Mountain Laurel
Guide Service
James Hill, Jr. is an all-around great guy based out of Pittsburgh, PA, and licensed to guide on waters in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. James has a passion for exploration, adventure, and conservation, driven by the desire to share the joy and tranquility of fly fishing with others. He specializes in float trips on larger rivers, but is also available for wade trips. He currently offers trips on the following waters:
North Potomac River
Explore scenic stretches of the North Potomac River fly fishing for trout, smallmouth bass, and other species.
Youghiogheny River
The “Yough” is western PA’s premiere tailwater fishery, and one that we’ve featured in articles on this website. It offers tremendous fishing for both wild and stocked browns and rainbows, many of them quite large. It also flows through a very scenic part of the state, which is a great perk to any quality day on the water.
Steelhead Alley
Whether you’re looking to explore the Lake Erie tributaries in Ohio or PA, James can show you the way. He currently offers guided steelhead trips on the Ashtabula River, Chagrin River, Elk Creek, Twelve Mile Creek, Sixteen Mile Creek, and Twenty Mile Creek. Float trips are also available on the Grand River and Conneaut Creek. He even offers all-inclusive packages on some of these streams that include lodging.
Clarion River
The Clarion River is another great fishing destination in west-central PA for trout and smallmouth bass. In fact, we offer a stream guide in the online store about
fishing the Clarion River, and we offer guided trips there as well. However, our guided trips on the Clarion River are all wade trips. James can offer float trips, which is perhaps the best way to explore this awesome fishery and access many of the more remote sections. James also has access to a couple cabins on the river so you can easily turn your trip into a multi-day adventure!
Central Pennsylvania
James also guides on many of the well-known Central PA creeks including Spring Creek, Little Juniata River, Yellow Breeches Creek, Fishing Creek, and many others.
Dark Skies Fly Fishing partners with guides and outfitters throughout the region to offer trips to destination fisheries outside of our normal guiding area (northcentral PA). These guides have been vetted by me, Ralph Scherder, and provide quality experiences for anglers of all skill levels. Our endorsement of a guide or outfitter on this page means that you can trust them for showing you a great day on the water.
When you contact Mountain Laurel Guide Service, please mention that you found out about them through Dark Skies Fly Fishing. Thank you!
DARK SKIES FLY FISHING MAGAZINE IS A DIGITAL REGIONAL FLY FISHING PUBLICATION THAT IS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE.
Every issue is dedicated to the fish and scenic waterways within Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey.
