Paying for It

Okay, I did it: I paid to fish. That’s right, and it was a premeditated too. The setting was not a dark and stormy night, but rather a sunny, 70-degree day in late November; an opportunity not to be squandered at any cost.

Sunday night, Robyn broke the news temps would hit the upper 60’s on Monday. Just that morning I’d been casting on the Monongahela in search of waterway #87 for the year. But, despite throngs of shad and shiners throughout the shallows, I did not get a bite. I got so bored, that I walked up Nine Mile Run to see the restoration work and to peer into the gin-clear water. When I spied some creek chubs, on went a prince nymph and #87 was logged with a nice specimen of Semotilus atromaculatus, which Raz refers to as “natives” since they are indeed a species indigenous to PA.

With all the baitfish I'd seen at the mouth of 9MR, I could imagine predators moving in to feed around dusk. But that afternoon, I opted for some yard work and a walk in the park with Robyn. Despite a delicious pot roast reward, I was still hankering to find predatory critters on the Mon.

So, Monday morning, I loaded my fly gear and waders into the car and drove to work. No bike on this day, just a payment of eight smackeroos to park in the strip for an easy exit that evening. I got into the office early, wrapped up a grant proposal, hit a few other projects and was out by 4:15PM. With sunset coming at 4:58 and a trip up the Parkway East ahead, I worried about losing daylight. But the weather was so fine, there was hardly enough breeze to ruffle a Clouser minnow flying through in the air.

Reminiscing about my dad’s former habit of bee-lining from Alcoa to the river in business attire, I pulled my waders over the dress clothes, tied on a white half-and-half streamer below sink tip and waded out into the mighty Monongahela River. Another fellow was already there with cast net and bait bucket. No signs of fish yet, so I moved down a hundred feet and stripped out line.

I saw the fellow miss a hit and before long I was hooked into a decent saugeye about 15”. Thought about keeping it, but was leery of the water quality, plus I’ve gotten lazy about cleaning fish in recent years. After several more casts, I missed another hit, then broke off on a snag. I tied on a weighted olive and white pattern and hooked a bigger fish, which was both heavy and strong. I gradually worked her to shore and this time I put the fish on the stringer…a fat, 18” walleye is hard to resist. Plus, Robyn does appreciate fresh fish.

My final fish was an incredibly fat hybrid striped bass, which I picked up right in the creek in the gathering gloom. No headlamp, but just enough ambient light to see by. After the action slowed, I headed for home in time for dinner.

I did look inside the walleye’s belly after done with the fillets. The female was full of eggs, so I realized that my meal would deprive the river of many replenishing offspring. I’d need to offer up some extra thanks. Next thing I found was a belly full of shad, which were incredibly abundant this fall. All of Pittsburgh’s fish would be healthy for the coming winter.