Kozelnik Creekside says IT'S ON!  -  Marcellus Shale Coalition 3 Rivers Challenge.  The fishing contest is being held THIS WEEKEND  in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 27-29, 2012. All three rivers are in play - The Allegheny - Monongahela and Ohio!

Winners will be crowned this evening!

Kozelnik Creekside is an advocate for Pittsburgh fishing and outdoor related activities.  Send in your fishing and outdoor photos and captions and 'Creekside will post them on the blog!  

Kozelnik Creekside's Fishing Pittsburgh Summer Snapshot

Kozelnik Creekside's Fishing Pittsburgh Summer Snapshot brings you this summer silhouette.  This fisherman is undoubtedly honing his fishing skills for the upcoming inaugural Marcellus Shale Coalition 3 Rivers Challenge.  The fishing contest is being held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 27-29, 2012. All three rivers are in play - The Allegheny - Monongahela and Ohio!

Another outdoor and fishing snapshots of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania brought to you by Kozelnik Creekside.  Check back often and as the Marcellus Shale Coalition 3 Rivers Challenge contest tagline goes... "CATCH EVERYTHING!" Pittsburgh.

Kozelnik Creekside Pittsburgh Profile: Wharfside on the Three Rivers - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Fishing in Pittsburgh along the North Shore of the Allegheny River made easy!  In the distance the light frames of PNC Park, The boat house of the Pittsburgh River Rescue, Rachel Carson Bridge and the Ft. Pitt Bridge on the outside funnels to the North Hills.

Wharfside Boardwalk along the Allegheny River

Kozelnik Creekside - An Outdoor Family Production - Vol 1 - Spring 2012 Snapshot - Pittsburgh to the Jersey Shore

It's here!  Fresh off of the video cutting room floor-

Kozelnik Creekside  - An Outdoor Family Production - Vol 1 - Spring 2012

A snapshot of the spring 2012 fishing and outdoor action from Pine Creek in Pittsburgh to the Jersey Shore sand shark!

Have a look and thanks for stopping by Kozelnik Creekside!

Click Here

Pittsburgh Fishermen Looking North for Erie Steelhead

As summer winds down and autumn slowly approaches, the hands on internal fishing clocks of Pittsburgh fisherman slowly start shifting towards 12:00.  I mean 12:00 due north - to Erie, Pennsylvania.  The fall Steelhead run is right around the corner and anglers are feeling the excitement and anxiety as if Father Christmas was approaching.  Kozelnik Creekside will take part in this seasonal run and hopefully have pictures to go along with our reports.  Share your tales with Kozelnik Creekside and we will feature your Erie Steel head story!  Check back often!

When in Erie support the local economy and bait shops-  A favorite of Kozelnik Creekside is:

Poor Richards Bait and Tackle Erie

Good luck everyone and be kind! - It may be the angler next you who is fishing Steelhead for the first time.

Pittsburgh Fishing with Venture Outdoors TriAnglers Weekly Fishing Club

I work on the North Shore of Pittsburgh on River Road which is a stones throw from the Allegheny River.  I walk the North Shore trail most days during lunch.  I stop every 50 feet or so to check the shoreline habitat for activity of fish.  Every once in a while I'll catch a few roaming carp or shad and it is uplifting to know that the rivers are active with life.

This summer while walking towards the North Shore Riverfront Park I came across a mixed bag of outdoors enthusiast lined along the river fishing in front of the Pittsburgh Pirates ballpark.  It was a welcoming and curious site to see fishing along the banks of the Three Rivers at mid-day during the week.  

It was Venture Outdoors TriAnglers Weekly Fishing Club. The club members ranged from toddler to seasoned angler and all seemed to be enjoying the weather, fishing and each others company.  

In a busy world where work, the economy and everyday worries bog you down -  the sight of multi-generational Pittsburghers "wetting their lines" off of the subtle slopes of PNC Bank park was very comforting.  Kozelnik Creekside salutes Venture Outdoors for a great job in keeping fishing at the forefront of outdoor activities in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Check out Venture Outdoors for upcoming events!

Fishing the Three Rivers of Pittsburgh

I would imagine these two fisherman might be thinking, "A bad day of fishing is always better than a good day at work."  I snapped this shot during my lunch break during the week while walking the the North Shore section of the Three River Heritage Trail.  The anglers were drifting the Allegheny River underneath the Ninth Street bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Walking and Fishing Slippery Rock - Ellwood City, PA

Took a walk along Slippery Rock Creek north of Pittsburgh, PA near Wurtemberg Road in Ellwood City, PA.  Plenty of fish swimming around but not many biting my line.  I fished with a Panther Martin spinner all day and a few bumps here and there.  All I manged was this little minnow- which had no business even biting the lure.

Kozelnik Creekside is Pittsburgh's North Park North Hills Fishing Blog

Pittsburgh Creekside is a Pittsburgh fishing blog that chronicles fishing in the city of Pittsburgh, the North Hills, Pine Creek and North Park Lake with a little mixture of other Pittsburgh fishing adventures.

Email your photos or fishing tales and we will post them for you!

Email your photos or fishing tales and we will post them for you!

Fishing Pittsburgh's North Hills Pine Creek for Channel Catfish

We have been seeing more of these small Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) while fishing in Pittsburgh's North Park Pine Creek this Summer.  Glad to see the fish thriving after a few years of North Park Lake dredge runoff.

According to the Tree of Life Web Project - The Channel Catfish varies greatly in color. Most individuals have scattered black spots on a silver back and side. Very small individuals, which usually have black-tipped fins, and very large individuals, which are blue-black, lack dark spots. The Channel Catfish is white below, has white to dusky gray barbels, a rounded anal fin with 24-29 rays, and a slightly rounded predorsal profile. The air bladder lacks a distinct constriction. To 50 in. (127 cm) total length.

