By Christine H. O'Toole
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, June 19, 2005
"Grab a seat and hold on."
As the sun squints over the horizon, Keith Eshbaugh casts off from the dock and throws the Mercury engine into gear. He swings across the current, gunning straight toward preoccupied commuters on the opposite riverbank. The surrounding skyscrapers ricochet the buzz of our immaculate maroon outboard along the river. Rush-hour traffic blurs on the bridges that wrap overhead. Half-mile wakes from coal barges shouldering their way down the Monongahela lap at our stern as Eshbaugh turns up the Allegheny.
It's morning in downtown Pittsburgh -- and we're going bass fishing. Eshbaugh is showing me the site of the Citgo Bassmaster Classic, the world championship of pro fishing, to be held here starting July 24 (the big event is July 29-31). For most Northeastern city dwellers, this annual competition barely makes a splash. But for millions of angling aficionados, it's an all-American whale of an event.
More than 80,000 people attend the weeklong fish fest annually, the culmination of the pro tournament circuit. (While the Classic migrates nationally, it will be held only in warm water sites beginning in 2006.) And this time, though anglers can spread out for miles, fans actually might be able to watch the fishing: The confluence of the three rivers downtown offers spectators a chance to see the pro boats pull in the prizes -- from the water, the shore or an office window.
"Pittsburgh has become an amazing bass fishery," says Mike Iaconelli, a brash 33-year-old from Jersey. He's earned $776,000 on the pro bass circuit and hopes to grab the $200,000 trophy this year. "The downtown is definitely going to be a popular fishing site for us."
The city's rivers have more sparkle than in past decades, a clean-up prompted by 1972's Clean Water Act and the demise of the steel mills. Workers catch fish on their lunch hours at downtown Point State Park, where a century ago they'd be more likely to catch a disease: The city's filthy water had created the nation's highest typhoid death rate. Local ecologists now boast of 50 freshwater varieties in the Mon, Ohio and Allegheny rivers, up from 10 in 1968.
Pittsburgh's reclaimed riverbanks have turned from all work to more play. Kayakers paddling to Pirates baseball games at riverfront PNC Park dodge blue herons and crew teams, along with coal barges. Beavers toil near bikers on riverbank trails.
"What's the weirdest thing you've ever caught here?" I ask Eshbaugh, as he pilots toward the Highland Park Dam, beneath the city zoo. As the state walleye champion, he's plied these waters long enough to have some good fish tales. "A paddlefish," he answers promptly.
Paddlefish, prehistoric leftovers that look like cross-eyed sharks with two-foot spoons on their snouts, can't thrive without clean water (and the resulting good eating). Hooking one is living proof of river improvement. Bass, by contrast, thrive almost anywhere. The local ones average about two pounds, though divers report seeing some 10 times that size lurking below city bridge piers. To win the Classic, entrants catch five fish a day. The heaviest three-day total wins.
Eshbaugh throttles back in sight of the locks flanking the dam. Our wake surges forward as the boat dips. "Here's a good spot," he says. "These red buoys -- they've been good for years." As he baits our lines, he talks about a tagged fish, a West Virginia sauger, caught in the Allegheny after passing through eight locks along the way.
Most Bassmaster fans will travel even farther.
The 2005 Classic will be a red-state happening in a blue-collar downtown. Texas and Florida boast the largest state memberships in the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS), but Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina and Pennsylvania are now among the top 10. The sport is outgrowing its sleepy stereotype.
"It's high-energy, exciting, constant movement," exults Iaconelli, the 2003 champ. "A new generation of anglers has come on the circuit with new styles." His own trademark is a penchant for breakdancing after big catches.
Television has created millions of couch anglers. Bass fishermen have their own line-up of ESPN shows, including "Loudmouth Bass," "Bassmaster University" and the upcoming "Bass Tech" (a sort of "Pimp My Boat" for hands-on types). There are even an online fantasy fishing leagues. The daily Classic weigh-ins, with cheering fans packing the arena, are broadcast live on ESPN Outdoors, which owns BASS. "Fishing has been a solitary sport. Now it's a spectator sport," says Chicago fishing commentator Chauncey Niziol. "Soon there will be marshals to keep crowds away so the pro anglers can fish."
Out on the river, however, the old-fashioned lure of floating, casting, reeling and relaxing doesn't change. We drift past industrial plants and city row houses, willow-strewn islands and bridges, more of the latter here than in any other county in the United States.
