Fishing America
Lake Wallenpaupack lies east of Scranton and served as the site of one of the most enjoyable days I have ever had fishing. My guide Joe Pacholec is simply the best. Considerate and conscientious is how I describe this man’s character.
When a person has those qualities, hard work looks like a lot of fun. His 30 years of guiding experience, love for his occupation and being absolutely complete in everything I seek in a fishing guide puts him at the top.
It has to be cold to ice fish and we had plenty of cold to go around in the upper teens. The new found blessing of my hands being somewhat acclimated to brutal cold the day before in NY was appreciated and right on time for this day on “The Pack” as Joe calls it.
After entering into this hardtop lake from an extra steep landing we hiked out a ways on the ice sledding his fishing stuff along. Setting up on our first spot that would be the only one we needed, we made our temporary camp and started drilling holes.
Joe never stopped working reminding me of some of my favorite employees I have had over the years that utilized their time so complete. While he was still setting out the tip-ups, a nice big slab-sided bluegill hit my line and the catching started early.
Strikes early and often with excellent company kept me busy having fun at an enjoyable pace. With that combination there just wasn’t time to get cold. I fished holes from inside a tent and outside it, and Joe announced each time a set line rigged with the tip-up flag went off.
About mid-morning I caught the biggest golden shiner I ever laid eyes or hands on. Joe rigged up an extra line for this fresh caught special bait. In hopes of catching a big striper with it, we set the line and let it shine.
A big mess of bluegill and yellow perch came from the rod, while the tip-ups caught 3 nice bass and as many big pickerel. One of the smallmouths was a runner pulling out a long amount of line before I could get to it. The only break I took was to eat lunch that Joe cooked right there on the ice.
The fresh deer and homestyle bread was so delicious with barbecue sauce, and a new way for me to define diet coke on ice. It all hit the spot and when I got through with it, I took up right where I left off. A hot meal sure mixes good with a hot fishing spot.
While my fishing guide had his full focus on his service to me as a customer, I kept all of mine on catching fish. All the keepers were kept alive in water buckets, something that don’t work as long or as effective back at home in Texas temperatures.
This guy refused to let me help him with anything. When a line needed repairing he was there. One time he saw me fixing on one and he quickly pointed out that was his job and handed me another one ready to go and went to work on that one.
Joe kept that positive attitude and happy approach to everything he did all day long. When we called it a day, he insisted I keep on fishing while he filleted the fish and rigged the other stuff down. I did so and added a couple more at the end for 26 total keepers. It seemed kind of like hitting a homer with one on base at the bottom of the 9th to win it.
I had booked two days with Joe. The only bad thing about my stop here was that we had to cancel the second day. There was no two ways about it. A destructive winter storm was set to collide with this area early the next morning. This same storm that brought flooding in KY washing out highways kept it’s appointment to this area.
I left a little early so I could get past Scranton and the leaning highways there. I had to change my route home to dodge obstacles from the storm, cancelling my stay in KY with my fishing friend Chino Ross.
Tractor trailer rigs were banned early in that region as ice accumulated on the roads. Then after driving a few hundred miles on interstates partially covered in ice with no issues I had one. After leaving a gas station, I got on the curl ramp to get back on I-81.
The ramp which was under construction and ice was not a good place to meet with a flurry of wind blown fallen snow and two tractor trailers side by side. The confusion of the temporary lane confinement walls and the blinding of the flurry almost sent me to the promised land.
Briefly stopped in the only spot I could be gave me a drivers window view of the side of that truck and trailer blowing by that was so close it appeared to hit my mirror. Another fraction of an inch and it would have most certainly pulled me under it and made a mess out of me and my pickup.
Only four or five miles later I was out of the ice and I thought after all that distance and not a problem with the ice, this almost got me. So that night when the clerk at the Comfort Suites in Cookeville, TN asked how I was doing I told her, “Very alive and very thankful to be here.” Living life at it’s fullest one day and almost losing it the next made this cowboy appreciate it so much more.
I am also very thankful I got to go on that trip making a lot of new friends including Joe Pacholec. His somewhat unusual last name fits him perfectly because he ain’t just a regular Joe being a former pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is a Pack-a-holic with Wallenpaupack so much a part of his life.
I will take this opportunity to acknowledge Joe for being the very best fishing guide that a person could be, lacking in nothing and excelling at everything and one of the nicest people I have met while Fishing America. Thank you Joe, I had a ball and I want to fish again with you.
Joe is from Moosic near Scranton. His guide service is on Facebook at Legends Outdoors and online at www.guidelegends.blogspot.com, and I am one away from my last Fishing America article.
STATE #49 - PENNSYLVANIA
FEBRUARY 2019 - WALLENPAUPACK LAKE
SPECIES CAUGHT - Yellow Perch, Chain
Pickerel, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill