With my new Echo fly rod and Reddington Behemoth reel in hand, I loaded up the kayak and headed to Keystone Lake, which was an old stomping ground of mine when I was a kid. I don’t know why I didn’t take more advantage of it as a young adult as it’s a well known excellent smallmouth bass, walleye, and musky fishery. In fact, I think the last time I fished the lake was in my early 20’s just before I graduated from IUP.
I got a dose of nostalgia when I pulled into the Atwood boat launch as there were four Amish buggies lined up in the parking lot. As I was unloading my kayak, one of the Amish families rowed up in their rowboat to take out. We had a nice chat about how the fishing was and they indicated they only caught “a few small ones.” The Amish fish this lake hard as it’s an easy trip for the robust local community of Pennsylvania Dutch.
My goal was to do some exploring and test out my new rood/reel combo while trying to catch a musky. The first thing I learned was casting a heavily fly rod with a big fly is a pain in the ass from a kayak. It’s going to take some practice. The other thing I learned was it’s going to be very helpful when my fish finder finally arrives. I had no idea what depths or structure I was fishing so I stuck to the shorelines and areas with some downed trees I could see.
It was a beautiful night to be on the water. I covered a lot of area and gained a little experience. I didn’t catch any fish, but I wasn’t expecting to. The next time I go I’ll have a fish finder and a plan. This time was just about getting out and refreshing my memory about fishing Keystone Lake. A highlight was catching up with some of the older fellas at the boat launch when I took out. One of them complained of how the lake has taken a downturn now that they allow 20 horsepower motors while another bragged about the nice crappies he routinely catches from the dock. Free entertainment.