The Pennsylvania Angler Salutes: A Teen-Age Editorial Hil I'm Herman. at last. I was hoping to see the inside of a house, but I never got that chance. They put the water I was in I'm a particle of dirt. I had a very humiliating ex­ through a filter. I went through gravel, then sand. perience not too long ago, and I'd like to tell you That was really rough. about it. Now came the hard part. They had tile on the bot­ I was calmly floating down a creek one sunny day, tom with tiny little holes. I didn't get through. I knew when all of a sudden I got pulled into the intake of in two or three days they'd clean the filters, so I the water company. I didn't know where I was or waited. After they cleaned it out, they took the dirt what was going on, but I heard someone call the water (what was left) outside and threw it away. But I'm I was in "raw water." Then I was put in a "settling no ordinary hunk of dirt, I wanted to know what they basin." I realized then what was happening. I was did to the water after we were gone. I sneaked back hurt, deeply hurt. They wanted to get rid of me! They to the window sill and peeked in. After I was gone, didn't want me in their water. the water was put in the clear well, chlorine and Well, just to be stubborn, I decided I wouldn't fluoride were put in. settle like I was supposed to. It dawned on me, then, Then a series of tests began. I'm sure glad I didn't that they really wanted to get tough. But I decided to have to go through all that. They had a turbidity test, stick it out to the last. I was put through a machine an alkalinity test, a pH test (parts of hydrogen), a that put aluminum sulfate into the water. Oh, what chlorine test (every hour), a fluoride test, a threshold terrible stuff! It was to take the mud out of water. odor water test (I guess they were trying to smell us) It caused flock. What a gooey mess! I know I was plus a few other tests. Gee, they sure kept up a con­ supposed to stick to the flock and sink to the bottom. stant safeguarding against water which is contami­ But I wasn't going to do it, I wasn't going to give in nated with us. I'm now kind of glad someone didn't that easily. I pulled and tugged at the mass of goo. I drink me up and that I didn't get through that last finally got away. filter. After that I was put in a settling tank to settle some —By Miss Barbara Sommerville more. Again, I didn't settle. But then, my doom came Age 13, Camp Hill School PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION PENNSYLVANIA DIRECTORY EXECUTIVE OFFICE ANGLER H. R. STACKHOUSE Acting Executive Director Published Monthly by the DR. ALBERT S. HAZZARD Asst. Director PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION (Vacant) COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA Administrative Secretary PAUL J. SAUER David L. Lawrence, Governor Comptroller DONALD E. HERMAN • Asst. Comptroller • PENNSYLVANIA FISH COMMISSION ALBERT R. HINKLE, JR., President _ _ Clearfield DIVISIONS WALLACE C. DEAN, V. Pres. _ - Meadville Aquatic Biology JOHN W. GRENOBLE Carlisle R. STANLEY SMITH Waynesburg GORDON TREMBLEY Chief GERARD J. ADAMS . Hawley JOSEPH M. CRITCHFIELD Confluence Fish Culture RAYMOND M. WILLIAMS ... East Bangor MAYNARD BOGART Danville DEWEY SORENSON _ Superintendent Engineering THOMAS F. O'HARA Chief Engineer Real Estate CYRIL G. REGAN Chief JUNE, 1960 VOL. 29, NO. 6 Law Enforcement WILLIAM W. BRITTON - Chief Conservation Education-Public Relations J- ALLEN BARRETT Chief C. ROBERT GLOVER _ - _ Asst. Chief J. ALLEN BARRETT, Editor JOHNNY NICKLAS, Photographer • REGIONAL OFFICES Contents Northwest Conneautville Phone 3033 2 WHAT AFFECTS A TROUT'S PREFERENCE FOR BAIT? (Part II)- S. CARLYLE SHELDON _ Warden Supervisor Keen Buss WILLIAM E. DAUGHERTY, Fishery Manager 4 THE PITY OF IT ALL-L. E. Stotz Southwest R. D. 2 5 FREE FACTS FOR FISHERMEN-Don Shiner Somerset 8 ANGLER QUIZ-Carsten Ahrens Phone 6913 WINTER C. JONES Warden Supervisor 9 COMMISSION MEN GO FISHING, IT'S STRICTLY BUSINESS- DEWAYNE CAMPBELL _ Fishery Manager Roger Latham Northeast 10 THE "MUSKY" PROGRAM-C. Robert Glover 546 Main Street Honesdale 16 NYMPH-FISHING SUBTITLES-Ray Ovington Phone 1485 CI.AIR H. FLEECER, 18 NOTES FROM THE STREAMS Acting Warden Supervisor TERRY RADER Fishery Manager 21 CONSERVATION ACROSS THE NATION 23 HOW BIG IS BIG?