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Local Articles
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| To Hook a Fisherman... |
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admin writes, " Seneca Valley teacher snags young enthusiasts in gym class..."
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Sunday, April 23, 2006
By Madeline Izzo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
On a bright but chilly morning, students in Barry Murray's gym class cast more than shadows on the artificial turf at the Seneca Valley Intermediate High School field.
After learning to tie blood knots and improved clinch knots, they assembled fly-fishing rods and practiced casting onto Velcro targets in the end zone.
Mr. Murray demonstrated the graceful casting movement without cocking his wrist.
"It's not as easy as it looks. Patience -- you have to be patient to be a fly fisherman," he said.
Growing up, he was a spin fisherman. Although he dabbled in fly-fishing while at Slippery Rock University, he didn't get serious until seven years ago. He has since gone fly-fishing throughout Pennsylvania and New York as well as out West.
"We can get kids catching fish in a day. But to really get good, it can take years," Mr. Murray said.
He teaches fly-fishing to ninth- and 10th-graders for one week. He started the unit last year after the school introduced a new curriculum.
"We're always looking for lifetime activities, such as hiking, traveling and weight training," he said.
Mr. Murray advises the fishing club at Seneca Valley Intermediate High School. The club has about 20 students who tie flies once a month and go on five trips during the school year.
Several boys and girls from his classes are going on a field trip next month to Neshannock Creek in Lawrence County.
"Some of the boys have experience," he said, "but the girls soak it in."
Brittany Fusco, a 10th-grader who lives in Cranberry, is going on the fishing trip. Even though she is looking forward to it, she has mixed feelings about the sport.
"Fishing is weird for me," she said.
Her grandparents have a boat. She has watched her parents and twin brothers go fishing on Lake Erie. She has even tried fishing before and caught fish.
She likes fly-fishing because she doesn't have to hook live bait and she can release the fish after they are caught with little harm.
"The hardest part is when the line wraps around the end of the rod," she said.
Fly-fishing is by no means easy. There's a lot of technique.
Mr. Murray is teaching the Seneca Valley students two basic casting techniques -- the traditional back cast and the roll cast, which is used when there are too many obstacles to do the traditional cast. Before they venture into a stream, he'll also help them learn to cast from their knees. Another technique called "mending" prevents the water from moving the fly in an unnatural way.
"The biggest thing with fly-fishing is making that fly look natural to the fish," he said.
Mr. Murray acquired the fishing equipment for the class with donations from two organizations. Future Fisherman Foundation gave $5,000 and Family Tyes gave $3,500. With the money, he bought 20 rods and reels, 20 fly-fishing kits, tools, polarized sunglasses and 10 pairs of neoprene waders.
Fly-fishing rods are longer and more flexible than the rods used for fishing in lakes. Casting requires keeping the wrist locked but flexing the elbow in an elegant series of steps.
"The main action is all in the elbow. There's a pause in the middle of the action. The motion is at 10 to 2 o'clock," Mr. Murray said, referring to the angle of the rod as it sweeps overhead.
"If I go too quick, [the line] will make a cracking noise. If I go too slow, it will lay out on the ground behind me," he said.
Not until after several attempts do the students even come close to their targets.
"Yay, I got it," one student shouted.
According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, fewer young people fished in 2000 than in 1995.
Every five years, a National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Recreation is conducted. In 1980, 26 percent of Pennsylvania children ages 6 to 15 fished. In 1995, that number climbed to 41 percent but dropped to 35 percent in 2000.
The Fish and Boat Commission is proposing the creation of a new license category, a junior fishing license, to support new fishing education programs for youth.
License fees for 2006, which are required for anyone 16 years old or older, range from $22 for residents to $52 for nonresidents. One-day resident licenses cost $11. Tourists may acquire one- and three-day licenses for $26 and seven-day licenses for $34.
Mr. Murray, 37, of Harmony, is in his eighth year of teaching at Seneca Valley Intermediate High School. He has a pontoon boat on Lake Arthur, where he enjoys taking his two young sons.
In Western Pennsylvania, he catches trout and small-mouth and hybrid bass. Although he occasionally keeps one, he usually releases the fish he catches.
"Fly-fishing is kind of like golf because it's addictive. Sometimes it can be great. Sometimes it's frustrating," he said.
With the limited class time, he can introduce his students to a limited number of techniques, but they may join the club if they want to do more fishing.
As beginners, they have a lot to learn. Not only do they have to work on knots and casting, but they have to learn how to grip the rods properly and not lose them in a fast-moving stream.
Despite sore elbows and many unsuccessful attempts at casting, his students are learning several life lessons. And in addition to discovering patience and practice, they're finding out fishing is fun.
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(Madeline Izzo can be reached at mizzo@post-gazette.com or 724-772-0167. )
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Posted on Apr 23, 2006 05:59am.
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