JUNE PEMSYIVAMA ANGLER 1953

STREAM PRACTICES • IS FISHING FOR GIRLS? . RIGHT FLY LINE

BOATS FOR FISHING FUN, FAMILY PLEASURE SPINNING FOR CARP

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Fisherman's Paradise SPRING CREEK PROJECT - CENTRE COUNTY

Famous the World Over for Wonderful Trout Fishing

SEASON CLOSES JULY 18

AMPLE FREE PARKING SPACE—BRING THE ENTIRE F A M I L Y -

SPECIAL STREAM SECTION FOR LADY ANGLERS

(See Regulations on Page 22)

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COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

HON. JOHN S. FINE GOVERNOR

P E N N S Y L V A N I A

FISH C O M M I S S I O N

BERNARD S. H O R N E , Pres ident PITTSBURGH

PAUL F. BITTENBENDER, V i c e - P r e s . WILKES-BARRE

MILTON L. PEEK RADNOR

WILLIAM D. BURK MELROSE PARK

GEN. A. H. STACKPOLE DAUPHIN

LOUIS S. WINNER LOCK HAVEN

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

C. A . FRENCH, Execut ive Director ELL WOOD CITY

H. R. STACKHOUSE Administrative Secretary

ROBERT P. DEITER Comptroller

R. C. McCASLIN Deputy Comptroller

• PUBLIC RELATIONS J. ALLEN BARRETT

Director

FISH CULTURE C. R. BULLER

Chief Fish Culturlst GORDON L. TREMBLEY Chief Aquatic Biologist ARTHUR D. BRADFORD

Pathologist CYRIL G. REGAN

Chief Dlv. of Land and Water Acquisition GEORGE H. GORDON Official Photographer

T H O M A S F. O ' H A R A Construction Engineer

HATCHERY SUPERINTENDENTS Dewey Sorenson—Bellefonte Merrill Lillie—Corry & Union City Edwin H. Hahn—Erie T. J. Dingle—Huntsdale Howard Fox—Linesville J. L. Zettle—Pleasant Mount George Magargel—Reynoldsdale Bernard Gill—Tionesta John J. Wopart—Torresdale

ENFORCEMENT W. W. BRITTON

Chief Enforcement Officer

DISTRICT SUPERVISORS Northwest Division

CARLYLE S. SHELDON Conneautville, Pa.; Phone 3033

Southwest Division MINTER C. JONES

361 W. Lincoln St., Somerset, Pa.; Phone 5324

North Central Division C. A. BIDELSPACHER

767 W. 4th St., Williamsport, Pa.; Phone 24561

South Central Division HAROLD CORBIN

521 13th St., Huntingdon, Pa.; Phone 1202 Northeast Division C. W. SHEARER

Box 3, Sweet Valley, Pa.; Phone Dallas 4B427 Southeast Division JOHN S. OGDEN

242 E. College Ave., York, Pa.; Phone 7434

P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

VOL. 22, No. 6 JUNE, 1953

IIV THIS ISSUE

STREAM PRACTICES, W I S E A N D O T H E R W I S E . . . A l b e r t G . Shimmel 2

IS F I S H I N G FOR GIRLS? Eugene Burns 4

YES . . . I REMEMBER! .Johnny Mock 6

S P I N N I N G W A S M A D E FOR C A R P Erwin A. Bauer 8

TIPS O N M O N O F I L A M E N T Joseph D. Bates, Jr. 10

W E L L . . . W H A T ' S NEXT? Lee Wulff 12

T H E R I G H T FLY L INE N . R. Casillo 13

BOATS FOR F I S H I N G F U N — F A M I L Y PLEASURE Don Shiner 14

B U I L D I N G F R O M A BOAT KIT Keith C . Schuyler 18

A D V A N T A G E S O F F I S H I N G F R O M A BOAT Thad Bukowski 20

F I S H E R M A N ' S PARADISE R E G U L A T I O N S 22

W H A T ' S N E W I N F I S H I N G BOOKS Hugh Johnson 30

T H E FLY B O O K . . . A . G . Shimmel 31

T H E EDITOR'S A N G L E 32

THE COVER . . . photo of a man "at peace with the world" but ready to battle that big one under the falls.

—Photo by Cy La Tour & Son

BACK C O V E R — F o l l o w i n g simple rules of boating safety may save a life . . . your own!

— A Forrest-Cypher conservation cartoon.

George W. Forrest, Editor 1339 East Philadelphia Street, York, Pa.

The PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER is published monthly by the Pennsylvania Pish Commission, South Office Building, Harrisburg, Pa. Subscription; $1.00 per year, 10 cents per single copy. Send check or money order payable to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. DO NOT SKND STAMPS. Individuals sending cash do so at their own risk. Change of address should reach us promptly. Furnish both old and new addresses. Entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office, Harrisburg, Pa., under Act of March 3. 1873.

Neither Publisher nor Editor will assume responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or illustrations while in their possession or in transit. Permission to reprint will be given provided we receive marked copies and ere lit is given material or Illustrations. Only communications pertaining to manuscripts, material or illustrations should be addressed to the Editor at the above address.

Stream

Practices,

Wise

and

Otherwise By ALBERT G. SHIMMEL

LOOK FAMILIAR? Is i t any wonder our streams commence to look like pig pens and rat holes. The "great American l i t terbug" is becoming famous for dumping trash, garbage and debris any­where but in his own backyard. Such practices rile the landowner, often results in posting. Paint cans, oil and gas containers spew

substances into the waters that do little good for fishlife.

DON SHINER PHOTO

NORMALLY I'm a rather placid in­dividual, not easily aroused and

with little of the crusader spirit. But right now I'm angry. Not the soft spoken, diplomatic, kid-gloved sort of indignation but the hackle raising, fin­ger twitching, profane sort of wrath that makes me want to throw things, change things and individuals single handedly. The kind of hot fury that would persuade individuals by the woodsman's bare knuckled, spike-booted philosophy of force rather than the more civilized, democratic way of tolerance, argumentation and verbal persuasion. Living in this modern age I am forced to remember that it is better to obtain results by peaceful means rather than resort to the knotted club, fist, hatchet tactics of my an­cestors. Not that certain individuals do not start a wish that I could revert to the primitive.

I have been innoculated from child­hood with the idea that ownership of land or privilege constitute a steward­ship and a moral responsibility to im­prove such holdings rather than exploit that which has been placed in my trust. Land can be made to produce for centuries with proper care. Waters can remain productive and unpolluted in the face of hundreds of years of care­ful use or they can be destroyed by one thoughtless, selfish individual or group in much less than a generation.

Most of the crimes against conserva­tion principles are committed through ignorance or thoughtlessness, although a few individuals are brazenly selfish. These are the killers seeking to net the last fish or shoot the last head of game, trying to make a personal profit from the last bit of fertile soil, the last stick of timber. They play via their own rules and, if caught in an infringement of existing law made for public protec­tion, will shout to high heaven of social injustice. If not apprehended by alert enforcement officials they often give themselves away by boasting of their illegal escapades. Fortunately these in­dividuals are few in number, but the damage they do is impressive. The ig­norant and thoughtless can be taught the benefits of good practices, usually cooperate, the others can only be dealt with by tight law enforcement.

There are several practices distinctly detrimental to the sport of angling. Of these probably the most shortsighted, and in some cases disastrous, is the taking of live bait from a stream in which game fish are present. The bal­ance of life in a stream or lake is rela­tively more sensitive than the same

:i P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

balance on land. No r ight-minded farmer would turn out livestock on a denuded range and expect them to sur­vive, much less show a profitable gain. Yet we constantly allow our waters to be robbed of the very food game fish depend upon for life itself. Is not the hand now around the neck of the goose that lays our golden egg?

On one of the most famous streams of central Pennsylvania there are wadeable stretches where bottom stones show the brightness of constant turning and scouring by the live bait gatherers. In the opinion of anglers intimately acquainted with the stream, the fly hatches are becoming less abundant year by year. The constant turning of rocks and debris destroys much more insect life than is captured for bait. Of the amount collected it is doubtful if more than a small percentage is ac­tually used. Much is wasted.

Last season I came upon a quar t jar lying close to the stream bank where it had been discarded. There were 42 water worms (larva of the crane fly) by actual count, dead from exposure to the hea t of the sun. Aside from having more than the legal limit of possession the angler had been too lazy or hasty to r e tu rn them to the water where they might have survived or at any rate served the end of their crea­tion by filling mouths of certain aquatic life. Such discarded bait con­tainers are common along most of the fishable waters of the Commonwealth.

The larva of the caddis fly, especially the one that builds the case of sticks, and known to anglers as stick worms, s t raw men, periwinkles and many other local names, is another species that is feeling the pressure of too liberal bait gathering. Being available throughout the season it probably forms a large percentage of insect food for game fish. They seem to relish case and all as shown by stomach contents. The eve­ning and night flights of the caddis flies that br ing the wise old browns to the surface, will soon be gone as a r e ­sult of this pressure. Perhaps before it is too late, interested sportsmen will demand conservation measures that will save their sport.

A n excellent substitute for this aquatic larva are the white grubs known as "sawyers" found during the summer under the bark of winter cut white pine. They are tougher on the hook and just as attractive to t rout as caddis worms.

Nymphs of stone fly and the larva of the fish fly are eagerly sought by bait gatherers and are becoming rarer each

CAREFUL WITH THAT NET, BROTHER! Is it legal size? Do you know the legal number of min­nows to have in possession? How much insect life will you destroy by wading and stirring up roclcs

on the stream bed?

James Balog Photo

season. The hellgrammite of the bass streams has been exploited to the point where they are much less common than formerly. The stone fly nymph can readily be copied by any good fly tyer and prove as effective and much more durable than the natural . The hel l­grammite has also been copied bu t a l ­though the artificial looks natural , r e ­sults with it have proven disappointing.

A small t rout stream flowing through mixed woodland and farm land for some seven miles was a good producer of t rout for many years. It had plenty of Black-nosed Dace and aquatic in­sects on which the trout thrived and grew to good size for so small a stream. Then anglers from the nearby city began to take the minnows for bass bait. Their method was one commonly used to get minnows in small streams. One man holds the net at a natural constriction below a pool. Another angler enters the water above kicking, splashing and turning over the stones and disturbing the stream bed as

much as possible. This drives the minnows into the net. Not only are minnows taken but many aquatic in­sects are killed or dislodged and the habitat of the stream bed disturbed. In this case it went on until the minnows were caught out and the p ro ­ductivity of the stream destroyed. To­day the stream is barren except for a few small suckers and an occasiona' brook trout that has been spawned ir the feeders and works down into the larger stream. Even these specimens are a race of small-bodied, big headed dwarfs. Whether this stream could be again brought into productivity is one of the unanswered questions of stream management.

Minnows not used by the angler are seldom re turned to their native s tream but are usually dumped into the stream or lake where the angler has been fishing, with the result that u n ­desirable species may be introduced into streams or lakes with results

(Turn to page 22)

JUNE—1953 3

Is

Fishing

For

Girls?

By EUGENE BURNS

GIRLS CAN'T FISH . . . now who said so? Here's a little lady fully equipped to tangle with anything that hits. It isn't a pose either . . . she can really

fish.

—Author of—

FISHING FOR WOMEN

A. S. Barnes Company, New York

and

REVISED COMPLEAT ANGLER

The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, Pa.

JUST like five million other fishing fathers in America today, I've got

children. Only mine happen to be nine-year-old twin daughters who keep pestering: "Daddy, when in the world are you going to take us along fishing?"

A year ago before I went into some brand-new psychological findings on this subject of fishing for girls and tied these up with educational practices, I might have rebuffed them by saying, as many parents do:

"Look, you won't like it. Fishing is a boy's sport. You see, by nature you're more afraid of the deep dark woods, and snakes, and mice, and cold fish than boys are; besides you aren't strong enough to wade a cold stream; and anyway, to be honest about this, let's just say it's too hard for girls to learn to tie knots and cast properly."

But in the light of modern science, how do these conventional rebuffs hold up? Should they be taken seriously?

P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

And, should they prove to be old men's tales, let's see just what educational principles should be applied to make a girl's first fishing trip an altogether de­lightful experience leading toward a basic and abiding love of fishing and toward a better companionship with a future husband.

Don't smile about that husband angle. While fishing for fish, it's not beside the point to land a husband, either. After all, totaling all factors, about 13 per cent of all girls who reach 18 in the U. S. are doomed to spinster-hood. But the girls who know how to fish seldom stand in need of a m a r ­riageable male companion. And what 's more, in fishing a girl meets the best kind of men, too, those interested in the outdoors. For the girls, I'd say, there is nothing finer than to learn to fish in the company of the men I've met in the past 25 years as a forest and park ranger and angler.

Without hedging, then, let's fire away at the popularly-held beliefs and then see how they hold up. And if they

don't, how should a parent go about teaching his daughter to fish so she'll enjoy it.

Are girls more afraid of the "deep, dark woods" than boys? Do they have sufficient courage?

Are girls strong enough? Can they withstand the rigors of fishing without harming themselves?

Have girls the dexterity to tie knots and learn to cast?

Have they the intelligence to cope with emergencies? Does their leader­ship compare with a boy's? Will their interest sustain them in such a typically "masculine sport" as fishing?

