ANNUAL BASS NUMBER TEN CENTS OFFICIAL STATE JUNE. 1940 PUBLICATION 'ANGLER/ Vol. 9—No. 6 PUBLISHED MONTHLY COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA by the BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS Publication Office: 540 Hamilton Street, Allentown. Penna. Executive and Editorial Offices: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Board of Fish Commis­ CHARLES A. FRENCH sioners, Harrisburg, Pa. Commissioner of Fisheries Ten cents a copy—50 cents a year MEMBERS OF BOARD CHARLES A. FRENCH, Chairman Elwood City ALEX P. SWHGART. Editor South Office Bldg., Harrisburg, Pa. MILTON L. PEEK Radnor HARRY E. WEBER NOTE Philipsburg Subscriptions to the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER should be addressed to the Editor. Submit fee either by check or money order payable to the Common­ EDGAR W. NICHOLSON wealth of Pennsylvania. Stamps not acceptable. Philadelphia Individuals sending cash do so at their own risk. FRED McKEAN New Kensington PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER welcomes contribu­ tions and photos of catches from its readers. Proper H. R. STACKHOUSE credit will be given to contributors. Secretary to Board All contributions returned if accompanied by first class postage. Entered as second class matter at the Post Office C. R. BULLER of Allentown, Pa., under Act of March 3, 1819. Chief Fish Culturist, Bellefonte 3X>- IMPORTANT—The Editor should be notified immediately of change in subscriber's address Please give old and new addresses Permission to reprint will be granted provided proper credit notice is given Vol. 9. No. 6 ^ANGLER^Vl^l W LvC IV / JUNE 1940 EDITORIAL THE BASS PROGRAM HE program of your Fish Commission is based on the thought of keeping T pace with the ever-growing number of fishermen, and the plan set up in 1939 provided for the stocking of much larger fish in the majority of our bass waters. It is our belief that in time we will be able to stock bass up to legal size. Under our present set-up, it would be possible for us to stock several million bass each year, but they would be very small. We are not interested in number but are tremendously interested in the task of making Pennsylvania one of the best bass fishing States. We believe by stocking less fry and devoting our efforts to raising these fish to much larger size, we can complete our program much sooner. We have experienced many difficulties before arriving at a suitable program for the propagation of bass, but believe we now have a unique system which will be the final solution of this problem. The survey of the fishing waters of the State has shown that while most of the major streams and upper waters of our various rivers are only suitable for smallmouthed black bass, there are many areas where the largemouthed predominates. Both species will be raised and planted. Our mammoth bass farm at the Huntsdale Hatchery will be in operation for the first time this year, and I sincerely wish every fisherman in this Commonwealth could spend some time at this wonderful bass farm, if possible, and see just what we are doing. Don't forget the slogan—"Lose a Hook and Spare a Bass." All fishermen can play a vital part in conserving bass by sacrificing a hook. Commissioner of Fisheries PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER JUNE Fly Rod Technique and Spinners for Bass By Wm. R. Walton OR some inexplicable reason many ang­ the strain of bug and hair-minnow casting, While stripping in the line with the left F lers, who handle the casting rod with never should carry a line smaller in diameter facility, hesitate to attempt the fly rod tech­ hand, it is well to control it with the right than size C or D, and usually the larger size fingers during the interval while the left nique as being too difficult to acquire. They is better. apparently labor under the erroneous impres­ hand is reaching forward for another fist- The bait caster will have learned that the full. If a fish strikes just at that moment, sion that ordinary casting with the fly rod is lighter the casting line, the easier it is to a much more difficult game than bait casting. he may fail to hang and if he does you will control, but in fly rod casting, exactly the be doing some amusing acrobatics in trying My personal belief is that the contrary is the reverse is true. Except with the heavier fly truth and that anyone who has really mas­ rod lures, it is the line and not the fly that to keep a tight line, which is the secret of tered casting rod technique may easily ac­ is cast and this must be heavy enough to pull landing them with a fly rod. quire satisfactory skill with the fly rod. the rod tip well back of the butt during the In the manipulation of spinners attached to It is of course true that the casting of right back cast if the full power of the rod is to hair-minnows, and streamers, it frequently and left hand loops in the fly game is quite be developed. The line should be heavy becomes desirable to retrieve these slowly another thing but this is the most difficult enough so that with about 40 feet of it out, and steadily without moving the tip of the branch of fly fishing and one may use the and without fly or leader attached, it can rod at all. This objective is attained by the fly rod with satisfaction and profit for years easily be cast full length in the absence of use of what that most sapient and clever of without being called upon to handle a dry wind. angling writers, Ray Bergman, calls the "hand fly. The fact is that dry fly fishing for bass Keeping the foregoing in mind it is my twist retrieve". can be practiced with success only rarely and advice to the beginner to wade into some under unusual conditions. This trick probably is as ancient as the suitable large stream or pond and go ahead art of fly fishing itself but is difficult to Fly rod technique does, however, differ and cast, as that is the way to learn the describe without the aid of illustrations, so from that of the casting rod in that it re­ game. with this in mind I have made a set of quires somewhat greater facility in the use Let the backcast go as far as it will before drawings which should serve to supplement ( of the left hand or rather more complete or starting the forward cast, use your elbow and the following description: team work coordination in the use of the wrist only in this, and success is sure to come. hands. Don't let some high pressure salesman sell After the cast is made and with the line you a tapered line for this game either,, and fully extended, the rod being held at about Among the easier of fly rod acquirements a 5 foot 10 pound test, synthetic gut leader the angle illustrated in Fig. 8, the left hand is the successful casting of the heavier lures is perfectly O.K. for this purpose. with its thumb pointing toward the body, such as bugs, hair-minnows and streamer grasps the line as shown in Fig. 1, and is I flies, especially when the latter are attached A long light leader is required for some kinds of bug casting but that can come later brought forward and downward by turning to a small spinner. This acts as ballast dur­ the wrist, thus retrieving several inches of ing the back cast carrying the end of the after the rudiments have been acquired. After the timing of the forward cast has line, Fig. 2. Then without relinquishing line backward readily and thus enabling the the line, the forefinger and thumb are ex­ neophyte to begin his cast forward under become automatic, the stripping in of the line, to retrieve the lure, is the next step tended, Fig. 3, grasping the line, Fig. 4. The the most favorable conditions. If the heavy hand is then moved in reserve, upward and lure makes a splash in contacting the surface, to be acquired. The numerous volumes of directions for fly fishermen illustrate this backward as far as the wrist will take it, no harm is done, as this is more likely to Fig. 5, again retrieving more line. As the attract Mr. Bronzeback than to frighten him. action by depicting the line held in the left hand in beautiful, orderly loops but the truth hand reaches the limit of its backward path, Practically the whole secret of fly rod is that nine out of ten fly rod fans just let but with the line retained between thumb manipulation resides in the full utilization the slack fall into the water beside them. and finger, Fig. 6, the remaining fingers are of the resilience of the rod. This in turn This is satisfactory procedure provided that opened and the outer edge of the hand en- gages the line about at the second joint of depends importantly on the fitting of the rod you do not step on the line or into the loops. ! with a line abundantly heavy for the particu­ In the former case the line may be ruined, the little finger, Fig. 7. This completes the lar rod to be used. and in the latter if a fish happens to strike cycle which is repeated until the lure is in position to be lifted for another cast. It may be stated as an invariable rule that you will have to do the split, or something, while playing him.