Jul 1, 2017 5 min read

It was with great interest that I read the letter in last weeks’ Observer-Reporter written by Chet Krcle of Claysville. I agree with Chet whole heartedly and think it is a shame that sportsmen allow the politicians to run the Game Commission, even when it is done in a backdoor fashion.

I know I keep repeating myself but I would much rather see a general raise in license fees than adding more stamps and other fees to the general license. The Game Commission has a job to do and if a raise is needed, then so be it. Over the years, politicians have had no problem giving themselves a raise. There are controls and maybe too many of them written into the bill giving the Game Commission the right to raise license fees. So be it, they need and deserve it. To see some of the work done by the Commission and work that benefits those who do not hunt, just go to Canonsburg Lake and see the number of people watching the majestic Eagles. Sometimes I am the first to criticize it but must also say the Game Commission is a needed agency of this state and one whose job impacts anyone interested in wild things and wild places. Let’s give it support when it is justified and when it is needed. Keep politics out of wildlife management and give the game commission the right to raise license fees. After all, it is one of life’s great bargains. One can hardly enjoy a meal for two for what it is spent for a year of hunting.

When one looks at the available fishing in our corner of the state, we catch trout in April and May and then things go a bit down hill. After all, there is little Walleye fishing or trolling of 8-inch lures for Muskie. At one time there was always great Muskie fishing in Dunkard Creek near the state line at Blacksville, W.Va., to where the creek entered the Monongahela in Pennsylvania. Pollution took care of that and the creek will probably come back, but it takes years to grow a 40-inch Muskie. So that leaves us with little more than fishing for catfish, pan fish or bass.

Streams like Ten Mile, Chartiers, Little Chartiers and Dutch Fork hold smallmouth bass. Most other small creeks in both Greene and Washington County hold smallmouth but rarely are they more than 12 inches. Still, they can be fun to catch. The smallmouth is a native and often hooked by trout fishermen during the springtime and thrown back with little care. This is one of the prices paid by stocking trout in these small bass streams, a good example would be the Templeton south of Claysville. For years, this was a good smallmouth stream and, while the waters still hold these hard-fighting fish, it is not as good as it once was. Much the same can be said about other waters near home. Trout fishing does take a toll on other fish present.

The other bass, the largemouth, is also present in slow-moving waters and ponds. This fish can be caught in much larger sizes than the stream-loving smallmouth and in the right pond still can be caught at more than 20 inches and four pounds. My best last year was 22 inches and weighed more than five pounds. Of course, it was caught in a private pond and released so it could grow up. It is these farm ponds that offer the best summer fishing in our area. The problem with most of them involves the weeds and grasses that begin to clog the shoreline in most ponds. Catch a four-pound fish and by the time you land it there is the fish and about five pounds of weeds attached to the lure. Hooking them might be easy but landing them requires heavier than normal line.

My buddy John brought up a good point: the rod better have some backbone to it. A limber rod will not get those grass-covered fish to net. So it is time to put that light trout rod away and get out a heavier rod and a reel filled with at least eight-pound line. Deep running lures can and will get tangled in underwater grasses which destroy the action. I prefer a lure that runs just under the surface. Spinner baits work well but there are many others.

When landing a fish, be prepared to bring it in where there are few weeds. If the fish does get stuck in heavy weed growth, then there is little one can do but give slack line and hope it frees itself from the tangle. Sometimes it will swim free and sometimes it will also free itself from the lure. You take that chance. Give it a try but be sure to ask the owner of the pond, then sit back and enjoy.

George Block writes a Sunday outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.