Each summer, MassWildlife fisheries biologists take to the water to sample the Commonwealth’s rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds for fish. Biologists gather information on fish species at each location in order to evaluate the quality of recreational fishing opportunities and to monitor overall ecosystem health. Waterbodies are typically surveyed on a 10–15 year rotation to track changes in fish communities over time.
Large rivers sampled this summer included the Bass, Chicopee, Concord, Coonamessett, Herring, Hoosic, Housatonic, Manhan, Nashua, North Branch of the Nashua, Quaboag, and Swift rivers. Over twenty lakes and ponds were also sampled across the Commonwealth. One of the many highlights of the summer sampling effort was an encounter with hundreds of healthy trout in the Swift River – including a 17 lb., 33″ Brown Trout!
Fish are collected through electrofishing by boat, barge, or backpack. Electrofishing equipment consists of a small generator and control box used to produce a small, localized electrical field in the water. Fishes within the field are stunned just long enough to be captured with a net and placed into a live well. Biologists then identify, weigh, and measure the fish before returning them back to the water. Temperature, pH, conductivity, and other information about the waterbody are also recorded.
Fisheries biologists use this data to evaluate the health of fish populations. Fish health is assessed by calculating a ratio of weight to length, known as condition factor. Fish that weigh more than average for any given length are considered in good condition. Fish lengths can also be used to approximate age classes. By noting the relative number of individuals in each age class, biologists can determine if species are recruiting younger individuals into the population and assess reproductive success. The health of fish populations within a particular lake or stream can then be compared to other waterbodies in the state.
Massachusetts anglers can use the information collected in these surveys to learn more about fishing opportunities in a particular area. MassWildlife has also been hard at work collecting new bathymetry data in lakes and ponds, which will be released to the public as a paired depth map with pond information like depth, fish summaries, and access and ramp information.
Fall trout stocking
According to MassWildlife, more than 60,000 rainbow trout that are 12 inches or longer will be stocked across Massachusetts this fall. Fall stocking season should begin about now and be completed by the second week of October depending on water temperatures. Anglers will be able to view daily stocking reports by visiting Mass.gov/Trout. Anglers can search for a specific waterbody or town using the sortable list, or explore new fishing spots with the map feature.

Oh, the unrelenting pressure to go fishing
I turn 75 in a couple of months and that will qualify me for grumpy old man status. (Although my wife Jan will tell you that I reached that landmark decades ago.) With that age comes the realization that there are lots more fishing days in my past, than in my future. Probably it’s time to sit out on the stoop and recollect those wonderful angling days. It will be a time to reflect on those 7-inch trout caught from little neighborhood streams many years ago to the culmination of catching 7+lbs brook trout in Labrador last year amidst some of the most scenic areas in the Western Hemisphere.

I wouldn’t have gone on that Labrador fishing trip last year if it wasn’t for fishing buddy Attorney Mchael Shepard of Dalton. He kept twisting my arm to make one more trip north. To ease the pain from the arm twisting, I relented and went on that last trip north. I’m glad I did for there were some memorable fish caught there. That trip provided more memories to ponder while sitting on the stoop. Mike once again tried to get me to go on another trip to Labrador this year with many of the same anglers that went last year, but I had fortitude, held back the tears and politely declined. Besides, my arm hasn’t fully recovered…..nor my pocketbook.

Well, don’t you know, recently a couple of other close fishing buddies, Paul Knauth of Hinsdale and Allen Gray of Pittsfield started twisting my arm again, this time to go fishing with them in Alberta, Canada. Yes, to once again see the breathtaking Canadian Rockies and to catch the beautiful west slope cutthroat trout that inhabit the foothills. But really, I told them, I’m not sure my legs can take the punishment of wading those large beautiful rivers, and I am not as steady on my feet as I used to be.

