FISHERMAN'S CALENDAR

SO—season opened (or opens); SC—season closed (or closes).
C—clear water; D—water dirty or roily; M—water muddy.
N—water at normal height; SH—slightly high; H—high; VH—very high; L—low; R—rising; F—falling.
WT50—water temperature 50°.
FG—fishing good; FF—fishing fair; FP—fishing poor.
OG—outlook good; OF—outlook fair; OP—outlook poor.

MUSKELLUNGE: NEW YORK: Night fishing with live bait is starting to get worthwhile results in Chautauqua Lake, but trollers are still taking good muskies (such as Eric Anderson's 31-pound 50-incher from Sherman's Bay last week); OG. In Cape Vincent section of St. Lawrence River huskiest musky reported was Melvin Hall's 44-pound 55-inch monster hooked while Hall was casting a small spoon for pike; OG in all usual St. Lawrence musky waters.

ONTARIO: FG and OVG in most musky haunts, but west arm of Lake Nipissing seems hottest spot, with many catches in 30-pound class reliably reported, several off islands at mouth of Sturgeon River.

PENNSYLVANIA: Two better-than-30-pounders in Conneaut Lake couldn't resist frogs skipped along edge of weed beds last week; OF/G these cooler nights.

MINNESOTA: Musky fishing was lousy last week, says plain-spoken spy, and OP as winds howl and mercury dives.

WISCONSIN: Despite fairly warm weather, musky fishing perked up last week and outlook is VG with prospect of cooler nights. In Hay-ward area best waters are Chippewa River flowage, Round and Couderay lakes, with several muskies in 30-pound class reported; strong winds blew fishermen off most larger lakes in this section. In Eagle River area muskies were doing a lot of following and not much taking last week; OF/G. In Rhinelander area, Virgin Lake was producing small fish on buck-tails; OF.

TROUT: MINNESOTA: FP, OP in streams along Lake Superior north shore as fall-running rainbows decline to play ball with anglers. Weather, maybe.

BRITISH COLUMBIA: Interior lakes now producing beautifully, with Paul and Pinantan yielding limit catches to 6 pounds on artificial nymphs; Peterhope and Lejeune also hot, with some large trout coming to the; fly. Harvest cutthroats haven't appeared in strength yet; in general, OG.

COLORADO: There's snow in the mountains, and high-country trout are moving into the deep, quiet pools. On the Crystal River that flows near his Carbondale home, 13-year-old Lew Thompson watched a group of fishing-contest winners whip the waters to a froth; when they took a 5-pound rainbow, Lew hurried home, borrowed his father's fly rod and came back to join them. They'd left, but Lew cast a Pink Lady into an eddy, got a hard strike, 20 minutes later landed a 5-pound 15-ounce rainbow, took it home to help explain how the rod tip got broken. In general, Colorado trouting is terrific, with nearly all streams low and clear, and rainbows, browns and natives smashing dry flies with abandon during midday hours. High lakes that haven't yet frozen are producing limit of lunkers, especially in Grand Mesa area. Colorado River (near Glenwood Springs) N, SD, FG, OG; (near Kremling) L, C, FG, OVG. Blue River L, C, FVG, OVG. Gunnison River L, C, FVG, OG. Yampa, Michigan and South Platte rivers L, C, FVG, OVG.

CALIFORNIA: 25-pound rainbow rumored taken from Owens River turned out to be a chinook salmon shipped to Bishop ice plant by playful resident vacationing at Smith River. No hoax are big (to 7 pounds) spawning browns now starting up Owens River. On west slope of Sierra, northern area, best bets are West Branch of Feather River, North and Middle forks of Stanislaus, Pit River tributaries, South Fork of the Yuba, and upper waters of the Kaweah, Merced and Kern rivers.

MICHIGAN: Manistee River below Tippy and Sturgeon River below Wolverine produced steadily last week as fall run of rainbows surged upstream to spawning beds, and OG.

IDAHO: In eastern part of state, Coffee Pot Rapids on Snake River was hot spot last week: with trout taking fly or bait, and OG; Island Park Reservoir and Henry's Lake offer fairly fast action to trollers. In northern Idaho, FF in Pend Oreille Lake for Kamloops, with few trophy fish reported; OF. In south and central areas, FVG on Middle and South forks of Boise River as rains damped fire hazard; No. 12 Mc-Ginty Bee was best fly for this area. Silver Creek closed and all of Owyhee County closed except Snake River.

WASHINGTON: Sea-run cutthroats offering grand sport in Graves, Tilton, Cowlitz, Humptulips, Duckabush, Stillaquamish and Dicky rivers, but approach of hunting season (Oct. 9) has lessened pressure on waters. In general, this is best time of year for Washington fresh-water fishing, and OVG in almost all trout lakes and streams.

MONTANA: Cold weather arrived in Montana last week, and fly-fishing is at peak in most streams; Big Hole River offers sensational sport on dry fly after so-so summer. Cold spell will be followed by Indian summer and even better fly-fishing, prophesies spy.

OREGON: SC Oct. 12 but until then the upper Deschutes River should provide good sport and some outsize browns and rainbows with flies or spinners.

NEW MEXICO: Upper Rio Grande N, C, FG with large white and gray woolly worms and dry flies, and OG. Red and Cimarron rivers FF, OG.

STRIPED BASS: NEW YORK: Veteran surf fishermen are taking stripers from 15 to 45 pounds on south side of Montauk Point from lighthouse to Ditch Plains on plugs, but only at night; SI spy reports mullet are in surf, says daylight fishing should be fair to good by latter part of October.

