Uniontown Ikes keep kids fishing
Levi Lear, 7, of Farmington displays the 17-inch rainbow trout he caught from Meadow Run during Izaak Walton League无毛视频檚 2016 Kids无毛视频� Fishing Day at the Ikes无毛视频� park on Meadow Run in Farmington.
Ben Moyer
Jillian Moran (left), 8, Farmington; Mya Capozza, 3, Masontown; Raeah Frazee, 10, Uniontown; and Alec Hull, 10, Smithfield display certificates from Izaak Walton League of America, Uniontown Chapter, commemorating their first-ever fish caught. Russ Fullmer, Uniontown Izaak Walton League Secretary (right), presented the first-fish certificates.
When does a kid forget their first fish? Never.
That truth is the driving motivation behind the Izaak Walton League of America, Uniontown Chapter无毛视频檚 Youth Fishing Day, which they have offered to area kids every June for, what, 50 years?
None of the currently active 无毛视频淚kes无毛视频� members can recall precisely how long it无毛视频檚 been since the group began inviting kids for a day of trout fishing at their beautiful park along Meadow Run in Farmington, but it无毛视频檚 been awhile.
无毛视频淎 lot of people come back here years later and tell us they caught their first fish at this event,无毛视频� said Uniontown Ikes president Joe Schiffbauer. 无毛视频淲hat we have always hoped, dating back to the beginning, is that it starts their interest in the outdoors and conservation.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚 caught my first fish here when I was a little girl,无毛视频� said Amanda Van Sickle of Ohiopyle. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 wonderful. It gets kids out and enjoying nature. We never miss it and we always have a fun, family time here.无毛视频�
The Izaak Walton League of America is the oldest conservation organization in the United States. The nation-wide group got started in 1922, aimed at conserving natural resources and outdoor experiences for America无毛视频檚 future generations. The League takes its name from the 17th century English author, Izaak Walton, who wrote the forever-classic book 无毛视频淭he Compleat Angler无毛视频� about the art and spirit of fishing.
It didn无毛视频檛 take long for Uniontown-area outdoorsmen to take up that cause. In 1930 prominent business leaders, judges and attorneys founded the 无毛视频淚kes无毛视频� Uniontown Chapter to pursue the national goals at their home streams and woods. Sometime later they acquired what无毛视频檚 known simply as Izaak Walton Park, an attractive grove along a span of Meadow Run in Farmington just upstream from Rte. 381, the primary approach to Ohiopyle and all the other outdoor attractions of the Laurel Highlands.
Over the years, largely under the leadership of the late Mel Breakiron, the group built stream improvement devices along their stretch of Meadow Run to improve trout habitat and make it easier for kids to fish.
Every June the Ikes fire up their on-site grill, cook lunch for everyone and welcome any eager youngster to cast a line to Meadow Run无毛视频檚 trout.
This year无毛视频檚 Ike无毛视频檚 Kids无毛视频� Fishing Day on Saturday, June 4 drew 27 youngsters from places as diverse as Ohiopyle and Oklahoma.
Riyah Hammerston, 9, of Oklahoma undoubtedly came the farthest无毛视频搈aybe in the event无毛视频檚 half-century history无毛视频搕o fish Meadow Run.
无毛视频淗er family came back here on a plane for this,无毛视频� Schiffbauer said.
The trout were hungry when kids began casting early that Saturday morning.
无毛视频淭he trout were hitting and the kids were having a ball,无毛视频� said Ikes member Jeff Valek.
无毛视频淚 like this. It无毛视频檚 fun to do and you get your hands messy,无毛视频� offered John Van Sickle, 9, of Ohiopyle.
Van Sickle displayed a limit of nice trout he无毛视频檇 caught before heading to the barbecue grill for hot dogs.
But Levi Lear, 7, appears to have some special edge on the fish at the Ikes无毛视频� Farmington park. Lear, of Farmington, caught the largest trout for each the past three years.
This year无毛视频檚 attention-grabber was a 17-inch rainbow trout Lear pulled out of deep water.
无毛视频淚 just kept casting butter worms and nightcrawlers to a place that looked good,无毛视频� Lear said. 无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 know the big trout was there but it was and I caught it.无毛视频�
To learn more about the Izaak Walton League of America, visit www.iwla.org.