I’m not much of a fly-fisherman, but some of my friends are, including Brad Isles and Brett Peterson. They took two other neophytes — Todd Puleo and Gary Peterson — and me along on a trout venture last weekend to Oil Creek in Venango County.
Oil Creek is quite different from the tiny headwaters streams I usually fish in for native brookies, and it’s ideal for fly-fishing for three reasons. First, it’s just chock full of trout: rainbows and browns from recent stockings, holdover hatchery fish that have grown large and wild over time, and even some wild brook trout that have meandered in from the tributaries.
Second, Oil Creek’s a big stream, often 50 to 100 feet across, in contrast to the 10-foot-wide streams I’m used to. In most sections it’s shallow enough that a fisherman in waders can walk all the way out to the middle, where there’s plenty of room for overhead fly-casting without worrying about back-casting into branches or sidearm flinging under evergreen boughs.
And third, it’s a beautiful place to fish. Quite different from the little mountain streams that feature dense overhanging hemlocks, sandstone boulders, and pools and waterfalls, Oil Creek’s currents are more constant and the fish are spread out in rocky-bottom havens from shore to shore in the heavily-wooded, wild and beautiful, 7,000-acre Oil Creek State Park.
The five of us parked our two vehicles in a small lot near a stretch of the 10-mile paved bicycle path that provides access to the stream and walked a half-mile downstream to Brett’s favorite spot, a stretch of riffles and runs that flow above, below, and under the bicycle bridge. We passed witch hazel thickets and blooming apple trees from old untended orchards along the trail, and we all gazed up at the green-shouldered hillsides above, with their white dogwood petals sprinkled against the lime green of hardwood foliage and the darker green of the pines.
We scattered out over the wide stream near the bridge and began casting and casting under the gray clouds in the cool spring breezes. Brett and Brad looked skilled and picturesque with their overhead casting and their efficient stripping and mending of fly line, while the rest of us flung our lines awkwardly and muddled through.
Brett caught a brown trout on a bead-head nymph right away and later hooked three rainbows with a black Woolly Bugger. I lucked into a feisty rainbow trout myself, a 13-incher so broad and heavy that Brett and I first thought I was fighting a smallmouth bass downriver in the swift current. Gary, who had just recently committed to fly-fishing, caught his first-ever wet-fly trout, a nice brown taken on a Copper John nymph, and later scored his first dry-fly fish, a rainbow fooled by a tiny #20 elk-hair caddis imitation. We carefully released all our fish that morning and hiked back to our vehicles at noon, trout-poor but rich in the memory of the day’s experiences.
Trail Notes: Glenn Clark of Greenville recently celebrated his 50th year as a hunter safety instructor, including one “trial run” year before the Game Commission’s Hunter-Trapper Education program officially began. Glenn is 82 years old, but he claims he’s 32 and a half: that is, 32 years plus a half-century. He received two awards during the annual instructor training class held last month at the local Western Reserve Sportsman’s Club. He was named “Outstanding Instructor for Northern Mercer County” and “Instructor of the Year for the Northwest PA Region.”
“This is something I have a passion for,” Glenn told me over the phone last week. “I don’t know exactly how many people I’ve taught over the years, but I’ve averaged three classes a year with 35-50 students in them for 50 years. That’s a lot of students I’ve worked with.” Glenn also wrote an article about his experiences titled “A Half-Century of Hunter Safety.” It will appear in the Pennsylvania Game News next year.
Good luck out there. And have a great week outdoors.
Don Feigert is the outdoors writer for THE HERALD and the ALLIED NEWS. He can be contacted at 317-985-2870 or dfeigert@verizon.net. Visit his Website at www.donfeigert.com.
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Oil Creek is ideal for fly-fishing
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PIAA Track: Hickory's Bell, Lubarski, Regginello grab gold
SHIPPENSBURG — There’s a big difference between being seeded 1st and finishing 1st — Matt Bell can attest to that.
After settling for silver last year, the Hickory High senior put the shot 59 feet, 6 3/4 inches Friday afternoon to garner gold at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University. -
WM to play for D-10 baseball title; GC, Sharon, Sharpsville lose
Four area baseball teams were in action on Friday in the District 10 semifinals as the squads battled to compete for District 10 championships on Monday.
West Middlesex rolled past error-prone Linesville, 8-0, in Class A action at Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park.
In Class AA, both Sharon and Sharpsville suffered 2-1 losses. The Tigers fell to Saegertown at Ainsworth Field in Erie while the Blue Devils lost to Titusville at SRU.
In Class AAA, the Grove City Eagles were denied the chance to defend their D-10 crown after suffering a 6-3 loss to Warren at SRU. -
Farrell volleyball falls in D-10 semifinals
The Farrell High boys volleyball team suffered a 2-0 (25-15, 25-12) loss to Saegertown on Thursday night in the District 10 semifinals at Meadville Area High’s “House of Thrills.”
“This was the first year we made it out of the first day (pool play) of the playoffs,” said Steelers’ coach Dan Dragicevic. “I’d like to cite my seniors (Eric Demus, Anthony Perkins, Jaylen Chambers and Lawrence Hughes). -
Locals ready to go for gold at Shippensburg
Now that Mercer County is on the map, it’s incumbent upon the area aggregation to chart a course for the ultimate destination — Seth Grove Stadium’s medals stand — during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Led by West Middlesex High sprinter Clay Allen, many Mercer Countians are seeded at or near the top of their respective events for the annual 2-day marathon at Shippensburg University, which commences 9 a.m. Friday. It will continue beginning 9 a.m. Saturday. -
D-10 Playoffs: Local teams go 6-for-6
ä Grove City 1, Harbor Creek 0 — At Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park, what the Grove City Eagles couldn’t accomplish themselves, the Harbor Creek Huskies unwittingly did for them.
Unable to plate runs themselves, Torin Smith scored the Eagles’ only run when teammate Tyler Devine’s seeming inning-ending pop-up to left field was dropped by Harbor Creek’s Chris Merritt in the bottom of the 7th inning of Tuesday’s tourney opener. -
Great year for WM track; local qualifiers listed
It’s been a big year for the Big Reds.
Though there’s no official documentation, the 2011-12 academic year may be the most successful in West Middlesex High’s athletic annals. -
SPORTVIEW: Local names Kroko, Lutz, Kareklas in news elsewhere
IT’S ALWAYS GOOD to hear of former area people who have gone on to athletic success in other areas, or the family of former area residents. Following are a few of those stories:
ä Bob and Betty Kroko of Sharon are avid followers of professional baseball. No, not necessarily the Pittsburgh Pirates or Cleveland Indians like many local fans.
The Krokos keep a close eye on the Austria Major League! -
Petty an all-around great athlete in track and gymnastics
When Mercer County’s contingent convenes at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships this weekend, it will be well represented
Clay Allen, Matt Bell, John Yohman, Johnathan Jacoway, Jeremy Jansco, Nico Zahniser, DeShawn Coleman, Dan Jaskowak, et all, should haul home some hardware. But with all due respect, the aforementioned young men may or may not be best athletes in the area’s aggregation that will assemble this weekend at Shippensburg University. -
Lubarski, Richards, Petty, Allen shine at D-10 Track Championships; Hickory girls, WM boys team champs
Hickory High’s high-jump state champion Lauren Lubarski suffered a severe blow to open her competion at the annual District 10 Class AA Track & Field Championships Saturday at Hickory HIgh Stadium.
She failed to qualify for state in the event she had won the previous year. -
Baseball, softball D-10 playoff pairings
The District 10 pairings for the baseball and softball playoffs have been released. Five area baseball teams and four (possibly 5) softball squads have qualified.
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