FISH FORAGE

NOVEMBER, 1941 TEN CENT

OFFICIAL STATE

PUBLICATION

V^ Hk ^/ ^ANGLER? VOL. 10—NO. 11

NOVEMBER, 1941

v_

PUBLISHED MONTHLY

by the

PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS

Publication Office: Telegraph Press, Cameron & Kelker Streets, Harrisburg, Pa.

Executive and Editorial Offices: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Board of Fish Commis­sioners, Harrisburg, Pa.

Ten cents a copy—50 cents a year

ALEX P. SWEIGART, Editor

South Office Bldg., Harrisburg, Pa.

NOTE Subscriptions to the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

should be addressed to the Editor. Submit fee either by check or money order payable to the Common­wealth of Pennsylvania. Stamps not acceptable. Individuals sending cash do so at their own risk.

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER welcomes contributions and photos of catches from its readers. Proper credit will be given to contributors.

AH contributions returned if accompanied by first class postage.

Entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office of Harrisburg, Pa. under act of March 3, 1873.

ARTHUR H. JAMES GOVERNOR

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS

CHARLES A. FRENCH Commissioner of Fisheries

MEMBERS OF BOARD

CHARLES A. FRENCH, Chairman Ellwood City

MILTON L. PEEK Radnor

HARRY E. WEBER Philipsburg

EDGAR W. NICHOLSON • Philadelphia

J. FRED McKEAN New Kensington

JOHN L. NEIGER Scranton

JOSEPH M. CRITCHFIELD Confluence

CLIFFORD J. WELSH Erie

H. R. STACKHOTJSE Secretary to Board

C. R. DULLER Chief Fish Culturist, Bellefonte

IMPORTANT—The Editor should be notified immediately of change in subscriber's address Please give old and new addresses

Permission to reprint will be granted provided proper credit notice is given

^ANGLER/ Vol. 10. No. 11 A ^ I ^ l W L C I V November, 1941

EDITORIAL

STOCKING BLACK BASS During the past two months, September and October, the largest and most extensive

Black Bass stocking program ever attempted by your Board of Fish Commissioners has been in progress. Not only are the regular bass-fishing streams being given our annual attention, but this year for the first time in our history a Statewide LAKE-STOCKING program has been undertaken. Pursuant to the Board's recently adopted policy, all lakes in the Commonwealth having a surface area of forty acres or more which are open to public fishing and which lakes already contain bass, are included in the program.

The fleet of Tank-Trucks are rolling and daily surveys and check-ups indicate the finest bass distribution ever projected. The new Warm Water hatchery at Huntsdale was operated for the first time this year with very gratifying results. The production at this plant, coupled with the output of swiftly developing facilities at the other hatcheries this year, has reached a sum total of more than a half million fish ranging in size from two to eight inches.

Our greatest concern, naturally, has been the extreme drought and alarming low water levels prevalent in many sections of the Commonwealth, all of which have been care­fully considered in our stocking program. These abnormal dry spells have been serious and devastating and on behalf of the entire Board I express our sincere gratitude for the fine team-work displayed and exercised by the many clubs and individuals in these affected areas, who assisted in rescuing and removing countless numbers of stranded fish to deeper waters.

Commissioner of Fisheries

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

WYALUSING By DICK FORTNEY

I NEVER did find out the name of the old man with only one good eye, with the

straggling white mustache that fanned down across his thin lips, and with the friendly grin. Doc and I stopped at his gasoline sta­tion, nestled in a little hollow at the side of the road, one hot afternoon in the old pro­hibition days. He sold us some gasoline, dipped a bottle of home brew out of the well and gave it to us with his compliments and then told us about his favorite bass hole.

The next summer, when we returned he was gone. In his stead one of those smart young men—in white uniform and all effi­ciency—was running the little gas station.

I never found out the name of the old fellow, but he introduced me to what I think is the grandest bass stream in Penn­sylvania, and in all the years I have fished the creek since then I never have passed the little gasoline station in the hollow without offering up a silent word of thanks to him, wherever he may be.

I'm writing about Wyalusing Creek, writ­ing with the memories of my ninth summer of fishing this grand stream still in sharp focus in my mind. I'd like to keep it all for myself, if that could be done, but at the same time I'd like to sing its praises to one and all and to assure you, friend reader, that it will give you as warm a welcome as it has given me and countless others who have discovered its charms.

But before we go a line farther, a serious word of caution—fish it for fun, not meat. For it will crush the scheming of the fish hog and humble him with its mysteries, even as it surely will bestow a glowing reward of joy upon him who puts most of the fish back for another day and who angles for the pure joy of the strike, the savage battle, and the satisfaction of granting the gift of life to a creature over which he has triumphed.

Stately fringes of trees enhance the beauty of Wyalusing Creek.

Wyalusing Creek is a tributary of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. It rises in a welter of small streams well up in Northern Pennsylvania, flows leisurely for about 25 miles down a beautiful, fertile valley, and finally dumps its load of water into the Susquehanna at the town of Wyal­using, perched along U. S. Route 6 about 40 miles west of Scranton and 18 miles East of Towanda.

The stream, in fact, follows closely High­way Route 106 from Wyalusing to Montrose, and it is all open except for about three miles near the town of Rush, where a group of sportsmen have leased farm lands and

Giant carp share this big hole in Wyalusing Creek with fighting bass and streamlined pickerel.

posted the creek as a private fishing reserve^ Wyalusing is a friendly stream, set in the

midst of green fields, murmuring past cleaHi neat farm houses—now deep and mysterious, now flat and lazy, again twisting and gurg' ling over stony turns and riffles.

It flows past little villages, slips beneath the concrete spans of highway bridges an" for mile after mile reflects the sheen of the sun to catch the eye of the angler looking for a stream in which he can fish lazily, yet

with confidence that he will reap dividend5

of action. No trout ever inhabited Wyalusing Creek'

It just isn't that kind of a stream. Its swim' ming holes and cow fords are evidence °* that. Rather, it is supreme as the home &. the fighting smallmouth bass and of the stream-lined pickerel, and of brilliantly colored sunfish, tiger-striped rock bass, lea" and racy fallfish, and the finny chaps wh° keep the stream clean, the suckers and the

carp. There was the angler from Johnstown»

name forgotten, who took from one of i*5

great pools a smallmouth that pulled the

scales at four and a half pounds, and the lad from Philadelphia who craftily tossed out a deep-running plug and whipped &

seven pound wall-eyed pike that struck the

lure savagely in a deep green pool almos' within shouting distance of the town fro*11

which the creek gets its name. I'll never forget the 22-inch pickerel th*j

hit a silver spoon and after a whirlwind battle panted out its life on the grass whne

a cow grazed contentedly not twenty fee

away. Or the sunfish nine and a half inches lon£

that took a stone-catfish and put up a battle that would have done credit to any he-baSS'

And my friend, Brooks, had a lot of fun

with a fallfish, lowly though some angler5

1941 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

Brooks rigs up his tackle at the car along a favorite hole.

tiay consider the fish, which took his red and White fly and spinner, for the chub was a giant 18 inches long and fought as if it, too, had bass blood in its veins.

Big catches? My friend, they can be made in Wyalusing Creek provided you go for the Pleasure of fishing and not to satisfy any lust for killing.

Look here in my diary under date of July 18-19, 1940:

"Brooks and I caught 35 fish in an evening and a day of angling, but we kept only a few for an old lady we knew on a farm up the road a bit. Arrived on stream at sunset July 18, and fish took bass bugs with smash-tag strikes; then the following day they Went crazy over the helgramites we offered them."

And again, under date of October 4, 1939: "Brooks and I caught 24 fish today, every

°ne of them on a fly and spinner, but we didn't even carry a creel down to the creek With us. The stream was flowing strong and cold; it was our last visit of the summer, and somehow we just couldn't end the season in an orgy of killing."

And I remember too, one July afternoon When I found the creek high and roily after a cloudburst had struck upstream. Sitting °n a huge peninsula of rocks at one of the deepest holes in the stream were a couple of chaps fishing with throw lines, while tied to a branch of an overhanging tree four taonster carp churned the water.

And if you ever cross the stream at the bridge at Rush—you'll recognize the spot by a pretty white creamery at the side of the road—look down over the railing into the side of the stream where the water is milky each day when the creamery utensils are Washed. There you will see, like dark ghosts in the blue-white water, bass that weigh two and three pounds lazily swimming about, attended by amazing numbers of their small­er brethren and of panfish. But I have yet to interest one of these milk-fed battlers in any kind of lure or bait. They are for Watching, not catching.

Yes, with all their abundance, fish are not just for the taking in the pools and runs of Wyalusing Creek. They are selective; they rise only to the offerings of men who study their moods and habits, who learn their hiding and feeding places, who treat them as worthy adversaries.

You have to know how to do all kinds of fishing, every trick of the bass fishing art, to get results consistently.

My diary recalls to me that three of us fished the creek one August day of 1941, starting out in the morning with live bait and having such action that all of us were Whooping with the sheer joy of it. Then suddenly the bait failed in the deeper holes, and we had to turn to the faster water with flies and spinners—and the orgy of smashing strikes and leaping battles began all over again.

Noon brought a biting sun, and no breeze at all, and for several hours we lay in the shade of some thick pines and drowsed and talked and smoked. Lunches were eaten as the sun slipped down behind the high hill in front of us, and again we courted Wyalusing.

Now neither bait nor glittering spinners served. We turned to deer-hair bass bugs, letting them float like monster dry flies on

the pools and feeling our hearts thump against our ribs in response to the sucking, spray-churning' strikes.

And then, to cap the climax, I laid aside my fly rod and the quietly floating lures and took up the casting rod and a yellow and black Crazy Crawler— plug with metal arms that swims on the surface with a great fuss and commotion. Then for an hour, while my friends stuck to their silently floating bass bugs, I caught fish for fish with them with the noisiest, silliest casting lure in my tackle box!

There's fishing for every kind of angler in Wyalusing.

The helgramite and stone-catfish, the grass-

This is Dick Fortney (which really is the pen-name of Richard F. Williamson, of Williamsport) with a 25 inch, six pound walleyed pike he caught September 12 in Wyalusing Creek. The

fish was taken on a plug.

hopper and the crab and the minnow, and the shore frogs, even the wriggling night-crawler for the bait fisherman; flies and spinner, large wet flies, and deer-hair lures for the fly rod angler who prefers artificial lures; the midget plugs, both surface and underwater, and small spoons for the cast­ing rod devotee. All of them bring the bass and pike, the sunfish and rock bass and fallfish, swishing through the water for a battle royal.

But Wyalusing Creek is a stream of many moods—moods as many as the fish and the types of fishing it offers.

Again, look with me at the diary: July 18-19-1940—The hottest day of the

summer, with the water so clear that we could see the fish take the bait and lure, yet we caught fish in the shallow runs, where rocks on the bottom provide shelter.

July 7, 1939—Low water, clogged with great patches of green moss that form on this stream as regularly as July comes around; yet by fishing in the clear patches of water four of us caught 30 fish before we stopped counting.

Ocotber 4, 1939—The moss all gone now, and the creek up a foot with autumn rains. But all we caught this day were panfish and small bass; the big fellows seemed to have disappeared for the year—gone down to the river to spend the winter, the farmer folk say, but sure to return again with the first high water of spring.

You have to search out the fish and figure out how to lure them to battle—that's the fun of fishing ' in Wyalusing or any other creek—but if there is one general rule for this favorite bass stream of mine, it is this: Look for the bass in water shallow enough that you can see bottom and in pools where rock formations along the shores or in the channel provide shelter for them.

For every trip I have taken to Wyalusing Creek I have some special memory.

The evening my friend, Howard, fishing a fly and spinner just before dusk, hooked into some huge creature which hung doggedly to the bottom, refusing to give an inch of

. . (Continued on Page 18)

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

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FLY ROD spinners are a subject of much controversy. Some use them very often

and for many kinds of fishing while others won't touch them and look with slight dis­dain on those who stoop (?) to their use.

To reiterate a statement made in a preced­ing article, fly rod spinner fishing is an art. As in all arts the technique and tools have very definite advantages and equally definite disadvantages. An understanding of these limits will result in more fishing pleasure and bigger if not more, fish.

The artist of the fly rod who coaxes a wet fly through the dark lair of a fish or tempt­ingly floats a dry fly over his head is a specialist in fishing waters. How helpless these fellows feel when fishing a flat or shallow. True, not all anglers pass up this kind of water, some of them are fish-wise veterans and some of them are dubs. But the average fellow seems to sense instinc­tively that yo&'ve either got to be very good or else you're merely too optimistic when you try water of this sort.

The angler who habitually visits two-by-four mountain trout streams finds even a small spinner superflous. But conditions are different when the angler casts a small fly into a lake, a broad flat, or a larger river. The very immensity of the space to be cov­ered lessens the chances of the lure being taken, for we all know that a lure must be

seen to interest the fish. And right here we have the crux of the whole matter: A spin­ner is made to attract fish.

Not a very startling conclusion and prob­ably known to most people who fish. But gentlemen, it is one thing to know a matter and quite another to understand it. To un­derstand is to have the knowledge plus the experience of the use of that knowledge. There can be nothing static or passive about

Specifications: Shank and saddle wire, No. 6 music wire scale. o.ozo" opprox. Spring tempered. Nickle plated. Clearance at "D": o.oos"+. 'dole thru spinner blade: i/ii drill. •Spinner blade material thickness: 0.01+', do. A? U.3. ^Standard gauge. Blade length: IJ/IS." Blade width: i)a\ Overall length: l-i/z'. Clasp length: s/a". Distance of friction bead from bottom: l/a"

understanding. (The definition will prob­ably make everything about as clear 3s

mud.) After much and almost exclusive use °*

spinners for an entire year and a half t@ explore the limits of this phase of fishing' the writer has come to the conclusion tha* fishing with fly rod spinner can be a veO' sensitive and graceful method of angling or

it can be sloppy and stupid and not aS

sporting as bait fishing. Some of the me' chanical monstrosities which are sold a5

spinners and the way some of them are used make fishing with them merely a laborious exercise. Every man has his taste and n ° aspersions are being cast at the man wb° swirls a double spinner weighing an ounce

and trailing a treble hook concealed in I bunch of hair, over the head of a fish. " he enjoys this sort of work, more power

to him. But this discussion is being written to teach the beginner and to inform the

angler who is looking for a different tech' nique to increase his fishing pleasure.

There are many different kinds of spinner5

even when only those intended for the $1 rod are considered. I almost said designe" but intended is the word since almost ever? lure designed for the casting or trolling ro<* has a miniature edition of itself advertise'1

as "fly rod" size, yes, even pigmy casting plugs! Of all the types of spinners only tbe

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1941 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R 5

Indiana and the Colorado types are worthy of discussion. These may seem like harsh Words but please remember that your pa­tience and the space for this article is lim-•ted, so there is no point in analyzing various dinners and explaining their unsuitability "or our purpose.

The Indiana spinner is made up of an assembly of spinner blade, saddle or stirrup to connect the blade to the shaft. One end H the shaft has a ringed eye turned in it; the other end is made into a clasp. The clasp "lay be of several different types. The saddle Wire carrying the blade is supported on its lower side by an anti-friction head or beads. Sometimes these beads are soldered to the shaft and in other makes slide loosely over the shaft. The illustration shows a spinner Which is the result of much study and many trials in actual fishing.

Boy, did we have fun testing spinners! On

one Saturday fishing trip alone the spin­ier box held over ten spinners of different kinds and makes. Several were of our own "lake and were out to compete with the com­mercials. Some of the spinners promptly dove to the bottom and it took much brisk retrieving to keep them from scraping along tile mud and rocks. Some twisted the leader •Uto knots, others had the fly traveling in vertical circles on the retrieve. They all had one fault in common, they refused to sPin consistently. They had to be raced through the water or else fished through swift currents to make the blade turn. Most aggravating of all were those which started to spin then mysteriously quit and wouldn't start again.

