A few days ago, I was talking to my friend Doug Defanti about his experience on the Delaware River. The river was more crowded than usual. Big fish were a little tougher to come by. But there was one evening, he said, when he’d drawn a small audience as he landed 10 trout pretty […]
Mole Fly Saves the Day: Fisherman Pleased Read More »
At first glance, Parker Dam State Park is a relatively small tract of public land located just east of Penfield in Clearfield County. Look closer and you’ll see that this diminutive little gem is much more: it’s a gateway to the vast expanses of Moshannon State Forest. For what the 968-acre Parker Dam State
Parker Dam State Park Read More »
As I sat at my desk trying to figure out what fly to tie using a package of olive Cactus Chenille, my three-year-old daughter Sophia came into my office and asked what I was doing. If anyone else had asked me that same question with that exact tone of voice, I may have been
I used to be a dedicated one-fly nympher, always fearing I’d spend more time untangling two flies on my leader instead of actually fishing. Last spring, though, I gave in and started fishing two nymphs, or as some call it “a tandem rig,” and my catch rates increased considerably — but not at first.
One is Good, Two is Better: Using Tandem Rigs Read More »
Several years ago, my friend Greg asked if I’d like to help him explore a stream he’d just discovered. He’d been on his way home from a Boy Scouts outing with his son and had crossed over this stream, and it looked too good to pass up, so they stopped and walked down to
Slippery Rock Creek Read More »
A crew of workers and machinery blocked the road leading to Fisherman’s Paradise, and the woman in charge of traffic informed me that it would be several hours until the road opened up again. She looked sympathetic to my plight, which caused me to wonder if maybe she knew how it felt to be so
Exploring New Waters: Spring Creek, PA Read More »
You’re not a nymph, or a minnow, or even a bug. Some say you “resemble” a worm or a grub, and others say you’re the best crane fly larva imitation they’ve ever used. But as far as I’m concerned, as you’re floating down through the current, you look exactly like what you are –
Mop Fly, I Hate You Read More »
If not for a special regulations section, most anglers would never even know East Branch Tunungwant Creek exists, let alone has a healthy wild brown trout population. The section, designated Trophy Trout Project, draws attention to a lightly-fished stream that would probably fly completely under the radar if not for that one word, “trophy.”
East Branch Tunungwant Creek Read More »
Although I’ve lived my whole life less than 45 minutes from Volant, PA, I’d never fished Neshannock Creek until last fall. I tried to once. About three years ago, I stopped at the covered bridge on the lower boundary of the catch and release area but the water was borderline flood stage and muddy.
Fishing Neshannock Creek Read More »
The traditional way to fish streamers and wet flies, and perhaps most common, is to swing them. This is probably how they were originally meant to be fished and can produce results with minimal amounts of effort. In fact, you don’t even have to know how to cast well in order to use this
Swinging Streamers and Wet Flies Read More »