CALIFORNIA: Eastern San Pablo Bay and Napa River started coming to life last week, and outlook is good; Frank's Tract is fairly hot but bass are small. OG for big bass in Carquinez Strait near Antioch Bridge.

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishing spotty at all Cape spots last week, with flurries of fast action at Nauset Beach, Scituate, Plum Island and Martha's Vineyard beaches; OP/F.

NEW JERSEY: Best surf fishing in 10 years is reported in Long Branch sector, with Bradley Beach and Ocean Grove also fairly hot; frequent catches of over-30-pounders reported. Most of larger fish are taken on rigged eels but plugs work too. OG through Oct. 10.

ATLANTIC SALMON: NEW BRUNSWICK: SC Sept. 30 on St. John and Nashwaak rivers, but OG for late-closing Cains and Tabusintac rivers, where late runs are reported to be heavy. Rains are needed to produce top fishing, but, in general, outlook is good.

NOVA SCOTIA :SC Sept. 30.

BLACK BASS: MISSOURI: Black River C, L, most fishermen limiting, with fish averaging 1½ pounds, popping bugs best lure, OVG. Current River N, C, FG with plugs. OG.

TENNESSEE: "Anybody lives near Tennessee and doesn't fish here, he's crazy," says enthusiastic spy, reporting 9½-pound bigmouth from Center Hill Reservoir (by noncrazy Malcolm Jones, Old Hickory, Tenn.), 6½-pound smallmouth from same water (by Asa Fox, Cookville, Tenn., who took 14-pound walleye same day). At Kentucky Lake, cooling surface waters and lower level have resulted in improved fishing, with several smallmouths in 5-pound class reported last week and OG. And at Fort Loudoun Lake last week, Larry Hobbs's dog perked up ears at splashing noise near docks, went to investigate, came back with 8-pound smallmouth retrieved from shallows, plus 2-pound shad stuck in bass's throat. Watts Bar and Norris lakes improving and OF/G.

MINNESOTA: Largemouth bass are hitting hungrily in Spider Lake (Grand Rapids), Bass and Boulder lakes (Park Rapids) and Maple Lake (Alexandria). Smallmouth active in Basswood Lake at Ely and in Mississippi River from town of Elk River down to and within Minneapolis city limits.

FLORIDA: In central part of state Lake Lowry near Haines City is producing well on plugs and artificial eels, fished deep. In NW Florida, Lakes Jackson and Talquin report FG with top-water plugs. It goes to show you.

MICHIGAN: Smallmouth bass fishing is excellent in most waters of state, but spy says anglers unable to concentrate on casting as flocks of teal fly overhead and migratory bird SO Oct. 1.

PENNSYLVANIA: FVG in most central Pennsylvania waters, with best spots near Turnpike Bridge on Susquehanna, at Camp Hill on the Conodoquinet and at Newport on the Juniata. Smaller streams were H, SD last week but should be clear now; biggest fish were taken on "stonerollers" and hellgrammites, but medium-deep plugs should do well in river eddies.

BLUEFISH: MASSACHUSETTS: Blues to 9 pounds were almost everywhere on south side of Cape and were taking trolled feathers greedily. FG at Martha's Vineyard, with Squibnocket and Chappaquiddick beaches hottest spots.

NEW JERSEY: Offshore fishing was still very good last week for mixed weights (1½ to 6 pounds) on the Shrewsbury Rocks and 17-Fathom Bank off the north Jersey coast, and outlook is good for next 10 days. Surf fishing was good last week on the stretch from Ortley Beach through Island Beach, with most of surf-caught fish taken on mullet bait, with the south Jersey version of the "doodlebug" a favorite device. (This is a cork-body arrangement that floats the bait above the sand bottom, presumably so fish can see it better.)

FLORIDA: Miami agent says bluefish run is about to begin and predicts red-hot surf action by Oct. 15 as blues work up through Biscayne Bay and along ocean front

PACIFIC SALMON: BRITISH COLUMBIA: A few tyees still being taken at Alberni and Nimpkish, but the silvers are about to come into their own, with the big fish down from the north in increasing numbers. Limit catches are now common at Cape Mudge, Shelter Point, Quathiaski and Duncan Bay. all near Campbell River on Vancouver Island. At Comox, Parksville and Qualicum FG, OG. Cowichan Bay is hot and getting hotter, with fish to 22 pounds. In general. OVG.

CALIFORNIA: Rains put zip in fishing all over, with Klamath, Trinity, Eel rivers and waters of Golden Gate in vicinity of Slide Ranch and Muir Beach especially notable for improvement and nearing peak. Top Chinook of week was 48-pounder taken by Dave Spurgeon of Oakland while trolling off Marin coast. OG.

WASHINGTON: Fishing activity falling off as hunting season approaches, but good sport still available. FG and OG at Westport, with kings and silvers in inside waters and several kings in 30-to-50-pound class reported. La Push is spotty and OF. Neah Bay and Sekiu FG, OG for silvers and a sprinkling of big kings. Port Angeles FG and OG for silver salmon (to 16 pounds) on light tackle. Mouth of Skagit River fine for silvers and humpies. Lower Puget Sound waters from Seattle south FF and OG except Point Defiance, where FG, OG for kings to 25 pounds on trolled flasher and herring. Expected run of silvers hasn't materialized in Hood Canal at press time but may be in now.

OREGON: Coastal salmon fishing only fair and OP until heavy rains raise streams.