Dark Skies Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey

Spring Steelhead Trip 2025 – Don’t Miss It!

Following the success of our November 2024 group steelhead trip…we’ve decided to do it again! Dark Skies Fly Fishing is teaming up with Mountain Laurel Guide Service and Captain Kurt’s Charters to host a fully guided group trip for steelhead March 2-5, 2025 This is prime time for fishing in the spring steelhead run on Ohio’s Erie tributaries!

(For a full review of the November 2024 trip, and to see pics of the fish caught, scroll down.)

Home base will again be The Lodge owned by Captain Kurt. This beautiful house/cabin is ideally located within walking distance of a private access section of Conneaut Creek and a short drive from a private access section on Crooked Creek and other waters we’ll be fishing, too. Steelhead fishing with Captain Kurt and his daughter Morgan has been featured on The New Fly Fisher TV show.

Captain Kurt runs a first-class operation, and I’m excited to offer this opportunity to you. We are going to have an absolute blast, and I hope you’ll join us in March!

Trip Details

Here’s what’s included in this trip:

  • Arrive between 4-5pm on Sunday the 2nd. Fish fully guided days on the 3rd and 4th. Depart on Wednesday the 5th after breakfast or stick around and fish on your own that morning before heading home.
  • Price includes all stream fees/private access to sections of Crooked Creek as well as Conneaut Creek
  • All meals and lodging.
  • All fly rods, reels, leaders, tippet, and flies are provided, or you can bring and use your own.
  • 1 guide per 2 anglers.
  • Maximum of 10 anglers for this trip. 

Not included in this trip:

  • Gratuity for the guides.
  • Ohio fishing license.
  • Although our primary waters will be in Ohio, given the unpredictable nature of weather, we could potentially fish Erie tribs in PA if better opportunities are available there and you have a PA fishing license and trout/steelhead stamp. (If we have major rain, for instance, the Mile Creeks in Erie, PA, tend to run off quicker and stay fishable.) If you don’t want to purchase a PA license, no problem. We will have plenty of options in Ohio to fish!

COST: $1,250 per person.

How to Reserve Your Spot

Reservations are first come, first serve.

A 50% deposit ($625.00) is required to reserve your spot on this trip. The remaining balance of $625.00 is due by February 1, 2025.

To reserve your spot, contact Ralph Scherder today at info@darkskiesflyfishing.com. We accept checks, money orders, or we can send you a link to pay online. (A 3% transaction fee will be applied to online payments.)

kurt bitikofer with steelhead
Captain Kurt Bitikofer is well known for offering clients excellent steelhead fishing in the Erie tributaries. This trip with Dark Skies Fly Fishing and Mountain Laurel Guide Service promises to be memorable!

Watch: Captain Kurt on The New Fly Fisher

November 2024 Group Steelhead Trip Recap

man holding steelhead
Brian Diffenbaugh did exceptionally well on the November 2024 steelhead trip, landing double digits on day one and several more on day two.

The rain arrived just in time! After a long, dry fall with low water, several days of rain brought creeks up to ideal levels for our trip, and we had a fresh run of steelhead move through the first morning. We couldn’t have asked for a better situation! As soon as it got light enough to see the indicators, we were into fish!

The trip was held November 24-27, 2024, and we had 6 anglers. There were lots of fish landed, including some giants!

Hot flies for these two days were the White Death, Blood Dot Egg, and the Y2K. Speaking of the White Death and Blood Dot Egg, the creator of those legendary steelhead patterns, Jeff Blood, stopped by to chat and offer some advice, which you can watch in this short video on our YouTube channel. Although I’ve seen Mr. Blood at various events recently, I never had a chance to talk with him. It was great to meet and talk to him on the water.

Despite the quality of the fishing — and it was truly high quality! — the best part of these hosted trips, for me, is what happens among the group. Every group has its own dynamic and personality. It’s truly awesome what happens when you bring six guys together, mix in some great fly fishing, big fish, excellent lodging and fantastic food. It’s the perfect recipe for creating lasting memories. And we’re excited to be doing this again in Spring 2025. Hope you’ll join us!

group of guys standing by a stream
From left: Ralph Scherder of Dark Skies Fly Fishing, Dale Fogg, James Hill from Mountain Laurel Guide Service, and the legendary steelheader himself Jeff Blood.
Two guys holding a fish
James Hill, left, with Gregory Cade and a fish he caught on the November 2024 steelhead trip. This was Greg's first time fishing in three years. We were so glad he chose to get back on the water with us!
two guys with a fish on a stream
James Hill and Jim Opritza holding a beautiful steelhead fresh in from Lake Erie.
three guys with a fish on a stream
Ralph Scherder, left, and James Hill, right, with Jeffrey Hertzler and one of the many nice steelhead Jeff caught over two days of fishing. We hope you'll join us next year!

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