Recent News and Happenings

***UPDATE FOR 7/3/09***

During the 2009 Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp, which began on Sunday, June 21, and ended on Friday, June 26, an interesting bug formula unfolded in the morning and in the evening. Fishing was an integral part of the Camp curriculum and the day began at pre-dawn with the students heading down to the Yellow Breeches to fish. After a day of classroom and streamside educational classes, they would fish from 6:00 p.m. to dusk. Not a bad way to spend a week. The Allenberry Meadow Lodge was the residential housing for the students and conveniently located near the Catch and Release section of the Yellow Breeches. Fish were up the first morning of the camp and surface activity lasted until about 7:00 a.m. A search of the water’s surface did not reveal any obvious bugs. That evening I called Scott Douglas, a friend that lives near Leesburg, Virginia, and regularly fishes the Yellow Breeches the four seasons. I asked him his thoughts on the pre-dawn and dawn surface activity. He suggested that, with the recent rain throughout the previous week, the Blue Winged Olive Spinner might be on the water. I tied a dozen # 20 BWO Spinners and the next morning several of the students were casting them to the rising fish and with success. Good advice, Scott.

The next encounter was with the size 20 Black Caddis in the evening. Fish would leap out of the water to try and catch the tiny morsels that were bounding up and down about 3-4 inches above the water’s surface. Surface fishing with a size 20 dry fly black caddis pattern was fruitless and frustrating. After consultations with Clark Hall, Rivers Camp Chief Gillie, and Ken Okorn, another knowledgeable fly fisher, who was volunteering as a morning gillie, it was decided to tie a soft hackle black caddis and fish it on the swing a foot or so under the surface. This approach would mimic the emerging black caddis and hopefully prove effective. It did! The soft hackle, fly when wet, profiled the black caddis pupae nicely. Interesting that the soft hackle pattern also caught rainbow trout that tend to favor colorful fly patterns. See Fly of the Week for general tying instructions.

Pheasant tail nymphs were moderately successful during the Camp week, fished the usual high sticking approach and utilizing a strike indicator. A few days after the Camp ended I ran into Don, another friend of mine, who fishes the Yellow Breeches from March to September. He fishes almost exclusively with a special blend olive muskrat nymph. He fishes the nymph down and across and has phenomenal success. Unfortunately, I did not think to have the students in the morning cast the pheasant tails down and across to effect the lofting of the fly as the current caught the fly line and caused the fly to rise. It would have been exciting for the 14 to 17 year old Camp students to have a fish hit the pheasant tails on the swing and feel the jolt as the tippet material is stressed to breaking capacity. I plan to have a good number of Don’s olive muskrat nymphs on hand for the 2010 Rivers Camp.

Another fly pattern that caught the attention of the students was the Y2K. That fly will be the basis of a future Fly of the Week!!

***UPDATE FOR 6/15/09***

As noted in the 3/15/09 Recent News and Happenings Update, the Flymph fly was to receive a test on Pine Creek’s large German brown trout. The following is an account of the results.

Our Cumberland Valley TU group of sixteen arrived in the Slate Run area under weather conditions that warranted the wearing of rain gear while out and about. Fortunately, the rain remained light and intermittent through the remainder of the fishing trip. However, the conditions did bring out a better showing of hatches than I have seen on Pine Creek in many years. The Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only section of Pine Creek, from the confluence with Slate Run downstream 1.2 miles to near the confluence with Naval Run, is big water and often reminds me of a western stream found in Montana. The scenery surrounding the project water is impressive for both the mind and the spirit. In April, this section of water received a stocking of 250 German browns that ranged in size from 15 to 20 inches. The fish were purchased with funds donated by visiting anglers and corporate interests in the Pine Creek Valley. While inquiring about the big trout stocking process with project coordinator, Tom Finkbiner of Wolfe’s General Store and Slate Run Tackle Shop, Ken Okorn and I did not hesitate to each donate $20 to the fund. We felt that we received full value from catching and releasing several feisty German brown trout.

It was time to give the Flymph fly a workout! Early Wednesday morning, several of us were on the creek and along with the light rain, Blue Wing Olives, Gray Fox and March Browns were visible on the water surface. Fish were favoring the middle to further bank near the paralleling bike trail and wading to about mid chest level and THEN a long cast were necessary to reach the surface feeders. It was obvious that some huge fish were working the surface and an accurate cast with the Flymph fly resulted in a hookup or a miss. Patience after a miss was necessary to allow the fish time to gain confidence and resume surface feeding. Often another fish was surface feeding outside the feeding zone of the “put down” fish and casts could be made to that fish. Standing in moving water that is mid chest high is a challenge. Then add long distance casting to the equation and some talent and luck are necessary. The resulting casting is not generally artful, resembling more of a heave or fling, but what is lost in art form (style, grace and technique) is made up in efficiency and effectiveness when the Flymph fly softly rides through the feeding zone and the surface boils with the take. The resulting hook up hisses the fly line across the surface as the huge and powerful German brown torpedoes its way downstream and then, as the line backing begins to show, the fish suddenly turns and zooms toward you! At this time a larger than traditional arbor reel is worth having. In short, the German browns on Pine Creek are hard-running game fish that have similar fighting qualities as some of the fall steelhead in the Lake Erie tributaries.

I noticed that the Flymph fly takes were aggressive even when the trout appeared to be sipping at the surface. At the terminus of a long distance cast and float through the feeding zone, the take at the surface was easily seen as the undisturbed surface disrupted into highly disturbed water!

Yes, the Flymph fly was effective and Ken and I tied up several while at Pine Creek to give to other anglers in our group. When nearby anglers asked what fly we were using we would tell them the Flymph and the usual response was, “What’s that?” We would explain that the Flymph was a floating nymph type fly pattern and not difficult to tie. There was no need to tell them the fly was effective because the results were obvious!!

***UPDATE FOR 6/1/09***

The rain swept through the Cumberland Valley on a late Saturday night and had moved out by sunup Sunday. The call from the local fly shop came in at about 9:20 a.m. inquiring about stream conditions and, from my house, the Yellow Breeches looked off color and about medium high. The creek had been running above normal for past weeks but wade fishing was still comfortable. I ventured outback to check the concrete wedge, which is my fishing gage, just below what a few anglers call the Gene Pool. The water level on the wedge was about two inches from the top indicating tolerable wade fishing levels. I relayed this information onto the fly shop and as the day progressed the water turbidity improved and the level went down a few inches.

At 11:00 a.m. a fishing buddy and his grandson arrived at the house to try their luck at catching a few fish. Bob has been tutoring his grandson in the mechanics of fly fishing and the progress was noticeable. I ventured to the stream to take a few pictures of the duo hoping to get a good photo for my website. The day before, I had been on Clark Creek with my son-in-law and grandson and had taken a few photos. I thought that my grandson and Bob’s grandson fly fishing tutorage would be appreciated by viewers of my website.

While standing on the bank with my camera, about to take my photos, I noticed bug activity that was characteristic of the Tricos. Sure enough, there they were. Numerous Tricos, several feet away from me and about 8-10 feet above the water doing what I call the Trico Dance. The photo op was on hold as I headed to the garage to get my expandable handle net. Several swipes through the undulating oval produced enough Tricos for positive identification. Trico normally appear in late June to early July but a few years ago I netted Tricos that appeared in early May. INTERESTING! Unfortunately the trout seem not to recognize the early Tricos as an added food source. I did get the photos of Bob and his grandson as noted on the home page of this website update.

About noon I received a call from a friend, that is a guide, inquiring if the Sulphurs were hatching on the lower end of the Catch and Release section. Up to this point, I had not seen enough Sulphur activity to respond in the positive. He planned to take his two clients upstream into open water (outside the project waters of the Yellow Breeches) for possible Sulphur evening action. Later in the day I noticed some surface activity. Sulphurs! The random surface activity continued until about 6:30 and then increased. I donned my fishing gear after dinner and walked out back. It was obvious that a good number of Sulphurs were emerging and the fish were up, also in good numbers. Seven trout later my CIA Sulphur was disheveled and the evening light fading. I decided not to tax myself with tying on a replacement CIA because my eyes are not good in dim light and besides, my goose-neck light that affixes to my chest pack was back at the house. I made a mental note to add the light to the pack for future late in the evening/dusk/dark insect activity. For now, the Sulphur activity would provide many more evening to dusk fishing adventures and I wanted to be prepared. Want to tie up a few CIA Sulphur flies? See Fly of the Week link for general tying instructions.

***UPDATE FOR 4/18/09***

On April 8, Gayle and I returned from a trip to the Yellow Creek area. It was mid afternoon and, while unpacking the SUV, splashy rises sounded from nearby Yellow Breeches Creek. A fly fisher was outback and casting to a myriad of rising fish. I asked what the fish were taking and the fly fisher responded, “Hendricksons………..they started coming off about an hour ago”. He also added this advice “you better get out here!” Hurriedly I completed unpacking the SUV and, at 4:00 p.m., I was in full fly fishing gear entering the water. Two hours later I had caught and released 20 trout. On the 17th fish I decided to clip and save the now haggard hand tied CIA Hendrickson that I had been using. A fresh CIA Hendrickson and three trout later, Gayle rang the dinner bell and I exited the water. I surmised the success was due to the huge number of natural Hendricksons on the water and it was early in the seasonal appearance of the Hendrickson’s. The cooler spring weather had delayed the appearance of the fly by a week to ten days. I was probably correct because the word spread through the fly fishing community networking system and the fishing pressure increased. The Hendrickson continued to appear in early to mid afternoon accompanied by two sizes of Tan Caddis, Grannoms and Craneflies. All of the naturals except the Grannoms appeared in moderate to heavy numbers. The Grannoms had made their grand appearance a week earlier and were now on the decline.

As the hatch moved through its cycle, pressured fish become selective and wary as a result of multiple hookups and releases. The one fly that was used successfully in the early stages of the hatch was no longer effective. A fish or two may be caught but, on the whole, fish will continue to take the naturals while your offering is ignored. It may not be your casting accuracy or the incorrect size or shape of the fly but what the fish are zeroing in on. Hendrickson Duns may be in large numbers but the fish may only be taking duns that have movement and ignore the obvious high riding stationary duns. A slight twitch of the rod tip may prove successful. Experiment! If the twitch does not work, tie on a cripple type pattern. If the fish are zeroing in on cripples, you will know by the increase in hookups. Perhaps the fish are working emergers in the surface film and you are reading the splashy rises as surface takes. Tie on an emerger type pattern and continue to experiment. In the evening, when the spinners appear, perhaps the standard spent wing spinner type fly is not effective. Experiment again! Tie on a Fran Betters Haystack or Money Fly and note the results. The Fran Betters type fly is an excellent way to cap the evening.

In summary, when encountering roll over hatches, switch flies until the right one is chosen by the trout. As mentioned above, Hendricksons, two sizes of Tan Caddis, a few Grannoms and Craneflies were in the roll over hatch phase. I tied on the various phases of the Hendrickson hatch; emerger, cripple, dun, etc, with good results and when the takes subsided, I then tied on the size 20 and then size 16 Tan Caddis flies and caught fish on the twitch method. As that approach waned, I tied on the size 16 Cranefly to mimic the naturals and caught fish. Granted as one’s eyes and dexterity are compromised with age, switching a multitude of flies can be challenging but well worth it!

***UPDATE FOR 4/7/09***

According to those that fish the spring steelhead run in the Erie area, this year was the best in the last several years. On our March 25 to March 29 fishing trip we found very few steelhead above the Route 5 bridges, on the West and East sides of Erie. The bulk of the steelhead were concentrated from the bridges to the mouth of the popular fishing tributaries. Pairs of sexually active steelhead wound their way upstream with one or two young “jack” rivals harassing the male steelhead accompanying the female. The mature male would run the interlopers off while the female searched for a spot to deposit eggs. The harassment by the jacks played well for those fly fishers that could accurately cast a Wooly Bugger (See Fly of the Week for the previously featured Pumpkin Picker) to the agitated male steelhead. The same accurate cast to the female often resulted in a hookup as she instinctively attacked the replication of the natural leech and its threat to steelhead eggs. This approach may hint of un-sportsmen like conduct but fishing to spawning steelhead is legal. Why? Because high summer water temperatures negate natural reproduction in the Erie area tributaries.

Because of an incident that occurred on this trip, let’s look at angler etiquette and the rules of engagement while fishing steelhead in tributary streams. Seems the only steelhead fishing rule of engagement honored (well almost) is the release of foul hooked steelhead. Intentional foul hooking is illegal regardless of fish species, so if a foul hookup does occur, release the fish as soon as possible. Other rules of engagement promoting sportsmen like conduct amongst anglers appears to be limited. Fly fishers, on the most part, are congenial, and I don’t mean to stereotype anyone, but more often spin fishers seem to lose sight of simple stream etiquette. For example, a good number of spin fishers will fish up to your elbow and toss the spinner into or at the fish you are working. It appears that they believed this is acceptable behavior. On one occasion, after a large steelhead snapped my tippet and I was tying on a replacement fly, one young, perhaps thirty something, spin fisher actually side stepped past me, all the time tossing the spinner to the fish I had been working. I must admit he was polite while he did so because he turned his head over his right shoulder and looked me in the eyes and asked “how’s it going?” while he continued to fish downstream. Interestingly my son-in-law (a big guy) and his fishing buddy (another big guy) were about 35 yards downstream. When the spin fisher reached their position he did not fish in front of them but moved behind them and continued fishing downstream. I deducted my 66 years of age, white beard and slight (wishful thinking) gray hair would have provoked some respect but evidently brawn and not respect for your elders was the driving force for this particular young man. Just remember, when fishing the Erie tributaries or any other stream for that matter, keep your smiley face on and don’t allow the angling low lives to ruin your day.

Interested in fishing for spring run steelhead? If so the following is an Erie destination steelhead fishing trip plan that can be modified according to your particular needs, number of fish available and weather conditions.

After checking with two of the bait shops (one on the East side and one on the West side) of Erie, and then the extended weather forecast for the period we would be fishing, our trip was on. Chet and I arrived in the Erie area after a five and one half hour drive. We checked in at the Quality Inn, which is located near Sterrettania, at the intersection of Route 832 and Interstate 90. The refurbished inn offers a discount room rate to anglers (large room with two queen beds), and includes a breakfast ordered from the menu. Most importantly, Elk and Walnut Creeks are within convenient driving distances. The phone number for the Quality Inn is 814.838.7647. If Elk and Walnut are not fishing well, access I 90 East and 30 minutes later you can fish the tributaries east of Erie. Creeks like 12 Mile, 16 Mile and 20 mile are primo steelhead tributaries and frankly my favorites! Need lodging on the East side? Then stay at the Colonial Inn Motel (814.725.5513). Units are available with cooking facilities. However, a great eatery is the nearby Freeport restaurant, which allows anglers to park and access 16 Mile Creek from their parking lot. After fishing and in need of food, simply walk in, waders and all, and enjoy a meal.

I have a hint for those of you who have not had the pleasure of fishing for spring run steelhead in the past. Steelhead search out well-oxygenated water for spawning purposes, so look for them in rapid or riffly waters. We saw steelhead in the pools but they would not respond to egg flies, Wooly Buggers or nymphs. However, they did respond to fly offerings in the moving water. Steelhead are large fish but not always visible to the angler so just because you can’t see steelhead in the riffled waters, it does not mean they are not there. Remember steelhead are sensitive to increasing tributary water temperatures and will depart for the depths of Lake Erie so plan your spring steelhead fishing trip soon. On the trip mentioned above, the water temperature was averaging 44 degrees. I have heard reports that steelhead are inclined to leave the tributaries when the water temperatures are in the mid 50s.

