A respite from traffic. A way to relax during lunch. An easy tan without leaving the city. Those are some of the reasons Pittsburghers have fished with Venture Outdoors' TriAnglers during free weekly outings Wednesdays on the North Shore.
TriAnglers, which meets through Sept. 27 on the wharf under the Clemente Bridge, welcomed a group of about 15 people last week despite rain and high, muddy waters. Many were regular attendees of TriAnglers events.
The program has been in almost-continuous operation since 2006, according to VO director of development and communications Donna Bour, and has been back permanently following a brief hiatus six years ago. The outings were previously held at The Point before construction forced VO to change locations. Since their move to the North Shore, the group hasn't moved back. The program is sponsored by a grant from Alcosan (the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority).
Steve Stiveson, 70, of the North Side is a regular attendee of TriAnglers. He fishes with VO every Wednesday and said his favorite part is socializing with the group. Ella Lipchik, 60, of Penn Hills said she enjoys the relaxation.
Larry Baranowski, 65, of Penn Hills casts the line while fishing at Deer Lakes Park in Russellton at the opening of 2017 Trout Season in April.
"This is like therapy for me," she said. "And I get a free sun tan."
LeeAnne Conway, a trip leader with VO, said one of the surprising things about Pittsburgh's rivers is the amount of fish diversity. It's not just catfish and bass, she said.
Despite last week's water conditions, the 10 TriAnglers had a successful two hours on the water, landing 13 fish in two hours. Game fish that were caught included three smallmouths, three rock bass and Tommy Lippert of the North Side released a 19 {-inch channel cat taken on a piece of liver. John Force, a TriAnglers regular from the North Side, pulled in the lunker, a 21-inch smallmouth buffalo, and Lipchik landed a 14 {-inch river redhorse _ a ray-finned member of the sucker family.
Last week's TriAnglers trip was full of firsts. A 7-year-old boy caught his first fish, a 7-inch bluegill. Lipchik's river redhorse was her first and the program's second.
"That's really one of the nice things about TriAnglers," said Bour. "It's multi-generational."
At all TriAnglers events, VO provides a limited number of rods as well as live bait including worms and minnows donated by Island Firearms. All of the lunchtime fishing outings are free and open to the public. Fishing license regulations apply, as well as size and creel limits.
TriAnglers provides more than tackle and bait, said Conway. It gives participants a sense of community. More experienced anglers help beginners figure out what bait to use and what rigs work in specific areas and water conditions. Each week, catches are posted to the TriAnglers' page of the VO website, as well as photographs of the largest catch and runners-up. Pictures of each catch can be found on the TriAnglers Flickr page, and the biggest catches are celebrated at an end-of-year event.
"People definitely take something away from that," she said.
More than that, beginner anglers don't have to worry about fishing alone and all the problems that can arise as a result. For example, netting a big fish.
"It brings convenience, a good time and a sense of security," said Conway. "They don't have to worry about fishing alone."
While TriAnglers is a relatively unique event for Venture Outdoors _ it also programs fly fishing and tenkara (no-reel fly rod fishing) events _ it remains one of the organization's more popular outings.
"It's kind of built an audience of its own and a life of its own," said Bour.
And while many anglers eat what they catch, TriAnglers events are strictly catch and release. Bour said this continues in VO's tradition of being a "non-projectile" conservationist organization.
"Everything we do is human-powered," she said.
