Kids’ fishing clinic aims to inspire future generations of anglers
Young Brandon Jenkinson was ready to go fishing. The West Chester nine-year-old was among the dozens of young anglers who attended the Brandywine Trout and Conservation Club’s Free Kids’ Fishing Clinic on Saturday. The event, as usual, was held at Moose Lodge #1153 in Downingtown. Like others in attendance, Brandon and his father Dave were looking forward to our regional Mentored Youth Trout day set for Saturday, March 23. “We plan on going out with Brandon’s twin sister, Katelyn,” said the elder Jenkinson. “The last two years we fished the East Branch of the Brandywine Creek in Kerr Park on Mentored Youth Trout Day and killed them. All the kids caught plenty of fish.”
Brandywine Trout and Conservation Club (BT&CC) President Frank Swarner did double duty, serving both as receptionist and Master of Ceremonies. This was the 37th consecutive year that BT&CC has hosted the annual kids’ clinic, an event designed to inspire youngsters to become lifelong fishermen. “We average anywhere from 30 to 50 kids at the clinic each year,” noted Swarner. “Most of them range in ages from six to ten and most plan to fish the Mentored Youth Trout Day on Saturday.” Swarner is a dedicated angler himself. “I love fly fishing for trout, fishing for fluke, and every other kind of fishing in between,” he said. “I just love being on the water.”
Swarner was eager to share that love with the youngsters who flocked to the clinic on Saturday, as were other BT&CC officers who helped organize the event. These included past president and current treasurer Rich Lutz. “Our club has been active since 1955 when it was first founded,” Lutz noted. “We maintain the trout nursery at Kerr Park in Downingtown and each year we raise around 5,000 trout which we stock on the East Branch of the Brandywine Creek and Beaver Creek. Those trout supplement the fish stocked by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PF&BC).” In 1963 the club became a member of the Cooperative Nursery Program of the PF&BC. This partnership has since become a major focus of the club’s activities.
In its heyday, BT&CC operated as many as five trout nurseries, but today is limited to just the one at Kerr Park. “We still raise and stock a variety of trout,” added Jim Gilpin, a former trout nursery manager. “That includes rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, and golden trout.” The club also sponsors a free Kids Fishing Derby set for April 13 at Kerr Park and carries out a popular Trophy Trout Program each fishing season.
Don Finn, Deputy Waterways Conservation Officer for the PF&BC, was on hand at the clinic to quiz the kids on basic trout regulations like minimum legal size (9 inches) and daily limits (5 trout). Finn also encouraged the youngsters and their parents to always respect the landowners’ property, pick up any litter they see, and go the extra mile to help keep the streams and stream banks clean.
In addition to slide show fishing tips, seminars, videos, and “how to” demonstrations, the children in attendance were also treated to fishing “grab bags” and door prizes along with hot dogs and sodas. One highlight was a trout filleting and cooking demonstration presented by Vince Talucci, the club’s current stocking manager. “A lot of these kids have never even tasted trout,” he explained. “After I cook it up I’ll offer everyone a sample. Today will be the first time many of them will have ever eaten trout, so they’ll find out what they’ve been missing.”
By the time the event ended at noon, the dozens of kids in attendance (and most of their parents) were excited about getting outdoors and heading out to their local trout stream. With new fishing tackle in hand, fresh angling advice spinning in their heads, and a taste of delicious grilled trout on their lips, these youngsters were primed for the upcoming regional Mentored Youth Trout day on Saturday, March 23, and looking forward to our regional opening day a week later. Perhaps this fishing clinic and these initial trout fishing forays will open the door to a lifetime of angling adventures for these kids. The forward looking folks at BT&CC sure hope so anyway.
BT&CC WEBSITE
For more about the Brandywine Trout and Conservation Club, check out their website at brandywinetrout.net.
TROUT SHOW
The Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited’s 39th Annual Trout Show is set for Saturday, March 23, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Lionville Middle School in Exton. Featured speaker will be Henry Ramsay, author of “Matching Eastern Hatches -New Patterns for Selective Trout.” The event will also feature raffles, rods, reels, mountain bike, kayak, art work, fishing gear, and more. Admission is $5 for adults with kids under 12 admitted free. For more information go to http:// www.valleyforgetu.org/calendarevents/annual-trout-show/.
SIGNS OF SPRING
Spring officially arrives this week with the spring equinox (aka the vernal equinox) falling on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at 5:58 P.M. EDT. That means that every fisherman’s cherished angling rite of spring, opening day of trout season, is just around the corner, set for March 30 in our southeastern region. Other traditional signs of spring have also appeared. One of the most welcome is the emergence of our singing frogs. Spring Peepers and wood frogs were in full chorus throughout our area’s wetlands when local temperatures climbed to over 70 degrees on Friday. A pair of wood ducks also put in their first appearance, perched on our backyard nesting box on Saturday. Meanwhile the PF&BC is already busy stocking our streams in anticipation of opening day. It’s time to dust off that fishing vest, respool those reels with fresh line, and restock the old tackle box because, at long last, spring has finally sprung!