May is without a doubt my favorite month of the year. The weather is generally wonderful, the landscape as beautiful as it gets, and there is a long list of prime-time outdoor opportunities to choose from. In fact, if there is a downside to the month of May, it's probably that there might just be too many good things to do and not nearly enough time to take part in them.
Trout fishing is at its best in May. On stocked waters, the crowds and clamor so characteristic of the opening weeks of the season have now died away, and the trout that remain have largely adapted to life in their natural stream surroundings, providing an angling challenge nearly equal to their wild counterparts.
For fly anglers, May is the prototype month for fly-fishing for trout. Many of our classic, and most appealing, fly hatches occur this month, and the rising trout these bugs provoke makes May a dry-fly fisherman's dream. Many streams will see March browns at the beginning of the month, followed by the prolific sulphur hatches and spinner falls a week or so later, finishing up with slate drakes and green drakes near the end of the month on those streams that harbor these large and impressive insects. And those are just the highlights as dozens of other lesser known but equally import hatches occur throughout this busy month.
But when it comes to fishing, May is certainly not all about trout. This is a great month to target panfish, as crappies, bluegills, and other sunfish congregate near shore to spawn. All of these species are a delight to catch on light tackle, for both young and old, and if you are good with a filet knife, they provide some of the best eating among all freshwater fish.
Depending on where you are in Pennsylvania, there are also several wonderful regional opportunities this month. In the southcentral region, Tim Flanigan discusses the striped bass fishery on Raystown Lake. Stripers are caught year-round at Raystown, of course, and on several other impoundments around the state, such as Lake Wallenpaupack, but May is usually a top month for striper action on any of them. And speaking of stripers, Ron Tussel talks about the opportunity to catch striped bass and American shad on the upper Delaware River for those folks with striking distance of that legendary waterway in the northeast corner of the state.
I certainly would be remiss if I didn't mention one of my favorite springtime destinations here in Pennsylvania. If possible, I try to make it to Erie in the northwest corner of the state at least once or twice in May. Depending on the timing, I have had spectacular fishing for yellow perch, sunfish, and largemouth bass, along with the possibility of catching a northern pike, bowfin, or longnose gar. And that is just while fishing in or around Presque Isle Bay. Head out to the big lake and you are likely to catch lots of big walleyes, smallmouth bass, and maybe even a steelhead or two. There is nowhere I would rather be in Pennsylvania during May than Lake Erie and Presque Isle.
Of course, May is not just about fishing either, as spring gobbler season spans the entire month as well. This sport has grown dramatically since its humble beginnings back in the late 1960s and next to deer season is probably our most popular hunting opportunity. Even with all the snow most of the state experienced last winter, our turkey flocks seemed to fare well through it all, and I can't remember a spring with more sightings of big long-bearded gobblers.
Because our spring season occurs entirely during the month of May, the peak of gobbling activity is pretty much past, and the woods will become a dense with new greenery shortly into the season. Both of these conditions can make a challenging hunt even more challenging, as well as introducing extra safety concerns.
I'm sure all our readers have read and heard the many slogans and other safety material distributed in recent years by the Game Commission and the National Wild Turkey Federation. I would also encourage every hunter, novice or veteran, to read Shirley Grenoble's article this month, in which she recounts having been the victim of a dreadful shooting accident herself many years ago. Her hunting-safety advice is well worth hearing.