Gone Fishing at Four Mile Creek

When I look at old postcards I find it odd that people dressed so well to go fishing, to a picnic or to the beach. Take these young boys for instance. No hip waders here. They look like they just went to church and decided to catch dinner on the way home. Maybe that's why they are using tree limbs as fishing poles.

This scenic photo was taken near the Lawrence Park Gold Club, which was established in 1921. Are these young men spending some quality time with their fathers at the mouth of Four Mile Creek? The man in the middle looks like he is standing in the water all by himself, looking out at Lake Erie. I hope the boys had a bucket to carry their fish home in.

The S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie sponsor a pretty cool program to encourage sport fishing in Erie County. You can check out a fishing pole and a tackle box for free at the Blasco Memorial Library on the Bayfront or the Iroquois Avenue Branch Library in Lawrence Park. 

And here's a little bit of fishing history: A new fish hatchery was built in Erie in 1914. Fishing licenses were first required in 1922, when a resident fishing license cost $1. The fee was raised to $1.50 in 1928 and to $2 in 1948. The Pennsylvania Fish Commission collected $207,425.53 the first year. The daily creel limit for trout was set at 25 in 1925. Other limits were: 10 bass, 10 walleye, 15 pickerel and 3 muskies.

Enjoy more fun facts about the history of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie