Acristickid
Well-known member
Acristickid
Well-known member
afishinado
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Staff member
McSneek
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Haha. I met Brokaw at a dinner. Asked him how the fishing was in Montana. He got a chuckle out of my question considering he had just spent an hour on world events.
afishinado
Moderator
Staff member
Never seen Big Brokaw on Valley, but I'm proud to say, I have actually fished Valley with Little Brokaw!
Quite an honor and privilege....
JackM
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- Sep 9, 2006
- Messages
- 17,323
Rumor has it that Harrison Ford fished the Yough.
Acristickid
Well-known member
From Post Gazette today- Losing tradition and apparantley money.
At precisely 8 a.m. Saturday, anglers will plunk baits into lakes and streams at the opening moment of the statewide trout season.
For some families and fishing buddies, the long-held Pennsylvania tradition will include a hearty breakfast served at the confluence of trout fishing, civic responsibility and pancakes.
Many rural communities capitalize on the annual influx of opening-day anglers with fundraising breakfasts benefiting volunteer fire departments, churches, community centers and other nonprofit organizations. Staffed by local volunteers, the events can draw sizable crowds and raise thousands of dollars.
But in recent years, the opening-day fundraiser tradition has begun to wane. Organizers say the aging volunteers who have set up the card tables, fried the eggs and poured the coffee are not being replaced by a busier, more mobile generation that seems less anchored to their hometowns. Anglers, too, are more rushed. Breakfast organizers believe Pennsylvania is gradually losing a quaint rural tradition as well as the revenue it brings to civic organizations.
“Twenty years ago, you could go to a fire hall at 4 a.m. and get breakfast before going to your fishing hole,” said Art Grguric, manager of the annual opening-day Wild Game Breakfast at Blackleggs Creek Memorial Park near Saltsburg, Indiana County. “It’s a lot of work to put this on. I’m grateful for the help we get, but a lot of people don’t have the time to make the commitment. I wish I had the answer.”
Angler Ron Taylor of Moon used to volunteer at a Westmoreland County fishermen’s breakfast until the event closed.
“These pancake breakfasts were a huge attraction at the opening of trout and buck seasons. You don’t see that as much anymore,” he said. “It could be that things are changing. There are so many McDonald’s and Sheetzes now where you can stop by and grab a breakfast sandwich. Also, guys used to go to a camp and stay several days. Now you see a lot more one-day hunters and fishermen who are too rushed to go over to the fire hall.”
Mr. Taylor said the loss of the sportsmen’s breakfasts is cutting into the camaraderie and trade of fishing stories. But more tangible is the loss of revenue for civic organizations.
For small-town churches and community recreation centers, the closing of a bacon-and-eggs benefit can cut a couple thousand dollars from the yearly budget. Volunteer fire departments that are not funded by the municipalities they serve can find it harder to absorb the absence of angler revenue.
“Our annual budget of $70,000 to $80,000 will be gone by the end of the year. We don’t get any tax money,” said Jim McConnell, assistant chief and president of Volant Volunteer Fire Company, which for 40 years has sponsored a buckwheat pancake breakfast near the banks of Neshannock Creek in Lawrence County. “We gross about $7,000 and profit about $3,000. The best year we ever had, we made $4,500 and served more than 1,500 people. That’s a good chunk of our yearly budget. It would be hard to replace.”
The Volant fire station is not affiliated with the borough of Volant. State grants, donations, a community fund drive and other revenue-generating events help the volunteer firefighters to afford their own fire hall, trucks and firefighting equipment, insurance and utility expenses, including fees for the water it taps to put out fires.
Much of Neshannock Creek is managed under special regulations in which live bait is banned and fishing is permitted year round. With no opening day to attract the anglers, Volant’s buckwheat breakfast is pegged to a pre-season state trout stocking and children’s event organized by the fly shop across the street. The buckwheat pancakes are locally famous, made with a yeast starter that originated 50 years ago. Anglers, kids and locals stand in line for as long as an hour to get a seat.
“This creek is good for the whole town, not just for me,” said Bob Shuey, owner of the stream-side Neshannock Creek Fly Shop. “The state stocks the fish, I organize the event where the kids carry the buckets to the creek, the fire hall sells the pancakes and some of the other shops stay open for the tourists.”
Saturday’s Wild Game Breakfast in Saltsburg includes venison and perhaps big horn sheep, antelope and other delicacies that may be donated by hunters. The meat is prepared with eggs and other breakfast fare by culinary students from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and served outdoors under a wooden pavilion at Blackleggs Creek Memorial Park. It’s free, organized by Mr. Grguric to draw attention to the nonprofit Blackleggs Co-op Trout Nursery and Watershed Association, which raises and stocks some 15,000 brown trout per year into nearby Blackleggs Creek.
“It was never intended to be a fundraiser. People come and want to join the co-op, and that’s how it helps us,” he said. “It’s a good family thing — good food and good fishing. We expect to serve 150 to 200 people before 8 a.m.”
Here are some of the locations where angler breakfasts will be held Saturday:
• Westmoreland County — Keystone State Park, 1150 Keystone Park Road, Derry 15627. Coffee and snacks. 724-668-2939.
• Indiana County — Wild Game Breakfast, Blackleggs Creek Memorial Park, Shrokman and Cribbs roads, Young 15783. 4 a.m. until food runs out. 724-972-8675.
• Armstrong County — Buffalo Valley Sportsmen’s Club, 365 Yellow Dog Rd, Worthington 16262. 5 a.m.-noon. 724-297-3662.