Also of interest on this past trip, we encountered large numbers of recently stocked 5-6 inch juvenile steelhead called Smolt. The future steelhead population was aggressive and would attack flies intended for the spawning steelheads. We tried to release the Smolt as carefully as possible with undue harm. It was amazing to see a 5-6 inch Smolt with a three-inch Wooly Bugger in its mouth. The number of Smolt stocked in the Erie tributaries and Presque Isle Bay is determined by the rate of return, angling pressure and fishing access. Smolt imprint themselves to the specific tributary where stocked and after leaving for the lake waters, will return to their imprinted tributary in the fall. This process could go on for 6-8 years, if the life span is not preempted by anglers or nature.

See www.fishandboat.com/anglerboater/2007/04julyaug/44fairview.pdf for additional information on the spawning, raising and stocking of steelhead fish.

***UPDATE FOR 3/15/09***

The May 2008 Chapter trip to Pine Creek near Slate Run produced some nice German brown trout caught on the surface during the March Brown and Gray Fox activities. Several of the Chapter members were pumped up with the results of fishing the one mile newly designated Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only section. Early the last morning of the trip an elderly father and his son arrived from the Williamsport area, and eventually walked to the section of water where Ken Okorn and I had been fishing. From the bank we watched as they positioned themselves in the stream and began to fish. Almost immediately the son began to catch fish. Several of the fish were the large German browns and the fish caught were taking a fly presented on the surface. We could see no March Brown naturals apparent on the surface but the son continued to hammer the trout. Ken and I both realized that a potential fly fishing educational opportunity was unfolding in front of us. The father soon left the water and as he was returning to the parked vehicle we asked him what they were using. The reply was a March Brown Flymph and he showed Ken and me the one tied to his tippet material. We examined the fly and asked several questions on material and tying method. Unfortunately, the Flymph the father was using was not the same March Brown Flymph his son was having success with. The older gentleman, not wanting to disrupt his son's fishing, decided to return to the vehicle in hope of finding more of the flies his son was using, but had no luck. We left with a description of his son's fly and the additional information that the son has good success with the March Brown Flymph during early to mid morning hours. We decided that for the Chapter 2009 trip to Pine Creek we would work up our separate version of the March Brown Flymph. See Fly of the Week for my Flymph version.

***UPDATE FOR 3/2/09***

Soon the ice lock on the Erie area tributaries will diminish and steelhead fishing will be on again! March is a good month for steelhead fishing but many anglers turn their attention to the well stocked catch and release project waters open to trout fishing year-round instead. During the month, when most trout stocked waters are closed to fishing, the open project waters receive a good deal of fishing attention.

However, not wanting to strictly concentrate on “mountain minnows” as a good friend of mine from the steelhead section of Pennsylvania labels trout, I contacted him because he is a reliable source of information regarding the steelhead fishing status on Elk Creek and other tributaries that flow into Lake Erie near Erie. He informed me that the run is on, but he has not heard anything about numbers. He noted that fresh fish are in the streams now. He went out yesterday (Monday, February 23) on Elk Creek and had a good day. The temperature was 21 degrees and he had to break some ice but he was the only one on the creek. Tuesday, the 24th he was on Twenty Mile Creek and saw fish moving upstream. He is sure that steelhead are above the Dohler private stretch (immediately above Route 5 bridge) because water flow over the falls was good. He also noted that Sixteen Mile Creek has new fish near the Route 5 bridge. I asked him about fishing pressure in March and he replied that the number of people fishing is directly proportional to the number of fish in the creek or how much of a spring run the area receives. He stated further that Ohio generally has a larger spring run because of the strain of steelhead they stock.

Bottom line, we are on the cusp of some potentially good spring steelhead fishing. However, this isn't "pick and choose fishing". In other words, you will have to brave some weather, search for open water and think positive. The steelhead are there for those anglers who are dedicated to catching them.

***UPDATE FOR 2/8/09***

Super Bowl Sunday was not only a crescendo for Pittsburgh Steeler fans, but fly fishers as well. The weather, earlier in the day, was a welcomed break in the subfreezing temperatures that had a grip on the area around the Yellow breeches. Cabin fever be damned! We wanted football action but first many fly fishers searched out the opportunity to catch a few fish prior to the later scheduled kick off. At 1:00 p.m. the area from the Allenberry Dam down to the end of the catch and release area held twelve anglers. I ventured outback to talk to the anglers that made their way down to the end of the catch and release, which ends mid way on my property. Interesting that a third of the fly fishers were from out of state. The Yellow Breeches is an important economic boost to the area. When I read about the housing development that is planned for the mountain nearby and realize the potential impact on the springs that nourish the Yellow Breeches, I shudder to think what will become of this magnificent fishery. Pay attention, township supervisors, and don't allow the potential to develop destroy the present value of the natural environment

The water that is flowing through the catch and release area is running about 10 degrees warmer than in past years. The draw down of Children's Lake is ushering a larger volume of warmer water into the catch and release area of the Yellow Breeches below the Run. The water reaching the Yellow Breeches from the limestone springs outflow in Boiling Springs (several spring openings are evident near the fly shop) is not being compromised by the seasonal warming or cooling effect of Children's Lake.

The midge hatch and the occasional little olive mayfly hatch should be joined shortly by the appearance of the early black stonefly. Ken, a fishing buddy, recently gave me several gold bead head black hare's ear nymphs and suggested I try the nymphs when the black stoneflies make an appearance in early February. I plan to give them a try in a few days and will update my readers accordingly. The gold bead head black hare's ear nymph could be a future fly of the week.

***UPDATE FOR 1/28/09***

The book Trout by Ray Bergman is known as the Trout Fisherman's Bible and it is in its third printing. The first edition was published in 1938 with a second edition in 1952 and the most recent third edition printed in 1976. The third edition has an upgraded "remade" of the 16 color plates of Dr. Edgar Burice's paintings. Over 600 dry, wet, nymph and streamer flies are on display in those plates. That was a large number of flies then, but by today's standard, that number pales in comparison to the thousands of fly variations available to the fly fisher and fly tier. I recently received a 142 page catalog and travel digest that contains what is described as the "finest selection of flies ever assembled in any catalog". Interesting to compare the plates to the pages and note the modifications and "new" flies that have been made available over the last 70 plus years to the fishing enthusiasts.

An interesting discussion in the book is fishing pressure on select streams. Specifically, Mr. Bergman laments, in the 1952 edition, the heavy fishing pressure on the West Branch of the Ausable River. He notes the fishing pressure as twenty times greater than in 1932. According to Mr. Bergman the estimate is conservative and reflects that in 1932, seeing one or two anglers on the West Branch of the Ausable River was considered numerous. It is implied that having the river to oneself or members of ones fishing party was the norm. Two things come to mind when I read that piece. The first is when I am fishing the sections of the West Branch of the Ausable River that are accessible from the numerous pull offs along River Road and then along Route 86, a major highway that parallels the river, I feel the river is crowded. The second is when I fish sections of the river in the "No Kill Area" that are away from the highway, it could be 1932 because I usually don't see other anglers unless it is someone I brought into the area. The flora is so dense in those areas that the vehicular traffic sounds do not penetrate to the river's edge. Even the sound of the occasional tractor-trailer on the roadway does not penetrate the dense flora and if it did, the riffled water is there to mitigate the intruding sound.