W. R. Walton in his splendid discussion of spinner fishing in the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER aroused my sympathy when he described his struggles with recalcitrant spinners. I could just see the scenes taking place, hav­ing gone through the same experience more than once.

But to get back to the spinner. Most of the data is given in the drawing. The spin­ier is hand-made. It can't be bought. But Mease don't let this keep you from making some. They're so easy to make. Perhaps &y work as a tool-maker and designer gives •tte a biased view on making things but I Really am sincere when I say that anyone can duplicate this spinner.

First, buy some steel music wire from a music store. The stuff shown was made from

strings of a steel guitar. Next, visit a fish­ing tackle store; from among the assortment of cheap Indiana spinners, pick out one with a heavy blade about three-fourths of an inch long. I got one from an auto acces­sories store for three cents (on sale.) This blade is as heavy as lead and so poorly fin­ished that it is a dull nickel instead of being shiny. If you want brass spinners get some shim brass at the auto supply store. The brass comes in sheets, get some ten thou­sandths (.010") thick.

A nice shiny two color spinner blade can be made from the top cover of pocket tobacco cans. Your pipe smoking friends will be glad to save them for you. A spinner blade made from this stuff will have a shiny tinned top and a bright red inside. It's quite rust-proof.

The next step is to remove the blade from the spinner. Then lay the blade on the brass sheet or the tin and scratch its outline onto the sheet. Using a l/16th inch drill, drill a

hole about l/8th of an inch from the tip of the outline of the blade. With a heavy pair of scissors or tin snips cut out the blade and smooth off any burrs or rough spots.

Now put the blank over top of the spinner blade. Hold the two together and shape the tin over the blade. You can use a smooth piece of wood and a pair of pliers. The newly made blade will have a cross-sectional appearance as shown in the drawing. Don't try to make a completely rounded top. The top of the new blade should be much flatter that its pattern.

The saddle or stirrup which holds the blade to the shaft is made from music wire. The ends of this wire are bent into rings with a pair of pliers around a small nail or a thick needle held in a vise. It must fit loosely over the shaft yet not be too sloppy.

Make up the shaft from the steel wire using a nail, pliers and a vise. With one of the beads reclaimed from the original spin­ner locate the blade and spinner saddle as­sembly so that the end of the blade clears the loop of the clasp. This is important. The blade must clear the loop at all times. Solder the bead in place using plenty of flux, a well tinned soldering iron and enough heat to make the solder flow and alloy itself to the shaft and bead. Don't get any solder on the side of the bead where the saddle rides.

Make sure the blade turns freely on the shaft. Make the ringed eye on the shaft. See that the tip of the blade cannot wedge itself between the shaft and the stirrup wire. If it does, bring the ringed ends of the wire together. A careful study of the drawing and the specifications will help in case of doubt.

Trouble with this spinner usually occurs at the following points: (a) Too tight rings on end of saddle; (b) Blade striking clasp loop or bead of fly; (c) Wedging of blade tip be-

(Continued on Page 18)

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

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HALLOWEEN has come and gone, gen­erally signalling the end of the fishing

season for most Keystone State anglers. And no doubt before these concluding paragraphs to a discussion on storage and rehabilita­tion, beginning under a somewhat similar head in last month's issue, shall have ap­peared in print, our old friend, the timder-doodle, woodcock to some, will have elected more concrete action to supplement the mere casting of a pensive eye toward the south­land. The flight will be on in force, mayhap over, surely beyond the Mason and Dixon Line and with the vanguard at least already safely enshrined in winter quarters under the bright comforting Dixie sun.

Likewise the fisherman will have traded the one time idyllic dreamy waterway now increasingly chilly and almost deserted, for the beckoning russet, gold, brown, orange and red of the autumnal landscape—he is a gunner now, and already his pointer sniffs

TH£ HUTHOR PREFCRS TH-S C»WTOUR OF " B "

PART 2 and quarters the wheat stubble and bramble patch; his beagle bays along the distant smoky, hazy hillside.

We have previously and perhaps too generously at length discussed rods, lines, reels, leaders, flies, etc., and while there may be better modes of attack in arriving at the same conclusions, generally those as out­lined will suffice. This time and in sequence the most cussedable of fishing dipsy-doodles —waders heads the list—to be followed by landing nets, boats, clothing, etc.

Now if waders were not originally de­signed as innovations of Old Nick, I would like to know what was and when. At best these rubberized armpit kissing overalls are an abominable bit of equipment—chafing, binding, snagging and springing leaks at un­expected and inopportune times, hot, heavy and uncomfortable—downright costly and short of life. Still waders are somewhat like the gas buggy—once a fellow imbibes of the luxury he can never be happy again without them. To be painstakingly honest, without waders the average fisherman is not equipped to get the most out of his trips— always in early spring and late autumn there is choice water non-negotiable with boots. And boats are not always available nor ad­visable.

Still some of the handicaps are to be overcome in part by a measure of fore­thought on the part of the fisherman. Cost­liness and short livity may be combatted, feebly it is true, by proper and prompt re­pair when a worn, chafed spot appears or there is accidental snagging. Most wader manufacturers prepare a small stream repair kit, reasonable in price and of a sufficiency for any job that the ordinary fisherman might personally wish to undertake. Patches, cement and instructions are included. Major rips or damage are always for the con­sideration of the manufacturer; likewise it is only good insurance to return the current nuisances to the maker during the off-season for a check-up or at least to someone servicing such equipment.

Preceding winter storage—as at the con­clusion of each seasonal trip to the water­ways—the waders should be dried thoroughly

inside and out. Rubberized fabric froi° which waders are generally made does n0 ' permit escape of bodily perspiration &Q& consequent evaporation. As the wearer wades along, cool water outside condenses perspiration, resulting in an accumulation °' moisture. The day's temperature, coldness of the water and degree to which the fisher­man perspires influences amount of con' densation and wetness to be found withi*1.

The wader will dry quickly if turned inside out—sometimes stuffing the interior with newspapers for a short spell as a medium

1941 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

of absorption is quite advisable. Both the drying operation and winter storage should be in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight. Sun and heat are deadly to rubber.

Waders are not to be folded and lain away in a box while Old King Winter crackles outside. Tear newspapers into Workable sheet and stuff each leg carefully and moderately firm, beginning with the toes and working upward to the top. Then hang in an upright position just so the feet touch the floor lightly. Twine attached to the suspenders and in turn looped over an over­head bar or pegs fills the bill. This ar­rangement relieves some of the dead-weight Pull. And don't let their meek muteness throw you off stride along about January, February or March. All the dormant cus-sedness still lingers there and you'll probably start saying things aplenty and with avid fervor come April 15. Waders are related to nothing so much as an almost inanimate dozing jackass—Old Nick lurks with a terrific Wallop in almost every slumbering joint.

The old landing net—why bother, a new one costs only a couple dollars? Maybe so; taaybe so, but are you sure. Somehow or other, just about like everything else, some lets seem handier than others—more reach, ftianeuverability or something—at least so it appears to me. One such I have used for sometime while a newer, far costlier job, lingers at home—the self-same latter com­bining with dubious leaders aforementioned causing me no end of grief during the early trout season days 1940. The old baby seems to have the knack of getting right smack dab in front of nice fish with less effort, hkely because the artistic curve to the frame has softened away and lengthened out, add­ing more reach; also the bag is much deeper and flairs with the current a bit more freely, the latter quite important. Your correspond­ent does not endeavor to scoop up fish with a soup ladle movement—rather he likes to lead them alongside, then meet 'em head on With a quick wrist snap, usually altogether effective too.

Hang it all, most of us trust and appreciate old friends more than we ever shall the new; landing nets are not much different. Re-finish the old pal this winter—remove the bag and give the wood a moisture resisting coating, varnish, enamel or oils. Invest in a new elastic; if the bag is shoddy substi­tute a new one and be sure its deep enough.

RoU<VH SKETCH OF SiMPLE Bor tT SHELTER

The stringing operation is not difficult and you'll enjoy every minute of the task.

Before passing on and just to illustrate possibilities, landing nets just as waders do have their eccentricities, or shall we say moments of perversity. Here is one on yours truly—most innocents who get a wing singed now and then do not mind relating an anecdote or two on themselves—pretty often, however, it just isn't funny when another assumes like liberty.

Anyway it was a fine day, birds a-singing, bees a-buzzing, gnats a-biting, and the fish­erman lazy, indolent and blissfully at peace with all and sundry, probably humming,

Some of the family fly lines. These home made "°oden spools serve both as dryers and places

of storage. Miniature heart of red cedar chests—fly storage

de luxe.

whistling or even talking to himself, any­thing an unsuspecting well content guy will do when he considers himself alone and un­observed. Ironically the setting was the upper reaches of a small limestone stream where by all accounts there should not have been an unusual fish. The streamlet did not boast a width of more than two feet, prob­ably equally as deep; lush grasses growing along the bank tumbling over into the water, affording a fine hiding place it is true, but leaving only about ten to twelve inches of clear channel for the fly rod sharpshooter.

Lazily tossing the fly unto the target and permitting it to ebb slowly back, nothing much happening and nothing much expected, this idyllic carefree loafing continued for quite a spell and possibly several hundred yards as the stream winds along. Perhaps the fisherman was star gazing or mayhap merely sleeping on the hoof; suddenly the rod was almost torn from a now thoroughly awakened grasp, powerful, vicious, not un­like the thundering strike of a bass. As the water rolled and churned in the narrow upstream passage, there could be no question of something nice at the other end. And a most unhappy situation developed pronto or even quicker. The leader rasped and swished in and out of one bunch of grass after the other, the fish sullenly boring and twisting upstream, always upstream, conceding noth­ing and giving not an inch. After a long last the fish decided to change tactics and headed down, racing like a bullet for the

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

PAEANS FOR PANNIES By N. R. CASILLO

LIKE the rest of mankind most fishermen have gone completely haywire in their

quest for "the colossal, the glamorous, the exotic." Old fashioned reliables such as perch, catties and pun'kin seeds have been relegated to the same dusty niches as are occupied by the hoop skirt, the buggy and the mustache cup.

If you are one of those anglers who is for­ever seeking a piscatorial El Dorado or who annually sinks a sizable sum in an all out effort to land unsophisticated finny giants in far-away places, then, put on the drag and take 'count of stock.

You as well as I have heard well-meaning friends greet our return from a successful fishing excursion in distant places in this vein: "Well, now that you have 'slayed' them, you'll not want to fish around here."

If you are a time disciple of the recreation that contributes so much to the joy of living, your answer will be: "And why not?"

Certainly, the tackle smashing strike of a 'lunge, the leap of a bass and the fervid tug of a sizable brownie are those things that keep the average angler everlastingly at it. But for peace and lazy contentment give me still-fishing for pannies on nearby waters in the company of genial companions or alone. . Yes, I'll confess that once I too was one of

those who disdainfully sniffed at the mere mention of the so-called boyhood fishes. But since then legion are the times I have caught black bass and returned them to the water, reserving the luckless perch that chanced to tangle with our outfit, for the larder. Those of you who turn up your noses at the men­tion of raccoon perch, have never had them served brown and piping hot with a mess of home-fried potatoes. My mouth waters at the mere thought.

Sport? With fly rod and proper accoutre­ments any of the tribe of pannies will thrill

you aplenty. On one of my trips astream I shall not soon forget the frenzied lunges and dogged resistance of what I guessed to be a sizable trout. Indeed, I announced it to my wondering companion. "That's some fish!" I exclaimed. And it was—a nice fallfish. Chagrined? I was at the time, but the battle it had staged provided much food for thought.

Not more than four miles from my home is a pond that fairly teems with sunfish and catties; the latter of course, being the com­mon yellow-bellied bullhead. Oh, there are bass in it too, but after two or three weeks of frenzied activity (on the part of the an­glers), most of the bass fishermen abandon it for more lucrative spots. For the rest of the summer the pond basks under a genial sun, with its denizens waxing fat and sweet and sportive. Most any time in the gentle season one can observe long lines of sunnies playing tag with each other. At dusk the bullheads feed in the shallows oblivious of the boom­ing chorus of amorous (poetic license) bull­frogs.

My excursions to this chosen spot were frequent. The sunnies were sophisticated. At least that is my designation for those fish who haughtily ignore popular and attrac­tive lures. In one respect, however, they were all that one would desire for experi­mental purposes. You could present lure after lure unsuccessfully, then they would fall for a nondescript that would not have deceived the dumbest of bullheads.

One day in particular comes to mind. That afternoon the sunfish seemed to be in an especially sportive mood. They had passed up practically everything that I had with me. From various vantage points I observed a dozen or more sizable schools whose individ­uals either played with one another or basked in the warm surface water.

Suddenly I recalled the capture of a good

sized brook trout with a cellophane cigar wrapper after everything else had failed. I did not have a wrapper in my possession, but I did have some cellophane envelopes con­taining leaders. Accordingly, I quickly got one out, tightly twisted it and fastened it to my hook in a single loop.

Yup, I can almost hear you saying: "It's easy enough for him to write that, but seein' is believin'."

Indeed, the cellophane alone was not enough, so that scarcely a single fish so much as looked at it. However, the addi­tion of a tiny spinner about the size of a

small finger nail caused things to really happen. From my position the spinner looked like a disembodied something sliding through the water under its own power; the hook being almost undiscernible and the cellophane invisible. Perhaps it appeared likewise to the fish. Anyway, in thirty min­utes the envelope was worn to a frazzle, the twelve fish creeled attesting to its seductive power.

At a certain quarry pond in the town of Bessemer the water literally teems with bluegills. They are not large, but what they lack in size they make up in sheer numbers and ornery voraciousness.

Some time ago I acquired a two and three-quarter ounce, seven and one-half foot fly rod, a wand that more nearly resembles a

stalk of wheat stripped of its leaves rather than something with which to manhandle fish. With a tiny black gnat bent to a black sewing thread line I had an outfit that trans­formed those bluegills into 100 pound tarpon For incomparable thrills I recommend such an outfit, especially if the rod set you back some thirty or forty bucks. You are almoS' certain to break something unless you forge* that you are fast to a mere bluegill sunfish-

I do not mean to imply by the above that one must use an expensive outfit to have fun with pannies. With a regular fly rod or a

bait casting outfit or even a cane pole, one can have a barrel of sport. Generally ex­pressed, in this State panfish have doubtless contributed more fun to more people than any other species of fish. Let me illustrate-

The great majority of fishermen (probably 80 per cent), sojourning to Erie Bay ° r

Presque Isle peninsula set forth with the avowed purpose of slaying a string of bass-However, what nearly always brightens 3° otherwise uneventful Ashless day? Sure, the

rock bass. I must confess that most of r° / trips to the bay would have resulted J" blanks if it had not been for the dependable

goggle-eye. On one occasion we discovered some re3*

sport when the lake and even the usually quiet bay were kicking up too much of a sea

for comfortable fishing. Some one suggested that we unlimber our fly rods and fish the

shallows and pockets in the numerous water

courses ramifying the peninsula. It was early in the season and the blue '

gills were on the prod. In the quiet, P r ° ' tected waters, scarcely ruffled by the fierce

wind, we caught numerous fine specimens-

1941 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

Since then we have re turned many a time With the express purpose of spending the day With this peerless panfish. I might add that tnost anglers seeking this sunfish wade the shallows. It 's much like t rout fishing except that one really catches fish.

Isn't the catching of fish the one thing that makes fishing enjoyable to most anglers? At least if it is not the catching it is the expect­ancy anyway. Yes, I know, even the most avid catcher of fishes can go angling with two or three cronies and he will have en­joyed the day even tho' nary a fish may he creeled. But wasn' t the catching of fish the pr imary objective?

Altogether too many fishermen lightly pass off a fruitless bass or ' lunge fishing trip with: "Oh, I had a good time anyway."

