Hook_Jaw wrote:
Allen Ive seen a lot of changes been on penns creek for 26 years
I first began fishing Penns back in the late 70's. I can't say the stream itself has changed, the anglers have though.
There are way less guys fishing bait and hanging fish on stringers. Also, the overall size and number of the fish seems much higher today.
The crowds are pretty much the same as it was decades ago; when the hatches are on the guys are out, especially on weekends.
The fish have always been tough to catch on certain days, but some days it all comes together.
The quality of fish, the wild surroundings and the sheer number of hatching insects keeps everyone coming back every season.
Everyone in PA should appreciate that 125 years ago, conservationists had the foresight to buy up the land and create the state forest system. Penns runs through the Bald Eagle Forest.
Here is the history:
Bald Eagle State Forest was formed as a direct result of the depletion of the forests of Pennsylvania that took place during the mid-to-late 19th century. Conservationists like Dr. Joseph Rothrock became concerned that the forests would not regrow if they were not managed properly.
Lumber and Iron companies had harvested the old-growth forests for various reasons. They clear cut the forests and left behind nothing but dried tree tops and rotting stumps. The sparks of passing steam locomotives ignited wildfires that prevented the formation of second growth forests.
The conservationists feared that the forest would never regrow if there was not a change in the philosophy of forest management. They called for the state to purchase land from the lumber and iron companies and the lumber and iron companies were more than willing to sell their land since that had depleted the natural resources of the forests.
The changes began to take place in 1895 when Dr. Rothrock was appointed the first commissioner of the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, the forerunner of today's Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a piece of legislation in 1897 that authorized the purchase of "unseated lands for forest reservations." This was the beginning of the State Forest system.
Link to source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Eagle_State_Forest
There no place like it in PA. A treasure for all to share and all to fish.
