compiled by art michaels · is general working advice. if motor won’t operate properly, check for...

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • March-April 2006 www.fish.state.pa.us50

Pennsylvania Angler, and now Pennsylva-nia Angler & Boater, has always advancedthe mission of the Fish & Boat Commis-sion. But inside this main framework,the magazine’s name further sharpens itsfocus. PA Angler & Boater isn’t aboutfishing or boating itself—then the maga-zine would be called PA Angling & Boat-ing. PA Angler & Boater’s energy has al-ways been PA anglers and boaters—thepeople who participate in these sports.

Look at the selected covers from is-sues of the 1940s and you’ll see a repre-sentation of those who shaped thatdecade’s fishing in Pennsylvania. WorldWar II and its aftermath featuredprominently on covers, as did a bit offishing humor on the February 1941cover, a wonderful painting by artistFred Everett.

The June 1946 cover and in that issuethe two photographs of a returning sol-dier and his wife suggest a time whenmany veterans craved peace and quietextra specially.

During the 1940s, the Commission’sawareness of boating grew in reaction toits increasing responsibilities for pleasureboating. “The Fisherman’s OutboardMotor,” an article from the July 1948 is-sue, was one of the magazine’s early in-structive pieces on boating.

During the 1930s and 1940s, the maga-zine included very few articles or infor-mation on boating, mainly for two rea-sons. First, an act of May 28, 1931, whichbecame effective that year on July 1, re-quired a license for motorboats operatedon inland waters. Enforcement of this lawwas placed with the Fish Commission,and that appears to be the first time en-forcement of a boating law was placedspecifically with the Fish Commission.

Second, the sport of pleasure boatinghas been growing in Pennsylvania overmany decades—and it continues togrow. Even as the Fish Commissiongradually became more responsible forpleasure boating in Pennsylvania, an-glers continued to view boating mainlyas a subordinate part of fishing: Yourboat was simply another item of fishingtackle, and anglers who fished fromboats just didn’t view themselves as boat-ers. Unfortunately, boating safety thenwas at best a minor concern. Things aredifferent today.

On the fishing front, compare the il-lustrated “1949 Seasons, Size and Creel

compiled by Art Michaels

from the June 1946 Issue

Limits on Game Fishes, Etc. in Pennsyl-vania,” from the April 1949 issue, withthe “2006 Seasons, Sizes and Creel Lim-its Poster,” which appeared on pages 32-33 of the November/December 2005 is-sue. You’ll see how some things are simi-lar today to the way they were then.

The article “Sneaking Up on Trout,”from the April 1948 issue, may also seemfamiliar—it’s an early version of the kindof “how-to” (instructive) articles thatbecame Pennsylvania Angler’s mainstay.

In the next issue: Pennsylvania Anglerduring the 1950s.—Art Michaels.

Sgt. Wm. H. (Bill) Barrett of Harrisburg, recently returned from the B-29Bomber Group in the South Pacific, finds peace and quiet on Stony Creek,Dauphin Co., where he and his wife, Laura, snare a few “brookies.”


1940sPENNSYLVANIA ANGLER

and the

www.fish.state.pa.us Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • March-April 2006 51

from the July 1948 issue

www.fish.state.pa.us Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • March-April 2006 51

There are thousands of fishermen inPennsylvania whose outboard motorsare to them as essential as their fishingrods, some very good fishing groundsin our larger lakes and dams are as in-accessible to the man without an out-board as many places of pleasure are tothe man without a car. Until such timeas garages and service stations line thebanks of our streams and ponds withthe same profusion as our highways, theoutboard equipped fisherman will insome part be forced to be his own me-chanic, not only making adjustmentsbut he will find it beneficial to be ableto diagnose more serious troubles.

To the old experienced boaterknowledge of his motor has been athing learned through sweat and foulwords, even at that the great majoritydoes not know all the short cuts totrouble shooting. To the newly initi-ated “a word to the wise” won’t be suf-ficient although it may go a long waystoward fewer aches in the head.

A summary of trouble shooting aswell as general care as gleaned from adealer’s catalogue is good reading be-fore the time arrives to get the old “put-put” out and gas her up; the followingis general working advice.

If motor won’t operate properly,check for the following:

MOTOR LOSES POWER—Fueltoo rich (slows down), fuel too lean(backfires and slows down), impropergasoline and oil mixture (scored cylin-der, worn rings).

STIFF MOTOR—Rust in cylinder,crankshaft bent, propeller shaft bent,no grease in lower unit.

THE FISHERMAN’S OUTBOARD MOTOR

PROPELLER FAILS TO RE-VOLVE—Shear pin broken, drive onpropeller shaft broken, and propellernut loose.

