I didn’t have a great game plan other than I was going fishing somewhere on Sunday morning. It wasn’t a great day to get the kayak out so I decided to go back to Mahoning Creek in the North Point area, which I had previously scouted earlier this summer. With the water being lower it would be safer, and I could more easily identify deep pools to fish.
I started out at the access area near the tracks before North Point. When I walked down I was reminded that it’s pretty big water. In fact, it’s a little too big and nasty to wade fish effectively. I poked around and fished the easiest accessed holes hoping to land a smallmouth or maybe lay eyes on something bigger. I did eventually net a decent smallie on a black wooly bugger and later added a really small one, but that was it as far as the catching went.
I did notice a school of decent-sized suckers laying in the current but I couldn’t entice a strike. I also saw a giant carp swim by but didn’t lay eyes on any sizable game fish. After giving up on that spot, I drove up to North Point and accessed the stream by a power line. There were a few nice pools to fish on this stretch but I had no luck and didn’t see any fish. Regardless, it was a good adventure and I was reminded of just how remote the area is. I think to fish that section of stream effectively I need to use my kayak.
I toyed with the idea of driving downstream to the Mahoning Dam outflow area to try to entice a musky or pike bite but instead opted to drive to Little Mahoning Creek and check out my old stomping grounds near the Coon Farm. When I say Coon Farm, I mean the Coon Family Farm not a farm for raccoons. That’s where I cut my teeth on trout fishing as it was a favorite spot of my dad’s and eventually of mine. It was such a favorite spot it’s where I proposed to Angela almost 20 years ago. A couple trout on my wall came from those pools and I also lent a hand to the area professionally when working for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. We worked with the Fish and Boat Commission to install several natural stream stabilization and fish habitat structures though that stretch in 2010 and they’re still holding up well.
I had a lot of fun fishing this stretch again. I landed suckers, shiners, and even a white crappie bass. Nothing had any size to it but that wasn’t the point. One of the fun things about summer fishing is you just don’t know what you might hook into and this day was no exception. I hope to get back there again later this year to see what else I can pull out. It was a fine ending to a morning of fishing and another great adventure.
