Tactics & Techniques

  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

Most anglers can identify the prime holding water along any stretch of stream. Small streams are particularly easy to read since you can usually see whatever structure is present, and if you know how fish like to station around that structure, all you have to do is figure out where to cast in order to

  Think of fly fishing and most anglers envision casting to rising trout or drifting egg patterns to finicky Steelhead. While I enjoy those moments, too, once summer rolls around, I have a different species that I love to target: the mighty Bluegill. Like many anglers, the first fish that ever tugged my line was

  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

  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,

  Bass thrive almost everywhere in the United States. Here in Pennsylvania, we’re fortunate to have generous populations of both largemouth and smallmouth in our lakes and rivers. No matter where bass are found, though, they all have one thing in common – they all like poppers. Types of Poppers and Color Selection Poppers come

Earlier this spring, I purchased several brands of fly floatant to use in an experiment to see which ones worked best is specific situations. Keep in mind, this isn’t the same as testing how long each product keeps a fly afloat in a scientific setting. There was nothing scientific about my testing process. Rather, I

  Water levels have been so low the past year that I almost forgot how good Buffalo Creek can look with a little meat on its bones. The recent hard rain had done it good, and although it still wasn’t particularly high, it was at least at normal flows. I stripped out some line and