Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2023 - 11

NOTES
Fish on!
I patrol the Allegheny River from
Freeport to Redbank Township
in southwestern Pennsylvania.
This section of the river is home
to species of fish that can grow to
enormous sizes including catfish,
Muskellunge, and Walleyes. I
frequently get the opportunity to
talk to anglers from all over the
United States, in pursuit of the
catch of a lifetime. While checking
fishing licenses and their creels,
I always ask how the fishing has
been, the type of bait they are using,
and what method has been the
most successful.
Occasionally, while learning
about the angler's experience, I hear
a spool singing as line comes off
the reel or the jingle of a bell at the
end of the rod, which in our world
means, " fish on! " Throughout my
time as a Waterways Conservation
Officer (WCO), I have seen
Walleyes put on a stringer for
dinner, muskies that snapped lines
at first sight, and catfish so big I
needed to assist in holding the net.
Being there to see the smiles on the
faces of anglers when their hard
work and determination finally
pays off is the most rewarding part
of being a WCO.
I often get asked if I ever have
the opportunity to fish. I always
reply, " I get to go fishing every day
alongside Pennsylvania anglers. " -
WCO D. Dorian Seibel, Greene/
Southern Washington counties.
In plain view
The Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania has an enormous
problem with litter. It takes a lot of
taxpayer dollars to attempt to keep
Pennsylvania clean, not to mention
the volunteers who spend countless
hours picking up trash.
With that said, littering is a serious
violation, especially littering along the
waters of the Commonwealth. People
seldom litter in front of a WCO. As
a result, we spend hours conducting
surveillance at a troublesome spot,
with varied results.
So, imagine my surprise, while I
was sitting at a popular fishing spot
in Pittsburgh in my marked patrol
vehicle, when the occupants of a
vehicle parked approximately 50 feet
in front of me decided to throw their
litter out of the vehicle.
I waited for the vehicle to depart in
an effort to give them the opportunity
to pick up their trash. Once they
departed, I activated my emergency
lights and siren and stopped the
vehicle. The vehicle was occupied
by four people, and it became a
game of " nobody knew anything. "
In Pennsylvania, the operator is
responsible for any litter that is
emitted from the vehicle, so the
problem was solved.
The moral of the story-leave
paper, get " paper " . Hopefully, they will
think twice before trashing a fishing
spot that I protect.-WCO Michael E.
Johnson, Central Allegheny County.
Ice ghost
At the end of a long day on the ice,
an angler and his son began hoisting
up their tip-ups and packing up their
gear to head home for some warmth
and a hot dinner. With only three
tip-ups still deployed on Little Pine
Lake, Lycoming County, the angler
was in the process of winding up one
of his lines when one of the remaining
tip-ups sprung. The bright red flag
waving in the wind signified that a fish
took the bait. The angler rushed to the
illustration-Andrea Feeney
January/February 2023
11
device in hopes of catching one final
fish before departing.
As he lifted the device out of the
ice hole, the line was screaming off
the spool. Much to his surprise, the
spool was almost out of line. The fish
had grabbed the bait and was destined
to escape capture. The angler quickly
grasped the line and set the hook.
Hand over hand, the line slowly came
back in with the fish hooked and
fighting hard. The task of bringing in
so much line became tiring. His son
took over, grabbing the line and began
the same process. After a few minutes,
the fish approached the hole and was
successfully landed by the young
boy. The elusive fish was a 21-inch
Rainbow Trout that had tussled with a
few other ice fishing anglers and had
persevered. As the angler removed
his hook from its mouth, five other
hooks with small sections of line
attached bejeweled its jaw-trophies
awarded through its battles with the
previous anglers. Although it was
evident other anglers failed, on this
day, an angler and his son brought the
ghost through the ice.-WCO Justin
D. Boatwright, Clinton and Western
Lycoming counties.
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2023

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