Study after study has shown that outdoor experiences and unstructured playtime are beneficial to the development of a young brain. Recreational fishing fills that prescription for kids, and can be relaxing, educational, therapeutic or just plain fun.
A Pittsburgh nonprofit organization that facilitates outdoor recreational activities has begun a major expansion of its fishing programs. Venture Outdoors has moved its Wednesday Lunchtime Fishing program formerly known as TriAnglers to a new location on the Allegheny River’s North Shore and added five additional fishing activities at locations throughout Allegheny and Washington counties.
"Lunchtime Fishing has been a staple of the Pittsburgh summer for over 22 years,” said Amanda Westerlund, Venture Outdoors’ fishing program manager. “This program has not only given Pittsburghers the opportunity to fish along the three rivers, but it has also taught hundreds of new anglers the basics of fishing.”
On Wednesdays in the summer, TriAnglers brought anglers who were young, old, new to the sport or with mobility restrictions to points on the Allegheny River near to The Point. With the assistance of an event supervisor and experienced volunteers, anybody could stop by for a couple hours of fishing with enough assistance and oversight to have a reasonable chance of catching something.
As the weekly program continues, anglers can bring their own gear or take advantage of free loaner rods, tackle and live bait. The state Fish and Boat Commission waives fishing license requirements. The program fits easily into summer youth activity programs and family field trips.
Sometimes Downtown and North Shore businessmen skip the power lunch for an afternoon escape, throwing their ties over a shoulder and a fishing line into the river.
The total number of anglers who have participated in TriAnglers over the decades isn’t known, nor is the number who caught their first fish through the program. More people participated in outdoor activities during the summers of the pandemic. Since then, however, Wednesday fishing has slumped.
In 2018, 400 participants caught 260 fish of 20 species. In 2019, they hooked 1,730 total inches of fish from May through September. Last year, 170 anglers took part, some more than once. Westerlund said 80% were youths or young adults, a demographic that is underrepresented in the outdoor recreation space.
Venture Outdoors opened this year’s summer fishing season by rebranding the program as Lunchtime Fishing. It avoided construction near PNC Park by moving the Venture Outdoors tent to a spot downstream on the North Shore Riverwalk to a point near the Water Steps and Korean War Memorial, where the wharf slopes to the bank at a launch for kayaks and canoes.
That 200-foot section, where the North Shore Trail meets the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, is the least accessible part of the Riverwalk from PNC Park to Acrisure Stadium. The new spot got mixed reviews from two longtime anglers who fish from wheelchairs.
“I hate it. I can’t get near enough to the river to cast.” said Frank McCormick of McKeesport.
He’s been fishing with TriAnglers for about 20 years and knows that stretch of river well. McCormick often catches the most or biggest fish, and he did it again at Lunchtime Fishing’s May 10 debut. He wheeled his chair to a spot near the stone slope and pulled out a 24-inch channel catfish that took a piece of hotdog.
Tommy Lippert of Spring Garden wheeled to a similar spot, targeting catfish with a piece of chicken liver. He caught a 16-inch rainbow trout that may have washed down from a stocking of Pine Creek near Etna. He said Venture Outdoors’ new fishing programs throughout the region will make it easier for children and teens to try fishing and learn how to do it.
“All these changes are good, but I’m going to keep fishing here,” he said. “I can get here and I know how to fish here.”
Lunchtime Fishing is part of a larger pilot program developed to connect youth, young adults and communities with outdoor fishing and kayaking.
“These experiences take place during all seasons, in and outside of the classroom and on the waterways during the warm summer months,” said Westerlund. “Youth and young adults learn to identify fish, observe microorganisms under microscopes and paddle along Pittsburgh’s waterways.”
Young adults havve a special invitation to meet up for fishing at James Sharp Landing in Sharpsburg, Millvale Riverfront Park and a morning date on the North Shore a couple of hours before the general Lunchtime Fishing participants arrive.
Evening programs for anyone are scheduled at Lake Emilie in Renziehausen Park in McKeesport and Canonsburg Lake in Washington County. A three-hour Introduction to Kayak Fishing includes classroom and on-the-water instruction in paddling techniques, casting, safety, state regulations and recognizing places with native aquatic wildlife where gamefish are likely to hide.
At a Hooked on Fishing Summer Camp at North Park, anglers from sixth to eighth grade will learn to use and maintain equipment, practice tying knots, explore aquatic ecosystems, investigate fish species and understand the conservation concept of catch and release fishing.
Corporate and government investors made Venture Outdoors’ expansion of fishing programs possible. An R3 Education Grant was administered by the state Fish and Boat Commission through a grant from the R.K. Mellon Foundation.
The Pittsburgh First Catch Program contributed through an American Water Charitable Foundation STEM grant and Remake Learning Days mini-grant. New and upgraded gear for the fishing and kayaking programs were funded by the Recreational Fishing and Boating Foundation’s “Take Me Fishing” initiative.
John Hayes: jhayes@post-gazette.com.
First Published: May 16, 2023, 9:30 a.m.