Interesting that on the East side of Erie, a few of the tributaries can give one that 1932 feeling that Mr. Bergman writes about in his book. True the runs and pools can be crowded near the parking lots and pull off areas, but a relaxing walk along the tributary will find a pool or run without the crowds and resulting fishing pressures. Certain weather conditions like high or iced over waters will congregate anglers in pools known for being fishable under adverse conditions. But near normal water levels tend to disperse the angling populace over greater areas of the tributary. It may require a few trips to learn the areas that usually don't harbor an abundance of anglers but it is worth passing a few holes containing both a large number of steelhead and anglers and to investigate what the tributary has to offer in solitude and catchable numbers of steelhead. Who knows, you just might find a spot that is reminiscent of 1932!

***UPDATE FOR 1/9/09***

If you are a Pennsylvania resident, or live outside the Commonwealth, but fish here, you are probably aware that Pennsylvania has two separate opening days for trout fishing. The reasoning is based on water conditions, i.e., water in the southeast and south central regions of the Commonwealth tend to warm up earlier than do the waters in the remainder of the Commonwealth. Hence, the opening day was bumped up approximately two weeks earlier in those southeast and south central regions. The applicable Pennsylvania fishing summary booklet that contains fishing regulations and laws should be consulted for regional opening day trout season information.

However, those of us fortunate to live in the Cumberland Valley and having the opportunity to fish the dependable and adaptable Yellow Breeches Creek, have known for years that there is a third trout opener. It is not officially connected to the regular opening days for trout statewide. It is, however, the highly anticipated, highly participated first weekend in January. Weather permitting, the Yellow Breeches Anglers and Conservation Association, Inc. www.ybac.homestead.com performs its annual winter stocking of trout along an approximately 13-mile stretch of the Yellow Breeches. The neat thing is fish are placed in the Yellow Breeches via float stocking, except for Children’s Lake. Traditionally, Children’s Lake, the Run, and the Yellow Breeches Catch and Release areas are stocked the day prior to float stocking other reaches of the creek. There just aren’t enough day light hours to complete the job in one day. This is the ultimate win-win situation for anglers and the best way to take the edge off of winter’s predictable cabin fever. Somehow, seeing the flashing amber light atop the green truck with the yellow aeration tanks and large YBAC stenciling moving through the Boiling Springs area, summons up the urge to go fishing and provides fresh insight that winter should not mean the disappearance of the angling spirit. The YBAC is a significant driving force displaying a spirit of determination to maximize fishing opportunities for all anglers residing in and outside the Cumberland Valley. It’s members volunteer for extra work and demanding assignments that go beyond what is expected to operate a Nursery that annually raises and stocks over 36,000 trout. A 2009 membership, at a cost of $12 adult and $3 Junior (under 16), maximizes the four season fishing opportunity for all anglers!!

***UPDATE FOR 12/22/08***

Veteran anglers know that steelhead fishing in the Erie area is weather dependent. My last trip was a good example. Chet and I had been following the weather pattern and noticed that a rain event coupled with rising temperatures would pass through the Erie area melting the impressive snow pack that had accumulated on the nearby ridges. We arrived in the quaint town of Northeast, about 16 miles east of Erie, at 1:00 p.m. and found 20 Mile Creek, 16 Mile Creek, 12 Mile Creek and the lesser mile creeks at flood stage. The rain was forecast to move out of the area at 3:00 p.m. and according to Kirk Rudzinski, of the East End Bait and Tackle Shop, Chet and I could be in for some PRIMO steelhead fishing the following morning. Kirk was right!! Sixteen hours later, Chet and I were on one of the creeks and, amazingly, the water level was down to safe wading level and the water clarity was limestone quality.

This was Chet’s first steelhead fishing trip and one that he will probably never forget. The expected high temperature that day was to be 28 degrees F. Fortunately, the wind was not a factor. At this point I want to vault ahead of the day’s fishing to give you a more descriptive example of the cold. Upon leaving the water at dusk and returning to the pickup truck, our wading shoes and laces had frozen requiring us to position our feet under the truck’s heater vent for fifteen minutes to thaw them to the point where the wading shoes were removable. Who cares when one has the day we experienced on the creeks! Now back to the fishing.

A fresh run of Lake Erie steelhead had taken place while the creeks in the Northeast, PA area were under flood conditions. Most pools and creases in the siltstone creek bottom held steelhead. Fishing pressure was moderate as a result of the harsh weather conditions allowing the sampling of many of the better lays in the pools and riffles. Water clarity steadily improved and sight fishing to the number of steelhead resting in the pools and then gradually swimming upstream was possible. Steelhead responded to the Pumpkin Picker (see Fly of the Week) and veiled and non-veiled egg flies. Egg flies in chartreuse, blue and dark roe colors were winners. The norm for steelhead flies like the glo-eggs, nuclear eggs, veiled Z-eggs or what ever you want to call them is usually a size 12, 10 and even a size 8. However, I tie what I call egg flies on small, but stout hooks, in the size 20, 18 and 16 ranges. The smaller size patterns match the size of the natural eggs better and the hook up holding dynamics are comparable to the large size hooks. An additional advantage goes to the smaller egg fly in low clear water when the steelhead are wary and ultra selective. Downsizing the tippet from a 2X or 3X to a 4X or 5X coupled with the smaller egg fly can make the difference in the number of hookups The cold water and air temperatures combined with the endurance power of steelhead allows the angler to coax a large steelhead to the net without physical harm to the fish.

I mentioned earlier that Chet would probably never forget his first Erie area steelhead fishing experience. He caught and released over 20 steelhead that day which in itself is memorable but the freezing of the wading shoes and laces on the walk back to the truck will be forever etched in my mind.

***UPDATE FOR 12/1/08***

During approximately the eight-week period between October 5 and November 25, I made a total of four trips to the Erie, PA area to fish for steelhead. My guess is I covered approximately 1600 miles during those four trips. The span of air temperatures and weather conditions were hot to darn cold and light rain to huge accumulations of lake effect snow coupled with and without snow lightening. Remember in a past update I covered the rare meteorological phenomena of cold air passing over a large body of warmer water (in this case Lake Erie, near Erie, PA) causing a thunder snowstorm with snow falling as precipitation instead of warmer weather rain. Gayle and I have witnessed numerous years of lightening, thunder and snow during low temperatures in late October and early November and now it was time to pass the weather phenomena onto other family members.

On the last trip, November 21, my son-in-law, Glenn and I arrived at our small camp just over the NY border near Findley Lake. We were greeted with an accumulation of 30 inches of snow making driving into the camp lane impossible. We set about the daunting task of shoveling a parking space off the berm of the hardtop road that would be large enough to accommodate the 4x4 truck when we heard the sound of a farm type motorized equipment. We turned in that direction and saw a well-equipped tractor with front end loader and huge snow blower attached to the rear. I asked the operator, Jeff, if he was contracting out for snow removal and with a twinkle in his eye and a huge you know what grin he said, “you bet”! The agreed upon price was $20 to open about 70 yards of woods lane to allow vehicular access to the camp. I thought it very good fortune to have someone drive by at precisely our time of need. It was almost spiritual since less time shoveling snow for Glenn and I meant more time on the Lake Erie tributaries for steelhead fishing! The imminent weather forecast was for additional lake effect snow but not to exceed 12 inches. No problem! We could handle the expected additional snow by running the 4x4 up and down the lane and thus packing the snow. Jeff left with the agreed upon amount plus a $10 tip and with the understanding that we would call him for additional snow removal if the lake effect burst of snow was greater than forecast. We shoveled the necessary lanes to the outhouse and to the pavilion and soon had the camp habitable for the next five days of fishing.

