Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2017 - 17

Experience the excitement of steelhead fishing in western Pennsylvania.

man who worked so much overtime to provide for his
family. We forded the snow-white banks, at times startled
by large fish flushing from beneath the icy shelves.
We settled amidst the clearest water I have ever seen and
the coldest weather I have ever felt. We temporarily slowed
the water's journey as it poured over smooth limestone,
giving life to a small waterfall. Below, water rushed into a
wide, deep green pool. How a clear liquid created such a
fertile green I didn't know and still don't today. One didn't
need a metal detector to know the run was full of steel.
Father and son relied on the valuable information
swapped by Dad's co-workers. Honest men and women,
even while talking fish. I flipped weighted egg patterns
upstream as if the creek was a cast iron skillet. Dad
trusted his day to proven bead head nymphs. The small
fly patterns, weighted by various metals above their
abdomens, were a type of steelhead in their own right.
Miraculously, only a couple of casts, and we were
rewarded. As I set the hook, my 5-weight rod bent like
it never had before, and the reel's drag screamed like
cracking ice.
The fish swam up and down the stream with such force
that my fly line fought to keep up with the steelhead.
Father grabbed the net and encouraged me throughout
every bow and bend of the battle. Following a gravity
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defying leap, the steelhead finally tired. In my net,
a 26-inch, bright silver steelhead waded the current
between father and son.
Dad extended his calloused hands for a handshake. The
only other witness was the steelhead. Once in my grip, I truly
sensed Dad's tough and loving hands. They were not only
unaffected by the icy waters and cold. They earned a living
for a family of seven and sent a son to college. Though Dad
never wanted his children to forget hard work, Father took
jobs he hoped his kids wouldn't have to in their future.
"Good work Marsh!" exclaimed my father proudly.
A compliment of this caliber from the man with the
strongest work ethic I knew carried a lot of weight. We
continued to catch a few more fish that cold, sunny winter
day. Still, the first steelhead we shared together will be the
one forever forged and solidified into my mind. The day
was one I made Dad proud.
I know not the future of western Pennsylvania's
economy and industry. I only feel confident making
a prediction about the people. Men and women who
stoically work doubles for their families will be the ones
fishing streams during precious days off, teaching sons
and daughters their craft. These fathers and mothers will
be the ones grinning like children as they handle a slab
of shiny steel.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2017

17



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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2017

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