In most cases a Ashless trip is entirely u n ­necessary if the participants are willing and equipped to fish for the modest pannies in ­habiting those selfsame waters. It is no r e ­flection on any fisherman to resort to light tackle and lures or even live bait if he finds the big boys off their feed. I never fail to include light equipment on any of my excur­sions after larger quarry . I discovered long ago that game fish are capricious creatures.

I recall a really discouraging day with the bass (or ra ther I should have said bass fish­ing), literally tu rned into a riot by its ro l ­licking cousin, the rock bass.

From morning until dusk we had cast our array of plugs over a considerable expanse Without.so much as getting a "touch."

Shortly after dusk we reached a rocky pocket in the midst of a weed area. With hope nearly crushed by our ut terly unsuc ­cessful day we listlessly prepared to make our last stand. Indeed, only one of the trio deigned to make the attempt. I was one, of the onlookers.

The plug sailed t rue for a selected spot at the edge of the weeds. The splash of the plug and that of the striking fish sounded as one. You could have heard the delighted yell of our surprised companion clear across the lake.

In the few moments that it took him to

land that bouncing rock we had grabbed up our rods and in less time than it takes to tell it, connected with fish, both of them rock bass.

It was only a matter of minutes to get out our fly rods and put them into action. For lures two of us chose trout plugs while the third tied on a light bucktail and spinner combination. However, it is my guess that the choice of lures would have made little or no difference. Those rock bass really had homicidal tendencies. In less than an hour we creeled thi r ty-s ix of the largest of the more than fifty we had hooked. It was some­thing that transformed that dull day into a glowing success,

Why hadn ' t the rock bass been active d u r ­ing the day? Your guess is as good as mine. We at tr ibuted it to the vagaries of angling and let it go at that.

Early this summer I encountered a p ic-

For peace and lazy contentment give me still—fishing for pannies/

turesque fisherman still-fishing the attractive water below the dam in Neshannock Creek at Neshannock Falls. He sported long hai r ( tresses), and an unkempt beard, both as black as a crow's wing. A wide br im hat corraleed most of the wild tresses. A faded blue shirt, denim overalls and stout shoes completed the attire.

In the conversation that ensued, I learned that he visited Neshannock Falls at least once weekly to follow his favorite pursuit . He further explained that he came down from nor th of New Wilmington, a distance of some seven miles. What was really astounding tho' was the fact that he made the round trip afoot.

Were t rout his quarry? He sniffed almost disdainfully. "Not them finicky things. Bul l -pouts are my meat," he said. "Of course," he added, "if I ketch 'un I'll pocket it, bu t give me a nice pout for sweet eatin'."

During m y brief stay I saw him "pocket" three rock bass.

Another t ime at the same place he in t ro ­duced me to his wife. To my discomfiture he unabashedly presented her as the old woman. She, too, was fishing; practiced fishers both who preferred to angle for what Walton termed the simple fishes.

Panfish can at times be as temperamental as game fish. They, too, have their periods when to raise one is an achievement. With a companion I fished the mill pond above the dam on Neshannock at Volant. In the course of an hour we caught a bass apiece, both small fish. At the same time we fought off wha t my friend termed pestiferous goggle-eyes. An even dozen were re turned to their element.

A little later when it finally dawned on us that if we hoped to re tu rn to town wi th a reasonable string it would be wise to retain any subsequent rock bass caught. Accord­ingly we began to fish for them wi th a vengeance. You know what happened. Yes, they quit biting.

With more or less skill we used everything we had in the way of lures. At noon we qui t

(Continued on Page 17)

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

NOVEMBER PLUGGING Pickerel and Walleyes Are Aces for the Light Lure Caster Now

By ALEX P. SWEIGART

Pickerel caught in November usually run heavy and fat, are splendidly conditioned fish.

FOR the light lu re caster who carries his sport to the end of the warm water game

fish, season, November angling flaunts a real challenge. October angling in our smaller streams, as was pointed out last month, seems to ring down the curtain on effective light lure fishing for his highness, the small-mouth bass. Low water temperature, bass congregated in deep pools and flats, and somewhat sluggish from the accumulation of fat stored for winter hibernat ion plus a stiffening up process that appears to come wi th colder water , combine to offer com-partively meagre rewards to the artificial caster. Anyway, that 's how it looks from this corner, and, it may as well be admitted right here that a leopard frog, soft crayfish or lively minnow fished close to bottom for bass, at this season of the year, will outscore any artificial lure we have ever seen. So much for November plugging for bass, bu t fortu­nately, he re in Pennsylvania we have other species of game fishes that merit the deepest respect and affection from the angle of fight­ing qualities. Chain pickerel, walleyed pike, and, in the northwestern corner of the State, muskellunge are veritable aces up the sleeve for the numb-finger clan who stay with the casting game until the November 30 deadline. Old t imers in the muskie fishing clan, how­ever, seem generally agreed that trolling wi th natural lures, such as a fair-sized sucker or big chub is by far the best method to follow in taking these tigers of the fresh water .

While the November casting outfit should include the s tandard group of plugs, wi th wobblers tha t go at moderate or close to bottom depth, such as the midget River Runt and midget Pike Oreno in the preferred class, by all means have on hand a generous ar ray of spoons. The Lou Eppinger spoons in fish scale finish are fine, and the same goes for the Johnson Silver Minnow, Size 1, in both silver and gold finishes, and the Tony Acceta Weed Dodger. On the Silver Minnow, we have found tha t use of a rubber pork rind, lopped off so that it only extends about half an inch behind the hook, adds to the attractiveness of the lure . A longer pork r ind strip, it has been found, often r e ­sults in many missed strikes as pickerel tend to follow the lure, nipping at the pork r ind and very often failing to connect. In the Eppinger spoons, sparse deer hai r serves a similar purpose.

While on the subject of spoons, it may be well to mentioit those equipped with weed guards. Unless unusual ly weedy wate r is

A beautifully marked chain pickerel.

being fished, it will at times be advisable to bend down the weed guard, particularly on spoons such as the Johnson Silver Minnow. The guard can be bent down below the hook point, making this lure a much better hooker. If, a little later, the weedless fea­ture is again desired, the guard can be easily brought into position to serve the purpose for which it was intended.

For November fishing, warmth in clothing is a requisite and waders are a real asset. Of course, in some mill dams where pickerel occur, boats are available, and combing the lily pad pockets and shoreline weedbeds in such locations from a boat may yield many strikes. In fishing spoon, or for that matter, plug, it is well to slow down on the retrieve. Most spoons are so constructed that good action often may be had with slow reeling, and fishing them deep may bring results.

Color in Spoons

Probably no sport in the world has more theories advanced concerning it than has angling, so advancing another can' t do any harm. Last month the discussion centered about colors of plugs that seemed most sui t­able for au tumn angling for smallmouth bass. We stand convinced that finish or color in spoons is just as important when it comes to taking pickerel. To illustrate, several years ago in one of the mill dams in central Pennsylvania, we caught pickerel occasion­ally that, when opened, were found to con­tain common sunfish. In fact, the sunnies were plentiful in this water and apparently constituted a major source of forage for the pickerel. Various types of spoons were tried, red and white, bronze scale, silver and gold plated with results tha t were not outs tand­ing. Finally, however, a very effective lure was found. This was the Eppinger spoon in green scale finish, copper belly, and sparse deer hai r over the single hook. Its color flashes as it dar ted through the water on the retr ieve were suggestive of the sunfish, and it worked bet ter than any other spoon in that water .

Delving further into this mat ter of spoon

colors and finishes, it has been found that spoons in the plain silver finish can usually be relied upon to entice strikes from stream pickerel in waters where the silver shiner is a predominant type of forage. This spoon has consistently been an ace bet in Tuscarora Creek, Sherman's Creek and Middle Creek-On the other hand, in waters where the yellow perch and golden shiner are out­standing forage, by far the best bet has been the spoon in gold finish.

In fishing spoon, a snap swivel is highly essential as the action of these lures other­wise is almost certain to cause a badly twisted line. Bronze color is preferred i°v

these swivels, which should not be too large-Finally, there is the mat ter of the leader. Artificial gut testing 10 or 15 pounds, with 10 pounds usually sufficient in strength, serves well as the material from which to make your leaders. Length may vary irovn 6 to 14 or 15 feet, depending upon the con­dition of the water . In m u r k y water, a " foot leader may serve to advantage, while greater length should be used in exception­ally clear water . Placing the cast along weed beds, in deep pockets and lily pad coves shelving on deep wa te r is a good procedure-

Pickerel Trai ts

Revered fishing friends very often, in r e ­ferring to the pickerel, te rm it the most unpredictable fish they have ever tried to take. And that, we think, is the best de­scriptive word to use when referring to this native gamester. An incident that oc­curred a number of years ago on a central s t ream comes to mind. The cast had been placed in a likely looking cove and the lure had not traveled more than three feet before

Smaller pickerel are extremely raccy in build but strike the light lure with amazing vim con­

sidering their weight.

1941 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R 11

a pickerel of 16 inch length connected wi th 't, twisted about underwate r for an instant, then threw the lure in its initial leap. On the very next cast, believe it or not, the fish followed the lure almost to the spot tyhere it was lifted from the water, hooked solidly again and was landed. A fresh tear >n the light tissue of the lower jaw con­vinced us that it was the same fish. In direct contrast to this persistence in striking, was the behavior of a much larger fish two years ago on the same stream. This pickerel, its length judged to have been about 20 inches, had chased a good sized chub into a weed bed, bu t apparently had missed its strike. The spoon was placed over the spot with the firm conviction that, pickerel moods being tyhat they are, a solid strike would result. Instead of the strike so confidently expected, the fish in question merely followed the Spoon vir tually to the tip of the rod, then quietly sank from sight without even b u m p ­ing the lure. Again, this season, we were fishing the Silver Minnow, with the con­ventional short strip of rubber pork r ind attached, in a weedy dam. In the retrieve, the impression was given by a series of small tugs that the lure was encountering tyeeds in its passage through the water . Weeds nothing. One of the best pickerel Seen in years followed the lure into shallow ^a te r , nipping at tha t short strip of rubber Pork rind, its gill covers expanding and con­tracting wi th each nip. Repeated casts failed to interest the big fellow after that. Last season, a friend admitted that one of these slim scrappers startled him just about as much as he has been startled in years. The Pickerel followed his lure into shallow water along the shore where he was standing, smacked into it and was forthwith heaved °nto shore. One twist and it was free from

i •- , ,

Another ace bet (or the November light lure caster, the walleyed pike.

—sfl ^gfiw^ptf W ^ M V - IT" *

.

• . • • ••'••. • ' • " ' ' ' :

the hook, a leap and it was back in the water .

I t would appear that there is no such thing as a happy medium for the s t r ik­ing tendencies of our Pennsylvania chain pickerel: Either they seem to ignore all and sundry lures or go into a striking rampage that provides action aplenty. Smaller pickerel may be counted upon, of course, to furnish more consistent action, bu t wi th the big fellows we have a strong feeling tha t strikes come more by spurts.

One lure not in the spoon classification that yielded a surprising number of strikes from pickerel this year was the South Bend Midg-Oreno in the yellow and black Shad-O-Wave finish. Apparently, yellow is an appealing color to pickerel, and our good friend, Nev Sherlock, has a much bat tered yellow Midg-Oreno with red head that has been the most cherished pickerel lure in his collection. Occasionally, pickerel will also rise to strike a strictly surface lure, as wi t ­ness the taking of an 18 inch pickerel on the smallest size of Fred Arbogast 's J i t terbug

•>;*•• v--

Common sunfish, when plentiful in pickerel water, seem to be a favorite food for the pickerel. The green scale finish back, gold bellied spoon is worth trying at such locations.

during the present season. Unpredictable is the word for these fish.

Several factors combine to make November plugging for pickerel well wor th a try. U n ­like our smallmouth bass, this fish remains active during the winter. The eggs in the female fish are developing rapidly in prepa­ration for the spawning period which comes in very early spring, definitely having some bearing on the voracity with which they seek their prey in the dying days of au tumn. Lower water temperatures seem to add zest to their striking.

Note how often, when you are fishing for this slender scrapper, you find the best fish not too far distant from some good shelter to which they can dart if hooked. It may be the submerged roots of a big tree along the shore, a sunken s tump or a tree which has fallen into the water . At any ra te it is a good thing to bear in mind this tendency in the event the fish is hooked. Many good pickerel are lost each year through rushing tactics. The light tissue of its jaws is easily torn making a breakaway from the hook much more simple for this fish than for the bass. Probably as many pickerel are lost through attempting to lift them from the water at the termination of the scrap as in any other way. Keeping the rod t ip down in playing this fish, maintaining a steady pull on a tight line and enough arch in the casting rod to assist in wearing down a big chain pickerel are points to remember. Finally, running them into a shallow bar and securing a good grip back of the gill covers in the final phase of the batt le is good procedure. I t is to be stressed again that the single hook spoon, with the hook anchored in the lure is to be preferred above all others in angling with spoon for this swift game fish. With a lure of this type anchored in its jaw, a pickerel has less chance to throw it than is the case where the weight of the spoon dangles from a double or treble hook connected by a wire ring.

In its foraging, this fish seems to favor lurking in weed beds from which it darts like an arrow at its passing prey. However, while this t rai t apparently is well es tab­lished, it is not unusual to see pickerel cruis­ing about in deep flats or pursuing minnows in the shallows. Be that as it may, a well placed lure, so long as it has flash, glitter or good action (in case of plugs) will very often bring a sharp strike. Movement must be the thing most requisite in stirring its interest in any lure and the more attractive and suggestive of food this movement may

(Continued on Page 20)

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

My good friend B. G. once had a favorite deer-hair bass bug, smaller than most deer-hair lures and all black in color. Time after time, when angling companions using other lures failed to get a strike, B. G. took a nice fish with his pet.

But, alas, no more! On a murky evening along Wyalusing

Creek my friend B. G. called upon his black bug for the supreme test. He was angling for a huge bass which a farmer had spotted living under a big tree that hung out over the stream.

The bass rose to the first cast, took the bass bug with a smashing strike, and then left B. G. standing stunned with a slack line.

With that bass went the black bug—and B. G. mournfully confessed that he had cast the lure with an old leader which he had failed to put to the test of a strong pull of his hands.

So B. G. made a costly mistake—one that cost him his favorite lure and what also might easily have been a record smallmouth.

That's just an illustration—one case of many—of mistakes that cost the unthinking angler fish. Mistakes, for the most part, that could be avoided by use of common sense. Silly things that even the most vet­eran anglers do, although they all know better.

Probably the most common mistake of all is striking too hard when a fish rises to the bait of lure.

Another friend R. S. told us of the trick of using size 18 and 20 black wet flies to entice some of the big trout in Penns Creek and its tributaries, but he warned us that with such tiny lures the strike had to be very gentle, a mere lifting of the rod or rolling of the wrist being sufficient to drive the hook home.

We spotted a fine rainbow in Pine Creek just above where it flows into Penns Creek and floated one of the black midges down past it. With a flash the trout struck, and it looked like a whopper. But we gave a heave on our rod that zipped the fly out of the mouth of the fish and sent it whacking into a tree at our back. We did just what we had been solemnly warned not to do, and the best trout we had seen all season re­mained in the creek.

Nobody who ever angled has failed to say, at one time or another, "I had hold of a dandy, but just turned him over." Well, that probably was because the strike was so hard that the bait or lure was ripped out of the jaws of the trout or bass. Remember, a hook in good condition is needle sharp and needs only a slight tug to drive it into flesh. If you don't believe it, try it on your finger some time.

Letting down the guard is another mistake that costs fish.

In reeling a plug, floating a dry fly, or sending bait down into a pool, a nice fish seems sure to strike if the angler turns his head to talk to a friend or tucks his rod under his arm to light his pipe. The moral is: Pay strict attention to the lure or bait so long as it is in the water where a fish has the slightest chance to strike it.

