Transcription
Spring2009by Amidea Daniel and Adam SpanglerBack to the BasicsBait vs. Lure: What is the Difference?Anglers use many different types ofbaits and lures to catch the big one.Baits are any live or dead food item youput on your hook whether it is naturalor from the grocery store.Lures come in all shapes, sizes andcolors and can be made of plastic, metal,wood or feathers. Some swivel and spinin the water and some just float.Why do anglers usedifferent types ofbaits and lures?.Think about it. Do“PizzaAnyone?”you eat the same thing each day?Neither do the fish. Fish live in avariety of habitats and waterways,so fish eat different foods. Anglershave tried fishing with just abouteverything over the years.“Something smells good!”36Pennsylvania Angler & Boater March/April 2009www.fishandboat.com
Baits in your BackyardFishing baits are in your backyard. Worms are the most popular bait with crickets, grasshoppersand caterpillars following close behind.Here is a list of popular baits and information on where you can find them! Check with Mom or Dadfor a container and ask for permission to collect bait in your yard.Worms:Worms love compost,manure, wet leaves and mulch.They also love sidewalks anddriveways on rainy nights.Crickets andGrasshoppers:Crickets like nooks andcrannies. Capture them usingan old jar and some stalebread. Grasshoppers are infields and gardens duringearly summer mornings. Graba friend and an old sheet, runthrough the nearby field tocatch these critters. Storegrasshoppers in a coffee canwith holes in the lid.Caterpillars:Caterpillars are on trees andbushes during summer andfall. They can be stored in acoffee can with other critters.Many types of baits are available to try when fishing; however, these few will help you get started.Can you find these baits in your backyard? Look!1Backyard baits crosswordDOWN2341. Found on trees and bushes.2. Found around sheds, homes, sidewalks,under stones.3. Found in rich soft ground and compostpiles.ACROSS4. Found in fields and gardens in themorning.Answer Key1. Caterpillars 2. Crickets 3. Worms 4. Grasshopperswww.fishandboat.comPennsylvania Angler & Boater March/April 200937
Habitat AdventuresWhat do all living things need to survive? That’s right!You need a home (shelter), food, water, oxygen and space.This is a habitat.The recipe for a great trout habitat is cold, clean, freshwater with a mixture of large and medium rocks, pebbles,undercut banks, root systems and vegetation. Trout,crayfish and mayflies love gravel stream bottomswith bubbly riffles.A warm-water pond, with plenty of vegetation,tree trunks and ample food can be a greathabitat for bass.38Pennsylvania Angler & Boater March/April 2009www.fishandboat.com
Old Mother Hubbard went tothe cupboard to fetch apoor angler some BAIT?Is there bait in your Mother’s kitchen? Look insideyour cupboard for some kitchen suprisesCATCH S’MORE FISHFISH CEREALmix cornflakes, water andpowdered cheese untildoughy. Roll balls and freezeover night.Finicky Fish enjoy fire cookedhotdog chunks, smeared withmarshmallows and garlic.Yum.DOUGH BOYRoll bread bits into balls. Addcinnamon or tuna juice.Here are a few tasty treats that will help you catch the big one.Little Smokies - These mini sausages are fish magnets.Rubber Chicken - Fish love sun-cured, garlic-soaked chicken liver.Sticky Situation - Chewed and rolled into a ball, teaberry gum catches fish.The Big Cheese - A cheesy alternative to live bait, cheese balls are irressistible.Worm Bath - Soaked in vanilla extract, these worms are appetizing.www.fishandboat.comPennsylvania Angler & Boater March/April 200939
The Lures ofPennsylvaniaWatersLure fishing is full ofaction. Fish attackplastic, metal or woodobjects as if theyare live bait.Surface:Surface LuresTreble hooks with bodies made of wood or plastic. These lures imitatemice, frogs or injured fish when reeled across the water.Artificial FliesConstructed of hooks, feathers and synthetic materials, flies imitate small,aquatic or terrestrial animals and insects.Subsurface:JigsJigs are a weighted lead head hook, covered with a minnow or plasticworm. Jigs are bobbed in a vertical motion to attract fish.PlugsPlugs also known as crankbaits are lures that dive or dart back and forthin the water. Crankbaits imitate minnows or deep-bodied prey and arefished on top of the water or deep down in the water.SpinnersNamed after metal blades that spin (when reeled in), spinners flash andvibrate to look like baitfish.40Pennsylvania Angler & Boater March/April 2009www.fishandboat.com
Come and Get Em!Help Sunny choose the lure he wantsto use to catch each fish. Write the answeron the line under each lure.Lures have more than one answer.B. BROOK TROUTLives in small, cool streamsthroughout Pennsylvaniawhere water is healthy andsupports many aquatic insects.3. CRANKBAITC. LARGEMOUTH BASSLives in warmwater lakes, pondsand rivers. They stay near shore inweed beds or by sunken tree stumps.As aggressive feeders, they will giveyou a good fight.4. SPOON LURED. SMALLMOUTH BASSLives in streams, rivers or lakes.They ambush prey; therefore, theyhang tight to boulders andsubmerged root systems.5. ARTIFICIAL FLYE. BLUEGILLLike lakes, ponds and slow-movingrivers or streams. They prefer quiet,heavily vegetated waters to hideand feed.4. b, c, e5. b, c, d, ewww.fishandboat.com3. a, c, d, e2. SPINNERPennsylvania Angler & Boater March/April 20092. a, b, dA. PERCHLikes lakes and ponds with deeperwater. Where there is one perch,there are more.Answers: 1. c, d1. GREEN POPPER41
Bait RulesYou wear a bike helmet to bike and a life jacket to boat. These are regulations and laws you need tofollow to keep safe. We also have regulations and laws that protect Pennsylvania aquatic resources.Anglers follow these regulations and laws to provide safe and enjoyable fishing experiences.BASIC FISHING REGULATIONSREGULATION/LAWLEGALBAITUsing minnows, chubs, crayfish,insect larvae and worms.ILLEGALUsing goldfish, koi and carp.Taking fish from one stream orlake and placing them inanother stream or lakeCOLLECTING BAITUsing a minnow net to collectbait.Collecting 50 combined baitspecies.Collecting bait on approvedtrout waters betweem March 1and the first day of trout.Collecting bait on specialregulation waters.If you purchase bait, there isno minimum bait amount, butyou need your receipt.FISHINGUsing a maximum of 3 hooksper line.Fishing with a snagging hook.Fishing with 3 rods.Fishing with 2 rods.For more information on fishing regulations, see the Pennsylvania Fishing Summary.Edited by: Spring GearhartIllustrations: Ted Walke and Kristen WickardPhotos: Spring Gearhart and PA Fish & Boat Commission Photo ArchivesPLAY Subscriptions: Norine Bahnweg and Teri Millerc 2009 PA Fish & Boat Commission42Pennsylvania Angler & Boater March/April 2009www.fishandboat.com
Here is a list of popular baits and information on where you can fi nd them! Check with Mom or Dad for a container and ask for permission to collect bait in your yard. Worms: Worms love compost, manure, wet leaves and mulch. They also love sidewalks and driveways on rainy nights. Crickets and Grasshoppers: Crickets like nooks and crannies.