First, let's look into the question of fear and courage. By nature, of course, boys are supposed to be more fearless. But are they? Actually psychologists and educators have found that fear makes no distinction of sex. Girls are no more afraid of the woods, the dark, dead animals, mice, or snakes than boys are. In fact, Dr. Ar thu r Jersild, Professor of Education at Teacher's College, Columbia University, says that

HI , HONEY! How's luck? Oh, I see you do have one for the stringer. , . . Nice work!

boys are more often afraid of the dark than girls and that boys will quake at the sight of a dead mouse just as fast as a girl. During the past war, when I was a war correspondent, I found that in the heavily-bombed areas, the n u m ­ber of women who suffered emotional shock and psychoneuroses was less than that of men. After the war, I read a study which said that the women suffered about 30 per cent less!

From the standpoint of strength, girls up to their early teens are just as strong as boys of their age and their equal at ball-throwing, broad-jumping, gymnastics and other sports, says Dr. John E. Anderson, Director of the In­sti tute of Child Welfare, University of Minnesota. When 4,000 4-H Club m e m ­bers participated in long-distance r u n ­ning contests, the best scores by girls under thirteen and a half were the same as the best scores by boys, and some girls ran ahead of boys two years older. However, among youngsters past that age, though, girls cannot catch the boys' dust. After puberty, however, girls tend to increase in strength less rapidly than boys who literally bound ahead.

However, as for withstanding the rigors of a fishing trip, a girl in her teens or a woman can stand cold and heat much better than a boy or man can. The girls can wade into cold water and fish in comparative comfort while boys in similar at t ire would be blue with cold and their teeth would chatter. (It is claimed that the average woman when naked will feel no colder in a cool room than a man with a light suit of clothes on.) Likewise when it is hot a woman can stand heat much better. Long before the average female even starts to perspire or "glow" the average male may be covered with beads of sweat. That is because the human female can make adjustments to hea t and cold more readily than a man. Besides the female as a rule has a more generous layer of insulating fat beneath her skin which gives her t yp ­ically feminine contours. Combined with this, when exposed to cold she has an increased metabolism in a way which the male cannot match; while to hea t she responds with a reduced metabolism, which again is done in a way the male cannot duplicate. As a result, she is able to adjust herself to extremes in temperature in the woods much better than the boy.

As for dexterity—say in such manip­ulatory skills as are required in casting a fly or tying a knot—girls have much

(Turn to -page 22)

'.

AT THE TURN of the century I was just old enough to appreciate the

fun to be had hauling a fish from the river.

At that time we lived not far from the Allegheny River. In those days it divided two growing cities, Pittsburgh on its southern shore, Allegheny on the opposite bank.

Toll bridges provided access between the two. Spanning the river, at 16th Street on the Pittsburgh side and Chestnut Street on the Allegheny side, was an old covered wooden bridge, the means of reaching our favorite fishin' hole, at the foot of 17th Street.

It was here an outlet from the Oil Well Supply Co. seemed to be an at­traction for the finned dwellers of the Allegheny. Even to this day we never learned just what it could have been. All we knew it was one of the best places along the river to pick up a fish dinner.

Yes, I remember the many times I returned to my home with the evening meal. It was a favorite haunt on Sat­urdays. Occasionally, on Sundays, the older folks would join the youngsters. We caught fish, several kinds of them. What species? Nobody knew, nor did anyone care.

Today, as I recall it, those unknown species were spoonbill "cats" as much as six feet in length. They were the same huge catfish still caught today in the Mississippi and in others of its southern tributaries. There were sun-

6

fish and rock bass, suckers and carp, perhaps others, too, we would recog­nize today but didn't back in the days gone by.

Yes, I remember Bill Gearhart, a school chum. Where Bill is today I haven't any idea. I haven't seen him for years. Perhaps he has long since gone on down the trail which knows no return. Bill, like myself, was interested in fish and fishing. Invariably, on Thursdays we would be absent from our classes. It was the day we were occupied with the pleasant duty of sort­ing the catch made by a couple of old bachelors who lived in a houseboat at the foot of Madison Avenue.

To tell the story as it actually hap­pened is almost unbelievable, yet I have never spoken nor written truer words.

Thursday mornings, shortly before 9 o'clock Bill and I would cross the gangboard and find the two oldtimers getting ready for the day's work. Sometimes we were invited to have a cup of coffee, though the liquid licorice never appealed to us.

On the downstream side of the houseboat a long net was neatly piled, one end fastened to the deck. The first operation was to bring a skiff into posi­tion so the net could be transferred to it, layer after layer being added until the entire net reposed on the stern. One of our friends at the oars, the other at the net, was the next step and as the skiff moved out into the river

and upstream the net was dropped into the water. When the entire net was in the stream both took to rowing the boat as quickly as possible into a wide arc, then back to the houseboat.

Believe it or not, that effort would result in a wagon-load of fish. Once the opposite end of the net was made se­cure to the houseboat Bill and I would begin our work sorting the squirming mass—this species into a tub, another into a barrel, the third into several bushel baskets, the fourth into some other handy container. For an hour or more the four of us would be busy.

A short distance away, on River Avenue, the bachelors stabled a horse and a wagon. With the fish sorted-—our pay was usually a chip basket of suck­ers or the smallest of the catfish—the wagon would be loaded and off they would go, selling their wares to the folks of the city known as Dutchtown, many of whom feasted on fish the fol­lowing day.

By late afternoon they would return, put away the horse and wagon. In the meantime Bill and I had replaced the net in its usual place and were ready to call it a day. So that there was no evidence of our playing "hooky" we also sold our share, frequently getting as much as a quarter and sometimes even 30 cents.

Yes, I remember. They were the good old days. Years later, when the two old bachelors died they left a good sum of money to a local orphanage, among the

Yl*S . . . I ]B<»III4MllI»4M*!

By JOHNNY MOCK

Editor—"All Outdoors" The Pittsburgh Press

07ie of America's top outdoor writers and conservationists turns back the clock into memories of fishing of yesteryear. The nostalgia of these bygone days will get you where it often hurts but come along while

Johnny Mock reminisces.

P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

best of their customers. Thinking of it now they enjoyed a very pleasant life, working but one day and a half a week.

Then came a day I never forgot. I remember it was a Saturday morning. Bill and I had agreed to meet at the bridge for a day's fishing at the old fishin' hole. When I approached the river I noticed something unusual had happened. None of the surface was to be seen. It was covered from bank to bank with fish, most of them dead, some still floundering about in their death-struggle.

When Bill joined me we walked out to the middle of the bridge. Upstream as far as could be seen was a sad sight to behold, not a thing but fish of every description, big and little ones, light and dark ones, fat and skinny ones.

To get to the opposite side it was necessary to walk to the end, then cross over. Again we walked to the middle, this time gazing downstream. The same ghastly view. Others were looking at the shocking sight. I can't remember any of the expressions we heard, though I do remember one chap asking another onlooker what could have caused such a killing.

Those were the days before anything was known about pollution, but we were a witness to what could happen. I doubt if anyone ever knew just what happened or even where the destruc­tive agent was dumped into the river. Fifteen miles upstream in those days was a long way off.

For almost a day and a half the dead fish were in view as they floated south­ward. For a few more days some of the rotting fish could be seen along the shores. Soon, they too, disappeared.

That ended fishing in the Allegheny, at least in the vicinity of Pittsburgh. Perhaps it was acid mine drainage or waste from one of the new industrial plants coming into existence some­where along the river.

Yes, I remember that never-to-be-forgotten day—the day which probably inspired in me the interest which was to come later in life, to do what I could for the purification of streams. I knew what the river was and what it could be if the destructive agencies could ever be barred from being dumped into it.

And someday I was going to play a small part in bringing it about.

In 1917 I decided that railroading may be an interesting life's work, taking on the duties of firing for what was then the Pennsylvania Lines. In those days the division on which I

BIG S N A K E H U N T in French Creek. 1934, brings back memories to author, Johnny Mock, editor, "Al l Outdoors," the Pittsburgh Press. O n left is "Sl im" Krause and on right is C . A . French, executive director, Pennsylvania Fish

Commission.

bailed black diamonds was known as the PFW&C, or Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago.

Unknown to me at the time it was to play a vital part in what was to later become my actual line of endeavor. Transportation was free and this paved the way for fishing on more distant waters, a luxury I couldn't have other­wise afforded.

Yes, I remember, very well one of the first passes used. It was for a jaunt less than 75 miles from Pittsburgh, but it meant riding another railroad, the Darlington, Lisbon and Western. Our destination was Watts Mills, on the Little Beaver Creek. Our companion was a chap named Vic McNally, another fireman and a very enthusias­tic fisherman.

There was no station where we got off, being nothing more than a wayside stop. The creek was hardly more than a hundred feet from the tracks. It didn't take Vic and I long to get our tackle together and in a few moments we had fish for dinner—four black bass and two catfish.

After the meal we decided to do a bit of exploring. A short distance below

where we decided to do our camping was the entrance to a mill race. The sides were walled with stone, but it wasn't the tedious workmanship it took to create the waterway but the number of black bass in the stream which im­pressed us—never before had we seen so many in so small an area, the width of the race being hardly more than five feet. We walked along its course, amazed at the sight. When we reached the old mill we found it hadn't been in operation for some time, but the water still flowed through it and then back into the creek.

Those bass were simply confined to a prison from which there seemed to be no escape. Apparently few people, if any, knew of their presence, since overhanging growths did provide shel­ter and a hideout, or the folks in that area cared little or nothing about fishing.

Vic and I caught a few, but since we had already eaten and knew where they were, if we wanted fish again, all that were caught were tossed back. We sure hit a jackpot!

Like a good many fishermen, Vic and (Turn to page 23)

JUNE—1953 7

GEORGE R. HOXIE PHOTO from THE FISHERMAN

Spinning

Was

Made

For

Carp

By ERWIN A. BAUER

QUEEN OF WATERS . . . at least that's what Izaak Walton called the carp. Nothing glamourous, not even good-looking but a rough tough fighter in the heavyweight division with a knockout punch.

P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

J

THERE'S no point in cussing carp any more. We might as well make

the best of them.

So far our biologists have found no way to dispose of them without de ­stroying other fish at the same time. Anglers can't catch them fast enough to make a dent in the over-all popula­tion. So it looks like carp are here to stay. And according to the way you look at it, maybe that 's not so bad.

Let 's see how the carp measures up. A three or four pounder is average in Pennsylvania. No other fish of the same size is as powerful. Carp will never thrill you by jumping—or even by breaking the surface—but they straighten more hooks and break more lines than all other freshwater fishes together.

Maybe you've known humiliating moments at the hands of old settler browns. Perhaps you've spent an en ­tire summer, as I have, just trying to hook one jumbo. Well—carp are every bit as wily and as fastidious. They belong in the heavyweight class m e n ­tally as well as physically. For instance, you'll fish a lifetime before you take a carp on any type of artificial lure. Of course that disqualifies him from the roster of game fish, but it doesn't label him a dumbbell. The bass, bluegills and trout fall for all those hair and ha rd ­ware combinations easily enough. But carp need real calories.

There is another, less happy side to his character, though. Those tendencies, for example, that earned him the name of "sewer bass." His foraging habits roil vast areas of water, consume beneficial types of vegetation and sug­gest the name "root hawg." And no matter how you look at it, his physical appearance is not likely to inspire any classic fishing essays.

Depending on your point of view, carp have another very good or very bad quality. They're abundant . You can find them virtually wherever there is water enough to cover them the year around. They are tolerant to e x ­tremes in water temperature and to a great variety of impurities. They pros­per in clean water and foul, in running streams and in lakes.

Catching carp is fascinating business. I t requires skill. Sloppy casts to feed­ing fish will put them down as surely as a poor delivery will frighten a feed­ing brown. For the greatest success it requires use of light and delicate tackle—preferably a spinning outfit.

Spinning was made to order for carp. Its European originators probably had carp in mind. The critical moment in

carp fishing is that second or so when a curious fish lightly samples your bait. If there is any noticeable drag, he'll hur ry away in search of vitamins less likely to be fatal. Right there is the biggest advantage of the spinning reel and light monofilament line. By leaving the spool open, line can be pulled from the reel by a nibbling carp with prac­tically no resistance.

There are other advantages to spin­ning. In carp fishing, you're dealing with small baits and the lightest sink­ers possible. Spinning affords the greatest ease in casting them. It also gives you more distance.

Carp are steady, busy feeders. But they are fastidious, as we mentioned before, and almost dainty. They scour strips of bottom as thoroughly as a vacuum cleaner, but morsels of large size are discarded, even by larger fish. It is as important for an angler to use only small baits as it is to prevent drag on a sampling fish. That means small hooks, too.

Prepared dough baits are the most popular with carp fishermen wherever you find them. And justly so—for carp are susceptible to a great variety of these homemade concoctions. A quick and easy one to prepare requires equal quantities of flour and yellow corn meal. Mix them with enough water to make a dough. Drop small pieces, each no larger than your smallest fingernail in boiling water . Remove them when they become like sponge rubber. Dip in anise, put them on No. 6 or No. 8 hooks and they're ready to go.

I rarely fish specifically for carp any more. But I do carry a supply of those dough baits in my kit. There are always days when other fish are not hitting—so I pu t the dough baits to work. And of course there are occa­sions when a school of feeding carp is located. Times like these you'll often have more action than you would with any other local fish. A five-pound carp can give you some exciting moments; a ten pounder will leave you talking to yourself.

There are as many effective baits for carp, nearly, as there are carp fisher­men. Marshmallow is popular. Partially cooked turnips, parsnips, or potatoes are good. Perhaps the most deadly of all is two kernels of fresh sweet corn on a very small hook, even for very large fish.

Some queer baits have also been used successfully from time to time. Ivory soap has produced good catches. The list is long; it includes wall paper cleaner, cheese, and salmon eggs.

Among the natural baits, you can't go wrong with night-crawlers or small crayfish. I've had them take hel l -grammites, too.

Sometimes finding carp is a simple matter . On other occasions, it can be quite a chore. Roily water areas are often good indication of their imme­diate presence, especially if sur round­ing water is relatively clear. Obviously it's good policy to confine your fishing to mud bottoms. Carp feed by "root­ing"—and rocky or gravelly beds are not suitable.

In streams, carp frequent pools of medium depth. At certain times, you'll see them move out onto the riffles, pe r ­haps for crayfish, but this isn't s tand­ard behavior. W h e n you do find them in shallow water, they "spook" at the slightest provocation.

The downstream sides of small dams or similar stream obstructions are ex ­cellent places for carp to congregate. Sometimes it's ha rd to keep a bait on the bottom where water boils as it does beneath a dam. But if you succeed, you're in good position to connect. In one such pool no larger than an aver­age living room, I saw one angler take 14 carp. One was a 22 pounder. P r e ­sumably the fish had worked upstream from the Ohio River about 15 miles away.

Usually it isn't too difficult to keep your bait on the bottom, even in moving water, and at the same time eliminate drag when a carp takes the bait. Obtain a supply of the type of sinkers through which the line can r u n freely. These should weigh about one-eighth ounce each and should be located just a few inches above the baited hook. A taking carp can thus r u n easily, pulling the line freely through the sinker.

The sinker has two purposes. It's necessary as a casting weight and it serves to get the bait on the bottom where a current exists.

There's little doubt that importation of European carp more than a century ago was unwise. But like starlings, English sparrows, Norway rats, and boll weevils, they're here to stay. Like brown trout and ringneck pheasants, they have accumulated a million and more fans, furnish a considerable amount of sport and relaxation.

Several years ago, after receiving m y first spinning outfit, I hooked an 1 1 -pound carp. I 've never had a fresh­water fish wage such a battle. Not even heavier muskies and Northerns meas ­ured up. So—since I have to live with 'em—I'll fish and vote for 'em, too.

JUNE—1953 9

tips on

iiionofi lament

(for spinning lines and fly rod leaders)

WE NEED not be ancient anglers to remember when we thought

Japanese gut made acceptable lines or leaders. The stuff was pliant and nearly transparent in the water—until it was used awhile. Then, it turned white and as limp as a piece of wet grocery string.

Jap gut was cheap, while good silk­worm (or so-called "Spanish") gut was expensive. But silkworm gut was fine, sturdy and nearly invisible in the water. Fly rod anglers who wanted the very best would use nothing else. Many of them still feel that way. But, if so, they probably have not tried leaders tied from the newest developments in monofilament nylon!

Monofilament nylon is approximately as fine, as strong, as pliant and as in­visible as the best silkworm gut. In addition, it is very- inexpensive and it does not need an hour or more of soak­ing in water or glycerine solution to make it pliant. Nylon monofilament is so easy to tie into fly rod leaders and tippets that anyone can make his own— and save money! Spinning anglers know that it is tops for spinning lines, too. It is not generally realized, how­ever, that monofilament nylon can be obtained in a very wide selection of diameters and in a range of strengths from 6X up to fifteen pounds test or more. If you haven't cast tapered lead­ers made from it, there is a treat in store for you!

One can find three types of nylon monofilament on the market—and there are important differences between them. Of the three, the international opinion seems to be that imported

by Joseph d. bates , jr.

French nylon is superior. This partly is because French nylon was made especially for fishing—with the correct amount of stretch and suppleness. For­eign spinning anglers have used almost nothing else for many years, and have developed it to a remarkable degree of perfection. Anglers who know their nylon usually consider that the French type has smaller diameters for its

strengths, and that its strengths are ex­tremely dependable. The French prod­uct costs a very little bit more than its A m e r i c a n counterparts, but who wouldn't pay a quarter or so extra for its advantages when it may make all the difference between catching a big fish or losing him?

Most famous and most popular of the French brands is "Tortue," which

One famous brand of nylon monofilament offers t ippet sized strands in 55-yard lengths on tiny plastic spools which allow excess line to be reeled in. The transparent reel-like box protects tippet material from abrasion while in angler's pocket.

10 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

The "tur le" knot, line or leader any up or turned down

comes conveniently spooled in 110 yard lengths in sixteen sizes from one and a quarter pounds test (6X) to fifteen and a half pounds. "Tortue" (finished on a thin black plastic spool) is dyed a nearly invisible grey-green color; ideal for spinning and for leader tippets. Half a dozen spools or so, in favorite sizes, will provide enough leader mate­rial to last for many years!

The other two types of nylon come from our side of the pond. The old type was much too stiff and wiry, a reason why some anglers were not overly fond of it for fishing.

Lately, however, a new nylon for­mula, called "Type 4," has been put on the market. This is much more pliant; approximately as much so as "Tortue." Both of these American types are made by duPont. The latter is far superior to the former.

During the past season, some highly exaggerated claims have been made for certain American nylon brands. Some are promoted as being far stronger or more supple than others. This may be true when the two American types are compared but, since all American nylon is made by duPont (to be dyed and respooled by tackle manufacturers, or converters) I shall leave it to the gen­tle reader to form his own opinion. Maybe secret passes are made over it after it leaves the mother plant but, if the duPont product could be improved, we can be pretty sure that the exten­sive duPont laboratories would do it. I am not aware that there is any dif­ference whatsoever between modern American monofilament lines, except in their colors and in the appearance of the spools.

Anglers who buy nylon monofilament always do not realize that it can have too much stretch or too little; that it can be too supple or too stiff. Of course, there is a happy medium in all this. The ideal line or leader is supple

JUNE—1953

for tying to the lure having turned eye.

enough to cast well; but not so supple that it becomes string-like. It must have enough stretch to provide resil­iency against the strike of a fish; but must not have excessive resiliency ap­proaching that of a rubber band. These are some of the reasons why mono­filaments such as "Tortue," which are made especially for fishing, are supe­rior to substances merely adapted to the purpose.

Another quality to look for is the monofilament's k n o t t i n g ability. "Tortue" is exceptional in this respect. I have used it for years and have taken many big fish with it, but never have had a correctly tied knot pull out. Knots always should be drawn tight slowly, and should be tested to be sure that the coils have set properly.

The excellence of modern nylon monofilament for spinning lines is with­out question. It is less absorbent and more true to strength than braided nylon. It is less abrasive to rod guides. It is smooth and ideally supple for extra-long casts. It needs no leader, since it is a leader in itself.

My tackle box contains a dozen or so excellent Spanish gut tapered leaders which probably never will be used. Nylon monofilament seems fully as good, and is far cheaper. Since it needs no soaking, it is always ready for use. I keep a spool of each of the sixteen sizes of "Tortue" in a small wooden box I had made for the purpose. The spools fit in the hinged top box com­fortably and revolve on a removable wooden spindle built into the box.

Half a dozen spools in varying sizes (such as ZZ, Y, T, R, O and L) are enough ordinarily. This type of mono­filament can be purchased at any good tackle store on 110 yard spools in sizes from 2.2 lbs. test (L) to 15.4 lbs. test (ZZ), or on 55 yard tiny dispenser spools in sizes from 1.25 lbs. test (E) to

(Turn to page 30)

Well * +

V* *p . < *

THE latest of a long series of sure­fire methods of catching fish has

come and receded to its true and minor place in the general scheme of angling. We are now in a lull . . . soon to be broken by some new cure-all which will insure magnificent fishing for all who follow the leader.

In this new world of wonder drugs and .atom bombs it is not surprising we are in a mood to expect near-miracles. For years the black flies and mos­quitoes chewed on us unmercifully until a swarm of startlingly effective substances suddenly appeared on the market. Penicillin led off the parade of new and amazingly effective drugs. DDT led the revolution in insecticides and 2.4 D patterned the new and easy methods of eliminating weeds and un­wanted brush. Mushrooming over the top of all this is, of course, the atom bomb.

As yet our expected miracle sub­stance in fishing has not yet come along and the odds are it never will. All of the miracle substances men­tioned above are killers. They ex­terminate in a war in which there is no quarter. If we were interested only in killing or exterminating fish the stuff to do our job is here already. Rotenone is but a single example. On sober thought we realize we're trying to attract fish, not kill them. Our dream is for something Pied-Piper-ish . . . and even then, with reservations. We've had a lot of flops in the bait anointing business but if, by any chance, someone does develop a juice which, when squirted on any lure or

&

i&x

By LEE WULFF

Author of fhe Angling Classic, Lee Wulff's New Handbook of Freshwater Fishing

( J . B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, Pa.)

(See review in February 1952 Pennsylvania Angler )

bait, will make it irresistible to game fish its permissible use will be short lived. Whenever in the past we've found that certain species are too readily caught by any method we bar its use; something already done in many instances. Though we are ever alert for something new most of us like fishing just the way it is and has been. Even if we could make catching fish much easier we'd soon regret it.

Remember the days when luminous paint first came out? At last we could see the clock dial at night without hav­ing to light a match or leave a bulb burning. In characteristic fashion the anglers rushed to buy luminous lures. I bought a nice fat plug that glowed with a purplish brilliance. The first black night to come along I used it. Its eerie glow was visible as far as I cast it. I thought every bass in the lake would come rushing out to whack it but only one small fish hit it hesi­tantly during several hours of trial. Only when I finally changed back to one of my time-tested favorites did I catch any fish. It occurred to me then that a bass which could see well enough to wallop all-black plugs on the darkest of nights didn't need a plug lit up in order to find it.

Magic is often suggested in the many fish calendars which have shown up periodically in angling's long history. The tables telling what time to fish and the calendars which rate the days to come in regard to their fishing po­tential have gained a swarm of de­votees but as fast as one such system draws away enough anglers from any

stretch of water at any time the "un­informed" remnant has a lot less com­petition and ends up with a greater per-angler catch. Certain it is that no calendar or time of day system has yet left a vacuum of good, open, un-fished water at any time of day or month. If there is such a vacuum within easy reach of our metropolitan areas there is a horde of eager anglers who will say, "To hell with the calen­dar. Just let me have the good water to myself on the bad days," and rush there to fill it.

It wasn't so long ago a swarm of anglers were buying pocket barom­eters. Maybe now they've figured out that all a fish has to do to change his outside pressure is to move a few inches nearer the surface or to sink a little farther down in the water. A recent survey by a responsible group could find no evidence that fishing a rising barometer was any better or any worse than fishing one on the way down.

Mechanical gadgets are generally more useful than irresistible lures but some ridiculous mechanical ideas keep

< reappearing periodically. Right after the war a manufacturer, predicting a revolution in rods, came out with a hollow, guideless bait casting rod. It was well made, resplendent in black and chrome, and the line ran through the middle of the springy metal tube. The only trouble was it wouldn't work. The idea was as old as the civil war and as unfortunate. A tournament caster in a gymnasium could cast the

(Turn to page 30)

13 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

THE line is probably the most "taken for granted" single item in the

average fisherman's kit. When pur­chasing a new one, even those who do considerable fishing and therefore should know better, make no further queries after they once ascertain its price and pound test. Some few make no distinction between fly casting and bait casting lines; letting one serve the purpose of the other simply by switch­ing the reel from one rod to another. You as well as I have encountered fish­ermen using their bait casting reels on fly rods.

Apparently, the only time some an­glers experience qualms about their lines is when they have tied on to an extraordinarily heavy fish. Then they fuss and worry, blame everything but their neglect and carelessness if the fish is lost. Only last year a fishing crony of mine who has accompanied me on a dozen or more Canadian fishing treks, lost a beautiful squaretail, the line snapping as the fish was being brought to net. I wasted no sympathy on him when he finally admitted he had used the line for nine or ten years. He couldn't remember exactly.

If the primary objective of the angler is to catch fish unattended by the sport provided by a properly balanced out­fit, then, the only requisite of the line is that it is heavy enough to cast. A doctor friend of mine planning a trip into the Emerald Lake country of On­tario burdened one reel with a GBG tapered. line and two others with C level lines. His heaviest rod weighed 5Y2 ounces.

"But, those lines are designed for bass or even salmon rods," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but they'll be easy to cast," he grinned. He was going on the as­sumption which altogether too many fly rod men entertain, i.e., the heavier the line the better it will cast; many of them not experiencing the real ease of casting until for some reason or other, they select lines that fit their rods.

The doctor reported a splendid trip. Three and four pound speckled trout and one five-pounder were caught as a matter of course.

"But," he added, "one of my rods, in fact, my custom job, went haywire."

"Sounds mysterious," I said upon re­calling the size of his lines. "What happened?" I innocently enquired.

"Didn't hold up," he complained. "It developed a pretty bad set."

One can hardly imagine a skilled angler not using a suitable line. The skillful handling of both lure and flies makes the use of a line in tune with the rest of the outfit a foregone con­clusion. The rod, line, leader and even lures must be in perfect accord with each other.

A tyro fly fisher who had been com­pletely carried away by the skill and ease of handling displayed by an ex­pert was baffled by his inability to make his outfit behave. Since he didn't want to invest in the price of a good tapered line, he bought one which the clerk said would work. Well, it did once in a while, but almost invariably the leader would settle to the water in a perfect bird's nest. Then, when he used steam enough to straighten out his leader, the fly would snap off. The fault was not inherent with the line, but the various components of his out­fit plus the small flies he was using were not properly balanced. He would have done no better with a tapered line or even a better level one.

If there is anything that thrills me more than an expert fly fisherman ply­ing his sport, I don't know what it is. The consummate ease and finesse with which an expert handles a long line fascinates me no end. Without apparent effort the line indolently swirls back­wards in a graceful parabola only to double on itself and come forward with the same unctuously lazy motion. At the same time the leader reaches out to drop the fly on the desired spot. It is the perfect combination of skill plus a properly balanced outfit.

Would you pay ten, twelve or even as much as twenty bucks for a fly cast­ing line? Well, when I plunked down twelve dollars for thirty-yards of double taper fly line, I anticipated no less than miraculous results and that's exactly what I got. As I recall, it was an HEH tapered job. When combined with my standard action 4% ounce split bamboo wand, it was a dream. For sev­eral days after acquiring it I practiced hours on end just for the sheer joy of feeling its action.

That line had everything necessary to bring out the best in my rod. Besides

the

right

fly

line

by

ii. r. casillo

weight it had flexibility for easy strip­ping and enough body to prevent most of those confounded kinks which harass the fly angler. In addition it had a glassy smoothness which enabled it to shoot out through the guides with the speed of greased lightning. Yes, it was a perfect line, almost. Oh, for dry fly work it required an occasional "greas­ing," but for most fly fishermen that's a labor of love.

So, there you have it, an HEH double taper, suitable for rods ranging from three to 5% ounces providing that the heavier job is very whippy. And with the precision manufacturing methods in vogue today coupled with the easy availability of superior raw materials, the fly lines of today are

(Turn to page 29)

for fishing fun or family pleasure By DON SHINER

BOATS play an important role in fishing just as they have since the beginning of history. In fact, one would have to delve into the prehistoric past to learn when early fishermen adapted this craft to their livelihood, but the first men­

tioning of boats and the foremost inventors are lost in antiquity. Like the modern motor car which fundamentally began with the invention of the wheel, the evolution of the boat began with the floating log. Some prehistoric genius discovered a log was buoyant and would support his body in water. The first means of crossing lakes and streams had this humble beginning. Following this another obscure genius made a raft by tying numerous logs together and found it would permit his body to stay above the waterline and remain relatively dry when afloat. Then came the log boat made from a hollow tree. This innovation gave birth to the dugout canoe and in other waters the birch bark canoe and kayak came into being.

It is safe to say that boats and watercrafts were among the foremost means of transportation. With few roads or trails other than those made through the small villages, the waterways—rivers, lakes and oceans—provided the natural routes of travel. Boat building advanced among the peoples on all continents. The American Indian and his canoe, the dark skinned natives of South Africa and their dugouts, to the more advanced civilizations in Europe with sailing ships, the boat was used to journey to far away lands and for gathering fish and other food for the villages. Fishermen even at this early age realized floating crafts enabled them to reach new and otherwise inaccessible fishing grounds.

(Continue Article on page 26, more photos on pages 16 and 17)

14 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

8 -FOOT P R A M with square ends is made of marine ply­wood, can be used on small lakes and streams, weighs slightly more than 75 pounds, good for carrying on car top,

moving from one fishing spot to another.

R O U N D B O T T O M boat is typical o its kind, best with light motor, is mad< with thin strips glued over a ribbec hull, light in weight, easily rowed, han dies well with outboard motors up t<

7 hp.

STAINLESS STEEL row boat handles well with oars (muscle power) or motor. Air chamber under front and rear seats buoy the craft if it turns over. Meta l boats are sometimes quite noisy but not entirely objectionable to most fish-

J O H N - t y p e boat with low sides, square ends and flat bottom, choice of many anglers, is one of the best boats for the home craftsman to build, makes sub­

stantial, faithful fishing craft.

gPSHKk .

16

DOUBLE DUTY, 12-foot craft ideal for either fishing or famil) pleasure, weighs only 90 pound* easy to handle, roomy for its size

P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

I SAIL BOATS are rapidly be­coming popular with Penn­sylvania skippers who not only love to sail before the wind but like to troll a line on a lazy day. There's always something mighty pleasing and intriguing about a sail.

• i

nil) ids ize

C A N O E is favori te of many on sheltered lakes or ponds, can be f i t ted with up to 3 h.p. motor, this ancient craft is now made in canvas, stainless steel or aluminum, glamour added, a far cry from the Birch bark canoes of our early American Indians.

JUNE—1953 17

F I T T I N G IT UP is most interesting taslc for those who build their own. Most manufacturers of kits declare it doesn't take a carpenter or woodworking expert to put them to­gether, few tools necessary. I t provides a good wintertime

or early spring hobby for a real fisherman.

Building From n itoiil Kit By KEITH SCHUYLER

BOATS, from the size of a one-man kayak to the new United States, biggest and fastest ocean liner ever built by this nation, are made for one purpose . . . to carry man over the surface of the water. Building one may employ the

energy of one man confined to his winter-bound cellar, or it may take thousands of men who derive their living from the task.

But, the primary purpose of all lighter-than-water craft remains the same . . . to carry man over the surface of the water. Of the kayaks, scows, rowboats, canoes, etc., that have carried my weight, a relatively few have served their primary

purpose. Most of the time was spent sitting in or bailing out the water over which I was supposed to be riding. This, of course, has been the result of renting the first water conveyance available to the ponds, lakes and rivers reputed to abound with fish.

If your experience has been similar, there is only one answer to the problem. Build your own boat. Building your own boat can be a most satisfying experience. It will give you a real sense of accomplishment, keep

your wife unpleasantly aware of your where-abouts while it's being built and provide you with a craft that you can name for her. On the other hand, if you don't follow the instructions carefully, you may end up with a contraption useful only

(Continued on page 26)

18 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

>

TYPICAL BOAT KIT might seem confusing until you read simple plans accompanying every boat kit. They're available

in a variety of shapes and sizes, cost is low.

LITTLE PRAM doesn't look too stable but is sur­prisingly able to taJce it, makes a nice utility skiff, handles and rows easily, can be transported with

minimum of effort.

advantages

of

fishing

from a

boat

By THAD A. BUKOWSKI

STURDY BOAT without leaks is answer to angler's prayer. These fellows know safety rules and regulations, carry fire extinguisher, a mighty necessarv item, life preserver seat

cushions.

THE USE of a boat in fishing provides us with the dynamic type of fishing that most fishermen look forward to with relish everyday. True, one can plug, spin, or flycast to his heart 's content following a lake shoreline, or even wade

up or down a stream or river, but not with the relative ease that one has in comfortably and casually riding a craft. Especially when those obstructive places appear where masses of willow cluster the water 's edge, or the depth of the water is far above the boottops to provide for effective or even safe wading.

There are as many ways in fishing from a boat as there are in fishing from a shoreline—in fact more. Additionally, a number of cautions mus t be observed, too, for safety in fishing. P r imary among these are staying seated, not wearing boots in case the boat for any reason is overturned, not r iding across choppy waves instead of into them, and, of course, not overloading. Some fishermen get into the boat with the idea of riding it as though they were conquering heroes of the Viking type; such action eventually ends only in a late realization of the foolishness of the would be expert . A t times this foolishness may cost the life of the par ty himself or of some innocent bystander only indirectly tied in with the act.

Wherever fished, a boat should be well anchored at both ends. This is more important when one is still or bait fishing. A boat anchored only in one place drifts around with the changing wind and one cannot then determine effectively whether

20

(Continued on page 28)

P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

*%,

BIG O N E S are reached on large lakes or rivers via a good safe boat. Most fishermen are famjliar with safety regu­lations yet many lives are lost every year in waters of the Commonwealth because someone got careless. W e see man) anglers wearing heavy boots and shoes in a boat . . . it's a mighty good way to get to Paradise! W e a r light sneakers or shoes unlaced, easy to kick off if

things go wrong.

YES, FRIEND, we admire your catch but sit down! M o r e boating accidents are caused by people suddenly gett ing to their feet, overturning the boat. This scow is usually what the angler rents for a fishing trip, it's fairly safe but

hard to row.

JUNE—1953 21

Fisherman's Paradise Regulations RULES AND REGULATIONS—SPRING CREEK PROJECT—SEASON 1953

1. OPEN SEASON—May 15th to July 18th, both dates inclusive. 2. OPEN—from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. (Eastern S tandard Time) or unt i l

Klaxon is sounded. 3. ALL ANGLERS MUST PERSONALLY REGISTER BEFORE FISHING

AND PERSONALLY CHECK OUT AND RETURN IDENTIFICATION BUTTON BEFORE LEAVING PROJECT. NO SUNDAY FISHING.

4. FISH IN THE POSSESSION OF ANGLER MUST BE DISPLAYED AND CHECKED AT REGISTRATION BOOTH WHEN CHECKING INTO PROJECT. FISH NOT SO REGISTERED WILL BE CONSIDERED AS HAVING BEEN CAUGHT ON THE PROJECT.

5. ANGLERS MUST PARK AUTOMOBILES BEFORE CHECKING IN AND MUST CHECK OUT BEFORE REMOVING AUTOMOBILES FROM PARKING LOT.

6. DAILY LIMIT—Only ONE FISH may be killed. The Angler mus t s top fishing after ONE FISH HAS BEEN KILLED.

7. Only artificial lures of ha i r or feather construction with barbless hooks or regular hooks with the barbs removed may be used. No spinners or swivels permit ted.

8. Fishing with, or possession of, any live bait, angle worms, meat , liver, or any other bait, is a violation of the rules and regulations.

9. SIZE LIMIT—All fish caught from large s t ream under 10 inches in length and on ladies s t ream under 7 inches in length must be carefully re turned to the water.

10. All anglers holding a Pennsylvania Fishing License will be permit ted to fish five days during the season.

11. The dressing or cleaning of fish on the property is prohibited as all fish must be weighed when checking out

12. POSITIVELY NO WADING—in the s t ream for any purpose permit ted. 13. Sinkers or lures not exceeding the weight of 2BB Shot are permit ted. No

casting or spinning outfits permit ted. 14. Feeding fish PROHIBITED except on Sunday. 15. Assisting in hooking or landing fish prohibited. All foul hooked fish must

be carefully re turned to the stream. 16. Violation of the rules and regulations will be subject to a fine of Twenty

Dollars ($20.00), revocation of your fishing privilege on the project for the balance of t he season, a n d revocation of your fishing license.

If you like this project you can help the sportsmen of the s ta te by obeying these rules and report ing any infraction to the officers.

Section 251 of t he Act of May 2, 1925, as amended, provides the Pennsyl­vania Fish Commission with author i ty to promulgate such rules and regula­tions for the angling, catching or removal of fish in or from any waters of th is Commonwealth as may be deemed necessary. Penal ty for violation— ($10.00) for each fish caught, t aken or h a d in possession, contrary to these Twenty Dollars ($20.00), and in addit ion thereto may be fined Ten Dollars rules and regulations.

STREAM PRACTICES

WISE AND OTHERWISE (From page 3)

ranging from mild annoyance to dis­aster.

I t is not generally known tha t if surplus baitfish are packed in dry salt and kept reasonably cool they will keep several weeks. They retain their color and become toughened. Where a spinning minnow is used the "salty" as it is affectionately known by anglers is preferred to fresh ones. If we use salt packed minnows we eliminate

waste and the possibility of any escap­ing and becoming a nuisance in waters where they are not desired. The in­convenience of the minnow pail and its care is eliminated. Also it is no longer necessary for the wading angler to come ashore each t ime a change of bait is indicated as the salted minnows are not as slippery as fresh live ones. Obtain your minnows from a reliable dealer who operates under state super­vision.

There is another abuse that causes the blood pressure of lovers of the outdoors to rise alarmingly. It may not ru in fishing along a lake or s tream but it destroys the setting which is par t of the enjoyment of the sport. I speak of the practice of dropping rubbish

consisting of everything from lunch papers, empty gin, beer, bottles, worn rubber boots and worse. It is generally the most scenic spots that, in spite of regulations, collect the most discards. Trees, shrubbery and wild flowers are vandalized. Dogwood, azaleas, moccasin flowers and arbutus are bu t a few flowers that beautify ,our stream and highways carried home as bouquets only to find their way to the garbage pail in a few days. In their native habi tat they bring joy and beauty to wayfarers for years.

Le t the users of live bait seek sub ­stitutes among the terrestial species or buy the aquatic varieties only from dealers propagating them for sale under existing regulations. Better still, switch to the more sporting artificials. Angling in fresh water streams has long ceased to be a means of filling the larder cheaply. Fish for food can be purchased more cheaply in time, money and effort a t the corner market .

It is time certain individuals stopped exploiting our waters for selfish r ea ­sons. If we do not act now future generations will curse our shor t ­sightedness in the stewardship of their heritage. To those who will not follow the rules of conservation I am still an advocate of giving them a t reatment of stone age law administered via club and fang.

IS FISHING FOR GIRLS? (From page 5)

more of this than boys. Girls come by knot- ty ing natural ly. Due to superior motor coordination and flexible wrist rotation, girls a t two and three can dress themselves so skillfully that they may dress and undress, knot and u n ­knot their shoe laces, just for the fun while boys of five and six still have difficulty buttoning themselves. The boy's poor wrist rotation may be ob­served in hand-washing and opening doors. He is unable to do the customary rotary movement to wash hands and instead must r u b his palms together while he has difficulty as well opening doors because of his inability to tu rn a doorknob far enough. What's more, this manipulatory skill difference between boys and girls persists through adul t ­hood.

