and "trout heavily fished Nescopeck Creek in our 0r even a camouflage shirt to blend in scouting!" Consider the conditions home county, we have had to sneak ^'th the background. Wear out the that meet a trout in a July or August downstream through the woods and knees of your hipboots sneaking up on stream. The water is very clear, low, fish up back, keeping low and using str very light line. Normally trout will eams, remembering the fish can see and at its warmest. Now consider what face into the current, and the you as well as you can them. Cross a trout asks of life. He needs cool approaching bait looked natural to a °n'y in the shallows, stay low and let water, less than 70°F, preferably in the number of summer-fattened fish. tne bait drift naturally, but casting 50s or 60s, and he requires more u oxygen than most other fishes. The There's really no trick here, except Pstream and keeping line drag to a with the initials of a little mind- Minimum. I would hate to count the two are related: the cooler the water, n the more dissolved oxygen it will be jogging jargon: for summertime suc­ "mber of times trout have been put able to retain. A trout may be able to cess, fish your "LTT" with "TLC!" Gown by an unnatural drift.

J 17 U L Y — 1 9 7 9 %*H?v

This stringer of redbreast sunfish provided the author with plenty of action. For comparison, lure box is 7" long. Sunfish are Funfish by Frank Lucas

M. tossed the little jig and spinner another sunfish on. This one proved to . . . not a bad trip in my books. combination out into the quiet water be the last from this spot . . . repeated Most of my fishing time is spent iij at the base of a flooded maple tree and casts brought no further strikes. pursuit of the redbreast sunfish an0 let it flutter slowly downward before Moving down the stream to an area bluegills that inhabit a small limestone beginning a slow steady retrieve. The of submerged limestone ledges I was creek near my home in Lancaster little jig had hardly moved a foot back able to catch two more sunfish before County. These little fellows can °c toward me when it was taken. Lifting the Fly-Ike was sucked in by a small- found actively feeding almost any tirfle the rod tip sharply to set the hook, I mouth bass who immediately headed of day so I can expect some action n° was rewarded by the throbbing tug of downstream, peeling off line. By keep­ matter when I am able to slip away f°f a fish. By keeping steady pressure on ing the pressure on I was finally able to a few hours of fishing. the fish I pulled it away from the slow him down and turn him away Sunfish of one kind or another &6 submerged roots and out into open from a pile of brush' lodged at the probably the most abundant an° water where it made several circling lower end of the hole. Immediately common fish found in Pennsylvam3 runs before I lifted a fat redbreast swapping directions he took off waters. They reproduce readily unoef sunfish from the water and snapped upstream in another scorching run. almost any conditions. A big reason him onto my stringer. The bass and I made several exciting for their abundance might be the fac Quickly flipping the jig and spinner trips up and down the stream before I that hardly anyone fishes for them •"" back into the water at the base of the was able to get him and myself under purposefully. Most sportsmen seem t° tree I was immediately hooked up with control and slide him out onto the prefer the more glamorous trout an another scrappy sunfish. When subse­ bank. Sunfish were what I was really bass. This could be a mistake because quent casts brought no further action 1 after but that bass had just added an sunfish can provide some very excitine tied on a small brown Fly-Ike and cast exciting bonus to fishing for sunnies. hours of fishing. , back out. As soon as the lure hit the Before the morning was over I landed Bluegills and sunfish can be f°u° < water it was rapped smartly and I had seven more sunfish and two more bass in most of our warmer streams an

18 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLE* Iakes and have been stocked in many only are they good sunfish lures but with rocks and other obstructions. I ^ the farm ponds scattered across they are equally effective on large and carry a small hook file with me at all ^ennsylvania. They are normally smallmouth bass. Trout won't hesitate times and often take a few minutes to '°und close to shore for this is where to hit them either. sharpen the hooks on a lure before lne weeds are the heaviest and the food Color doesn't seem to be as impor­ trying a new spot. 'hey eat is more abundant here. Their tant as it is for other species of fish, No matter what lure you are using, choice of natural food is small aquatic but I do like colors that approximate make sure you use it slowly. Sunfish 0rganisms, bugs, nymphs, minnows, the hue of crayfish and minnows: won't come roaring after a lure like a CrUstaceans, and almost any other browns, silver and orange. bass. Slow down your rate of retrieve e dible thing they can get down. I am These tiny lures require specialized — a fast retrieve will get you nothing always amazed at the size of the cray­ equipment to be cast well. For my but exercise. A slow steady retrieve on eaten by sunfish. I just don't know purposes, I use an ultralight spinning also allows your lure to perform as "°w they get them in their mouths, outfit loaded with six-pound-test line. intended. much less swallow them. Four-pound-test mono would probably When using a floating plug I like to The larger sunfish are particularly be a better choice, but I like the throw it into a likely looking spot and active and easy to catch during May stronger line in case I latch onto a let it sit quietly on the surface for a few and June when they are at the peak of bass. I have also had my slow-moving seconds before twitching it gently "e'r spawning activity. They are busy lures vacuumed up by large carp on several times. If these soft twitches Warding their nests and will strike at more than one occasion and the heav­ don't bring a hit I begin a slow anything that poses a threat to the ier line gives me a better chance at retrieve. Many times a sunnie will hit eggs. a lure the moment it lands in the water The time-tested method of taking and the next time will follow it all the s unfish way back and hit just as the lure is is with a bobber and worms, or lifted from the water. Concentrate on j^ner natural baits, but they can also the lure at all times — you never know e taken with a variety of dry flies, wet when a sunfish is going to "jump on ,les» poppers, or other fly rod type it." ^gs. This is an excellent way to keep The limit on sunfish is liberal and "at fly rod in action and to pick up you don't have to worry about harming a'uable casting experience. With the the fishing by "catching too many." In ast action these fish provide you are Nature's scheme of things, the sunfish °°Und to become a better fly caster in is meant to be the source of food for n° time at all. bass, trout, and other large gamefish, AH of these methods will work but I but when they overpopulate a body of r^aHy like to fish for sunnies with water they become serious competitors Plugs — not tne iarge bass plugs, but for living space, and prey heavily upon hitle atinies bass-sizet onesd Iplug can, find.but iSunfist is noht verwilly gamefish eggs and fry. In many lakes, Oft J"-e» •»— '- — -— • — J especially farm ponds, it seems like len that one will be hooked. Even the everyone wants to catch the more rgest sunfish has a very small mouth popular bass and no one wants to catch j*nd can't get the hooks, much less the the sunfish. Under these conditions it :. y> of a conventional sized plug into doesn't take long for the pond to 's mouth. This is the reason for the t become unbalanced and overrun with ny plugs. They must be scaled down sunfish. The final result is small match the size of the fish if you are stunted sunfish and no bass; so, when °0lng to be successful in taking them Redbreast sunfish shown here is you catch sunfish don't return them to Unplugs. about six inches long — about the water. By taking them home you Sunfish are pugnacious and will te the "outside" limit in the help the fishing. , n attack or attempt to attack any creek the author likes to fish. re dropped in front of them, no Whatever you do don't throw them atter what the size. This tempera- landing them. Anything over six away — they are much too good for er s >t makes them ideal quarry for the pound test would probably be too that kind of treatment. Instead, take Portsman who will scale down his heavy as these small lures are very them home, fillet them, roll them in o ^le to match these scrappy little light and don't have enough weight to flour, fry them in some butter and effectively pull heavier line off the reel you've got a meal that's truly deli­ The most popular lures I have found spool. Keep the drag set light so that cious. /,.e tne Mister Twister Teeny Spins when a bass does come roaring out My wife prefers the eating quality j/i« oz. jig and spinner combinations), from his streamside hideaway to suck of sunfish over any of the fish I bring JJy Ike Corporation's Fly-Ike, Re- in your lure he won't break the line home. In fact she likes them so well s Trout Minnow (l'/j inch long), and escape. that instead of complaining about •*., small diving plugs I make myself. Sunfish have tough mouths, make being a "fishing widow" she encour­ ese lures all carry small hooks, sure your hooks are sharp. The small ages me to go. When she says "Why s ze or sma er and are tne don't you go catch some sunnies?" I ri *if '^ ' 10 ll > hooks on these lures are difficult to 8ht size for sunfish to tackle. Not sharpen and dull quickly from contact don't hesitate, I'm gone!

