Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

After a long winter, no matter what the weather is like on opening day, it's always a thrill to make that first cast of the year. In western Pennsylvania, that tradition still runs deep.

Bill Jeffers grew up on the north side of Pittsburgh. As an adult, he worked at marinas at Pymatuning Lake and the Allegheny Reservoir, which made him one of the better-known anglers around. He was also known as one of the better fishermen.

SLIPPERY ROCK CREEK
Many of Jeffers' more memorable early fishing days were along Slippery Rock Creek: "The first time I fished Slippery Rock, somebody took me up there in a car. I was probably about 12 and I caught my limit. I enjoyed that trip so much!

"In the early 1950s, it wasn't uncommon for people to hitchhike. There wasn't so much fear as there is today. I had another friend who fished with me, and he and I decided to hitchhike to Slippery Rock.

"In those days, the season opened at 5 a.m. We started out at about 1 a.m., heading for Portersville on Route 19. There was an all-night restaurant there, and we'd grab a bite to eat. Then we walked down the dirt road to Slippery Rock, which was a few miles away.

"We hoped some other fisherman would come down through there, see a couple of kids with their poles and tackle boxes and be nice enough to take us down to McConnells Mill.

"To me, it was not only a great fishing creek. McConnells Mill was the most scenic place along the creek with the mill, the bridge, the big rocks, the white water and the water coming over the dam."

For a few years after Jeffers' early experiences, the stream suffered from mine pollution. But for several years now, it has been back again as one of the finer trout streams in western Pennsylvania.

That area where Jeffers fished is now part of McConnells Mill State Park. The park provides excellent -- though not always easy -- access. Fishing is allowed everywhere in the park, except at the dam structures. Long stretches of the creek are remote from roads, but there are hiking paths along the creek.