Catching the Fever: Local Trout Unlimited chapter coaches area kids one-on-one in trout fishing
The late Jim Tobal’s vision of helping kids learn the joys of fishing breathed new life last Thursday, May 23. Youngsters affiliated with East End United Community Center in Uniontown fished for trout in Hutchinson Run at South Union Township’s Hutchinson Park in Hopwood, where Tobal and township officials developed a dedicated children’s fishing area before Tobal’s death.
Their day of fishing resulted from a team effort from many quarters. The Friends of Jim Tobal, led by Gary Brain and Mike Tobal had raised money to stock the stream with trout earlier in the spring. Neighborhood kids have fished frequently since then, but many trout remained in the stream.
Chestnut Ridge Chapter of Trout Unlimited (CRTU), which operates a trout nursery in the tailrace of Yough Dam at Confluence, stocked the stream again on Wednesday, the day prior to the East End kids’ arrival.
CRTU volunteers, plus Brain, Mike Tobal, and Ron Temple turned out on Thursday to help the kids learn to fish. There were enough adult volunteers so that every youngster had their own personal tutor.
Jim Tobal was a long-time member of the Chestnut Ridge Chapter, and a driving force in youth outdoor activities in the community.
“There’s nothing better than to introduce fishing to a new enthusiast, whether a child or adult,” said CRTU volunteer John Kreuzer of Farmington. “It always makes me smile when I have an opportunity to do it.”
South Union Township supervisors had reserved a pavilion, at no cost, for the event, and their staff mowed the grass and placed convenient barrels for any discarded trash or waste fishing line.
Rich Farms Nursery donated a 5-foot maple tree for the kids to plant on the streambank, a tradition started several years ago to incorporate a natural resource conservation message into the fishing experience.
“We like to subtly plant the seed that clean water and good fishing are linked to forests and trees,” said CRTU vice-president Dennis Croft of Indian Head. “The kids seem to enjoy planting the tree almost as much as fishing.
CRTU uses trout from its Confluence nursery to support many youth fishing events in Fayette and Somerset counties.
Despite heavy storms the night before the East End fishing event, the stream was in excellent condition for kids’ fishing. Water levels were ideal in the series of plunge pools, separated by waterfalls, and there was a slight tint to the stream caused by moderate runoff during the storms. Slightly muddy conditions often produce better fishing, especially when inexperienced kids are involved. In cloudy water, fish are not alarmed by sudden movements along the shore, or by bobbers cast heavily into the flow over their heads.
The effective setup for kids proved to be a simple garden worm suspended about a foot beneath a bobber.
“I caught five trout,” one boy proclaimed.
“Yeah, but I’m not afraid to touch them,” teased his friend.
All the kids caught fish. Even when the nice 12- to 14-inch trout weren’t biting, the kids caught smaller pumpkinseed sunfish native to the stream.
“To a kid, a fish is a fish, the whole mystique of trout doesn’t really matter in this case,” observed one CRTU volunteer.
CRTU then grilled a hotdog lunch for all the kids in attendance. After the children departed in the East End van, Marilyn Calloway, East End Community Center board member who accompanied the group, sent a video back to the volunteers who made the day possible.
“Say what you wanted to say,” Calloway can be heard instructing before the kids in unison yelled: “Thank you!”
No prizes are awarded at the annual event, and no measurements are made to determine who caught the biggest fish.
“We try to de-emphasize competition,” Croft said. “Instead, we hope to convey a love for the joy of fishing for its own sake.”
Ben Moyer is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America.