Memorial Day Weekend

May 26, 2014

It was a busy Memorial Day weekend with four trips guided in three days. Every party caught fish. From wild brook trout on dry flies to big rainbows on nymphs, it was good to see the smiles of happy anglers.

The fishing is really turning on right now as the hatches are beginning to pop on even the bigger rivers. Last Friday I drifted the Andro with a good friends, Bill Thompson and Milan Krainchich. The river was high and we were not expecting much, but as we pushed off clouds of mayflies were popping from the water. We quickly switched our streamer rods for dry flies and had a good hour of casting to rising fish. Unfortunately the river was a bit too quick to support rising fish further downstream, but we did have a few close encounters on streamers, with one big rainbow lost right at the boat. Most important, my new Outcast Pac 1300 handles like a dream. The boat is an incredibly stable fishing machine. See pictures below!

I have a good feeling that by next weekend all local rivers will have prime dry fly conditions. If you plan to come up in late May or June be sure to have plenty of size 12 gray drake spinner mayflies and size 14-16 olive caddis imitations for all stages of the bug. I'd also bring my streamer box as any rains could produce aggressive takes on flies like: Slump busters, zoo cougars, double bunnies, and sex dungeons. If you haven't hit the water yet...now is the time!

A Rainbow Morning And A Square Tail Afternoon

May 8, 2014

Had a great day on the water yesterday. I Guided Jon, a long time client of mine. We started the morning targeting large rainbows in small water. After a quick tune up on casting weighted nymph rigs, Jon was in the zone. As he made methodical drifts. The indicator would dip now and again only to reveal a snagged stick, or rock. On about the eleventh drift the indicator stopped again, Jon lifted the rod, and the rod came back down. There were two flashes of metallic purple and the line went slack. Jon turned to me, saying without words, "Okay, they are here!"

Spring has sprung!

April 28, 2014

It has been a slow start to the season, but things are looking to be speeding along now. My first trout of the year came a few weeks ago on a wild brook trout water. These waters should be turning on big time at this point. Most of my early season brook trout waters are spring fed and provide good dry fly fishing when other rivers and ponds are still ice cold. Speaking of spring water, I just returned from a week long trip to State College PA and the Catskills region of New York. I fished with Bob Mallard and was helping him collect photos for his two books 50 Best Places: Fly Fishing the Northeast and 25 Best Towns: Fly Fishing For Trout. These books will feature State College PA and Hancock NY as well as North Conway NH.

Spring Fever

February 25, 2014

I begin this post on a cold night in Late February. It feels like mid winter although the calendar tells me that spring is on the way. Just a few days ago the thermometer hit 50 degrees and I heard the chirp of birds waking up. They were winter birds, and their songs only served as a deceptive sound. Today their optimism was smothered by the "Polar Vortex."

The End of a Season

November 27, 2013

As I write this, I hear the rain pounding outside. It eats away at a thin layer of slush that I thought might be the start of winter. I considered going fishing, but elected to stay home, write, and tie flies, "Better to be prepared for next season" I reason. November always presents herself before I am ready, still giddy from recent October fishing trips. Like the last kiss of a relationship, you usually don't know the "last day" when you are fishing it. But on a day like today I'm forced to think back to a few weeks prior, and realize, " I may not pick up the rod again until spring." It is a bittersweet thought, the memories of the season flash through my mind like a movie montage that I will need to wait to see again.