My Journey to Catch the Frankenfish
The "Frankenfish!" Chances are you have heard this name on your local news channel or on some overdramatized fishing show. The snakehead has received a lot of sensationalism by the media over the years with a lot of it misleading or greatly exaggerated. The snakehead is just a fish. They can’t walk on land to eat your pets and they don’t spawn five times a year. Just recently, John Odenkirk, the leading biologist on the Northern snakehead's impact on the Potomac with over 15 years of research has recently stated that he does not see the Northern snakehead as an invasive species anymore.
For a fish species to be considered invasive, it has to cause economic or environmental harm. To date, there is no scientific evidence to show that this fish is causing harm to the economy or existing fish populations. If anything the snakehead has boosted sales in fishing licenses and equipment in the area they're inhabiting. They are a blast to catch with spectacular topwater strikes and they are great table fare which makes them attractive to many anglers.
Since hearing that this fish was found in Meadow Lake in 2004 I was intrigued about this so-called devil fish. So, like any angler, I wanted to catch one. I took to the internet to do my homework and gather all the information I could to help me catch these fish on the fly. What I found was very limited: a few guys claiming to be experts but only had two or three fish caught in a period of several years. To me, catching three fish of a certain species hardly makes you an expert and the experts shared no info on what techniques to use other than they had flies for sale that would catch snakeheads.
After a disappointing search for fly fishing-related information, I turned my search towards what techniques conventional...
Central Pennsylvania Trip Report April 2022
Earlier in the week most of the state got pounded with about 1-2 inches of rain from an approaching cold front. This pushed streams like Penns and Bald Eagle well over 1000 CFS, which is not practical for fishing. Not to worry as Rick had several backup ideas for some locations with clearer and lower water in the region. A fellow longtime friend of the site Foxgap239 joined us for the weekend and the three of us took on the stream.
We made our way over to a Catch and Release Fly Fishing Only stream on the edge of Centre and Union counties. Despite all the rain, the water was clear and not too high. We spent the better part of the day hiking along the project to find many stocked rainbows. The sunshine and nice weather added to the day.
Like any well-experienced angler and friend, Rick "The General" Nyles was kind enough to offer some advice as we fished together. I soon learned some things about my line mending technics, mostly that I was “doing it wrong.” This has been a common theme in my life was not the first time I have heard a message like this. I worked very hard to keep The General happy and after several more times given some encouragement and scowls he let up. So I must have been doing better? I was...
The Little J and Bill Anderson - Webinar on April 19th
Bill Anderson, President of the Little Juniata River Association (LJRA), has been an instrumental force for river conservation on the Little J since 2004. Bill and the LJRA have been recognized for their conservation success.
Join me on Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 7:30 PM for another awesome webinar by Paflyfish when Bill covers the success, secrets, and future of this wonderful trout fishery in Central Pennsylvania.
This is bound to be a very popular event so register early - https://bit.ly/3ip9Biw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The Fly Fishing Tailgater - Flame On
I have tailgated at plenty of football games, but Maurice was the one that first got the chillin and grillin going for me while we were fishing up on Penns Creek years ago. Nothing beats grilled hot dogs, icy cold beer and some Rolling Stones while getting ready for the evening show. I was pretty easily convinced that loading the grill for any one of our day-long Lewis and Clarke expeditions was mandatory. Without a doubt it beats the smashed-up soggy ham sandwiches I was content with for years.
Often we head out for a long day of fly fishing and the late afternoon can be a slow period on the stream. This is a great time to fire up the grill, turn on some tunes and get the burgers going.
A portable propane grill is the centerpiece of any fly fishing tailgater. A simple...
Where to Fly Fish in Montana? A DIY Trip Guide - Part 1
As a Montana fly fishing outfitter – the majority of my time from November through April is spent helping our guests plan trips for the following season. Montana is a very large target with a huge variety of fisheries so it can be a daunting challenge to folks visiting for the first time. When Dave Kile asked me to put together a guide for planning a trip our way I decided to break it into two parts do to the breadth and diversity of what Montana has to offer and what different people want out of their trip.
One of the aspects of trip planning in the Big Sky state is that we have such a huge variety of different rivers, streams, still waters and spring creeks. Each type of fishery has different peak seasons, different characters and different tactics that are best used. This post will focus on anglers that want to do the majority of their fishing unguided. Montana is arguably the best state in the west for planning a DIY trip for several reasons. Thanks to the stream access law, anglers in Montana have access to private land along streams and rivers. This means that as long as an angler gets to the river corridor from a bridge or other public access point you can fish on private property without trespassing. Secondly, we have a lot of public land in Montana and surrounding areas like Yellowstone Park so finding water to access legally is pretty easy. Finally, the huge variety of fisheries means that there are a lot of smaller waters that are ideal for wade fishing.
