The evening began on the lower end of First Fork’s Delayed Harvest section. The afternoon rain had cleared into a beautiful evening – a little too beautiful, in fact, as the sun beat down on the water, and at times it felt downright hot. I picked up two fat rainbows on a Sexy Walt […]
A Tale of Two Streams: Chasing Drakes Read More »
Like many excursions, I ended up on a different stream than I set out for. My target had been Kettle Creek, and I had every intention of giving it a shot, but as I drove down past Ole Bull State Park, and past numerous vehicles squeezed into any and all available parking areas, I
The Cross Fork Experience Read More »
I caught two trout on my first two casts before I realized there was a full scale Blue Quill hatch going on and trout were rising all around me. The rises were subtle, which is why I hadn’t noticed them when I first waded out into the stream. And then I was distracted by
April Showers Bring…Blue Quills on First Fork! Read More »
By 1840, Pittsburgh had grown into one of the largest cities west of the Allegheny Mountains in large part due to its production of iron, tin, glass, and brass products. In 1875, entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie opened the Edgar Thomson Works mills in Braddock, PA, along the shores of the Monongahela River. For the next century,
Steel City Trout: 3 Pittsburgh Area Streams Worth a Visit Read More »
I’d wager that the First Fork Valley in northcentral Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful parts of the state. That is, after all, one of the reasons my wife and I decided to move here, so we could enjoy the mountains and this valley that always seems to take my breath away. Within
George B. Stevenson Dam: Fishing, Family, and Fun Read More »
The right fly can produce a banner day. The wrong fly can leave you fishless and frustrated. A few years ago, I was having a rough outing on Buffalo Creek Delayed Harvest in Butler County. Buffalo Creek is a mid-sized stream with a strong early spring flow. The stream had just been stocked two
Choosing and Using the Right Fly Read More »
When fishing for fall trout or Steelhead, an assortment of egg patterns deserves a place in every fly box. Eggs make up a huge part of the diets of these fish this time of year. At times, trout and Steelhead will gorge on them almost to the exclusion of everything else. Luckily for anglers,
Tips for Tying Killer Egg Patterns Read More »
True story. A few days ago, I was fishing with my buddy Dylon on Elk Creek near Erie, PA, and overhead a group of guys talking about how could there be so many fish in the streams, yet so few of them willing to bite. These five guys were bantering back and forth and one
Favorite Steelhead Flies Read More »
In 1984, the United States Congress designated 8,663 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania as the Hickory Creek Wilderness. The purpose of this designation is to preserve and protect lands that have not been altered by human encroachment. Here there are no modern conveniences or facilities, only forest, and through it all runs a network of
Exploring the Hickory Creek Wilderness Read More »
Hopper fishing defies the most basic rules of fly casting. No need for those elegant, wistful casts, and nobody cares about the perfect, drag-free drift. These are big, gaudy patterns meant for chucking and ducking rather than soft presentations that flutter to the surface, but they catch trout, and sometimes lots of them. Grasshoppers,
Hoppers and Droppers, Oh My! Read More »
