Mar 28, 2015 3 min read

With the calendar flipping to April this week, it can only mean the opening day of trout season is right around the corner.

While the season opens April 4 in some eastern counties of the state, here in Southwestern Pennsylvania, our opener doesn’t come until April 18.

Local waterways, other than Canonsburg Lake, which is open to year-round fishing, have been closed to fishing since March 1. But the last of the stocking trucks in Washington County will roll out this week, with Dutch Fork Lake being stocked Tuesday. In Greene County, the final stocking will be of Lake Wilma April 14.

The first in-season stockings will begin just days after the opener.

• The two bald eagle eggs at the nest near Hanover that were the subject of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s “Eagle Cam” both hatched last week.

The nest, which is located in Codorus State Park, had its first hatch Tuesday. The second egg hatched Wednesday.

Nearly 700,000 people viewed the nest on the live commission web feed, which can be viewed on its web site or at http://hdontap.com/index.php/video/stream/bald-eagle-live-cam. The video is provided through a cooperative effort between the commission, HDontap and Comcast Business.

The eaglets likely won’t leave the nest until sometime in late June or early July when they can finally fly on their own.

• John Husk, Tom Morley and Zach Nicolella all shot 297 to lead first-place Frazier-Simplex to a win over Murrysville last week in a Pittsburgh and Suburban Rifle match.

Sylvia Dreistadt shot a 295, while Christopher Thomas fired a 293 for Frazier (17-2). John Funk shot a 293 for Murrysville.

Second-place Dormont-Mt. Lebanon remained a match behind in the loss column with a 1,459-1,435 win over Allegheny County.

Dean Trew led the way with a 296. Tom Gerner (293), Matt Piatt (291), Tom Benedict (291) and Miles Ford (288) rounded out the scoring for the winners.

Dan Eichenlaub had a team-best 293 for Allegheny.

• An NRA Open 4 Position Sectional was held last weekend at the Frazier-Simplex Rifle Club, with a number of shooters posting impressive scores.

Nicolella won the overall section championship, edging Matthew Lovre, 794-60 to 794-56.

Nicolella dropped one point prone and five standing, but was perfect sitting and kneeling, while Lovre was perfect prone and sitting, dropping three points each standing and kneeling.

Dreistadt was third with a 792-59, while Ray Harvey finished fourth at 791-59 and Dean Trew fifth with a 788-56.

The Frazier-Simplex Gold team of Nicolella, Thomas, Morley and Morgan Duerr edged Dormont-Mt Lebanon Gold for the team title, 1,571-82 to 1,570-103.

Harvey, Trew, Amy Smith and Cassidy Fairman were on the second-place team.

The results of all the sectionals will be compiled by the NRA at the end of April, with the announcement of national placewinners coming in May or June.

• The annual Marianna Canoe Race will be held Saturday, April 25 at 11 a.m.

Pre-race signups will be from 6 to 9 p.m. April 15 and 22 at the Marianna Volunteer Fire Department hall.

For information, call 724-344-5153.

Outdoors Editor F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.