Hurrying a hooked fish also is costly. If the tackle is strong enough to set the

hook in the first place, it is strong enough to keep a trout or bass under control until the fish has fought out its strength and can safely be landed. Besides, what is the thrill of fishing, after all, if it is not the swirling, darting battle of a trout or bass at the end of the line? Lifting a fish out of the water with the line and leader; attempting to drag a heavy fish up on the shore with the rod; refusing to give line to a hooked fish that is trying to make a run for liberty—these are ways of hurrying a fish that in about seven cases out of ten restore the fish to its liberty.

Haste is another serious mistake. It's folly to tear up and down the stream,

dabbing a bait or lure into a pocket and then rushing along to the next one if a fish is not hooked in the first thirty seconds. It's folly to begin fishing a pool before looking it over in an attempt to find out where fish are most likely to be found. It's folly to splash into the shallow end of a pool with eyes focused on the deeper water at its head.

There's no reason to believe that fish will

H. L. White, of Lebanon, with the 18 inch, three pound smallmouth bass he caught this season in

Swatara Creek, Lebanon County, on a shiner.

strike better in one pool than in another on the stream, under ordinary conditions.

It's a waste of time to fish in a gravelly open stretch of water if within reach are rock ledges and other cover which fish naturally seek.

And as often as not good fish are found in the shallows of a pool as well as in the deeper head-section.

Ignoring or forgetting these facts are mis-takes that cost you fish. And then we can think of some others, such as:

Failing to keep the tackle in proper con­dition, so that it will give the utmost in efficiency and service.

Making a disturbance on the shore or in the water as you progress along a trout ot bass stream.

Using extra-fine leaders when angling for bass and pickerel; and by extra-fine We

mean leaders that are intended for brook trout and not the smashing strikes and furious battles of the bigger varieties.

Going out on a trout stream and using a

pet or a new fly without giving any though' at all to the question whether that lure is a

true imitation of the natural insects prev­alent on that stream.

Starting out on a fishing trip when the weather is horrible or when stream condi­tions are at their worst and then expecting to catch fish.

And so on and on and on. Just add to the list mistakes you yourself

make—you know you make them and yo^ know better than to make them. We're all that way.

There's one final mistake this writer fee'6

a lot of fishermen make that deprives them of the full happiness of angling. And tha{

is getting into a frame of mind where yo^ are satisfied only with a lot of action an" big fish.

Brother, it's time in Pennsylvania and most other states for anglers to realize that a fuU creel and a striking fish every five minutes are definitely things of the good old dayS' There are just too many fishermen and to" few fish, and it isn't likely anything can be done, more than it is now, to equalize the situation.

But every angler has it in his own poWer

to overcome that situation and still get a

supreme kick out of a day astream. One method is this: Locate a big bass ° r

trout, and instead of roaming all over tbe

stream taking pot luck, devote your whole attention and skill to winning a battle °* wits with that fish.

Another way is to develop a frame °* mind that will find pleasure in a battle wit*1

rock bass or some of the other so-called pafi fish which still inhabit our streams in pie*1' tiful numbers.

And the third way is to use light tackle S" that the comparatively small fish feel Bw big ones.

We'd like to illustrate all three methods' Remember, they are methods for avoiding the mistake of being disappointed on the

stream. First, our friend L. V. got a great kic*

last summer out of trying to outsmart a huge

brown trout which he discovered foragin» in a deep riffle in Loyalsock Creek ne3^ Williamsport. Three times the huge fisn

roared to the surface and smashed a dry (Continued on Page 17)

1941 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER 13

Question: What are some good points at which to fish the North Branch of the Sus­quehanna River for bass and walleyed pike? What types of artificial lures and live bait seem to be best on this stream?—M. V. D.

Answer: Some of the most favored sections for fishing this fine stream are in the vicinity of Mehoopany, Wyalusing, Laceyville, and Towanda. It is a rapid type stream yielding some fine bass and walleyes. At the locations listed, boats may be hired and come in mighty handy for autumn fishing. As for live bait, the stone catfish, helgramite, or clipper as it is known on the Branch, crayfish and minnows are favorites, while real success in fishing deer hair floating lures and fly and spinner combinations on the fly rod has been reported. As for plugs, the light lures work well and the Heddon Midget River Runt has been popular along with the South Bend Midg Oreno and Shakespeare Midget.

Question: Am interested in doing some late fall trolling for walleyed pike. What outfit would you suggest as good and what system of trolling seems to be effective?—J. F. D.

Answer: For our stream walleyes in the Juniata, Susquehanna, and Delaware Rivers and those found in lakes such as Wallen-paupack in Pike and Wayne counties, trolls ing from a boat in November is one of the most effective methods for taking these fish. For most satisfactory trolling, two fishermen should be in the boat, alternating at the oars, although we know of some old river trollers Who frequently go it alone. As for the out­fit, it's hard nowdays to beat the June Bug Spinner, which comes on a wire leader with a barrel swivel to attach to the line. This is a broad bladed spinner, often coming through with the blade part gold and part silver, the lower half gold finish, the upper half silver. Other finishes include white enamel on the upper surface, red underneath. A fairly long shanked bronze hook with a soft copper wire to wrap around the bait completes the as­sembly. As for bait to use with this com­bination, while minnows are sometimes used, a favorite on the Juniata and Susquehanna as well as at Lake Wallenpaupack is the nightcrawler. Lamprey eels are still obtain­able on the Delaware and there they rank as a pet trolling bait to attach to the spinner combination. They are exceedingly tough and another old fashioned method of fishing them was merely behind a swivel, minus the spinner effect. In trolling from a boat, with from 50 to 70 feet of line trailing in the wake, two methods seem to be favored by old time trollers. One is the criss-cross method, from shore to shore, with mental notations of locations where a strike is had. Walleyes are notably school fish and there is an excellent chance of hooking others in the

same location where one is taken. Another method is to row in a wide circle, gradually narrowing the circle in deep water. Slow rowing of the boat and insuring that the lure is close to bottom are also points to remem­ber. November may yield surprises in taking walleyes on the trolling rig. Finally, lines for this type of fishing should be plenty strong, of from 18 to 24 pounds test.

Question: What is a good method for keep­ing fish caught early in the morning on a very hot day under circumstances where a live net is not available?—R. W. S.

Answer: Even if you happen to have a live net along, bass or pickerel caught on such a day will be found to die quickly when stream water temperatures are high. For that reason, it is wise to kill a fish you intend keeping (after checking length, girth and weight if it happens to be near record proportions), gut it, remove the gills and eyes. After that, wrap the fish in a piece of cloth and it should keep fairly well.

FISH VIOLATIONS BRING DELAYED PENALTY

Three years ago, in a local alderman's court, three Franklin men refused to pay fines of $150 each for violation of the Penn­sylvania fishing laws. Instead they insisted on an appeal to court.

Today the three men, Merle Krepp, G. W. Krepp and R. C. Krepp, are in the county jail where they will remain for 100 days unless they can raise $450 in fines plus costs which the court imposed upon them.

They were charged in 1938 with an attempt to prevent Donald Phenicie, a special fish warden, from seizure of a fishing device used illegally for taking fish bait, illegal fishing on Sunday and illegal fishing for bullfrogs.

In his opinion Judge Lee A. McCracken pointed out that it was a joint enterprise on the Allegheny River on a Sunday night and that each had taken part. "The evidence offered is in our opinion amply sufficient to sustain the convictions," the court said.

Judge McCracken ruled that each of the three was guilty of resisting Phenicie in his duties and in the illegal use of a fishing device and on this count he sentenced each to pay a fine of $100 and costs or 100 days in jail. He sentenced each to pay $50 fine and costs or spend 50 days in jail on the two counts of illegal fishing on Sunday and illegal catching of bullfrogs. The jail terms are to run concurrently, that is, the jail terms will not run more than 100 days.

Bench warrants were issued by Judge Mc­Cracken and the three were picked up by Sheriff I. O. Bell and deputies and lodged in the county jail.

I bin apluggin' fer one o' them big bass down in the rock hole all seezun an' durned ef them fish ain't ez smart ez enny trout I ever did see. On a clear day twasn't no trick ter stand on the top 6 the big rock last munth an' see them fish aswimmin' erbout, but jest try ter ketch 'em in daylight on plug er bait an' a feller mite ez well saved his time. The water wuz so low an' cleer thet even one o' them baby plugs semed ter scair the daylight out o' them. Well sire, Joe Fromm an' me got ter figgerin' thet mebbe the best time ter try fer them ud be erbout dark or atter nite. Well, I hiked me down there erbout dark one nite durin' thet hot spell we wuz hevin' an' the furst plug I put on wuz thet lettle jitterbug you got fer me a wile back.

Plugged frum the bottom o' the stretch an' it wuz jest so dark a feller cude scairce see the tip o' the rod when I puts out a cast an warn, a bass socked inter it, yanked the reel out o' my fingers and, thinks Jerry, thet's the big baby shure ez tootin'. The way thet bass carried on wuz a caushion. Didn't cum outer the water oncet but it ud cum ter the top, swirl an' slap the surfass with its tail. I diden't wanter force it too much but atter wile it wuz plum tuckered an' I run it inter the shallers. an' slipped the net under i t Durned ef I wuzn't surprised at its size. It wuz a nice fish all rite, a leetle better'n 16 inches but not the big baby by a heck o' a site. Jest the saim, I'm afiggerin' thet a bass thet size mite fite erbout ez hard ez enny fish in our crick.

Semes ter me like the more I fish fer bass, the dummer I git. Danged ef it diden't taik me nigh onter 10 yeres ter reezun out er figger out thet when the crick's low an' cleer the chances is gude thet nite er dusk fishin' ez the time ter ketch the good uns. A sur­fass plug thet kicks up a fuss is a durn site more shure ter fool 'em better when the life's bad.

NOTES FROM DOWN WEST CHESTER WAY

The largest bass reported caught this sea­son, so far, was taken by G. K. Gahm at Westtown Lake on July 19. This largemouth was 23 inches in length, 14 inches in girth, and weighed 6 pounds. It was caught on a sunfish.

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

Hon. John L. Neiger

NEIGER REELECTED NORTHEAST CHAIRMAN

Convened in annual meeting in the Scran­ton Chamber of Commerce building, dele­gates from seven counties with membership in the Northeastern Division, Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, reelected all current officers to serve another year, and passed resolutions and motions of par­ticular interest to thousands of sportsmen in this section of the Commonwealth.

Delegates attended from Pike, Wayne, Sus­quehanna, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Luzerne and Carbon counties. President J. L. (Jack) Neiger, of West Scranton, a member of the State Fish Commission, presided.

Officers renamed to another one year term were: President, Mr. Neiger; Benedick Kane, of Susquehanna, vice-president; Henry W. Strohl, Noxen, treasurer, and Robert W. Steventon, Palmerton, secretary. The new terms of office will date from January 1, 1942.

The Federation received the report of Gerald Edmonds, of Palmerton, chairman of the committee named to investigate the new Split Rock Club in the Poconos. All past actions of this committee were approved unanimously, and instruction given to the group to proceed further in an effort to keep the lands and water of the Pocono region open to the public. Assurance was also given the committeemen that such steps as will be necessary in the future will have the ap­proval of the Federation. Spokesmen for the State Fish and Game Commissions reported to the Federation that no cooperation, or agreement, has been entered into with the Split Rock Club by either board.

The Federation also moved to oppose any consolidation of the Fish and Game Commis­sions.

Bait Fish Regulation Federation delegates also approved the de­

cision of the Fish Commission to enforce the law pertaining to the taking of bait fish from public waters, and selling the fish at a profit.

1941 National Fly And Bait Casting Champions

FLY CASTING CHAMPIONS Dry Fly Wet Fly Skish Fly Distance Fly Salmon Fly

Skish Bait % oz. Distance % oz. Distance % oz. Accuracy % oz. Accuracy

James Price Clyde Marshall Robert Budd Eugene Anderegg R. G. Miller

Fresno, Calif. East Liverpool, Ohio Jeffersonville, Ind. Paterson, N. J. Huntington Beach, Cal.

BAIT CASTING CHAMPIONS James Price Clyde Marshall Clyde Marshall Herman Hittenberger E. R. Broeker

Fresno, Cal. East Liverpool, Ohio East Liverpool, Ohio San Francisco, Cal. St. Louis, Mo.

ALL AROUND-Herman Hittenberger

-FLY AND BAIT CASTING CHAMPION San Francisco, Cal.

Wet Fly % oz. Bait Accuracy Skish Bait % oz. Bait Accuracy

% oz. Bait Accuracy Skish Bait

WOMEN CHAMPIONS Mrs. Ott Reisman Kansas City, Mo. Miss Aunalee Crusey Sidney, Ohio Mrs. Irene Tuck Fort Worth, Texas Miss Aunalee Crusey Sidney, Ohio

JUVENILE CHAMPIONS John Bauer Akron, Ohio H. Dixon St. Louis, Mo.

CLUB TEAM

5 Man—% oz. Accuracy Carondelet Fly and Bait Casting Club St. Louis, Mo.

This law has been on the statute books for a number of years, but has not prior to this been enforced.

The Federation passed a resolution re­questing the Fish and Game Commissions to discontinue appointing any deputies who might use their positions to enforce trespass laws for large clubs or large land owners.

It was recommended that a bill be sub­mitted to the legislature in the future calling for any one selling bait fish to be licensed by the Fish Commission, and that a strict regulation be carried out in the selling of bait fish.

It was also recommended that changes be made in the fish code regarding ice fishing, and also that a fine should be provided for motor boat owners who do not display their licenses when operating their boats.

Another recommendation made by the Federation delegates calls for any warden or employe of the Fish or Game Commissions who violates the fish and game laws of any other state, or our national government, and who is convicted and fined for such violation, that such warden or employe be dismissed from service immediately.

Announcement was made at the meeting that all other resolutions which the sports­men wish to be considered by the Federa­tion, should be in the hands of Secretary Stevenson not later than November 15, as provided by the by-laws of the organization.

COMMISSIONER NEIGER BAIT CASTING WINNER

The annual field day and get-together of federated sportsmen of northeastern Penn­

sylvania held at the Silver Lake Club grounds was attended by more than two thousand persons and was the most success­ful ever conducted. John H. Price, Scran­ton, a member of the Pennsylvania Game

Commission, won a leg on the Silver Lake Rod and Gun Club trophy. He defeated a large field of contestants, including C. E. Jakway, of Towanda, winner in 1939, and G. P. Moore, Towanda, who won last year.

The bait-casting contest was won by J. L. Neiger, of Scranton, member of the Fish Commission, and the clay pigeon shoot by Commissioner Price. Other events included fox and 'coon chases and dog show.

Dr. F. S. Birchard, Montrose, chairman of the committee in charge of the dog show, reports excellent interest in this part of the day's program. Pointers, beagles, 'coon hounds, cockers, springers, English setters, fox hounds and Gordon setters were entered-A total of 256 dogs were exhibited, 117 of which were foxhounds. The judge was Wil­liam F. Gilroy, Pittston, a licensed A. K. C judge.

In the 'coon chases about forty dogs took part. In the first event, first line and first tree was taken by "Woodie," owned by Everett Joiner, of Binghamton. "Spot," owned by L. M. Bass, of Binghamton, took second line, and "Lead," owned by William Denton, New Milford, took second tree.

In the second chase "Brownie," owned by Jess Hobert, Oxford, N. Y., took first line-"Joe," owned by Mr. Denton, took second line, "Kentucky," owned by Miss Spring­steen, took first tree. "Jack," owned by Frank Utter, Oxford, took second tree.

In the third chase, "Spot," L. M. Bass, Binghamton, first line. "Kentucky," Miss

1941 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R 15

Permanence in stream improvement devices is illustrated in this photo taken of work on a southeastern Pennsylvania trout stream.

