The days proceeding Easter and the opening day of trout season found me working on some nesting boxes near a fishing pond that was stocked with trout.

I was enjoying the March sunshine that was uncommon for me to enjoy between the cold weather, the wind storms and the heavy rains. I knew that it wouldn't be long before the songbirds would be nesting and the ducks and geese were already on their eggs. This was a good time to be an observer and to practice quiet and solitude.

It was during this quiet time that I saw some swirls in the water and a few trout feeding on early gnats above the waterline. On the water's edge near some willow shoots, I saw a gray form slowly stalking the shallows. I recognized the outline of a Great Blue Heron and it was my first close sighting for the spring season.

The water's edge was warming up and I had seen panfish and some frogs already moving about. I was sure that the heron would be taking advantage of the bounty that the lake offered. Several of the fellows had excitedly told me about seeing a Bald Eagle picking off basking fish near the top of the waters surface.

I knew the snag of a tree that he liked to perch on as he scouted out his prey. So far, I did not get to see him fishing, but had seen him flying about. I had been watching the Live Cam of the Hays Eagle nesting site on the PA Game Commission & National Audubon presentations.

Fish was a big food source for the nesting eagles and their three newly hatched eaglets. So, it wasn't a surprise to see that an eagle was choosing to visit our lakes as well.

The best appearance that I was able to observe was when an osprey appeared and began to circle the lake as well. It started out as a wide circle then slowly the circle tightened into smaller circles and finally into a dive.

The osprey slid into the water with a splash and reappeared with a wiggling fish. From my vantage point, it appeared to be a trout and the talons of the osprey were firmly implanted into the trout as it followed the meandering wetlands away from us with its prize.

These birds really make up some formidable predators for fish, amphibians and reptiles. I am sure that they are also interested in other species, especially the eagle who is truly an opportunist when it comes to any food source that they can happen upon.

After leaving the lake area, I had a date to visit Pymatuning with my buddies Ken and Ron. Ron had his Lund boat out for its first trip of the season and had invited us along for some Crappie fishing. He had reports of fish hitting minnows in the shallow waters of the upper ends of the lake near Linesville.

We didn't need a second invite and we were off for a day of pan fishing. We determined that we could get our bait…fat head minnows at the bait shops near the lake and maybe also get some information on the hot spots. We didn't have much luck finding information or minnows, but we were persistent and finally got some of both!

The morning air was cool, but the forecast claimed that it would warm up by noon. We should have waited for noon to launch because the morning bite was tight lipped. We headed out around one of the islands scattered in the area and we found a dozen boats clumped in one area.

We didn't have to think this one over very long as we decided to see what all the hubbub was about. Sure enough, we were in some shallows between two to four feet deep. Ron was marking fish and Ken was casting out into an old lily pad bed.

I cast into a small clearing and had a fish flash at my minnow and make a run with it. It felt like a nice crappie, but I lost it in the weed debris we had to deal with.

We were getting hits and losing plenty of terminal tackle, floats and minnows in the weed beds. I finally cleared out enough of a hole in the weeds that with a good cast, I was in the clear from the snags. I must have had the right set up and a light touch because I started to nail some decent yellow perch and we hit some jumbo bluegill as well.

Ken was having a rough go of it and felt like he was being ignored by the fish. He claimed that he wasn't going home until he landed one. I landed a really decent perch and Ken finally let me hook him up with my setup.

He cast out into the opening we had made and immediately hooked up on a slab bluegill. We declared that all the fish were now officially his and that he should have enough for a Good Friday fish dinner!

Until we meet again, have a Blessed Easter!

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle