Penn’s Outdoors

Cabelas versus Bass Pro Shops Aquarium

I really like my trips to the Bass Pro Shops in Harrisburg, but I have to say that the Cabelas in Hamburg has a far better aquarium.  Here are a few details about the Cabelas aquarium.

Good for PFBC

Recently a tourney organizer wanted to have a bass tournament that wasn’t catch and release on the Susquehanna River. The preview sentence for the article in the New Age Examiner states…

A recent law enacted by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission prohibiting anglers from harvesting black bass in the Susquehanna River during fishing tournaments is causing some concern.

No concern here.  PFBC got it absolutely right through this law.  You can read the article for both sides of the story.

Pheasants in PA?

PGC has asked for comment on their new pheasant plan.  I can’t remember the last time I saw a pheasant while driving the farm country of south central PA.  I had pretty much given up hope on pheasants in PA.  Evidently PGC hasn’t.

“We are seeking public comment on the draft pheasant management plan to ensure the resulting final management plan considers the thoughts and concerns of Pennsylvanians about this species,” said Calvin W. DuBrock, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director.  “As written, the plan is science-based, progressive and promotes responsible management.  We’re interested in hearing from Pennsylvanians who would like to offer comments, and to see if we’ve missed something or if they share our management vision for the future.”

For more information, visit the Game Commission’s “Pheasant” section on the agency’s web site, which can be viewed by selecting “Hunting” in the left-hand column of the homepage then click on the pheasant photo.

Pymatuning Panfish

Family Fish and Game has article on fishing the Pymatuning for panfish.

Big Big Bass

While we may not have as many big bass as our friends down south, the opportunity for a big one does exist.  Kevin Robison from McKeesport proves this.

Fishing the lake in Peters Township Park on April 19, Robison caught a largemouth that weighed 10 pounds, 1 ounce.

“It just crushed my buzz bait. It was sick,” Robison said.

Robison was fishing an area of the lake that’s just “infested” with downed timber, he said. The shoreline there is thick and choked with poison ivy, too, which keeps most anglers out later in the year.

Robison said he’d seen big bass in there before, and he even caught some 5-pound males, so he decided to give it a try this spring.

When he first hooked his big fish, it burrowed under a tree. He was fishing with 30-pound test Spider Wire, though, and was able to pop it out.

“She jumped two times, and that’s when I saw how big she was. I thought she might be a 5- or 6-pounder until I saw her head. It was just huge,” Robison said.

He landed the fish after a five-minute fight, took a few pictures, then released it.

A week later, Robison went back to the same spot and caught a 7-pound bass, so there’s no doubt there are big fish in the lake, he said.

Salmon in the Schuylkill River

According to the Farm to Philly blog, salmon may be introduced to the Schuylkill River and other waters in PA.  If this is true, I’m psyched!

A few weekends ago there was a free fishing weekend in Pennsylvania - no license needed.  I was at my dragon boat team’s dock on the Schuylkill River (near St. Joe’s boathouse), and ran into a guy from the PA Fish and Boat Commission.  He was there with fishing poles to encourage people to fish.  We chatted a bit about the water quality on the river and fishing (he was thrilled that my husband fishes local waterways and routinely brings me freshly caught trout), and then he told me something that stunned me: the water quality has improved in the Schuylkill that not only can people eat fish that are caught in it (although there are limits to the number of allowable fish eaten in a month), they’re planning to reintroduce salmon into the river.  In fact, they’re planning to reintroduce salmon into several waterways in the region.

Wyoming County Bass Fishing

Here’s an article from The New Age Examiner on fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass in Wyoming County.