Steelhead anglers are of a questionable nature. Glenn and I are no exceptions. Most of the anglers travel hundreds of miles to the Erie area to fish as witnessed by the number of New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia plates on vehicles parked near the accesses to my favorite steelhead fishing holes. My TU Chapter has just under 500 members and I would wager that a third of the chapter members fish steelhead in the Erie area. The weather in the Erie area from October to March can be difficult with an average yearly snowfall of 90 inches. There are 101 cities in the nation that have abundant snow fall and Erie is ranked 13th. The city at the top of the list is Buffalo, and it is about 80 miles from Erie. I can remember Erie receiving the Golden Shovel award for the most snow received in one winter of all the major cities on the Great Lakes. Plus Gayle and I lived in the Erie area for 10 years and have experienced the varying weather conditions first hand.

We travel distances, brave deplorable weather conditions and experience the battle of a super strong fish that can scale waterfall obstacles so high that I can’t see over the top. Six, seven and eight weight rods become pretzel-like in frailness when a ten plus pound steelhead nails you’re brightly colored fly offering and explodes the riffle or pool you are fishing. I am planning several more trips over the next month to the Erie area to fish for steelhead because the snow Gods can’t throw enough snow along the Lake Erie tributary banks to keep me and other steely, pardon the pun, anglers away!!

***UPDATE FOR 10/15/08***

The first report of steelhead in Elk Creek surfaced about October 2nd and the fervor for the big rainbow trout of Lake Erie began! These fish, maturing in large freshwater lakes like Lake Erie, are known as “steelheads” and can be very silvery or chrome like in appearance and many can reach 30 inches in length. Several of us were on Elk Creek soon after the reported first run and caught steelhead that were taped at 27 to 29 inches and weighed 8.5 to 10 pounds. An assortment of flies, like the pumpkin picker, veiled blue egg, sucker spawn and small nymphs were successfully used.

Prior to our October 5 arrival on Elk Creek near Girard, sufficient rain had fallen to swell the creek to “blown out” status and the steelhead that had gathered at the mouth of Elk Creek made a dash upstream in an effort to fulfill their migratory instincts. The same blown out conditions that allowed the steelhead to migrate upstream to spawn will later hamper the “after the run spawn”. Elk Creek like most other Lake Erie tributaries do not kinder to natural reproduction. Why? The tributaries are akin to large roof gutters and major rain events readily wash fish eggs from the tributary. Soon after the blow out, that helped steelhead scamper up Elk Creek, the creek level dropped substantially. The majority of “first run” steelheads were found in the larger pools not far above the mouth of Elk Creek. The low clear water level combined with moderate fishing pressure resulted in spooky fish. Good fishing was especially available below and above the Legion Pool. Additional rain events, coupled with continually reduced water temperatures, will spark additional steelhead runs up Elk Creek. Steelhead that spread out from the mouth of Elk Creek through the Lake City, Girard, Sterrettania and McKean areas will enhance the Elk Creek fishing for several months.

The low clear water required a modified approach to hook up with the steelhead in a pod. Distance fishing was required with minimal wading. At times one stood on the creek’s edge while casting in order to offset spooking the pod of steelhead. Those anglers that waded into the holding water, fished to a nervous, alert and often non-cooperative pod of fish. Casting into the pod of fish resulted in scattering the critters. A good technique was to cast the fly line with about 18 feet of tapered leader and tippet material upstream of the fish with the fly about 8-9 feet on one side of the pod and the other 8-9 feet on the side of the pod facing the caster. This approach did not spook the fish and as the fly drifted downstream the resulting arc would, as planned, allow the fly to pass through the pod. The leader and tippet material would be nudged by the finning action of the trout in the pod, signaling a possible take, and if one lifted the rod tip in response, a foul hook-up could occur. Sight fishing or a strike indicator reduced the possibility of foul hookups. Sight fishing is self-explanatory, see the fish take the fly and set the hook. When sight fishing was not possible I attached a strike indicator several feet above the fly. As the fly moved through the pod, I was alert for double taps. Steelhead mouthing the fly would often result in the double tap movement of the strike indicator coupled with a slight upstream movement and repeat double taps. This is the time to lift the rod tip and set the hook. Steelhead brushing against the leader will result in the subtle movement of the strike indicator but not the fly in the mouth double tap mentioned above. Do not lift the rod tip for there is an excellent chance of foul hooking the fish.

For a fantastic fishing experience, plan a steelhead fishing trip to the Erie area. If you want good information check the PFBC Web site mapping feature at www.fishandboat.com/steelhead.

***UPDATE FOR 9/24/08***

On Saturday, September 7, the remnants Tropical Storm Hanna poured about 2.5 inches of rain in the Harrisburg area. Fortunately, we received much less rain in the Cumberland Valley than had been predicted. The morning started with the threat of Hanna arriving about mid afternoon and leaving 2-4 inches of rain in the area. Surprisingly, the Tricos were on about 7:45 in good numbers and the fish were on them. Perhaps they realized what was in store with Hanna approaching and went on a feeding binge. Feed they did but it was the Trico male spinner pattern that produced. Even on a feeding binge, the trout were selective of the fly patterns offered to them. During July and August mornings the hackled Trico was the pattern most often consumed. The only change of pattern design was an off white hackle or a dirty dun hackle color. The common male or female spinner patterns went unscathed but not this morning. About 9:30 a.m., Hanna arrived a little ahead of schedule and the Trico fishing was over. The rain increased in intensity during the morning, becoming a steady downpour in the afternoon. The brown lawns would spring to life and turn green in a few days, no doubt. Surprisingly, in spite of the past several weeks of parched conditions, the Yellow Breeches discolored early. It was hoped that the pre-Hanna drought like conditions would soak up a goodly amount of rain. By 7:00 p.m. the rains were well over and Gayle and I meandered down to the stream and surprisingly the White Fly was active and in good numbers. This was day 19 of the White Fly hatch!

How long would the White Fly maintain a pre-dusk appearance? My past notes indicated the White Fly on the Yellow Breeches should fade about three weeks after the first emergence sighting. So I had several days left to tempt the fish with a modified version of the White Fly that was posted as a recent Fly of the Week. Why the need for a modification? While fishing the White Fly hatch a few nights ago, a fly fisher commented on the success he had with One Fly White Fly but stated the fly was difficult to see in the dark. I explained about reacting to a swirl or splash in the vicinity of the floating fly but he still wanted more available fly sight. I told him I would modify the One Fly White Fly but it would require tying on the newer version at dark, which he was comfortable doing. The fly sight was paramount to him. I made a slight modification to the One Fly White Fly and was pleased with the results. The number of fish caught was impressive but for me the One Fly White Fly remains my primary fly pattern for the White Fly hatch because it eliminates the need to change flies during low light or dark conditions. See Fly of the Week for the modified One Fly White Fly version.

One comment regarding why I think there has been a fewer number of fly fishers on the Yellow Breeches the past few years. As I travel across the Commonwealth guiding on several prime streams, I tend to stop in the local fly shops for conversation and spend a few bucks. One topic common in those fly shops is the crowding of anglers on the Yellow breeches. Seems everybody has experienced a crowded condition or heard numerous stories about crowded conditions. This has resulted in anglers shying away from future fishing on the stream or not wanting to fish the Yellow Breeches for the first time. Tom Baltz, a well known guide and outstanding fly tier, who lives in the Cumberland Valley, and I had a conversation regarding the lack of anglers on the Yellow Breeches and I recounted my experience of hearing the crowded stream misconception to him. We both agree that the Yellow Breeches has been under fished the last several years. Fly fishers are a mobile lot and do travel distances to fish dream streams. The Yellow Breeches should be one of those dream stream destinations because the fish are here, the hatches are here, the area accommodations are here and the fishing history is here. Unfortunately, experienced fly fishers as well as those new to the stream are missing an ideal fishing opportunity.

