Blue skies came as a surprise to anglers Saturday morning, the opening day of the statewide trout season. But after a night of intermittent rain, anglers expected the high muddy waters they found on Allegheny County streams.
The rain stopped falling well before the season opened at 8 a.m. and wasn't expected to return until after lunchtime.
North Park Lake, usually a circus on opening day, was uncharacteristically calm in the morning. A few anglers had hookups, but catches were few and far between.
At Turtle Creek on the Westmoreland County border, both parking lots at the Saunder's Station Road crossing were packed by 7 a.m.
Larry "Bo" Boberg of Wall gave his fishing companions a countdown to 8 a.m. and three lines flew across the muddy stream.
"The high water makes it hard for them," he said as his daughters Kendell, 9, and Kora, 7, fished from the muddy bank near the bridge.
On their third opening day, the current carried their bobbers swiftly past them, but Kora was all smiles.
"It's fun and you get to catch fish," she said.
"You can catch them and eat them," added Kendell.
"anglers"Anglers line the shore of North Park Lake on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in McCandless.(Post-Gazette)
A few miles down stream on Turtle Creek at Trafford, John Zuzik said he saw few fish taken by anglers. Mr. Zuzik grew up in the small working town and now lives in Virginia, but returned for opening day with his son Jacob, 17.
"I came all the way up here to take him trout fishing for the first time," he said. "It's high and muddy, but I was expecting a wind storm and everything else."
In its third season as a state-stocked stream, Peter's Creek near Jefferson Hills got a load of brown, rainbow and golden rainbow trout Wednesday. At about 10:30 Saturday the easy access pools were surrounded by anglers.
Pat Providence of Greensburg had three trout on his stringer.
"It's tough fishing because the clarity is bad, there's too much debris," he said.
His hook was baited with half a nightcrawler.
"You need more weight to get it on the bottom and bump one in the head as it goes by."
Sitting beside him on an iron bridge, Mr. Providence's daughter Samantha, 17, held her spinning rod and cellphone intermittently. Her dad said she started fishing at 4 or 5 years old and hasn't missed an opening day since.
"I get to spend time with my dad," she said.
"Keeps her out of trouble, too," he said laughing.
In Jefferson Hills on Long Run, Ty Webb of Irwin and his friends hadn't had a hit all morning.
"The rain had a lot to do with it, murky water. But it's just beautiful today," he said. "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work."
