Clouds of Grannoms filled the morning air. They came out of the water in waves, one huge flurry after another. There were so many Grannoms that they bounced off of my face, got caught in my net, and a few even flew into my short sleeves and crawled around inside my shirt. Yes, there […]
The April Caddis: Fishing and Tying Grannoms Read More »
I wish I had discovered the effectiveness of tiny flies when I was younger and had younger eyes instead of only within the past five years. A few months ago, my optometrist prescribed “mildly” progressive lenses, and I asked if that was really necessary because, in my opinion, I could see just fine. He looked
Small but Mighty: Fishing the Zebra Midge Read More »
There are so many variations of Woolly Buggers available today that sometimes it’s hard to keep track. As new materials are developed and made available to fly tyers, I have no doubt that list will continue to grow. But regardless of what new buggers might be the latest rage, one that will always be
In the Fly Box: Hot Head Woolly Buggers Read More »
With only half a day to fish last week, I opted for home waters. I was due to pick my two kids up at daycare that afternoon, so I didn’t want to wander too far in my travels and waste most of my day on the road rather than on the water. Considering the
Low Water Tactics: Fishing the Buffalo Creek DHALO Read More »
As I pulled into the parking area within Old Mill Park, I saw a guy downstream netting a trout. In the time it took me to string up my fly rod and tug on my waders, he’d landed and released two more fish. I crossed the creek and ended up at a pool down
I stopped at the Neshannock Creek Fly Shop on my way to Cool Spring Creek to replenish some fly tying supplies. When the guy behind the counter asked if I was going fishing, I made the mistake of telling him I was headed up to Cool Spring Creek. He said a few guys he talked
Chillin’ on the Cool Spring Creek DHALO Read More »
One of my earliest fishing memories is driving across the bridge in Oil City as caddisflies plastered the windshield. They were everywhere, huge clouds of them high above the water. It was late April and the Grannoms were in full swing on Oil Creek. With a name like Oil Creek, you wouldn’t expect great
Fly Fishing the Oil Creek Region Read More »
A diamond in the rough, that’s how a fellow fly fisherman described Deer Creek in Allegheny County. But diamond may be a bit too generous. It’s more like a cubic zirconia. It looks good and fishes well, but it’ll never make anyone’s list of top 10 fly fishing destinations. And that’s okay. Not every
Masking hatches are “usually” a large fly that’s emerging about the same time as a smaller fly. The smaller fly is usually less obvious, and in fact, you may not even see it hatching at all, yet the trout seem to prefer it over the larger fly for one reason or another. I place
Masking Hatches and Selective Trout Read More »
My first cast of 2021 landed in Letort Spring Run, and as soon as the fly hit the water, three small brown trout scattered in different directions. My fly floated down through the abandoned pool. I shrugged it off and moved upstream to a fresh pool where three much bigger browns were gathered. I
First Casts of A New Season Read More »