But the arm twisted persisted …intensely……on my casting arm, too. Resist as much as I did, there was one logical point that I could not overcome. I am a God-fearing man and they took advantage of that by quoting some passage from somewhere that goes something like this: “God does not deduct from man’s allotted time here on earth those hours spent fishing.” I don’t recall reading that in the Bible, but, if God indeed said that, I should heed His words. I decided that to prolong my life it was probably best if I went fishing with those guys. I didn’t want to leave Jan a widow sooner than I had to. I hope she appreciates that.

So, when you are reading these words, I should be home from that fishing trip. Hopefully the trip was a safe and enjoyable one, the forest fires abated and those grizzly bears up there didn’t remember me from the last trip. Hopefully, I wasn’t dragged down an airplane aisle bloodied, screaming and kicking. And, hopefully my arm will make a full recovery. I’ll let you know how the trip went perhaps in next week’s column.

That’s the age-old question about which we anglers wonder. Some folks say yes while others say no. We anglers certainly wouldn’t want to inflict pain on our finny friends for we love them too much. If fish did feel pain, I doubt any of us would quit fishing because of it, but we certainly would feel better if pain was avoided.
The aquatic biologists at MassWildlife say this: “The best that modern science can tell us is that it’s unlikely that fish can feel much, if any, pain. They assert that that the brains of vertebrate animals vary greatly, and those of cold blooded animals like fish, frogs, snakes and lizards are simpler than warm-blooded vertebrate animals like birds and mammals. In fact, fish have the simplest brains of all vertebrates. So, the question really comes down to brain development.
The human brain is highly developed (the most complex of all vertebrates) and has specialized regions within the cerebral hemispheres for pain activation (a conscious awareness for the generation of the pain experience) whereas a fish’s brain is primitive by comparison, and has no specialized regions for pain. Basically, a fish is a brainstem-dominated organism, while the existence of humans and other more complex animals is dominated by the cerebral hemispheres -highly developed areas to the brain where pain Is processed.
Observing a fish’s behavior upon being hooked, one could conclude that the fish is experiencing pain. However, the fish is actually demonstrating a flight response, no differently from if it were trying to evade a predator. This is a protective reaction, and can occur from a range of stimuli associated with predators or other threats to which a fish automatically and quickly responds.
So, while the fish isn’t likely to be experiencing pain or fear when it is hooked, this doesn’t mean that it will not become stressed from the experience; we know that stress hormones are released during such times. Too much of this stress could harm the fish either initially or shortly thereafter. So, if it is your desire to practice “catch-and-release,” it’s a good idea not to play the fish out completely, to handle it as little as possible and to return it to the water in short order.”
Well, that’s certainly good news. One thing that is disturbing to me is that if the fish has such a simple brain, why is it so hard for me to fool it into biting one of my elaborately prepared and presented trout flies? I have spent thousands of dollars on equipment and endless hours trying to catch fish with a brain no larger than a pea.
As long as we are on the subject of our finny friends, MassWildlife also has recommendations for releasing fish. They recommend that if you are not going to have your fish mounted or not going to eat it, get it back into the water as quickly and with the least amount of handling as possible. They claim that the best way to release a fish is to do so without removing it from the water at all. They remind us that fish have a slimy mucus coating so when you have to handle them, remember to wet your hands first.
They advise us to never pick up a fish by the gills because it can damage them, and, if you plan to release the fish, gill damage eventually kills. Also, you can cut your hands on the gill plates of some fish and chewed up by others. Again, when you release a fish, do so quickly and with care. Don’t let the fish flop around in a boat or on the bank. A properly released fish can live to grow, thrive and potentially be caught again.
This useful information was obtained from the latest Massachusetts Division of Fisheries &Wildlife Fishing Guide. It’s 26 pages are packed with useful information such as fishing and our aquatic resources, frequently asked fishing questions, information on rods and reels, learning to cast, fishing knots, how to fish with live bait and the use of bobbers and weight, using artificial baits and lures, fish anatomy, fish senses, setting the hook, playing, landing and handling the fish, temperature references of fish, limits imposed, a basic fishing glossary and more.
It is a great fishing resource, is free and can be obtained at your nearest DFW Regional Headquarters.