When boys and girls are six, the boys are usually at least a year behind in physical and mental development and

22 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

the mental difference persists into adulthood. However boys seem to be brighter at creating original ideas and working out problems and puzzles while girls have bet ter memories, they can recall situations better, and have bigger vocabularies. If it may be inter­jected now, girls are more given to exaggerate t h e i r accomplishments which psychologists say means that they are less sure of themselves—but translated into fishing ability, it means they are bet ter endowed by na tu re to tell whopping good fish stories.

As for leadership, it is just about a toss-up. With three groups of children at play over a period of time, Iowa State University researchers found that girls were more dominating and com­manding than boys. Other studies have reported that boys a re more masterful, and still others that nei ther sex has an edge. It boils down to this: some girls and some boys tend to be leaders; others do not. Within each sex, appar­ently, there are much bigger differences than between the two. Both boys and girls, however, do like to help their parents in such chores as cooking t rout and chopping wood, especially if they get a couple of resounding bravos for each and every chore well done—but this pertains to the proper educational aspect of start ing the beginner out right which we will consider presently.

There remains the problem of basic interests—is a growing girl by na ture as interested as a boy in fishing? The answer is: "Yes, providing . . ." " P r o ­viding" concerns our present cultural se t -up which is changing.

A subtle though profound change has occurred in our cultural pat terns about man's place and woman's place in the outdoors. For the first time, women are entering into men's outdoor sports in vast numbers—particularly fishing— with the resul t tha t there a re more women sports fishermen today than there were men sports fishermen 25 years ago. Last year almost three mil ­lion women took out fishing licenses. This year may well exceed tha t figure.

But yet, there is a malingering of old cultural beliefs part icularly among fishing fathers. They feel it is never too early t o start a boy developing mas ­culine trai ts and interests and to limit the girl 's activities to things which will tend to make her feminine. As a result, from babyhood on, boys and girls are expected to play different games, enjoy different interests and most parents are upset if the son or daughter deviates from the traditional cultural pat tern until the daughter is grown up . . .

then it is all right to go fishing. Yet, according to officials of the Family Service Association of America, many a normal boy never cares much for fishing and plenty of girls aren ' t too crazy about dolls and tea parties.

Now, based upon our realistic ap ­proach, wha t is my answer to m y daughters ' question: "Daddy, when are you going to take us along fishing?"

Certainly, they will accompany me fishing but first to insure their loving the woods and the fine sport of fishing, I want to bring some practical educa­tional factors to bear. Fishing can be too important in their lives to jeop­ardize making their first trip their last one. These, then, are the precepts:

1. Take your daughter fishing when she is strong enough and do not make it too exhausting. (Of course the same applies to the boy who may be even weaker than a girl of the same age, before puberty.)

2. There is good light tackle avail­able today—better than ever before. I will see that she is properly outfitted.

3. Next, to insure a modicum of suc­cess on the girl 's first trip, give her some of the fundamentals of casting at home where it is not so difficult and where the paren t will not become im­patient and associate displeasure with the fishing area. Associations at the s tream or lake mus t be pleasant.

4. Ample provisions mus t be made to give the girl other things to do besides fishing. A youngster 's span of attention is always short, even at their most favorite game. Hence, to enjoy herself she must have a variety of things to do—horseback riding, playing Softball, running, skipping rocks on the water, cooking, perhaps reading.

5. See that actual fishing success attends the first trial. If necessary go far enough back where the fishing is good—or if tha t is too exhausting, take her to a commercial fishing pond. And then do not fail to give a resounding bravo when she casts properly and, by chance, takes a fish.

6. To make the trip memorable, ex­plain the interesting facts of the "whys" of the fish and the s tream to the girl. Help her net the fish and then clean it together—showing the wonder­ful placement of the organs; investi­gating, too, wha t the fish has eaten last; and then, best of all, let her cook her own fish near the water—thereby multiplying, if possible, every pleasure: having success, doing a variety of things, learning new things about the outdoors, and finally, filling the s tom­ach!

7. And as a second reminder, limit the arduousness of the undertaking— don't overestimate the strength of your youngster—and as she gets older and proportionately weaker while the boy becomes stronger, limit her activity in an unobtrusive manner so that eve ry ­one will be happy and enjoy the out­doors. And that, after all, is the prime reason for fishing.

YES - I REMEMBER (From page 7)

I kept our little secret to ourselves and all that summer we continued to have sport with those bass in the creek and raceway. In fact, we fished the area for two years, bu t like all good things, they always come to an end.

On our first tr ip the third year we learned to our sorrow that the old mill had been torn down, the raceway was blocked off and in spots where a bit of stagnant water remained, nothing but tadpoles were visible.

Meanwhile, having grown older in service, our pass rights permitted t r av ­eling to more distant locations. Even­tually we reached the stage where we got into New York, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Maryland.

Yes, I remember those good old days,

'JVfc. GAMMA GLOBULIN-obtained from human b lood-protects for a few weeks. But it is in very short supply.

When POLIO is around, M follow these PRECAUTIONS

fl-M 1 Keep clean [QAv 2 Don't get fatigued

•** 3 Avoid new groups 4 Don't get chilled

A VACCINE n

is not ready for 1953. But / W there is hope for the future. ^UK

THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR INFANTILE PARALYSIS

JUNE—1953 S3

heading anywhere where the pass rights permitted, if we heard of fishing that was good.

During the early years of the 1920's we became acquainted with Hon. Nathan R. Buller, then Commissioner of Fisheries. At about the same time our favorite s t ream then was the Con-nequenessing Creek. In those days we rode the now defunct Harmony Line to what was known as Allen Stop, below Zelienople, staying with folks who lived on the banks of the stream.

For a number of years we enjoyed the fishing every Saturday, Sunday fishing being something yet to come.

Once, when it was necessary to go upstream after darkness had fallen, we equipped the bow of the flatboat with a spotlight operated from the battery of a car. As we made our way upstream hundreds of fish jumped from the waters in what seemed to be a frantic effort to escape the beams of the light. We were dumbfounded by the number of fish which we now knew resided in the creek, though we always had good fishing. It was just unbelievable.

By this time we had given up rai l­roading and were back at our former employment, being the shipper at a local packinghouse. Several of the chaps under my supervision were in­terested fishermen.

In those days the Fish Commission had no trucks by which it hauled the fish to the streams. Fish for stocking were shipped by express to individuals or organizations who made application for them. When a shipment was due the consignee was notified by mail to be present at a certain railroad station at a certain time to pick up the ship­ment.

Having under my jurisdiction a fleet of t rucks and a cooperative boss, George A. Hess, we were always in a position to take care of the consign­ments which may have been to the "Conny," Breakneck Creek, Glade Run, the little "Conny" and sometimes as far as our oldtime favorite, the Little Beaver.

Yes, we remember how we used to await the arrival of the train with the cans of fish and the messenger which accompanied them. On one occasion one of the consignees failed to appear and since the messenger had other shipments to drop off along the line he asked whether we would like to take the additional cans off his hands. Nat­urally, we were more than glad to oblige him. After that we made certain we had a t ruck capable of hauling an additional number of cans, in the event

24

someone else failed to show up and more than once did it pay off.

Three of my drivers—Johnny Groet-zinger, who has since gone to his last reward, "Skinny" Ketter le and Dave Brubach—were the ones I depended on in those days to lend assistance. An assistant, Charley Mueller, was a s tandby and always a member of the par ty. Later my brother Edward joined in these planting forays. Lawrence Waelfel, usually, was another member.

At least two, sometimes several, such undertakings were made every year, and there were occasions when as many as 100 or more cans of fish were in the truckload. Fish were planted long into the night as frequently the train did not arr ive until sometime during the evening.

As the number of stockings grew and the local people learned who was r e ­sponsible the stream became known as "Johnny's Conny." I believe a chap named Ramsey christened it that way. Ramsey was one of the officers of the local chapter of the Izaak Walton League at Harmony and he and others of the organization began lending a hand with the plantings.

Finished with the work we used to assemble, sometimes at Redman's down on the creek or at some location in town and have a midnight snack, usually of sandwiches and coffee, then the 20-mile t r ip back to the city. At that t ime the Pe r ry Highway was u n -paved and in wet weather it was some­thing to drive a big t ruck over the skiddy clay, bu t no one was ever worried.

Yes, I remember the day Gus K a p -pauf decided he would like to take a trip to our favorite s t ream to enjoy a little fishing. On more than one occa­sion he had heard the boys telling of the sport they enjoyed. Being one of our superiors, naturally, we were glad to have him.

It was a Saturday. We don't recall the month, but it was during the sum­mer of 1929. We had done a bit of fish­ing in the morning. Gus arrived just as we were at lunch. A beautiful day and being in no part icular hu r ry we finished our meal leisurely then made ready to see that the boss got some fishing.

W e stood on the bank of the stream and as we glanced upstream noted sev­eral fish jumping from the water .

"See there," someone said, "they're just waiting to be caught!"

Then several more jumped from the stream directly in front of us.

"Boy, oh boy, look at that, would

you," said another, as he pointed up the stream. There were fish jumping all over. Downstream the same thing was going on.

"Hey, wait a minute. There 's some­thing wrong. Those fish never acted like that before. We better look into this," I remarked.

Soon several of us were in the flat-bottomed boat, making our way to the opposite bank where it was possible to wade. Floating fish were on all sides, some dead, others in their last struggle. There sure was something wrong. We picked up one of the fish and noted the gills covered with a reddish substance. Where there was a bit of backwater, apparently still OK, dozens of fish were swimming about—black bass, bluegills, sunfish, catfish, carp and others. It was here in the shallow water that we n o ­ticed the rusty-looking residue on the bottom.

We tried to save as many fish as we could, those still alive, bu t it was of no use. The stream was doomed, appar­ently, by the killing agency which had been emptied into the stream.

Who could have done it? Where did it come from?

A member of the par ty was the late Gene Madden, then president of the Millvale Chapter of the Izaak Walton League. I was the secretary.

It was he who suggested we t ry to locate the source of the pollution. Gus regretfully left for home while we lost no time in getting started.

Every possible source was examined although by now the color of the water left little doubt that it came from somewhere upstream, the tributaries being clear. We didn't stop for supper, but kept going. Finally, after about six hours of searching, our efforts were rewarded.

At an outlet of one of the mills just below Butler the telltale evidence ended. Beyond the creek was clear as crystal. On the banks, at the outlet, was a good deal of the colored mass which seemed to cause the trouble.

We had our polluter. Mat t Riley, of Ellwood City, was the

member of the commission, then the Board of Fish Commissioners. Matt was a personal friend, in fact, so good a friend that we are still carrying the fishing license number he willed to us—but that 's another story.

Being advised of what had happened, he contacted the office at Harrisburg. Thus one of the first cases of pollution, if not the first in that pa r t of the coun­try, became history.

The fine at that time was a pitiful

P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

$100, but a high official of the concern at Chicago, the home office, was the chairman of the Izaak Walton League Foundat ion Fund and when he was advised of the incident the company contributed $1,000 to assist in the r e ­stocking of the stream.

For two years all went well. The "Conny" staged something of a come­back. Our restocking efforts were con­t inued and many a can of fish was again hauled to the stream. Then, just about the t ime the future looked bright, in 1931, came another dose of pollution, probably jus t as bad if not worse than the first, although the n u m ­ber of fish were no longer present. This incident practically wiped out the creek, killing everything in it, even the turtles and the watersnakes.

The "Conny" was finished. We gave it up as a lost cause for there was no assurance there would be no reoccur­rence. Our interests were to be directed into another channel.

Yes, I remember. It was about that time that a certain wel l -known official of the present -day Fish Commission was the secretary of the Northwestern Division of the Pennsylvania Federa­tion of Sportsmen's Clubs, but in those days it was called a Council. At the same time I was the secretary of what was known as the "Western Division."

This chap lived at Ellwood City and having something of common interest

£SCA£ATO%

we got together at a local meeting. From then on we became friends and while fishing was one of our interests, predator control was another and one of the principal types of vermin, as far as the fisherman is concerned was the watersnake.

Let me tell you of one of these ex ­peditions. We headed for a favorite fishing haun t of this friend, French Creek. Accompanying us was an as­sistant of mine, "Slim" Krause.

Arriving at Utica we went to work, upending every stone along the shore which could possibly have been the hiding place of a watersnake. In some instances we uncovered two or three. Sometimes it was more. These were the youngsters left to shift for themselves. When we had the shoreline rid of the vermin we went to the real work—the big fellows, the ones responsible for the little fellows under the rocks.

We had a perfect method. "Slim" would be armed with a good sized shillelah, used' to dispatch the snakes as they ware tossed ashore. My part of the under taking was to slowly—very slowly, raise the submerged stones near the water 's edge. The third chap would be out in the stream, equipped with a short, stout length of the branch of a tree or anything else which would serve the purpose.

The procedure was as follows: Very carefully I would raise the

"Now, sir, you'll see how well it takes rapids."

JUNE—1953

stone. The current washing beneath it would momentarily roil the water, then as it would clear itself the hiding snake would be revealed. Apparently the snake was under the impression while the water was cloudy it was u n ­seen, bu t the moment it cleared and the snake saw both the chap in the stream and yours truly it would dart from its concealment. That moment was the signal for the "scooper" to do his stuff. As the snake got but of the coil and straightened out its length a swift heave would send the snake fly­ing through the air. "Slim" was ready the moment it hit the ground. Usually one solid whack made it a good water­snake—a dead one.

