Fishing Frequency

[wgmiller]

A good segue from this thread would be something to the extent of "How many fishing miles per year do you put on your car?" or similar. With some of the yearly fishing numbers I've seen posted, unless you live in a very "fishing dense" area, you're likely logging some miles!

 

[5footfenwick]

PA has tons of great small colleges like that. You’ve got a better handle on your fishing ambitions than I did at your age. I went to Susquehanna, had a good time, got a degree, but didn’t really maximize my fishing opportunities given my location, and that I had my parents hand me down 96 Town & Country along with me. As a 40 year old, I wish I did.

Lots of good small colleges out there in PA with good fishing opportunities. Don’t overlook the smaller state schools. Significant savings in cost for a similar experience, and similar, or better, name recognition than your typical small private ones…Susquehanna/Juniata/Grove City/Gettysburg/Allegheny/etc.

I had a good experience at Susquehanna, but Lock Haven would be my pick now, FWIW.

I went to Lock Haven. Highly recommended. So cheap and in a perfect location for fishing. Close to browns and close to brookies. Spring break every year for us was driving up to Haneyville and walking back to campus backpacking and fishing. Can swim in the West branch Susquehanna river anytime you want. It’s 50 yards away. Hiking trails on campus. Big Fishing creek is a one minute drive away. Can walk to bald eagle creek. F. J sayer lake 15 minutes away for warm water fishing. Spring creek is 25 minutes away. If I had to pick again, I’d still pick Lock Haven.
~5footfenwick

 

[Cougarbaby]

20 trips last year consisting of 200 mile round trips. It's kinda strange but it's 98 miles to the little J gorge and 98 to east branch clarion for me . 8 trips within 1/2 hr from home

 

[hooker-of-men]

I never know what to make of these questions.

Does it count as getting out if I walk a brookie stream for an hour after work? Or if I fish stillwater before work at sunrise? What if I check out a carp spot for half an hour and only take two casts?

What if I don't catch anything? Does that count?

Does taking my kids to the pond down the road to catch panfish count? Sometimes I take a couple casts in between them fishing...

I'm no pro, but there's no day that I'm not fishing or thinking about fishing.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

I went to Lock Haven. Highly recommended. So cheap and in a perfect location for fishing. Close to browns and close to brookies. Spring break every year for us was driving up to Haneyville and walking back to campus backpacking and fishing. Can swim in the West branch Susquehanna river anytime you want. It’s 50 yards away. Hiking trails on campus. Big Fishing creek is a one minute drive away. Can walk to bald eagle creek. F. J sayer lake 15 minutes away for warm water fishing. Spring creek is 25 minutes away. If I had to pick again, I’d still pick Lock Haven.
~5footfenwick

I agree with your thoughts about lock haven, except drive times! having a leadfoot myself, I am often accused of sharing short drive times and I definitely cant make it from LHU campus area to fishing creek, sayers or spring creek in those times.

All those waters are close, but you should add a few minutes to all of those times from campus. There is so much water to fish within 30-45 min of town, that you will never fish it all.

 

[5footfenwick]

I agree with your thoughts about lock haven, except drive times! having a leadfoot myself, I am often accused of sharing short drive times and I definitely cant make it from LHU campus area to fishing creek, sayers or spring creek in those times.

All those waters are close, but you should add a few minutes to all of those times from campus. There is so much water to fish within 30-45 min of town, that you will never fish it all.

How dare you accuse me of being a raconteur! You are probably right. Ok lyco time to bust out the big guns…google maps! lol

Yeah I should add about a minute to Fishing creek. It’s probably a two minute drive. It’s only 2.3 miles away and it only takes 4 minutes if you hit every red light.

The lake is 11 miles away and usually doesn’t quite take 15 minutes to get there. Once again it only takes that long if you hit every red light.

I agree google maps says 28 minutes to spring. But that’s only if you hit every red light and stop to take a pee at a gas station.
I actually added a little time here. It doesn’t quite take 25 minutes. I lived about a mile up spring creek for several years and commuted to school. Everyday, sometimes twice a day. It usually took 23 or 24 minutes. It’s a straight shot. 23 miles on a road you are doing 60mph-65mph for 95% of it.

So I guess I’d add a minute to fishing creek, and take away a minute or two from spring.
The lake is definitely 15 minutes away.

Not sure why these drives would take you longer? You do pass the one horsepower vehicles right? Just joking around and totally messing with you @lycoflyfisher 🙂 couldn’t fall asleep and saw your post. You are right, I agree my times might be a little off. I also agree that a student could never even come close to fishing all of the waters nearby. Believe me, I tried!