Eshbaugh's fishfinder displays an ultrasound of the river bottom in lurid color. A fluorescent orange blip moving up the right of the screen is a fish, climbing the underwater ridge 12 feet below the boat.
Fishfinders are essential tools on the pro circuit, and they really help. Thanks to the electronic readout, I can see how completely the fish ignores the wiggly fluorescent bait I'm dragging in front of it.
Eshbaugh methodically pulls in drum, bass and the occasional knot of frayed rope, which bends his line in the dark green water exactly like a trophy fish. His live catches stay that way, in the boat's oxygenated well. (At the tournament weigh-ins, the fish also make a live appearance. After a bath in antiseptic and salt solutions to calm them down, it's back to the river.)
It's after noon as we speed back to the center of town. As we near the 200-foot fountain at the confluence of the rivers, the gothic glass towers of PPG Place catch the reflection of the green hillsides on the river's southern bank. From here, the old steel town looks like Emerald City.
With the sun overhead, the Point is humming with jet skis and sternwheelers. Cruisers idle in the Allegheny, their pilots waiting for stray Pirate homers to splash into the river, clowning for the Jumbotron. Eshbaugh slows as we reach the ballpark landing to drop me off. As I step ashore, a cheer goes up from the crowd. Just for a minute, I think it's for me.
Couldn't be. I didn't catch a thing.
Christine H. O'Toole last wrote for Travel on Kansas City's jazz scene.
GETTING THERE: US Airways remains the dominant carrier to the Pittsburgh airport, 17 miles from downtown; nonstop fares start at about $145 round trip. Independence Air, flying from Dulles, offers weekend fares from $158 round trip. Downtown is approximately a five-hour drive from the Beltway.
BASSMASTER CLASSIC: This year marks the last time the Bassmaster Classic will be held above the Mason-Dixon line -- it's moving to year-round warm water in 2006.
The Pittsburgh event will be held July 24-31; the pros compete July 29-31. There's a week's worth of hoopla surrounding the event, beginning with the Junior Championship, which includes autograph sessions and fireworks, and Saturday evening's Kenny Chesney concert at Heinz Field. The free ESPN Outdoors Expo, held Thursday through Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, is a short walk from Point State Park and the free weigh-in events (at 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday) at Mellon Arena.
For an events schedule: http://2005bassmasterclassic.com/ , where you can find the Bassport, with printable discounts for restaurants, theaters and the river taxi service. Or call 800-VISIT-PA.
GO FISH: The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission lists marinas and registered fishing guides at http://www.fish.state.pa.us/ .
Pittsburgh area bass fishing guides charge about $100 to $250 per person per day, boat and gear included. Guides include Matthew Geppert (412-841-2222), Mark Sikora (412-782-2222) or Donald Hunt, DMH Bass Fishing (814-776-6831, http://www.guidedbassfishing.com/ ).
Shore-based anglers often out-pull boating anglers at Point State Park; the concrete wall permits easy pedestrian and wheelchair access. The TriAnglers Club (412-255-0564, http://www.ventureoutdoors.org/ ), open to all, fishes from the riverfront wall every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; $5 for a season pass, bait, rod and reel. Buy fishing licenses on site (three-day tourist pass, $26; seven-day pass, $34) or online at http://www.fish.state.pa.us/ http://./
. WHERE TO STAY: Book a special Bassmaster rate at 28 area hotels from $79 to $169 double online through http://2005bassmasterclassic.com/ . Major chains within walking distance to the event sites include the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center, Hilton Pittsburgh, Westin Convention Center, Omni William Penn and Sheraton Station Square.
WHERE TO EAT: If catch-and-release leaves you hungry for more, try the Original Fish Market at the Westin Convention Center Hotel (1001 Liberty Ave., 412-227-3657, http://www.originalfishmarket.com/ ), with a sushi bar and late-night hours. Dinner for two with wine is about $75. Locals love the fried fish sandwiches ($5.30) at Benkovitz Seafood Market (2300 Smallman St., 412-263-3016). Family in tow? Stroll across the Roberto Clemente Bridge to the North Shore to find Atria's (for pub food; 412-322-1850), Outback Steak House (412-921-9003), Vincent's Pizza Pub (412-325-4485) and more casual choices, all along Federal Street at PNC Park.
INFO: Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-359-0758, http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/ .
-- Christine H. O'Toole