Yes, I remember. How can I ever forget it. As the work went on we came to a good sized rock and as we slowly raised it we got a glimpse of the snake beneath it.

"Get ready," we whispered to our friend in the stream. "This baby's a whopper!"

The snake shot from beneath the stone. Like lightning the branch caught it midway in the body. A moment later it went sailing, but instead of falling to the ground it s t ruck "Slim" on the chest, the momentum carrying the head and tail around his neck. Of course, it reposed there only momenta­rily, almost immediately dropping from its unwelcome host. We heard one frantic yell and "Slim" was running madly from the scene, waving his arms in a wild manner. He had lost all in­terest in the snake.

Only quick action by the chap in the stream who dashed ashore when he saw what had happened was the snake prevented from g a i n i n g the stream. That short weapon did double duty. It had not only scooped the snake from its hiding place, bu t pu t an end to its existence.

When "Slim" regained his composure we took an inventory of the afternoon's work. Believe it or not, we had dis­patched more than 200 of the reptiles.

The third member of our party—the expert manipulator of the scoop—was none other than our very dear friend, the present executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, Charley French.

Believe me, we were snake killers of big caliber.

Yes, I remember. Our mutua l friend Matt Riley received the call from the One who passes no one by. Charley was appointed as his successor and be­came a full-fledged member of the Board of Fish Commissioners. Later he

25

became the Commissioner. Today he still holds that office but under another name.

Yes, I remember, a lot more that I could tell you, most of them pleasant memories, some which we don't care to recall, but still a part of what has taken place in our many years of asso­ciation with sport afield and astream.

BOATS - FOR FISHING OR PLEASURE

(From page 14)

With the advancement of civilization, boat building began to flourish on a commercial scale. Prams, dories, sail­ing crafts and whale boats were being built for use on the open seas or the extensive system of canals or inland waterways. In Holland and other Euro­pean countries and on this continent in the early 18th century, an intricate network of waterways and canals was built to handle the boating traffic of that day. Boats of all types were be­ing experimented by commercial fishermeni. Throughout history boat building and designing have advanced continually.

At the same time the development of the boat was underway, various means of powering the craft through the water were worked out. First came the poling of rafts, then pad­dling of canoes and dugouts. Later, oars and sails appeared and finally today we have reached the age of gasoline and diesel engines which propel boats through the water at various speeds.

It is small wonder boats and boat­ing are so popular today among Penn-sylvanians. Down through the six drainage basins in this commonwealth —the Susquehanna, Ohio, Delaware, Potomac, the Genessee and Erie sec­tion—pour 31-major streams as well as innumerable creeks from otherwise land locked lakes. It is because over 6,000 miles of streams and rivers and approximately 57,000 acres of ponds and lakes are confined in Pennsylvania so many folks are water-minded to­day. Few states have as many water­ways navigable with small boats or offer such superb fishing. And whether fishing or family boating is desired the waterways and lakes are exten­sively used every year. Doubtless the greater percentage of boating enthu­siasts are fishermen for they realize

26

that places in lakes once inaccessible are but a few minutes away.

Indeed, much of our present fishing revolves around boating. Float trips for bass down the major rivers, trolling for walleyes and lake trout, even bait fishing for panfish or bullheads in­volves going astream on some craft. The rowing, sailing, motoring or drift­ing on the water to far distant shores is one of the pleasurable events that adds to the enjoyment found while angling.

A variety of boats are suited to the major streams of Pennsylvania. Among these are the sailboats, prams, row boats and skiffs, canoes, kayaks, speed­boats, inboard and outboard cruisers. The variety is so large it is a problem when a choice of boats is to be made. It is obvious all crafts are not suited for angling. Though sailboats, speed boats and kayaks will carry a fisher­man to any point on a stream, cer­tainly there are more practical crafts for the average fisherman. The selec­tion depends largely on the type of water on which the boat is to be used.

Popular among fishermen is the pram. This small, stubby craft is suited for small streams and sheltered ponds. Those weighing less than 100-pounds are perfectly suited for carrying on top of the auto for easy transporta­tion to numerous lakes. The canoe is another favorite. Light in weight, drawing little water, it is ideal for shallow streams and easily transported on a small trailer or on the auto top. Originally made of canvas stretched over cedar framing, stainless steel, and aluminum models are now available, adequately built to safely accommodate small motors.

More suited for larger rivers and lakes, the choices of thousands of anglers are the rowboat, skiffs, and lightweight motorboats. Made with pointed bows and square transoms, re­inforced to handle outboards from two to seven H. P. they are available in flat, semi-V and rounded bottoms. The flat bottom skiff is most popular of all, found commonly on all lakes and streams. It is a craft of simple con­struction, one readily built without much difficulty by the home craftsmen.

Heavy duty outboard motorboats are built along the same lines as the above group. Built of marine plywood, aluminum, stainless steel, plastic and fibre glass, they are suited for operat­ing with motors of 10 H. P. or more on larger rivers and lakes. There are also still larger boats. The inboard and newer outboard cruisers equipped with galleys, sleeping quarters and lounging

decks, are intended for such water­ways as the Chesapeake, Lake Erie and coastal regions.

Certainly water sports have flour­ished in this state. With its many scenic waterways and excellent fishing grounds, more and more boats are afloat each year. Fishing and boating go hand in hand. Anglers should give serious thought to the advantages of owning a boat. Whether fishing or tak­ing the family for a pleasurable after­noon of cruising waterways, there are new adventures in store for prospective boat owners. Numerous models are shown here to give an inside picture of the many designs available today.

BUILDING FROM A BOAT KIT

(From page 18)

to start fires on cold mornings. The most important step, between

desire and actually defying the law of gravity by gliding safely over the deep in a craft made by hand, is in selection of the boat you want to build. What you want the boat to do for you generally determines what type of boat you will want to own.

Those who come upon these lines are most likely to have fishing fore­most in mind. But, even fishing is to­day so specialized that you will want to think long and seriously before selecting the type of boat you will need and want.

Here are some of the questions you will want to ask yourself.

How many people will I want my boat to carry? Will my 3-horse out­board push it fast enough, or will I have the additional expense of buying a larger motor? Should I install a live-fish box? Do I want to invest in a trailer or do I want a car-top boat? Will my boat take me back into the shallows? Do I want to sacrifice sta­bility for speed? Will my wife and kids be able to row the thing quietly and straight enough while I am fish­ing?

Once you have made your decision, don't hesitate . . . if you have the money.

Although you can whip together your own design or attempt to follow a pattern someone found in a maga­zine back in 1922, your safest, and

P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

very likely "the most economical p ro ­cedure, is to choose one of the boat

• kits current ly on the market . The com­panies in the boat-building business have saved you countless headaches and expense by providing kits that you can readily knock together with a minimum of experience.

As to price range, you can pick yourself a little pram at much less than $50, or you can expend much more than $1,000 on a cabin cruiser. You can buy your boat kit in the rough, painted or completely assembled and ready for the water . Naturally, you pay according to the amount of labor required in advance. But, as a h in t to wha t you can save by doing the work yourself, a t least one com­pany doubles the price to assemble the boat for you.

Of course, the fun of it is in the building of it. As one company, the "U-Mak- I t Products," puts it: "We know you have no experience in boat building or carpentry. We took this fully into consideration when design­ing our boat kits and preparing the simple s tep-by-s tep directions. Our assembly kits a re not made for p r o ­fessional boat builders, bu t for Mary and Joe . . . or anybody."

Similar thinking is followed by most of the boa t -k i t companies in p repa r ­ing plans and parts for the boat they th ink you might want to build. All par ts are clearly marked and easily identified to correspond with direc­tions.

Glues and screws are the two m a ­terials that will hold your boat intact once it is finished. Inside you will likely find a quant i ty of s turdy white oak, providing rigidity, and outside a smooth surface of durable, light p ly­wood.

But, unless you are an old boatman, familiarity ceases unt i l you begin actual construction. By the t ime you are finished, you will have acquired a nautical vocabulary tha t will place you on speaking terms with the "old salts." And each joint, support, angle and screw will take on new signifi­cance every t ime you take your boat to water. Because it will be something you made.

Without a specific boat in mind, we can' t begin to tell you what to do after you receive your boat kit. How­ever, there a re certain generalized instructions that apply to the building of any boat suitable for inland and off-shore ocean navigation.

First, and more important than you might think, is selection of a place to

build the boat. Despite the many car­toons and jokes on the subject, boat builders not infrequently get their craft together only to find that it is larger at its smallest diameter than the largest exit available. Either they must disassemble the boat or start tearing par t of the building away.

Since cellars are often used as work ­shops, especially during the winter, make certain that the biggest door is large enough to accommodate passage of the completed boat.

Assembly jig may be placed directly on any level surface, on boxes or on "horses." In many cases, the crate in which the boat par ts are shipped will act as an assembly jig.

The next step is to forget everything tha t your friends have told you about building a boat. Take out the instruc­tion sheet and study it religiously; then follow it. Don' t be confused by such terms as keelson, batten, chime, transom, sheer, cant strip, stem trim, etc. You will find these par ts on p rac ­tically any old rowboat you have ever used. And, they will be properly iden­tified on your instruction sheet with diagrams to match.

Tools necessary for the construction of a boat from a ki t are found in most households. You will find tha t each boat par t is notched to fit and usually needs only the application of a screw driver. Some companies even furnish the screw driver.

Don't be misled by the seemingly flimsy plywood tha t protects the out­side of the boat. Plywood is the strongest material per unit of weight known to engineering science. One-quarter inch marine panels equal the strength and protection of one-half inch of conventional planking.

Don't under any circumstance a t ­tempt to change the design of your prefabricated boat. Any changes are apt to reduce the efficiency of the finished product and make for naught all the engineering experience and testing of the company that provided your boat kit.

Although it is possible to buy your boat ki t with paint already applied, this is one operation that the average person regards as a more personal matter . And, again, you can save money by doing it yourself. J u s t be sure that you purchase a good marine finish, preferably one recommended by the boat company, and then dress her up to suit your own fancy.

Naturally, your boat company will furnish a decal to identify the boat as one of their own prefabrication, and they will be mildly insulted if you don't use it. But, the official name of the boat is your own choice.

Here is your chance to sweeten the wife who has pu t up with your late hour banging and wrestling in the cellar. If she carries a handle like "Esperanza," "Gwendolyn," "Wilhel-

" I once took a thorn out of his paw."

JUNE—1953 27

mina" or "Sophronia," you may have to shorten it a bit or hire a professional artist, but it may be worth it in the long run . Anyway, when you're alone and things don't go right, you can call it anything.

Means of propulsion is a mat ter of choice, but all modern boats are con­structed to mount an outboard or in­board motor. Machinery being what it is, however, a good set of oars is a must . . . especially for the angler.

Except for one or both of these extras, you needn ' t buy another thing. However, as in the case of the au to­mobiles we buy, you can go hog wild to dress up your boat to match or beat the one at the next dock. But, before you give serious consideration to additional extras, better paint your wife's middle name on there, too.

Then, all things being equal, you have your choice of: a couple cleats, a bow plate, mooring bit, bow chocks, safety chains, towing ring, lifting handle, bow handle, stern handle, drip pan (for outboard motors) , s tern flag­pole light, windshield brackets, plexi­glass windshield kit, bow light, throttle control, a couple kapok cushions, etc.

Without the etc., the above will cost you approximately $79.50.

If you feel real reckless, you might consider a water speed indicator a t $9. This is the point at which the wife is suddenly reminded of a "lovely fur coat at Minskiwich's for only $899."

Taking another serious slant at the boat picture, we must recognize that there are today many opportunities to acquire a really fine craft a t a reason­able figure by utilizing our own spare time and effort. I n addition to the pride of craftsmanship, pride of owner­ship and the at tendant joys connected with boating, is the knowledge that we no longer need depend upon leaky, dangerous and too often high priced rentals.

Building your own boat can be fun . . . and an economical accomplish­ment.

FISHING FROM A BOAT

(From page 20)

the fish bite or not. Line always has the tendency of moving in a follow-up of blowing wind. If you have occa­sion to be in a situation where you

28

have only one anchor perhaps your fishing will be much more effective if you beach the boat at favorite spots such as islands, or inaccessible shore­lines. For in fishing a lake or even a stream of any depth most of the best fishing is still found to be near under ­cut shores, in or near shore weed clumps, or masses of cattail, and on streams often near strong shore eddies. In their feeding most fish travel in low water for the minnows that may be found there, the insect life, the stray frogs, Crustacea, or even mice that often present tempting morsels to the larger fish, especially of the game variety.

It has been my experience that al­most without fail the greatest amount of fish can be caught within a short distance of the land, whether the fish are pan, coarse, or game. One might then ask, "Why fish from a boat at all?" For the reason that fish move in their feeding periods and travel in schools or as stray lunkers often in areas of water inaccessible to the shore wader. Besides, it is so much easier to get back to your place of origin by using a motor or even oars.

Anchor lines should be considerably longer than the greatest depth of the water, for in many places the lines may need to be changed or adjusted and some freedom is needed for ad­justment. Anchors should be dropped close to the boat and the lines made quite tight for even a slight bit of leeway creates quite an amount of drift for the bait fisherman. Often enough, too, the anchor drifts free of a sand­bar or the like and into deeper water. In such cases, where the anchor is suspended in midwater it is little better than no anchor a t all. Anchors can easily be made from cans filled with cement, the most effective being of the large juice can type. Anchors should not protrude jagged edges for these very easily can be snagged or lost.

