River plans can’t forget the fishermen
Trending
I've wondered for a long time about the difficulties of fishing from the bank in Warren County, compared to using a boat in the river. The Allegheny River is surely one of the best rivers in Pennsylvania for such a challenging sport.
I would like to say here, I'm not writing to criticize, I'm writing to see if other fishermen feel the same way as I do. At 77 years old, I'm finding it harder and harder to get to the water edge at a productive spot. I personally don't know the answer. But I certainly have small dreams to satisfy me. Much of our river's bank is full of brush, and usually steep. I wonder what steps it would take to put in a couple accessible trails, or steps to get to the water's edge.
A note here, I remember when they tore out the Conewango cement dam just above the Pennsylvania Ave bridge a few years ago for safety reasons. I "sort" of understand that. But nothing was planned ahead of time to compensate for the fisherman's loss. Especially for our young people. The "dam" was a very popular fishing spot. I went there a lot with my dad, and I also fished there later.
Since then, I've heard countless fishermen share their memories from fishing "on the dam" and how they miss it. I still fish there a lot, but with my boots on now and I have a friend who lets me unlock his gate and use his stairway to the river.
Another thought is the "Kinzua Dam spillway" on the Hemlock Road side of the spillway. An excellent area for nice fishing. It's handicap accessible and impressive to be near the outflow of the lake. You can drive right to the water edge, but they only have 2 handicap parking spots. For some reason, more than half of the easy to get to fishing area has been chained off for years now, because of safety reasons Many just step over the chain to get to better access to the good fishing spots.
So why am I writing all this? Maybe my dream will be heard by the right person or people to find a small solution to the fisherman's needs.
I once fished in the Pittsburgh area on the Allegheny River on a floating dock. It was parallel to the bank and handicap accessible. It was connected to a parking area with a ramp to picnic tables, playground etc. It was very easy for everyone to get on the dock and fish from. It also was equipped with a railing to protect kids and wheelchairs. This dock was in an area where the river was deep and had good easy fishing. I took live chubs and remembered also catching a pike with my two young nephews.
I realize that for something like this to happen would take some planning, money, time, support, permits and yes, the right spot. I believe the boaters and kayak people are happy with docks we have now. The Times Observer gives a lot of attention to the "riverfront" project, which is very important too, but I hear nothing about perhaps there being a way for "bank fishermen" to have access.
And yes, us guys fishing from shore spend a lot of money on this sport too. Maybe this idea would certainly help the local bait shops stay open and be successful. It certainly could help our economy in this area.
Again, maybe the right people running our beautiful town will see this and put some thought into it. Anything that would give better access to the river would be appreciated.
Jim Swanson is a Warren resident.