Editor’s Note: During Public Lands Month in September Trout Unlimited’s Costa 5 Rivers program director reached out to four student leaders and asked them to capture their experience recreating on public lands, what lessons they learned during the month, and what they did to recreate responsibly during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are their stories and images captured on 35mm film.
By Brenden Miller
In the mountains of central Pennsylvania we are blessed with some of the best public lands in America. There is a state park within 25 miles of every Pennsylvanian, whether they know it or not. Imagine what life would be like without the free access we have to these wild areas.
Growing up in America, it is hard not to take the woods for granted. A lot of places in the world don’t have readily available access to public areas.
It has been a strange year to say the least. In March, when COVID hit, we were sent home from college and questions about #ResponsibleRecreation and finding a way for us to recreate on the water started. Long-distance fishing trips were out of the question and the initial panic of COVID left us wondering if we should even drive five miles to our local river or stream.
Personally, I found myself retreating to local rivers I hadn’t fished since childhood or fishing on the terrible weather days to stay away from the Covid crowds. There sure were a lot of anglers on the water, this made it difficult at times to stay appropriately distanced in parking lots and on access paths. But here in Pennsylvania we are lucky enough to have a lot of water to get away from each other. My heart goes out to those who live in an area where they can’t access good fishing without traveling far, and have to wait out lockdown to wet a line.
Some of my local rivers became unbelievably packed in the spring, because everyone was off of work. Fortunately heading into summer, and now fall, the rivers have cleared out a bit since people are headed back towards a bit more normal lifestyle again. And in September some members of the Saint Francis University Fly Club headed out to enjoy the public lands we treasure. Armed with fly rods and a singular film camera, we hit the famous limestone streams of central Pennsylvania.
Unfortunately, the water was the lowest it has been in a long time, making the fishing very tough. We ended up catching a few dozen trout, along with some sunnies in a creekside swamp. Perhaps the best part of this trip was to see our favorite rivers at their lowest flows, in the spring this will help us to imagine where the trout will be holding under the heavy April currents.
We may not have landed the biggest trout. But the memories created on these trips will last a lifetime. Every trip taken into public lands is just another file in your filing cabinet of memories. You might not remember the trout you caught every time, but you will remember seeing your buddy fall into the river or seeing a surprised black bear crash across the river in front of you. Every time you venture into these wild areas, it is like flipping over a fresh page in a good book.
Long live public lands.
Brenden Miller is president of St. Francis Fly Fishing Club at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa.
Editor’s Note: During Public Lands Month in September Trout Unlimited’s Costa 5 Rivers program director reached out to four student leaders and asked them to capture their experience recreating on public lands, what lessons they learned during the month, and what they did to recreate responsibly during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are their stories and images captured on 35mm film.