Uniontown Ikes keep kids fishing
Levi Lear, 7, of Farmington displays the 17-inch rainbow trout he caught from Meadow Run during Izaak Walton League鈥檚 2016 Kids鈥� Fishing Day at the Ikes鈥� park on Meadow Run in Farmington.
Ben Moyer
Jillian Moran (left), 8, Farmington; Mya Capozza, 3, Masontown; Raeah Frazee, 10, Uniontown; and Alec Hull, 10, Smithfield display certificates from Izaak Walton League of America, Uniontown Chapter, commemorating their first-ever fish caught. Russ Fullmer, Uniontown Izaak Walton League Secretary (right), presented the first-fish certificates.
When does a kid forget their first fish? Never.
That truth is the driving motivation behind the Izaak Walton League of America, Uniontown Chapter鈥檚 Youth Fishing Day, which they have offered to area kids every June for, what, 50 years?
None of the currently active 鈥淚kes鈥� members can recall precisely how long it鈥檚 been since the group began inviting kids for a day of trout fishing at their beautiful park along Meadow Run in Farmington, but it鈥檚 been awhile.
鈥淎 lot of people come back here years later and tell us they caught their first fish at this event,鈥� said Uniontown Ikes president Joe Schiffbauer. 鈥淲hat we have always hoped, dating back to the beginning, is that it starts their interest in the outdoors and conservation.鈥�
鈥淚 caught my first fish here when I was a little girl,鈥� said Amanda Van Sickle of Ohiopyle. 鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful. It gets kids out and enjoying nature. We never miss it and we always have a fun, family time here.鈥�
The Izaak Walton League of America is the oldest conservation organization in the United States. The nation-wide group got started in 1922, aimed at conserving natural resources and outdoor experiences for America鈥檚 future generations. The League takes its name from the 17th century English author, Izaak Walton, who wrote the forever-classic book 鈥淭he Compleat Angler鈥� about the art and spirit of fishing.
It didn鈥檛 take long for Uniontown-area outdoorsmen to take up that cause. In 1930 prominent business leaders, judges and attorneys founded the 鈥淚kes鈥� Uniontown Chapter to pursue the national goals at their home streams and woods. Sometime later they acquired what鈥檚 known simply as Izaak Walton Park, an attractive grove along a span of Meadow Run in Farmington just upstream from Rte. 381, the primary approach to Ohiopyle and all the other outdoor attractions of the Laurel Highlands.
Over the years, largely under the leadership of the late Mel Breakiron, the group built stream improvement devices along their stretch of Meadow Run to improve trout habitat and make it easier for kids to fish.
Every June the Ikes fire up their on-site grill, cook lunch for everyone and welcome any eager youngster to cast a line to Meadow Run鈥檚 trout.
This year鈥檚 Ike鈥檚 Kids鈥� Fishing Day on Saturday, June 4 drew 27 youngsters from places as diverse as Ohiopyle and Oklahoma.
Riyah Hammerston, 9, of Oklahoma undoubtedly came the farthest鈥搈aybe in the event鈥檚 half-century history鈥搕o fish Meadow Run.
鈥淗er family came back here on a plane for this,鈥� Schiffbauer said.
The trout were hungry when kids began casting early that Saturday morning.
鈥淭he trout were hitting and the kids were having a ball,鈥� said Ikes member Jeff Valek.
鈥淚 like this. It鈥檚 fun to do and you get your hands messy,鈥� offered John Van Sickle, 9, of Ohiopyle.
Van Sickle displayed a limit of nice trout he鈥檇 caught before heading to the barbecue grill for hot dogs.
But Levi Lear, 7, appears to have some special edge on the fish at the Ikes鈥� Farmington park. Lear, of Farmington, caught the largest trout for each the past three years.
This year鈥檚 attention-grabber was a 17-inch rainbow trout Lear pulled out of deep water.
鈥淚 just kept casting butter worms and nightcrawlers to a place that looked good,鈥� Lear said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know the big trout was there but it was and I caught it.鈥�
To learn more about the Izaak Walton League of America, visit www.iwla.org.