Patches, fine art prints and other merchandise related to the Pennsylvania Trout/Salmon Stamp program are now available from the Fish and Boat Commission’s exclusive publisher for such products, Wilderness Editions.

The 2006 edition will mark the last installment of this particular series of prints and patches, adding to their innate value. In addition, the artwork featured on the collectible prints is in a vertical format, unique among the 16 editions that make up the series.

A painting by famed Pennsylvania wildlife artist Ned Smith has been selected to appear on the 2006 Pennsylvania Trout/Salmon Stamp and the associated fine art prints.

“Sting of the Hook,” an acrylic depicting a brook trout – the state fish – surging for freedom against a fly expertly hooked in the corner of its mouth, was created for the 50th anniversary edition of the then Pennsylvania Fish Commission’s Pennsylvania Angler magazine in 1981.

In homage to its roots, the painting will also again grace the cover of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s magazine when the 75th anniversary issue of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater is published in the fall of 2006.

Prints are available in a variety of framing options, including a special Executive Edition signed by PFBC Executive Director Dr. Douglas Austen and featuring a mint condition stamp from each of the Pennsylvania Trout/Salmon Stamp’s 16-year run.

In 1991 Pennsylvania introduced a new permit required of all licensed anglers fishing for trout and salmon. The primary intent of the program was to provide improved funding for managing trout fisheries – field studies, habitat improvement, hatchery production, stocking and law enforcement. It also provided an opportunity for a little artistic flair; the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission opted to issue the permits as collectible stamps featuring fine works of art.

Since that time, artwork depicting the Commonwealth’s various trout species, some of the state’s noted trout waters, an historic train car used in the early days of stocking, and even the bond between generations of anglers have appeared on Pennsylvania Trout/Salmon Stamps. Featured pieces have been selected via juried contests, commissioned or simply hand chosen.

The Commission is actively working to transition from a paper-based fishing license system to an electronic process. In future years, the permit required of the Commonwealth's many trout anglers may very well take on a different form than the now-familiar fine art stamp – making this last print series particularly collectible.

In addition to the art prints, collectible patches – 4-inch, 6-inch and a special 8-inch edition –featuring a leaping brook trout are available.

For prices and ordering information, visit Wilderness Editions online or call 800-355-7645.

11/18/2005