U L Y - 19 7 9 19 If their trailer has been properly maintained, these Lake Wallenpaupack boaters will have a safe trip home. A Boat Trailering Primer

o",f th e approximately 170,000 regis­ er's weight carrying capacity lS tered boats in Pennsylvania, over 95% stamped on a metal plate, usually are trailerable. An interesting point is located on the tongue. by Virgil Chambers that many of these boats spend more Also, the trailer must be long time on their trailers than they do in enough so that the hull will rest the water. To protect your investment, securely on the aftermost supports- Boating and enhance safety on land, as well as Any overhang in the transom area can Education on the water, the boater should cause damage to the hull. A go°" become knowledgeable about his boat trailer duplicates as much as possible Specialist trailer and trailering. It is important to the support given to the boat in the know how to maintain the trailer, if it water. Pads or rollers should be °' is of the right size, correctly built, and sufficient number and properly ad' properly fitted to the boat that it justed so as to provide maximu^1 carries. support. Not enough support may A boat trailer serves two primary cause the keel to break or the hull to functions. First, it transports the boat "hook" or warp. to and from the launch site; and For safety, both to protect a valU' second, it provides a storage cradle for able investment and to insure a sat6 photos: J. F. Yoder the boat when it is not in use. For trip on the highways, proper equip' safety on the highway and prevention ment is as important as the initi3' of damage to the hull, proper trailer selection of the trailer. selection is extremely important. HITCHES: The drawbar for a The boat trailer should have an weight-carrying trailer hitch should be adequate weight carrying capacity to mounted to the frame of the towing handle boat, motor, and all the extra vehicle. Bumper hitches are n° gear that will be carried in it. A trail­ recommended. However, they can "e 20 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLE* L , Sed for very light trailers. For heavier tongue. A ball too small for the ate automatically as the vehicle slows. , ads, a drawbar of the weight-distri- coupler could cause the trailer to break TIE-DOWNS: When trailering, the uting, or "equalizer" type, should be loose from the towing vehicle resulting boat should have a sufficient number Sed to distribute the weight through- in a serious accident. The ball stem of tie-downs to securely hold the boat 1 the frame of the towing vehicle. should be fit tightly in the hole on the from bouncing on the rollers or pads. Another very important factor is drawbar and be secured with lock A tie-down line in addition to the Pf°per maintenance of the boat trailer. washers. winch cable should be secured thru the "ls is essential to highway safety, not bow eye, with two tie-downs securing TIRES: Tires should be of sufficient the transom. Depending on the size of • Mention the inconvenience of break- size and load bearing capacity to 8 down along the road. the craft, additional straps may be handle the anticipated weight. Gener­ required across the beam of the boat *>res should be checked regularly ally, the larger the tire size, the better r. Proper inflation, wear, and the and secured to the frame. Sln the towing characteristics. Small tires , 8s inspected for cuts or imbedded turn faster, resulting in excess wear Pre-check the launch site before b backing down. Check the degree of b Jects caught in the treads. Wheel and more stress on wheel bearings. A ea slope, water depth, and the surface of Q rings should be greased at least larger tire provides a better ride on e £ a year, more often if they are uneven roads. the ramp to be sure you will have ^merged when launching. sufficient traction. If others are ahead lights should be checked at the SAFETY CHAINS: Pennsylvania of you at the ramp, observe several art of every trip to make sure they Law requires that a trailer be equip­ launchings to better judge how your I e operating correctly. Waterproof ped with two safety chains, attached to rig will handle. j. "^P housings should be used if the the towing vehicle in a crisscross or Don't back down any farther than shits are submerged when launching. "X" pattern. Safety chains should be necessary to launch your boat, set the . *act it's a good idea to uncouple the adjusted so that they do not drag on handbrake and block the wheel of the res while launching. the ground, but with enough slack so vehicle. Have your guide hold onto the Always carry a properly inflated that the trailer may be turned without painter (lead line) from the bow when we tire. Make sure you have the overtightening. sliding the boat into the water. °Per jack and lug wrench — many LIGHTS: The law requires that all Remember, the more proficient you ^es standard automotive equipment trailers be equipped with the same become at trailering, the more time not accommodate your boat trail- lighting system required on the rear of you have to enjoy boating. a H rv an extra wheel bearing set the towing vehicle and that all lights fl a container of grease. Most service operate in conjunction with the lights TRAILER REGISTRA TION , "ons do not carry these parts and a on the vehicle (tail lights, stop lights, Fees for trailers under 3,000 p eakdown can spoil an entire outing. and brake lights). Two red reflectors pounds gross weight, the registra­ tion fee is $6.00. v ^a bulbs are also a good idea, along are required on the rear of the trailer, a n sPare fuses for the towing vehicle; in addition to a white license plate Over 3,000 pounds gross lamp. Combination lights may be weight, the fee is $25.00. Regis­ ^ ' don't forget a well-equipped tool tration with license plates may be used. obtained from: if tK tra w'^e mirrors mav be required Department of Transportation n BRAKES: The law requires an . e boat being towed is high or wide. independent trailer braking system Motor License Division L j8ht side external mirror is required when the trailer exceeds 3,000 pounds Harrisburg, PA la Certificate of title: May be J * if normal vision from the rear- or 40% of the weight of the towing v mirror is obscured by the rig obtained for a fee of $2.00 by vehicle. There are three types of trailer Htl„d er tow. applying for Form RVT-42 from the braking systems currently in use: j °at launching is a two-man opera- Bureau of Motor License. t hydraulic, electric, and surge. Surge d . • requiring one person to guide the Temporary registration license brakes are the most common found on plates may be obtained from a ^ e and handle the boat on the ramp. trailers of medium capacity and oper­ dealer, at time of purchase. • inching ramp is no place to learn lo to back your trailer. If you're new At the launch site, be as courteous and efficient as possible so as not to y ra'ler-boating, practice backing delay others. The ramp is no place to "visit" while others wait in line. r r Sl '8 in your driveway, on a quiet et, or in an empty parking lot. 5n.' the launch site, be as courteous tj., efficient as possible so as not to (^ av others. Have all gear stowed on r^m l^e k°at before approaching the |j P- Remove cover, secure your S ave sar ' ^ fenders in place if neces- a f0r ' °d remove all tie-downs except