• Union County — Trinity Lutheran Church, 2599 Church Road, Mifflinburg 17844. 6-10 a.m. 570-966-2380.
At precisely 8 a.m. Saturday, anglers will plunk baits into lakes and streams at the opening moment of the statewide trout season.
For some families and fishing buddies, the long-held Pennsylvania tradition will include a hearty breakfast served at the confluence of trout fishing, civic responsibility and pancakes.
Many rural communities capitalize on the annual influx of opening-day anglers with fundraising breakfasts benefiting volunteer fire departments, churches, community centers and other nonprofit organizations. Staffed by local volunteers, the events can draw sizable crowds and raise thousands of dollars.
But in recent years, the opening-day fundraiser tradition has begun to wane. Organizers say the aging volunteers who have set up the card tables, fried the eggs and poured the coffee are not being replaced by a busier, more mobile generation that seems less anchored to their hometowns. Anglers, too, are more rushed. Breakfast organizers believe Pennsylvania is gradually losing a quaint rural tradition as well as the revenue it brings to civic organizations.
“Twenty years ago, you could go to a fire hall at 4 a.m. and get breakfast before going to your fishing hole,” said Art Grguric, manager of the annual opening-day Wild Game Breakfast at Blackleggs Creek Memorial Park near Saltsburg, Indiana County. “It’s a lot of work to put this on. I’m grateful for the help we get, but a lot of people don’t have the time to make the commitment. I wish I had the answer.”
Angler Ron Taylor of Moon used to volunteer at a Westmoreland County fishermen’s breakfast until the event closed.
“These pancake breakfasts were a huge attraction at the opening of trout and buck seasons. You don’t see that as much anymore,” he said. “It could be that things are changing. There are so many McDonald’s and Sheetzes now where you can stop by and grab a breakfast sandwich. Also, guys used to go to a camp and stay several days. Now you see a lot more one-day hunters and fishermen who are too rushed to go over to the fire hall.”
Mr. Taylor said the loss of the sportsmen’s breakfasts is cutting into the camaraderie and trade of fishing stories. But more tangible is the loss of revenue for civic organizations.
For small-town churches and community recreation centers, the closing of a bacon-and-eggs benefit can cut a couple thousand dollars from the yearly budget. Volunteer fire departments that are not funded by the municipalities they serve can find it harder to absorb the absence of angler revenue.
“Our annual budget of $70,000 to $80,000 will be gone by the end of the year. We don’t get any tax money,” said Jim McConnell, assistant chief and president of Volant Volunteer Fire Company, which for 40 years has sponsored a buckwheat pancake breakfast near the banks of Neshannock Creek in Lawrence County. “We gross about $7,000 and profit about $3,000. The best year we ever had, we made $4,500 and served more than 1,500 people. That’s a good chunk of our yearly budget. It would be hard to replace.”
The Volant fire station is not affiliated with the borough of Volant. State grants, donations, a community fund drive and other revenue-generating events help the volunteer firefighters to afford their own fire hall, trucks and firefighting equipment, insurance and utility expenses, including fees for the water it taps to put out fires.
Much of Neshannock Creek is managed under special regulations in which live bait is banned and fishing is permitted year round. With no opening day to attract the anglers, Volant’s buckwheat breakfast is pegged to a pre-season state trout stocking and children’s event organized by the fly shop across the street. The buckwheat pancakes are locally famous, made with a yeast starter that originated 50 years ago. Anglers, kids and locals stand in line for as long as an hour to get a seat.
“This creek is good for the whole town, not just for me,” said Bob Shuey, owner of the stream-side Neshannock Creek Fly Shop. “The state stocks the fish, I organize the event where the kids carry the buckets to the creek, the fire hall sells the pancakes and some of the other shops stay open for the tourists.”
Saturday’s Wild Game Breakfast in Saltsburg includes venison and perhaps big horn sheep, antelope and other delicacies that may be donated by hunters. The meat is prepared with eggs and other breakfast fare by culinary students from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and served outdoors under a wooden pavilion at Blackleggs Creek Memorial Park. It’s free, organized by Mr. Grguric to draw attention to the nonprofit Blackleggs Co-op Trout Nursery and Watershed Association, which raises and stocks some 15,000 brown trout per year into nearby Blackleggs Creek.
“It was never intended to be a fundraiser. People come and want to join the co-op, and that’s how it helps us,” he said. “It’s a good family thing — good food and good fishing. We expect to serve 150 to 200 people before 8 a.m.”
Here are some of the locations where angler breakfasts will be held Saturday:
• Westmoreland County — Keystone State Park, 1150 Keystone Park Road, Derry 15627. Coffee and snacks. 724-668-2939.
• Indiana County — Wild Game Breakfast, Blackleggs Creek Memorial Park, Shrokman and Cribbs roads, Young 15783. 4 a.m. until food runs out. 724-972-8675.
• Armstrong County — Buffalo Valley Sportsmen’s Club, 365 Yellow Dog Rd, Worthington 16262. 5 a.m.-noon. 724-297-3662.
• Union County — Trinity Lutheran Church, 2599 Church Road, Mifflinburg 17844. 6-10 a.m. 570-966-2380.
JackM
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- Sep 9, 2006
- Messages
- 17,323
There was a lunch buffet on Laurel Hill Creek at the covered bridge below Trent. I am not sure if they still do it, but I went once or twice.
The lunch was nice, but the baked goods were worthy of purchase in bulk to take home to your family.
The lunch was nice, but the baked goods were worthy of purchase in bulk to take home to your family.
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LJuly/August trout - what central PA streams stay cold?
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