On May 16, Dan “Durt” Whalen of Berkshire Village was fishing for trout on Onota Lake near the pier. Using his trout rod, his trusty old Garcia Mitchell 300 spinning reel, 6 lb test line and Berkley Power Bait on a size 8 Eagle Claw hook, he was after some trout. It was a cloudy day and he was having decent luck, having caught a couple of Rainbow Trout.
Then he had another hit and when he set the hook, he knew he was into a decent sized fish, perhaps a Carp. He said it put up fierce fight lasting 20 minutes and when he got it close to shore, he could see that it was a Northern Pike. The fish made three runs, nearly spooling him out. Finally, he got it near the shore again but because of the size of the fish, Don knew it would break his line if he tried to beach it (He didn’t have a net). So, he waded into the water nearly up to his waist, grabbed the fish under its gill and carried it into shore.
He laid the fish onto the wet grass and gingerly removed the hook from the fish. He was lucky for it had been hooked on the its skin just outside of its lip, otherwise its sharp teeth would have easily cut the line. He said that when he weighed the fish on his digital scales, it weighed 29 lbs even, was 49 inches long and had a girth of 20 inches.
A man and women were nearby and saw the whole event. Don asked the woman if she would take his picture with the fish using his cell phone, which she did.
Don chose to release the fish and submit an affidavit to MassWildlife attesting to its size. If accepted, he should get at least a bronze pin from the State, perhaps the gold pin, in the Catch and Release category. (A gold pin and plaque are awarded for catching the largest species of a freshwater fish in the state for that year). Don was not interested in keeping the fish to mount as he already has a large Northern Pike hanging on his wall. It was a gold pin fish that he caught in 2001. He said that one weighed 26.9 lbs and was 46 ½ inches long.
Usually pike the size Don recently caught are taken on tip-ups through the ice. It is rare to see one this large taken on a rod and reel. The fact that he caught it on 6 lb test and size 8 hook makes the feat even more remarkable. That and the fact that he caught it on a reel approximately 50 years old.
Good old-fashioned fly fishing
Speaking of old reels and equipment, fishing buddy Paul Knauth of Hinsdale and I recently spent a few days flyfishing for trout on the Ausable River in and around Wilmington, NY (near Lake Placid). This year, we decided to do something different, we would fish with old equipment, stuff right out of the 1940’s and 1950’s.
I chose to use my Heddon Expert bamboo fly rod which was once owned by the late Russell Chenail of North Adams. I purchased it from his niece last year. Out of curiosity, I researched the rod and found out that it was built between 1948 and 1952 and sold by Sears Roebuck. The reel was a Pfluger Medalist Model 1494 ½ which was purchased from Rod Moon’s Sporting Store in the mid 1970’s.

I also brought along my old willow creel that was once owned by my late uncle Alphonse Chague. Lord knows how old that creel it, but I suspect that it is around 80 years old.
Paul brought his Phillipson PaceMaker bamboo rod which was built sometime between 1946 and 1951. Bill Phillipson had been a protégé of Goodwin Granger and then supervisor of the rod shop for the Goodwin Granger Co. up until the time it closed down shortly before World War II. In 1945 he tried to purchase the Granger operation but when that failed, he started his own company, the Phillipson Rod and Tackle Co.
Paul also brought along his creel which was probably as old if not older than mine.
We had a ball fishing with these old flyrods. We are used to fishing with today’s modern graphite flyrods which weigh hardly anything. These rods weigh probably three times the weight of the modern rods. Their actions are quite different, too, they are whippier, and it took a while to adjust to the slower action of these rods. But we did, and we put them through the test of three days of fishing.
What a thrill fishing, catching and releasing trout on a flyrod that was made over 70 years ago. What stories they could tell. In my case, I was fishing with the Ausable Wulff, a bushy dry fly that was created by the famous Wilmington, NY fly tyer Francis Betters some 55 years ago which only added to the enjoyment. Paul was fishing sub surface mainly with bead head nymphs.
We encountered several old timers on the river, one wading and expertly casting away at 87 years old. His wife, perhaps not much younger, was out in the stream fly fishing with him, looking chic in her chest waders. When they and other older anglers spotted our cane rods, they commented on how they used to fish with them in olden times. The sight of the rods appeared to have brought back fond memories for them.
Unless you are used to them, bamboo rods can pose an endurance challenge. As noted above, they are heavier. Our modern-day graphite rods weigh around 1 ½ oz; whereas these rods weigh about 5 oz. I know it doesn’t sound like much weigh, but when you sling these things around for nearly 10 hours a day you feel it. At the end of the third day, my shoulder ached and I thought my casting arm would fall off into the river and drift away.
In spite of the fact that the river was running high due to recent storms Paul and I had a wonderful, memorable trip, filled with nostalgia. We were fishing in a gorgeous area, the foot of Whiteface Mountain. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Thank you to Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops
Recently, MassWildlife staff visited Cabela’s in Berlin, MA and Bass Pro Shops in Foxborough, MA to accept donations of over 100 fishing rods and reels. This fishing equipment will be used by MassWildlife’s Angler Education Program to teach families how to fish across Massachusetts. To find upcoming learn-to-fish classes and clinics near you, check MassWildlife’s Angler Education Calendar.
This generous donation is part of a nationwide effort by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s to get families outside this summer. Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris is challenging families to put down their digital devices and get outside to discover the joys of fishing. To kick off Gone Fishing, the nationwide movement that gets kids and families connected to nature each summer, they are donating more than 55,000 rods and reels nationwide to nonprofit organizations that help kids from all backgrounds connect to the great outdoors.
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s hosted family-friendly Gone Fishing events over the last two weekends. Kids of all ages were invited to catch their first fish with free catch-and-release ponds, take home a “First Fish” certificate and beginner’s guides, and participate in free seminars, free crafts and free photo downloads. The effort is part of the company’s mission to inspire future generations to enjoy, love and conserve the great outdoors. Since the program’s inception, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s have donated 400,000 items to youth-focused nonprofit organizations across North America.