Tag: fishing
MOA Kids Fishing Derby
The Marianna Outdoorsmen Association lucked out on the second try. After one rain cancellation, the Kids Fishing Derby went off as rescheduled on May 11. They got a partly sunny Saturday in the high 50’s sandwiched in between two rainy days. Lucky.
Our dog, Frodo, & I got there ca 11 AM. He just loves to mingle & I’d hate to have him miss out.
The MOA owns several acres along both banks of Daniels Run in Marianna and It was clear that the volunteers of the MOA had done a lot of work at the site since their first derby there last Fall. A lot more space had been cleared of brush & debris and smoothed for parking, fishing access, tables & food prep. A section of bank had even been reserved for kids & families with some tables & chairs stream side.
To help make this derby a success, the Marianna Outdoorsmen Association had stocked $3100 worth of trout, the majority over 18″, in their section of Daniels Run. By the time we arrived, 5 trout in the 22″-23″ size had already been registered on the leaderboard. WOW !
Free food & drinks were available for the children. In addition, prizes, including Ugly Stick rod & reel sets, tackle boxes, rods, & lures would be awarded to the kids. The MOA would even pay to have the largest fish caught in each of the 3 (childrens ) age categories mounted for display.
The best thing about the leaderboard concept was that fish caught were immediately compared, by the angler ( mostly by their parents ), to the largest fish posted. If the fish was not bigger than the largest already posted, it was returned to the water in every case I saw. So, beautiful fish like this one were quickly released for someone else to catch on another day. Commendable sportsmanship.
But probably even more important than that sportsmanship was that family groups, including Moms, Dads, Children, & Grandparents were out there together. The children were having fun & learning about the outdoors and the parents & grandparents were experiencing some of that joy also.
This looked like a very successful morning for the kids and the adults were already arriving for their derby, starting at 2 PM, when we were preparing to leave.
Let’s give some recognition to the Marianna Outdoorsmen Association members, volunteers & community supporters for their commitment to their communities and the fine programs they organize.
See you next time.
Ken Yonek
IWL Fishing Derby
On Friday, May 3, the Harry Enstrom Chapter of the Isaac Walton League of Greene County did their second stocking of the South Branch, Ten Mile Creek. They placed an additional 100 Rainbow & Golden Trout, 15″-18″, into the creek, at the Old Chartiers Mine in Clarksville, in preparation for their Kid’s Day of Fishing the following Saturday.
Frodo, our Standard Poodle, & I arrived there about 10:30 AM Saturday. It was cloudy, low 60’s, kind of day. The kind we seem to get a lot of lately. But, at least, the rain held off. By that time there were several family type groups already on the banks up down the creek.
The fishing bite was slow at first but a few nice trout were taken.
Since 10 Mile Creek is a good warm water fishery in it’s own right, a number of other species were caught. The biggest were a 19′ Drum and the 17″ Walleye
At 12 Noon the fishing was called for lunch. Everyone was offered the free lunch choices of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, & soft drinks.
Frodo & I shared a couple of plain hot dogs. He doesn’t normally get ‘people food’ but it seemed too much to expect him to stand around watching everyone else eat & get nothing. Some thoughtful folks even stopped by to offer him some more water. I guess hot dogs are thirsty food.
After everyone had lunch the line-up for prizes was called. Three kids went home with very nice spinning rod & reel sets. After that a whole range of prizes were called & awarded until every kid there had at least 2 prizes. None went home empty handed. More importantly, a bunch of children had a fun outdoor experience. It’s so important to prepare the next generation to understand & appreciate the natural world around them. Maybe then, they’ll take better care of it.
A ‘Very Nicely Done, Thank You’ to the folks at the Isaac Walton League who planned & organized the event and a thank you to the community members & merchants who provided the support necessary.
See you next time.
Ken Yonek
Fishing on Daniels Run
On Saturday , October 20, the Marianna Outdoorsmen Association stocked 500 Rainbow & Golden Trout on the Daniels Run tributary of 10 Mile Creek for an October 21 fishing derby. When Frodo, the Wonder Dog, & I arrived creekside at 11 AM Sunday it was a chilly 40F morning. He had a great time making new friends while I tried to keep my fingers warm enough to take pix & notes.
The MOA had started clearing the site of high grass , weeds & piles of debris, from previous high water events, on September 22. One short month later they had cleared paths & access to hundreds of yards of stream bank & fishing spots. That was a way ‘ beyond the call of duty’ kind of effort. Thank you folks. And some of the dried out debris ended up as fuel for a big warming, bonfire.
After arriving, I checked in with the organizers. 62 trout had already been caught, registered & released in just the 1st hour of fishing. And 3 more were pulled in the 1st 10-15 minutes I stood stream side.
Whole families were out having fun. In one group it looked like Dad was fishing with a junior sized, or ultralight outfit. As soon as he hooked a fish he handed the rod over to one of the young (pre-school?) children alongside. Now the child had a fishing rig size that they could handle with a fish that was a handful with that tackle. Still, they brought in a couple while I was watching. A great way to learn.
Thanks again to the Marianna Outdoorsmen Association for all they give back to the community.
Fishing on the Mon
It was great opening day on Pigeon Creek.
What opening day?
Of trout season.
On Pigeon Creek in Monongahela?
Yep.
Pigeon Creek hadn’t been stocked with trout by the State of Pennsylvania, or anyone else, for years. But, on April 9, the Valley Inn Sportsmen Association , and their business community sponsors, stocked trout, up to 20′ in length, in Pigeon Creek from Peno’s Plaza along Rt 481 to the I 43 bridge on Bentleyville Rd. I hadn’t been able to attend the stocking but I figured that if I drove along Park Ave. it wouldn’t be hard to tell where the fish ( & anglers ) were. Sure enough, every place where there was parking & access from the road, there were clusters of cars & anglers. Talked to several. They ranged from the angler who reported he & his family caught, released & lost several Rainbow Trout (and the baits he was using) to the fellow who said he caught two but didn’t know that much about fish & couldn’t say what kind they were. But they were all having fun. It was a sunny, mild, day in the low 70’s at 10 AM on a Saturday morning & they were out there with their families & friends. Catching fish, or not. Almost didn’t matter. They were doing something they enjoyed with people they cared about.
Thanks to the Valley Inn Sportsmen Association for giving them that opportunity.