~5footfenwick

 

[jifigz]

I went to Clarion. I was still a bass fisherman back then using spinning gear, but I had a great time fishing the Clarion River and Piney Reservoir. If I had to pick a college based on fly fishing for trout, I'd choose Lock Haven, and I'd say Bloomsburg would be choice #2.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

See, I took your description of the lake and assume you mean going in at the park entrance and driving back in to the winter launch, beach or the cut, or going fuether up lake to upper greens or perhaps the bridge going into Howard. All those add several minutes to the drive compared to your spot. While you certainly can access the lake by the dam at your pin, I would guess most parking there are going to the spillway.

 

[wildtrout2]

I went to Clarion. I was still a bass fisherman back then using spinning gear, but I had a great time fishing the Clarion River and Piney Reservoir. If I had to pick a college based on fly fishing for trout, I'd choose Lock Haven, and I'd say Bloomsburg would be choice #2.

Clarion is a neat little town, that I go through on my way to Venango county. It's storybook like and sort of takes you back in time.

 

[jifigz]

Clarion is a neat little town, that I go through on my way to Venango county. It's storybook like and sort of takes you back in time.

It isn't a great area for trout fishing, though. I loved it there, but like I said, I hadn't caught the wild trout bug back then.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

There was a time when I'd go out at least once, if not 3x a week. A New Year's Day trip and a Christmas Eve outing were always a must, and a few years where I even managed to get out on Thanksgiving morning before all the craziness of the holiday began. I just wanted to fish as much as I could.

That started to taper off during my last 3-4 years in PA, and now in WV, it's non-existent. I've been out once this year so far. My heaviest weeks are when we come up to PA at the end of May and in early October. Then, I'll fish just about every day, as much as I possibly can.

A lot of factors have played a role in this. My wife and kids would be perfectly fine w/ me going once a week, I think. However:
1-we are a 1 car family and have been, basically, since moving to WV. Makes things tough especially during track season-all 3 of my kids run. So, when they have the car, I don't.
2-my vocation. I'm a pastor of a small Presbyterian church. Small, yes-but I'm the only one "on staff", so to speak. So, there's just so much to be doing here all the time. The ministerial duties can get intense-add to it all the administrative stuff, it's a lot.
3-distance from solid streams. Warm water isn't necessarily a problem, though at times finding safe, wadable water can be tough. The hot, dry summers help. But for trout? I'm an hour from the closest actual wild trout stream. 2 hours is the average for me to get into solid fishing. so my trips are a 6 hour commitment at least. No more "goin' out for an hour" quickies. Thus, see #1...
4-buddies. I don't mind fishing alone, but sometimes I just like to have buddies to fish with. All my buddies are in PA. There are a few guys who fish here at the church-no one fly fishes (I don't care), but-they're busy too!

It sucks. In a lot of ways, I need the "release" more than ever. Fishing would get me out of my study, up and moving around, finding some peace and quiet, but, oh well. I take out my frustration and energy in other ways now. Lots of yard work, wood splitting, etc. etc. etc. But I do really wish I had more time for fishing.

 

[lars]

i try to fish everyday that isn't a weekend. it is a bit harder every year, so my numbers have been less but fishing is part of my exercise program along with shoveling snow, maintaining 2 acres and heating with wood. any decent trout fishing for me is a 2 hour drive so i tend to do more smallie fishing as the season goes into summer.

 

[5footfenwick]

See, I took your description of the lake and assume you mean going in at the park entrance and driving back in to the winter launch, beach or the cut, or going fuether up lake to upper greens or perhaps the bridge going into Howard. All those add several minutes to the drive compared to your spot. While you certainly can access the lake by the dam at your pin, I would guess most parking there are going to the spillway.

I was just messing with you sir. Trying to be funny. 😄

 

[Cougarbaby]

When I say Clarion I mean 40 miles upstream no where near the town ,majority is above Ridgeway

 

[Swattie87]

Clarion is a neat little town, that I go through on my way to Venango county. It's storybook like and sort of takes you back in time.

It’s got a really good pizza place. Like Pizza Hut pan style but not Pizza Hut.

 

[tjsingle]

I usually get out 1-2 times a week. Lately its been more luckily. I'm fortunate that my work has a 9-80 schedule, where I am working 44 hours one week, and the other 36 with Friday off.

Usually get a couple of longer trips in a year too to places outside of PA.

I'd say I'm over 75 trips a year.

 

[jifigz]

It’s got a really good pizza place. Like Pizza Hut pan style but not Pizza Hut.

You must be talking about the Pizza Pub. Yeah, that place is cool. But Bob's Sub is where it's at in Clarion.

 

[Swattie87]

You must be talking about the Pizza Pub. Yeah, that place is cool. But Bob's Sub is where it's at in Clarion.

Yep, Pizza Pub.