Apr 2, 2016 4 min read

There are two days I guarantee the fish will bite. They are the day before I get there and the day after I leave.

But, more seriously, I say the yo-yo-like weather we are experiencing is not that unusual. March and April seem to be like this most years. So we should expect it to be balmy one day and cloudy, cool and rainy the next.

The real problem is after going through a long winter, serious anglers are impatient and tired of looking longingly out the window.

Early panfish seem to be controlled by the weather. One day, and for a few hours, the crappie will hit. The next day, the temperature will drop and the fish shut down just like turning off a light switch.

I guess what I am trying to say is I need to be patient and keep trying.

Those who follow weekly fishing updates can see I am aiming a message to myself and all of you. Consistent fishing comes when the weather becomes more consistent. Like all things, it happened before and will happen again. What was will be.

Have I caught anything yet? Of course, I have. The evidence is there at the lake. There are numerous trees bearing evidence to my catching them as more than one jig or bobber is hanging from their branches.

I have caught a few crappie and bluegill but not enough to brag about.

But the season is overdue. Just think, it will be trout season soon.

Instead of standing along the shores or boating the water of Cross Creek Lake, anglers will line creeks such as Little Chartiers, Mingo, Dutch Fork and Ten Mile, hoping to catch one of those jumbo trout stocked every year by Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

The old reliable nightcrawler will be a top bait, as it should be. After that, there will be anglers using meal worms, wax worms and maggots. If you are alert, you will see Power Bait floating by as it falls off a hook upstream.

On the topic of nightcrawlers, I always remind myself of a profound statement made by Mario D’Amico of Muse. We were discussing the benefits of artificial lures versus live bait when Mario said this profound bit of wisdom, “If you lay a plastic steak in front of you alongside a real steak, which one would you eat first?” He did have a point despite the fact he rarely fishes with bait and does catch fish.

I use both but, when trout fishing, I lean toward artificial. It’s cleaner and catches fish.

Then there will be the poor fly fisherman trying his craft while surrounded by three or four youngsters casting ½-ounce sinkers into that deep hole in front of him. The poor fellow should have waited for another day.

In many waters across the state, opening day is fun but not a day for the serious angler regardless of fishing method.

• As most readers know, I have a close relationship with Lesleh Precision in Belle Vernon, which makes most of the metal parts for Henry Rifles.

Henry’s motto is, “If it’s not made in America, it won’t be made.” It’s a company that is doing very well.

I expect a few new offerings from them in the near future, one of which will be a lever-action rifle capable of handling Spitzer Bullets. The old traditional lever rifle with its tube magazine requires the use of flat or round nose bullets, but the new offering from Henry utilizes a box magazine and is chambered for .308, .243 and .223.

The outside appearance of the Henry Long-Range Hunter looks a bit like the Browning Lever. The rifle has a 20-inch barrel and comes in at about 7 pounds. I promise you there will be other new offerings coming from Henry.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.