by Jeffee Palmer

THE SOBER FACTS ABOUT ALCOHOL AND BOATING

A man and two friends were fishing from a boat. They got ready to move to another spot, but forgot to pull the anchor. When the driver cranked the motor and tried to go forward, the anchor held, spinning the boat in a circle and tossing all three overboard. The men could not get back aboard. They had been drinking. the use of alcohol. One is situation. A graphic the water — will not Two brothers were the embarrassment — the example is the young, sober anyone; all you fishing the spillway area use of alcohol is common, healthy man who worked have is a wide-awake of a dam. The wind was and anyone strongly in a water show, yet drunk, or a drowned one- cold, and they had been criticizing drinking could drowned in a swimming The alcohol used in drinking to ward off the appear hypocritical. Also, pool at a party. He had various kinds of drinks |S chill. Suddenly one man even though social been drinking. ethyl alcohol and, unlike fell into the cold water. drinking is widespread in Another contributing many liquids consumed Trying to help him out, his the United States, many factor is that drinking is man, it has no nutrition^ |a brother also fell in. Both studies and objective an accepted leisure value. Contrary to pop" men were swept away and looks at the subject are activity, especially in belief, roughly the same drowned. not objective at all. They outdoor recreation when amount of alcohol is Research indicates that are clouded in the sun is hot. However, contained in an average overuse or indiscriminate controversy, and not refreshing as it may seem, highball or mixed drink u use of alcohol is a factor readily accepted by alcohol reduces control, (one ounce of hard liQ ° 1 in about 60 percent of the authorities in the field. judgment and coordination as in a can of beer ( ^ fatalities related to water Every year many and can impair perception ounces) or the average recreation. drownings occur which and reflexes. The age-old glass of wine (four There are several could have been avoided; remedies for intoxication ounces). You don't get reasons why people had the victim been — black coffee, cold drunk any faster or s'" involved in water safety sober, he probably could showers, fresh air, from drinking or mixing are reluctant to denounce have coped with the exercise or a fast dip in any of the above to the

22 P E N N S Y LVANIA ANGLE can produce intoxication in Unfortunately, the colors a short time. affected first are red and Alcohol is metabolized green, colors used for at a steady rate no safety lights on the water. matter how much has Most collisions at night been consumed, so a contain accounts by all person who drinks heavily involved that "we had our at night still can have lights on, but the others enough unoxidized alcohol didn't." in his blood to be We see through a intoxicated the next process involving morning. Boaters have numerous eye fixations fallen overboard and every second. These drowned the morning after pictures of our a big drinking bout. environment are edited by Most people killed in our brain and put together boating accidents fall out to form a continuous of boats for one reason image of our surroundings. or another. Since balance The relaxing effect of is one of the first things alcohol over the general impaired by even one body musculature mixed drink, can of beer particularly affects the or glass of wine, alcohol delicate control of the fine consumption may be muscles which move and responsible for many of focus our eyes. When the these falls. brain receives a fuzzy Alcohol also affects picture, it cannot make coordination. Research the proper response. into drownings tends to In the average person, indicate an inebriated a couple of drinks person can't swim, reduces eye fixations by regardless of his ability as much as one-half. Add when sober. And more the tunnel vision effect importantly, a confused induced by glare from the and tipsy person in dark water and vibrations of water often swims down the boat and you have . Xc|usion of any others. It nervous system is rather than up to safety. effectively put blinders on *he quantity of alcohol apparent very soon — Some 85 to 90 percent the drinking boat driver. ^at enters the usually within minutes. And of the information we Too frequently the '°odstream in a short while alcohol is absorbed receive about our social drinker takes risks Jeri°d of time that rapidly into the system, it environment comes in a boat which would ^rmines whether a takes time before it through our eyes. The horrify him if he were Pe rson is drunk. leaves the body and the muscle relaxation induced sober. A|cohol does not follow brain. by alcohol reduces control When a person drinks, . rrr,al digestive patterns. Once alcohol is in the over light entering the reaction time is slowed, stead it is absorbed d bloodstream, it must be eye, distorts eye focus, coordination and speech 're5ct c ly into the broken down by the liver reduces visual acuity, may be impaired and ^°°dstream through the and oxidized — turned into causes double vision, overconfidence often takes al| s s of the stomach and water and carbon dioxide. affect the ability to judge over. On the water, this r^9" in,estine. It then is The liver can convert less distance reduces combination creates a gained in the various than one-half ounce of peripheral vision, night dangerous situation from 9a t(i ns in proportion to alcohol per hour into vision and the ability to which escape may be 8 amount of water they these harmless chemicals. distinguish color. impossible. ^ °itai'ainn . Because the brain Since the body absorbs , , a high concentration alcohol much faster than Editor's Note: The article on these pages appeared in Texas Of KI Parks & Wildlife Magazine and is reprinted here with permission D| the liver can oxidize it, Pe ood (which is 90 from (and our special thanks to) the Texas Parks and Wildlife rcer the cumulative effect of 0f >t water), the effect Department. Ms. Jeffee Palmer is a member of the Information alcohol on the central consuming alcohol rapidly and education Staff. U L Y _ l 9 7 9 23 Above: a sampling of the author's woodchuck flies. Left to right: "All Purpose," "Caddis," "Flymph," & "Nymph" The Incredible Woodchuck Flies by Clayton L. Peters I t seems that every few years some­ that I am an innovator and I suppose cream, shading off to tan, and the one comes up with a new fly pattern his suspicions are justified because I another band of black, followed W that is supposed to be a panacea for all have tried all sorts of material conceiv­ gray tips. . . the colors for m°s the troubles involved in selecting the able in an effort to pattern a fly that midseason hatches of flies. right fly at a crucial moment. would cover a variety of hatches and It is quite a task to flesh out tft It is frustrating to have trout rising situations. hides due to excess fat, but the effort' all around you and snub all your One day in Brady's sport shop in well worth it. The hair is also oily- artificial patterns, so the search goes Millersburg I was told that they had which enhances its value as dry w taken over seventy woodchucks from a material. on and on for the one fly the trout will 3 take under a variety of conditions. At pasture near Waterville, Pa. They said From patterns of flies taken in M ^' times, several specific hatches will be these ranged in color from gray to June and July, I worked to produce tl^ almost black. I asked them to save me one fly for all occasions during t"a in progress simultaneously, adding to 1 the frustration of selecting the one the a pelt and they complied with several period. Among the sample f' ^ of varying coloration. The young collected were Hendricksons, Re, trout prefer. This sometimes happens n when the March Brown and the Gray chucks have lighter colored hair and a Quills, March Browns, Gray Fox a Fox hatches meet head-on. Other flies finer texture; the older ones are Light Cahills. of the Stenonema group may also be decidedly darker. I wish I could say that the legs & ttl prevalent at the same time. These flies A closer look at the fur from a also tied in most cases with [ n are easy to identify because of the mature woodchuck reveals a variety of woodchuck material, but such is darker joint markings on the legs. colors. The base of the hair is almost the case for very obvious reason • My friend Chauncy Lively suspects black, followed up by a wider strip of Various shades of the variant hack'

GRAY -« WOODCHUCK NVMPH

-CLIP

PAU LYOUU65 STRAWMANJ SECTIOM OF WOODCHUCKHAIR.

