The Curious Case of the Conestoga Mackerel

On October 11, 1921, Lancaster newspaper readers learned that something unusual was lurking beneath the placid waters of the Conestoga. The News Journal warned that the stream had become “turbulent and dangerous” from the movements of enormous fish. Local sporting goods dealers were advised to stock “full-sized whaling harpoons” for anyone brave enough to pursue them.

The man responsible for the excitement was Ira E. Mellinger, a Lancaster angler with a remarkable story to tell.

For days, Mellinger had heard reports of unusually large fish prowling the upper Conestoga. Eight- and ten-pound bass were said to be tearing lines, snapping hooks, and stealing live bait with such force that even experienced fishermen could not land them. Mellinger initially suspected large carp, but eventually decided to investigate.

Fishing alone, he hooked two powerful creatures unlike anything he had previously encountered. One measured 22 inches long and the other 22½ inches. Together, they reportedly weighed 20 pounds. No ordinary pail could hold them, and their weight broke the strings used to carry them.

Rather than cook his catch, Mellinger placed the fish on display. He believed they represented a species never before seen in Lancaster County waters.

Soon, local fishermen gathered to examine the mysterious pair. Some thought they were halibut. Others suggested a cross between leatherback and silver carp. At least one observer decided they were young sharks.

The fish were eventually taken to Frailey’s Pharmacy, where W. O. Frailey, H. E. Frailey, John G. Weston and other interested observers inspected them. Once again, no one could provide a satisfactory identification. The group could only conclude that the creatures appeared to be some strange blend of local fish and ocean mackerel.

As a last resort, the specimens were carried to Frank Mettfett & Bro. Mettfett was a prominent grocer and seafood vendor located in the Northern Market House at N. Queen and W. Walnut Streets in Lancaster. The business was well-known across the region for its fruits, vegetables, oysters, and fresh fish. This made them one of the more logical places in the County to identify an unfamiliar creature from the sea.

After examining Mellinger’s catch, Mettfett rendered a verdict. The fish were “Bonita mackerel,” apparently referring to bonito, a group of fast-swimming marine fish related to mackerel and tuna.

At last, the mystery had been solved. Except bonito belong in saltwater, not the Conestoga.

One theory held that the fish had traveled up the Susquehanna before Holtwood Dam was completed in 1910. If so, they had somehow survived in freshwater for more than a decade before making their way into the Conestoga and taking Mellinger’s bait.

Another explanation involved Lancaster County’s fish-stocking program. That possibility becomes especially intriguing when the News Journal story is compared with an article published in the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer on the very same day.

The second article identified Mellinger as one of Lancaster County’s state fish-stock distributors. That morning, he and W. Ralph Sensenig had received a truck carrying 200,000 young bluegills from the state hatchery at Torresdale, near Philadelphia. The fish were being placed in protected pools and riffles along Mill Creek, Pequea Creek, and the Conestoga.

Previous shipments had also been brought into Lancaster County and released in local waterways. Could an unfamiliar species have been accidentally scooped up at the hatchery, transported with one of those earlier shipments, and placed in the Conestoga?

It was possible, at least according to the newspaper. But Mellinger’s fish were both more than 22 inches long. They could hardly have gone unnoticed among a shipment of tiny bluegills. If they had entered the Conestoga through the stocking program, they must have arrived years earlier and grown to adulthood while remaining hidden beneath its muddy waters.

The News Journal even published photographs of Mellinger’s catch beneath the headline, “‘Mackeral’ [sic] Taken by Angler in Conestoga.” Although the grainy images, found today on newspapers.com, are not clear enough to confirm the species with certainty, the streamlined bodies, deeply forked tails, and small finlets near the tail make the fish look remarkably like members of the mackerel and tuna family.

That makes Mettfett’s identification harder to dismiss. The mystery is not simply what Mellinger caught, but how two ocean fish apparently ended up in the Conestoga. Were they accidental passengers in an earlier hatchery shipment? Had they somehow traveled up the Susquehanna before Holtwood Dam was completed? Or was there another explanation that never made it into print?

Click here to read the original October 11, 1921 The New Journal article.

---

Never Miss a New Post

Never miss a new post or article by signing up below and following Uncharted Lancaster on Facebook or Instagram.

---

Resources

• March 4, 1920 Lancaster Daily Intelligencer
• October 11, 1921 The News Journal
• October 11, 1921 Lancaster Daily Intelligencer
• Frank Mettfett and Co.

Uncharted Lancaster Field Guide

Learn about other unique places like this when you step off the beaten path with Uncharted Lancaster: Field Guide to the Strange, Storied, and Hidden Places of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Adam Zurn. This one-of-a-kind 239-page guidebook uncovers 56 fascinating sites, from the county’s very own fountain of youth to the oldest continuously operating short-line railroad in the western hemisphere.

Packed with history, local stories, and GPS locations, this book is your ticket to exploring the mysterious corners of Lancaster like never before. Whether you’re a lifelong local, a history buff, or just looking for a unique adventure, this field guide will spark your curiosity and send you exploring. Start your adventure here.