•I

~*<4 i

•:M% ^ ''ti-SI

^T

J I M

w

»,tfS

• . 1 r If] _ \

1

frrrr1

•

•r

1 •\ -p

-mmm **$**

• ^ i l ^ q i ^ i l M i i i i i iliuirfltiiiwii f i » i]...,-i. iwa!.,̂ jt)r..̂ i-.wiiMw -*a!^ -.•«->.-*

< s * 2 : •

• • • • • • • H

SEPTEMBER PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER 1953

OLD COVERED BRIDGE - NOISY FISH - BAIT VS ARTIFICIALS - CRAYFISH

WOMEN ANGLERS - FILLET YOUR FISH - HARVEST BASS - WATER DOG HUNT

•

k

%T-

• B^i& 'A^maL.'- jL,

'* ?«* ? * 'few ' ' ' i ; .»•» ^ | *

; < * 3 * «,,

r^r .

Mat

••Ni.. tC

mumrrmm

5SS*5<; -, ^ 1 ^ * % ^

IP** -V;

O

CLEAN STREAMS !

-KENNETH O. EHRHART PHC

EVERYONE'S WEALTH !

EVERYONE'S CONCERN !

KEEP PENNSYLVANIA CLEAN

EVERYONE'S BUSINESS !

KEEP PENNSYLVANIA GREEN!

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

H O N . J O H N S. FINE GOVERNOR

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

FISH C O M M I S S I O N

PAUL F. BITTENBENDER, Pres ident WILKES-BARRE

LOUIS S. W I N N E R , V i c e - P r e s . LOCK HAVEN

BERNARD S. HORNE PITTSBURGH

M I L T O N L. PEEK RADNOR

W I L L I A M D. BURK MELROSE PARK

GEN. A . H. STACKPOLE DAUPHIN

WALLACE DEAN MEADVILLE, PA.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

C. A . FRENCH, Execut ive Di rector ELLWOOD CITY

H. R. STACKHOUSE Administrative Secretary

R. C. McCASLIN Comptroller

•

PUBLIC RELATIONS J. ALLEN BARRETT

Director

FISH CULTURE C. R. BULLER

Chief Fish Culturlst

GORDON L. TREMBLEY Chief Aquatic Biologist

ARTHUR D. BRADFORD Pathologist

CYRIL G. REGAN Chief Dlv. of Land and Water Acquisition

GEORGE H. GORDON Official Photographer

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

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

ENFORCEMENT W. W. BRITTON

Chief Enforcement Officer

DISTRICT SUPERVISORS Northwest Division

CARLYLE S. SHELDON Conneautville, Pa.; Phone 3033

Southwest Division MINTER C. JONES

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

South Central Division HAROLD CORBIN

521 13th St., Huntingdon, Pa.; Phone 1202

Northeast Division C. W. SHEARER

Box 3, Sweet Valley, Pa.; Phone Dallas 48427

Southeast Division JOHN S. OGDEN

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

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

VOL. 2 2 , No . 9 SEPTEMBER, 1953

IN THIS ISSUE

T H E O L D C O V E R E D BRIDGE Don Shiner 3

FISHES T H A T S O U N D O F F ! W i l b e r t N . Savage 6

BAIT VS. A R T I F I C I A L S Joe Pancoast 8

W A T E R D O G H U N T Hal H . Harrison 10

S O M E W O M E N A N G L E R S I H A V E MET Bill W o l f 12

HARVEST BASS Ray Ovington 14

H O W T O FILLET Y O U R F ISH Center

BIG O N E S FEED AT N I G H T Keith C . Schuyler 13

T H E LOBSTER'S LITTLE C O U S I N Erwin A . Bauer 20

P L U G CASTER'S B O N A N Z A Lee Diehl 21

EDITOR'S A N G L E 29

INDEX T O P E N N S Y L V A N I A A N G L E R ARTICLES, ISSUES—OCTOBER, 1952 T H R U SEPTEMBER 1953 '. 31

THE COVER . . . OLD COVERED BRIDGE, vanishing landmark of a by­gone era in Pennsylvania history.

—Cover photo by Don Shiner

BACK C O V E R : I N D I A N LADDER FALLS on Indian Ladder Creek near Dingman's Ferry, Pike County. This is highest of a series of 6 beautiful falls on the stream.

•—'Photo by La Mar Mumbar

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

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

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

HENRY BLATNER PHOTO

"Its ancient roof resounds the hoof As water roar beneath it

Through storm and strife it clings to life And only time can cleave it."

"The Covered Bridge," Author unknown

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

The Old

Covered Bridge

vanishing

Pennsylvania

landmark

By DON SHINER

[Photos by Author unless otherwise credited)

FISHERMEN are most familiar with the old covered bridges, travel­ing highways and country roads of rural Pennsylvania, journeying

to familiar trout and bass streams. Nestled at the foot of rolling hills and arched gracefully across the streams are those old wooden struc­tures that have been built more than a century- ago. A great many have withstood a hundred years of usefulness and remain as symbols of the days when grandfather was a boy. Though these quaint old bridges were erected for grandfather's ox-cart or shay, they still safely accommodate the fisherman and his modern motorcar.

Old country roads were built along the streams which wind around tall mountains and rolling hills. It was here the early settlers of Penn­sylvania found traveling at its best. Though it was necessary to cross streams at many points, these early folks forded the water on horse­back or with buckboards drawn by teams of oxen or horses. As progress mounted, bridges were erected and the old covered bridge became a popular design. These wooden bridges were meant to last a spell and have; many still in use today. Some 188, by count of the highway department, still remain scattered throughout the rural parts of Pennsylvania.

(Continued on page 22, more photos on pages 4 and 5)

SEPTEMBER^-1953

ONE WAY TRAFFIC, the old covered bridge still handles its share of modern traffic but it's a bad place to meet a hay wagon. Many of these old land­marks have now given way to fire, floods and progress, many still remain as only memories of rural Pennsylvania

100 years ago.

THREE TON LIMIT on most of the old spans indicates the 19th century archi­tects, like many today, thought little of the future needs of a growing state. Most bridges are on rural, dirt road routes, seldom cause hardship by weight

restrictions.

CLEARANCE on most covered spans is limited to I I and 12 feet, farmers of the 'eighties loaded their hay accord­ingly. Built for ox-carts, wagon teams, the farmer's modern tractor equipment safely negotiates from one side of the stream to the other to work his fields.

BADLY IN NEED OF REPAIR, County Commissioners are currently placing the still needed bridges back in operation. This old bridge has been reinforced with concrete pier across Conewago

Creek in Adams County.

HENRY BLATNER PHOTOS

WORKMEN of the old school still love to work on the old spans using hand tools, hand fittings much like the 19th century carpenters. Beams and rafters still carry advertisements of East Berlin, Pa. merchants of a century ago. Clothing, shoes, blankets, Indian remedies, pills, linaments, tobacco ads

provide interesting reading.

• « •

OLD TIME PHOTO of the bridge builders of the early I800's. Logs hewn by hand, these big fellows swung a lusty axe. When timber was too heavy to handle they were floated down the creek to building site. Farmers got about

$1.00 per log.

PINE TIMBERS used in construction measured as much as 15 to 18 inches square, each cut from a single tree. Floors were supported on bows as shown here. The camber In the flooring measured three to four feet in height at center. Inside, the social life of rural folks of 100 years ago had the old covered bridges rocking and rolling with barn dances and the jig. Weddings, public meetings also

were popular.

REFUGE still for anglers, old bridge serves as shady relief from sun and storms. Some of these spans could tell wondrous tales of budding romance, a place to just chat

about the weather, gossip of the countryside.

BLUEGILL SUNFISH also applies the friction principles of stridulation to give off audible sound.

CROAKER, is champion of all noise-making fishes with the drum a close second.

CATFISH or BULLHEAD has gill covering which supplies stridulation equipment for limited sonic powers.

PI .SI IKS • •

(U. S. Fish & Wildlife Photos)

THERE'S a common belief that fishes have no voice mechanism, and consequently are unable to create

anything resembling audio vibrations. But this is a mistaken idea, for there are a number of noise-making fishes, and the sounds they produce range from a "bark" to whistles, imitations of jungle tom-toms, mixed voices of barnyard fowls, etc.

Of course fin-equipped residents of the aqua have never gone to the extreme point of releasing a vocal filibuster to convince doubting anglers hailing from the Keystone or any other state. But they do make use of their sonic prowess in a variety of interesting ways—sometimes with mannerisms tailored to suit particular occasions.

Right off the reel I could name for ANGLER readers several dozen fishes that can produce some sort of sound. The sound-producing areas may vary from gill openings to bones supporting the pectoral fins of certain fishes. Some fishes make a bizarre noise by grating together their teeth; others "drum" by rapidly expelling air from the air-bladder, or by the action of high-frequency muscles against the air bladder itself.

Perhaps the champion noisemaker of the fish world is the croaker. The sound he produces is almost like that of a pneumatic drill, given off in drum-roll beats of two or three in succession. During underwater sound investiga­tions conducted by the TJ. S. Navy, it was learned that the croaker is responsible for most of the volume of noise created beneath oceanic surfaces. So intense was the sound that it could be heard in the air when the fish itself was "drumming" at a measured depth of fifty feet! And L. P. Shultz, in The Way of Fishes, relates that he once heard croakers thirty feet down when he was aboard a barge in a South American lake.

Some species in the triggerfish order are able to produce a fairly loud drumming sound by vibrating an area of skin resembling a drum just behind the pectoral fin; other members of the triggerfish family grate together the upper and lower pharyngeal teeth and thus give out with a horrifying "screeching door" noise. The horse mackerel and the sunfish are able to produce sound in the same manner, but at a lower rate of volume. This method of making sound is called stridulation (the rubbing or friction of one surface against another.)

»

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

hat sound off!

By WSLBUR NATHAN SAVAGE

One of the most effective forms of stridulation is a bui l t -in feature of the Indian catfish. It possesses an elaborate friction system involving the vertebral column and the dorsal fin. The sounds are produced by the scraping of the first interspinous (radial) bone of the dorsal fin between thin ridged plates representing the hinder portion of a bony ridge formed by the fusion of the spines of the fourth and fifth vertebrae. When the fish flexes its body in a certain plane this apparatus is brought into play and harsh, grating noises are produced.

In the gournards (sea robins) , and in the toadfishes, sound is produced by special muscles lying in the walls of the air-bladder, which, when they contract, th row the walls into rapid vibrations, cause sounds ranging from pig-like grunts to crooning and s ror ing . By exper iment it has been shown that if either the muscle or the nerve supplying the bladder is artificially stimulated, a perfectly normal sound is produced, even when the bladder has been removed from, the fish and placed on the operating table. No sound is given off if the bladder is punctured, bu t the introduction of a rubber balloon inside the bladder leads to a sound when the muscle is stimulated by electricity.

Besides the Indian catfish, already mentioned, a number of other "cats" are able to sound off in no uncertain tones. In most of these barbed warr iors the noise is p ro ­duced through the agency of extremely active muscles associated with the air-bladder , and the apparatus proper resembles an elastic spring mechanism. The "springs" are specially modified portions of the fourth vertebrae, and their expanded ends are attached to the front par t of the a i r -bladder. Two strong muscles r u n from the "springs" to the skull, and when these are called into action the walls of the bladder vibrate rapidly (at the rate of about 24 contrac­tions per second), and a growling or humming noise is produced. In most cases the a i r -bladder is divided into sections with open-top partitions, each chamber containing gases which help to amplify the intensity of vibrating movements—the range of which represents wide tonal diversity in individual types.

The elastic spring device in the electric catfish causes a hissing sound, and a South American catfish is said to

(Turn to page 23)

SEPTEMBER^-1953

Almost all the TRIGSERFISH clan are able to produce sound.

The STICKLEBACK is very low noise maker, uses its fins to make underwater small-talk.

HOSFISH, can grunt like a pig with startling perfection.

WEAKRSH or squete'a gue made noises which the ancient Greeks put into fable many centuries ago.

Bait

Versus

Artificials

By JOE PANCOAST

(Outdoor Editor—Philadelphia Bulletin)

MUCH has been said and written to the effect "there is more to

fishing than merely catching fish." Word merchants have put together

glowing accounts of the sunlight dancing on rippling waters, songs of birds, glimpses of wilderness creatures and other facets of days spent on lake or stream.

That these add to angling cannot be disputed but they don't black out one basic fact—fishermen, as a whole, want fish and not fancies. The facts prove it.

