(Port Matilda) Sixteen-year-old Tyrone Area High School student Terra Rhoades of Fowler Hollow had not landed a single trout during four years of fishing in the tournament, but you wouldn’t have guessed that from her enthusiasm. Rhoades fished all day Saturday in the rain and then again on Sunday, repeatedly drifting her red worm through each likely-looking spot. At about 1 p.m., her dedication was rewarded when she felt a bite and then landed a nine-inch rainbow trout, which sported a green plastic tag.
“Another fisherman along the stream looked at the numbered tag and told me that it was the $1000 trout, but I didn’t believe him,” said Rhoades. “At the fire hall they told me my trout really was worth $1000 and I thought that I’d just drop.” Rhoades and her friend Breanna Williams, of Hannah, were fishing between Port Matilda and the Route 322 bridge when she made her prize catch. The big-money fish was sponsored by M & T Bank.
Rhoades and Williams were two of the 1,101 registered anglers who fished in the eighth annual Bald Eagle Creek Trout Tournament, which was held last weekend. It was rain, rain and more rain, but never mind the damp weather, anglers of all ages were out in force on eight miles of Centre County’s Bald Eagle Creek for this year’s contest.
Six hundred trout were stocked this year and labeled with numbered tags. The tags are randomly assigned prize money ranging from $20 to $1000. Prize money is donated by area businesses, organizations and individuals. This year, the total value of tagged fish was $18,185.
Once again, wax worms and minnows produced the most tagged trout. Over 20 different baits and lures were successfully used to catch fish, but approximately 35 percent of the tagged trout were caught on wax worms and 21 percent were landed on minnows. Powerbait was a distant third place, accounting for about 9 percent of the tagged trout. Spinners, salmon eggs and butter worms accounted for about 5 percent each.
While some anglers try for years before landing their first tagged trout, others, such as Scott Heimbach of Boalsburg, had four tagged trout by 11:10 a.m. on the first day. Heimbach landed two 13-inch browns on spinners and two smaller tagged trout on minnows- all while fishing only about 100 yards of the stream. It was Heimbach’s second year to fish in the tournament. Five other fishermen landed four tagged fish each and Steven Uberti of Bellefonte caught five tagged trout, worth $20 each.
Byron Walk of Tyrone took an early lead in the Big Trout Contest when he landed an 18 3/4-inch tagged rainbow at 7:35, Saturday morning, one of the three tagged fish that he caught. Lonnie Leggett of Boonsboro, Maryland then landed a 19 1/2-inch trout at 8:15 a.m., which topped Walk’s big fish. Leggett was fishing the deep pool where Laurel Run joins Bald Eagle Creek when the large brown took his nightcrawler.
“About 12 to 15 other anglers were fishing the pool. It was crowded, but lots of fish were being caught,” explained Leggett, who was fishing with his brother Donnie. “We saw four or five tagged fish come out of that particular hole then we got into that big one. It took out line and ran half way across the hole, a good fight.
“My home was destroyed by a freak tornado last year, so I’ll put the money to good use,” added Leggett. This was his first year to fish in the Bald Eagle contest.
Tournament anglers can choose to pay an additional five dollars to enter the separate Big Trout Contest. Half of the money goes to the person who lands and returns to a check station the longest tagged trout. This year, 629 anglers entered the contest, which amounted to a $1,572.50 prize.
Contest treasurer Mike Evanko reported that anglers registered 369 tagged fish on Saturday and brought in 66 additional tagged trout during the higher water conditions on April 23. The number caught over both days was 435, or 73 percent of the total stocked. That compares with 79 percent caught last year and 78 percent in 2004.
In past years, anglers fishing over the two days of the tournament have landed varying percentages of trout. In 2001, only 66% of the tagged trout were caught and a high of 88% were caught in 2002.
According to Evanko, by the time the contest ended Sunday afternoon, 165 of the tagged trout were still swimming in the stream. The 1086 resident and 15 out-of-state anglers landed 435 tagged trout for a total payout of $13,119 plus $1572.50 for the biggest trout. This year’s turnout was almost exactly the same as last year, and organizers from both the Port Matilda Volunteer Fire Company and the Bald Eagle Sportsmen’s Club rated the fundraiser a huge success.
