For the kids
Youth fishing program returns to South Union’s park at Hutchinson
Fayette County kids will again enjoy an exciting and convenient fishing opportunity thanks to Friends of Jim Tobal. Gary Brain, co-chairman of the group, said his organization will soon stock trout into Hutchinson Run, the small stream that flows through South Union Township’s Community Park at Hutchinson. The fish are intended for kids-only recreation.
“We don’t yet know the exact date of the fish delivery,” Brain said. “But it will likely be sometime during the week of March 23. It has been difficult to obtain trout from commercial hatcheries recently, which lost some of their production capacity during last year’s extreme drought. But we did manage to reserve a greater number this year for the kids’ events at Hutchinson.”
Brain said youths aged 16 and under are invited to fish for trout in the stream that flows along the park’s walking trail, on a catch & release basis from now through March 28. Young anglers are asked to use artificial lures or flies during this period. Fishing with live or processed baits is discouraged to ensure survival of released trout.
On March 29, the official statewide Youth Mentor Trout Day, kids fishing the stream can keep two trout, and may fish with any tackle, including bait. On that day, all Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Youth Mentor regulations apply. Adult mentors may assist kids but may not actively fish themselves.
Fishing reverts to catch-and-release, artificial lures, March 30 through April 4.
The general statewide trout season opens on April 5. Beginning that date, kids fishing at the park at Hutchinson may fish with any tackle and bait and may keep 5 trout per day.
The Chestnut Ridge Chapter of Trout Unlimited, of which Jim Tobal was a long-time member will stock the stream again shortly after April 5. Chestnut Ridge TU (CRTU) raises its trout in a unique cage-design nursery in the tailrace immediately downstream of the Youghiogheny Reservoir Dam at Confluence. CRTU is a cooperator with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in the agency’s cooperative nursery program. The Commission supplies CRTU with between 6,000 and 8,000 fingerling trout each fall. CRTU volunteers raise the fish to catchable size and release hundreds each spring to support youth fishing experiences. The remainder are stocked in waters open to public fishing that do not support wild trout, especially the Youghiogheny River.
The youth fishing program commemorates Jim Tobal, long-time area educator, Laurel Highlands school director, outdoorsman and conservationist. Tobal pioneered the idea of a special kids’ fishing area at the park and worked with South Union Township to develop it as an ideal fishing location for beginners.
“Jim [Tobal] taught for over 40 years at Laurel Highlands,” said Brain, a former Laurel Highlands School District Superintendent. “He put this event together initially and ran it for years because he loved to see kids enjoy the outdoors. His wife Patty and brother Mike continue to be wonderful supporters of Jim’s commitment to connect kids with nature.”
Brain noted that South Union Township supervisors and their staff have made significant improvements this year to the fishing area.
“We really appreciate the dedication of the township to this project,” Brain said. “They have continued to improve the site, as Jim Tobal envisioned, and this year, due to their efforts, there will be more room for kids to spread out and fish along the stream.”
There is no cost for kids to fish at the park. Youth 16 and over, however, must possess a valid Pennsylvania fishing license. Organizers point out that the township park is a different facility than the nearby Hutchinson Sportsmen’s Club, and that the Jim Tobal memorial youth event does not extend upstream to club property.
If the group can raise enough money, it will buy fish for a third trout stocking for kids sometime later in April.
Anyone interested in supporting the kids’ fishing project at the township park at Hutchinson can call Gary Brain (724-323-6132) to donate.
“My brother would be so proud to see this opportunity carried on for area kids,” said Mike Tobal, co-chairman of the project and Jim Tobal’s brother.
South Union’s Community Park and Hutchinson Recreation Area are just south of Uniontown, on Stadium Drive. It’s also accessible from the Sheepskin Trail.
Ben Moyer is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America.