Gone Fishin'

Sunset at Conewago Day Use Area at Gifford Pinchot State Park.

While growing up, my family always took trips to the lake.  I grew up in the western part of the state, so my lake memories involve Lake Wilhelm, Lake Erie, and Pymatuning Lake.  My Dad would take along one of his boats.  My Mom, my brother, and I would swim, fish and take turns in the boat.  Now, I don't want to  mislead you, when I say my Dad would take one of his boats.  My Dad had a little Sunfish sailboat, that he shared with my uncle, a canoe he made from a kit, and a small aluminum fishing boat.  He'd plop one of those vessels on the top of the van, secure it with rope and we'd be off.  Those trips to the lake made for a lifetime of memories that I still cherish today.  Now, as a parent, I understand why we went fishing so much.  Not only is it relaxing and a great way to spend time with the kids, it's inexpensive and fun.  Once you get the initial fishing gear and license purchase out of the way, entertainment is just a carton of bait away.


It's very comforting to know that I can hop in to the van and drive 20 minutes to the lake at Gifford Pinchot State Park.  Yes, I know we have the Yellow Breeches running through town, but it doesn't feel like a get away so much, when you just drive down the street a few blocks.  I like to put a little mileage between myself and home when I plop that bobber in the water.

One thing I've learned this past summer is where, and where not to, buy bait.  I'm a simple fisherman.  I don't need anything fancy.  Just give me some night crawlers, and I'm happy.  But, if you are going to sell bait, make sure what you are selling is alive.  Buying bait near the lake is your best bet.  Hawghead Marine & Tackle Center is your most reliable option for bait when fishing at Pinchot.  The nightcrawlers are cheap at $5.49 for two dozen, and the worms are always squirming.  I've learned that buying bait from Market Mart here in town is not a good idea.  Not only where the worms half dead, they were the most expensive I've come across at $7+ for two dozen.  We've also stopped at Rutters along Limekiln Road, too.  Their worms were lively, and went for $4.49 a dozen.  You can buy bait at the boat rental center at Pinchot State Park, but I'm not sure of their hours, and they've been closed when I went during the week.

A few years back I had started fishing again, but got discouraged and distracted.  The kids were pretty little, and taking all of them fishing was a lot more work than it was relaxing.  Now that my children are a few years older they can do a bit more for themselves, and I decided to give it a try once again.  This time, I've discovered the key to having a relaxing time while fishing with children is to take only one of them with me at a time.  I love all my kids, but having all three of them fishing together is bound to scare away the fish, as well as other fishermen.  This summer, Conewago Day Use Area is where we've been casting our rods.  Almost every time we've gone there we've caught fish.  My son, is the only one not to catch anything yet, but we are hoping to change that when we go this week.  I've caught one sunfish.  My older daughter caught two bluegill.  My younger daughter caught three fish, one of which was a large mouth bass.

Fishing at Conewago Day Use Area.

The fishing is good at Pinchot, but eventually you run out of bait.  The Conewago Day Use Area is not just a great place to fish.  There are several things there to keep you busy for hours, including an environmental center, disc golf course, frog pond and hiking trails.  If you hike up past the Environmental Center, you can observe quite a bit of turtle activity in the lake.  Rocks and downed trees provide a wonderful habitat for the them.  One day while we were fishing nearby, one little turtle seemed to be playing tricks on us.  He'd pop his head out of the water, swim over to our bobbers, dive and take our bait.  I've noticed several bird species, squirrels, chipmunks and other animals scurrying around the park, too. I like when I see turtles, frogs, and other wild life at the lake.  It shows the area is healthy, well taken care of, and stocked with fish for them to feed upon.

Like someone once said, "A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work."  I'll have to wholeheartedly agree.  Especially, when you see the look upon a child's face when they've caught their first fish.

Yep, now I understand why my parents took me fishing so much.

Links to information mentioned in this entry.

Gifford Pinchot State Park

Hawghead Marine & Tackle Center