***UPDATE FOR 9/4/08***

In the April 2007 issue of the Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide I had an article on Roll-Over Hatches. I detailed the excellent fishing that can be had when the keen and alert flyfisher recognizes that a roll-over hatch has taken place and adjusts with the right fly pattern to match the stage of activity the natural is demonstrating. The premier roll-over hatch on the Yellow Breeches in mid August to early September is the Hexagenia and White Fly. Flyfishers equate the arrival of these big league hatches with as much anticipation as they did for the opening day of trout season, or other favorite sporting events.

Specifically, the Hexagenia appear about the first week in August, a week to ten days prior to the White Fly, and extends about a week to ten days beyond the White Fly. The appearance of the White Fly is normally mid August and extends into the first week in September. Most anglers plan their trips to fish during the roll-over hatches of the Hexagenia and White Fly. For example, On August 12 just prior to closing, I entered one of our local fly shops and was asked the status of the fishing on the Catch and Release section of the Yellow Breeches. I gave a summary of the previous day’s fishing………….early morning (good numbers of Tricos), mid afternoon (Micro Caddis and Terrestials), and evening (Hexagenia) fishing. Unfortunately NO White Fly Activity! The reply was that the shop had about 25 calls that day alone regarding the status of the White Fly hatch. See Fly of the Week for a unique White Fly pattern that eliminates the need to change flies during the emergence, dun and spinner phases.

***UPDATE FOR 8/12/08***

Last Saturday morning I decided to forego Trico fishing below the Allenberry Dam on the Yellow Breeches and venture upstream to survey the Trico activity and see how many anglers were on the upper reaches of the Catch and Release stretch. Surprisingly, the number of anglers was low and so were the number of Tricos sighted. Six anglers were spread along that section and when asked if Trico activity was evident, the reply was generally very few sighted. My next question was generally if the fish were cooperating and again the general response was not very well. I thought to myself, enough of a survey, it is time to fish.

The water level was typically low for early August and clear. I waded in immediately below where the Run enters into the Yellow Breeches to fish the fast, rippled cooler water. I tied on a size 24 micro tan caddis, that I call the “Comet Caddis”, after a friend’s West Highland Terrier named Comet. That pooch is feisty and quite the sweet little thing. She travels about in a backpack type pet carrier and accompanies his owner, David, on his fishing trips. The carrier serves as a kennel while Dave is fishing. The little caddis, being tossed about as it bops up and over the riffles, appears energized as does the Terrier, Comet, when frolicking across my lawn. I tend to personalize the flies that I tie by modifying the color, style or material used and then name them accordingly. For example the flashy Purple Pearl sounds more interesting than a mere midge emerger!

The Comet Caddis is exceptionally effective in rippled water. This type of water in sections of Spring Creek in the State College area and the Little Juniata near Barree are other streams that are apply suited for the Comet Caddis. Interesting that this fly will take fish in thin rippled water. It is surprising how many fish hold in this type of water in the summer. Most anglers wade through the thin water to reach and fish deeper water. I’ll look at thin water and the bottom appears fishless even with the aid of polarized glasses. The fish are there!! Several of us have been float stocking the C&R stretch and I believe it has paid off with good trout distribution. Also, the majority of trout stocked in the C&R stretch has been browns that tend to hold where they are placed. Many thanks to the Yellow Breeches Anglers and Conservation Association (YBAC) for their cooperation in providing brown trout for the seven annual trout stockings in the C&R stretch.

The following is a brief overview of the approach and technique for fishing thin rippled water. Wade out 15 to 20 feet from shore and face downstream. Be prepared to remain in that spot for several minutes while trout acclimate to your presence. I tend to fish downstream and have improved my ability to take fish with a long slack line presentation. I don’t cast to a downstream feeding fish that is 40 or more feet away because the extra line necessary to reach the fish in thin water usually lands hard on the surface putting the fish down. Thus a short cast well short of the trout but in line with the trout is paramount. Allow the fly line and leader/tippet to follow the natural flow of the stream to the feeding trout and you will be successful. The following are comments from anglers that have observed my fishing technique or benefited from a one on one streamside conversation.

Angler: “Was that you who was fishing in the long pool in front of Castle's on Friday afternoon? The gentleman had a beard and was casting left handed so those are certainly signatures of you, but he appeared to me to be not nearly as big as you and not wearing the hat you usually wear. But he was using a technique that interested me in that he was stripping line but at the same time was kind of mending it and throwing loose coils on the surface and casting straight down stream or straight down and across. So that made me wonder what in heavens kind of insect would behave like this or was he streamer fishing in which case I'd never seen a stripping action like that.”

“I have been thinking about all this and it is now making sense to me. I remember stripping out line and "throwing" it in loose coils to extend a float under an obstruction or into an eddy or to get a longer float. The lighter tackle would be an obvious enhancement for this.”

Another Angler: “You gave me a #24 Micro Caddis and instructions how to fish it a few weeks ago. I finally got a chance to go fishing on 7/30 and tied up some Trico spinners and Micro Caddis the night before. I headed to the section upstream of the bend at your yard and put eight to hand Wednesday morning, half on the Trico Spinners and half on the Micro Caddis. I didn’t get much life out of each Micro Caddis so I tied up more with twice the CDC and also purchased some of the dry float powder that you recommended. I went out on 7/31 and again caught four on the spinners and four on the Micro Caddis.

“I cast the Micro Caddis to rising fish, but I also had a lot of action using it as a searching pattern. It is very easy to see for a #24 and the fish seem to hit it pretty aggressively. I had several fish follow it for a foot or two and I expected them to do the typical rejection, but to my surprise, quickly turned and hit the fly (it is convincing even after close inspection). Thanks for the fly (that I used as a pattern to tie more) and the streamside instruction.”

I gave the angler the following testimony and instructions on tying a secure Comet Caddis.

The Comet Caddis is most productive after the Trico hatch is over in the morning. I stood in the middle of the pool just upstream from the Allenberry Meadow Pavilion and at noon, caught and released nine trout. Other anglers in the area had the best spots but the Comet Caddis brought fish out of nowhere it seemed.

The CDC is suspect to loss unless extra attention is given to the thread winds around the feather. After winding the tying thread around the CDC tightly, I then pass the thread two times under and in front of the CDC just behind the hook eye. This tends to anchor the CDC in place. Also the CDC is suspect to slippage when removing the hook from the fish's mouth with forceps, so care is necessary.

As a side bar, I had an article in the August issue of the Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide on Tricos and the following email is another example of why I enjoy maintaining an active website on fly fishing.

“I read your Trico article last week, with considerable interest. Now that I know a bit more about aquatic insects, I’m searching the stream surface more carefully. I was always too anxious to start casting, once I saw trout feeding on Tricos, to distinguish their sex. To compensate, I sometimes tied on one of each. I have also found that a modified pattern, something different and unusual often got trout interest, like an Antron looped wing.

Your comment about no tail for the females was very interesting. Speaking of tails, I noted last year during White Fly hatches how unusually long some tails were. Maybe they were males? As you know, female WF's do not molt to “spinners". They are RTG (ready to go) upon hatching. I read somewhere that "spinner's" tails are usually longer than "dun's". I tied such a pattern

with long tails about 3 years ago and it has worked for me ever since. Another "trick" I often used was to tie on a larger dry fly as indicator. I follow this same protocol when "midge" fishing Winter/early spring. This gives me more confidence when fishing "small".”

I find on stream conversations and emails resulting from my website updates and magazine articles regarding trout behavior fly patterns and tactics can generate a wealth of information for me and my readers.

Go fishing, catch life!!

