Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012 - 24

A Family of Not So Ordinary

Anglers
by Darl Black
Dan Shay

Dustin Shay, Justin Shay and friend Russ Chaney spend many hours on French Creek fishing for walleyes, smallmouth bass, northern pike and muskies.

photos-Darl Black

What ever happened to simply being an angler? Specialization, so commonplace in today’s society, has trickled down into fishing. It seems an individual can no longer be described simply as an angler but must declare a specialization— panfish, walleye, musky and so forth. Being referred to as a trout fisherman isn’t enough. Questions arise whether you are a fly fisherman, spin angler or live bait angler for trout. Bass fishermen are categorized as either a tournament or non-tournament bass angler. And, now there is a whole new class, kayak fishermen. Some who define their sport so narrowly, they will not fish from anything but a kayak. However, if you look hard enough, you can still find old-fashioned anglers who ignore the labels and go for what’s biting, fish from either shore or boat and use either live bait or artificial lures to make things happen. “I’m simply a fisherman,” said Dan Shay, a retiree of Advanced Cast in Meadville and lifelong Crawford County resident. “I’ve fished my entire life focusing on whatever the hot bite was at different times of the year. In early spring, it may be crappies and walleyes at Pymatuning Reservoir. During summer, it’s typically musky on inland waters or perch and walleyes on Lake Erie, smallmouth bass on Conneaut Lake or walleye in the creek during the fall and bluegill through the ice at Tamarack Lake. It doesn’t matter as long as I’m catching something.”

His non-discrimination declaration goes back to his childhood. “I got the fishing bug from my mother and father who regularly fished Pymatuning Reservoir. Our family lived in Meadville’s Fifth Ward along French Creek. Seems as soon as I was old enough to leave the house without parental supervision, I was sneaking down to the creek to go fishing. It didn’t matter to me whether I was catching carp, suckers, bullheads or walleyes as long it was a fish.” Dan became recognized as a French Creek expert. But, his expertise was not obtained from outdoor television shows, seminars by pro anglers or YouTube videos. Instead, he acquired knowledge the old fashioned way. He earned it through real-life experiences along the muddy banks and wading in the water. When Dan married, he settled into a home with his wife Helen only a block from French Creek to raise their family. “As each of my kids became old enough to tag along when I headed to the creek, they were introduced to fishing. I instructed them in the basics, just as my parents had taught me. Whenever the local park board or sportsmen’s club had a kids fishing contest, my kids were the first to sign up, and they usually ended up winning something.” While Dan acknowledges that his children often went fishing without letting him or his wife know where they were headed (just as he had done as a kid), he never really worried about them as long as they were busy outdoors. “There were plenty
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • November/December 2012

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2012

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