Anglers on the Ohio side of Pymatuning Lake say they're finding the wooden cribs and riprap strategically dumped there last year. The timber and rocks replace some of the impoundment's rapidly deteriorating original structure, giving game fish good places to congregate. And when anglers find the structure, they're finding fish.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and other groups and agencies collaborated on the placement of 100 wooden cribs onto the flat lake bottom east of Tuttle Point, and 40 tons of rock reefs dropped just north of Bay 41.

"The wood structures, or 'porcupines,' that we introduced imitate the old stumps that have degraded away," said Ohio Division of Wildlife fisheries biologist Matt Wolfe, who oversees this project. "By the time we introduced the last structures, fish were already moving into the ones we placed earlier in the morning."

The Pymatuning structure enhancement continues. Wolfe said the project's overall goal is to place 500 structures into the waters of Northeastern Ohio each year.

The Forrest Wood Cup and its $1 million jackpot come to Pittsburgh next month, but the Pennsylvania Southwest Bassmen are on the water today in the Monongahela River and South Side Tournament. It's part of this year's series of 13 artificials-only tournaments. Shaun Weber won the May 17 contest at Tygart Lake, W.Va., with a 5.98-pound total and a lunker of 1.8 pounds. Weber is tied for second in the series with Larry Craig under a narrow lead by Tom Stapleton. Results are posted at www.paswb.com.

• July 10-11 Ross Township Recreation Center. Fri., 6-10 p.m.; Sat., 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Registration required. Class limit 100. 412-635-0661.

• July 17-18 Keystone Rod and Gun Club. Fri. 5:30-p.m.-9:30 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Pre-registration required, lunch provided. Class limit 55. hteclass@hotmail.com.

• July 18-19 Crowfoot Rod and Gun Club. Sat. and Sun. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Preregistration required. Class limit 50. 724-327-7953, 412-580-1642.

The House of Representatives recently approved a record $52 million investment in a popular wetland conservation project. The broadly supported contribution to the North American Wetlands Conservation Act is part of a program that has conserved more than 24 million acres of waterfowl habitat in 20 years.

The program requires a $1 match in local or private funds for each $1 in grants from the federal government, but it is so widely supported that each dollar in federal contributions generally attracts $2 to $3 from the program's partners.

"This is excellent news for America's wetlands," said Scott Sutherland of Ducks Unlimited in a written statement. "Since it is so widely supported, a $52 million investment from the federal government could mean a $200 million return for wetlands conservation -- that's a lot of habitat acres on the ground."

The United States has lost more than half of its original wetlands and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres per year.

A tough bill to pinch poachers failed to win House approval Wednesday because of opposition to felony penalties that would result in loss of gun ownership, even for repeat offenders. Responding to pressure from the National Rifle Association and the Allegheny County Sportsmen's League, Reps. Jeff Pyle (R-Armstrong), Tim Krieger (D-Westmoreland) and other lawmakers are asking House Bill 97's sponsor and committee chair Rep. Ed Staback (D-Lackawanna) to soften the measure's penalty structure. Staback is expected to begin discussing amendments with committee members this week.

-- Deborah Weisberg