A survey, conducted by Pennsyl­vania State Fish Wardens in 1947, showed that 61 per cent of 33,035 trout fishermen interviewed were using worms for bait. Artificials were on the terminal tackle of only 24 per cent of the casters, while 13 per cent leaned on live or baitfish and 2 per cent depended on fish-bait. Thus, 76 out of a 100 anglers used some form of natural food.

In 1949 the figures hadn't changed much. Wardens found 59 per cent tossing worms around, 5 per cent had fish-bait on their hooks and 10 per cent had faith in bait-fish. The balance of 26 per cent used artificials.

Creel census work is still underway in Pennsylvania but during the last two years has taken the form of in­tensive work on fewer water areas rather than a general census. Within a few years the Fish Commission hopes to have a definite pattern covering all phases of fishing.

If the amount of artificials found in tackle stores were used as a basis for determining the number of anglers

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

using lures instead of bait, it would appear that only a few dunked into nature's larder or fish tid-bits.

Tackle salesmen believe that new­comers to the ranks of artificial users are few and that most merchandise is dispensed to those already bitten by fly, spinning or plug casting bugs. A peek at the array of lures toted by a dyed-in-the-wool artificial disciple bears out the point.

Perhaps I am lost in the woods but, to me, these figures have but one meaning—anglers want fish. If that were not true, then why the great number using natural baits? There are some who may claim that using bait is easier than fussing around with temperamental fish foolers created by man. Grant, then, some anglers want to take it nice and easy and relax in nature's lap; that still leaves a host of rod and reelers dunking edible morsels in front of fishes' snouts.

Along about now this autopsy will begin to find little favor with bait fishermen. It shouldn't. There is nothing wrong about wanting to catch fish. Those, who use only artificials and would as soon be caught robbing the church poor box as found possessing live bait, have the same hankering only more of it.

Ever watch one of them in action? They change lures and cast until arms are numb. They want fish.

Willingness to recognize that the bulk of all anglers possess an intense desire to hook a finny opponent, changes the outlook on bait versus lures. The situation becomes a Hatfield-McCoy prototype with both sides feuding over nothing.

Basically, there is nothing wrong with bait fishing, especially if the enticers are worms, crickets, grass­hoppers, mice or other land products. Ecologically, there can be harm in removal of natural stream life for use as bait. It can hurt fishing by reducing natural food to the point where hunger overweighs caution, making fish easier prey. Too, the fish that can be supported by any body of water depends upon the amount of food present.

But the bait-user isn't alone in his destruction of fish food. The purist fly fisherman wading his favorite stream breaks the natural food chain just as effectively as those foraging for fishbait or bait-fish. Research has proven this to be true and some clubs, owning private waters, have already banned wading in an effort to improve the natural food supply.

Such a move can be classed as "con­servation." The same tag doesn't apply to the rule on many private waters and some state owned stretches, limit­ing all anglers to artificials. That is not "conservation." It is a matter of "distribution." Prohibiting all but artificials enables more anglers to get a few of the fish present. It takes a mighty skillful rod wielder to clean out a pool through the exclusive use of counterfeits. The worm or minnow fishermen can turn the trick easier.

The additional handicaps the arti­ficial user takes on has led some of the feather and tinsel clan to believe they breathe rarer air. Whoever started this nose-in-the-cloud attitude didn't help angling a bit. If those who stick to artificials would only recognize the urge to catch fish motivated most of their tactics, the breach between bait and artificial slingers would not be so great.

Bringing the two closer together would help angling by increasing the number of those using lures. A lot of bait fishermen would make the switch to imitations tomorrow if given a helping hand. I base that on personal experience.

For 20 years not a piece of live bait has graced my line. Not because of any false sense of "sportsmanship." A trout or bass on the dinner table is just as dead whether taken on a worm or a No. 20 dryfly with barbless hook. The latter is more difficult and, when accomplished, makes me feel better. Further, I dislike fooling around with live bait. Artificials are easier to carry and cleaner.

Others have found it so too after a peek behind the iron curtain that blocks those interested in fooling fish.

Without exception these fellows wanted to know more about fly, plug casting or spinning without being preached to or made self-conscious of their desire for "know-how"

Just where can a bait fisherman turn readily for information on the use of artificials? Opportunities are meager and those available are eagerly taken up. For example, George W. Harvey of Pennsylvania State College has conducted extension course classes once a week for six sessions at Swarth-more, near Philadelphia. His subject was "Fly Tying and Angling Tech­niques."

Each time the course was over subscribed. The majority of those attending were strangers to the realm of artificials—but they wanted to learn and eagerly accepted the challenge.

In my mind; more would do the same if the opportunity were at hand and we, who use artificials, stopped trying to dress up our favorite form of angling to represent something only for the few.

After all, the use of artificials is only a method of taking fish. For­gotten is the fact that trout flies only came into being because the originals were too delicate for the hook.

The man-made concoctions con­ceived since are certainly not as effective as the natural product. But they are more fun, which lessens somewhat the desire to—just catch fish.

Why not more of this combination. It appears to be good medicine, for in recent years, the Rx has helped an ailing fishing condition.

Miles of privately owned waters, formerly closed to the public, have been opened under special regulations that hinged largely on the exclusive use of artificials, plus rules to protect land owners.

Two prime examples are in the Poconos. Three and one-half miles of the famous Brodheads Creek, once barred to the public, are now open through the cooperation of the Pocono Mountain Sportsmen's Association and riparian owners. Only artificials are permitted; the daily creel is six, mini­mum size eight inches, and fishing permitted only between 5:00 a. m. and 10:00 p. m. Pocono sportsmen also ar­ranged the same set-up on four miles of the Big Bushkill.

Thirty miles further north the Hawley-Wallenpaupack Sportsmen's Association succeeded in getting five and one-half miles of the lower Sho-hola Creek open to public fishing.

There are other instances through­out the State. Emphasis is always on the use of artificials. Why? Because a limited supply of fish can be made to stretch further under such a set-up.

It would seem anglers would go for this like kids for candy, but the figures say otherwise.

Only fishermen can engineer a shift to more artificials and less bait, especi­ally the aquatic varieties. Unfortun­ately, the task rests with a few—those possessing the know-how of making something inanimate appear like a filet mignon to a fish.

These fellows hold the key and, unless they share it, the angling door on artificials will always remain closed for a large percentage of fishermen and thalfs not good!

SEPTEMBER—1953 9

20-INCH HELLBENDER just pulled from water by Paul Swanson. This huge salamander is 2y2 inches short of the Swanson's record and 7 inches

short of the record for the country.

UNDERWATER SHOT of this ugly gent doesn't help his appearance a bit. It takes an iron grip to hold these slimy creatures as they struggle to free them­selves. Contrary to popular opinion

they're harmless.

waler dog hunt

By Hal H. Harrison

(PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR)

??TV7HAT good are these blankety-TT blank waterdogs?"

That's a question scores of fishermen ask themselves every year when their baited hooks are swallowed by water-dogs, more correctly known as hell­benders (Cryptobranchus alleganien-sis), the largest local members of the salamander family.

And well may they wonder as they struggle to loosen their lines from these huge, slimy, wiggling creatures. The tussle usually ends with the angler cutting his line, muttering a curse on all waterdogs in general, and bashing in the head of that indi­vidual in particular.

Fishermen generally hate these hideous, pre-historic-looking aquatic monsters . . . excepting Paul and Dave Swanson, two Venango County, Pennsylvania anglers who have found in waterdogs a rare and exciting sport, and a fair profit too.

Since 1932, these two men, who con­duct Swanson Brothers Nursery on Route 8, midway between Butler and Franklin, have engaged in the sport of catching waterdogs with their bare hands. During that time, they have captured alive, over 1,000 of these slippery critters, some measuring over 20 inches in length.

While fun and adventure has been

the motivating factor behind this un­usual pastime, the fact that the brothers have been able to sell speci­mens alive to various biological supply houses at a price ranging from 25c to $1 each, has added zest to the venture.

Hellbenders are caught during the day by wading in creeks, lifting rocks and grabbing the thing in their hiding places or feeding on crayfish. These methods of hunting them are based on the knowledge that hellbenders are nocturnal in their habits.

In the beginning, the Swansons caught hellbenders with a long-handled net. They discontinued this in favor of their bare hands because they missed too many. In addition, grabbing them offered more sport, for invariably a terrific struggle followed the capture.

Despite their vicious, hideous look, waterdogs are absolutely harmless. Not many people will venture to touch

10 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

ANGLERS CONFUSE the mudpuppy, top, with hell­bender, bottom. The mudpuppy has bright red external gills while the hellbender does not but is a large flat, flabby creature varying in color from yellowish brown to brick red yet most are dull brown.

HELLBENDERS, like other salamanders, lay eggs. Here are two found under a rock in bed of stream, have become detached from the rosary-like string in which they are laid.

them, but their fears are entirely un­founded. Like so many other things in nature (huge caterpillars, for example) their vicious-appearance is their best protection.

It is dollars to doughnuts the tyro would be unable to hang onto the first waterdogs he grabs. The creatures' bodies are coated with a heavy slime which makes them as slippery as any­thing could possibly be. The Swansons have perfected an iron grip, plus a method of holding the hellbender's front legs between their fingers, which has proved successful in getting the things from the water and into a burlap bag hanging from their sides. Even so, they miss quite a few.

Record catch for the Swansons was 51 waterdogs in three hours. Paul, hunting alone, caught 36 in two hours and a half on one occasion. The largest specimen the men ever took measured 221/2 inches. The record for the United States is 27 inches.

In recent years, the Swansons have

(Turn to page 28)

SEPTEMBEK^-1953

COOPERATION NEEDED to snag 'em. Dave Swanson hefts big rock in a Venango County creek while brother Paul grabs a hellbender hiding under­neath. Once inside burlap sack, salamander is considered safely, " in the bag!"

KEITH SCHUYLER PHOTO

some women anglers

I have met

By BILL WOLF

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

BACK in the days when Pennsyl­vania's trout season opened at

midnight I was one of many casting into the inky blackness of the Wissa-hickon when I heard a ladylike "Damn!" beside me and thought I recognized the voice. Next time I had occasion to use my flashlight, I turned it upon the person whose expletive had attracted my attention, and it was someone I knew. "Hi, Mary," I said casually, just as though it were abso­lutely normal to meet an attractive woman acquaintance along a stream in the black hours before dawn. "Where's Bud?"

"Downstream there somewhere," she waved vaguely, and waded out of the shallows to have a cigarette with me. "Guess you heard me swearing? I've been hanging up on something I can't see out there in the water." Later, in the daylight, I came across her and her husband still fishing. Next spring I was on the Octoraro opening morn­ing—also at midnight—and Bud and Mary were there, too.

Sometimes I would see her at club field days, competing in the plug and fly rod casting events, or at other similar contests. Then, one spring, I was sucker fishing when Bud came along without his wife. "Oh, Mary had a baby and may not even get out for trout opening." he answered my ques­tion. But she did make it, I learned later, and, although I have lost track of them, I have no doubt that Mary still goes fishing with her husband whenever she can, despite the fact that she now has a couple of children.

She never did anything spectacular, never caught any record fish; but somehow she represents all women anglers to me. She fishes like a man, asking no favors because of her sex. I never heard her complain, and never heard her husband complain about her. He accepts her as a fishing com­panion as readily as he would any man.

She is no exception, but the general rule among women who fish. And I would like to go on record now as be­lieving that any woman who really likes to fish is a better man than most men are at angling. This conclusion is based on knowing many women anglers, and having observed many others that I did not know personally. It has nothing to do with the number of fish caught by either sex, with skill in casting or boat-handling abil­ity. I simply mean that such women are better sports than men.

They have to be better sports or they wouldn't be invited along a

second time after one bad exhibition of poor sportsmanship. They start with two strikes against them when they fish with men because there is an absurd prejudice against women who mingle in "masculine sports." This prejudice extends from the individual male clear up to the national outdoor magazines which hesitate to use fem­inine angles on angling for fear of offending men readers. It even ex­tends to clothing and equipment manufacturers, who make practically no attempt to outfit women anglers sensibly, comfortably and attractively. It shows in innumerable cartoons which make the woman angler the butt of the joke, and in a general conde­scending, patronizing attitude toward them.

The prejudice springs from an as­sumption of male superiority, and long custom. In the past, men hunted and fished, women stayed at home, whether that home were a cave, frontier cabin or house, and tended the fire, did the cooking, minded the children. This condition existed until quite recently, except among wealthier persons where women were relieved of the fire-food-children problem and could accompany their men afield. Generally, though, custom dictated that women stayed at home—and custom bred the mascu­line assumption of male superiority in the field. The assumption is ill-founded because women are the equal of men in most sports where greater size or greater strength does not count— which certainly includes angling.

