Tactics & Techniques

Although I’ve fished small streams for smallmouth bass my entire life, most of that was done with conventional tackle. Occasionally I picked up the fly rod and caught a few, but I didn’t really focus on them with the intent to get better at catching them. The past couple years, though, I’ve purposed to change […]

Smallmouth bass might be the way to go. Bob Clouser, well known for his fly patterns, the most famous being the “Clouser Minnow,” and I both guided on the Susquehanna River. Bob always fished the middle section of the river where the pools were deeper. I guided by using a drift boat in the mid

  Fishing with big dry flies is fun. An easy-to-see Stimulator or hopper pattern floating in the current and a long shadow rising up to engulf it. It’s the stuff of dreams. Fishing big dry flies is not always easy, though. Big dry flies twist the line, are a pain to cast, and require an

  For the first time ever, I drove down Owasse Road to the Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only (DHALO) section of Pine Creek in the PA Grand Canyon and encountered no other vehicles parked along the stream. Moreover, after tugging on my waders and stringing up my rod, I pushed through the foliage to the

Many streams across the country have been running at historically low levels the past two years, and with lower water comes certain challenges. Low, clear water can make trout more selective, spooky, and harder to approach, but not impossible to catch. Here are six tactics I use to continue catching trout in these types of

  Back in March, I met my friend Justin Leidy on a local Class A stream. I met Justin last fall when he contacted me through this website and we soon began texting regularly about all things outdoors. I could tell through conversation that he was a talented fly fisher, and although this was the

  Junction pools are formed wherever two bodies of moving water converge, such as the famous “Junction Pool” where the Beaverkill and Willowemac join in the Catskills. It is said that “Junction Pool is thought to possess strange and mystifying currents, causing migrating trout to linger for days while they try to decide which stream

  Streamers imitate baitfish, crayfish, leeches, sculpin, and other aquatic insects that fish feed on year round. And it could be argued that the fall months are the best time of all to fish streamers as species such as Brown Trout, Brook Trout, and Steelhead begin their spawning runs and aggressively feed on baitfish in

  The fishing was slow and trout were skittish. I’d caught two rainbows but missed a handful of others, mainly because the bite was so subtle that they shook off before I even realized they were on the hook. I took a break to ponder the situation and noticed a plastic package half-covered with fallen