Oil Region鈥檚 eager ambassador, Angler Al
Angler Al Bell makes at least two impressions. One is of deep knowledge of his local waters, earned through frequent contact, keen observation and applying what he鈥檚 learned to target big smallmouth bass, walleyes, northern pike and trout. The other is full-bore enthusiasm. Angler Al loves the streams, rivers and lakes of Northwestern Pennsylvania almost as much as he craves sharing them with visiting anglers. Fishing with Angler Al is a little like fishing beside a waterfall, his passion for the outdoors cascading out in exuberant flow.
I met Angler Al because I鈥檇 signed up for one of the experiences that were part of the recent conference of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association (POWA), held in Franklin, Venango County. These annual meetings provide POWA鈥檚 150-some members opportunities to fish, hunt, kayak, bird-watch, and learn about natural resources around the state. POWA has met in our area several times鈥搃n Uniontown in 1990, at the Summit Inn Resort in 1999, and at Seven Springs Resort in 2016. For the 2018 conference in Franklin, the Oil Region Alliance, a partnership of private businesses and local government that promotes Venango and surrounding counties, had arranged for local experts to escort writers to a few of the Oil Region鈥檚 abundant fishing hotspots. Pennsylvania鈥檚 Oil Region is so named because of Edwin Drake鈥檚 oil well drilled at Titusville in 1859, America鈥檚 first commercially successful petroleum extraction.
鈥淲ade Fishing French Creek鈥� was the trip I chose. I knew that French Creek is a major tributary to the Allegheny River and one of the most pristine and biologically diverse streams of such size in the Ohio River basin. I also knew that its name is directly relevant to Fayette County鈥檚 history. In the mid-18th century, when France and England were contesting control of North America, the French portaged canoes overland from Lake Erie to French Creek, which carried them down to the Allegheny, then downriver to the 鈥淧oint鈥� at the Forks of Ohio (now Pittsburgh). From there the French and their Indian allies marched overland into the heat of battles at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity, sparking the French and Indian War.
What I did not know is the size of French Creek鈥檚 game fish.
Angler Al led POWA member Mike Klimkos, of Carlisle, and me to one of his favorite locations on French Creek, under a bridge not far from downtown Franklin. He rummaged the back of his 鈥渇ishing car鈥� and handed me a stout spinning rod rigged with 10-pound line and a big egg-bobber dangling at the tip. Mike opted to cast flies for smallmouth, but Al had chosen me to coach in his preferred technique.
We waded across French Creek鈥檚 sandy bottom to thigh-depth, then Al scooped a squirming 5-inch dace minnow (Al鈥檚 bait was bigger than some brook trout I catch) out of his bait bucket and impaled my hook through both lips.
鈥淎 lot of people buy bait and wonder why they don鈥檛 catch fish,鈥� Al observed. 鈥淚 catch my own bait, native to the streams I fish, in traps and seines. These fish know what they want, and they want familiar prey.鈥�
Al instructed me to cast the huge minnow upstream over the 鈥渄ark green water,鈥� hold the rod high, keep the line off the water and watch the bobber as it drifted downstream. Near the end of my third float the bobber hesitated, then popped below French Creek鈥檚 surface.
鈥淕ive him a little time,鈥� Al purred. 鈥淣ow, set the hook!鈥�
Even through the heavy tackle (relative to my normal gear) I could feel a weighty fish writhing deep in the current. Gradually, I reeled in line as the rod pulsed and throbbed, and Al stood beside me with his broad net at the ready.
Finally, I could see the fish in the clear water, just beyond Al鈥檚 reach. It was a walleye, and a big one. Walleyes make the most prime seafood of any freshwater fish. But walleye season didn鈥檛 open until the following day, and Al prefers to release most of his catch anyway. All that was fine with me. Walleyes are a fish I seldom catch, and I just wanted to get that big one into Al鈥檚 net, then let it go.
As often happens, just before Al could reach 鈥渕y鈥� big fish, it twisted free and was gone. It was a deflating loss, but Al鈥檚 limitless optimism would not allow me even a moment to sulk.
A few casts later I hooked another even heavier fish. Despite a long struggle I was never able to get that one into sight before, it too, wriggled off the hook.
After that, Al shared an even more 鈥渟ecret鈥� spot, a gravel bar that required wading a navel-deep channel through heavy current. Al bored straight across, but the flow was too much for my comfort level and I retreated. Al took it in stride.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 enjoy fishing if you don鈥檛 feel secure,鈥� he stated. 鈥淲e鈥檒l catch 鈥檈m where we don鈥檛 have to wade across.鈥�
His reaction made sense because when he鈥檚 not fishing, Angler Al is a commercial and industrial safety consultant. I heard him take several client calls while we fished, after which he apologized for the intrusion on my experience. Al鈥檚 a class companion.
We got several strikes there but didn鈥檛 catch a fish. As if to compensate, a mature bald eagle cruised overhead and swooped low for a fish upriver. It was a sight to justify the trip.
Later, in my absence, Al returned to our initial spot and caught 鈥渕y鈥� walleye, plus a huge smallmouth he opined was the other fish I鈥檇 lost. He sent me photos, not to gloat but to make sure I grasped the quality of the French Creek fishery.
Angler Al invites any anglers to share his waters and his knowledge, but he doesn鈥檛 claim to be a professional guide. He鈥檚 just exuberantly proud of his home region.
鈥淭he Oil Region is a great outdoor destination, and I want to facilitate any fishing, canoeing, hiking or outdoor experience that a sincerely interested person desires to have here,鈥� he told me.
Sincerely interested anglers can contact Angler Al by email at albell.of.afa@zoominternet.net. Information on other outdoor opportunities in Venango and surrounding counties is available through the Oil Region Alliance (www.oilregion.org) and the Oil Region National Heritage Area (www.oilheritage.org).
Ben Moyer is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America.