Rarely should more fishermen than two fish a boat unless it is of adequate size. For not only do conditions b e ­come cramped otherwise, but the pos­sibility for incidence of accidents be ­comes greater. If the fishermen be plugging, look out man, if you happen to be the one in the center, for you'll be ducking jagged hooks of someone's favorite bass killer from either side for most of the morning or evening.

Boat fishing may be of various types. The still fisherman can anchor the two anchors and try various spots with one or two rods and lines. The effectiveness of two lines becomes apparent when

more than one bait may be on hand to determine what the fish may be taking. In addition the fisherman may use methods to determine depth at which fish are hitt ing by using a floater with one line and fishing on the bottom with the other. Fishermen often also like to fish worms for panfish or some of the coarser fishes putt ing in pleasant time while the other rod like the p ro ­verbial bear trap is set for something much more enticing in the offing. When the bigger critter swallows the "big bait," presto, the proverbial bear! The fun that follows may include a half hour of fascinating fight before the fish is subdued.

The drift fisherman changes the tempo of still fishing to some extent. If on a lake, he motors or rows to the end from which the wind is blowing, sets his boat broadside to the wind and then throws a baited line for gamefish over the windward side. This line should have some split shot or other sinker as drifting has the tendency to keep line near the surface of the waters which is not always the place where fish feed. Lines should often be used similarly in trolling. The boat drifts and the minnow, crawdad, frog, or be what it may, moves with the drifting craft. Most fishermen know that a game fish is partial to a moving bait and drift fishing is done not only to excite the pugnacious fish more read­ily, bu t to cover a greater span of fishable waters. In streams, such fish­ing is more difficult because of snag­ging boulders which interrupt the fish­ing with definite hazards to line.

Occasionaly, even in drift fishing, the fish fools the fisherman—it gets under the boat and drifts along with it. I can readily remember a day when a friend of mine caught one of the largest fish he ever landed in this m a n ­ner. Dropping his minnow into the water a t the boat's edge, he spooled out line to make a further throw. Line took off with tantalizing speed to the rea l ­ization that a sizeable fish had struck. The greatest battle of the day then took place under the boat when he yanked. With us anxiously trying to figure out just wha t was happening a gasping bass was laboriously brought in. Try it sometime yourself. There might be one lurking under your boat, too. I remember another occasion when a bass which seemed the size of a sway back horse ogled a plug of mine r id­ing laterally under the boat. Try as I might I couldn't entice him. He was perfectly content to remain only in the comforting cenfines of the shade, of the

P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

drifting boat, letting all else craftily well enough alone.

The plug fisherman, flycaster, or spinning fisherman needs to worry very little about the use of an anchor. His type of fishing is going to be of the patrolling type. Primari ly he should first survey the wind direction to d e ­termine where he's going to fish, espe­cially if he is on a lake, it is large, and the wind be such tha t if h e get at a particular spot of his choice the conditions be too adverse for effec­tive casting.

Effective casting in a boat may be done in a number of ways. In the one type a few strokes of the oars near the shoreline are alternated with simi­lar numbers of casts into the cattails or to the edge of a shore weed bed and are generally productive during the coarse of the day's fishing. Do not fool yourself; some of the largest bass will be in wate r barely deep enough to hold them. Often the weedless bait in the form of a Johnson silver min­now with a porkrind or a preferred weedless surface bait dur ing the eve­ning are tempting artificials. Similarly, bass bugs used wi th fly rods, especially on hot evenings may elicit action where no one would believe that fish existed. Even dropping the plug on the shore, then pulling it into the water with a "ker plunk" will often make bass th ink tha t frogs are a'plopping, go wild. Panfishing practically always is a pleasant adventure effected in the shore fishing manner .

The plug caster can also drift. The disadvantage of this is that one never knows wha t portion of a lake he will cover as wind is no respector of your idea of desired direction. On streams one can drift with the current, then motor back to the place of origin.

A boat is primari ly used to get us from a part icular starting place in our fishing to a desired objective, and safely back. Let 's remember the latter point and observe those rules which will tend to give us more days of pleas­an t fishing for a long time to come. For as in anything else the greatest pleasure comes with our ability to make good use of the things at our disposal which were made to benefit us in the wise use of our leisure time.

IF YOU WOULD

CATCH MORE TROUT

KILL LESS!

THE RIGHT FLY LINE

(From page 13)

even better than those of a scant six years ago when many fishermen thought that we had just about reached the peak of perfection. Compared to those highly touted twisted horsehair casting lines so prevalent in England a couple of centuries ago, they are out of this world.

However, those old timers who by necessity were compelled to make their own lines should not be dismissed so summarily. The process entailed much work and patience and no little skill and know-how. Preparatory to the ac ­tual making of the line they had to spend much time in collecting the raw materials; going about seeking out horses with tails or ra ther the hairs in them, conforming to specifications.

The hair had to be round and u n ­blemished and one tha t had never been kinked. The nearest approach to t r ans ­parency was hair that was "glass-col­ored," obviously, a kind of gray. Black hair was usually round and of an even diamenter throughout its usable length. White was jus t the opposite, being uneven and flat and prone to gray. Come to think of it I don't recall of ever seeing a white horse hair sofa.

After the selected hairs were care­fully washed in a bland soap and thor­oughly rinsed, the most uniform in diameter as well as the clearest were picked out for the actual twisting. The twisted links that were later joined together were then soaked in water for fifteen or twenty minutes and twisted again. In this way hairs that shrunk too much or not enough could be discarded. When several hairs were used in the links their uniformity was of the utmost importance. A light col­ored or "clear" seven-hair line always had a black hair incorporated in its center.

The links were finally dyed in a mixture of strong ale, soot, juice from walnut leaves or bark, and alum; the whole brewed together unti l well in­corporated. The hair was soaked in the cool mixture until the desired depth of color was attained; a clear green being best, but "not too green."

If nothing more, the above goes to show how lucky we are.

For those who like a bit of the

professional touch combined with p rac ­tical principles, there's a torpedo type line that has it. It 's a so-called quick taper job which comes in appropriate sizes. For the rod weights previously designated an HCG would be about right. With a bass rod weight torpedo line made of braided nylon given to him by Jack Knight, and I might add that the line was made to Mr. Knight 's specifications, I saw Chalky Bauder, wel l -known Williamsport taxidermist and sportsman, drop a hai r frog p h e ­nomenal distances with an accuracy which was positively uncanny. It is well to remember that in the selection of a fly line, weight is an essential fac­tor because it is the line that is cast. However, the weight should not be so great as to throw your outfit off ba l ­ance.

Color? There is no doubt but what many fishermen prefer colors which effectively camouflage their lines. P e r ­sonally, I'll take a line which can be seen so that the position of the fly can be readily ascertained. This is par t icu­larly handy when using a superfine leader wi th correspondingly minute flies. I'll settle for a yellow or equally conspicious color. It is more than likely that some day we may get a superior fly line with a t ransparency which will defy detection and thereby dispensing with leaders. As for me, I do like to fuss with leaders, and preparing them

.for the day's sport is all a par t of a pleasant task.

The new lines made of braided nylon can do practically everything expected of their silk counterparts. They have a super-smoothness, plenty of weight and great flexibility at ordinary t emp­eratures. In addition, since nylon is water resistant, the lines require no greasing as well as a minimum of care. However, it mus t be noted that in icy water nylon loses some of its supple­ness.

After purchasing, let's say, a tapered line of a size suited to your particular rod, examine it to determine the length of level line which most manufactur­ers append to the taper. Some lines have as much as eight or even ten feet of level line at the end of the taper, although it may range all the way down to as little as three feet. You can readily determine how much there is by running your thumb and forefinger down toward the end of the line.

If you find there is only five or six feet, mount the reel holding the line on the rod which you intend using with it and get out where there 's enough

JUNE—1953 29

room to cast. Your lawn or a field or an empty lot will do if there is no water handy.

First, try the line with two or three leaders of varying lengths together, of course, with appropriate lures. If you find that it works unsatisfactorily with all of the leaders, repeat the test after cutting ten or twelve inches off the level section. Check to make certain it is the line that is at fault before you do too much cutting. In many cases it will be found that a foot or so of level line at the end of the taper facilitates casting. So, take it easy when approaching the end of the level length.

The things to look for are, 1) that you can throw a satisfactory amount of line with a minimum of effort, 2) that the line glides effortlessly through the guides. 3) that the leader falls to the water in a straight position, with the fly or lure dropping naturally to the surface. To accomplish the latter the leader must be free of swirls and kinks, and must alight without excessive bel­lying. In other words, it must be rea­sonably straight. If it isn't you may fail to hook a fish which strikes at the instant the fly hits the water.

Try to conduct your tests when a slight wind is blowing so that you can determine the line's behavior when thrown into it. A line properly mated to the rod should slip into the wind with but a little additional effort on your part.

In general, for the fairly stiff fly rod of from 4% to 6 ounces use nothing smaller than a D level or an HDH tapered line. These same sizes are suit­able for rods with a medium bass action.

An HEH tapered or an E level fox-rods from 3 to 5% ounces are about right.

For heavy bass rods size C level or an HCH tapered should do the trick.

In conclusion, the correct matches for your rods should be fitted definitely by the method outlined. For the best re­sults always test any line. Even the most expensive.

TIPS ON MONOFILAMENT

(From page 11)

5 lbs. test (P). I mention this brand specifically because I know of no other which is available in such a wide range

30

of sizes. The dispenser spools come in round transparent boxes (as shown in the illustration) ingeniously contrived so the monofilament can be pulled out and so that the excess can be reeled back in. This solves the leader tippet problem once and for all. These spools are no bigger than a half dollar and take up negligible room in the fishing jacket.

The four knots shown are all that an angler needs to know to use monofila­ment properly in spinning or in fly fishing. The "Perfection Loop" knot is for the loop at the leader's head, and the "Barrel" Knot ties on the graduated strands or tippets. These two knots solve the leader problem, and nylon monofilament solves the expense and nuisance formerly inflicted upon us by Spanish gut.

In spinning, the "Improved Clinch" knot is excellent for tying all ringed-eye lures (or swivels) to the line. The "Turle" knot only is used for turned-up or turned-down eye lures, such as flies. Broken lines can be spliced with the "Barrel" knot, a long end being left as a dropper, if desired. This splice is ap­proximately as strong as the line itself, and gives no trouble in casting. The best tool I know of for trimming the ends, or for cutting monofilament is a pair of folding nail clippers. Other an­glers may have other preferences in knots, but these four have served my purposes extremely well.

Lastly, let's not underestimate the amazing strength of the nylon mono­filaments made especially for spinning, such as "Tortue." I have taken sailfish with it in eight pound test, and in three pound test it should be more than a match for any of the biggest trout in Pennsylvania. If you don't believe it, just get "hung up" in mid-stream and see how strong this monofilament is when you have to break loose!

WELL - WHAT'S NEXT

(From page 12)

plug a mile . . . but as soon as a real fisherman got the line wet it was like having a thousand guides instead of three or four. With several hundred times the normal guide-drag the plug just wouldn't go anywhere. My then editor-in-chief sent me one to test and comment upon in my fishing depart­

ment. I panned it and was then ad­vised there was advertising money in the offing and to try to find something good to say. My revised copy (which surprisingly enough got into print) said in essence that the Blank Co. had put a new trolling rod on the market. It was beautiful and sturdy. No guides to step on or break off or for the line to catch around. The line ran through the middle of a hollow tube . . . and that in a pinch it could be used for casting.

Fire-lure was the last big splurge. You walked into a tackle store and saw the bodies of your favorite pat­terns glowing with colored fire. They looked wonderful. That is, they looked wonderful to a fisherman. In three seasons of public use they have been a disappointment. A store dealer could display them under a flourescent light but when we fished with them we couldn't arrange for a small angel to fly just above them holding a floures­cent flashlight. In normal light they were a shade brighter than ordinary flies but the stuff was not a quarter as light reflecting as tinsel and by no means as great a step forward in fly making materials. As with the nite-luminous plug the fish apparently have no overpowering yearning to eat light­ning bugs and they still stick to their diet of ordinary insects, and the flies that more or less match them.

In the present period of relative calm when no new lure or substance is bidding fair to force an angler to hide behind trees while affixing it to his line lest he catch a limit of small fish before he can cast it to the part of the pool where the biggest fish lie, we may well gather our strength and wits to resist the next onslaught. Your guess is as good as mine as to what it will be but the odds are 100 to one it will be another dud.

The nicest thing about fishing is that the stuff that makes for success doesn't come out of a box or bottle . . . to be good at the sport you have to be either plenty lucky or plenty smart!

WHAT'S NEW IN FISHING BOOKS

By HUGH JOHNSON

When I started to read Gone Fishin by Charles Elliott (The Stackpole Com­pany, Harrisburg, Pa., $5.00), it was with a grumbling expectancy that here was another one of those collections

P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

of rambling, egocentric, corn-filled fishing reminiscences that are con­stantly popping out at us from pub­lishers' lists, only to die a quick and merciful death simply because readers are sick and tired of the- stuff. How­ever, Gone Fishin turned out to be a thoroughly pleasant surprise, chiefly because Elliott writes vigorously and with contagious honesty about man, nature and fishing without puffing up his own angling muscles until they crackle, and he writes with true feel­ing without a single note of sentimen­tality.