-Chauncy K. Lively Southeast Box 145 Hellam COVER: Father and Son Companionship Astream Phone York 47-3934 JOHN S. OGDEN _ _ Warden Supervisor Photo by Johnny Nicklas ROBERT BIELO Fishery Manager North Central 644 W. Main Street POSTMASTER: All 3579 forms to be returned to Sowers Printing Co., Lebanon, Pa. Lock Haven TW PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER is published monthly by the Pennsylvania Fish Commisssion, Phone 6497 South Office Building. Harrisburg, Pa. Subscription: 51.00 per year, 10 cents per single copy. JOHN I. BUCK Warden Supervisor Send check or money order payable to Pennsylvania Fish Commission. DO NOT SEND STAMPS. ^AN HEYL Fishery Manager Individuals sending cash do so at their own risk. Change of address should reach us promptly. Furnish both old and new addresses. Second Class Postage Paid at Gettysburg, Pa. Neither Publisher nor Editor will assume responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or illustra­ South Central tions while in their possession or in transit. Permission to reprint will be given provided we 201 Ridge Road receive marked copies and credit is given material or illustrations. Communicationsi pertaining to Huntingdon manuscripts, material or illustrations should be addressed to the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, Phone Mitchell 3-1321 Harrisburg, Pa. HAROLD CORBIN _ Warden Supervisor NOTICE: Sabscriptions received and processed after the 10th of each month will begin with the CURTIS SIMES Fishery Manager second month following. A Ftshing Experiment Part II i What Affects A Trout's Preference For Bait? By KEEN BUSS, Biologist Benner Spring Fish Research Station Pennsylvania Fish Commission FISHING FOR answers to how to stop the truck fol­ Photos by lowers and bait preferences of trout during the recent Johnny Nicklas experimental project at the Commission's Benner Spring Research Station. fed. On such feed, trout became ill when hauled in the tank truck-not so with pellet-fed fish. These fish, Fishermen are well aware that trout are finicky pellet fed and starved, were then hauled for an hour ^ creatures. On occasions they will hit spinners, as if the before being planted in a raceway at Benner Spring I lures were their only food. The next day they totally for the experiments. ignore spinners but take worms as though they were Fifty fed and 50 starved of each species were I about to disappear from the earth. planted in each of three sections of "stream." The first I Many anglers, however, feel that trout hit spinners section was fished the first day, the second section was out of pure cussedness—that curiosity is the main fac­ fished 48 hours after planting and the third section I tor where, for example, a royal coachman fly is in­ was fished 72 hours later. Each group was marked by I volved. In any event, dyed-in-the-wool trout anglers different fin clips. tj agree that the species prefer different baits on certain For all practical purposes, on the second day, all j days. The question is "Why?" groups were starved but to different degrees. The I If one had all the answers he would no longer need "fed" trout had been without food for only one clay, to work. He could sell his secrets and retire on his own while the "starved" group had been without food for trout stream. Short of asking the trout, and they won't four days. It was noted that after the first day the ten- J talk, the only way to obtain possible answers to such dencies to feed, between starved and fed fish, de- \ questions is to set up a research-study experiment. creased until by the third day there was little difference. I This was done in conjunction with another study (See This indicated that the length of time fish were I "A Fishing Experiment," Part I-May, 1960, ANGLER) starved had little effect on the return to the fishermen- 1 at the Pennsylvania Fish Commission's Benner Spring The important fact was that after 24 hours, almost all I Fish Research Station that was designed by Dr. Henry fish responded to bait or lures as if they all had been ] Fortmann, assistant director of the Agricultural Ex­ starved—previous feeding history had little effect. To periment Station at Penn State University. the fisherman this means that it is of little advantage The original experiment was designed to study a to follow a truck load of pellet-fed fish, but be on the ] method to prevent hatchery fish from biting immedi­ water stocked with them to fish the next day or the ' I day after, as fishing will get better. ately after planting, thus discourage truck following. In addition, however, to the findings in this regard The fishermen used in the experiment were of vary­ presented in Part I of this report, a great deal was ing capabilities—from expert to virtual novice. Nine learned about fishermen, baits and species of trout. anglers took part. Tlu-ee used worms, three used arti­ In retrospect, 300 each of brook, brown and rain­ ficial nymphs, and three used spinners.