This fall, for the first time, TTF hosted fishing programs! We partnered with Todd Pride of Legacy, Land and Water Partners, an organization that provides both on-site hands-on and virtual education and training to build a lifetime passion for youth, employees, families, and organizations and strengthening wellness through fishing, birding, wildlife, and gardening activities.
On Wednesday, October 12, we hosted the first lesson in the Montgomery County section of the watershed at Kleinheinz Pond in Cheltenham. Attendees had the opportunity to be introduced to the basics of fishing, such as learning about bait and tackle selection, where to fish, and what to look for, and some of the basics of fishing. Our novice anglers people practiced casting, took what they learned to the water, and fished. No fish were caught, but a few narrowly got away!
Here are some Fall and early Spring fishing tips.
On Saturday, November 12, as part of the Love Your Park Cleanup Day, participants gathered by the Tacony Creek along the Tacony Creek Park trail, and learned the basic principles of how to hold and cast a fishing rod. The rain from the previous day had resulted in overflows, so we were unable to catch fish from the creek. However, this was an opportunity to learn about the impact on our creeks of stormwater runoff and diluted sewage that enters Tacony Creek and our rivers from Combined Sewer Outfalls (CSO) during heavy rains.
About 60 percent of Philadelphia is covered by combined sewer systems, with 164 CSO’s along the waterways of the Tacony-Frankford, Cobbs, Pennypack creeks and the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. The Philadelphia Water Department launched the Green City, Clean Waters Plan to reduce the amount of stormwater that enters these systems by using green stormwater tools, such as rain gardens and bumpouts.
To preview if your local waterway is experiencing an overflow, you can view the CSO Cast – a mapping and notification system that alerts the public of possible Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) from Philadelphia’s combined sewer system outfalls.
We want to thank the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership for funding these fishing programs! We look forward to working with Legacy, Land and Water Partners in 2023 to offer lots more learning to fish opportunities in 2023, so stay tuned!
View more photos from Learn to Fish and Love Your Park day here.