Remembering some women anglers I have known, one thing impresses me most about them. That is their dogged perseverance. When the going is rough, and the fishing is bad, the women stick to it long after most men would be ready to quit. Not to bring in family, but my wife usually is the first on a trout stream in the morning, we see little of her thereafter, and have to hunt her at quitting time in the eve­ning because she fishes right up to the last minute. Likewise, on a partyboat sailing out of Wildwood, N. J., one of the woman anglers aboard was first to drop her line, fished throughout the day, quit at the last possible minute, and cleaned her fish on the way back to port. "She's a regular all summer," Captain Bob Pierpoint told me, "and she's no spring chicken, either—must be nearing seventy."

There is something about fishing that arouses primitive instincts in a women that more than equal those found in men. I've seen it happen

many times. A woman who never caught a fish before starts angling, and misses the first one. Or perhaps she catches her first fish. It doesn't matter. What matters is that something wild has challenged her, something that she has caught if only momen­tarily has struggled at the other end of the line to get off, to go free. If she lands the battling fish, she is sold for­ever on fishing. If she doesn't land that first one, she is still sold because she is resolved to net the next one.

After that original thrill, the excite­ment persists, furthered by a determi­nation (which they probably wouldn't admit) to beat the men at their own game. This does not necessarily mean that they want to catch more or larger fish—although that is part of it—but they do want to catch as many, to be accepted without allowances for sex, and to show that they can take it.

One woman that I know became in­terested in fishing because she tried at first to be a good wife only. Her hus­band liked fishing, so she agreed to fishing vacations and would follow her husband along the stream, sometimes disentangling his line and lure when he hung up on bush on the bank, sometimes just watching him. From there she progressed to using his outfit to make occasional casts—then she caught a fish. Next she had her own outfit, and now she fishes regu­larly beside her husband. However, she seldom catches more fish than he does, and this, I believe, is design on her part. A sort of courtesy toward her husband.

Women have a certain cold-blooded approach to fishing that is interesting, and which convinces me that the female of the species is deadlier than the male. With few exceptions, they don't give a damn about theory and technique. They will not sit down and read what others suggest, they will not study their art, won't get involved in arguments about how to catch fish. They learn a few knots, enough to enable them to tie a leader to a line, a fly to a leader. They learn to cast sufficiently well to get out enough line —but they take no particular pride in their casting. They are more careless than men with their tackle.

These, mind you, are generalities. There are exceptions to everything said above, of course; but, generally, women are interested in one thing only after they start fishing—and that is, catching fish. Certainly, men are in-

(Turn to page 25)

SEPTEMBER^1953 13

Harvest Bass

By RAY OVINGTON

14 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

MOST anyone can take bass when the season first opens. Harvest

bass are temperamental! There are several reasons why I like

fishing for bass in the late fall. There are few if any bothersome flies and insects, the morning and evenings are cool and the lakes are all but deserted except during the mid-day. The fish are pestered less and have grown a bit since the opening of the season, though fishing for them isn't as easy as the conditions might reflect. I like a little more contest for the prize.

In most cases, the harvest time bass are beginning to move out of the deep water early in the evening while on their feeding spree and are prone to stay inshore later in the morning. They now require a change of lure more often, a careful approach, better handling of tackle and longer rests between casts. This is when they will utterly ignore a lure after they have seen it a couple of times, for it loses its appeal rapidly.

I have learned all this the hard way. I've made it a habit to question bass anglers as often as possible in the search for any answers or conclu­sions that could be made and most seem to concede that the smaller lure sizes are more effective this late in the season. Where a big double jointed plug or the large surface plug was a killer in July, miniatures are now in order. The smaller lure drops to the water with less splash. The lure, if a floater, should remain still for at least a minute before the retrieve is started and then, it is not just pulled home . . . stop it often, pop it a bit, retrieve smoothly for a stretch, let it lie still and repeat the process. It will often be found the bass will follow along and take the plug as it approaches the boat . . . a pickerel and pike trick. If you see the bass following and at the last minute "chickening" on the hit . . . immediately change the lure . . . rest the area while the bass returns to the shore, then try again. I've frequently seen this process pay off.

When it comes to these smaller lures and the more delicate technique, I find spinning tackle answers the need. The casting distance can be lengthened considerably over that commonly used in bait casting, thus lessening the chance of disturbing the bass that are along the shoreline. For underwater lures, I've found that a bucktail weighted with a couple of split shot, or one with weight under the dressings will cast accurately and far enough. Use a slow retrieve, paused with

jitter action. In order to effectively fish such a light lure, light line is a necessity because brother, when a four or five pound bass hits a streamer amid overgrown weeds, or near snags, it takes a bit of handling to land him. Don't tell anyone, but one way to make that bucktail or streamer lure twice as effective is to rub fish slime into it . . . it really works! I tie my bass fishing bucktails with generous fur bodies that will soak up that fishy odor and hold it for quite a number of casts.

If you are a live bait man, follow this general casting technique and you'll also find, with light spinning gear, that you can throw the minnow great distances accurately, with little or no weight needed to get it out. There are times when the real thing, fished properly is absolutely deadly on these harvesters. Still fishing of course takes its toll, but this is for the day­time hours. Casting can begin when the sun is low.

Bass bugs too are the medicine under many conditions and can also be handled very well with the spinning rod. True, it is hard to cast a light bug great distances, but youll find with spinning gear, it is much easier to work them and you will have less line splash on the water. When more distance is required or while fighting a breeze, add a small split shot or two ahead of the bug and use spinning line that is just a bit heavier. For usual "fishing" with the bug, if the rod is limber, three pound test mono­filament is right . . . use four or five if you are working against a wind or when greater distance is required. When you make the cast, wave the rod rather than flip it. Also, let the lure hang down from the tip for about two and a half feet, giving that little extra swing to help pull off the line from the reel. If the rod you are using is fairly stiff and fast in the tip, wrap a piece or two of wrap­around lead between the tip top and the first guide. Wrap it flat so that it will not catch in the line. You will find that this will slow down the action just enough to be accurate. You'll out-fish and outcast the fly rod man . . . with much less effort.

When it comes to night fishing, the techniques, so killing during the early and mid-season, must be refined a bit. The fish come into the shore or up to the surface in search of minnows, so night fishing now is not concentrated merely along the shore line where it was necessary to place the lure

within inches of the brush and snags. I have often cast out into the lake, while giving the shore a rest, to have a bass come from the depths and grab the surface plug. Another trick is to troll a surface wobbler well be­hind the boat. Cast your other rig to the shore and ahead of the boat occa­sionally, then row forward a bit to a fresh area, keeping a close watch on that plug you are "trolling." If you are equipped with spinning tackle, lay the rod down in the boat with the drag set fairly loose and with the anti-reverse "on." When the fish hits, the reel handle won't spin as it does with conventional bait casting outfits, nor will there be danger of losing the rig overboard. After the strike, with the rod in your hand, it is a simple matter to tighten the drag and play the fish.

In general, if you use spinning tackle, you'll enjoy the play of the fish due to the softer action' of the rod as compared with the bait casting stick. There is a hazard though . . . you'll have to strike a bit harder to sink the hooks. Remember that spinning line stretches more and the soft action rod means more setting action to secure the barbs. Fight the fish with the rod at right angles to the line direction and the biggest bass in the lake will never break even the thinnest practical spinning line.

Don't be "chicken" and hang up that rod and line with the first frost. Harvest time is the time to harvest that big fat banker for the pot!

SEPTEMBER—1953 15

how to

FILLET

YOUR

FISH

A walleye or pilte-perch was selected to show how to fillet your fish, but trout, bass, pickerel, yellow perch and others can be cleaned and

dressed in this same manner. Using a sharp knife, begin by cutting through the skin from head to tail along the dorsai fin.

Next cut a diagonal line from head to pectoral fins on belly. The skin is tough so use a sharp knife. Do not bother

to scale fish.

Continue to cut through the skin along the belly from the pectoral fins to tail.

Skin can now be peeled from fish.

16 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

Use the knife to l i f t the edge of the skin, then peel it back toward the tail. Skin will peel easily from freshly killed fish. If part of flesh clings to skin, use the knife to cut or push it from skin while it is being torn from body.

Wi th the skin laid over the tail, run the knife along the backbone from tail to head or in re­verse order, cutting fil let from body. Sever fi l let

close to head.

The two fillets from the walleye ere practically bonefree and prepared with­out skin, it's mighty delicious! There's no work to clean a fish by this method,

in fact it's fun.

Wrap the fillets in wax paper and freeze. Cook according to your favorite recipe. Salt the fillets lightly, roll in flour or meal, then fry in deep fat or bake to a mouth-watering appearance.

Here is the fillet cut from one side of the walleye. Very little of the edible part remains on the fish. Use this same procedure to fillet other side of fish. Remove the fillets and discard the remainder of walleye. After a little prac­tice filleting becomes easy and you will make nice cuts

and have little waste.

SEPTEMBER—1953 11

Blip

ONES

Feed

by

Mght

By KEITH C. SCHUYLER

STRANGE sounds, solitude, an al­most frightening black void plus a

blanket of peace pregnant with unex­pected thrills . . . That's night fishing.

Of all the angling methods known to man, there is none in my book more fascinating and productive of big fish than the dark hours on a good bass lake or trout stream. And, since night fishing is best during the hot months, the stars often bring with them a cool balm pleasant and sooth­ing after a noisy, hot and arduous day.

The rasping moan of the bull frog, the isolated splash of a feeding fish, a distant train whistle, uncoded mes­sages in firefly Morse, a watchdog at work, the short-lived dawn of an auto cresting a hill, cool water, comfort­able air . . . these are the treasures of the night which enrich our senses in a manner found by no other means.

True, our visual sense is treated only to modifications of black and white, but touch, smell and hearing develop a new acuteness. Imagination makes up for the hidden realities as night takes over from day.

18

And, while the world rests, it is then big fish move from under the bank, sheltering boulders, protection of submerged logs and twining roots, from out of the depths that are even dark by day. Like^ cautious subma­rines they cruise the shore line, ven­ture into the shallows and scan the quiet surface of the water. Now and again they turn into a twisting, dash­ing mass of determined muscle as the quiet is momentarily shattered and a luckless creature is carried below.

All fish must feed. And if you know a spot where there are big fish, but big fish rarely caught, there can be but one answer. They feed by night.

Ask the old timers who one time counted it sport to gig for fish at night with the pronged spears that have long since been outlawed. They will tell you of the monsters they have seen by the glare of their gasoline lights. You would be amazed at the size of the fish which inhabit the pool where you consider a twelve-incher a good one.

Early morning and late evening have

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

BASS AND TROUT both reward night anglers who know their streams. Otherwise, it's dangerous business stumbling or bumbling around in the dark.

long been considered favorite times to fish by the general angling public. It is then the best catches are usually made. What the conventional angler fails to realize is that he is finding good fishing at the end and the be­ginning of the feeding periods. If he would get up a bit earlier in the morning or stay a bit later in the evening, he might be amazed at the re­sults.

If you look back over your ex­periences astream, you will likely re­member the biggest fish you ever caught was taken close to, or during, the hours of darkness, or perhaps that big thrill came on a dark, cloudy day.

SEPTEMBER—1953

Night fishing is rough fishing at best. We want to be explicit from the beginning on that point. And, the reason more fish are not caught by those who seek their big ones during the hours of darkness is because it is difficult to present your lure in the right manner, in the right place.

You must be prepared for plenty of trouble. Although the human eye accommodates itself amazingly well when the sun is gone, depth perception goes almost completely haywire. You will cast too long or too short many more times than you will hit the mark. Prepare to make repeated trips to shore, if fishing from a boat, to re­

trieve your plug or fly from bushes and trees. Along the stream you will find branches, brush and weeds con­siderably more numerous than in the daylight.

But, it's all part of the game. Although there are disadvantages,

there are compensations in addition to those already mentioned. For one thing, at a spot where it is sometimes difficult to find elbow room to fish during the day, you will usually find that you have things completely to yourself at night. This is well. For even at night the big ones are ex­tremely wary and will head for home at the slightest disturbance.' That is how they become big fish . . . by playing it safe.

Another advantage is in the fact you can permit yourself more leeway in the selection of tackle. Where the water is low and clear and the fish are extremely leader shy in the day­time, you can use tippets of strength more likely to hold the big ones at night. Too, although the big fellows do sometimes strike when you can see what is happening, they are almost invariably feeding close to roots or brush where they can wreck light tackle before you have a chance to turn them. At night, you may tangle with a lunker in water that barely covers him, and you have a chance to give him a good argument before he wraps you around his favorite rock or root.

Anglers who have jobs preventing them from fishing often during the day can make up for this inconvenience by nocturnal sojourns.

Patience is paramount. There are many things to distract

a person's attention during the day, but time drags slowly when all is dark. It is often a real test of a man's religion when he finds a limb or a stump rather than a fish on the other end of his line. It takes a real died-in-the-wool angler to sincerely declare he actually likes night fishing.

One of the quickest catches of big bass I've ever made came on a night that even I would have marked down as fit for sleeping. The wind was blowing a mild gale from the north and storms were threatening. Never­theless, since it was the last night we had to fish on that particular trip, three of us decided to go out anyway.

The spot we had chosen was a sheltered narrows where the river fed into a big bay. Two of the boys de­cided to go directly there with the

(Turn to page 27)

19

WALTER M. LAUFFER PHOTO

O N ANGLER'S FAVORITE LIST of baits, the Crayfish is also much sought for a delicious dish, Crayfish a La Creole.

The Lobster's

l i t t l e Cousin

By ERWIN A. BAUER

20

I 'LL always remember a misty dawn several years ago. Charlie waded

out into a riffle that broke sharply around a bend in the creek and into a deep pool. He was armed with a fly-rod and a half dozen soft-shelled cray­fish. Nothing more.

Of the two of us, Charlie was by far the most ambitious. While it was still black as pitch, he had taken a flash­light and collected the crayfish. And he was drifting them through the riffle when I awakened at first light. The coffee I was brewing had just begun to boil when I heard him give his rebel yell. He had hooked a two pound smallmouth.

Before I could set up my tackle and join him, there were three more rebel yells. The second announced a ten inch rock bass. The third was caused by a two pound channel cat. But the truth was in doubt for more than a half hour; I finally put the net under an eight pound carp. It had taken the last of Charlie's soft-shells.

It's hard to say what would have happened if we'd had more crayfish that morning. We tried various streamers, spinners, and spoons for more than an hour afterwards, but only a pair of obliging rock bass were added to the stringer. We can only speculate.

Crayfish have always been favorites of fishermen. They've also caused con­siderable disagreement, too, between the soft and hard shelled schools of thought. There's many a veteran angler who will look you in the eye and say, "Craws is craws. Fish can't tell whether they're hard or soft."

Here's what causes the whole dis­cussion. Crayfish—there are several dozen species of them that inhabit all kinds of places—shed their shells as they grow larger. They are most active at night, scavenging on anything edible they can find. When they get too big for their britches, they move into shallow water to molt. That's a very ticklish period in its life.

Just before the shell is discarded, the creature is known as a "peeler." After that it's a soft-shell. For two or three days when the new shell begins to harden, it's a paper-shell. Then back to the hard-shell stage and a normal life eating everything it can find in deeper water. You take your choice when it's best for bait.

Crayfish have no particular favor­ites, unfortunately for them. All kinds of fish relish them—at least fishermen find that using craws for bait is often

(Turn to page 27)

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

NEVER before in the history of angling have fishermen had such

a wide opportunity to select the per­fect casting outfit. Today's amazing variety of rods, reels, lines, and lures is a veritable bonanza for the old and new plug fisherman alike. To the old-timer this mass of tackle presents just another opportunity to increase the effectiveness of his fishing. Any new purchases he may make will be dic­tated by the fine hand of experience. To the beginner at plug casting such profusion is likely to result only in profound and discouraging confusion. Unless he seeks the advice of someone experienced at the game he is likely to spend his dollars well but not wisely. It is with the idea that one person's experience may help the beginner, and perhaps the oldtimers too, that this article is attempted.

Lest I be accused of being an un­realistic idealist let me state at the

Plug Casters Bonanza By LEE DIEHL

outset that I am aware that the per­fect casting outfit does not exist. It may exist for one purpose or for one person, but certainly not for all pur­poses and all persons alike. What would perfectly suit one person might or might not suit another. Neverthe­less, it is fun to seek such an outfit, and not unprofitable in experience nor unrewarding in numbers of fish caught.

Let us try to set up the perfect cast­ing outfit for the Pennsylvania light lure angler. My ideas are not those of an expert, but just those of one who has been through the mill right from the beginning of light lure fishing as it had its genesis in southcentral Penn­sylvania. If you agree with my ideas, fine; if not, so much the better since progress is achieved only through the exchange of ideas.

Fundamentally, then, our outfit must, first of all, be adequate strong for the fish sought. Secondly, it must be properly balanced throughout; cor­rectly combining weight, length, ac­tion, and power. Certainly, too, it must

be durable, lasting if possible, a full lifetime. And, lastly, it should, unless you have more excess cash than I, be relatively easy on the pocketbook.

The accompanying illustration pic­tures what I consider, for the moment at least, the perfect light lure bass outfit. It will easily and properly handle any lures weighing from one-fifth of an ounce up to one-half an ounce. It is sufficiently strong for use on any fresh water fish except muskies and large pike. Almost no effort is required to make a cast of more than adequate length, and it is light enough to use all day long without becoming tired. Its length and flexibility make it easy to lightly play a fish for maxi­mum pleasure and safety. I don't say that it is the ultimate in casting out­fits, only that it is nearly perfect for me.

In choosing this outfit I have dis­carded the idea that length of rod and height of user have any bearing on each other. The idea just doesn't make sense any way you look at it. Nor do I

believe that it is wise for the beginner to start with a little heavier outfit and progessively work toward finer tackle. Would you suggest that a tennis player start with an unsuitable racquet or that a beginning golfer play his first round with ill-matched clubs? Too many potential plug fishermen have been discouraged by starting with the wrong tools. True, when starting with an ultra light outfit you may lose some minor pieces of tackle such as plugs but, in the end, you will have by not having to buy several successively lighter, more suitable outfits. To me it makes more sense to start with the very best tackle available and the very lightest which your personal needs will justify. I have seen more good sports­men and conservationists quite literally created through the use of fine, sport­ing tackle than are persuaded by all the literature published on the subject.

Let us take the illustrated outfit apart piece by piece. The rod is tubular glass. Specifically it is a Sila Flex

(Turn to page 26)

SEPTEMBER—1953 21

Pennsylvania Fish Commission Meets.

Reviews Land Acquisition Program,

Sets Aside Nursery Waters

At the annual meeting held in the State Capitol, July 1, 1953, the Pennsyl­vania Fish Commission received a re­port from a conference held in Allen-town on June 5. The conference was at­tended by representatives of the Penn­sylvania Fish Commission, the Penn­sylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, and officials from the State of New Jersey. The principal subjects discussed at this conference dwelt upon present reciprocal fishing rights between New Jersey and Pennsyl­vania, with the question of rowing boats without a license receiving much deliberation. The conference felt that fishermen should be permitted to start and end their trip on either side of the river, and recommended that changes be made in the law. Mr. Bittenbender, President of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, indicated that repre­sentatives of the Commission should attend any further meetings of the conference, feeling that a formidable plan of cooperation could prove very satisfactory to both states.

The Board reviewed at length the present accomplishments of its land acquisition program and expressed confidence of having accomplished much in the field of public fishing.

Official action of the Board set up the following streams as nursery waters for a period of five years:

Berks County—Egelman's Reservoir, Orphanage Run, tributary to Tulpe-hocken Creek, and Peters Creek. Cam­bria County—a pond fed from Trout Run in Puritan, Pennsylvania, and a pond fed by Piper Run in Cambria County. Lancaster County—the stream running through the public park at Lititz and Donegal Nursery in East Donegal Township. Pike County—a portion of Pecks Pond, above wire on E. Branch Inlet. Venango County— that section of Lower Two Mile Run within Waltonian Park. Warren County—Dedman Run and Greeley Run, tributaries to Spring Creek. Westmoreland County—pools number one and two of the Westmoreland County Sportsmen's Association located above Rector-Forbes Forest Game Refuge. The following waters were closed as nursery waters for a similar period of five years: Berks County— Siesholtz Dam. Crawford County— Pymatuning Sanctuary. Elk County— Whetstone Run from and including the Brockway Reservoir and all waters of the same run to the source. Lebanon County—the nursery ponds of the Millcreek Rod and Gun Club. Lehigh County—the waters of the Trexler Trout Hatchery, Allentown, Penna. Warren County—Browns Pond. Wayne County—Lake Wallenpaupack, within 750 feet of the dam.

It is with extreme regret that the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER announces the

untimely passing of Carl A. Bidel-spacher, North Central Supervisor of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission's law enforcement bureau. Mr. Bidel-spacher's headquarters was in Wil-liamsport where he supervised the field activities of fish wardens in all, or parts of, Bradford, Potter, Tioga, Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Union, Center, and Clearfield Counties.

Mr. Bidelspacher, who had been ill, was visiting in Clearfield on Monday, August 17, when he suddenly died. Some forty uniformed fish wardens of the Commonwealth attended private funeral services from his home in Williamsport on Thursday, August 20. The delegation was under the personal direction of W. W. Britton, Chief En­forcement - Officer.

For, and on behalf of the entire personnel of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

extends its profound and sincere con­dolence to the bereaved family on their loss of a kindly husband and father, and an efficient law enforce­ment officer of this Commonwealth.

THE OLD COVERED BRIDGE

(From page 3)

Though the Keystone State has its share, it holds no monopoly on these antiquated structures. About four or

five hundred exist elsewhere in the nation from Maine to Oregon, across the border into Canada and on to Alaska. Covered bridges are also found in Europe, in Germany, Switzerland, and Asia. Some in China date back more than 2,000 years. It was probably from Europe the early immigrants to this country brought the design, al­though in structural form the bridges

differ from those built in rural Penn­sylvania.

These structures remain as engi­neering wonders, for few trained engi­neers existed during the early 19-century. They were built, for the most part, by rural folks who doubled as farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths, dentists, barbers or surgeons depend­ing upon the requirements at the time.

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

But surely they must have taken pride in their work for it is apparent in the charm and strength exhibited in these old bridges.

Old timers say the pine timbers used were hewn by hand into huge beams some measuring 15 to 18-inches square. Most of them were cut and shaped less than 100-yards away, then dragged to the streamside with an ox or team of horses. Those cut farther away from the building site were floated down the swift flowing streams. Old records show farmers who sup­plied these big timbers and hewed them to the bridge dimensions were granted the sum of $1.00 each. With a bridge requiring as many as twenty members, the total amount represented a tidy sum of money in those early days of yesteryear.

Laying these huge beams across the streams and reinforcing them to form the bridge must have taken a great deal of toil. But there was also gaiety at these affairs. Farm lads spent the day angling in the stream, brought creels of native trout to the women who served fish, bread and potatoes to the workmen as the bridge progressed in construction. The completion and opening to traffic was also a gala occa­sion when neighborliness, good cheer and happiness were felt by all.

But why were these old bridges covered? This question is often asked of old timers and the answers they give vary. Some say the stout roofs protected the timbers and flooring from the rains, snow and foul weather. Surely this must be so for the beams, unpainted, have lasted for a hundred years and more, still remain straight and strong. Others say the roofs tied the supporting beams into a single unit which could better support heavier loads.

The roofs served other purposes too. When a sudden storm rolled in from the hills, early travelers journeying on horseback or in a carriage, hastened their horses to a faster trot so both could gain the covered sanctuary and there abide the storm. Covered bridges offered refuge from the driving rains, a place to stop and bid the time of day to a passing neighbor while both

* rested their horses in the cool shade.

These old covered bridges were, you might say, social centers too. With few public meeting buildings in rural Pennsylvania in those days many of these structures were scenes of social life among the country folks. Lanterns bedecked the barn-like bridges on warm summer nights as the rural folks

gathered there to hold public meetings, a church service, wedding, or dance to the thin strains of music supplied by local string players. Passersby would stop, join the celebrations, and dance to the flickering lights of the oil lanterns. Perhaps your grandmother became engaged at one of these affairs, or became infatuated with grandpa while gazing through the open spaces at the moon beams sparkling on the • rippling water below.

It is said that upon visiting one of these old structures during a summer evening, when the night is thick and black, you can hear the laughter of happy young folks, or the echo of clattering hoof beats and rumbling carriage wheels as a traveler passes through on his way to a meeting held perhaps a century or more ago. These old bridges seem timeless for they have withstood the elements for more than a hundred years. Through them have passed early America. The rural barefoot lad on his way to school, the farmer in his buckboard loaded with hay, the minister and doctor on their missions, the fisherman carrying creels of freshly caught trout from the stream directly below. All traveled daily through these covered bridges.

Some covered bridges, located on major highways, were privately owned and heavy tolls were charged for crossing. Old toll sheets show that fees were as much as a penny for a horse, three pennies for a wagon and team,

and five cents for a flock of ducks and chickens. But many travelers stole silently across these bridges when a toll keeper was sleeping in the shade of a nearby tree, and went whistling on their way, two to four cents richer to spend at the country store. True, Pennsylvania holds no monopoly on these old covered bridges, but nowhere are there fonder memories held of them!

To see covered bridges is to dis­cover rural Pennsylvania. Anglers can be found wading the streams under these wooden structures and bare­foot boys dabbling a baited hook and line from them. Pennsylvania is stream-laced with these old bridges, symbols of an era that has passed from the scene, but they also mean a stream is there where the angler can don his boots, creel, and seek the fish that lie in the still cool pools and swift riffles below.

FISHES THAT

SOUND OFF (From, page 7)

produce a sound described as a deep growl distinctly audible at a distance of one hundred feet when the fish is out of water. Sounds made by the sea catfish differ from those of the croaker only because they are offered in single-spaced even beats instead of rapid rolls. Actually, the sound is eerily like that of deep-throated tom­toms beating out a rhythmic jungle message.

The drums (sciaenids), renown for their vocal efforts, are fitted with a unique structure which acts as a sound-intensifying resonator, and the noises they can produce have been variously described as whistling, purr­ing, creaking, humming, drumming, and gargling. Noises given off by drums are of sufficient volume to be perfectly audible to a person standing on the deck of a ship. In the Malay Peninsula and other tropical areas native fishermen make use of the sounds to locate shoals of drums. One fisherman listens in and signals his companions where to cast their nets!

Both the trunkfish and the globefish are credited with "growling like dogs"; and the little seahorses are said to utter a "monotonous sound analogous to that of a tambour, which is charac­teristic of both sexes, but is more

SEPTEMBER—1953 23

intense and frequent in the breeding season." An Indian species of the horse mackerel can grunt like a young pig, and a related species from Egpyt is known to the Arabs as "Chakoura" or "Snorter."

The bullhead uses a portion of the gill cover for stridulation, and is able to create a scraping or groaning sound. The flying gournard uses the hyoman-dibular bone to make its particular kind of sound, while the stickleback, filefish, boarfish, surgeonfish, and cer­tain other types produce noise by com­bining the use of pelvic, anal, dorsal, and pectoral fins.

Some members of the carp family, like the Conger eel and the loaches, create sound merely by expelling air from the air-bladder through the pneumatic duct. The Conger eel often emits a "bark" through use of this expulsion equipment, while certain types of carp add ghostly notes by tossing in murmuring sounds not un­like the incoherent muttering of some distressed character in an unhappy predicament.

While the hogfish is not a boisterous noisemaker, it can grind out a fairly good output of sonic volume in the form of short pig-like grunts—hence the name hogfish. The vocal efforts are spontaneous, usually bursting forth in four or five raucous rasps. Like the triggerfish, the hogfish also makes use

of the pharyngeal teeth in sending forth its own contribution to under­water noises.

The Spot, a close relative of the Croaker, produces a keenly pitched wild-duck honk. The timbre is differ­ent from that of any other noise-making fish, and is readily identifiable by many amateur naturalists special­izing in the science that deals with fishes. Being non-gregarious the Spot is unable to concentrate a noisy con­cert in a small area, but he does a creditable job in sounding off with highly individualized honks.

What causes fishes to produce sound? Actually, the motivating or impelling force is in most instances a well-sealed mystery. It is known, of course, that grunts usually "grunt" when in distress. Even baby grunts an inch long have been heard expressing their dissatisfaction when circum­stances placed them in a position justifying aquatic SOS signals. In the various studies of reasons for sonic efforts of fishes several new sound-producing types have been discovered. Two of the most notable ones are the Garibaldi of southern California and the coral reef fish.

In a preceding paragraph mention was made of underwater investigations of fishes noises by the Navy Depart­ment. Certainly it is appropriate to here point out that the Navy had more

"There, inch for inch and pound for pound, goes the gamest fisherman I ever Knew."

than an academic interest in sub­surface sounds. The sounds created by fishes, shrimps, and other submarine creatures caused a significant degree of confusion during World War II. After working out a functioning model of an instrument that would detect submarines, the Navy discovered that the mechanism brought in so many unidentified noises that the sound of real submarine motion could not al­ways be filtered out and recognized with any safe or positive measure of certainty. To complicate matters, no accurate information on sounds made by submarine life was available.

Something had to be done, and the appeal for practical aid naturally was focused immediately on the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Washington, with Dr. M. B. Dobrin acting as one of the chief technicians.

To measure the intensity and fre­quency of background water noise in open and protected waters the Navy recruited a staff of capable individuals from the Naval Ordnance Lab itself; and from the Shedd Aquarium; U.S. Fishery Biological Lab; and the Divi­sions of War Research of both Colum­bia University and the University of California. After investigations were carried out at various points along the east coast of the United States the research experts learned to screen out natural underwater sounds, and finally exclusive sound recordings were made of fish noises.

Results of the sound survey were amazing. The capabilities of fishes to sound off were most significantly reg­istered in the impact-laden fact that they could give rise to octave sound pressures of more than a hundred dynes per square centimeter, and noise from the multi-sources extended over the entire sonic range of frequencies.

It was learned that wind, waves, and tidal currents build up a measurable volume of water sound, but it rarely kicked the indicator needle above a single dyne per square centimeter, and in the octave sound band it usually failed to run that high. Conversely, as Dr. Dobrin pointed out, "biological sources can be responsible for sus­tained noises with an octave pressure of up to several hundred dynes per square centimeter . . . "

In making background measure­ments where underwater noises were particularly intense, the Ordnance Lab used hydrophones and special record­ing discs. These were later played through an octave analyzer into a series of "Esterline-Angus tape re-

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

'**jm,- - J j t j H

corders." Spectra were calculated and plotted from the octave tapes. All submarine noise recordings have been preserved and dubbings are available to any biological lab which can put them to worthwhile use.

Systematic efforts were made to record all sonic fishes, and to identify their sounds. The studies and record­ings, which covered areas from Cape May to southern Florida, under a wide variety of time and light condi­tions, had a three-fold purpose: to determine which species of fishes were sonic; the conditions under which such species could be induced to produce sounds; and the general nature and magnitude of such sounds. After the survey was over it was possible for those in charge to jot down the words: "Mission satisfac­torily carried out."

It has already been pointed out that no plausible answer amply covers the question, "Why do fishes sound off?" Are they "talking?" Are they prac­ticing a form of "echo ranging?" Or are guards or sentinels duty-bound to cry out warnings of impending danger?

A hundred more questions could be added. We do know that fish voices are so completely accepted in the functions of everyday realism that they have for ages played a part in legend, song, and myth of various lands. For an example we have to look at the Greek myth about the weak-fish. It was this fish, occurring abund­antly in Mediterranean waters, that figures in the song of the sirens in the Homeric fable. Doubtless the story originated in the fact that shoals of these fishes may produce a singing sound not unlike the droning mono­tone of a great number of hoarse-voiced cicadas.

While a rather widespread study still is intermittently being made of sound-producing fishes, it isn't likely that a sharply improved conception of the motivating behavior pattern is di­rectly in the offing. As observations are being made, and new knowledge is being gained, someone may even hit upon the idea of breeding espe­cially with emphasis on capacities for sound tone and variety—perhaps even interpretable sounds! So be alert, Mr. Angler—you may someday face vocal repudiation from the realm of fins and scales for approaching improperly the big one that "argued back and won his freedom!"

WOMEN ANGLERS I HAVE KNOWN

(From page 13)

terested in the same thing; but they try to learn much more about the art than the women do. Some go so far as to lose sight of catching fish entirely in their pursuit of perfection in fishing— and I've never seen a woman reach that point!

Let's take Peggy as an example, She can hardly tell one fly from another, ties miserable knots, casts poorly, is careless about the way she handles a hooked fish, and seldom can re­member which is her fly rod among those taken on a trip—but, she catches more fish than her husband. She does it by persistence, by a grim deter­mination not to fail.

She has fished over much of the continent east of the Mississippi, from Canada to Florida, and can't recall the names of the places where she has angled because maps mean little to her—but she caught fish wherever she was, while her husband often was skunked. Once she even caught a sail-fish in Florida on a handline, and was sore because she hadn't caught it on a rod, not realizing that taking a sail on a handline was a fishing miracle that the men in the party would talk about for a long time.

When she first started fishing, she couldn't bring herself to break the necks of trout before putting them in her canvas creel—so she put the live fish inside, placed the creel on the ground, and dropped a big rock on it. One time the fish "came alive" in the bag, and started flopping around. Wading ashore, she found a really large stone, and dropped it on the creel, killing the fish all right, but also smashing a compact and crushing some cigarettes which she carried in the creel. She never could bring herself to put bait on a hook, so she never fished with anything but artificials. However, she fished, harder than any­one I have ever known.

Once I was driven from a stream— Bermudian creek in York county—by a violent electrical storm. I just couldn't see through my glasses any more. After the storm, I started out again, and came across a little old lady with grey hair calmly fishing on, although she was soaking wet. She "just liked bass fishing, and it was too

far to go home when the storm broke." One of the nicest fishing letters I ever received was from an old Negro woman who gently reprimanded me for saying that I didn't especially like carp as a sports fish, and then told me how she had fished for carp all her life.

I have never gone anywhere, even in wildest Canada, without finding women anglers sharing the sport with their husbands. Far up on Wollaston Lake in northern Saskatchewan, be­yond all roads, I found that Sara Finch was the only person who shared her husband's love for angling for lake trout and Arctic grayling. Few party-boats put out from the Jersey coast— or anywhere, for that matter—without their complement of women anglers. They get seasick as well as the men, but they keep on fishing. There is scarcely a trout stream, or bass water, in Pennsylvania that doesn't have its quota of women anglers. I have crossed bridges in Des Moines, Iowa, late at night, and found them lined with men and women fishing for catfish in the river. I have witnessed bridgeways and causeways in Florida dotted with men and women fishing.

They do this sometimes in the face of actual hostility on the part of men. One woman told me that she was fishing a pool on a trout stream when a man came up and told her to get out, that that was his favorite pool and women had no right to be on it. Naturally, she told him to go to the devil—with icy politeness, of course— and continued fishing. I have seen men deliberately wade through water into which a woman angler was casting. I have heard other men swearing about the "damned women" they had met along the stream, and who had caught more fish than they had, if they had been truthful.

The truth of the matter is that women are here to stay, and any man who actively resents their appearance at his favorite haunts is discourteous, jealous and given to an inferiority complex. He just doesn't like to be "shown up" by women.

The woman, of course, must show good sportsmanship, and if she does, she is entitled to the same considera­tion as a man would be. As mentioned before, most women feel constrained to be topnotch sportsmen because they realize they are fighting opposition. There are some women anglers, how­ever, who pretend an interest in fish­ing simply because some man they want likes angling, and they are worth no more consideration than the man

SEPTEMBEEr—1953 35

who pretends an interest in interior decoration just to please some woman. The fakers among women are easily detected. They talk too much about it! The woman who actually likes fishing fishes a lot, talks little about it.

I do not know many "famous" women fishermen, but if men want proof that women anglers are here permanently, they need only look at world record lists for salt water big game fish, and at entries for annual fresh water fishing contests. It isn't by accident that women's names creep into the lists. They are there because the girls plug away day after day under exactly the same conditions men face, and it isn't surprising that a fair number of the big fish go to them. Some, like Mrs. Michael Lerners, are lucky in having the wealth to go where they wish—others, like plain Jane Doe, just go. My friend Walt and his wife, Madeleine, travelled by a rickety old Ford all over Pennsylvania on fishing trips. Across the Delaware, in New Jersey, I came across a man and his wife living in a trailer beside a trout stream because they liked to fish, had no money to pay fishing camp rates.

No figures are available on how many women fish. Few states keep such statistics, which is a pity because ac­curate license sale records breaking down the total anglers by sexes would open the eyes of those who are in­clined to belittle women fishermen. Indications are that the time is not far distant when as many women as men will fish. Iowa, which has kept separ­ate records, found 35 per cent of the licenses sold one year went to women. In this state, such records wouldn't be too accurate because Pennsylvania is conveniently close to salt water, and many of its fishermen, men and women, angle in the bays and ocean where no license is required.

Some states, like North Carolina, make a deliberate bid for feminine anglers with trout streams set aside for their use only—but the average woman doesn't ask such favors. All she wants is a chance to go along on an equal footing with the men, despite the criticism of some men, despite ungainly clothing that was never de­signed for the feminine figure, and despite such interruptions as child­birth and associated family problems. The modern attitude is best expresed, perhaps, by a girl angler encountered along the seashore by a friend of mine.

He noticed her casting into the surf next to him, an attractive young thing

26

all by herself. After while, she put her rod in a sand spike and walked down to my friend to ask him the time. When told it was five o'clock in the afternoon, she exclaimed "Darn it! I have to go back to Philadelphia just when the tide's getting right. I'm going to be married tomorrow morning!"

PLUG CASTER'S

BONANZA

(From page 21)

model SP55R-F. When purchased it was one piece construction, but for convenience in carrying I cut and fer-ruled it. The blank itself without ac­cessories weighs just a shade under two ounces. Complete with handle it is six feet five inches in length. Since it was purchased simply as glass blank I had to mount the guides and provide handle and case. It is listed as a three-eights ounce tournament rod, but is amply strong for most of our eastern states game fish. The butt portions are reinforced, which places most of the action up toward the tip where it belongs, gives good hooking quality, and increases somewhat the weight range of lures which can be adequately handled. It also gets away from an unsatisfactorily high arc when casting, a fault of some rods as long as this. Lures as light as one-fifth of an ounce will bring out good rod action and lures of half an ounce will not over­burden it. A 7 lb. 2 oz. small-mouth, was caught on a similar rod. It stood the test without fault. Within the past two years nearly all major tackle companies have begun to market rods in the six foot class with extra light actions. I am quite sure that any of them could be used with equally good results.

Care must be used in selecting a reel to correctly match and balance these long, light rods. Excessive weight at the hand detracts from the pleasure of casting and can be tiring. Then, too, many of the heavier reels are designed to correctly spool a line of about fifteen pounds test and thus do not perform well with light lines. The reel illus­trated is a Shakespeare model 1973D. It is light, silent, fast and designed to properly lay a light line. I use with equal pleasure and success a Heddon

P41N, a Coxe 95C, a South Bend No. 60, or a Langley Lurecast. Any of these reels will correctly balance the light six foot rod. It is simply a matter of personal preference on the part of the user as to which suits him best.

Nylon lines have so improved over the past few years that the diameter-strength ratio has been considerably reduced. Some of the nine pound test lines of today have a smaller diameter than the five pounders of a few years back. After all, it is the diameter and weight of the line which make easy casting, not its breaking strength. The light outfits perform best with lines testing from five to nine or ten pounds. The soft braids spool better than the hard ones but do not last as long. It happens that the line illustrated is Herter's Cuxhaven in a five pound test but in this case, the rated test does not mean much since the actual break­ing point is nearer eight pounds. Any of the lines now produced by our leading manufacturers in tests ranging from five to ten pounds and not too hard braided will perform beautifully and correctly match rod, reel, and line.

Just so I couldn't be accused of armchair casting I briefly checked the performance of my outfit on some measured casts. Now I'm no great shakes as a caster so these results are not intended to illustrate the maximum effort of which the outfit is capable. Using a new Heddon Tiny River Runt, just purchased in anticipation of next season's fishing, I averaged 106 feet on three casts with this lure which the maker says weighs one-fifth of an ounce. As a further test I also tried "Old Faithful," a South Bend Midge-Oreno (three-eights of an ounce) and averaged 116 feet on three casts. For the most part casts of that length are unnecessarily long in actual fishing. True, once in a while you may need a lot more distance than that but mostly short, accurate casts are the more productive. Try hooking a bass at the end of a very long cast and you'll know what I mean.

Some persons will undoubtedly, and rightfully, question the use of such an outfit on the basis of strength and durability. I've used mine for five years, which is about as long as they have been on the market, without mishap. Sure, I've lost an occasional plug, but not on fish. After all, such an outfit without a leader doesn't make sense. I use, and don't recom­mend, a four pound test leader. Six is better. If you are the kind of fellow who does a bit of horsing now and then

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

in spite of good intentions to the con­trary, you can make the light outfit quite safe by using the light leader. It will break at the knot where it is fastened to the line or at the swivel, if you use one, before any major part of the tackle can be damaged.

I have been asked many times why, if I prefer very light lures, I don't use a spinning outfit. That one is easy; I don't like them. To me they feel clumsy. I'm not condemning spinning. It just happens that I dislike it. At the same time I hasten to acknowledge my indebtedness to the spinning en­thusiasts for more and better light lines and midget lures. To them goes the major credit for nudging our tackle companies into faster production of these items. The light casting outfit can hold its own against any form of cast­ing in weights from one-fifth of an ounce upward.

The only sound method of choosing a rod, as well as a line and leader, is to determine what weight lures are to be cast; then balance the rarekle around them. On that basis the outfit here described is soundly assembled and well balanced. Six years ago such an outfit would have been impossible to get if it was intended to cast lures over the weight ranges I have indicated because no rod material had been per­fected which would absorb the strain without damage. The glass rods have changed all that. They have brought the all-around rod closer to reality. You can safely use such light, balanced tackle without fear of rod damage and at the same time get the maximum pleasure from your fishing. Good luck and good fishing!

" I couldn't get a baby sitter."

SEPTEMBEK^1953

BIG ONES FEED BY NIGHT (From page 19)

motor while I rowed the half mile to fish on the way.

By the time I arrived, after picking up a twenty-inch walleye from the choppy waves enroute, the other fellows had three walleyes and a bass. But, from the time I entered the nar­rows until I drifted past the other boat, I had three bass from sixteen and one-half inches to eighteen and three-quarters inches in length. All in about fifteen minutes. Then the moon came up and the fun was over.

But the other two had actually lost more fish than they caught while I was rowing to them! And, each fish was hooked on a surface lure.

Trout fishing at night takes infinite patience and considerable skill. But in many respects, you will find tactics reversed from daytime angling. A big dry fly, bigger than anything you normally use in the daytime, is best.

Since the strike of a trout is much quicker than a bass, and the fish will spit the fly out almost immediately, you must usually keep a tight line. You can fish a big fly for trout in the same manner that you do for bass . . . by skittering it over the surface of the water. Rarely will you connect in this manner in the daytime, but dark­ness hides much even for the trout.

Don't miss the shallows. In very quiet water, you can chance a normal lie with your line if you wish in the hope that you will hear the strike in time to connect. But you must bear in mind many times a big fish will suck an insect under almost sound­lessly.

A moving fly or bug is generally considered best for bass. But often I have heard the strike at a motionless fly rod lure and still managed to set the hook in plenty of time. However, it is not unusual for a bass to strike an artificial and run with it. Not so the trout.

Lights are sometimes necessary, but use them only when absolutely neces­sary. From the reaction most fish take when a light is flashed, there is good reason to believe it will alarm them. Too, a light throws shadows over the bottom of the stream which move with the ray and are almost certain to frighten the fish. Keep the light off

the water when it is necessary to use one.

You can change flies without a light. It is relatively easy to work the tippet through the eye of a fly hook by holding the ringlet against the tip of your tongue. Touch the tip of the tippet to your tongue next to the ringlet and work it through by feel. Not sanitary, perhaps, but it is effective.

Of course, surface lures are almost a necessity in night fishing since you are frequently fishing very shallow water and weed pockets. But, choice of color becomes an interesting ques­tion.

It is generally conceded that dark colors show up best against the doubt­ful light afforded by the stars. How­ever, I have made some of my best night catches on bass with a red and white lure both in plugs and flies. On trout, though, the very dark patterns seem to work best for me. If wall­eyes are present where you are fishing for bass, they are likely to take the same plug that works well on the bass.

Sometimes you hear arguments as to whether a smallmouth or a large-mouth bass hits better at night. I haven't noticed much difference. Small-mouths seem more partial to the smaller lures such as are used with a fly rod, but my biggest was taken on a good-sized plug.

Those who would seek out their fav­orite haunts for fish when the sun is gone must work hard and diligently at their sport. And, yet I can only wonder at those who point the nose of their boat toward the dock and start wrap­ping up their rod when the sun goes down. They are missing some unusual thrills in fishing . . . thrills height­ened by the suspense that comes in not knowing until the battle is won what prize it brings.

For, big ones feed by night.

LOBSTER'S LITTLE COUSIN

(From page 20)

a potluck affair. Smallmouths and rock bass are particularly susceptible. The list also includes brown trout, large mouths, catfish, carp, buffaloes, sheepshead, and at least one jumbo red-horse I know about. Lake Erie anglers could no doubt add walleyes and saugers to the list.

27

There's no particular trick to catch­ing or keeping crayfish. Fact is you can take them easily by hand—without any equipment at all. You have to be fairly quick and agile—and you have to avoid a pair of pincers that aren't exactly dull—to get very many this way. But practice makes perfect and the so-called oldtimers can get a day's fishing supply in no time at all.

Crayfish are also easily taken with legal seines. Minnow traps with cone or funnel type entrance are good, too. Bait one of these, preferably one made of hardware cloth, with a piece of beef neck. Let it stand for several hours and you should have plenty of bait. This method will only take hardshells, however.

Some few patient anglers have col­lected burrowing crayfish for bait by digging them out of their holes in clay banks or in heavy clay soils near water. This is too slow and sometimes too unrewarding. Actually it's a takeoff on the blue herons and other wading birds which have a peculiarly interest­ing method of taking these burrowing species. The hole is partially closed with a pebble or chunk of clay. When the crayfish comes up to remove it,— socko, he's caught. Down the bird's" long gullet he goes.

You can keep crayfish in minnow tanks or in any of the containers that successfully keep minnows alive for short periods of time. It's well to feed them pieces of meat from time to time. It's also well to keep the smaller ones separated from the jumbos for they have no laws among them outlawing cannibalism. Keep the molting craws from the others, too, because they are helpless, or nearly so, at this period in their lives. And be sure, always, to remove dead crayfish and excess meat to prevent contamination.

If you have a large enough con­tainer—and if your supply is large enough—you will have at least a few soft craws all the time. You can delay the hardening of their shells for ex­tended periods by keeping them on ice—or in the refrigerator—but it's necessary to use them quickly after removal from the low temperatures. They'll die soon afterward in any case.

There are many ways to hook and handle craws as there are fishermen. Well almost, anyway. Most popular is using the whole works hooked through the tail, point up or point down. Gen­erally the basses swallow the critters tail first so it's not a bad idea to use the tail method of hooking. I believe

28

the craw, soft or hard, will live longer too. »

Some anglers remove the pincers; some use only the tails. Some peel the tails while the less painstaking members of the fraternity leave the shell where it belongs. This is good for catfish and carp, but perhaps no more so than the whole, undissected product You can get plenty of argument, though, no matter which method you use.

Sometimes soft-shells are hard to keep on the hook very long, or for very many casts. You can always tie them to the hook with a short section of thread or nylon leader. Or you can solder a piece of fine, pliable wire to the hook shank. This will serve to fasten the baits securely as long as you can keep your casts from snagging on the bottom. And speaking of the bottom, that's just where to fish your crayfish.

Crayfish are better adapted to stream fishing. The largemouths and other fish of impounded waters will take them, of course, but considering the vegetation and other problems so usually presented, it's sometimes ex­asperating business. Try them, instead, where glides and riffles break around large rocks and boulders. Drift them where the stream depth drops off sud­denly. Never pass the tail of a pool without drifting every bit of it thor­oughly. Make your drifts naturally; stay away from heavy sinkers and such as that.

After the strike, you must proceed cautiously. Here haste makes waste. Allow the striking fish some time to inhale the bait to a point where the hook is inside his mouth. Many fish, especially the larger bass, take cray­fish gently and almost imperceptibly at times. You almost have to sense the strike. It's another matter though, when you sink the hook into solid resistance.

The same evening that Charlie caught the big carp, he exposed me to a brand new use for crayfish. While I collected firewood and a pail of water from a nearby farm house, he col­lected a bucket of the lobster's little cousins. That done, he removed the tails and peeled them, The tails were then dumped into a pot of boiling water where they stayed for perhaps five minutes. Charlie then removed the craws, salted them—and we ate them.

Just one more comment on boiled crayfish—I like 'em a little better with cocktail sauce.

WATER DOG

HUNT

{From, page 11)

noticed a diminishing number of hell­benders in the Venango County creeks where they have collected them com­mercially. While fishermen may con­sider that good news, herpetologists are of the opinion waterdogs do little or no harm to the fish population of a stream.

In his own investigations of stomach contents, Paul Swanson has found crayfish to be the predominating food taken by hellbenders. Indeed, a stream that contains bass will likely be ideal for hellbenders, for both seek the same food . . . crayfish.

In addition, hellbenders are noted scavengers and often feed on dead or dying fish.

Like other members of the salaman­der group,^hellbenders propogate by laying eggs. These are deposited in rosary-like strings under rocks in stream beds.

The hellbender should not be con­fused with another similar aquatie salamander the mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus maculosus), which is also commonly called a waterdog. This one has bright, bushy, red external gills on each side of the neck. Generally, it is not as common as the hellbender.

"Although I have never observed a hellbender out of water on its own volition," Paul Swanson declared, "I know that they will live a few days out of water, if kept cool and moist. We ship them in damp sphagnum moss with a fair amount of success."

In the course of 17 years work with hellbenders, the Swansons have tried a great many experiments and done a great deal of revealing research.

That even includes cooking and eat­ing them.

"We found them palatable, but quite tough," Dave Swanson stated. "The toughness may have been due to our cooking, or we might have just picked some old ones," he added.

"What did it taste like," I asked the brothers.

They looked at each other, puzzled for an answer. Then Paul asked me:

"Have you ever eaten a well-cooked shoe?"

KEEP PENNSYLVANIA GREEN! PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

w~m

^Jhe C^ditor 5 Ornate 9{

Successful Angling Year at Harrisburg's Italian Lake, Optimist's Fishing Project. Prizes Awarded

Mayor Claude R. Robins, City of Harrisburg, welcomes young fishermen while a city park policeman and Dr. Wi l ­liam J. Ross, conservation director of the City T*ark

Commission look on.

James Lohman, 12, Harrisburg, registers his l6'/2-inch bass with Ray Shutt, Chairman of the Optimist Fishing Com­mittee, as the Annual Fishing Contest for children opened at Italian Lake. It took James only 10 minutes to make

the catch.

Lucky young man with the fish! Project is open Tuesdays 4 to 7 P. M.; Satur­days 8 until noon, contest closed last

month.

Registering young anglers into Italian Lake Children's Fish­ing Paradise, Harrisburg, Pa. The Opti-Mrs. also played an important part by registering youths, supplying identifica­

tion buttons.

The first day of the Optimist Fishing Project opened last J u n e 19th with the kickoff made by Har ry O. Dayhoff, Director of Parks of Harrisburg, Pa .

Registration on first day was over 900 boys and girls. While some good catches were registered, the size or

numbers didn't matter because young­sters who participated and parents who watched had one grand day of fun plus a good glimpse of excellent development in sportsmanship.

The project, started six years ago by the Optimist Club of Harrisburg, has

grown considerably, this year the channel between the two lakes will be opened allowing fish from the lower lake to reach the upper lake where the boys and girls fishing project is located.

No person can est imate wha t this

SEPTEMBER—1953 2!)

project has accomplished for the chil­dren of the community over the years bu t it has certainly offered boys and girls an opportunity to get out and fish, work off excess energy and keep them off the street out of the way of possible ha rm and danger; a chance to develop real sportsmanship and a regard for the rights of others.

Adults and parents could profit by observing this fine project that supplies some of the answers for our troubled times. The Optimist Club is to be commended on their splendid work and they, through the pages of the PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER, extend an in ­

vitation for parents to come out, bring their youngsters for a swell day of fun and fishing at Italian Lake, H a r -risburg, during the rodeo seasons each year.

Dear Sir: Here Is photo showing Mrs. Larry

Sapudar of Philadelphia holding an 8 lb. 13-oz, Walleye, SO^-inches long she caught trolling in Lake Wallenpaupack.

Would appreciate seeing the photo in THE PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER.

Nazareth, Pa. MRS. W. A. METZGAE

Mrs. Larry Sapudar with Big Walleye.

Y O U N G A N G L E R S FISH G R E E N P U M P D A M

Above photos are youngsters on location at Green Pump Dam, Will iamstown, Pa. children's fishing project stocked by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission and open to all young anglers under 16 years of age. One l i t t le guy shown In pix has mighty carp caught at the project, look at that rod bend on another. The third is photo of a Fish Commission truck stocking the dam.

LOST! LOST! Last Augus t 16, along Black

Moshannon, spinning rod and reel treasured by Elmer P. Cald­well, 2309 7th Avenue, Altoona, Pa., was left behind on the bank in confusion of loading Mr. Cald­well, an invalid in an armchair, into the car. We appeal to any sportsman who finds or found this gear to re turn it to Mr. Cald­well at the above address.

Roger Pultz with his catch.

Dear Editor: This eight-year old boy caught this

sucker last spring in Bald Eagle Creek and is very anxious to have his picture in THE PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER because a couple of years ago I sent a picture of his older brother to you holding a fish and you put It in the ANGLER.

I have taught both these boys in Beech Creek, Pa. schools. This young fisherman's name is Roger Fultz, son of Grover Pultz, Beech Creek, R. D.

l 9 ' / 2 - inch , 31 lb . Brown Trout taken by 11-year-old Francis C o n d e l l i o f A r n o l d , Pa. on Pi thole Creek, Venango C o .

Lock Haven, Pa. MRS. W. A. CLARK

30 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER INDEX TO VOLUMES 21 and 22—October 1952—through September 1953

Titles of Articles are in capital letters, Page numbers and issue follow.

ACE OP BLUFFERS, Ben East , 13, Oct. Ahre'ns, Carsten, School page, 32, Oct. ALL-AMERICAN BEAUTY AND GLAMOUR

BABE, SPARSE GREY HACKLE, 8, Ju ly ALMOST SKUNKED, S. R. Slay maker , 11,

19, Feb. Ambrose, Paul , F innegan ' s Fish, 20, Dec. Anderson, Jack, Pickerel Win te r Study, 24,

April ANGLING AGONY, Eric Wahleen, 14, Aug. ARCHER FISH, Wllber t N. Savage, 5, J a n . Atz, J a m e s W., F ish a t Home, 2, Feb.

BAIT FISHING FOR BASS, Don Shiner , 14, Ju ly

BAIT Vs. ARTIFICIALS, Joe Pancoast , 8, Sept.

BAT, THE, Wilber t N. Savage, 7, Oct. Bates, Joseph D., S t r eamer Flies, 20, Oct. Bates, Joseph D., How to Select Sp inn ing

Lures, 20, Nov. Bates, Joseph D., Matched Spinn ing Tackle,

14, April Bates, Joseph D., Tips on Monofilament,

10, J u n e Bauer, Erwin A., Sp inn ing Made for Carp,

8, J u n e Bauer, Erwin A., Hel lgrammite High J inks ,

20, Ju ly Bauer , Erwin A., Mad Muskies, 12, Aug. Bauer , Erwin A., Lobster 's Li t t le Cousin,

20, Sept . I BENNER oPRING, George Gordon, 6, Nov. BIG ONES FEED AT NIGHT, K e i t h C.

Schuyler, 18, Sept . BIG STINK AT ERIE, Bill Walsh, 3, May BOATS, Don Shiner , 14, J u n e BOAT KITS, Ke i th C. Schuyler, 18, J u n e BOAT, FISHING FROM, T h a d A. Bukow-

ski, 20, J u n e Boyd, William, Romance of t h e Shad, 10,

May BOYS OUT FISHIN', George Gordon, 14,

Oct. Bradford. Ar thu r D., Bryazoans or Moss

Animals , 8, Nov. Breland, Osmond P., How Long Do They

Live, 2, Oct. BRYAZOANS OR MOSS ANIMALS, Ar thur

D. Bradford, 9, Nov. Buzowski, Thad A., Sucker Strategy, 18,

Feb. Bukowski, T h a d A., Fishing F rom Boats,

20, J u n e Bukowski, T h a d A., Catfish Calamity, 24,

Aug. Burns , Eugene, Sixth Sense in Fishing, 7,

Dec. Burns , Eugene, For T h e m W h a t Likes Fish,

9, J a n . Burns , Eugene, T igh t l lne Nonsense?, 22,

April Burns , Eugene, A New Dry Fly Cast, 21,

May Burns , Eugene, Is Fishing for Girls, 4, J u n e Buss, Keen, Snapping Tur t les , 2, J a n .

CAMPING SHORT CUTS, A. Earl Jourde , 8, Aug.

CANAL DAYS, MEMORIES OF, Don Shiner , 6, May

CAN FISH HEAR?, Rober t E. Stover, 6, Dec. CAN FISH SEE COLOR?, Pau l M. Hurs t ,

Jr., 5, Dec. Casey, J., Pale Empress , 14, Nov. Casillo, N. R., Worm Fishing Art, 12, April Casillo, N. R„ Righ t Fly Line, 13, J u n e CATCHING TROUT WITH A CAMERA,

W. T. Davidson 3, April CATFISH CALAMITY, T h a d A. Bukowski,

24, Aug. Collins. S tephen, St reamside P lan t s , 6, J a n . Cona'nt, Roger K., Pork C h u n k Goes

Modern, 12, Ju ly Cornelius, Fred, Good Talk, 31, J a n . COVERED BRIDGE, THE OLD, Don

Shiner , 3, Sept .

D

Dalton, J u n e L., Life Wi th a Fly Tyer, 12, March „ , . .

Davidson, W. T., Ca tch ing Trou t Wi th a Camera, 3, April

DAVY AND STUPENJUS STURGEON, James Stevens, 18, Oct.

Diehl, Lee, Glass Rods, 21, Oct. Diehl, Lee, P lug Casters Bonanza, 21, Sept . Di tmer , Wendell P., F iddleheads , 8, Dec. DRY FLY CAST, A NEW, Eugene Burns ,

21, May DYEING FLY TYING MATERIALS, Chas.

M. Wetzel, 15, Dec.

E.

EARLY AMERICAN FISHERIES, 28, Dec. East, Ben, Ace of Bluffers, 13, October East, Ben, Erosion, 4, Aug. EMERGENCE TABLES TROUT STREAM

INSECTS, Chas. M. Wetzel, Cover 3, April EROSION, Ben East, 4, Aug.

F

FAVORITE ANGLING STORIES, J i m Hayes, 18, Dec.

FAVORITE WET AND DRY FLIES, Chas. M. Wetzel, C. L. Peters , 14, March

FAVORITE WET AND DRY FLIES, Chas. M. Wetzel, C. L. Peters , 14, April

FEDERATION OF SPORTSMEN'S CLUBS RESOLUTIONS, Sept 1952, 22, March

FEDERATION OF SPORTSMEN'S CLUBS RESOLUTIONS, March 1953, 22, May

Fe ldman, Margaret , Reel Oil, 18, Aug. FERNS, FIDDLEHEADS, Wendell P. Di t ­

mer, 8, Dec. FILLET YOUR FISH, 16, Sept. FINNEGAN'S FISH, Paul Ambrose, 20, Dec. FINANCIAL STATEMENT 1952 FISH COM­

MISSION, 32. March FINNY SPECIALISTS IN CAMOUFLAGE,

Wilbert N. Savage, 2, Nov. FISH AT HOME, James W. Atz, 2, Feb. FISH BEHAVIOR, Wilber t N. Savage, 2,

March FISH COMMISSION. MINUTES—Meeting

Nov. 17, 1952, 20, Feb. FISH COMMISSION FINANCIAL STATE­

MENT 1952, 32, March FISH HOOK, Ben G. Robinson, 12, Dec. FISH IN THE OLD CANAL AGAIN, Harvey

R. F ran tz , 5, May FISH MANAGEMENT IN PENNSYLVANIA,

Gordon L. Trembley, 11, March FISH STOCKING, Ke i th C. Schuyler, 6,

March FISH WARDENS REASSIGNMENTS, 17,

March FISHERIES, EARLY AMERICAN, 28, Dec. FISHERMAN'S PARADISE REGULATIONS

1953, 23, May; 22, J u n e FISHES THAT SOUND OFF, Wilber t N.

Savage, 6, Sept. FISHING—3000 A.D., Bill Wolf, 10, March FISHING BOOK REVIEWS (by Hugh

Johnson ) Old Man & Sea, 29, Oct. Sal twater Sp inn ing , 29, Oct. Na tu ra l and Fresh Water F ish ing Baits .

29, Oct. F u n Wi th Trou t , 23, Dec. How t o Take T r o u t on Wet Flies and

Nymphs, 29, Feb. Gone Fishin ' , 30, J u n e Bob Whi te . Charley Cot tonta i l , Billy

Bass, Bobby Bluegill, T o m m y Trou t , 31, J u n e

Zane Grey's F ish ing Adventures , 29, Ju ly Spor t smen ' s Digest of Fishing, 29, Ju ly Na tu ra l Salt Wate r F ish ing Baits , 29, Ju ly

FISHING REGULATIONS 1953, 26, Nov. FLASHER LAMP FOR SPORTSMEN, F. L.

Frost , Jr., 29, Dec. FLOAT FISHING THE SUSQUEHANNA,

Don Shiner , 16, Oct. FLY BOOK, THE, Albert G. Shimmel , 29,

May; 31, J u n e FLY TYING VIA SIMPLIFIED METHODS,

George W. Harvey General Ins t ruc t ions , 16, J a n . Body Cons t ruc t ion and Hackle Dry Fly,

12, Feb. Winged Wet Flies, 18, March Winged Dry Flies, 18, April S t reamer Flies, 18, May Bass Bugs, 16, Ju ly

FOR THEM WHAT LIKES FISH, Eugene Burns , 9, J a n .

Fran tz , Harvey R., Fish in t h e Old Canal Again, 5, May

Freeman, Gilbert , T r o u t F i sh ing in Penna . , 21, Ju ly

Frost , F . L., Jr . , Spor t smen ' s Flasher Lamp, 29, Dec.

G GAME COCK FEATHERS, Albert G. S h i m ­

mel, 20, J a n . GLASS RODS, Lee Diehl, 21, Oct. GLUEING TECHNIQUES FOR AMATEUR

ROD BUILDERS, Vincent C. Mar inaro , P a r t I—10, D e c ; P a r t 11—22, J a n .

GOOD TALK, Fred Cornelius, 31, J a n . Gordon, George, Boys O u t F ish in ' 15, Oct. Gordon, George, Benner Spring, 6, Nov. Gordon, George, I nd i an town Gap Memorial

Lake Management , 10, Nov.

Harlow, Wm. M„ Woodland Wonders , 12, Nov.

Harrison, Hal H., Wate r Dog H u n t , 10, Sept .

HARVEST BASS, Ray Ovington, 14, Sept . Harvey, George W., Fly Tying Via Simpl i ­

fied Methods, 16, Jan . ; 12, Feb.; 18, Mar.; 18, April; 18, May; 16, Ju ly

Hayes, J im , Favori te Angling Stories, 18, Dec.

HELLGRAMMITES, HIGHJINKS WITH, Erwin A. Bauer, 20, Ju ly

Herr, Dorothy M., Impor t ance of Li t t le Things , 31, Nov.

HOW LONG DO THEY LIVE, Osmond P . Breland, 2, Oct.

Hurs t , P a u l M„ Jr., Can Fish See Color, 5, Dec.

I ICE FISHING IN PRESQUE ISLE BAY,

LAKE ERIE, Alfred Larson, 2, Dec. IMPORTANCE OF LITTLE THINGS, Dor­

othy M. Herr, 31, Nov. INDIANTOWN GAP MEMORIAL LAKE

MANAGEMENT, George Gordon, 10, Nov. IS FISHING FOR GIRLS?, Eugene Burns ,

4. J u n e ISAAK WALTON AND HIS FRIENDS,

F r a n k A. King, 2, J u l y

Jourde , Earl A., Camping Shor t Cuts , 8, Aug.

K

King, F rank A., Izaak Wal ton and His Fr iends , 3, Ju ly

Knigh t , Richard Alden, Land T h a t Big Fish, 10, April

LAND THAT BIG FISH, Richard Alden Knigh t , 10, April

LANDING NETS, Don Shiner , 22, Dec. LARGEMOUTH, LITTLE LURES FOR,

Ke i th C. Schuyler, 20, Aug. Larsen, Alfred. Lamprey, S t a t u s of in Lake

Erie 1952, 12, Oct. Larsen, Alfred, Ice Fishing, Presque Isle

Bay, Lake Erie, 2, Dec. Larsen, Alfred, Mooneye, Shad, Sawbelly?,

7, April LIFE WITH A FLY TYER, J u n e L. Dal ton,

12, March LINES ABOUT LINES, K e i t h C. Schuyler,

P a r t 1—14, Jan . ; P a r t 2—10, Feb. Lively, Chauncy K., Nymph Fish ing Notes

and Notions, 14, May LOBSTERS LITTLE COUSIN, THE, Erwin

A. Bauer, 20, Sept . LOSE A HOOK—SPARE A BASS, Don

Shiner , 6, Aug. M

Marinaro, Vincent O , Glue ing Techn iques for Amateur Rod Builders , P a r t I—10, Dec ' P a r t I I 22 J a n

MINNOW FISHING FOR TROUT, Don Shiner , 8, April

MONOFILAMENT, TIPS ON, Joseph D. Bates, Jr., 10, J u n e

Mock, J o h n n y , Yes, I Remember? , 6, J u n e MOONEYE, SHAD SAWBELLY?, Alfred

Larsen, 7, April Muench , Josef, Win te r from Camera

Angle, 16, Dec. Mumbar , Lamar , Penna . S t r eam Photos ,

16-17, May MUSKIE, MAD, Erwin A. Bauer, 12. Aug.

SEPTEMBER^1953 31

N NEW SILVER PLATTER, Kenneth W.

Thomas, 25, Aug. NYMPH FISHING NOTES AND NOTIONS,

Chauncy K. Lively, 14, May

Ovlngton, Ray, Spin Fishing for Bass, 10, July

Ovlngton, Ray, Harvest Bass, 14, Sept.

PALE EMPRESS, J. Casey, 14, Nov. Pancoast, Joe Bait-Us Artificials, 8, Sept. PENNSYLVANIA STREAMS, Don Shlner-

Lamar Mumbar Photos, 16-17, May Peter, C. L., Favorite Wet and Dry Flyes,

14, March; 16, April PICKEREL WINTER STUDY, Jack Ander­

son, 24 April PISCATORIAL EYE VIEW, 6, Feb. PLUG CASTERS BONANZA, Lee Dlehl, 21,

Sept. PLUG MAKING, Ben C. Robinson, 4, July PLUGS, Don Shiner, 22, Nov. PORK CHUNK GOES MODERN, Roger K.

Conant. 12, July PYMATUNING LAKE, NEW REGULATIONS

FOR, 27, March R

RAFTING DAYS, J. Herbert Walker, 8. Feb.

REEL OIL, Margaret Feldman, 18, Aug. RELIGION IN THE, ROUGH, Keitch C.

Schuyler, 18, Nov. Robinson, Ben C, Fish Hooks, 12, Dec. Robinson, Ben C, Plug Making, 4, July Robinson, Ben C, Smallmouth of Heat

and Sunlight, 22, Aug. RYTHM OF THE RISE, Albert G. Shim-

mel, 12, May S

Sand, George X., Value of Fish Markets, 21, March

Savage, Wllbert N., Fish Behavior, 2, March Savage, Wllbert N., Archer Fish, 5, Jan. Savage, Wllbert N., The Bat, 7, Oct. Savage, Wllbert N., Finny Specialists in

Camouflage, 2, Nov. Savage, Wilbert N., Fishes that Sound

Off, 6, Sept. SCHOOL PAGE. Carsten Ahrens, 32, Oct. Schuyler, Keith C, Fish Stocking 6, March Schuyler, Keith C, Boat Kits, 18, June Schuyler, Keith C, Little Lures for Large-

mouths, 20, Aug.

Schuyler, Keith C, Religion in the Rough, 18, Nov.

Schuyler, Keith C, Lines about Lines, Part 1-14, Jan.; Part 11-10, Feb.

Schuyler, Keith C, Big Ones Feed by Night, 10, Sept.

SEA GULL THAT CAME BACK, John K. Terres, 10, Oct.

SEA LAMPREY, STATUS OF IN LAKE ERIE 1952, Alfred Larsen, 12, Oct.

SHAD, ROMANCE OF THE, William Boyd, 10, May

Shimmel, Albert G., Rythm of the Rise, 12, May

Shimmel, Albert G., The Fly Book, 29-May; 31 June

Shimmel, Albert G., Stream Practices 2, June

Shimmel, Albert G., Game Cock Feathers, 20, Jan.

Shiner, Don, Minnow Fishing for Trout, 8, April

Shiner, Don, Memories of Canal Days, 6, May

Shiner, Don, Penna. Stream Photos, 16-17-May

Shiner, Don, Boats, 14, June Shiner, Don, Bait Fishing for Bass, 14,

July Shiner, Don, Float Fishing the Susque­

hanna, 16, Oct. Shiner, Don, Plugs, 21, Nov.

Don, Old Eel Walls, 10, Jan. Don, Scheme for Streamers, 16,

Shiner, Shiner,

Feb. Shiner, Don, Old Covered Bridge, 3, Sept. SIXTH SENSE, Eugene Burns, 7, Dec. Slaymaker, S. R. 11, Almost Skunked, 19,

Feb. SMALLMOUTH OF HEAT AND SUNLIGHT,

Ben C. Robinson, 22, Aug. SNAPPING TURTLE, Keen Buss, 2, Jan. SOME TROUT I HAVE MET, Bill Wolf,

23, April SOME WOMEN ANGLERS I HAVE MET,

12, Sept. Sparse Grey Hackle, All-American Beauty

and Glamour Babe, 8, July SPIN FISHING FOR BASS, Ray Ovington,

10, July SPINNING LURES, HOW TO SELECT,

Joseph D. Bates, Jr., 20, March SPINNING, MATCHED TACKLE FOR,

Joseph D. Bates, Jr., 14, April SPINNING WAS MADE FOR CARP, Erwin

A. Bauer, 8, June STREAM PRACTICES, Albert G. Shimmel,

2, June

STREAMERS, STORIES OF, Joseph D. Bates, Jr., 20, Oct.

STREAMERS, SCHEME FOR, Don Shiner, 16, Feb.

STREAMSIDE PLANTS, Stephen Collins, 6, Jan.

Stevens, James, Davy and the Stupenjus Sturgeon, 18, Oct.

Stover, Robert E., Can Fish Hear? 6, Dec. SUCKER STRATEGY, Thad A. Bukowski,

18, Feb. T

Terres, John K., Sea Gull That Came Back, 10, Oct.

NEW SILVER PLATTER, Kenneth W. Thomas, 25, Aug. TIGHT LINES NONSENSE?, Eugene Burns,

22, April Trembley. Gordon L., Fish Management in

Pennsylvania, 11, Nov. TROUT FISHING IN PENNA., Gilbert

Freedman, 21, July

VALUE OF FISH MARKETS, George X. Sand, 21, March

VIRGIN RUN LAKE DEDICATED, 2, Aug.

W Wahleen, Eric, Angling Agony, 14, Aug. Walker, J. Herbert, Rafting Days, 8, Feb. Walsh. Bill, Big Stink at Erie, 3, May WATER DOG HUNT, Hal H. Harrison, 10,

Sept. WELL, WHAT'S NEXT, Lee Wulff, 12, June Wetzel, Chas M., Dyeing Fly Tying Ma­

terials, 15, Dec. Wetzel, Chas M., Favorite Wet and Dry

Flies, 14 March; 16, April Wetzel, Chas M., Emergence Tables Trout

Stream Insects, Cover 3, April WINTER FROM A CAMERA ANGLE, Josef

Muench, 16, Dec. Wolf, Bill, Fishing— 3000 A.D., 10, March Wolf, Bill, Some Trout I Have Met, 23,

April Wolf, Bill, Some Women Anglers I Have

Met, 12, Sept. WOODLAND WONDERS, Wm. Harlow, 12,

Nov. WORM FISHING ART OF, N. R. Casillo,

12, April Wulff, Lee, Well, What's Next?, 12, June

YES, I June

Y REMEMBER!, Johnny Mock. 6.

32

3<g98 0 PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

*~3

Don't

D U C K A

SINGLE ISSUE!

o f t h e

PENNSYLVANIA

ANGLER

R e n e w Y o u r

S u b s c r i p t i o n

N O W !

SUBSCRIPTION TO THE PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

Pennsylvania Fish Commission Harrisburg, Penna.

Enclosed is $ for my (New) (Renewal) subscription to the Pennsylvania Angler:

Name

Address

Subscription rates: 12 issues, I year $1-00.

REQUEST FOR SAMPLE COPY OF

PENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

Pennsylvania Fish Commission Harrisburg, Penna.

Please send free sample copy of the Pennsylvania Angler to : Please PRINT name and address plainly

JU *

V * --•*"

&Ji

•i&h "**&