Springsteen, second line, first t ree. "Bill," Mrs. Hill, second tree.

Four th class: "Bill," Bob Hobert, of Sus ­quehanna, first line. "Brownie," Jess Hobert, Oxford, second line. "Hot Shot," Miss Spr ing­steen, first t ree.

Results of the fox chase in which 13 dogs Were entered, follow: First place was taken by Wynn Tiffany's dog, "Sam," New Milford; second place, M. Gamalass dog. "Fannie," owned by John Horvath, of Silver Lake, third place.

EXPLAIN NEW RULING GOVERNING BAIT FISH

A drastic change governing taking of ba i t -fish and fish-bait from public fishing waters of Pennsylvania was announced by the Board of Fish Commissioners and became effective after October 1, 1941. The law as it is now drawn prohibits the sale of bait-fish and fish-bait taken from Pennsylvania 's inland Waters. Pr ior to October 1, a rule of the Board permit t ing the selling of thirty-five bait-fish or fish-bait was in effect, bu t unde r the law they cannot be sold unless p u r ­chased from a Commercial Hatchery.

It has become necessary to enforce the Provisions of the law so that the natural food content of our streams will be con-Served. During the last few years the r e ­moval of bait from the majority of our bass waters has been in such numbers that it has seriously depleted the food and forage, and it is becoming a problem of tnuch concern.

The Board feels that the majority of fish­ermen will be in accord with the law and asks their cooperation.

I t is stressed that this does not prevent a fisherman from taking his own bait from Public fishing waters, but under the law he cannot have more than thirty-five (35) bai t -fish or thirty-five (35) fish-bait or fifty (50) °f the combined species in his possession at any one time. If bait-fish or fish-bait have been purchased from a commercial grower Who operates under a license issued by the Board or from a dealer who has purchased them from a Commercial Hatchery, larger l umber s may be had in possession bu t a receipt or bill of sale must be produced if questioned by a Warden. Minnow boxes anchored in a stream, pond, lake or at place °f residence, must have at tached thereto the owner's name, address and fishing license lumber . Boxes divided into sections by ttlore than one person mus t have the i n -°Jvidual owner 's name, address and fishing license number attached to each section.

Fishermen are permit ted to take bait on a fishing tr ip within or without the State Provided the possession of bait-fish and fish-bait does not exceed the possession limits and the bait are for his own use.

Bait-fish and fish-bait may be taken on Sunday under an amendment to the Sunday Wishing Law. The following devices may be used in taking bait: Two (2) rods and two (2) lines wi th not more than three (3) books attached to each line; Minnow seine ° r dip net not exceeding four (4) feet square or four (4) feet in diameter, or a minnow trap with not more than one open­ing of not more than one inch in diameter. * W s and lines used for taking bait must "e under the immediate control of the person U s ing them.

START BASS STOCKING IN SMALLER LAKES

The Fish Commission has begun its p r o ­gram of stocking bass in the lakes of the Commonwealth. This is the first year the Commission has had a statewide lake stock­ing program. Under the new setup lakes which have an area of forty acres or more and are open to public fishing, and which now contain bass are included in the p r o ­gram. Judging by the many letters which have reached the Fish Commission office, the various sportsmen's organizations are very well pleased. This has been made possible by the Commission's increased bass production program.

Commissioner French announced that a complete survey of all hatcheries indicates the Board will have the finest bass distr ibu­tion in its history. The number raised and distributed this year should be well over half a million fish ranging in size from two to eight inches.

STAGE ANNUAL NORTH BRANCH FLOAT

The 1941 fish float sponsored by the Towanda Gun Club is history now, bu t it will be a long time before the forty sports­men who took par t in it forget the splendid outing they enjoyed, the comradeship, the delightful day on the river, the fun, the fool­ishness, and the good fishing.

The flotilla of twenty boats pulled away from the landing at the James Meredith cottage in East Towanda. Mr. Meredith h im­self, grand old sportsman that he is, was commodore for the event and gave the s tar t ­ing signal from his seat in one of the boats. Rival team captains were William L. Woodin and Freddie Schaffer. Occupants of one of the boats was Col. Lynn G. Adams, commis­sioner of the Pennsylvania Motor Police; his assistant, Colonel Fisher, and Robert La t -timer, head of game protectors in that par t of the state. These men had such a fine time that Colonel Adams declared he will go again next season, if invited, and of course the invitation was quickly extended. He and

THE FRONT COVER On our front cover this month are

portrayed two types of bass jorage well known to every bass fisherman. Fred Everett depicts the stone catfish, also known as "stone roller," "stone cat" and "stonie" in this painting, while on the rocks immediately above the fish are helgramites, larva of the Dobson fly. The painting was made from live specimens at the Commission's Pleasant Gap Fish Farm near Bellefonte.

his companions appeared to enjoy the outing to the utmost and contributed a string of 12 to the 76 fish the par ty turned in at the close of the voyage.

The first boat pulled in at the docks of the Gun Club cottage at Hornets Fe r ry at about 5:30, and by 6:30, all were accounted for by Leo Scholl, in charge of that part of the arrangements . Mr. Scholl measured the largest fish turned in and then a n ­nounced that John Helsing of Canton caught the largest black bass, one 18 inches long, and Bill Baker of Towanda the yellow bass, one 20 inches long. Each was awarded an appropriate prize.

A delicious dinner followed the trip down the r iver and then the group broke up, to look forward to next year 's event.

Former Fish Warden Myron Shoemaker came up from his new work in New Jersey to take par t in the float. When he arrived at Wysox he found he had forgotten his license and sent his son back after it. His wife reports that at 4 A.M., Myron spent considerable time looking for a felt shirt that was pu t away in the moth balls. Myron blames those moth balls and the odor they left in his shirt for the comparative small string of fish he tu rned in.

Charles B. Dayton of Towanda was chair­man of the event, his assistants being Merle Apgar, F red Schaffer, Leo Scholl, W. L. Woodin. To these men is given much credit for the success of the venture .

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

As Snowflakes Near (Continued from Page 7)

alarmed fisherman, line and leader tangling and holding momentari ly at spots along the way, not to mention hopeless slack. Simply sticking the net down, the brownie raced right p lumb into it—and then real trouble began.

The net was an old veteran, several times discarded, though a t that t ime carried as a spare and generally reinstated when crawling through rough brushing going. Several not insignificant holes had been recently plugged with nothing more substantial than ordinary thread from the sewing kit and not too care­fully at that. And by this t ime the fisherman fully realized the brownie to be the biggest yet, all of which did not tend to m a k e the next few minutes the more enjoyable. At any rate as the struggling prize was lifted from the water, he went r ight through the net, heading downstream, t i red bu t still frantically slugging. The tip of the rod arched dangerously, the line whistled through the entangling mesh, the brownie threshed, thundered and bored, utilizing every ounce of the current pull together with his own remaining strength, the fisherman suffered the tor tures of the damned. For the fellow who thinks such an experience might be funny—who has never tried to handle even a moderately sized t rout with line and leader trailing through the center of a landing net there is an interesting experiment still in store. Sometime when you catch even a moderate fish, say eleven or twelve inches and are using an old net, cut out a link or two at the bottom, slip the bat t ler th rough and see the fun. There 's an experience worth while and something new under the

The proper method of suspending waders for the winter season. The feet and legs have been stuffed with bits of newspaper. (Note: This

photo snapped outdoors as a matter of convenience.)

sun—when the fish is three or four inches larger, one should have a good hear t and three or four hands. Ability to converse freely in some foreign dialect is also a d e ­cided advantage should there be ladies or ministers about.

Anyway the par t icular brownie under dis­cussion eventually came to grief the second time, how wholly irrevelent, apparently the luck of the very dumb. Now most every anecdote should have a moral and this t ime do not be careless with flaws in the links of the net—one never knows when he might tie into the al l- t ime big one and any equipment is only so strong as the weakest link. And this fisherman has long since learned any water deep enough and with sufficient p ro ­tection, especially the hard to fish out of the way pool, is jus t the place a sockadologer may have a rendezvous with fate.

Not all of us are gifted with the ability to engineer the construction of a boat, but most anyone wi th a little horse sense may p rop ­erly store and preserve the common inland fresh-water utility craft so frequently e m ­ployed on creek, pond, lake and r iver by bass, wal l -eye and sometimes t rout anglers.

Many none too affluent fishermen pay a goodly price for a boat-—either of commercial or local construction—and then see the craft go to eventual pot through indifference and shortsighted carelessness. Proper preparation for winter storage and adequate protection of the painted surfaces will repay the fore­thought many times over. Keeping a boat in t ip- top condition—in or out of water—always guarantees longer life and bet ter service; likewise a few simple safeguards provided in au tumn spell less worry and reduced expen­diture come the next season.

First, do not let the craft at anchor long enough to be caught by a freeze, even minor. The advent of October 31st spooks, witches, goblins and pranksters generally heralds the end of the active season, sometimes a bit longer for the duck hunter ; then it is t ime to consider removal and to decide upon a proper place for storage—preferably cool, dry, nicely aeriated, and well shielded from the elements. If to be ber thed outdoors, p r o ­vide a water- t ight bu lwark against rain, sleet, snow or gale. A sturdy ridge pole and framework, upon which to tack tar paper, to be covered in tu rn with canvas, preferably on high wel l -drained ground is mostly suffi­cient. Lacking tar paper and unwill ing to incur the expense of such material, discarded sheet of galvanized sheeting or, perhaps be t ­ter, old wooden boards securely fastened to the ridge pole and anchored at the bottom, also covered with canvas, does the trick quite happily. Incidentally the canvas can not o r ­dinarily be characterized as waterproof; ra ther it is moisture repellent and tends to shed precipitation upon contact. Tar paper protects against seepage, and to a lesser de ­gree, the galvanized iron or boards, during freezing months. A not inconsiderable fault of the iron is the tendency of metal to sweat unde r certain conditions—regardless of method adopted be sure air can freely cir­culate. Reasonably dry balconies, barn lofts and suspension arrangements under the roof and over the car in most garages likewise fill the bill, the lat ter two at least requir ing no protective covering other than an optional though not wholly unnecessary shield against dust and grime.

Net patched and knotted, frame wrapped and glued, still the elongated battered veteran Is

the favorite; it seems to get in front of the

nice ones easier.

As the boat comes from the water, tt should be carefully cleaned of all dirt, sano> grit and aquatic parasitical organisms, the!1

blocked up evenly and without sagging a* any point. Regardless of the contour of the surface upon which the blocks may be bedded, be sure the craft rests in an exact horizontal position. Of course, it is to b e

understood during the cleaning process, a

careful scrutiny shall be maintained to de ter ' mine whether the paint is still good or if an}' fault or s t ructural weakness may be d e ' veloping. No doubt a new coat of paint wi" be planned—if only for appearances.

Should a bad flaw be discovered in par t o* the flooring or other component part—sorne point which may have come into violent con ' tact wi th a submerged rock ledge or eveO one more visible—better replace the section entirely—with continued use the damage vrv* get no bet ter rapidly. Those unsightly tin of wooden patches, nailed and cemented wi t" copious whi te lead—and so common—cer' tainly do not contribute to the euphony °* the job, maneuverabil i ty nor long l iv i ty- ' such repairs a re makeshift at best. Likewise broken seats, covers and patched oars should be gone over, thoroughly repaired or r e ' placed.

Back to the paint . There is always the possibility, the finish in fact mostly so, need* a bit of retouching here and there if only *J cover scuffs and bruises. If not pitted, flaked or scaly, a little energetic muscle action >?j

ill

U

conjunction wi th a roll of sandpaper v?'-prepare the old girl for a new coat suit. B<lJ if the last paint job went on over a stW older application, if badly cracked, chipped or blistered spots stand out, then the aged coat had best be removed down to the so>e

remaining trace or vistage. A hand scrape* and paint remover, then a thorough wash j°D

1941 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R 17

with either turpentine or gasoline, handles the preparatory task without reproach.

Purchase primer and paint from only tried and reputable concerns—and be sure to ex­plain the condition of the craft to the retailer or manufacturer, whether merely a retouch job or an entirely new covering from raw material outward, also the type water on which the boat is used. From experience the paint salesman can detail the proper com­bination—also the mode of application. And all in all do not imagine you can improve on the mixture—nor' directions ordinarily shown on the can; expert engineers have already given the matter a long and searching anal­ysis and the layman is generally not quali­fied to dispute the conclusions. Therefore any attempt at originality may prove a de­cided mistake and suggest only future grief in large hunks. And do not attempt to econ­omize on primer—at the same time not for­getting for a moment that the thinnest pos­sible coat of primer or paint offering unques­tioned protectiveness always proves most satisfactory in the ultimate.

Lastly do not paint if either weather or boat is damp—nor in low temperatures. Be sure all surfaces are clean, solid and hard. By all means avoid a cold, damp or dusty shed. Steer completely away from cheap brushes, doubtful paint or extraordinary low quotations for outside work by contractors, either professional or amateur. Re-read the directions on the can the second and yet a third time before attacking the job. Use only thinners recommended and as directed on the container or in the usually accompanying leaflet of instruction. In conclusion do not Wait until a day or two before next fishing season to get at the task. There is no real substitute for ample time when a good job is to be done.

Grime and perspiration are foreign to cloth —woolen or cotton—and any considerable accumulation for other than a limited time can hardly be interpreted as a contribution to long wear. Some fellows fish in any old clothing; others have special outfits or at least jackets, pants, socks, underwear, shirts, etc., mostly costly.

Before packing, woolen apparel should be Washed carefully with lukewarm water and a mild non-caustive soap, at our home Usually Ivory or Lux flakes, but likely there are others to meet the requirement. After a thorough rinsing, hang the article up to dry. As a word of caution, do not subject the dripping garment to undue wringing as it comes from the tub—woolens will not tol­erate such treatment—merely squeeze the excess water away with gentle pressure of the hands, permitting the remainder to drop or evaporate on the line. Milady will even dispute such gentle treatment—she will fer­vidly insist the dripping woolens must be folded carefully between Turkish towels and then a sopping operation performed, employ­ing gentle sponging pressure with the open Palms. And don't forget wet woolens are not to be exposed to the sun nor to a temperature °f less than the water from which so re­cently removed.

As with the flies, again moth are to be discouraged. Impregnated bags may be pur­chased for little or nothing at the five and ten cent stores. Or do as I do—simply fold, throw in a handful or two of moth balls, and

Fibre rod cases—safest for the off season.

wrap carefully with many turns of heavy brown paper. If properly done, any moth energetic and resourceful enough to get through the barrage is quite deserving—such a virile beast should not be blitzkrieged completely into oblivion—maybe we could utilize the breed somehow in national defense.

Now we've covered about everything but the old battered hat. It needs special treat­ment, after which friend wife will go into ecstasy over your looks, at least my missus does. And there is nothing like pleasing the little woman.

Be sure to park the old lid as near the furnace as possible, the exact spot where the most dust might be expected to land when ashes are removed. Then as each snow falls, especially those half-rain, half-sleet, marrow chilling drizzling gifts from the weather man, resurrect the old pal, jam it on the dome and dp your stuff with shovel, pick and broom. The moisture will add a touch of mellow­ness to the sooty and ashy residue, and lend an air of permanency to the effect. Once your hat approaches the proper state of dis­solution, there should be no question of catching fish—disreputable top pieces and big fish seem to wander about hand in hand.

And if you do not like the above advice— nor that embodied in the paragraphs appear­ing the preceding month—do as I think this fisherman shall—toss all out of the window and spend the next three or four months, worrying where and how to secure a new outfit—lots of fun and time won't hang heavy when the zero hour approaches about April 15, especially if the newly ordered rod, line or waders are not at hand—or the "killer deluxe" batch of flies go amiss in the mails. And people often wonder why the hair is thinning on top of my dome. You guess.

Paeans for Pannies (Continued from Page 9)

in disgust, lamenting our foolhardiness for having released those that we had caught.

The above episode has often caused me to wonder if it is entirely the angler's skill that causes fish to take his offering. If that is the case, why then, do fish some times break over and literally tumble over each other to get the lure. The mood of the fish has a lot to do with the fisherman's skill.

Conclusively, be they what they may; bass or sunny, trout or pout, 'lunge or fallfish, they each and all are susceptible to those uncertainties which make angling the sport that it is. In the words of the immortal Izaak:

"For Angling may be said to be so like Mathematics, that it can never be fully learned; at least not so fully, but that there will still be more new experiments left for the trial of other men that suc­ceed us—."

The Angler's Notebook (Continued from Eage 12)

fly, and three times L. V. whooped with delight as the old lunker sped up the riffle and wrecked his tackle. Time after time L. V. went back to that spot, and when the final day of the trout season came the trout still was living in the riffle. Our friend says he got more thrills out of his brushes with that big trout than he did out of catching nice creels of trout in other streams.

S. S had an hour he never will forget on Wyalusing Creek one afternoon, even though the bass were definitely off their feed. He got into a rock-bottom pool and began cast­ing a fly and spinner. Soon his yells of delight brought the rest of us to the spot— and for a solid hour we watched him catch rock bass, sunfish, huge white chubs, and an occasional small pickerel. He didn't kill a single fish, and the rest of us enjoyed the fun so much that we neglected our own angling.

And finally we could name half a dozen anglers—all of them experienced sportsmen —who use the lightest practicable tackle in their quest of bass and trout.

"A 12-inch bass on this tackle feels like a young whale," says one of them. "It makes the little fellows feel like big ones."

So let's all ponder the mistakes that cost us fish—and we will have a more enjoyable angling season in 1942.

DR. PRESTON BRADLEY Dr. Preston Bradley, past president, and

now president emeritus of the Izaak Walton League of America, is nationally known as a conservationist and public speaker. He is one of the original 54 founders of the League.

He is an ardent fisherman and outdoor fan, and for more than 20 years has spent three months of every year in his log cabin on Ver­milion Lake in the Minnesota north woods. He is considered one of the most fluent and successful speakers on outdoor subjects in the United States and his addresses have been enjoyed by hundreds of conservation and sportsmen's groups throughout the country.

In the Mississippi Valley he is widely known, not only for his work in conservation, but also through his pastoral work in the Peoples' Church of Chicago which he founded in 1912.

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

One of the broad, deep flats that make Wyalusing an ideal bass stream.

Wyalusing (Continued from Page 3)

line, until two of us ran up with flashlights and maneuvered out a 15-pound snapping turtle with the fly caught in the side of its leathery neck.

The afternoon I saw for the first time my friend, Ernie, using a spinning outfit; and how a giant pickerel took his miniature spoon, switched ends like a bucking broncho, then leaped clear of the water and shook its head so violently that the tackle could not endure the strain.

The morning a kindly farmer stepped out of a pool when I came in sight; offered me his place with the remark that he couldn't catch anything but fallfish anyway; and then honestly offered his congratulations when I ho.oked a pound and a half bass on the first cast.

And of the day I spent on the creek with young Bobby, the 13-year-old son of a friend and gloried in the thrills of the finest fishing, so he told me, of his life. A day that began with Bobby catching a ten-inch rock bass and ended with him getting strike after strike until his limit of bass was reached, on the first deer-hair bass bug he ever used.

But here, what am I doing? Giving away my information, one where I still can fish for a day without seeing half a dozen other anglers? Telling secrets? Betraying a friendship built up through nine years to­gether, the stream and I?

No, fi-iend, not that at all. For Wyalusing is big enough for both of us, and generous too. I'll let you find the holes for yourself, learn the trickeries of the stream and its faults and foibles—that will be half the fun.

But bear in mind this warning—fish for sport, not meat.

One more glance at the diary before we close it finally:

July 11, 1941—Four of us took a dozen bass and unnumbered panfish on plugs and bass bugs and spinners—and took only four fish along home.

July 17-18, 1941—Bass and pickerel out numbered, on bait and artificial lures alike, for a party of four again—and only four fish killed in two days.

August 7-8, 1941—Again three of us had 18 fish, and only a couple taken home for a good friend who cannot fish.

August 21-22, 1941—A pickerel 22 inches long, two others slightly smaller, four fine bass, and some whopping sunfish and rock bass. Yet only a few taken home for the family.

August 29, 1941-—Company coming from Cleveland, and I decided to keep a good mess this time, for the first of the season. But as darkness fell, and I turned homeward, I had caught just one fish—a tiny "sunny."

See what happened when I fished for meat instead of sporty

From even an old friend like me Wyal­using Creek exacted its penalty.

Fly Rod Spinners (Continued from Page 5)

tween shaft and saddle wires: (d) Rough spots on bead or saddle wire; (e) Improperly shaped blade and (f) Bent shaft wire. Care­ful checking of these points in case of trouble will locate it and the remedy is obvious.

Properly made, a spinner of this kind will spin easily and consistently. It will spin at speeds which seem to make the fly barely move along. It is very light and when used comparable to fly fishing. In fact, this com­bination can be fished in almost the same manner as in wet fly fishing. The exact method used will vary and everyone soon evolves his own way of fishing.

Let us examine one of the most publicized disadvantages of fly rod spinner fishing. Namely, that of the drag which they exert on the delicate rod tip. Many writers are overzealous in warning against this drag. Other writers claim that small spoons and variants of spinners are livelier and don't drag as much. Well, let's see.

Any force which acts on the rod tip causes this drag. The principle forces are: (a) The weight of the spinner; (b) The rate of speed with which the spinner is retrieved through the water; (c) The rate of the current flow if opposed to the direction of the spinner movement, and (d) The weight of the lure.

Therefore in combatting this drag we must: (a) make the spinner as light as pos­sible. This is done in the spinner illustrated and described; (b) retrieve slowly, a fast retrieve complicates matters by increasing the friction of the moving parts. Increasing the force necessary to compress the water in front of the blade; increasing the water friction, etc. The forces grow at an amaz­ing rate with each increase in the spinner velocity; (c) Avoid fishing against swift currents as much as possible. Fish up and across. Fishing with the current, the spinner velocity must be greater than the current velocity in order to make the blade turn, and (d) use light lures. The best way to accomplish this is to use flies designed for spinner fishing.

The proper fly for use with spinners is one which is buoyant. It must slip through the air and water with a minimum of re­sistance. It must possess an action of its own when in the water. It must be large enough to overcome the torque of the re­volving blade to present itself from traveling in a vertical circle in back of the spinner.

A fly can be large without being heavy. Even a small fly can have a large reaction to the torque if it is so designed. In my with a lure designed for spinner fishing and matches to it, it settles through the water slowly, allowing a retrieve which is quite article "The Wet Fly," are given the descrip­tions and drawings of three excellent flies for use with spinners.

In this connection I realize that all too many anglers won't, haven't the time or am­bition or desire or are afraid to make their own flies. Well, there's 'many things that I should do but never get around to doing either. However, these fellows should take a look at the illustration of the young lady tying a fly. Perhaps they are overlooking something. Most commercial flies are tied by girls. Women seem to have a knack of working with small or delicate things. They like to make pretty things. In every home there is a nimble fingered woman, be it a wife, a sister or a daughter. Why not ask or inveigle her into fly tying? However, if your wife is a fishing widow, don't let on that I suggested anything of the sort.

A fly must not be too bulky or made in such a way as to interfere with the water flow around the spinner, otherwise the spin­ner will not work properly. If a fly of this kind must be used, increase the size of the spinner until one is found which will work.

A spinner fly is just a wee bit too light f° r

wet fly fishing in fast water. This extra lift is needed to overcome the spinners tendency to nosedive to the bottom. W proper match between this downward pull and the fly's lift, results in a combination which can be fished with a nice smooth effect. A slow motion retrieve is necessary for trout fishing. A trout will miss a fly under the same conditions which result in a bass hooking itself on every strike. Besides, a fast retrieve may be injurious to the rod tip.

At this writing it is believed that the size of the spinner described is the smallest size which should be used for ordinary fishing, particularly on not—too—small trout streams and not—too—large bass creeks. It is be '

1941 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R 19

lieved that the size of the spinner should in­crease with the size of the water fished. The range of sizes for fly rods is abruptly limited above the size of our present spin­ner. If smaller sizes are used trouble occurs in matching the fly to the spinner. Any but the smallest flies break up the water flow causing the blade to revolve erratically. Besides, on small waters where reason dic­tates a smaller spinner, a spinner is no more attractive than the fly itself. As mentioned previously, a spinner is an attractor or at­tention getter. In clear small waters any moving lure attracts attention and a spinner may be detrimental. It's like trying to gild the lily.

It is often written that a spinner attracts attention because of the flash it makes in the water. There is more to it than this. A gold or a brass or copper spinner reflects very, very little light if more than a foot underwater unless the water is extraordi­narily clear. In fact I've caught fish using a black spinner! Yes, even the shaft and the stirrup were black. Evidently the move­ment of the blade plays a considerable part. Any color of spinner will seem black to a fish if the fish is below the spinner. Against certain background colorations in the water, black is the most easily seen color. It seems almost obvious that different colors of spin-tiers should be experimented with in sec­tions of the water where the background and

i the water colors change.

A good rule to remember is that the most easily transmitted color is the complement­ary one of the color reflected. If the water looks blue try a yellow spinner (brass or gold), if the water is green, try a red spin­ner (copper). In muddy water try black. The same applies to the colors of the flies. This premise is based on the assumption that fish see colors as we do. It may be all wrong but it provides a base to work from and use has proven itself correct in a number of instances. Since white is a combination of all colors, a nickle or chrome should be used by those who are not suffi­ciently interested in spinner fishing to carry colored spinners. It will serve the purpose

j though not as effectively as the colored ones.

In bass fishing there is reason to believe that a spinner and streamer fly combination arouses the combativeness of the bass. All too *ell I remember one instance: There were two fellows standing on a flat-toppped rock. They weren't fishing. Later they told me

I that they had been there for sometime. I ! cast almost at their feet, sunk the fly and

started to retrieve. Usually I would have Passed up the spot because the men were Nearly visible from the water and would have put the fish down. I was talking to them and not paying much attention to the % when the old bronze-back struck. There

j ^as a vicious yank on the rod and the bass started to go places. He caught me unaware and soon had me tangled in the line. He ''aged in and out of the water and went around me faster than I could turn. In the ^idst of laughter and shouted advise I Anally subdued and landed him. I was thankful that day that I was using a barb-^ss hook which penetrated fully and held. •°Ut the point is: that bass knew that there y^te two men over his head and another 111 the water, yet he came charging out to

slap down the intruder which was moving through his hole.

Incidentally in speaking of flies for spinner fishing, I don't use winged flies and think that the so-called bass flies sold for use with spinners are ridiculous. Perhaps they'll catch fish, I don't know, but a winged fly and spinner are so unnatural that I'd feel silly fishing the combination. Hair or feather streamers or the tadpole-like flies are to be preferred.

Natural appearance of the lures and a close imitation of their prototypes movements in the water is profitable. There was one case where I located an undercut rock where the stream turned. The deep water wasn't over about four feet across. I cast into this hole and caught a nine inch smallmouth. After releasing him, I tried again and after a few casts tied into a ten incher. I let this fellow go. This promised to be sport but I was puzzled to find two such fish in so little cover water. I tried again, wondering if and what would come out this time. After a few minutes of fruitless casting, I almost gave up but nevertheless tried casting from different angles. Finally, there came a gentle tug, setting the hook, I prepared for another battle. Nothing happened, though the line was taut. I pulled a little and rapped on the handle of the rod. Then I saw it, up from the bottom of the water came a fish. Up, up and up into the air he shot. He churned that small pool into a froth before I landed him. Fifteen inches of heavy small-mouth bass after two others were caught in the same pool. This may prove some­thing or other but it certainly shows that the fish were not frightened by the spinner; it must have appealed to them.

Another time was when I was casting against the bank of the stream over fast water. On one cast I caught sight of a silvery flash arcing to within a few inches of the surface and disappearing. Five times after that following every cast, I saw the same performance repeated before the fish caught my fly. A brown trout. That fel­low's aim was bad but he certainly wasn't frightened by the spinner and fly. Though only these two cases are given there are many times when the fish come back for more.

One of the most exasperating things about spinner fly fishing is to see a fish or fishes

following the lure and making no attempt to take it. Nothing, it seems, can make them strike. To all appearances their hunger has just been satiated but the lure is so at­tractive that they investigate from sheer curiosity. This view received some con­firmation when I found a large bass in midstream apparently sunning himself—if bass do such things. I cast over him, in front of him, in back of him, and at last I tried to bump him with the spinner. He slowly moved aside and let the lure pass by. I persisted and he finally pecked at the lure as it passed. He made no attempt to swallow or kill, simply pecked as though to drive it away. Finally, he turned tail and swam under a rock. He had taken the teasing with the good naturedness of a well-fed puppy and now that he had had enough he moved away.

In conclusion, when spinner fishing you probably will not get as many fish as when fishing a wet fly but it usually comes out that the fish which are caught are much bigger. This is especially true of trout fish­ing. In bass fishing, however, many smaller fish will be caught. To prevent harming these little fellows I use barbless hooks ex­clusively. Incidentally, a barbless hook hooks easiest and holds, and may save a prize fish. My article in PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER for February, 1941, carries a descrip­tion of a good barbless hook.

Fish a spinner slowly and carefully. Stay out of the rushing water, fish the edges, both for the sake of your rod and your creel. Don't swish the spinner out of the water at the start of a new cast. Bring the spinner almost to the very top of the water before lifting it. Casting with the wind lessens the strain on the rod and in­creases your accuracy.

•Hi P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E S NOVEMBER

November Plugging (Continued from, Page 11)

Weed beds and pockets are favored lurking places for stream pickerel.

be made the better the chance of taking pickerel.

Mention in closing relative to the walleyed pike in November may not be amiss. While, in the heat of summer, these game fish seem to congregate in deep pools close to bottom, during late au tumn they are definitely rovers in their quest for food. Night fishing may generally be counted upon then to account for some fine walleyes for they are notably night feeders, cruising about in the shallows in their foraging. Slow retrieve of the plug is in order now, and a surprising number of strikes from this game fish may be had on squally, overcast November days. In fact, it would appear that weather of this

In ponds and lakes where this minnow, the golden shiner, occurs, gold plated spoons seem

to work to excellent advantage.

type is right to their liking. Trolling wi th the June bug spinner and night crawler also accounts for excellent catches of walleyes in our s treams and lakes. Like the pickerel, these fish are early spring spawners and eggs in the female fish are generally well developed by late autumn. Deep running plugs have their place in daytime fishing for walleyes in pools and deep flats, while those running closer to the surface may often be used successfully at night.

Blustery November still holds allure for the plug caster who follows his sport to the w a r m water game fish season deadline in Pennsylvania.

FINE TURNOUT AT CUMBERLAND FIELD DAY

With 2500 in attendance, the annual field day of the Harr isburg Hunters ' and Anglers ' Association, the Mechanicsburg Sportsmen's Protective Association and the West Shore Sportsmen's Association, held at Hempt 's Meadow along the Yellow Breeches Creek in Cumberland County was a real success this year.

Outstanding on the program was the r e c ­ord established by John D. Shannon, several

time winner of the State live bird cham­pionship, who broke 60 straight on the wild­cat t rap to retain his Class A championship.

In the contest between Captain Hans G. Olsen, qualifier for the U. S. Olympic pistol team, and Ernie Lehmer, Eastern Pennsyl ­vania archery champ, the pistol man de ­feated the crack archer by a score of 73 to 35. The contest at tracted much interest.

