^Tn^Z^Ei*] - Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

JJ e mies, of protection from floods, and
I cooling depths so necessary in sum-
•f. Fish, like humans, are now fac-
B a man-made housing shortage.
:,&dercut banks, underwater roots,
*8s, and snags all once under the impended
waters of the mill dam, and
nVorite homes for a host of fishes,
I* 6 now under water only at flood
Bfe. Homes and havens thus decoyed
place fish at the mercy of
•to, hawks, cranes, turtles, snakes,
|j C coons and a host of other enemies.
j° longer can the bass escape to the
rPths, or to his hollow sunken-log
0t
ne, or to the haven of tangled tree
jw°ts. These are all largely destroyed.
^°r can the fish, during the heat of
f^mer, retire to water deep enough
^ afford shade and cool enough to
j^vide extra oxygen. The depths, too,
^ v e been destroyed.
^Apart from the anglers loss the loss
'human playgrounds has been conquerable.
In fact, it would be safe
assess the purely recreational loss
J? being tremendous. Youngsters, and
'?sters too, frequented the "old swim-
J^g hole." Boating, swimming,
Joeing and winter skating were all
£*t of the value of the mill dam.
^ough these dams were privately
j.^ed they became, in a very prac-
' c al sense, public parks. People in
jf^eral seemed to take it for granted
J^t the dams were for their enjoy-
. e *it. It is a testimony to the kindli-
JJss and generosity of the owners,
o made all the repairs and did all
p 6 work, that this feeling lasted as
^g as the dams.
v In addition to their value to fisheri
6r i, campers, canoeists, trappers,
^titers, an d skaters the dams had a
] to bable conservation value in other
. Ss obvious ways. Though the ac-
J^acy of the following ideas needs
,. le ntific investigation they are worthy
, mention. From observation it
^Pears that the dams helped to
^intain a more regular flow of water
all seasons. Excessively low water
3s
rare. Unnecessary and unwanted
Ipluatic vegetation was held to a min-
• j^m in areas of deeper water. Some
'fetation is necessary in our streams
Mp not the choked condition found
K s ome of the abandoned dams. They
ij/jj-haps raised the level of the water
?"e of nearby lands, in some cases
, distinct benefit to farmers. They
^t^ainly helped to decrease the load
K Sediment carried by the stream and
v^Uced to a minimum the muddy
n^ter periods after heavy rains. All
^ 6s e things and doubtless many more
;j) 6f e lost when the dams were ruined
j ^ugh neglect.
k Ift all sportsmen's groups stream im-
^Vement, fish culture, and conser-
{j'ion are main topics for discussion.
^ s toration of mill dams would be an
A
rEMBER—1949
active step in all three directions.
Bass rearing ponds would be less
necessary if present fish populations
have a chance to increase naturally.
Most conservationists agree that the
mere dumping of fish into a stream
inadequate to support them is senseless
waste. Where water acreage,
depth, reasonable protection and
proper temperatures are lacking they
must be provided before restocking
will be effective. Restoration of dams
would help to provide proper habitat
Eleven-year-old Paul Kline, of Bunker Hill,
proudly displays the prize small-mouth bass he
landed below the falls in the Swatara Creek at
Bunker Hill. .Paul lured the 19", Wt lb. beauty
with a hellgrammite. He was using 15 lb. test
line.
and at the same time provide recreation
for many persons.
Sportsmen have a duty to see that
their "sporting dollar" provides them
with maximum returns. Government
officials charged with the spending of
the sportsmen's money have a similar
duty to see that all money is spent
wisely and with foresight. Tax money,
whether it, be from license fees or other
sources should buy not only fish but
stream improvement and recreational
areas as well. Streams without fish
are as poor an investment as fish
without streams. To ignore human resources
is equally foolish. The three
elements; fish, water, and recreation
must be considered together. Restore
the mill dams and give the fish a
break!
What's New
Reviewed by Hugh Johnson
in Fishing Books
It has always been a source of wonder to
me that, in the great and increasing number
of fishing books published, there have
been so few written specifically for boys.
Basic habits of behavior, including those
of sportsmanship, are formed in the early
impressionable years, and it is certainly in
the best interests of continued good fishing
for all that those of us who have achieved
a degree of maturity in angling should pass
on our lessons, experience, and hopes to the
younger generation which is getting ready
to take over. This is already being done in
the field—but on altogether too small a scale
—by fishermen who take the time, and have
fun in the bargain, to give the youngsters
a tip or two on stream or lake.
But our angling writers have muffed the
challenge pretty thoroughly, and if one were
to judge only from the age appeal represented
on the shelves of fishing literature,
one would assume that nobody under 20
years of age ever did any serious game fishing.
One exception—Lee Wulff's Let's Go
Fishing, an excellent, basic book of instruction
for boys up to about 12 years of age—
has stood alone as angling literature's one
respectable curtsy to the existence of a
junior brotherhood of fishermen.
So, it is with rousing cheers and congratulations
that we shake the hands of Ollie
Rodman, publisher of Outdoors Magazine,
and Edward C. Janes, an associate editor on
the same magazine, for having recognized
this gap in the 12 to 16 year bracket and for
having filled it magnificently by writing
The Boy's Complete Book of Fresh and Salt
Water Fishing (published on July 20, 1949
by Little, Brown and Company, Boston,
Mass. $3.50). The section on Fresh Water
Fishing has 160 pages and covers bait fishing
for pan fish, pickerel, bass, and trout; trolling,
plug casting, fly fishing, spinning; and
has chapters on streamcraft, ice fishing, how
to clean fish, fishing knots, tackle care, and
even one on how to catch bait. The section
on Salt Water Fishing is short, 108
pages, but contains all the basic information
a youngster needs for launching into salt
water angling. The book is generously illustrated.
The publisher deserves a word of credit
for setting up and designing the book in such
a way that it doesn't look like a "juvenile,"
but reflects the he-man, outdoor informality
of the text. The assured success of this book
in its appeal to 12 to 16 year old readers
springs from the fact that it is written in a
friendly atmosphere of equality between
author and young reader—none of the patronizing
elder uncle stuff—and good techniques
and attitudes in fishing are "sold"
to the reader without a single don't or note
of dogma in the whole book. I would like
to have seen a chapter on the fundamentals
of fly-tying included in the Fresh Water
Fishing Section, because plenty of boys de-
(Turn to page 13)
!)