There are eighteen chapters in this book, and while each of them is a sep­arate story or discussion, they are still all-of-a-piece, threaded together by the author's love for the woods and waters and the wild creatures who live in them, and by his own conviction that there are no treasures so rich and life-giving as those afforded by a full and knowledgeable contact with Na­ture. For humor, there is the story of the giant "mad" trout allegedly afflicted with rabies from the bite of a dog, that drove old Pate to give up fishing. For excitement, a story to make your flesh crawl and one that sets a new standard for life-or-death experiences, is the one about how Elliott and a friend barely made their way on foot out of the snake-infested Okefenokee swamp after an alligator had smashed their canoe to pieces.

The book bristles with excellent fish-action narrative, my favorite being the battle Elliott had with a mammoth tackle-bustin bass in a big 'gator hole in the Okefenokee, an experience cli­maxed by the loss of the bass and the sudden catapulting of Elliott into the mucky ooze of the swamp. The stories contained in Gone Fishin coyer a wide geographical range, but the most fas­cinating are those set in the fabulous Okefenokee.

Ordinarily, the discursive type of book—running heavy on an author's account of his own experiences—is not my particular dish, but Gone Fishin is the real McCoy, a book that is so good and so human that one wants to read parts of it again and again. It's out­door writing at its best and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

* * * *

A new series of little books has quietly come upon the scene, and they deserve more attention than they have been getting. They are designed to con­vey to young people, in interesting story form, basic information about wild life. Each book is about fifty

pages long, fully illustrated in color, and the cost is only 50c each. The series, written by R. W. Eschmeyer and called True-to-Life Stories, con­tain the following titles: Bob White, Charley Cottontail, Billy Bass, Bobby Bluegill, and Tommy Trout. Each book provides the essential facts about the habits, life-cycle, characteristics, and the struggle for survival, of the ani­mal or bird or fish which happens to be the "hero" of the particular volume, and—an excellent feature of each book —the relationship of one wild creature with all the others with whom he has contact is very carefully developed. Children, particularly those whose parents or older brothers are fisher­men or hunters, are full of questions about where rabbits live, how a bird comes out of the egg, whether a fish has ears, how a fish feels with a hook in his lip. These little books perform a real service in answering such ques­tions for boys and girls and, at the same time, tell an engrossing story. Don't let the too-cute alliterative titles scare you off. The books are much better than their titles! They are pub­lished by the Fisherman Press, Ox­ford, Ohio and can be purchased di­rectly from that firm if your book­store does not carry them.

The Fly Book By A. G. Shimmel

The Iron Blue Dun Few if any anglers will dispute the

fact that blue-gray is among the most useful, if not the most useful color used in the construction of flies for trout. This is particularly true in our hard fished eastern waters.

The physicist tells us gray is com­posed of equal parts of the primary colors and has the power to absorb and subdue other colors and thus bring them into harmony. It is common in nature being found in the under fur of many animals, the flight feathers of many birds and the coloration of many acquatic insects. The rarest occurrence is where the angler craftsman needs it

most, in the hackle feathers of the gamecock. Natural blue gray capes are rare and are treasured accordingly. They are a necessity if we wish natural color in our imitations. Is it any won­der they are expensive?

Among the gray wet flies that have produced season after season, one of the oldest and best is the Iron Blue Dun. There are three patterns and a variety of sizes, all of them useful. The oldest pattern served as a lure in the Irish lakes in the time of Izaak Walton and won a place of affection beside the amber thirst-quencher and the shillelah in the hearts of the an­glers of Erin.

The Irish Iron Blue Dun was a wet fly having wings of darkest coot, body of dark gray moles fur spun on yellow tying silk and ribbed with fine silver wire. The tail was three or four scar­let fibers of silver pheasant crest, the hackle of softest blue dun to match the wings and body in color.

The pattern in England had a hackle and tail of rusty-red, the mole's fur body spun on red tying silk and a wing of black bird or darkest starling.

The American version has a mole's fur body, a woodcock wing, a dark blue dun hackle and tail. The tail is tied extra long. At times we rib it with silver wire to increase its visibility in dark or discolored water. Generally we like the solid gray pattern.

Many fly hatches have this blue gray coloration and for this reason the Iron Blue is a most effective pattern throughout the season. This is par­ticularly true on limestone streams where brown trout have been estab­lished. A long fine leader and a num­ber eighteen Iron Blue will often take a regular riser that has refused a dry fly. Some patterns are more effective at certain times during the season. When a hatch of Quill Gordon or Hen-drickson are on and an occasional trout refuses them a switch to an Iron Blue as a second fly is sometimes ef­fective. As an all around wet when the gray hatches are on the Iron Blue has the nod.

Its lack of popularity with anglers is hard to understand. One can only surmise that its mouse gray color is much more attractive to fish than fishermen.

KILL LESS -

CATCH MORE!

JUNE—1953

^^Jke C^dlt or $ Ornate

BOILED TROUT!

Today I went to French Creek to help (?) stock some trout, 2,000 browns and rainbows. Herb Andress, one of our stalwart members, was there, too. Several other clubs were represented, Spring City and Kimberton that I know of. The t rout were nice, with some big ones thrown in. Several would go to 16 inches.

Stocking was proceeding according to plan, when we came on a disagree­able sight: a beautiful setting near a bridge and what was dumped right there? A load of trash! Kimberton Club is going to write to an address found on several magazines in the pile.

Trout were stocked at the next stop. While waiting for cans to be returned to the truck, the driver decided to r e ­fill the gas tank for the pump motor that circulates air to the trout. This motor, amidships on the tank had been running steadily. It was windy. Sud­

denly the whole motor began to shoot flames after it was started.

No one had a fire extinguisher, not even the adjacent farm. One of our gang who ran to the farm saw the flames shooting up over the hill and called the Kimberton Fire Company.

Meantime, it looked for a while as though we were going to have boiled trout! The boys used water from one of the tanks that had been emptied of trout. Every time a bucket of water went on the motor, flames burst out the other side. Some fun!

Jus t before the firemen arrived, the fire decided to cool off. It was about out when the Kimberton Fire lads pulled up. The tanks of the truck were scorched, the paint peeled off. One tire threatened to burn but was kept from being badly damaged.

Fish Warden Horace Pyle decided the heat was not what trout liked, so he ordered the fish released immedi­ately. That one spot got several h u n -

Pho+o by Edward Ozern

WINS CASTING HONORS AT NEW YORK SHOW. Harry Ford, Jr., 13-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Elwood Ford, 556 S. Clewell Street, Fountain Hil l , Pa., is shown receiving trophy he won in junior accuracy test for second straight year at New York Sportsmen's Show recently. He posted 98 out of a possible 100 points and outclassed 15 other junior entrants, closest rival scored 89 points. The elder Ford, Joseph Horvath and Dan Momith of the Hellertown Sportsmen's Club teamed up to win for the Hellertown Club with 287 out of a possible 300.

dred. The creek is really loaded there. Kimberton Fi re Company says that 's the first time they were called out to keep trout from cooking!—Clara Franz, Secretary—West Chester Fish and Game Assoc. Inc. in Sporting News.

Dear Editor: I have been a subscriber to THE PENN­

SYLVANIA ANGLER for many years. I also subscribe to many other magazines, club and otherwise. This month's (April 1953) is one of the best informative and perti­nent issues for the opening of the 1953 trout season. I have noticed a decided re­vitalized accent in the ANGLER during the past year.

ALFRED C. ROSS New York N. Y.

Dear Editor: I have a bone to pick with a fellow by

the name of Bill Wolf who wrote an article appearing in the April ANGLER.

On page 23 of the April issue he states in his article entitled "Some Trout I Have Met" that brook trout are not especially brilliant . . . because of the fact they were fished out early in American fishing history.

Please let me set Mr. Wolf straight . . . the truth Is . . .the fact is . . . man and man alone is responsible for the decline of the brook trout. Why? Well, because of carelessness and utter disregard of con­servation methods and practices.

Brook trout require cool and areated water with ideal temperatures. When man, in his haste, cleared all the land for agri­culture in the early days he cut down everything in sight. The many cold streams and ponds were deprived of shade and became warm and unsuitable for the brookie.

So please, Mr. Wolf . . . don't blame the brookie or call him stupid . . . Put the blame where it belongs . . . on inconsider­ate MAN.

W. F. TRUX Easton. Pa.

President Erie E. Ehly, Tedyuscung Sportsmen's Association, writing in the "President 's column" of The Toma­hawk, s tates: "It was most inspiring this year to see the number of fisher­men of high-school age and younger, who opened the season along our Wis-sahickon Creek on April 15th. I have always felt that the special city regu­lations along the Wissahickon only served to restrict the stream from those who needed it most—the youth of our community . . . the Wissahickon is now regulated by the state, as it should have been before. A better program of enforcement can now be expected as well as a better stocking program in keeping with the Fish Commission policy, to heavily stock our streams."

32 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

EPITAPH T O A F ISH

Tombstone Memorial at Blockley, Gloucestershire, England, stands near a picturesque part of an old trout stream. Appropriately named, "Fish C o t t a g e " the home of Mrs. Dalrimple, who carefully tends the grave, last resting place of the old fish near the trout stream that runs through her garden, the site is of interest to curious Anglers and others visiting the spot.—R. D. Barrett-Lennard.

Dear Sir : J u s t a note to Inform you I welcome the

oppor tun i ty to renew my subscr ipt ion to THE PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER.

I have often wondered how you could pr int a magazine such as THE ANGLER for t h e old ra te of 50 cents per year and I would l ike to go on record here and now by stating whether THE ANGLER was one dollar a year or one dollar a copy I would st i l l buy i t . . . for my money i t ' s t h e best of i ts k ind a t any cost.

There 's just one fault I have with THE ANGLER and that is each month when it arrives my seven year old son Chipper gets hold of it, t h e n my wife, t h e n my mother , and . . . well, if and when they have finished wi th i t I a m pe rmi t t ed a quick glance a t t h e pages.

C. A. CAPELLA Bristol, Pa

Dear Sir : Enclosed is $1.00 for my year 's subscrip­

t ion to the best fishing magaz ine on t h e market , THE PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER.

I have been thri l led while reading i t In our High School library and want it for myself. I canno t see how you can pos­sibly sell such a wonderful magazine for so low a price. If possible s t a r t wi th t h e April issue. I would like to t h a n k t h e Commission for the large amounts of t rout stocked this year, I know it will give all fishermen much greater enjoyment in thei r sport . Keep u p t h e swell work!

VAN ADAMS Phi ladelphia , Pa.

Dear Sir :

I am a newcomer to THE PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER subscribers, got my second copy and well pleased. Keep u p t h e good work. Sock t h e t r o u t hogs a l i t t le harder . I would cer ta inly like to p a t you on t h e back if I could reach t h a t far. How's abou t some recipes on scrub fish.

W. E. BOEHMER Hunlocks Creek, Pa .

S . . . O . . . S! t o C l e a n F i s h e r m e n !

F o r t u n a t e l y , m o s t of o u r fishermen a r e

c l e a n fishermen a n d w o u l d n o t t h i n k

of s t r e w i n g c a n s , b o t t l e s , b o x e s , p a p e r s

a n d o t h e r d e b r i s a l o n g P e n n s y l v a n i a ' s

s t r e a m s . H o w e v e r , t h e r e a r e a m o n g u s

s o m e fishermen w h o a r e n o t c l e a n a n d

w h o m a k e i t t o u g h g o i n g fo r t h e o t h e r s

of u s i n o u r f a v o r i t e s p o r t i n G o d ' s

g r e a t o u t - o f - d o o r s . I t is t o t h e a r m y

of c l e a n fishermen, t h e r e f o r e , t h a t

s p o r t s m e n , l a n d o w n e r s , fish w a r d e n s

a n d o t h e r s a t t h i s t i m e d i r e c t a n u r g e n t

a p p e a l t o d o a l l i n t h e i r p o w e r t o d i s ­

c o u r a g e t h a t s m a l l p e r c e n t a g e of

t h o u g h t l e s s p e o p l e d u r i n g t h e c u r r e n t

fishing s e a s o n . D i s c o u r a g e t h e i r

t h o u g h t l e s s h a b i t s , w e a r e s t r o n g l y

u r g e d ; a n d e n c o u r a g e t h e m t o p r o t e c t

t h e p l a c e s t h e y f r e q u e n t — f o r f u t u r e

e n j o y m e n t of t h e m s e l v e s , a s w e l l a s

o t h e r s of t h e i r f e l l ow m e n ! — E l l e n A .

D i e t r i c h , S e c r e t a r y , i n Southeastern

Sportsmen.

No sportsman gets very far in his

reasoning until he realizes that wildlife

doesn't thrive in abundance where the

soil has eroded. He learns that fish

cannot grow in polluted waters or a

silted stream, that big game cannot be

found in a burned over forest. He

learns that wildlife problems are land

use problems. He learns that man can­

not live in health and prosperity unless

the soil is rich, the forest green, and

the waters pure . So, you find the

sportsmen preaching soil conservation,

forest fire prevention and pollution

control.—From Snap Shots by Jay

Howard in Sportcaster, The Perkiomen

Valley Sportsmen's Association.

CHANGING ADDRESSES??

Send immediately

Both Old and New

addresses to

Penna. Fish Commission, Harrisburg, Penna.

Russell A . Heycoclc, Lemoyne, Pa., landed this 27-inch, 6'/2-lb rainbow trout on a worm while fishing the Yellow Breeches, Cumberland County, on Apr i l 22, 1953.

Why Be Another Drowning Statistic? OBSERVE AND PRACTICE SIMPLE BOATING SAFETY REGULATIONS

THE LIFE YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN!