SUMMER CATCH
Many ‘first fish’ caught at Lake Arthur during Moraine Regatta
The weather was hot, but so was the fishing on Lake Arthur at the Moraine State Park Regatta in Butler County. Dozens of bluegills, sunfish and red-eared sunfish, as well as one small largemouth bass, were caught Aug. 7-8 at the Post-Gazette Family Fishing Area, a popular feature at the annual regatta since 2007. The festival was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Fourteen young anglers ranging in age from 1 to 15 caught their first fish at the event.
The state Fish and Boat Commission waived fishing license requirements within the Family Fishing Area, encouraging many parents and other caregivers to give it a try, and the agency provided First Fish citations. Moraine State Park and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources donated the use of 40 spincast rods and tackle and positioned a picnic table at the center of the designated fishing zone to serve as a baiting station and home base. Live bait wholesaler Tri-State Bait donated 1,000 redworms, and regatta promoter Appleseed Events scheduled volunteers to help with baiting hooks, dehooking fish and untangling lines.
Event admission and parking were free, and there was no charge for participation at the Family Fishing Area. Held on the South Shore of 3,225-acre Lake Arthur, the Moraine State Park Regatta is an outdoors-themed festival with activities ranging from kayaking and paddleboarding to a monarch butterfly release, a participatory children’s area, crafts and food vendors. In 13 years, the Post-Gazette has helped more than 200 Regatta anglers, mostly children, to catch their first fish.
“We had no idea our kids would like this so much,” said Roberta Graff of Zelienople. “I think we’re going to have to buy fishing rods.”
Jodi Esser, 14, of Cranberry said she couldn’t get past “the ick-factor” of hooking worms but laughed as she landed two sunfish to the applause of her friends.
Promoter Amanda Becker said the Family Fishing Area was among the regatta’s most attended features and her favorite part of the event.
“It was so great to see so many kids fishing,” she said.
Elk cam operational
Many Pennsylvanians don’t know that a reproducing population of more than 1,400 huge animals standing 6 feet high at the shoulder live in the unfenced mountains of the Pennsylvania Wilds.
The state’s free ranging elk herds are centered outside the crossroad community of Benezette, 130 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Elk County. Last week, the state Game Commission reinstalled a live-streaming camera on State Game Lands 311 in a field that typically becomes a hub of elk activity during the mating season, which begins in September. The camera, set to capture video and the sounds of bulls bugling and battling for mating rights, can be accessed at the Game Commission,
pgcpca.gov.
The Elk Cam livestream is provided by HDOnTap and made possible with the help of the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission. The page also contains information about onsite Pennsylvania elk watching locations, and it provides a link to the Pennsylvania Visitors Bureau, which provides additional information about exploring elk country.