ALL SEASON DRY FLY

24 P E N N S Y LVANIA A N G L ^ .re wonderful for duplicating the dark olive or gray thread works out well for I have also experimented with lnt e° markings on the legs of Stenon- the darker bodies and pale cream or bleaching and dying this material. For ma flies that hatch during the major amber for the lighter shades. this process it is necessary to thor­ rt of the fishing season. The use of woodchuck hair is by no oughly remove the oil by washing with j.^dmittedly, woodchuck hair is a bit means confined to tying dry flies. detergent or lava soap. If properly Jtncult to spin onto the thread, but Nymphs, flymphs, caddis and even cleansed it bleaches out to a beautiful h the new liquid wax now available Paul Young's version of the cased cream color. The method of bleaching, most tackle shops it is greatly caddis he called the "Strawman described by George Harvey in his ^Plified and not messy. The first Nymph" may be fashioned from it. little manual, "Fly Tying and Trout btv! ^escribed for dubbing the However, due to the oily nature of the Fishing" distributed by the Pennsyl­ °dy was devised by Wayne Leonard, hair it is advisable to wrap a core of vania Fish Commission works well. Harrisburg, and is excellent for lead wire on the hook to facilitate In the drawings, Fig. 1 shows the alc sinking of the nymphs. I have tied s 'ng the rough textured bodies. The method of placing the clipped hair ^c°nd method shown I tumbled onto several versions of a stone fly nymph between the two strands of the loop. out necess t0 with woodchuck hair — but they are ti K '^' °^ ity> make Transfer the end of the loop to the still in an experimental stage and I ^gntly twisted bodies. Both methods hackle pliers and spin to form a hair would hesitate to suggest them until " be used to good advantage. chenille Fig. la shows the spun fur they have proven to be successful. n method number one, a loop of the ready to wrap on the hook. Fig. lb is yn8 thread is formed and the fur In the preparation of woodchuck the completed body and Fig. lc shows , aced between the two strands of the hair, I find it easy to handle by cutting the completed fly. P- The hackle pliers are then two-inch wide strips from the hide and In Fig. 2, the fur is spun on a single ached and spun to form a hair then cutting out the sections of cream, strand of thread, then an equal length eni tan or black as needed. A blender is of thread is taken back over the hook s . }le. Method number two is simply anl?0'11^ l^e ^ur onto tne waxe^ thread handy for mixing this as well as other and wound to the wing position. The ., the thread then doubled back over furs but it can be hand blended very fur and silk is then spun real tight and the hook nicely with a bit of patience. wound to the wing position. Fig. 2a, W and brought to the front. ith the hackle pliers, spin the two The tips of the hairs make excellent the finished dry fly. Note that the r ;. ands of thread with the dubbing, wings for dry flies or may be tied back body is thinner than by the former «>»/y5 t0 form a Compact strand. and spread to form a canopy for caddis method. Fig. 2b shows the wings tied o .Ce'y tapered bodies can be made by wings. It can also be clipped to form a back over the body to imitate the method. A word of caution, don't wing pod for nymphs, or spun around caddis and Fig. 2c depicts what Us e too much fur — the thinner the the hook in a collar for the Vernon Hidy calls the "flymph." It bod v the more natural it looks. Dark flymph. imitates a nymph rising to the surface to transform into the dun stage of a If the trout feel likewise and it proves chuck and caught trout on them- mayfly. successful I'll pass it on to you at a For years I tied imitative patterns of the Referring back to Fig. 2, the all- later date. One thing is for sure: trout flies in an effort to get as close to ucti season dry fly is made of woodchuck love stone flies — especially in their natural as possible, but, after m excepting the hackles. It is dressed as nymph form. experimentation, I am convinced tna follows: By far, the use of woodchuck to date light gathering and other qualities af Tail—Stiff hair from woodchuck has been for the tails and hair wings of more important than strict imitation- tail. dry flies. Most fly tiers whom 1 have am now convinced that woodchuc Body—Tan and a bit of black body spoken to use only the guard hair and provides these desirable qualities. Tfl fur. discard and remainder. This seems like emerging caddis, especially the Gran Wings—Gray tip guard hairs. an awful waste of material, since, with nom fly tied with brownish black bod;' Hackle—Brown variant or one a bit of patience, all the fur is not only dark gray immature wings and sh° cream and one brown hackle usable but is desirable to obtain a black ostrich fibres tied in at the hea mixed. is far superior to the latex type- The hair from the chuck's tail is Some of the woodchuck patterns

Males become "silver-eels" — ma­ fiberglass tanks.in which the elvers W Eels by the Ton ... oNV (continued from page 9.) ture and ready for the long trip at from buys are placed. After partial gr r four to six years. With females it is they are placed in two aerated ponus The female is no slouch at producing seven or eight years. All get a more a half-acre each. eggs — something like 10 million! silvery appearance than when imma­ The man, J. Phillip Booth III, ° Those eggs hatch into extremely ture, say the old-timers. Sumter, says the world has an *| tiny fish. They look like glass but have Eels are known to have been caught market of $300 million per year, a^ an appetite that would, size for size, in the Susquehanna since before the that there is a shortage of 75,000 to" make a horse take a back seat. Revolution. Homemade nets were then per year. . i A great percentage of the eggs and used. It seems that Japan and Chi the baby fish are consumed by preda­ The history of eels dates back to provide tremendous markets for e tors. When the little fish reaches a antiquity. Ancient Greeks believed with Italy also a heavy buyer. length of about two inches it is called there was no sex angle to the eel's life He imports the elvers for his oper • an elver. It then seems to decide there because they could find no eggs or sex tion and also imports the feed he us are better places to live than the organs. They decided that Jupiter from the Orient. / Sargasso and it heads for the "home­ created each one individually. Aris­ Booth's optimism as to the future land." totle also studied eels. He came up eel "farming" seems justified. I"0 Elvers are little devils. It takes with the explanation they were gener­ power to him, but it is a far cry if0 about 4,000 to tilt the scales at one ated spontaneously in the "entrails of the days before big dams wrecked t pound. But those great appetites make the earth." eel activity, when Mother Natu up for that. Most eels caught in the Down in South Carolina a success­ provided a harvest of tons of eels P Susquehanna Valley ranged around ful businessman feels there is a night for those hardy men who bu two or three pounds; some, up to nine tremendous future for eels, and he is and maintained the eel walls of pounds. entering that business. He has large Susquehanna Valley.

26 PENNSYLVANIA ANGL to take the place of the lost support or ^ake that small boat LARGER the boat will flex and possibly break in bV Gary Diamond half. The second option is to convert the seat into a cooler by constructing a waterproof, insulated box that will replace the center seat. Styrofoam blocks can be used for the insulating material and provide extra flotation. There are several ways to determine whether you can safely remove the center seat from your boat. Heavy guage aluminum johnboats with more than two keels and lateral side supports usually do not use the seat for structural integrity, but most V- bottom craft need the added support to prevent side flexing. Boats with heavy guage gunwales made of channel aluminum seem to be uneffected by removal of the seat as long as one or more additional athwartships braces are installed in its place. The only sure way to determine whether or not the removal can be done safely is to contact the manufacturer or your local dealer and ask him. th many years of searching, I item in any boat, and breakage can be ^0u8ht I had found the perfect small prevented by using a piece of PVC Bench seats in the stern of the boat ,at that would go anywhere and do pipe for the front end of your horizon­ are completely underutilized and take ^hing I wanted it to. However, tal rod holders. This protects them up a lot of space. Instead of using the n from little mishaps like flopping fish or conventional six-gallon gas tank, a flat a|*j 'oading aboard all the equipment accessories, there was barely swinging anchors. 12-gallon tank will usually fit right :,QUgh Construction of aluminum boats under the seat, conserving space and room for me to stand, let alone requires the use of athwartships brac­ increasing the range of your craft ing to provide extra strength and considerably. If you fish in larger C[°ve safely to the other end of the s omt reduce flexing. Unfortunately, these bodies of water, and use a single of l ^ ^' P * decided that most motor, a breakdown can be a real inn sPace used was underutilized braces are easy to trip over when standing or moving about. If you are problem. An automotive or marine modifications were in order. Citizens Band Radio will fito n a slide- he overall dimensions of the boat the owner of a flat-bottomed johnboat, 'r412 by 5 feet' W'th a de?th °f 28 you can cover the bracing with a sheet on bracket under the seat. This can be at t le center ne of marine plywood and paint it with used for communications with other fishermen ^ li - Like most r^ ' I always take more fishing nonskid deck coating. If you prefer boats and provide fishing and weather ls than II need (just in case of an ex something a little more fancy, astro information if it is equipped with a PectePeCtedd mishap), therefore rod stora6 s a must' turf looks good and wears well without weather band. It will also allow you to sh^ * - Your primary rod make an emergency call to the U.S. th . De stored in a vertical holder a lot of maintenance. ls Coast Guard or other rescue squads ci mounted out of the way, but A V-bottom craft makes the job a s who monitor Channel 9 for distress y e by for fast action if needed. little more difficult, because you must tlc calls 24 hours a day. at al rod holders can be purchased first construct a frame assembly that rric st Httl * sporting goods stores for as fits the bottom contour of the hull. Last, everyone I know takes along a e as in . five dollars a pair, with mount- After the frame is in place, you can tackle box that you could mount an 8 on e '"structions included. The best then install the decking and cover it outboard motor on and use for a boat. s are h0? made of PVC plastic pipe and the same as the flat bottom. A simple solution to this problem is to dlr sec ectly to the hull, making them Every fishing trip usually involves build a tackle box with large compart­ Tt SL and corrosion proof. They the use of a cooler chest that is large ment drawers that is mounted in the d cr„p be mounted at both ends of the enough to sleep in and the problem rear bench seat (option #2 for this for k-S° vour fishing partner has one arises of where to put the darned seat). Your anchor and ropes can be rod side ' Mount them on opposite thing. The ideal location is in the stored under the foredeck in the bow of t|j s °f the boat if you intend to use center of the boat, but that seat that no the boat. m r far f° trolling, keeping the lines as one uses is in the way. You now have If you own a small boat and want to aPart as possible. two options, the first is to remove the utilize every inch of space, take a good th • sPare r°ds should be secured on center seat, but you can only do this if look at it while all your gear is on e it is not part of the supporting struc­ board. You'll be surprised just how side of the craft in a hortizontal ture of the craft. If it is, you must much room you can gain with a few rod • ' 0ut of the wav" The tip of the ls probably the most vulnerable install additional athwartship bracing simple modifications.

i{] L V - i 9 7 9 27 TOUGH JOB!

