The Fish and Boat Commission has made a major announcement concerning Kahle Lake. I’m including their news release on it.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (June 13) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is alerting anglers that effective immediately, all seasons, sizes, and creel limits have been lifted on Kahle Lake located in Clarion and Venango counties.
This action is in anticipation of the PFBC’s plan to temporarily drain the reservoir to complete dam and spillway repairs and modifications per the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection dam safety standards. The reservoir currently offers angling opportunities for warm-water sportfish species including Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch, and catfish.
“We have lifted the regulations to reduce the number of fish in the lake in advance of a complete drawdown of the lake tentatively scheduled for 2024,” said David Nihart, Chief of the PFBC Division of Fisheries Management. “We encourage anglers to fish the water and make good use of as many fish as they can prior to the lake being drained.”
The temporary regulations will remain in place until further notice.
Apparently, anything goes. Not much point in catch and release in this case. Old Bub and I fished this lake a couple of times, but we didn’t do well. My son, on the other hand, had success fishing there over the years.
Recently, I experienced another example of the bond and camaraderie among outdoor folks. The doorbell rang. When I answered it, there was a man there who gave me a nice variety of venison treats. He left before I could get his name, but the gesture was certainly appreciated.
To say that our weather has been unusual would be putting it mildly. A couple of online weather sites predict that this could be one of the coldest summers ever. For once, their forecast seems to be coming true. It seems more like autumn than summer. Some may disagree, but, over many, many years of fishing, I have found this kind of weather to be less than great for the angler, especially those fishing for smallmouth bass and catfish. It really tries your patience waiting for a bite. If fishing with lures, I think the key is to fish them rather slowly. I have always had my best luck in the early mornings of warm days.
I hope the weather improves soon, so that those of us who got fishing gear for Father’s Day can put it through its paces.
I haven’t seen many wasps this year. In a way, that’s a good thing. The stings are nasty to say the least. In fact, I once wound up at the doctor’s office with one that developed a staph infection. That said, if you can manage to knock down a nest without getting stung to death, you are in for some good panfishing. The larvae encased in the cells drive panfish mad. This was taught to me by the late Bill Brookbank, who had a wonderful knack for catching fish, even if everyone around him was getting skunked.
It seems to be a banner year for woodchucks. They are everywhere. A mother groundhog and her babies have taken up residence under my picnic shelter. I couldn’t shoot them without the risk of collateral damage. Also, the babies are really cute. I just have to resign myself to some garden losses.
And finally, new hunting licenses are about to go on sale. To be truthful, I haven’t quite figured out the procedure for purchasing doe licenses. I guess I’ll find out when the time comes.
Chris Henderson email: salmonangler1@gmail.com