Anglers, bait shops ready for opening day of trout fishing
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Three-year-old CJ Umbel excitedly watches with his grandfather Mark Umbel as Dunlap Creek Lake is restocked with trout Thursday morning.
Braving chilly temperatures local fisherman gathered at Dunlap Creek Lake on Thursday to watch the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stock trout.
Hundreds of trout were stocked in Dunlap Creek Lake Thursday morning by the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission.
Lakes, streams and bait shops are stocked and ready for one of the biggest days of the year in Penns Woods.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) stocks about 3 million fish for the statewide trout season that opens Saturday and 70 percent of the 885,000 anglers who buy fishing licenses will be pursuing trout.
“It’s our biggest day of the year. We get people from all over,” said Al Packan of Cap’n Al and Sons at Dunlap Creek Lake in Menallen Township. “It’s absolutely jammed up. we get more people fishing here than any other day of the year.”
The lake was stocked last week and Packan said his shop is stocked with live bait, lures, and tackle and his rental boats are ready for the big day.
He said most fishing is done from the lake shore, but a lot of people fish from boats.
A two-acre pond, which is stocked when the lake is stocked, is reserved for kids 12 and under for the first 45 days of the season, Packan said.
Fayette County, which owns Dunlap Creek Lake Park, where the lake and pond are located, has the lake ready for the fishing season, he said.
“The county has been doing a great job of maintaining the park,” Packan said.
Children who get bored fishing can check out the new playground equipment the county is installing at the park.
Twelve waterways in Fayette County are stocked with trout and PFBC Waterways Conservation Officer (WCO) Scott Opfer said he tries to stop at all of them on opening day.
“Everywhere is crowded,” Opfer said.
He said he is also busy the night before opening day.
“The night before is busy. Some try to get an early start,” Opfer said.
Some people trespass camping near creeks and drinking is often involved, he said.
“That occurs only on opening day,”Opfer said.
Some anglers who don’t keep what they catch have been fishing for trout and other fish, said Scott Gates of S&S Bait and Tackle in Wharton Township.
He said he has already had to restock his bait supplies.
Big Sandy Creek, Meadow Run, Youghiogheny River and Chaney Run are the most popular waterways on opening day, he said.
“The fist day is like a national holiday. I hope to see a very good turnout. Everybody goes out regardless. The weather doesn’t play that big role early,” Gates said.
Cold weather and snow last week should keep the water cold, which trout prefer, for the opener, he said.
Gates said he started carrying flies and fly tying materials this year for the growing number of fly fishermen visiting area waters.
Many fly anglers don’t keep the fish they catch, he said.
“Fly fishermen are catch and release guys,” Gates said.
Anglers will be casting lines in all 12 creeks and lakes stocked in Washington County, said WCO Sean Sauserman.
“You’ll see people on all of them,” he said.
Only extremely bad weather dissuades people from heading out on opening day, Sauserman said.
Some anglers treat the trout opener like the opening day of deer season by traveling to camps, said David Plants of Shadlure Tackle in West Elizabeth.
“On that first day, they’re cutting out. They go everywhere,” Plant said.
However, a lot of his customers fish locally in Mingo Creek, Pike Run, Dunlap Creek Lake, Virgin Run Lake, Canonsburg Lake and Laurel Hill Creek, he said.