FUEL—No fuel in tank, air ventclosed, shut off fuel valve closed, fuelline clogged, carburetor dirty, tankscreen dirty.

MOTOR MAKES POORPROGRESS THROUGH WATER—Propeller blades bent, rope or anchordragging, fouled propeller.

NO SPARK—Wires disconnected,breaker points fouled, breaker points donot come together when flywheel re-volved, breaker points do not separatewhen flywheel revolved, spark plugsdirty, cracked, points not adjusted to.030 or center pole loose.

HOT MOTOR—Water pump inletfouled by weeds or debris, lack ofproper oil in fuel, use of wrong propel-ler, leak of water in inlet tube, wornpump rotor, motor not deep enough inwater.

MOTOR VIBRATES—Poor igni-tion, bent propeller, clamp screws nottight, fouled propeller.

BAD COMPRESSION—Pistonrings fouled and stuck in pistongrooves, cylinder scored.

KNOCKING MOTOR—Flywheelnut loose, fouled cylinders (too muchoil in fuel), worn piston, worn cylin-der, worn bearings.

MOTOR MISSES—Broken or loosewire, poor insulation, short circuit dueto moisture or oil, breaker points cor-roded, improperly spaced or fouled,weak coil or condenser, dirt or foreign

matter in carburetor, fuel line fouled orrestricted, water or dirt in carburetorstrainer or carburetor parts.

Submerged MotorThe manufacturers recommended

that should your motor be submergedand recovered that it be taken immedi-ately to your nearest dealer and underno conditions attempt to start yourmotor if it has been under water as thiswill damage the magneto and possiblyother parts of your motor.

If you cannot get your motor to adealer within five hours after recover-ing it, remove the starter cover and therear and front shrouds. 1. Remove theflywheel and the starter plate. 2. Re-move spark plugs and carburetor. 3.Wash all these parts in gasoline and al-low drying in a warm, NOT HOT, place.4. Pour oil in cylinders while rotatingmotor by hand to force water out ofcylinders and crankcase. 5. Drain tankand fuel lines, and then flush with freshgasoline.

When magneto is dry, reassembleon motor and check spark by holdingend of ignition cable near cylinder headwhile spinning flywheel. Test each cablerepeatedly, grounding other cable tosome part of the motor.

Should all attempts fail to start yourmotor see your dealer or send motorto the factory.

To Store When Not in useRemove spark plugs and pour two

tablespoons of lubricating oil in eachcylinder, then revolve the flywheel toevenly spread this lubricant over thepistons and cylinder walls. Replace theplugs. Pack gear housing with grease.Now wipe the entire motor with an oilyrag being sure to cover all joints andcrevices. Cover your entire motor witha tarpaulin, heavy canvas or heavy pa-per, in order to keep out any dust anddirt. It is advisable to keep your ship-ping container for this storage purpose.

Remember to store in a warm, dryplace to avoid the possibility of any re-maining pockets of water freezing.When storing motor, keep in uprightposition.

One fisherman or more go just as easy with anoutboard.

Here the motor and fisherman both did their part to get a good one.

By EUGENE SLONE


From the April 1949 issue


www.fish.state.pa.us Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • March-April 2006 53 www.fish.state.pa.us Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • March-April 2006 53

From the April 1948 issue

If you chance upon a chap kneeling in a shallow riffle ina trout stream, don’t jump to the conclusion that he ispraying.

Or if you spot a fellow sneaking around behind abush with his eyes fixed on a flat pool, he certainly isn’tplaying Indian.

Instead, you will be observing a couple of anglerswho have learned some of the art of sneaking up onunsuspecting trout, and that art is a good one to possessin this day when the fish that live in even a remote moun-tain stream are scarcely able to spend a whole day inpeace and quiet without being fished for.

Scientists admit they have a lot to learn about fish.But of one thing they are certain: Fish have keen eyes.Nature gave them good sight to protect them from alltheir enemies. That is why the unwitting fisherman nevergets a chance to offer his fly or bait to some fish.

Nobody should feel sorry for such a bungling an-gler, for sneaking up on a trout is really a simple ma-neuver. Let us consider, one by one, some of the morecommon methods.

Take, first, the case of the man kneeling in the riffle.He knows there are trout in that flat, shallow water di-rectly upstream from the riffle. The chances are that helearned that fact by walking carelessly up through theriffle until the trout fled from the quiet water with suchvigor that the otherwise placid surface was disturbed.

But now his technique has changed. He is down onhis knees—because the closer his body is to the water,the closer he can approach the trout without being seenby them. However, he isn’t interested in seeing how closehe can get to the spot where he intends to cast his fly.He is satisfied just to get within range—that is, to ap-proach the trout water closely enough that he can casthis fly to the fish with the proper care and exactness. Hehas learned that in this way he can catch fish instead ofscaring them out of their wits.

