Clearfield County PA Backwoods, Backroads, Backwaters 2012 : Page 18

FISHING Grab your bait and head for Clearfield County’s Backwaters, you just may wrestle in that “Big One” the locals have been bragging about! Clearfield County has miles of largely navigable streams and lakes; you can drop your anchor and patiently wait, put on the waders and get some quality fly fishing in, or simply have a seat at streamside and plop a baby night-crawler into the water. Something’s always jumping somewhere! A popular spot for the locals is the 20-acre Parker Lake in Parker Dam State Park. Electric powered and non-powered boats are permitted and you can enjoy fishing year round at the park. Several times a year the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stocks Parker and Little Clearfield lakes with brook trout. Parker is also home to largemouth bass. Anglers can also catch sunfish and brown bullhead. There are 102 miles of the 228 mile West Branch of the Susquehanna River meandering through the county, so grab your gear and set out for a fishing hole on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River! Clearfield County has no shortage of fish inhabited water. In fact, we have the only section of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River that is stocked by the state Fish and Boat Commission. Trout, catfish, bass, muskie and walleye are waiting to be caught. Resident and non-resident licenses are available at Jim’s Sports Center, Bob’s Army & Navy and other locations throughout the county. Kids will enjoy dropping their line off of several bridges along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Hog Back Bridge, RT 879, is located between Curwensville and Clearfield or you can travel further down the river and stop at the Hyde Bridge, Market Street Bridge or the Nichols Street Clearfield County Visit Clearfield County A reward for her patience! 7 hours ago • Like • Comment Bridge. Another great spot for kids to fish the West Branch of the Susquehanna River is at Lower Witmer Park and by the Shaw Public Library. You will want to be sure to check the hot fishing spot at Clearfield’s Raftsman’s Dam. @ccbackwoods Pennsylvania Grab your bait and find your spot in Parker Lake! #ccfishing Fishing is a great sport for the whole family; Janesville Dam is no exception to that rule. Located in the southern part of Clearfield County the Janesville Dam has over 13 surface acres, two peers and is handicap accessible. As a part of Mountz Memorial Park the lake offers a great place to picnic, play basketball or enjoy the playground equipment. An outdoorsman will enjoy watching the ducks and keep an eye out for local wildlife. All of these fishing spots have tackle designations. There are many fishing events throughout the year including stocking events. For more information contact us at ccrta@visitclearfieldcounty.org or visit www.visitclearfieldcounty.org . The father-son trip we always planned was so much fun! SCAN It! Visit Clearfield County A fine catch! 11 hours ago • Like • Comment Use your mobile device to learn more about hunting & fishing in Clearfield County. 18 www.VisitClearfieldCounty.org

Fishing and Trapping

Grab your bait and head for Clearfield County’s Backwaters, you just may wrestle in that “Big One” the locals have been bragging about! Clearfield County has miles of largely navigable streams and lakes; you can drop your anchor and patiently wait, put on the waders and get some quality fly fishing in, or simply have a seat at streamside and plop a baby night-crawler into the water. Something’s always jumping somewhere! A popular spot for the locals is the 20-acre Parker Lake in Parker Dam State Park. Electric powered and non-powered boats are permitted and you can enjoy fishing year round at the park. Several times a year the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stocks Parker and Little Clearfield lakes with brook trout. Parker is also home to largemouth bass. Anglers can also catch sunfish and brown bullhead. There are 102 miles of the 228 mile West Branch of the Susquehanna River meandering through the county, so grab your gear and set out for a fishing hole on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River! Clearfield County has no shortage of fish inhabited water. In fact, we have the only section of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River that is stocked by the state Fish and Boat Commission. Trout, catfish, bass, muskie and walleye are waiting to be caught. Resident and non-resident licenses are available at Jim’s Sports Center, Bob’s Army & Navy and other locations throughout the county. Kids will enjoy dropping their line off of several bridges along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Hog Back Bridge, RT 879, is located between Curwensville and Clearfield or you can travel further down the river and stop at the Hyde Bridge, Market Street Bridge or the Nichols Street Bridge. Another great spot for kids to fish the West Branch of the Susquehanna River is at Lower Witmer Park and by the Shaw Public Library. You will want to be sure to check the hot fishing spot at Clearfield’s Raftsman’s Dam. Fishing is a great sport for the whole family; Janesville Dam is no exception to that rule. Located in the southern part of Clearfield County the Janesville Dam has over 13 surface acres, two peers and is handicap accessible. As a part of Mountz Memorial Park the lake offers a great place to picnic, play basketball or enjoy the playground equipment. An outdoorsman will enjoy watching the ducks and keep an eye out for local wildlife. All of these fishing spots have tackle designations. There are many fishing events throughout the year including stocking events. For more information contact us at ccrta@visitclearfieldcounty.org or visit www.visitclearfieldcounty.org. Trapping IN CLEARFIELD COUNTY It was mid-November, all the colorful leaves of the season had fallen to the ground, and there was a whisper of winter in the air. Archery season was over; small game and turkey seasons were in full swing. But there was another exciting happening: the beginning of trapping season for muskrats and mink. While hunting earlier in the month, my brother, Kenny, and I had explored the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and its tributaries from Mahaffey to Clearfield. Hunting and exploring are two activities that go hand-in-hand. Numerous signs of muskrat and mink were found. So on the first day of trapping season, we are up before dawn; the day to set out our traps had finally come. We mostly used Condibear traps, which dispatch the animals immediately. My brother started to set the upper trap line near Mahaffey and I started to set the lower line near Clearfield. In a few hours we met in the middle with high expectations for the following morning. My thoughts had turned to how beautiful it was in that valley located along the river basin in Clearfield County and all of the game that abounded there for the trappers: raccoons, weasels, muskrats, beaver, grey fox, mink, possums, and the elusive red fox. As I attempted to sleep that night, all of my thoughts of the day were crystal clear. Sleep evaded me as the heightened anticipation of the morning trap line inspection crowded sleep from my mind. Up before dawn, Kenny and I met at our designated spot and commenced the trek to our respective trap lines. Starting near Clearfield I discovered I had secured two muskrats at my first set. Proceeding up the river toward Curwensville, I found two more muskrats waiting for me. The next four sets produced nothing (rats!). The next set was located up a tributary known as Hartshorne Run; it had been a dependable site over the past few years and once again it produced: a nice silver-tipped raccoon. On the way back to my vehicle, I was regretting making this set so far from the road as the raccoon weighed between 16 and 20 pounds. Continuing up the river to Lumber City I met Kenny. I asked him, “How did you do?” He had a large smile on his face but answered, “Not so good!” I knew he was just kidding. He opened the back of his vehicle; I looked in and was amazed to see 7 muskrats and 1 large male mink. We laughed and talked about the success of our day. I asked, “What would you like to do now?” to which he replied, “After we take our catch to the shed, let’s go turkey hunting.” I might mention that I was successful in the turkey hunt, but he was not. J Duane Test Life-long resident of Clearfield County

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