Sunfish revisited
Say, remember my article a couple of weeks ago regarding sunfishes? Well, Bob Gageant of North Adams read it and offered some more information. He was fishing Goose Pond some time back with a friend and they were fishing a tree lined shady shore. They started catching some interesting looking fish that day. They had a tab on their gills like a panfish, but they were about a foot long and shaped and striped like a bass.
He brought it to the attention of a DFW technician who thought that because the bass is a member of the sunfish family (which we noted in that column), that the fish that Bob was catching were likely the result of cross breeding between a female bass and a male sunfish. At the time, the technician said that while rare, they are not totally uncommon.

Recently, I discussed this with DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden (who is an aquatic biologist) and Todd Richards who is the MassWildlife Assistant Director of Fisheries and also an aquatic biologist. Both felt that those fish were probably Green Sunfish. They can grow to one foot long and have been caught in Western Massachusetts. They believe that it is unlikely that a bass and a sunfish can cross breed.

Life preservers
Don’t forget that from September 15 to May 15 Massachusetts regulations require that anyone using a canoe or kayak must wear a life preserver. Not sit on it, but wear it.

Revival of a classic
If you are a baby boomer fisherman or older, you knew the name of the pictured lure. And if you are younger, chances are that when you saw that picture, you said,”Oh yes, I saw one of those in Dad’s (or Grandpa’s) old fishing tackle box”. If you didn’t cast that lure into our lakes and ponds in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and catch a lot of fish, something was wrong. Just mentioning that lure congers up warm and joyful memories alongside those who were most special to us – our parents or grandparents. The lure is the Al’s Goldfish.
Al’s Goldfish Company was founded by Al Stuart of Indian Orchard, Massachusetts. After World War II, Al returned home from military duty and started up a local sporting goods store. Soon thereafter, Al’s Goldfish appeared on the American fishing landscape. “There is uncertainty as to whether Stuart purchased the Al’s Goldfish from somebody or if he actually invented it himself” said John L. Occhialini, who later purchased the company. “ But he was the one that developed it for sure and he started producing it in the basement of his sporting goods store.” From 1953 through 1973, Al’s Goldfish sold nearly 1 million lures each year.
The original name for the lure was Stuart’s Goldfish but was renamed Al’s Goldfish in 1954. It was popular locally and it grew to the point where in 1954 he incorporated Al’s Goldfish Company. Stuart started out by stamping the lure out of brass but over time he refined and enhanced the finish using 22 karat gold. “He was actually ahead of his time in manufacturing production methods for the early 1950s,” said Occhialini. “He stamped out everything himself, did the plating and so forth.”
Stuart was also a devoted world traveler and in his travels he came up with many new ideas for his lures and he discovered ways to save money on manufacturing costs by purchasing hooks and materials overseas. Stuart was also ahead of his time as a savvy marketer and businessman. He cozied up to local media and sought out sports writers throughout the country, thus keeping Al’s Goldfish Company in the public’s eyes and ears.
“The big jump for the Al’s Goldfish was when he teamed up with Gadabout Gaddis in the early 1960s,” said Occhialini. “That’s when Al’s Goldfish really took off and really was one of the largest selling lures at that time.” The boomers remember Gadabout Gaddis (Roscoe Vernon) who was widely known as the pioneer of outdoor and fishing television. He inspired millions of Americans to venture out and enjoy the outdoors, to take up fishing and the cause of conservation. His TV show aired locally, right after the Friday Night Fights.
“Gadabout Gaddis actually sold a kit on his TV shows that was produced by Al’s Goldfish Company,” Occhialini explained. “And it included the Al’s Goldfish in it of course. As part of that arrangement, Gadabout Gaddis mentioned it on his TV show many times, and that’s when it really became a national seller. It soon became one of the best selling fishing lures in the country from the late 1950s through the 1970s. “It was one of the three biggest sellers in the 60s. According to the Stuarts, they were shipping out tractor trailer loads of them.
After Al Stuart passed away, his daughter inherited the business. With her husband, she ran the company for a number of years. In that time, the operation was downsized considerably, and many cost-conscious changes were made to the lures and the manufacturing processes. This unfortunately had a negative effect on the quality of the product and the prosperity of the company itself. By 1999, the advancing age of the owners and waning interest in the company led to their decision to retire and sell Al’s Goldfish Company, to Occhialini.
Upon acquiring the company, Occhialini revived the products, eliminating some of the cheaper, poor-selling plastic lures and concentrated on boosting the classic lineup of metal lures. He brought back the genuine 22 karat gold plating, which had been substituted with a cheaper alternative under the previous owners, in spite of the $300 an ounce cost of gold at the time.
Stamped and cast in marine brass, the lure is as durable today as it was over 50 years ago. “We were still using the same dies that Al Stuart used,” professed Occhialini. “So there hasn’t been a whole lot of change in fifty years. Once it is cast, the Goldfish is plated in shiny metallic finishes that include genuine gold, nickel, copper, reflective prism, and other colors. The lures have always been made In America. The blanks are made in Massachusetts, the paint is applied in Rhode Island, the split rings are made in Wisconsin, and the company headquarters is in Maine. All lures are hand-painted with hand-mixed color by Bob Christopher.

In 2006, Field and Stream magazine named Al’s Original Goldfish lure one of the “50 Greatest Lures of All Time.” In 2007, the lure made Field and Stream’s Top 10 Best Trout Lures of all time.
In May, 1966, Dana Deblois caught a 19 lbs 10 oz brown trout out of Wachusett Reservoir using the Al’s Goldfish 1/4 oz Gold Orange. It still remains the state record brown after all these years, making it the oldest Massachusetts state record catch.

Al’s Goldfish Company is now headquartered in Biddeford, Maine. The company was bought by Mike Lee in 2015 with a goal of continuing the American lure-manufacturing tradition.
Contact Information: Mike Lee, Al’s Goldfish Lure Company, Biddeford, Maine, mike@alsgoldfish.com, phone 413-543-1524.

Fishing Derby
The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation in Hartsville-New Marlborough is having a free children’s fishing derby next Saturday, July 8 from 9 to 10:30 AM at its lower pond. Children aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Revival of a classic
If you are a baby boomer fisherman or older, you knew the name of the pictured lure. And if you are younger, chances are that when you saw that picture, you said,”Oh yes, I saw one of those in Dad’s (or Grandpa’s) old fishing tackle box”. If you didn’t cast that lure into our lakes and ponds in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and catch a lot of fish, something was wrong. Just mentioning that lure congers up warm and joyful memories alongside those who were most special to us – our parents or grandparents. The lure is the Al’s Goldfish.
Al’s Goldfish Company was founded by Al Stuart of Indian Orchard, Massachusetts. After World War II, Al returned home from military duty and started up a local sporting goods store. Soon thereafter, Al’s Goldfish appeared on the American fishing landscape. “There is uncertainty as to whether Stuart purchased the Al’s Goldfish from somebody or if he actually invented it himself” said John L. Occhialini, who later purchased the company. “ But he was the one that developed it for sure and he started producing it in the basement of his sporting goods store.” From 1953 through 1973, Al’s Goldfish sold nearly 1 million lures each year.
The original name for the lure was Stuart’s Goldfish but was renamed Al’s Goldfish in 1954. It was popular locally and it grew to the point where in 1954 he incorporated Al’s Goldfish Company. Stuart started out by stamping the lure out of brass but over time he refined and enhanced the finish using 22 karat gold. “He was actually ahead of his time in manufacturing production methods for the early 1950s,” said Occhialini. “He stamped out everything himself, did the plating and so forth.”
Stuart was also a devoted world traveler and in his travels he came up with many new ideas for his lures and he discovered ways to save money on manufacturing costs by purchasing hooks and materials overseas. Stuart was also ahead of his time as a savvy marketer and businessman. He cozied up to local media and sought out sports writers throughout the country, thus keeping Al’s Goldfish Company in the public’s eyes and ears.
“The big jump for the Al’s Goldfish was when he teamed up with Gadabout Gaddis in the early 1960s,” said Occhialini. “That’s when Al’s Goldfish really took off and really was one of the largest selling lures at that time.” The boomers remember Gadabout Gaddis (Roscoe Vernon) who was widely known as the pioneer of outdoor and fishing television. He inspired millions of Americans to venture out and enjoy the outdoors, to take up fishing and the cause of conservation. His TV show aired locally, right after the Friday Night Fights.
“Gadabout Gaddis actually sold a kit on his TV shows that was produced by Al’s Goldfish Company,” Occhialini explained. “And it included the Al’s Goldfish in it of course. As part of that arrangement, Gadabout Gaddis mentioned it on his TV show many times, and that’s when it really became a national seller. It soon became one of the best selling fishing lures in the country from the late 1950s through the 1970s. “It was one of the three biggest sellers in the 60s. According to the Stuarts, they were shipping out tractor trailer loads of them.
After Al Stuart passed away, his daughter inherited the business. With her husband, she ran the company for a number of years. In that time, the operation was downsized considerably, and many cost-conscious changes were made to the lures and the manufacturing processes. This unfortunately had a negative effect on the quality of the product and the prosperity of the company itself. By 1999, the advancing age of the owners and waning interest in the company led to their decision to retire and sell Al’s Goldfish Company, to Occhialini.
Upon acquiring the company, Occhialini revived the products, eliminating some of the cheaper, poor-selling plastic lures and concentrated on boosting the classic lineup of metal lures. He brought back the genuine 22 karat gold plating, which had been substituted with a cheaper alternative under the previous owners, in spite of the $300 an ounce cost of gold at the time.
Stamped and cast in marine brass, the lure is as durable today as it was over 50 years ago. “We were still using the same dies that Al Stuart used,” professed Occhialini. “So there hasn’t been a whole lot of change in fifty years. Once it is cast, the Goldfish is plated in shiny metallic finishes that include genuine gold, nickel, copper, reflective prism, and other colors. The lures have always been made In America. The blanks are made in Massachusetts, the paint is applied in Rhode Island, the split rings are made in Wisconsin, and the company headquarters is in Maine. All lures are hand-painted with hand-mixed color by Bob Christopher.

In 2006, Field and Stream magazine named Al’s Original Goldfish lure one of the “50 Greatest Lures of All Time.” In 2007, the lure made Field and Stream’s Top 10 Best Trout Lures of all time.
In May, 1966, Dana Deblois caught a 19 lbs 10 oz brown trout out of Wachusett Reservoir using the Al’s Goldfish 1/4 oz Gold Orange. It still remains the state record brown after all these years, making it the oldest Massachusetts state record catch.

Al’s Goldfish Company is now headquartered in Biddeford, Maine. The company was bought by Mike Lee in 2015 with a goal of continuing the American lure-manufacturing tradition.
Contact Information: Mike Lee, Al’s Goldfish Lure Company, Biddeford, Maine, mike@alsgoldfish.com, phone 413-543-1524.

Fishing Derby
The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation in Hartsville-New Marlborough is having a free children’s fishing derby next Saturday, July 8 from 9 to 10:30 AM at its lower pond. Children aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

School vacation evokes fond, sometimes scary memories

 Whoopee!  School vacation!   How we looked forward to that.  It is hard to imagine that 66 years ago, in the summer of 1951, at age of 8 years old, I started fishing with my Lenox Dale Grammar School buddy Jerry Zink.  He and I immediately took to one another because we had the common interest of stream fishing.  He was already a fisherman of some renown living on West New Lenox Road (now Roaring Brook Road) where he fished Roaring Brook, Mill Brook and others.  I haunted the streams of East Street in Lenox including Woods Crossing Brook and another unnamed nearby brook.  There were many farms on the east side of Lenox in those days and we fished the streams that crossed their woods and pastures.