For the third year in a row a small gr° f of hearty sportsmen have teamed up *' "M, the Whitewater Challengers, a river wh'\ water rafting enterprise, to stock inacces NOTES irwi the stmMA- ble stretches of the Lehigh River. This o" day's effort each year makes fishing e%ce lent year-round in these areas for sportsman who is "after the experience. moored, or drifting boats . . . and wouldn't SERIOUS MATTER! as well as the fish. All three of the dif overload boats with cargo or passengers? have been absolutely miserable for this While on patrol one warm and windy Parents kept their children near shore, project. The sportsmen are members of Saturday during the month of March, I rather than letting them swim or float on Flint Hill Conservation Club, some of J™ observed a small boat being capsized by a rafts, or whatever, all over the lakes during deputies and their friends, and local tr" sudden gust of wind. The two occupants (a the busiest part of the day? man and his 12-year-old son) began the devoutees. Thanks for a tough job * Wouldn't it be just super, if boaters did done fellows. 20-yard swim to the shoreline. abide by our safety regulations and the Personal flotation devices were not summer of '79 went into the records as the Robert Lynn SteW'. worn, and the man had to hold a PFD in year Pennsylvania had the safest boat­ Waterways Patrol^ one hand while clutching his son with his ing season ever? S Luzerne County free arm. It took about four minutes for the pair to reach the shoreline. Because of the Stephen A. Shabbick loss of body heat to the cold water, both Waterways Patrolman Wyoming County BY LAND OR "SEA". individuals were so weak and exhausted STILL VANDALS! that they had to have assistance in climb­ ing out of the water. If the boat had While talking with Leroy Gibbons, a lan° capsized much farther from the shoreline, CLOSE ENOUGH! owner along the Lackawaxen River 1 I do not believe that they would have been related a story to me that happened to hi" able to swim to shore. After obtaining Two deputy waterways patrolmen, who one weekend. He was cutting up some H*\ warm shelter and dry clothes, I explained shall remain unnamed, were on boat patrol next to the river and observed two ma hypothermia (loss of body heat due to a on Raystown Lake one warm summer and one female person floating down dunking in cold water) to the man and his evening. They observed a canoe floating at river in a canoe. They waved to him and wife. The wife then stated that her the upper end of a quiet cove with no returned the wave, and then continued husband should have known better since he occupants on board. Moving in for a closer cut up the trees. , . was a 4-year veteran of the US Navy. The look they saw the heads of two lovely Mr. Gibbons has constructed a swing1 man left the lake that day assuring me that maidens peeking around the bow of the bridge over the Lackawaxen and it take he had learned his lesson concerning the canoe. Thinking there might be something lot of maintenance to keep it in condi" dangers of small boats and cold water. wrong, one of the deputies shouted to the He looked down and observed all »" individuals and asked if they needed help. persons on the bridge, with the female Stan Plevyak "Don't come any closer!" one of the the middle. As he watched, these tl Waterways Patrolman voices replied. M N/Bucks County persons got the bridge swinging a nd It was only then that the two "alert" jumping up and down on the bridge the) deputies realized that the ancient sport of abo"a 1 got the female so that she was going r skinny-dipping was alive and well. three feet in the air. At this time, •M . Gibbons called to the people, and theys WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF — James T. Valentine Waterways Patrolman something back to him; so, he started do Huntingdon County toward them. They jumped into '" .1 All boaters operated their boats in a canoe and left the area. Mr. Gibbons sa.. careful and prudent manner, had all boats that a lot of the time the fisherman registered, and validation stickers properly blamed for destruction done to Prjya displayed? BOTHERSOME BUOYS! flC property but these people would have d°^ Boaters had all numbers properly damage to the bridge, had they continu displayed and legible, and kept their regis­ The agency responsible for navigation and they were not fishermen. tration certificate on board? on the Delaware River placed two buoys Every boat had the proper number and marking a shallow shoal on the river in the Joseph E. BartleY /, types of PFD's and displayed the proper Point Pleasant area. The buoys are to Waterways Patrol"' lights between sunset and sunrise? remind boaters of that hazard during peri­ Pike County Operators showed some respect for other ods of low river flow. boaters, and skiers kept their proper Recently, I received a call from a distance from shore and anchored boats? woman who owns river frontage (and has a SAME THING? All skiers would wear a CG-approved dock) at the site of one of the buoys. She PFD, and all boats would have a compe­ requested that the buoys be removed. She Sometimes you cannot enforce the Pe , tent observer on board when towing a skier explained that her family and friends like sylvania Boat Law as written. The equ^ . . . and would be operated in a counter­ to water-ski, and the buoys present a ment requirements state you must n ^ clockwise direction where possible. "HAZARD" to the skiers. Sometimes I one Coast Guard-approved Type I, "' \ Boaters would not exceed the slow, mini­ wonder! PFD's for each person on board a C'aS mum height swell speed within 100 feet of Stan Plevyak vessel and, in addition, one Class IV thr shoreline, floats, docks, launching ramps, Waterways Patrolman able. I stopped three Class I vessels on , swimmers or downed skiers, anchored, N/Bucks County Allegheny Reservoir and during a boa 9 28 PENNSYLVANIA ANGL ln8 inspection I found no Coast Guard- "FOG-BOGGED!" ent types of frogs preserved in formalde­ fPProved PFD's on any of the three boats, hyde. ut I wished them well and sent them on The Allegheny Reservoir (Kinzua Dam) Mother: "Did you put your finger into J^'r merry way. These boats were from is known to become extremely foggy at that stuff?" Un tari0, Canada and their PFD's are "De­ times. Nobody is more aware of this fact Youngster: "Yes, so what?" partment of Transport-approved." than Deputy Floyd South and Larry West Mother: "That's Formaldehyde!" of Bradford. During the summer of 1978, Youngster: "So what?" Paul R. Sowers these two men were on boat patrol one Mother: "They put that stuff on dead Waterways Patrolman evening when the fog swept over the people." Warren County lake — thicker than pea soup! Visibility Youngster: "Oh! My GOD!" was so poor, the men couldn't see the water He then proceeded to rub the finger on et over the side of the boat with a spotlight. It his sleeve. I'm not sure if he wore a hole in * COUNTY FUN SPOT — was so bad the boat was going in circles the sleeve or not, but I think he came very and Floyd later remarked, "I didn't know close! , From observations my deputies and I ave we had three Dunkle Corners out there!" been making, we find that approxi­ With an assist from the Man above and the Stephen A. Shabbick mately 80% of our boaters are fisher- Waterways Patrolman en McKean County Sheriffs Department, Wyoming County J? • • . or should we say that 80% of the who sounded their siren to lead them in, s"ermen are boaters? Our observations re Larry and Floyd made it safely back to the * made at the East Branch Lake in Elk mooring dock about 2:30 a.m. We have bounty. since installed a compass to avoid traveling WHOOPS! }o the nonpowered boaters — those in circles. A word of advice to all pleasure Sln While talking to a stocking truck driver 8 rubber rafts, canoes, kayaks, and boaters who plan to boat on the Allegheny from the Huntsdale Hatchery yesterday, ^wboats —my hat is off for the high Reservoir: if weather conditions hint fog is he informed me that he likes to read the P^centage of them who are abiding by the socking in, head for shore "right now," or at "Stream Notes" in the Pennsylvania ° laws and carrying PFD's. We put out the anchor and unroll the sleeping n Angler and was disappointed not to read tinue to check these craft and find most bag! I'm sure Floyd and Larry will second about a sort of unpleasant incident which J-hem in compliance. my motion. j. 'he U.S. Corps of Engineers at the East happened to him while he was stocking trout at Harveys Lake a few years ago. The ranch Lake deserve a "pat on the back" Don Parrlsh , r their continuing efforts in providing Waterways Patrolman only reason I did not submit this ditty was that I thought it might have embarrassed , tier anglinganslinp , boatinghoatinp, anand campincamninge aat ththe McKean County this driver had I done so. Seeing as he laf. ee - Special thanks go to Clyde Braun, would like to see it in print, here goes! ake Manager, and his supervisor, Jack *Crs, for their great efforts. While backing down on a paved boat- AIRBORNE! launching ramp, prior to netting some Bernie Ambrose trout off at one of our "normal" spots, Waterways Patrolman A recent discussion with a local state somehow the driver lost control of his rig Elk County trooper revealed that some strange things and "Ker-plunk!" back she went into the can happen to those who venture out of lake with water coming into the cab! It was very amusing, to say the least, to watch the 'SUP. Greene County to fish. It seems this gentle­ SLIDIN' ALONG' man had traveled to Kinzua Country and driver "abandon ship." And, like a good was fishing in the tailrace. He had on a and true "Captain," when he crawled out M°s t people traditionally think of of the cab, he had in his hand a most 'bo; large shallow running minnow lure and ( 'ating" as a runabout with an outboard was casting with it. Shortly, a seagull important item: the stocking instructions. . Sine attached ripping across a sparkling appeared on the scene, and, spying the Three Cheers for Truck Diver "Splash" , *e at sunset. In Pennsylvania, on our r lure, dove into the water and came up with Donavon. Needless to say, the number of 8e rivers this tradition is slowly being stops needed to unload "Splash's" truck Put it in his mouth. The seagull took off with aside. Canoes, kayaks, and rubber rafts my friend's plug in his mouth and after was only ONE! e fast becoming the most-seen craft. It is stripping off all the line, a tug of war Unusual to have better than a thousand started. Not being the type to be bested by Claude M. Nelfert r Waterways Patrolman * sons using the Lehigh River's "white- any bird, my angler friend put up a valiant N/Luzerne County ater" on one day. Hopefully, this mass struggle, and finally the bird let go of the a ge will bring about enough concern that lure and it was retrieved. Apparently, the e an up efforts on our major rivers will be bird had not gotten hooked. If he had, my iterated. friend would still probably be chasing that "HEAVY," MAN! ., What is it about the thrill of Whitewater seagull! j. at attracts so many people to our major Ralph Clark, from Dillsburg, informed st-falling rivers each year — despite Gary Delger me that his Angler subscription had Verse weather conditions, long drives, Waterways Patrolman expired! I informed him that the subscrip­ nd limited facilities? I had it explained to Greene County tion prices were going up in June and that I e this way: riding down the river in a a 3-year subscription was going to be a big r8e rubber raft is like riding a roller savings. Ralph agreed; then paid for the aster at an amusement park ... if at the NEVER AGAIN! subscription with seven silver dollars and a ""ott°om of each "dip" someone would hit silver half dollar. Did you ever try to carry you 'n the face with a bucket of water. While attending one of the Fish that much silver without listing to the N w ° that is fun! Commission exhibits at EXPO at the starboard? Robert Lynn Steiner Viewmont Mall in Wilkes-Barre, I ob­ Warren Singer Waterways Patrolman served the following: a youngster had put Waterways Patrolman S/Luzerne County his finger into a container that had differ­ Adams/N. York Counties

u L Y — 1 9 7 9 29 B*'"W'"" jfittEfc

g3£*?f

^3fi~ f/jere are undoubtedly a dozen or more explanations regarding what went wrong here! We'll let you ponder.

