Cranberry Stocks Graham Park Pond With Hundreds Of Fish

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA - More than 200 live bluegill, crappies and largemouth bass from a hatchery near Altoona are being discharged into the Scout Centennial Fishing Pond in Graham Park. They'll be used as bait to hook those new to fishing into the township’s Catch & Release fishing program.

There's no township fee to use the pond, but any fish that are caught should be released back into the pond as quickly and painlessly as possible. To accomplish that, fishing needs to be done using barbless hooks, which are inexpensive and widely available in stores and online. Conventional barbed hooks can be easily modified using a pair of pliers to flatten the barb against the hook.

Pliers are also useful in disgorging hooks from the mouths of fish. A scissors or line cutter is also valuable in cases where the hook has been swallowed to the point where removing it would cause more damage than leaving it in place. The use of a fishing net is also recommended to help land a fish more gently.

When handling fish to remove a hook, it is important that the oily surface of the fish scales remain intact; it is a protective coating that is essential to the fish’s well-being. Use rubber gloves or, at a minimum, use wet hands to achieve that. It is also important for the health of the fish to minimize its time out of the water.

If they are not seriously injured, many fish in the pond will be caught and released multiple times throughout the course of the season.