Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2020 - 17

A fine education

I was on boat patrol on Blue Marsh
Lake, Berks County, with WCO Pisko
and WCO Rhoades. While dealing
with the operator of a personal
watercraft (PWC) on the shoreline
at Dry Brooks Day Use Area, we
noticed another violation about to
take place. Before the individual on
the PWC went further out on the
water, we called him over to our boat.
We informed the individual that his
life jacket did not appear to be an
approved type and that he needed to
wear a proper life jacket. The individual
was confused about what we meant
by wearing a proper life jacket. While
I held the PWC alongside our boat,
WCO Pisko and WCO Rhoades
educated the individual about the
United States Coast Guard label on life
jackets. He took off the life jacket to read
the label. The individual understood,
returned to shore and beached the
PWC. He immediately gathered his
friends to check all of the life jackets,
some of which were not the approved
type. Luckily for the group, the Army
Corps had additional loaner life jackets
available for use, so their day of boating
was not cut short, and they now
understood the importance of having
the proper life jacket type and size.-
WCO Travis Miller, Lehigh County.

The smart one

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The first time
and the last time

While checking some anglers at a
local rod and gun club, I spoke to a
gentleman from Lancaster, Lancaster
County. The gentleman, like many
others who are not local to the area,
have been fishing a certain creek
due to upstream flooding at a "pay
to fish" business, resulting in quite
a few trophy-sized trout washing
downstream. During our conversation,
he asked me if the stream was still
going to be stocked by the PFBC. I
replied that it was still going to be
stocked and gave him the date of the
upcoming stocking. He replied, "there
are too many fish in here already,
it does not need to be stocked." I
chuckled and told him he was the first
(and probably the last) person to tell
me there were too many trout in a
stream and not to stock more trout in
it.-WCO Troy Merrell, Berks County.

Mission accomplished

I often get asked what I enjoy most
about being a WCO. I love being in
nature and being a part of conserving
resources, but my favorite part of my job
happens every now and then.
I was patrolling a lake and noticed
three individuals on the shoreline. I
made my way to the group. A man and
woman were sitting on a blanket with a
boy, about 10-years-old, who was
20 yards away with a fishing rod in his
hand. I walked to the boy and asked
if he had any luck. He quietly said no.
I looked at his rod and could see why.
The hook was huge with a piece of
plastic worm on it, and a bobber was
attached to the line, touching the hook.
I asked to look in his tackle box. He did
not have much to work with. Finding a
smaller hook and a splitshot, I had the
rod ready for action in a few minutes.
We flipped a few logs and found bait.
I suggested he cast near the lily pads.
He made a good cast and in under
a minute, the bobber was under the
water. When he reeled in a Bluegill, he
began yelling, "Mom, Mom" and took
off running to her. He could not wait to

show her the fish he caught. Mission
accomplished. I continued down the
shoreline feeling like a hero.-WCO
Jeremiah D. Allen, Beaver County.

You're stocking what?

March and April in Pennsylvania
brings one the busiest times for
WCOs. Being in charge of stocking
trout in lakes and streams requires
extra preparation prior to arriving
to ensure water and road conditions
are favorable, determining number
of stops, managing the volunteer
stocking, and making sure everything
is done to promote safety.
Some things are out of our control,
such as what WCO Christman relayed
to me during a preseason stream
stocking. WCO Christman went to the
water's edge to check on the welfare of
the recently deposited trout. Peering
into the water, WCO Christman saw a
creature half-buried in the bottom. Not
sure exactly what it was-only a tail and
a foot were visible-he apprehensively
reached into the water. He extracted a
child's dinosaur toy (pictured below).
Ever the comedian, WCO
Christman immediately brought the
dinosaur toy back to the distribution
truck and confronted our fish
culturist, surrounded by an audience,
wanting to know what they were
raising at that hatchery.
While WCOs may get accused
of doing many things, I am sure
stocking dinosaurs has not previously
been on that list.-Sergeant Bryan
Bendock, Northeast Region Law
Enforcement Office.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * March/April 2020

photo-Sergeant Bryan Bendock

While patrolling a tributary of the
Delaware River, a Deputy Waterways
Conservation Officer and I spotted
three individuals at a popular fishing
spot. Two of the men, brothers, were
fishing and the third was not. This man
was just hanging out with his buddies.
As we approached the group, in order
to start a conversation, I asked the third
man if he was fishing. "I do not have my
fishing license yet, and I am not stupid
enough to fish without one," said the
man. Unfortunately, his two friends,
the brothers, did not take the same
approach. They were fishing without
licenses. According to the anglers, they
were going to buy fishing licenses the
following week. Always buy your license
before fishing. It is the law.-WCO
Michael Blair, Southern Bucks County.

NOTES from theStreams

17
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2020

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