Remember, now, the angler hiding behind a bush? Iknow from a personal experience what he has in mind.

There’s a beautiful pool on a favorite trout streamof mine. But on either side of it the land is flat and onlyan inch or two higher than the surface of the water. Tostand upright and fish it from either side is obviouslyimpossible.

It is equally futile to attempt to stand at the lowerend of the pool and cast upstream. The pool is so smallthat an angler standing at one end of it can see quiteclearly the rock formation on the bottom at the oppo-site end of the stretch.

Early one afternoon I gave this particular bit of wa-ter a thorough inspection. It contained ideal cover fortrout—and it contained some nice brown trout too. Ireturned to the pool a couple of hours later and sat downa safe distance back from the water to consider how tolet those trout see my fly without also seeing me.

A scrawny clump of brush grew close to one side ofthe pool—and it offered the only solution. While onhands and knees, and crouching as close to the groundas possible, I worked my way behind that clump of veg-etation which put me within about ten feet of the water.

Using a side cast, with the rod low, I dropped my flyon the ground about 25 feet behind me. Then with an-other side cast, still keeping the rod only a foot or so offthe ground, I flipped the fly out onto the surface of thepool. It was taken immediately by a 12-foot brown trout.

The pool was rested for about ten minutes—while Ismoked a cigarette and congratulated myself on beingsuch a smart guy. Then I caught two more trout fromthe same pool. The first two slid out of the water qui-etly, but the third kicked up such a fuss that the rest ofthe fish immediately went into hiding. I’ve been a “be-hind the bush” angler ever since, whenever the occasioncalls for such tactics.

A friend of mind, a man who loves to fish for troutwith live grasshoppers, has developed another neat bit

of stream strategy. He’ll walk a mile or more to find astretch of trout water that contains boulders or otherobstructions, and therefore pockets. He knows thatgrasshopper season also usually is dry weather and thatthe trout are likely to be found in the deeper holes wherethe water is cooler and where the fish find a greater mea-sure of protection. This man usually attaches a smallsplit shot to his leader to make it easier to maneuver hisbait. He gets upstream from a selected pocket, and thenproceeds to steer his bait right down to the fish.

He never gives the fish a chance to get a glimpse ofhim. In this particular case he takes advantage of thefactor of distance as a means of sneaking up on the trout.

Here and there along the length of this stream aresmall clearings in the woods. An angler who has learnedto work in close quarters can step back into one of theseclearings a safe distance from the stream and drop hisfly lightly on the water that is flowing past. Of course,the line or leader will snag now and then on a rock be-tween the angler and the stream and a fish will tear loose.That happens so seldom that the risk is well worth tak-ing. The idea is that the fisherman can stand uprightagainst such a background and the fish will not noticehim, at least not enough to cause them to become fright-ened. There is one “if—and an important one—in such a set-up.It works if the fisherman is properly dressed.

Have you ever noticed how many fellows wear whiteor other brightly colored shirts while fishing? Of coursethey look neat and clean—but what must a wary troutthink when it observes a patch of glaring color movingalong a background that it is accustomed to seeing onlyin the soft greens and browns of nature? Trout don’tknow anything about whiter shirts, of course, but theydo instinctively become alarmed at anything unusualthat appears within their range of vision, as any wildcreature does.

Any soft, subdued color is good for fishing clothing.It enables the angler to blend himself into his naturalsurroundings. Proper tackle and the proper use of tacklealso enter into the situation. Any tackle that glitters andshines is an abomination. It reflects sunlight and notrout ever struck a fly or bait while a dazzling ray oflight was hitting it in the eyes. Even the surface of a

highly polished fishing rod will, under some conditions, glitterand gleam. The obvious remedy is to use tackle that does notglitter. That’s why most fishing reels are brown, black or someother dark color. That’s why, also, so many fishing rods nolonger have bright metal ferrules.

The rod itself is no great offense. A varnished surface isnecessary to preserve the bamboo, and it doesn’t reflect muchlight anyway. As a matter of fact, if false casting is held to theminimum, no angler need fear for the flash of his rod will frightenfish.

In the final analysis, it is validly more important forthe angler to master the art of maneuvering himself intoa favorable position than it is for him to be finicky aboutthe kind of clothing he wears and the equipment he uses.

Sneaking Up on Troutby

Dick Fortney

A wide-open pool like this is a real problem unless there is a bush or some other obstruction behind whichthe angler can hide.

You may have to get down on your knees to put thefly up into that quiet pool just below the waterfall.


July 1942 December 1943

June 1945 April 1946 May 1946

June 1946 May 1947 June 1949

February 1941

Selected PA Angler Covers from the 1940s


compiled by art michaels · is general working advice. if motor won’t operate properly, check for...

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