During that 1951 school vacation summer, we agreed to link up and fish the many small streams in Lenox which all held wild, speckled brook trout.  You couldn’t find a stream in Lenox that didn’t have them.  We frequently linked up at one brook that ran along Housatonic Street in Lenox which ultimately emptied into Woods Pond in Lenox Dale.

I had it easiest for I only had to walk a mile to get to it.  Jerry, on the other hand, had to walk or bike from his home, then along New Lenox Road, along upper East Street (which was a dirt road then) to Housatonic Street.  There we would fish the brook for a mile to Woods Pond, then walk along Crystal Street in Lenox Dale in hip boots, pick up a small can of fruit cocktail at Steinhilber’s Grocery Store in Lenox Dale, walk up Walker Street then onto East Street to my home.  After sitting on our lawn sharing the fruit cocktail, Jerry would head back home.  He covered a distance of 14 miles that day!  As we got older, we were then able to ride our bikes to that and other nearby streams.

Yes, that’s a long distance for a couple of 8 year old kids to hoof, but we didn’t think twice about it.  We had nothing to fear back then for there were no predators like bears, coyotes or some humans, nor were there any deer ticks.  True, there was the Korean War going on, but at our age, we knew very little about it.  Ah, such wonderful days, the skies were bluer and the grass greener.

One thing we did have to fear was nuclear holocaust, but we had that covered.  We would just climb under our school desks.  I must admit that I did worry a bit if we were attacked during summer vacation, for the school doors were locked and we couldn’t get to our desks.  A couple other things we had to worry about while fishing were the mean bulls that some farms had and grumpy farmers guarding their lands with shotguns loaded with rock salt.  Of course we would risk life and limb and always fished posted farmlands.

Our fishing gear consisted of a cheap pole, casting reel, Dacron line (no monofilament line back then), a tin which contained our hooks and sinkers, a jackknife and a Campbell Soup can in which we carried worms. (Later on, when we had the money, we bought green worm cans which attached to our belts.)  We also carried a measuring tape because the trout had to be 6 inches long in order to legally keep them.  We didn’t have creels but rather cut branches to carry our fish. That gave us a chance to show off our catches as we trudged along the roads.

We both had hand-me-down hip boots in which we proudly strutted.  My boots originally were black, but because of so many red patches required over the years, they were two-toned.  I don’t know why I wore them anyway, for they leaked terribly and were too big.

We never wore anything red which we believed attracted the mean bulls.  We wore drab greenish, brownish clothes so as not to attract them and also to avoid detection by the farmers as we snuck across their fenced in, posted pastures.

Oh, how I remember those days snuck across the pastures trying to get to the streams, and the terror we felt when we heard the sound of cowbells and thundering hooves approaching from somewhere.  Without looking back, Jerry and I would race for the nearest fence as fast as our little legs could carry us, hoping that it was not an electric fence and one which we could easily get under or over it without getting snagged by the barbs.

Inevitably, my boots got barbed, requiring yet another red patch that evening.  Usually the hooves and bells that we heard were from herds of milking cows which wouldn’t gore us, but might trample us with their hooves.  I guess we saw too many movies featuring herds of buffalo or cattle trying to trample Tom Mix.  Once the cows reached the fence, they would stand there looking at us, probably laughing.   We must have made their day.  I’ll never forget those days.

Years later, while attending a Trout Unlimited meeting, an interesting event occurred.  As usual, the older fishermen were congregated in the bar talking about fishing.  When it came time to start the meetings, it was nearly impossible to get them assembled in the meeting/room, in spite of sharp whistles, clanging glasses, shouting, etc.

That evening, chapter president Karl Kronberg brought an old cow bell into the noisy bar and rang it softly once or twice.  There was immediate silence and stillness.  People were frozen in action, in the middle of sentences, some holding glasses near their mouths.  It was like that old TV commercial “Well, my broker is E.F. Hutton and he said….”

Karl quietly told everyone that the meeting was about to begin.  They all filed in, albeit a little ashen colored.  I’ll bet they used to sneak through posted farm pastures, too.