Eighty men shot in the wildcat event. George Swartz won in Class B by breaking 19x25, and Oliver Seipe, New Cumberland, won Class C with 16x25.

Gene Benner, New Cumberland, won Class A Skish accuracy bait casting wi th a perfect score of 50, and H. C. Fickes, same town, was second with 48. Class B was won by Tuck Har tman, Lebanon with 32, and T. L. Mehafne, Harrisburg, was second with 30.

Skish distance was won by Tuck Hartman, averaging 193 feet, 8 inches in 5 casts wi th the five-eighth ounce plug. William Ecken-roth, Lebanon, averaged 176 feet to place second. Ralph Graden, Colonial Park , won Class B with an average of 156 feet 4 inches and T. L. Mehafne, Harrisburg, was third with an average of 141 feet, 8 inches. Wild­cat distance was won by William Eckenrode with a 210 feet mark .

In the pistol shoot Ben Rosen, Harrisburg, nosed out Captain Olsen 48 to 47. A. F r e n -man, Carlisle, was third with a score of 46.

Ernie Lehmer won Class A archery with a score of 256 wi th 30 arrows. George B. D r e -belbis was second with 224 and John Mc-Gowan, Carlisle, was third with 220. Mrs. Bertha K. Drebelbis won the women's event with a 212 and Mrs. Ruth McGowan scored 202 for second place. Lois Lehmer, eight-year-old daughter of the champion, won the novice event with a score of 183.

R. C. Flowers, Hershey, won the small bore shoot, scoring a perfect 200. He had 13 shots in the X ring. Ammon Bell, Hummels -town, was second with another perfect score, having 9 shots in the X ring. W. R. Shearer, Harrisburg, R. D., was tied for third with 99, with 13X's having won the shoot-off for that spot from C. Rowland, Carlisle.

I. H. Kiehl, New Cumberland, had high score, and E. E. Schmehl, Washington, D. C , the low score in the lucky target event.

C. J . Prescott, Bainbridge, won the r u n ­ning rabbit shoot from 284 other shooters by breaking 24 straight. This was a field day record. John D. Shannon was second with 23x25, and Vince Shofmeister, Camp Hill, was thi rd wi th 21.

Bill Douglas, former State 20-guage skeet champ, won the moskeet -O event wi th 8. He had been tied with Earl Alleman, West Fa i r -view. Alleman shot 7 in the shootoff for second place, H. Yingst was third wi th 7, R. M. Por te r was fourth wi th 6, and Don Bailey fifth with 5.

Ray Guistwhite, New Cumberland, with a score of 29 won first place from 375 others who shot in the running deer event; Harold Palmer, Harr isburg, R. D. 1, was second wi th 26; Peck Myer, Mt. Holly, was thi rd with 20.

John Martin, Harr isburg, won the Class A 16-yard t rap event wi th a perfect 25; R. Shank was second with 24, and Earl Alleman third wi th 23. R. Shank, E. Eberly and A. Binder each scored 21 in Class B with Shank winning in the shoot-off. H. E. Huber ,

Mechanicsburg, won the shoot-off in Class C from J. R. Reichert and H. E. Menger, each with original scores of 16.

In the rising bear, Boyd Fortney, Me­chanicsburg, won Class A wi th 22x30; Guy Clouse, Loysville, Class B with 22, and H. Shaifner, Highspire, Class C with 17.

CASTING TOURNAMENT WINNERS LISTED

The Pi t tsburgh Casting Club was host to the 10th Annual Pennsylvania State Casting Tournament on Sunday, September 21, at its Highland Pa rk Platform. Some of the finest casters in the country were assembled to vie with each other in tests of skill with both bait and fly rods. They came from Colum­bus, Zanesville, Akron, East Liverpool, Toronto, Erie, Beaver Falls, Washington, Greensburg, and Charleroi. Good scores were cast as the weather was perfect with no wind and comfortable temperature . John Thomp­son of Toronto, Ohio, cast a perfect score of 100 in the wet fly. John was a real dark horse and his performance was therefore exceptional. Russel Smith of Zanesville, editor of the official casting columns of The Outdoorsraan, tied Clyde Marshall of East Liverpool with a 95 in the Dry Fly bu t lost the cast off. He also tied Nelson Lang of Pi t tsburgh with a 98 score in the % ounce weight accuracy and lost tha t cast off' Howard Adrian of East Liverpool came through wi th a 99 score in the popular plug event, setting a new State Tournament rec­ord.

Excellent prizes were provided by the Pi t tsburgh Casting Club and the ladies of the club set up a free lunch for the con­testants that was most enjoyable.

The popularity of Tournament casting lS

evidenced by the fact that 66 contestants en­tered the various events. Following are the results:

W E T F L Y ACCURACY—Class "A"—1st, Paul Thompson, Toronto, Ohio, score 100, prize 2* quar ts of Motor Oil; 2d, John Bauer, Akron, Ohio, score 99, prize Delta Power Light; and 3d, Russel Smith, Zanesville, Ohio, score

99, prize Electric Toaster.

Class "B"—1st, Mildred Shook, Columbus, Ohio, score 97, prize Delta Power Light;

2d, Chas. Golden, East Liverpool, Ohio, score 9$ prize Electric Toaster; and 3d, Ray Kinsey, East Liverpool, Ohio, score 96, prize Electric Sandwich Grill.

Class "C"—lst, J . B. Thompson, Toronto, Ohio, score 92, prize Electric Toaster;

2d, M. M. Moats, Akron, Ohio, score 90, priz e

Electric Sandwich Grill; and 3d, Chas. A » -vater, Pit tsburgh, score 87, prize Karv Master Knife.

DISTANCE FLY—Class "A"—1st, Russel Smith, Zanesville, Ohio, L. C. 135, Av. 134.3, prize Portable Ice Refrigerator; 2d, C. " • Marshall, East Liverpool, L. C. 134, Av. l32-6> prize Five Cell Eveready Flashlight; and 3d, Pau l Thompson, Toronto, Ohio, L. C. 120, AV-118, prize Thermos Jug .

DRY F L Y ACCURACY—Class "A"—1st, C. ^: Marshall, East Liverpool, score 95, p r i z e

Navigator Electric Clock; 2d, Russel Smn*' Zanesville, score 95, prize 1Y2 gallons Zere#> and 3d, Kar l Breitenbach, Pit tsburgh, score

93, prize Electric Toaster.

1941 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

Class "B"—John Bauer, Akron, score 92, prize 1% gallons Zerex; 2d, U. J. Bauer, Akron, score 91, prize Electric Toaster; and 3d, Wayne Duke, Homestead, score 91, prize Five Cell Eveready Flashlight.

Class "C"—Mrs. Clyde Marshall, East Liv­erpool, score 90, prize Electric Toaster; 2d, M. M. Moats, Akron, score 88, prize Five Cell Eveready Flashlight; and 3d, J. B. Thompson, Toronto, score 87, prize Thermos Jug.

LADIES % OUNCE ACCURACY—1st, Mrs. Clyde Marshall, East Liverpool, score 93, prize Car­nival Toaster; 2d, Thelma Crawford, Char-leroi, score 91, prize Electric Hair Dryer; and 3d, Mrs. U. J. Bauer, Akron, score 90, prize Karv Master Knife.

JUNIOR % OUNCE ACCURACY—1st, John Bauer, Akron, score 92, prize Shakespeare Criterion Reel; and 2d, Warren Shephard, Pittsburgh, score 90, prize Tackle Box.

All the prizes in this event were donated by C. W. Ward, president of the Pittsburgh Casting Club, who will also present the win­ning Junior with a silver loving cup.

% OUNCE WEIGHT ACCURACY—1st, Nelson Lang, Pittsburgh, score 98, prize Coleman Gasoline Lantern; 2d, Russel Smith, Zanes-ville, score 98, prize Carnival Toaster; and 3d, T. E. Ganier, Washington, score 95, prize Electric Sandwich Grill.

Class "B"—1st, Willard Brown, Beaver Falls, score 95, prize Carnival Toaster; 2d, N. J. Bauer, Akron, score 93, prize Electric Sandwich Grill; and 3d, Mrs. Clyde Marshall, East Liverpool, score 92, prize Karv Master Knife.

Class "C—1st, R. T. Kimmel, Greensburg, score 94, prize Electric Sandwich Grill; 2d, H. Crawford, Charleroi, score 89, prize Karv Master Knife; and 3d, Ed. Wright, Charleroi, score 87, prize Vacuum Bottle.

% OUNCE PLUG ACCURACY—Class "A"—1st, Soward Adrian, East Liverpool, score 99, Prize Table Lamp; 2d, Paul Thompson, Toronto, score 96, prize Shakespeare Wonder Reel; and 3d, Wm. Behnen, Columbus, score 96, prize IV2 gallons Zerex.

Class "B"—C. E. Kimmel, Greensburg, score 96, prize 1V2 gallons Zerex; 2d, Ed. Wright, Charleroi, score 96, prize Electric Toaster; and 3d, C. Warrick, Greensburg, Score 94, prize Silex Coffee Maker.

Class "C"—H. D. Shipe, Charleroi, score 91, Prize Electric Toaster; 2d, Fred Simpson, Pittsburgh, score 89, prize Silex Coffee Maker; and 3d, Mrs. Ed. Wright, Charleroi, score 86, prize Thermos Jug.

The Pittsburgh Casting Club wishes to express its appreciation of the many individ­ual members whose cash donations enabled tile Prize Committee to select such excellent Prizes for this Tournament.

ADOPT RESOLUTION ON FISH STOCKING

The Freeport Sportsemen's Club at its September meeting unanimously adopted tile following resolutions:

RESOLVED: That the Armstrong County Sportsmen's League respectfully request the Board of Fish Commissioners of the State °f Pennsylvania, that in all future plantings °f fish in this county, our fish warden shall 06 notified, instead of any individual club

as heretofore, and that he, the fish warden, shall have full charge of such plantings and that he shall specify where the fish are to be placed and the numbers to be planted at the specified places. Furthermore, the fish warden shall notify the interested clubs and request such help from any of them that he may deem necessary.

RESOLVED: That all requests for fish for stocking purposes for any waters in Arm­strong County shall be made through the Armstrong County Sportsmen's League, in­stead of by the individual clubs as here­tofore, in order to avoid duplication and to unify our county organization.

RESOLVED: That the Armstrong County Sportsmen's League respectfully request the Board of Fish Commissioners of the State of Pennsylvania, that the Buffalo Creek be closed to all fishing from the first day of March till the fifteenth day of April of each year, in that zone which is now classi­fied as a trout stream. This closed zone shall be from that section of the stream known as Otter Hole, about one mile below Boggs-ville, upstream to the source.

Here Is How You Can Help

1. Smoking: Smoke only while stopping in a safe place, clear of all inflammable ma­terial; never while traveling in the woods.

2. Matches: Be sure your match is out. Break it in two before you throw it away,

3. Tobacco: Be sure that pipe ashes and cigar or cigarette stubs are dead before throwing them away. Never throw them into brush, leaves, or needles.

4. Making camp: Before building a fire scrape away all inflammable material from a spot 5 feet in diameter. Dig a hole in the center and in it build your camp fire. Keep your fire small. Never build it against trees or logs or near brush.

5. Breaking camp: Never break camp until your fire is out—dead out.

6. How to put out a camp fire: Stir the coals while soaking them with water. Turn small sticks and drench both sides. Wet the ground around the fire. Be sure the last spark is dead.

7. Brush burning: Never burn slash or brush in windy weather or while there is the slightest danger that the fire will get away.

8. Extinguish any small fires you can. Report all fires to the nearest warden or ranger.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE

SfO 8—B738

WILDLIFE WEEK SET FOR APRIL 12, '42

The fifth annual observance of National Wildlife Restoration Week by conservation­ists throughout the nation will be held from April 12 through April 18, 1942, David A. Aylward, president, National Wildlife Feder­ation, Washington, D. C, announced.

Begun by presidential proclamation in 1938 to call attention to the need for con­serving and restoring America's wildlife and natural resources, the annual observance now unites more than 10,000,000 men and women, members of some 36,000 organiza­tions in a common cause.

An annual feature of National Wildlife Restoration Week is the issuance of Wildlife Conservation Stamps.

Wildlife Week in 1941 was marked by the official inauguration of an educational pro­gram by the National Wildlife Federation to place educational booklets on conservation in the hands of thousands of boys and girls in public schools throughout the nation.

The National Wildlife Federation, a non­partisan, non-profit, non-political organiza­tion was founded in 1936 through the leader­ship of Jay N. "Ding" Darling, often called America's foremost conservationist.

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

BLAIR ASSOCIATION HAS FINE RECORD

The Blair County Game, Fish and Forestry Association have elected the following offi­cers for the coming year: Wm. Templeton, who has been prominently identified with many sportsmen's organizations in Blair County as well as being chairman of the Blair County Unit of the Pennsylvania Fed­eration of Sportsmen's Clubs for several years was elected president; Jas . Wilson, vice-president; Har ry Brennen, second vice-president; Geo. M. Aurandt , recording sec­retary; Jas . A. Yon, Sr., membership secre­tary; and Jas . A. Yon, Jr., t reasurer. The directors are Jas . Saleme, E. D. Calvert, Roy E. Keller, O. J. Evans, C. S. Taylor, Ray Marsden, Geo. Fluke, J. M. Davis and Max Harshbarger. Chester B. Wray was elected solicitor of the Association.

The Association has just completed one of the most successful years in its history, both from the standpoint of conservation and finance. A considerable reforestation program has been carried out during the past two years, more than 10,000 evergreen and food bearing trees having been planted in Blair County by this group. Through its efforts, the game feeding program for the county was revised, a certain terr i tory being assigned to each club in the county, thereby causing a wider distribution of feed with no over­lapping and a considerable saving in game food as a result.

An educational program is now being set up through cooperation of the Altoona School District for instruction in rifle shooting and the proper handling of fire-arms. Classes in Nature study and conservation of wildlife in all its forms will be conducted on the club grounds in Riggles Gap which is ideally suited for this purpose.

The Club has just completed the construc­tion of one of the finest and most modern rifle ranges in the United States. There are 60 firing points for all of the three ranges of 50 yards, 50 meters, and 100 yards. On this range on September 27 and 28, was held the Pennsylvania Small Bore Rifle Championship Tournament, in which more t h a n 100 of the top-notch rifle shooters from the states of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Del ­aware, Ohio, Connecticut Maryland and Vir ­ginia competed. In one match, three com­petitors equaled the world's record of 400-38X out of a possible score of 400-40X. This was the largest event of this kind ever held in Blair County. More than three thousand people viewed the matches during the two days. Many medals, prizes and trophies were awarded the successful competitors. Chief of these was the F rank A. Hoppe Trophy which was won by State Champion Walter Scott of Coraopolis, Pa., the presentation being made by Wm. Templeton. Another feature of this event which won the unanimous acclaim of all visiting competitors was the accommoda­tions of the spacious club house coupled with the service rendered by the Ladies ' Auxi l ­iary, who served over 400 hot meals in addi ­tion to the hundreds of sandwiches and gal­lons of milk, soup and coffee. The officials of the National Rifle Association who were present to supervise the shooting were p r o ­fuse in their praise of the range and com­plimented the committee highly upon the

Courtesy Allentown Call. Wilbur Moser, Allentown, with the 22 inch, 3 pounds 15 ounces brown trout he caught last season in the Little Lehigh, Lehigh County, on

a minnow.

manner in which it was operated. This com­mittee consisted of John Kaylor, Robert Barry, Jas . Wilson, T. G. Crain, Albert J o h n ­son, Sr., and Wm. Luke.

FRENCH BEAGLES WIN AT OUTING

A judge and his son won quoit pitching honors; daughters of a former Secretary of Agriculture won prizes exhibiting dogs at the annual show and a Norristown real tor proved his skill at casting at the outing of the Montgomery County Fish, Game and Forest ry Association.

