Big Fish

It's Fall in Western PA. What that means to the Nobbs boys is, it is time to fish for Steelhead. Steelhead are "Ocean going trout". In our case they are landlocked, or freshwater, since they live their lives in Lake Erie, rather than the ocean. They are very similar to Salmon, and they return to the place of their original hatching to spawn. Unlike Salmon, they return several times to spawn. On their journey they run the rivers in the tributaries of Lake Erie. Along their strenuous journey, these giant, unsuspecting trout are often ripped from their habitat by the mouth (which McKenna tells me has little feeling) and pulled vigorously out of the water. These two fish, pictured below, were lucky. They were released soon after their capture and sent back on their journey. From reading this post, you may think that I am opposed to the sport of Steelhead fishing, but actually my opinion is just this; I can think of a million things I would rather spend my time doing on a cold Pennsylvania Fall (or Spring) day than waking at 4 a.m. to stand in ice cold water all day, waiting and trying, to deter the hard work of these hearty fish and interrupt them in their journey home. The best conditions for Steelhead fishing come when it has been very cold and rainy. Any sport that requires cold, rainy weather is just not for me! But my boys love it and that's great for them! Nice catch Little John!