These, the vacation days, are suddenly us possibly have a secret, silent year11' the days that all the bugs and related ing to be back home, back in the w°r Ashore bugaboos seem to wrap their invisible force again? web around us. Things fail: mechan­ Over the years, I've had maw ical things .. . electrical things . . . experiences, on and around the wate • & even human things. Some good, some not so good. Come Trailer lights stop working just as think about it, I could say just abo" the state cop falls into line behind you the same thing for my entire life. I v Afloat during the darkest part of your drive. also witnessed quite a few others g Car brakes unexpectedly malfunction through their joyful, playful days ° for the first time —just as you back to summer — winners and losers, in a by Gene Winters the water's edge on an unbelievably tion and out of action. crowded ramp (and you're more than I still recall the time a curio"5 a little embarrassed as you pull back youngster removed the transom dra> A he Fourth of July traditionally up the ramp with one hundred gallons plug while his dad snoozed contented'; kicks off the peak summer vacation of the state's waters in your trunk!). A on the boat's sleeper seat. Dad w0* boating season. Energy problems boat battery that worked like a charm up just in time to feel the stern se'ttl e aside, this year has every indication of every weekend mysteriously fails to comfortably in the mud and the waitecf' being the same. The distances we provide even one little tiny volt, first lapping all over his body. No rea travel for our weekend getaways may day out on vacation. harm done — the boat was in less tha have decreased: the amount of time The kids wait until the day after you two feet of water and at ancho • we spend under power may have arrive to suddenly come down with the Besides, how far can a 16-foot boa shrunken; but, undaunted, we struggle summer measles (summer measles?). drift with several hundreds of gall011 onward in pursuit of peace and tran­ Mom suffers next thing to a shoulder of water settled in her innards? quility, rest and relaxation. separation from tossing out the anchor I must have seen a thousand boa The nice thing about vacations is with a wee bit too much enthusiasm. launched from trailers (give or ta" that we get the chance to do more and Dad, you spend a whole day running one or two) and no less than a &ote. on a larger scale of whatever it is we do down a doctor in a strange town to get cars launched from ramps. It must on our weekends. But big is not always a spur-of-the-moment tetanus shot difficult to explain to AAA why y0^ better; longer is not always best. Based (convinced it couldn't have been you needed a wrecker on the shoreline on probability statistics, it's also the who put the fishing lure on the deck Lake Erie? Certainly, no one woI*d most likely time for things to go for just a moment!). Ah, the joys of misunderstanu d why the wheel choc" wrong. We enter the shadowy domain summer, and the arrival of that well- had been left at home. We're all doi"§ of the little gremlins (the bad kind). deserved vacation. How could any of all we can to reduce vehicle weight a"d

30 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLE conserve gas, aren't we? companion of the task. Like a knight for the dock. A passing boat rocked us, With a little thought, understand- from days of old, he raced to the bow, my stuntman timing was thrown off, a°le too, were the motives of some pulled the anchor from the startled and I missed the dock! Fully dressed, I youngsters at a marina during the girl's grasp and, in a move that should settled to the bottom of the Susque­ ourth of July last year. Swept away have been heralded by Caesarlike hanna River in twenty feet of water y the aerial fireworks provided by an trumpets, tossed the anchor into the (which ain't too bright a way to go for ^joining campground, they raced to still waters. There were two sharp, a fella who is only 5' 10"). But, he family boat to join in the cele- distinct splashes: the first, when the defying all odds, I fought my way back ration. Three red flares, one orange anchor hit the water; the second when to the surface — not once but three are, and one purple smoke flare later, the young lady hit the water! The times. One the second upward surge, an embarrassed father tried rather anchor line had been neatly displaying an uncanny presence of Pathetically to explain to a state coiled . .. around her ankle. I hasten mind, I stretched out my arm to hand r°oper his youngster's unbridled, if to assure you an incident like this is my forty dollar eyeglasses (pre-infla- j^'sguided, patriotic enthusiasm. not, at least initially, a laughing tion price) to my wife who was waiting 'And, I understand, he is still trying to matter; but, when it was known the patiently aboard our boat for my °Hect from an insurance company for young lady was uninjured and back eventual and permanent return. Did a scorched and well-ventilated bimini safely aboard, it was hard to stifle a you ever see a blind man struggling 1°P). chuckle or two! What had been a against the sea to survive? And what beautiful, loving relationship between did the doctor mean I was "physically } remember well how routinely Ve two adult, mature persons splashed okay" after I rescued myself and "the J s, girl friends, and lovers have into, at best, a instant love-hate rela­ only possible long-term affect could be °een assigned the chores of casting out the tionship. Needless to say, the couple's psychological trauma .. ."? anchor. Have you lifted and discussion was heard, in no uncertain eaved out any good thirteen-pound Yes, there are countless tales I could terms, from shore to shore. And there ichors lately, fellows? In particular, I spin of the deeds of misfortune that was one less boat at anchor in the cove taunt and pester us during long- Member one summer day. A boat that night. Polled in unnecessarily close to our awaited summer vacations. I've had ?°at, and prepared to drop the hook I've been personally involved in a space to tell only a few. Fact or °r the night. (Ever notice how, even in few vacation misfortunes, too. I'm sure fiction? I submit as proof my author's acres of water, all boats anchor I've already recounted the story of the notebook, dog-eared and waterlogged, ^hin handshaking distance of each time the reverse gear failed on my filled to the brim with misadventures on the water. As I write this article (on ther?) J can't prove it, but I'd wager outboard, just as we were pulling in "e male member of the crew of two along dockside. Anxious to keep the April Fool's Day so you have some­ aQ never cast any anchor in his life. boat from hitting the stern of one tied thing to read on the Fourth of July), ut. in the true vacation spirit, he was up dead ahead, I grabbed a docking there are so many more sea stories I uddenly moved to relieve his female line, jumped on the gunnel, and leaped would like to tell... so many more! This scene reminds the author of a dockside leap he made . . . missed. . . with near fatal consequences!

±v iHd^w^i THE ANGLERS NOTEBOOK by Richard F. Williamson

FISH FACT: Northern pike are real Lines finished in white, cream, or very Riffles are the cafeterias of trou' gluttons on a feeding binge. A fish of this light green are especially good in fishing streams. Aquatic insects hatch i the species will scarcely swallow a big baitfish with nymphs or wet flies. The angler riffles, and small minnows also are preset)'; before it takes another, and it often will watches the end of the line for any Also, the temperature and oxygen contert continue to feed after its stomach is indication of a strike on the sunken lure. A of the water are more to the trout's likinS- crammed full, with perhaps a fish in its dark green or brown line is very hard to see So, don't wade carelessly through riffles • • gullet. in and on the water. fish them carefully, without entering th water if possible. Ever think about how you hold a flyrod , Pickerel prowl shallow water in search of especially if your arm and wrist get tired? their natural prey. Fly rods and light Experts agree that the most comfortable spinning tackle can be used to get such grip is with the thumb on top of the handle pickerel lures as spinners, little wobbling and the fingers curved around it. This spoons, and streamers into the shallows position lets the thumb give an extra push without frightening the fish. and makes it easier to achieve long casts. Don't try to cast into the next country. The result probably will be bad presenta­ tion of the lure. Know your limitations and attempt only the casts you know you can make properly. A flyo r lure, accurately cast, can take fish on casts of only 25 or 30 feet.

Red and white spoons are great favorites in pike and pickerel fishing, but when the Fat-bodied flies with fairly heavy hat:K> water is low and exceptionally clear, and quill wings, all of jet black, are g°° spoons in darker colors, even all black, bass flies when used with small sPin sometimes are more effective.