Ideal weather favored the event at the Graterford penitentiary picnic grounds of the sportsmen and a clambake climaxed the day's program.

President Judge Harold G. Knight and his son, Assistant District Attorney Harold G. Knight, Jr., took the quoit honors by defeat­ing John Rorer and Jack Dale in the finals.

In the dog show, Jeanne and Huber ta French, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. J . Hansell F rench of Collegeville, each won firsts wi th beagles while "Flukie Harris ," a Chesapeake Bay retr iever exhibited by Harper Bean, a t ­tracted much interest.

Dr. Har ry B. Steinbach of Blue Bell was judge of the show and Reuben Schall a s ­sisted as ring steward.

Trapshooting, in charge of Joe Ulmer, at tracted a large field, including Mrs. F red Hess, former state women's champion.

On the shootoff for second prize in Class A, Leon Kohl, Norristown realtor who p r e ­viously had won the distance casting honors in that competition, broke 25 straight as Mrs. Hess shattered 22 blue rocks and Leroy Schultz smashed 21.

Charley Todd won high over all and was eliminated from the class trophies.

Todd broke 48 targets. Oscar Wilde smashed 46. D. Householder and W. Wil ­liams tied for Class B honors a t 44 targets. T. Carroll has a 40 for Class C.

F red Hess, Todd, Schultz, Bill Williams, Kohl and Ulmer tied on the protection race, all breaking their targets. On the toss, Schultz and Williams won the trophy.

G. Eisenberg won the trophy for the Mc-Shee shoot with eight straight. Adolf Muller and his son, Eugene, were first and second, respectively, in the splashboard event.

Mart in Horn, George Sinclair and Joe Ulmer were members of the committee a f ranging the event.

Other results: Dog- Show

Female beagles—1, P e r k i o m e n Vixon, owned by Jeanne French; 2, Perkiomen Squaw, owned by Polly French; 3, Tip Toe, owned by Huber ta French.

Puppy beagles—1, Perkiomen Mohawk (1" weeks old), owned by Huber ta French.

Male beagles—1, Rocky, owned by J. John Wilde.

English setters—1, Don, owned by Harper Bean; 2, Robin, owned by Ernest Heim.

Chesapeake Bay retrievers—1, Flukie Har­ris, owned by Harper Bean.

Pointers—1, Pepper, owned by Reubin Schall.

Quoits

Judge Harold G. Knight and his son, Har­old G. Knight, Jr., won in the quoit tourna­ment by defeating John Rorer and Jack Dale in the finals.

Casting

Distance—1, Leon Kohl, 142 feet; 2, Harold C. Frat t , 140 feet.

Accuracy—1, Reubin Schall, 84 points! 2, Walter Frat t , 83 points.

PERKIOMEN CLUB HAS SNAKE CONTEST

After holding outdoor recreational sessions during the months of June , Ju ly and August the Perkiomen Valley Sportsmen's Associa­tion held its September session in its regula r

headquarters , Borough Hall, SchwenksviUe> when 50 members were in at tendance.

The game committee reported featured vermin contest entries for the past month, as follows: Raymond Landis, 25 snake tails; £j Force, 9 snake tails, and Wm. Weirman, $ snake tails.

One bass and one catfish were entered ' n

the fishing contest by Wm. Weirman. The

fish committee repor t also informed th e

sportsmen that two truckloads of fish—bla^ bass—were released in the Perkiorne11' Branch and Skippack creeks.

During the course of the indoor session the

results of the recent casting tourname*1* were announced, as follows: 1st, Lansdal'j Sportsmen's Club; 2d, Lower Merion B° and Gun Club; tie for 3d place, Dover Fish' ing Club of Philadelphia, and the Penn«-State Fish and Game Association; 4th Perk­iomen Valley Sportsmen's Association. I*1' dividual high scores found Barney Berling e r ' former University of Pennsylvania »** around athlete, and Linford Stevens, Kulp 5 ' ville angler, tied with 29 points each; Ande f ' son, of Lower Merion, was second with 28T* points, whi le Ernest Jenkins, also of LoWef

Merion, was third, wi th a total of 28 points-

1941 P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R

CLUB LEASES FISHING RIGHTS

Three men who own farms in East Rock-hill Township agreed to give members of the Branch Valley Fish, Game and Forestry A s ­sociation the r ight to fish in the stream cross­ing their properties during a special ten year lease.

Announcement of the agreement was made at a meeting of the organization in Fraterni ty Temple, Perkasie, when Clarence Mumbauer submitted a complete report of activities for this year. Mr. Mumbauer told how a new dam had been built this year at a point along the northeast branch of the Perkiomen Creek.

A. F . Beck, of Perkasie, offered to supply stone for construction of a similar dam nearby. He is one of the three farmers sign­ing the ten-year lease. The others are Amos Bryan and O. S. Keeler. The leases specify that entry to the creek must be made wi th­out damaging the properties.

Mr. Mumbauer showed pictures taken while the dam was being built.

Nelson O. Fretz, who presided over the meeting, reported that pheasants and rabbits are plentiful in this vicinity. According to a report of the membership committee, there are 483 members in the organization now; twenty-eight were received during the eve­ning.

Lester Frederick, the treasurer, reported that $83 remains in the social fund. Another report submitted showed that a benefit held recently net ted the association $91.

The forestry committee notified members that 1,000 trees were planted on the Ar thu r Lawrence tract, South Perkasie.

Concerning the offer of stone and the use of the Beck proper ty for building a dam, the association decided in favor of the project and work will begin soon.

URGES PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FOREST FIRES

A warning to all sportsmen, motorists, campers and hikers to take every precaution to prevent forest fires was issued by I. R. Watts, Servicing Director of the National Wildlife Federation.

Because of the drought prevalent th rough­out the Northeast, forest fires lu rk as a potential th rea t to that section of the coun­try it was pointed out. Par t icular ly affected are Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Massa­chusetts, and Maine.

In the East forest fires occur mainly during the spring and fall; in the West, generally during the hot summer months. These are the danger seasons, and droughts pave the Way for forest fires, Mr. Watts indicated.

When a similar drought occurred last spring, over 1,302,430 acres of forest land Were burned throughout the United States during the month of April alone.

This acreage translated into equivalent board feet means that about 289,139,460 board feet of t imber were consumed by flames, or enough lumber to house 192,759 American

Barney Berlinger of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania State Fish and Game Association and former all-round University of Pennsylvania athlete, who won the % ounce plug distance event in the 1940

MAACC tournament.

boys reporting under the Selective Service Act.

With the opening of the hunt ing season, the National Wildlife Federat ion warns h u n t ­ers to be especially careful about starting fires.

WILL STOCK TROUT IN BUFFALO CREEK

Under the guidance of W. A. Ashe, District Attorney, and President of the Sportsmen's League, the campaign to secure the reclassi­fication of Buffalo Creek from a bass to a t rout s tream has been brought to a success­ful conclusion. At the most enthusiastic and harmonious meeting of Sportsmen's Club representatives ever held in the Kit tanning District, Mr. Ashe culminated his successful campaign with the introduction of C. A. French, Commissioner of Fisheries, who made the official announcement that Buffalo Creek would be reclassified in accordance wi th the desire of the happy sportsmen p res ­ent representing Armstrong, Allegheny, Butler and Westmoreland Counties.

Although we may not have the equivalent of "Fisherman's Paradise," thanks to Mr. French and the Fish Commission, by means of their splendid cooperation, the fishermen of this district will have a s tream near at hand where it will be possible to tangle with a tackle bursting brown or rainbow trout.

Mr. French has graciously agreed to make this dream of our Ike Waltons come t rue in the spring of 1942 when the Buffalo Creek will be heavily stocked wi th large legal brown and rainbow trout.

The swimbladder of a fish is one of its most interesting organs, and perhaps performs a greater variety of functions than any other. It serves as an organ of respiration in some fishes who draw upon the supply of oxygen in the swimbladder for breathing purposes, thus en­abling them to enter water areas of low oxy­gen content without being asphyxiated. F u r ­thermore, if there is an excess of carbon diox­ide, the swimbladder causes the fish automat­ically to rise to higher levels of lower carbon dioxide content—thus serving as a sort of safety valve. In some species of fishes the swimbladder also appears to serve as an addi ­tional hearing aid.

By the rapid contraction of a muscle in close contact with the air bladder which acts as a resonator, some fishes are capable of pro­ducing a drumming sound, and from this fac­ulty has arisen the name of drumfishes as applied to certain members of the family Sciaenidae. Both sexes of the croaker, or hardhead, are capable of producing this sound. In the black and red drums, the spot or Lafay­ette, and the squeteagues or sea trouts, the drumming muscle is present only in the males, while in other species the drumming muscle and air bladder are absent in both the male and female.

The midshipman fish is so named because it has rows of luminous silvery spots on the body, which are likened to the buttons on a mid­shipman's uniform.

Salmon have been found in waters varying from the freezing point to 70°F.

"Did you ever see a gang like that before— moving right in on us like tha t ?" complained Earl.

"I suppose they just didn't know better," I suggested.

"You just think they didn't," answered Earl. Then he added: "Well, maybe they didn't. There are dumb clucks like that ."

Jus t about then I thought maybe somebody ought to wri te a book on etiquette for t rout fishermen.

BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS HARHISBURG, PA.

SUBSCRIPTION BLANK Enclosed find fifty cents ($.50) for one year's subscription to the

"Pennsylvania Angler." Please Check Name

(Print Name)

• New Street and Number.

• Renewal City

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

HERE X THERE I N ANGLERDOM

By BOB HANSON

Dan Paterl ini of Charleroi scored a fine catch of Allegheny River smallmouth bass op plug while fishing in the vicinity of Tidioute. Four smallmouths were taken, the largest 18y4 inches, weight 3 pounds 4 ounces, a n ­other 17 % inches, weight 3 pounds, and a third, 16% inches, weight 2 pounds 2 ounces.

Fres Lash of Reading reports excellent fishing for walleyed pike while vacationing at Lake Wallenpaupack during the past sum­mer . A number of fine walleyed pike, sev­eral of them measuring 20 inches in length, we re taken on the 9 foot fly rod. Night-crawlers were used as bait, he reports.

With extremely low water in virtually all state streams, watersnakes and other na tura l predators on fish life ranked as a serious menace to fish life during the drought. According to Clayt Peters of Lykens, whose splendid articles have long been welcomed by the ANGLER, Mack Schoffstall of Lykens killed a 38 inch watersnake on Powell 's Creek, Dauphin County, that, when opened, was found to contain a 10 inch brown trout.

G. E. Spinney, acting forest supervisor in the Allegheny National Forest, furnishes the following interesting information relative to streams in that area of the state: "In revis­ing the Cooperative Stream Stocking Plan for Allegheny National Forest, the State and Federal technicians participating have this interesting sidelight to offer. Of the 200 or more streams on Allegheny National Forest important enough to have a separate map name, approximately one fourth have been named after animals. The wolf has been most honored with six streams bearing his name. The raccoon is second with four namesakes shortened to "Coon." The deer has not been forgotten with Deer Lick, Buck Lick and Doe Run appearing several times. Names of game animals have been used six­teen times, fur bearers thirteen, other m a m ­mals three and birds ten. Names of fish and snakes also appear."

F rom Warden William Mcllnay of Everett comes word that Andrew Zadorla of Johns ­town scored a'fine catch of smallmouth bass at the mouth of Dunnings Creek below Bed­ford. Included in the catch were a 16 inch and two 12 inch fish.

Three Mifflin County anglers, George Harbst , Earl Goss and Nolan Musser, of Burnham, scored a fine catch of big carp on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. Their total catch was 21 fish, Harbst catch­ing six, Goss seven and Musser eight.

Jackie Wenrich, ZV-* years old, grandson of George Michaels, Harrisburg, displays the fine 1754 inch, VA pound largemouth bass that Michaels caught this season in wildwood Lake,

on the outskirts of the Capitol City.

Warden G. Max Noll of Montrose reports the taking of a big eel in the North Branch of the Susquehanna River nea r Wyalusing by Lester Baysore of Muncy. The eel, meas ­ur ing 36% inches in length, had a girth of 6% inches and weighed four pounds. Its stomach was found to contain two large crayfish and a three inch smallmouth bass. Worm was the bait used. Randall Cochrane of Rush, caught a big carp on doughball in the same section of the river. His catch was 33 inches in length, 22% inches in girth and tipped the scales at 20% pounds. Twenty-three minutes were required to land the fish on a casting rod. A 34 inch carp wi th a girth of 23 inches and weighing 21 pounds was caught at the same location on doughball by Francis Pickett of Rush.

ship to come to the attention of the ANGLES is the following report from Warden Frank Sanda of Steelton. E. L. Shireman of Middle-town has caught over 200 bass since the opening of the season. The fish ranged ffi length in most instances from 10 to 15 inches and he killed only five fish, re turning the balance to the stream. Only once this year did he go out without catching any fish and only five bass caught were under legal size-Shireman scored his catches on live bait and did his fishing in the Susquehanna River between Hill Island and York Haven Dam.

From Warden Horace Pyle comes the fol­lowing report of catches in the southeastern corner of the State. Har ry Wilson of Media caught a largemouth bass in Springton Res­ervoir, Delaware County, that measured 21 inches in length and weighed 4% pounds. A 17 inch largemouth, having a gir th of £1 inches and tipping the scales at three pounds was caught in the upper Downingtown Brick Yard Pond by C. H. Gittle of Downingtown-Charles Lockner of West Chester caught a

brown t rout in J u n e in Pocopson Creefc Chester County, that was 20% inches in length, had a girth of 10% inches and weighed three pounds one ounce. A 15# inch largemouth bass caught by Earl H* Smith, R. D. 2, Coatesville on plug, had a

girth of 1 1 % inches and weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces.

One of the finest smallmouth bass to b e

caught in the Raystown Branch of the Jun ­iata River this season was landed by Mrs-Har ry J. Miller of Huntingdon, according t 0

Warden Link Lender of Bellwood. Mrs-Miller's catch measured 20% inches in length and tipped the scales at 4 pounds 8 ounces-It was taken on a minnow. Lender also re­ports that Albert Pluff of Altoona took a

21 inch smallmouth on a nightcrawler '& the Branch.

Plugging in the Susquehanna River in the vicinity of Hill Island, Charles Faus t and F r a n k Zell of Middletown caught seven baSs

ranging in length from 10 to 13 inches, re ­turning all fish to the water . A fine large­mouth bass was taken on chub by "Chubby Horning of Middletown in the same section of the river, Sanda reports. It was 2 1 ^ inches in length and weighed 5 pounds ' ounces.

One of the finest examples of spor tsman-

H. L. White of Lebanon scored with a fine

smallmouth bass in the Swatara Creek this season. The fish, 18 inches in length and weighing three pounds, was taken on 3

shiner.

Indian Summer I walk the trail beneath the trees Where leaves lie noisy under foot. The yellows, russets, browns of autumn

tapestry Are strewed about, while myriads more drop

down, filling the air like sounds of summer showers coming from a distance.

The trees are still and all around a smoky haze obscured the distant landscape with

a robe of hazy purple. The sun, a disk of burnished copper, pale yet warm.

The little people of the wood are busy laying up their winter stores of food and rustling

in the fallen leaves. A flock of geese hurrying southward are trumpting out the

cadence of their marching song, which tugs at human heart strings, bidding us to follow

them to always summer lands. With thundering wings, a grouse shoots from

the tangled vines and for a moment silhouette against the sky dives past the scarlet prongs

of sumac. Witchhazel pods snap and click as they

bombard the slope with black seed shrapnel. Wood fern and evergreen vie with purple asters,

bitter sweet and dogwood berries for a place on natures autumn color palette.

All are symphony in color, waiting bleak November and the snow.

by A. G. SHIMMEL