Where to fish?
Pick up any coffee table fly fishing book that showcases famous waters around the world and Montana rivers will be heavily represented. Anglers from around the world are familiar with the Yellowstone, Madison, Missouri, Bighorn, Beaverhead, Gallatin and many others. Where do you...
2022 Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp
The instructors in the program often include leading experts including many from state agencies like the PFBC, DEP and DCNR. The Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited sponsors the program with help from the Cumberland Valley TU.
Every morning and evening the participants are given the opportunity to fly fish the catch and release section of Yellow Breeches where they stay for the week. June on the Yellow Breeches is an excellent time to be fishing. Lessons in casting, knot tying, fly tying and more are also part of the curriculum.
- Camp is held annually on the third Sunday in June, starting at noon running to ~2:00 pm on the following Friday.
- All activities will take place on or near the property of Messiah University in Grantham, Pennsylvania. Students will have dorm lodging, meals, and class time at Messiah.
- The majority of the time at camp will be spent in a classroom setting, but many sessions will also take place on the stream or outside. The curriculum covers various topics in conservation and fly fishing.
- Students are provided with 3 meals per day plus an evening snack. Meals are buffet style with several entrée selections available.
- Some classes are held in the evenings after fishing.
- Campers receive all course materials, a camp tee shirt, hat...
Spring Nymphing in Pennsylvania Webinar on February 8th, 2022
The spring kicks off the fly fishing season. Aquatic insects start making their move with warmer waters and anticipation of their emergence out of the water. Trout are equally actively feeding on nymphs for the vast majority of their diet.
In this webinar, Dave Rothrock and Dave Kile will have a conversation about some technics and approaches to spring nymphing. Dave Rothrock will discuss How to Set Up a Drop Shot Nymph Rig to get the best results as well as plenty of other ideas.
So join Dave and Dave for a fun and casual conversation about Spring Nymphing in Pennsylvania.
Topics
• How to Set Up a Drop Shot Nymph Rig
• Seasonal hatches and trout food
• Types of nymph patterns
• Wild vs stocked trout behavior
• Your questions and answers
Dave Rothrock
Dave has been fly-fishing across Pennsylvania for over 50 years. He is an accomplished angler and casting instructor. He is a passionate fly fishing educator that can be seen at fly fishing shows and TU meetings. Dave is a guide and member of the team with Sky Blue Outfitters.
Dave Kile
Dave has been fly fishing for over 35 years and is the founder of Paflyfish, an online community of fly fishing anglers in the Pennsylvania region founded in 1995. He was recognized in 2014 by the Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited with the Charles K. Fox Rising Trout Award.
Audience: Novice to advanced anglers
Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at 7:00 PM
Where: Live Online Zoom Presentation
Registration in advance is required for this event. The event registration is full.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Conquer the Cold: The theory of bigger being sometimes better
There are no absolutes in fly fishing and that’s why I refer to this approach as a theory. While this “theory” produces good results, there will be times you will have to adjust your way of thinking as there are no absolutes in fly fishing. What I’m referring to is trying to get inside the mind of a wintertime feeding trout. Think about it, wintertime is a period when these cold blooded critter’s feeding habits slow down as water temperatures drop. In many river systems, trout begin to drop back into the slower moving bodies of water in an effort to expend less energy. Although their metabolisms may slow down, feeding is still on their mind and the wintertime can be the right time for the angler to venture out to the river. Often the most popular sections are void of anglers and I’ve had several days where the action would rival a May sulphur hatch. A wintertime feeding trout may not always mirror its springtime foraging behavior, but trout still need to eat and a larger presentation may be the ticket. Sometimes all trout need is a little encouragement so I often call upon larger patterns to create that desire.
By larger, I’m referring to nymph patterns as large as #4 and small as a #10. Yes that big-even on spring and limestone streams. Think about this, trout feel sluggish and less motivated to continuously chase small food items down during these cold winter months. Instead, it seems logical that trout would be willing to spend less energy chasing down larger food items. Move less and obtain more calories! Large stonefly, caddis, egg and worm patterns are my usual wintertime suspects. Nymphing is normally my first choice as I can slowly present the flies. Streamer tactics also work well but only when trout are feeling up to the chase. The idea is to present a pattern that can fulfill a trout’s hunger with only one energy surge. In many...
