With decades of fishing behind him and many more to come, Doug Shriber knows he’ll never have another day like September 7th, 2021. Back at the dock after a day on the Allegheny River, Doug threw a couple fishing lines in the water while he cleaned the boat with his six-year-old son. When the rod bounced, Doug figured it was debris. Then he felt the line go. He yelled to his son to get the net, and they hauled in the biggest flathead catfish Doug has ever seen. The dock scale maxed out at 35 lbs, so Doug could only guess that the fish was 43 lbs – “the fish of a lifetime.”
Now in his fourth fishing season at Allegheny RiverTrail Park, Doug is at the park 2-3 times a week. He’s caught 13 different species of fish, many attracted to the dams by the oxygen-rich water. And he’s spotted tons of wildlife, too, including bald eagles. But more than the quality fishing, the quality time with his family is what makes the park a great place to keep coming back. “Being together with my family – just being outside with my family – it’s priceless,” Doug says. “(The park ) is our place to go. Even without the boat, I plan on visiting for a long, long time.”