***UPDATE FOR 7/17/08***

It was a Wednesday evening and I was on my way to a Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter Board of Directors meeting that was being held at the Allenberry Resort Inn. I normally wade across the Yellow Breeches and walk to the monthly scheduled meetings because it is quicker and most importantly environmentally sound. The circuitous driving route not only is longer time wise but requires the burning of fossil fuel which has a negative impact on our environment. I beckoned to a fly fisher as I was about to cross the stream and told him why I was doing so. He smiled and said have a good meeting. As I was crossing the Yellow Breeches, the fly fisher figured, that since I live on the stream, I should know something about fish activity. So he asked me what I recommend that he fish with at this time of the evening. I gave him my opinion based on fifteen years of fishing the Yellow Breeches the four seasons. The Board meeting was to start in fifteen minutes so I gave the fly fisher a brief run down of what flies he should use and where he should position himself while presenting the fly offering.

Leaving the stream I made a mental note to give the readers of this website an overview of the surface fly patterns I use in July and actually all through the summer months. Remember, autumn begins on September 22. The major additions would be the White Fly in mid August to about Labor Day, the Hexagenia from mid August to about mid September and the Slate Drake in early September. The surface fly patterns I repeatedly use now and through the summer are as follows:

First light starts the day with the Trico Mayfly. Fish are normally up and active until about 9:00 a.m., or if cloud cover is present, the Trico activity lasts about an hour or two longer. The fly sizes are normally in the #24 and # 26 range. Three flies to keep replenished in your fly box are the female and male spinners and the dun. However, I have found a # 22 Griffith Gnat to be productive during the first two weeks of the initial appearance of the Tricos. Fish will be up taking Tricos as long as Tricos are on the water. Pretty basic but it is up to you to determine which of the Trico phases is on the surface. The hackled dun might be catching fish and suddenly it is no longer effective even though the trout are steadily working the surface. CHANGE FLIES!! Try the female or male Trico spinners. Later it may be necessary to return to the hackled dun when the fish stop taking the male or female spinner Trico.

Mid morning the size 24 Tan Caddis are active. The little guys pop to the surface and bounce up and down about an inch or less along the surface. It is the bouncing of the critter during the wing drying phase that attracts trout and the end result is a usually a splashy take. Also be on the alert for the natural that generates little respect in the fly fishing community and that bug is the Crane Fly. The size may vary from a 20 to a 12 and it may appear to be disoriented as it bobbles along a short distance above the water's surface. However, this natural deserves respect and can provide many hookups. About noon to dinner the two major forms of terrestrials (ants and beetles) are employed. In September I add the cricket as one more major terrestrial player. Fishing open water is not nearly as productive as covering lies under overhanging bushes and branches.

Shortly after dinner trout are up sipping midges and a size 24 black beetle makes an appearance. This beetle is not shy about landing on your forehead and other exposed skin areas and soon becomes a nuisance. CHANGE FLIES!! The little black beetle will carry the evening into dusk when the size 14 Light Cahills appear. From about 8:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. the fishing becomes intense. Fish are up. They initially take the Light Cahill duns with splashy takes and, after dusk, the sound of fish sipping Light Cahill spinners takes over. Now, I suggest that you go back and reread what I wrote earlier about the major additions to this list of surface fly patterns.

This time of year offers an amazing array of flies that are very productive in catching fish. To be successful a fisher must be willing to watch the water, have a variety of flies available and be willing to CHANGE FLIES!

***UPDATE FOR 6/30/08***

The 2008 Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp habitat project is located on the Allenberry side of the Yellow Breeches immediately below the dam. This project supports stream bank erosion control and fish structure. Hardwood logs, 15 feet long and approximately 8-10 inches in diameter, were placed two abreast along the face of the stream project and provided a canopy for fish to seek shelter/protection from the elements (flooding) and predation (Herons). The first evening the logs were in place, a fly fisher was fishing the dam area and, while passing a nymph along the face of the logs, caught a trout. Several of the Camp students were fishing in the same area when the fly fisher caught the trout and a feeling of pride was evident when the students related the story. The 2007 Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp habitat project is on the opposite bank (South side) of the dam. So when crossing or fishing in the Allenberry Dam area, take time to notice and appreciate the fine work these Camp students have accomplished for both the you and the stream.

A few days ago, Gayle and I were on our way to our camp, which is located near Black Moshannon State Park, and stopped for a quick lunch at the Subway off of Interstate 80 near Milesburg, Pa. The Bald Eagle Creek is not far from this location and, after parking the car, we could hear the shrill sounds of Cicada echoing from what seemed close to the Bald Eagle Creek. Several dead Cicada were on the concrete parking lot surface. While waiting in line to order our subs, my thoughts meandered back to the time, many many years ago when a fishing buddy and I fished the Bald Eagle not too far from where Gayle and I were standing. Back then we were spin fishing and while on the Bald Eagle Creek observed trout and carp feasting on Cicadas that inadvertently had fallen into the water. We gathered a few live Cicadas and impaled them on our bare hooks. The Cicadas were large enough for us to easily toss the bugs out to the feeding fish. We caught large trout and huge carp and thought, "it does not get any better than this", but then the fly rod replaced the spinning rod and Cicada fishing took on a whole different meaning of the word ACTION!!

Since we were providing grandparent support for one of our grandsons who was involved in a shooting competition at Scotia Range just outside of State College, I called a fishing buddy and left a message about the Cicada presence near the Bald Eagle Creek. I knew Clark was planning to fish Spring Creek but I felt the Cicada update might come in handy because Spring Creek flows into the Bald Eagle Creek at Milesburg. However, Clark found Cicadas in good numbers on Spring Creek and later gave me the following report. He fished from the Route 550 bridge up to the lower bridge at Fisherman's Paradise. In the two and a half days that he fished, he covered almost all of the water between those points and all of it was productive. The Cicada fly was tied with black and orange deer hair clipped to shape with pale orange rubber legs. Wings were grizzly spade hackle feathers dyed orange, but, according to Clark, those were torn off on the first few fish. It did not seem to matter if the fly was wingless. He had tied some of them for Brood X a few years ago and never got to use them. This year he did!! He only fished Spring Creek because it was too good to leave! He caught 33 on Tuesday, 31 on Wednesday, and 25 Thursday until 2PM. Many of the fish were in the 14" to 16" size range. Very few of the fish were under 12". He rose and missed about as many as he caught. When this brood of Cicada next appears, Clark and I will be in our 80's, but most importantly, can we improve on our Cicada patterns for better sight detection!!

On June 3rd at about 9:30 a.m., I saw my first Trico spinner ball above the water surface of the Yellow Breeches. Unfortunately, I did not see any trout feeding off the surface. This morning at 8:05 a.m. ( 27 days later), I saw fish working the surface Trico fashion. Enough Tricos were in the air to warrant a closer inspection so with my 2 weight rod and a # 24 female Trico spinner at the end of 7X tippet material I began casting to the nearest rising fish. Several casts later I caught the fish. Casting to the other rising fish resulted in the fish coming up and then turning away from the fly. A change of fly pattern was necessary and the Trico fly attached to the 7X tippet this time was a # 26 male with traditional tied (white) hackle. What a difference the hackled Trico made..........I caught and released 10 trout in an hour. Rain moved in and the surface feeding activity subsided. The rain lasted about forty minutes and the Trico activity was done for the day. I tied on a # 16 Green Weenie and a # 24 Zebra Midge wet fly for the dropper and caught and released an additional 8 trout, again in about an hour's time. Another batch of rain showers passed through the area and the subsurface feeding ceased. Judging from the number of fish up and the number of Tricos in the air and on the water we could be embarking on the traditional summer morning Trico activity from now through the first major frost in October!!

***UPDATE FOR 6/11/08***

I have been guiding Zalesky family members for the past five years. The Zalesky's have scheduled guided trips to fish some major trout streams in the Commonwealth. This year Jim Zalesky, from the Chicago area, joined his nephew, Chris, and his brother, Bud, who is Chris's father, to fish the area surrounding Pine Creek known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. It was nearly the third week in May and the weather was cold for that time of the year.

The drive up the Pine Creek Valley on Route 44 and then Route 414 is one of negotiating the winding road while attempting to view the many mountain and valley landscapes. The road parallels Pine Creek in many places and the temptation is to look for rising fish or watch the numerous haunts that trout occupy. Another feature of the Pine Creek Valley is the bike trail that meanders along a significant portion of the Pine Creek Valley road. The bike trail can also provide miles of access to Pine Creek that otherwise would not be accessible without a long hike. Our destination on Pine Creek was the Hotel Manor at Slate Run. A delayed harvest area begins in the Slate Run area and extends downstream to near the Naval Run area. A benefit of staying at the Hotel Manor is to arise in the morning, have the self-serve breakfast, suit up for fishing and walk a very short distance to the stream and catch (hopefully) some big German Brown Trout.

As mentioned, the weather was unusual with rain, sleet and gusting winds and we were the only anglers on the stream when the March Browns and Gray Foxes lifted off the surface. The harsh weather conditions did not deter our catching some fine trout, including one German Brown Trout approximately 20 inches long. Local anglers informed us that the hatches were 7-10 days late because of the weather. We realized we were on the cusp of some great dry fly fishing and we were not disappointed!!

The black bear highlight of that trip involved my pickup truck. Overnight a smallish black bear scampered up on the hood of my PU and made it's way across the roof (all this took place on the passengers side of the vehicle) onto the fiberglass covering over the bed of the truck and then proceeded up over the cab, but this time on the driver's side and slide it's greasy butt down the windshield, leaving a wide mud and grease patch. The bear then left the vehicle via the hood. The muddy foot prints were highly visible and I received many comments from fellow fly fishers as a result of the bear's trek up and over my vehicle. The windshield was cleaned with an anti-grease solution, but streaking still occurred on the driver's side of the windshield when the wipers were activated during rain events for many days.

Gayle and I returned to the Pine Creek Valley with six other couples from the Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter. This was one of several Chapter fishing trips and we were not disappointed with the lodging accommodations, fishing and, most importantly, the water level and weather conditions. As an added bonus we were entertained with 10 different black bear sightings. But, fortunately, none of the bears clambered over my pickup truck!

March Browns and Gray Foxes were the main hatches because the Green and Brown Drake hatches were delayed due to the untimely cooler weather conditions and resulting colder water temperatures. Members of our TU Chapter caught several of the large German Brown Trout that have enhanced the desire to fish the Slate Run area of Pine Creek. One late evening the fish were up working the surface with splashy rises and it was obvious they were taking emergers. Casting a dry fly March Brown or Gray Fox patter resulted in a few hookups. I tied on a March Brown nymph, lathered it with floatant and cast it out to the nearest rising fish. The take was almost immediate and, several releases later, night had set in. I made a note to modify the nymph and fish it as an emerger.

Early the next morning a father and son team was on the water and the son began to catch and release some impressive size fish. I asked the father what the son was using and he responded a Flymph. A Flymph! The father gave me as much information on the size and tying of the Flymph as possible and upon my return home, set out to gather Flymph information. I started at the local fly shop and soon had a lead on the subject. One of the regular visitors to the fly shop offered to loan me a book on fishing the Flymph. James E. Leisenring and Vernon S. Hidy co-authored a book on the subject many years ago and I now have the needed background on tying the Flymph. My current experiment is to apply the Flymph to our local streams when emergers are active. As soon as I have a Flymph that is successful I will post it as the Fly of the Week. Check out the link regarding the Fly of the Week because the Pheasant Tail Wet Fly has been productive on several streams recently. Wet flies are making a comeback and for good reason……… they catch fish!!

On another note, a fellow fly fisher noted that I have been remiss in providing recent updates and speculated that I had been busy guiding or doing personal fly fishing. Well, the guiding has kept me busy traveling across the Commonwealth and also arranging two fishing trips for our TU Chapter. Thus, the following is a snap shot of recent news and happenings of fly fishing that I have recently experienced.

The Yellow Breeches was float stocked on Friday, June 6. Several hundred fish were provided by the Yellow Breeches Anglers and Conservation Association. The float stocking man power was provided by the Cumberland Valley TU Chapter. This teamwork distributed ample fish over the entire catch and release section.

Tricos are on the Yellow Breeches in sufficient numbers but the trout have not yet recognized the availability of the early morning buffet offering. This should change by the middle of June. Imagine a morning Mayfly hatch that lasts from June to October!! Sulphurs on the Yellow Breeches continue to be a late evening staple, along with Tan Caddis and exciting action is available to the angler that is willing to fish till dark.

Green Drakes are on Penns Creek in the Poe Paddy area. An exciting experience is to venture through the old abandoned RR tunnel at Poe Paddy and fish the late evening/night Green Drake Spinner fall. Now here is where the extra excitement enters. Although catch and releasing several wild big browns is exciting, the return trip through the tunnel after dark is reminiscent of an excerpt from an Edgar Allen Poe novel. The haunting feeling of the close dark, dank RR tunnel walls, coupled with water dripping from the stone arch ceiling, can conjure up some eerie thoughts of Ichabod Crane, perhaps, while avoiding stones on the tunnel floor that occasionally have fallen from the arched stone ceiling. This is an experience that you might want to try in the very near future. Just a bit of advice, be sure to have a flashlight, a very bright flashlight!

***UPDATE FOR 5/9/08***

The Grannoms were dismal on the Yellow Breeches and the Hendricksons were not far behind. The good news………….the little Tan Caddis was present in record numbers!! A size 20 CDC Tan Caddis fished on the surface with a subtle twitching motion brought many trout to the surface. The little critters appeared daily from about mid morning to last light in the evening. Also, last light saw many Crane flies, size 18, buzzing along close to the water's surface and the trout doing what trout do when an easy meal is at hand. Night after night the Crane flies would strafe the water's surface and the trout responded. See Fly of the Week for Crane fly tying instructions.

Incidentally, it is not overly scientific but extremely effective when I see the three mallards, (two males and a female) that have taken up residence in my back yard, on the water picking off caddis and mayflies that pop to the surface. That activity is my signal to dress up and hit the water………the hatch is on!! The Hendricksons and Grannoms have now given away to the Tan Caddis. The Tan Caddis that is so effective on the Yellow Breeches is also effective on Spring Creek and the Little Juniata at this time of the year. Throw in Yellow Creek as another limestone stream that has an outstanding Tan Caddis hatch. I like loading up my fly boxes with a particular fly that is effective on numerous streams across the Commonwealth. I am now attaching another well-known mayfly to the end of my tippet in the evenings and that mayfly is the Sulphur. On Sunday, May 4, near dusk, the Sulphurs were on in sufficient numbers to bring a few trout to the surface. Stream conditions have improved after the last rains and are prime this evening. The Sulphurs should respond in increasing numbers. Just around the corner will be the Light Cahills and the end of May should see the appearance of the Tricos. Good stuff for fly fishers!!

I was fishing earlier in the day (May 4th) on Clark Creek with my son-in-law, Glenn Klinger, and the fish were up! It appeared the trout were taking the myriad of small bugs that were just off the water's surface. But after close observation the bug of choice was the green inchworm that will have many fly fishers referring to the critters as a "hatch" later in May. The wind was stiff and the infantile size green inchworms were blown onto the water's surface. Normally fly fisher get excited when the green inchworm is mature in late May, but this day the trout were up and taking the size 24 critters. Glenn and I were the only two fly fishers on the upper end of the fly fishing section. I scooped several of the immature inchworms and concluded that the size 24 midge nymph that I had tied using a natural and dyed green pheasant tail barbule would replicate the minute inchworm nicely. Glenn is new to fly fishing and I thought this might be is the prime opportunity to leave a lasting impression on him regarding terrestrial fishing. Only problem was that my fly box, with the imitations, was at home!