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At times, especially in early spring, the Casselman River can rage.
The woody debris left behind along the banks speaks to that. So do the painted lines on some bridge pilings that show when the water is 4, 4 1?2, even 5 feet high on them.
That isn't the case now.
If anything, the Casselman is low, or “bony,” as some call it. With exposed rocks and boulders all over, it's too shallow to float and sometimes tough to wade.
No matter the conditions, the smallmouth bass are there.
“It's a first-class fishery, no doubt about it,” said Dale Kotowski of Waynesburg.
Kotowski guides anglers on the river that starts in Maryland and empties into the Yough at Confluence.
“The numbers of fish were always there, but for a long time, it had a reputation for a lot of small fish,” he said. “Over the last three to four years, I've seen an evolution to where there are much better quality fish coming out of that river.”
These days, 14- and 15-inch smallmouth are common, he said, and fish up to 4 and 5 pounds occasionally are caught.
Things weren't always this good.
For years, the Casselman was polluted, with acid mine drainage making it inhospitable for fish. It has seen a remarkable turnaround, however.
“It's one of those success stories,” said Rick Lorson, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's area fisheries manager.
There are portions of the river that still are struggling. The stretches immediately upstream and downstream of Meyersdale are recovering but still poor, Lorson said.
But the 29 miles from Garrett to the mouth are good.
“There's a lot of water to fish. And there are lots of fish there,” Lorson said. “Most of the fish you catch are going to be between 8 and 13 inches.
“But you can certainly count on catching bigger ones.”
He has had days of catching 30 to 40 fish between 8 and 12 inches, with the occasional fish longer than 12 inches, he said.
The biggest ones typically come from the river's deeper holes, he added.
Anglers slowly are noticing how good things are getting. The Casselman doesn't get the fishing pressure the Yough does, but it is gaining a following.
Rich Stoner of S&S Sport Shop in Rockwood had two anglers fish the river on a recent Saturday, then call off work the following Tuesday to fish again because of how well they did.
“It's been offering good fishing for a while. Guys are enjoying it,” Stoner said. “It's just a matter of gaining access.”
That's the beauty and the challenge of the Casselman.
There isn't a lot of development along the river.
While that makes for great scenery, a consequence is there aren't many places to park and immediately walk to the water.
A few exist in places like Garrett, Markleton, Rockwood, Ursina and Fort Hill. But there also are 7- to 8-mile stretches of water between towns.
That's where the Great Allegheny Passage comes in. It parallels the river from Meyersdale downstream.
The trail is made of crushed limestone with a 1- to 1.5-percent grade, “which isn't very much,” said Larry Mazer of the Somerset County Rails to Trails Association.
“It's relatively flat. And right now is great time to ride the trail. You don't have the bugs. It's cool. As we go into fall, you'll have the autumn leaves,” he said.
“And from Garrett the whole way down to Confluence, you have easy access to the Casselman. You can park your bike and walk to the river.”
That's not to say the walking is easy.
In many places, boulders line the banks. There's rhododendron, too. Rocks throughout the streambed make for slippery wading.
“It's not an easy one to wade or even walk along,” Lorson said. “It's almost as difficult to get to it as it is to fish it.”
Kotowski leads two-day trips on the river, pedaling and fishing 7 miles upstream from Rockwood one day and going about the same distance downstream the next. It's a workout.
“It's a harder day's fishing than some people want to put in,” he admitted.
But the benefits increasingly are worth it.
Spin anglers take fish on Rapala-type minnow plugs, Rebel crayfish, soft plastics and live bait. Fly anglers can take them on assorted patterns, with imitations of a hexagenia mayfly especially effective.
Mazer expects to see more fishermen on the river in the future as word of the Casselman's return to health and good fishing spreads.
“I can see that being a great fishing area,” he said.
It already is, Kotowski said.
“It's kind of a hidden jewel because not that many people really fish it yet, at least compared to the Yough. But it's a beautiful river,” he said
Bob Frye is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bfrye@tribweb.com or via Twitter @bobfryeoutdoors.
The woody debris left behind along the banks speaks to that. So do the painted lines on some bridge pilings that show when the water is 4, 4 1?2, even 5 feet high on them.
That isn't the case now.
If anything, the Casselman is low, or “bony,” as some call it. With exposed rocks and boulders all over, it's too shallow to float and sometimes tough to wade.
No matter the conditions, the smallmouth bass are there.
“It's a first-class fishery, no doubt about it,” said Dale Kotowski of Waynesburg.
Kotowski guides anglers on the river that starts in Maryland and empties into the Yough at Confluence.
“The numbers of fish were always there, but for a long time, it had a reputation for a lot of small fish,” he said. “Over the last three to four years, I've seen an evolution to where there are much better quality fish coming out of that river.”
These days, 14- and 15-inch smallmouth are common, he said, and fish up to 4 and 5 pounds occasionally are caught.
Things weren't always this good.
For years, the Casselman was polluted, with acid mine drainage making it inhospitable for fish. It has seen a remarkable turnaround, however.
“It's one of those success stories,” said Rick Lorson, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's area fisheries manager.
There are portions of the river that still are struggling. The stretches immediately upstream and downstream of Meyersdale are recovering but still poor, Lorson said.
But the 29 miles from Garrett to the mouth are good.
“There's a lot of water to fish. And there are lots of fish there,” Lorson said. “Most of the fish you catch are going to be between 8 and 13 inches.
“But you can certainly count on catching bigger ones.”
He has had days of catching 30 to 40 fish between 8 and 12 inches, with the occasional fish longer than 12 inches, he said.
The biggest ones typically come from the river's deeper holes, he added.
Anglers slowly are noticing how good things are getting. The Casselman doesn't get the fishing pressure the Yough does, but it is gaining a following.
Rich Stoner of S&S Sport Shop in Rockwood had two anglers fish the river on a recent Saturday, then call off work the following Tuesday to fish again because of how well they did.
“It's been offering good fishing for a while. Guys are enjoying it,” Stoner said. “It's just a matter of gaining access.”
That's the beauty and the challenge of the Casselman.
There isn't a lot of development along the river.
While that makes for great scenery, a consequence is there aren't many places to park and immediately walk to the water.
A few exist in places like Garrett, Markleton, Rockwood, Ursina and Fort Hill. But there also are 7- to 8-mile stretches of water between towns.
That's where the Great Allegheny Passage comes in. It parallels the river from Meyersdale downstream.
The trail is made of crushed limestone with a 1- to 1.5-percent grade, “which isn't very much,” said Larry Mazer of the Somerset County Rails to Trails Association.
“It's relatively flat. And right now is great time to ride the trail. You don't have the bugs. It's cool. As we go into fall, you'll have the autumn leaves,” he said.
“And from Garrett the whole way down to Confluence, you have easy access to the Casselman. You can park your bike and walk to the river.”
That's not to say the walking is easy.
In many places, boulders line the banks. There's rhododendron, too. Rocks throughout the streambed make for slippery wading.
“It's not an easy one to wade or even walk along,” Lorson said. “It's almost as difficult to get to it as it is to fish it.”
Kotowski leads two-day trips on the river, pedaling and fishing 7 miles upstream from Rockwood one day and going about the same distance downstream the next. It's a workout.
“It's a harder day's fishing than some people want to put in,” he admitted.
But the benefits increasingly are worth it.
Spin anglers take fish on Rapala-type minnow plugs, Rebel crayfish, soft plastics and live bait. Fly anglers can take them on assorted patterns, with imitations of a hexagenia mayfly especially effective.
Mazer expects to see more fishermen on the river in the future as word of the Casselman's return to health and good fishing spreads.
“I can see that being a great fishing area,” he said.
It already is, Kotowski said.
“It's kind of a hidden jewel because not that many people really fish it yet, at least compared to the Yough. But it's a beautiful river,” he said
Bob Frye is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bfrye@tribweb.com or via Twitter @bobfryeoutdoors.
