Hatches & Patterns

Every fly angler has a confidence fly in their box, one they turn to when nothing else is working, and one that usually produces during tough conditions. For me, that fly is the Frenchie.  The Frenchie is a simple variation of the Pheasant Tail that includes a hot spot in place of a wing case […]

Caddisflies are perhaps the most abundant and prolific fly hatches found on Pennsylvania trout streams. They come in a vast variety of colors and sizes, and certain species hatch virtually year-round. Unlike traditional mayflies, which have “upright” wings that give them a sailboat appearance as they float on the surface, caddisflies are “downwings.” In fact,

Megaloptera sounds more like the name of a prehistoric flying dinosaur than a modern day insect, but if you’re a fisherman, you probably encounter plenty of these insects along your favorite waters. If fact, if you grew up as I did, flipping rocks along stream banks or seining for minnows, you were always delighted to

  Stoneflies are one of the most common aquatic insects found in trout waters throughout North America. They come in a variety of colors and sizes and they’re some of the first hatches to appear each spring. In fact, their tendency to emerge in cold weather has garnered them the nickname “the snowflake hatch.” Many

  In order to understand The Fly Formerly Known As Prince, we first have to talk about its predecessor, the Prince Nymph. A creation of Don and Dick Olson, who called it the Brown Fork-Tailed Nymph, the Prince Nymph was renamed by the guy who made it famous, Doug Prince. The Prince is one of

  I pulled into the parking lot behind the Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs a couple hours before dark, just as the evening was starting to cool from the mid-August heat. I thought I was plenty early, and most times of year I would’ve been, but this was Yellow Breeches Creek, and the White Flies

  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

  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 –

  It’s been a dismally wet fall this year and streams have been running higher than usual. I frequently visit the USGS National Water Information System website (waterdata.usgs.gov) to track the flows of my favorite streams, trying to figure out which one will provide the best opportunity to catch trout. If you’ve never checked this