Fishing for Pine Creek Catfish near Pittsburgh's North Park

Catfish and Carp Aquarium Active in Pine Creek - Pittsburgh, PA

Mid-summer is upon us and one of my favorite ways to celebrate the season is a walkabout fishing excursion on Pine Creek in the North Hills of Pittsburgh.  On Tuesday I set out on my usual fishing trek through the Pine Creek on Wildwood Road off of North Park in Hampton, P.A.  Carp and small bass were aplenty as they were visible along the banks.  I fished my usual spot and continually sunk night-crawlers under a large downed tree until I hooked into this 22 inch catfish.  This spot is usually good for at least one of these beasts. If you know the shadows and holes it won't take long to hook up and watch the cat run.    I also brought along my fly rod and caught about 20 bluegill and small bass through out the day.  I used a green beaded woolly bugger.  When the fish ignore the worm which is rare, you can always pass the time fooling the bluegills.

Beverage of the Day: Monster Lo-Carb
Cigar of the Day: Basic $3.00 Fuente (clear wrapper/white lettering - I quickly picked this up a local shop to pass the time - not bad actually)

Last of the Late Spring Trout

An excursion yesterday first took me to the North Park Lake in the North Hills of Pittsburgh.  I hit the launch pond back corner where I have actually done very well over the past month as the Creekside blog as documented.  Well... "No Dice" at all.  I switched over to plastic worms as the weeds were getting wider and coming topside.  I couldn't coax a hit.  There were a few small jumpers in the middle of the pond but nothing to make me stick around.  It was about midday so the sun was most likely keeping them down.

Second stop was trusty Pine Creek off of Wildwood Road.  I hit the the spots on the second parking area.  I tagged a few small blue gills. The monster cat I caught a few weeks ago was cruising the creek and actually parked himself under a rock that was no more than 3 feet from the bank.  He wasn't playing ball as I think the pressure on that spot has been heavy as I had to clean up an abandoned Cheetos bag, blue work container and water bottle.  I moved down about 50 yards to the abandoned bridge structure where the were catfish were visible and holding steady in the current but not biting.

Third stop was Pine creek off of Sample Road before Bryant Road.  Nice water back there.  I took the right path off of the lot which ended in a decent bend and flat on the creek.  Fished it for about an hour looking for bass to no avail.  Took a walk down stream to check out structure but it remained very rocky and flat with limited holding.  On the way back I saw a dead minnow on shore and decided to hook it up.  I cast into a dark hole and 30 seconds later... POW!  hooked one of the last spring trout! The water temperature was warm and I did not expect to see that rainbow on the end of my line.

A great way to end the day!

Beverage of the Day:  Arnold Palmer - Diet Half and Half
Message of the Day:  Please do not leave your litter behind- pack out your junk

Sunny Day Pine Creek Adventure

Took my fishing buddy out into Pine Creek today for a father / daughter adventure.  We fished for about three hours on a 1/4 mile stretch of Wildwood Road.  We picked up a few carp and a few small catfish and bass. We cracked a couple of  Mountain Dews, took in the sunshine and chatted about the 26 inch catfish that swam in front of us and rudely ignored our bait.

Short Afternoon Brings Short Bass and Basketball Sized Turtles

Was flipping Trout Magnets in the small pond near the boat ramp in North Park at the far end and got a few small bass.  Weeds are starting to sprout so top water or plastics will soon be the gig.  Got a glimpse of a snapping turtle - it surfaced about 10 feet in front of me and it was about the size of a basketball.  I tried to hit Pine Creek but there was a storm rolling in and the wind was picking up so I headed for shelter in the truck... Live to fish another day!

Cigar of the Day: Alec Bradley -Para Nuestra Familia

MIDNIGHT SURPRISE IN BAY HEAD, NJ

We picked up a dozen bottom feeders including this 3 foot Sand Shark over the weekend.  We were fishing for Striped Bass off of Mount Street on the beach in Bay Head, N.J.  We were using bunker chunks for Striped Bass but the fish seemed to be elsewhere.

Pittsburgh Fishing on Pine Creek in The North Hills

One of many beautiful fishing spots on Pine Creek in the the North Hills of Pittsburgh right out side of North Park. Pine creek is a haven for large carp, catfish and trout.

"CARP"e DIEM

I've seen so many Carp cruising the creek that it reminded me of the sub hunt for Red October -The only thing that was missing was a white bearded Connery.

TOM CLANCY'S RAINBOW 5... or PINE CREEK POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW

Trout Season 2012 in Pittsburgh will go down as a personal best.  Not since the old school days of fishing Lake Shenandoah and the Metedeconk River - Pine Park in Lakewood, New Jersey have trout found my hook so often.

Pine Creek Rainbows

Cat Bonanza

As I mentioned in the inaugural post the catfish were rolling deep today on the Pine. Here are the other cats that I landed and released today. There were so many dark shadows swimming around in the deeper holes today it was like having my own private outdoor aquarium. There were a mixture of catfish, carp, large Mouth Bass and even an impressive Brown Trout made an appearance.

 

A Cat... and The Hat

For my inaugural post I wanted to welcome everyone to Kozelnik Creekside and start by posting this monster catfish that I caught today in Pine Creek in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, P.A.  I placed my lucky West Virginia University hat down beside it to give some scale.  My hat is about a 12" from back to brim so you can estimate the size.  I caught three of these "swimming logs" today in different holes in the creek.

Thanks again for stopping by and keep checking in with Kozelnik Creekside for the next catch and release!