Fish must see a lure, so a large lure is A light wire hook in size 16 is ideal'° necessary in big, heavy water such as a grasshopper fishing. river or lake. A lure of medium size will be Minnows often are hooked through both effective in water of average depths, such Trout that have been roaming all over lips when used as bait. Be careful in as a creek, but very small lures are best in stream during the early summer will se eK inserting the hook. If it pierces the head, confined water, such as in brooks. cooler water during July and August. Tnw the minnow is almost certain to die. will take positions in relatively deep p°° ' Even fish that are resting — instead of at spots where springs send fresh water yr An electric motor is an ideal helper for actively feeding — can be interested in a from the bottom and at the mouths the angler who likes to fish from a canoe. It lure that is presented with delicacy and cooler tributaries. is light enough for use with a canoe, and it precision. makes far less disturbance than a For trolling, a streamer or buck** paddle. A sliver of pork rind makes many lures should have a hook no smaller than Is1 more attractive to fish. While this combi­ 2. Keep tension on the line — just enough to nation is involved most often with spoons, a little slip of pork is also a good addition to a "feel" the action of a jig, from the moment Lunker hunting usually is good 1 it enters the water until it rests on bottom. streamer or bucktail, a spinner, a big wet August. The biggest trout in the streia" It is an established fact that bass and fly, and even a floating bass bug. have taken refuge in deep pools and ^ walleyes often take a jig as it drops down in heavy currents where there are pockets ( the water, but the take is so delicate that quiet water. A large pool with an undefc J the angler is not aware of it unless he is in bank, large rocks on the bottom and ov contact with the jig through the line. cover are favorite lunker haunts. But a' fish the water adjoining such pools, j Keep your eyes wide open when fishing when the big fellows are hungry they * water that contains rocks and other range good distances from their surnm obstructions that create holding the feed­ refuges. ing stations. These current-breakers do not always protrude above the surface of the Burying the point of the hood in a w°f water. Some of them, in fact, may be so bait is not necessary. No fish is likely deep that a careless examination of the spot the hook point protruding, from t water will not reveal them. Yet, regardless body of the worm. Besides, a hook with | of depth, they break moving currents and point exposed does a better job of hook' attract fish. a fish.

32 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLE PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION DIRECTORY State Headquarters: 3532 Walnut Street, Progress, Pa. (Mailing Address: PO Box 1673, Harrisburg, Pa. 17120) EXECUTIVE OFFICE Ralph W. Abele, Executive Director a"t Attorney General Administrative Assistant Comptroller Dennis T. Guise Howard T. Hardie Edward T. Durkin Office of Information

Co Willard T. Johns, Director 717-787-2579 rVa,i SBe . °n Education, Stephen B. Ulsh 717-787-7394 Pennsylvania Angler, James F. Yoder, Editor 717-787-2411 3 Publications, Larry Shatter 717-787-7394 Angler Circulation, Eleanor Mutch 717-787-2363

BUREAU OF FISHERIES & ENGINEERING Edward R. Miller, P.E., Assistant Executive Director Robinson Lane, Bellefonte, Pa. 16823 Tel. 814-359-2754* (*Unless otherwise indicated, all offices within this bureau may be reached at this same address and telephone number.) Fred W. Johnson, Water Resources Coordinator 717-783-2808 (Office at State Headquarters, 3532 Walnut Street, Progress, Pa.) Dennis Ricker, Administrative Officer* FISHERIES DIVISION* tlo Delano Graff, Chief ty, '""notion Section, Ken Corl, Chief Fisheries Management Section, Robert Hesser, Chief* a,or B0„ Production Section, Shyrl Hood. Chief. 814-683-4451 Research Section, Vincent Mudrak, Chief 814-355 4837 '• Unesville, Pa. 16424 Benner Spring Fish Research Station. Box 200-C, Bellefonte, Pa. 16823 Cooperative Nursery Branch, Paul Byers. Chief

BELL FISH CULTURAL STATIONS NTE Rd4 R° ' William Hoover, Superintendent 814-355-4159 LINESVILLE, Charles Sanderson, Superintendent 814-683-4451 jp ' 0x 23°- Belletonte, Pa. 16823 Box 127. Linesville. Pa. 16424

IB , SPRING, William Kennedy, Superintendent 814-355-4837 OSWAYO, D. Ray Merriman, Superintendent 814-698-2001 BlG °X 200~C' Bellefonte. Pa. 16823 RD 2, Box 84, Coudersport, Pa. 16915

NG w 8ox 3 ' ' ayne Weigle, Superintendent 717-776-3170 PLEASANT GAP, John Bair, Superintendent 814-359-2754 RD 4 f.Q ' . Newville. Pa. 17241 Robinson Lane. Bellefonte. Pa. 16823 C°rry "UNI0N CITY, Tom L. Clark, Superintendent 814-664-2122 PLEASANT MOUNT, Zenas Bean, Superintendent 717-448-2101 b, ' a 16407 Pleasant Mount, Pa. 18453 JOOQ, ' Ne" Shea. Superintendent 814-474-1514 REYNOLDSDALE, Ralph Berkey. Superintendent 814-839-2211 rer Road, P.O. Box 531. Fairview, Pa. 16415 New Paris. Pa. 15554

ALE T oX3 '

Si. Buck, Chief 717-787-2350 Paul Martin, Chief 717-787-3042 ™- Manhart, Deputy Chief 717-787-2350 John Simmons, Marine Services 717-787-3042 Betty Stroud, Boat Registrations 717-787-4480 v„9ll Management Support/Boating Education Branch ambers, Boating Education 717-787-7684 (Vacant) Boating Information 717-787-7684

K0f)T REGIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICES

8T Maj|in Jf . Walter G. Lazusky, Supervisor 814-437-5774 SOUTHWEST, Thomas F. Qualters, Supervisor 814-445-8974 L dclr oCallo ess 128] otter St., Franklin, Pa. 16323 Mailing Address RD 2, Somerset, Pa. 15501 "'on.. % 1281 Otter St., Franklin, Pa. 16323 Location On Lake Somerset, Somerset, Pa. ENTR ^ailin„ AL, Paul F. Swanson, Supervisor 717-748-5396 SOUTHCENTRAL, Richard Owens, Supervisor 717-436-2117 L°caiio ddress Box 688' Lock Haven, Pa. 17745 Mailing Address RD 3, Box 109, Mifflintown. Pa. 17069

NQR 129 Woodward Ave. (Dunnstown) Lock Haven, Pa. Location On Route 22, 3 miles west of Mifflintown, Pa. ^ilin,, *ST' Clair Fleeger, Supervisor 717-477-5717 SOUTHEAST, Norman W. Sickles, Supervisor 717-626-0228 '•"Caiij""11™88 Box 88. Sweet Valley, Pa. 18656 Mailing Address Box 6, Elm, Pa. 17521 On Harris Pond, Sweet Valley, Pa. Location On Speedwell Forge Lake on Brubaker Valley Road BUREAU OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES (State Headquarters) \,„ Paul F. O'Brien, Director Set A tmP|°yment, Leon D. Boncarosky 717-787-7057 License Section, Mary Stine 717-787-6237 ^al r; nalys'. Vincent Rollant 717-787-2599 Federal Aid Coordinator, Glen C. Reed 717-787-6391 ale "nrCna ' John Hoffman 717-787-6376 Office Services Supervisor, Chester Peyton 717-787-2363 '"8 (Harrisburg), Avyril Richardson 717-787-2732 Purchasing (Bellefonte), Dennis Shultz 814-359-2754