Fly Fishing Gear of President Eisenhower
Ike undoubtedly owned a good many rods and reels and some have perhaps been lost to history, held in private collections, or may be stored at Abilene. While he enjoyed all manner of fresh water fishing, Ike was particularly fond of fly fishing for trout. Local rumor has that streams around Camp David were stocked with trout whenever Ike was visiting and local anglers, upon hearing that Ike had been at camp, would flock to fish the downstream areas of these creeks and catch the remaining fish.
I’m not sure if he spent much time salt water fishing however there are three different sand spikes and a chum pot in the NPS collection. The fly rod is a Pflueger R3780 in eight foot length and made of fiberglass. The White House tag can be seen on the rod bag. The small bottle is dry fly treatment and labeled Silicote Dry Fly Dressing, copyright 1946. I’d like to believe that this fly rod and some of the other gear might have some neat stories to tell. Ike loved fishing and, with the great responsibilities he carried on his shoulders, one certainly can’t begrudge him his days on the stream.
For Eisenhower, like many of us who love fly fishing, the sport probably served as...
Where should I fly fish?
This is one of the more popular questions asked on Paflyfish. Truthfully the answer is bigger than the question and one worth exploring. There are hundreds of fantastic streams for all types of anglers in the region. A little homework will yield you your own personal hot spots.
Paflyfish is chocked full of maps, tips, news, stories and conversations already at you fingertips. Pennsylvania is a sizable state so starting with the Pa Trout Streams section under the site menu is a good place to begin. There are six regions with hundreds of stocked and special regulation streams that are ideal for fly fishing. Take advantage of the maps to explore the areas you want to travel to. Maryland, New Jersey, and New York offer many exciting opportunities as well.
The best advice I can offer for the site is taking the time to do a little research in the forums. Stream Reports can usually yield a string of information. There are plenty of guides, trout bums, locals, scientists, and enthusiasts who hang out here. Jumping onto the site and making your first post, Where do I fish in Potter County? This approach does not build a lot of trust. Take some time to participate and then ask some good specific questions about where to fish.
A host of highly regarded authors can be found in the Fly Fishing Books section. Some good old fashion book reading is worth some time.
A quick trek to the PFBC website can offer an additional collection of streams and detailed regulations.
Spend some time with your local fly shop can very helpful. Becoming active with your local Trout Unlimited Chapter is a great way to meet up with others and get a lot of local knowledge. They often provide a...
The best advice I can offer for the site is taking the time to do a little research in the forums. Stream Reports can usually yield a string of information. There are plenty of guides, trout bums, locals, scientists, and enthusiasts who hang out here. Jumping onto the site and making your first post, Where do I fish in Potter County? This approach does not build a lot of trust. Take some time to participate and then ask some good specific questions about where to fish.
A host of highly regarded authors can be found in the Fly Fishing Books section. Some good old fashion book reading is worth some time.
A quick trek to the PFBC website can offer an additional collection of streams and detailed regulations.
Spend some time with your local fly shop can very helpful. Becoming active with your local Trout Unlimited Chapter is a great way to meet up with others and get a lot of local knowledge. They often provide a...
2014 Pennsylvania State Fly Casting Championship
Pennsylvania State Fly Casting Championship
Combined 5-weight accuracy and distance fly casting challenge
Men’s, Women’s and Youth Categories
Adults able to compete in one of two Divisions:
•Angler (basic and intermediate casters)
•Expert (casting instructor, fly fishing guide, competitive caster)
You do not need to be a Pennsylvania resident to compete.
More conversation in the forum here.
Carlisle Sports & Outdoor Show
September, 5-7, 2014
Gate Times: Fri. 12pm-8pm • Sat. 8am-6pm • Sun. 8am-4pm
Admission: Daily Fri.- Sun $10 / Event Pass $20
The weekend will feature a wide array of interactive and hands on events for enthusiasts of all ages, a swap meet for buying and selling used gear, equipment and apparel as well as a corral that will host everything from ATV's to RV's, boats to the trucks that pull them, campers and more. In addition, there will be safety courses, seminars and much more! Whether you fly fish, hunt, fish, hike or camp they will be covering it.
Spring Jamboree May 16-18, 2014
The Paflyfish Spring Jamboree is coming up next week. This our annual meetup when members from the site get together to fly fish, tie flies, camp and share a few stories. We have a lot of fun fishing over some of Pennsylvania's finest streams including Penns Creek, Spring Creek, Little Juniata River (Little J), Fishing Creek and plenty more in the region.
The pavilion is rented by Paflyfish and is used as a meeting point during the weekend. Plenty of impromptu conversations, fly tying and meet-ups all take place. The idea of a casual weekend fly fishing in some great waters has a lot of appeal. As with every year we will be meeting up in the evenings at the pavilion to catch up. Friday and Saturday mornings we meet for coffee and plan the day. Often plenty of opportunities for some fly tying and casting lessons being shared.
In addition to the expected fly fishing opportunities; authors, fly shop owners, and other experts are usually in attendance and provide a lot of great knowledge throughout the weekend. Follow the latest details in the forum here.
Please contact Sevens Mountain Campground directly if you would like to stay there that weekend. They have a limited number of cabins and campsites. I encourage you to make your reservations now.
Sevens Mountain Campground
101 Seven Mountains
Campground Rd.
Spring Mills...
Fly Fishing the Aisen Region of Chile Photo Essay
By Brian McGeehan
The Aisen Region of Chile is located about the same distance South of the Equator as Montana is North. On a recent trip to the Coyaquie province we targeted wild browns and rainbows while fishing a remarkable diversity of fisheries including large float rivers, huge crystal clear lakes, spring creeks and wilderness mountain streams. We stayed at the Magic Waters Patagonia Lodge which is tucked away in remote valley with 5 private lakes filled with wild trophy fish.
The lodge is right on the edge of the Cerro Castillo National Reserve and the wilderness lakes and rivers within but is also within easy striking distance of the fertile spring creeks and valley rivers of the dryer pampas region. The mountain rivers are free of sediment and are gin clear with an emerald green hue. The pampas areas near the Argentine boarder are dryer and it is a similar landscape to the Dillon Montana area (without other fisherman!). I have been hosting trips to Patagonia for the last five seasons and this area blew me away in every way: amazing diversity of fishing options, big trout, few other anglers (we didn’t see any), and exclusively fishing huge dry flies. As a Montana fishing outfitter I pride myself on a nice collection of big rubber legged attractor dry flies but when I showed up to the lodge and showed Eduardo Barrueto, our host, my box he asked “do you have anything bigger?”. We spent the entire week throwing the biggest dry flies we could handle including huge size 2 beetle patterns and even larger mouse patterns.
Big dries. One of the reasons the trout in the mountains of Chile love such big dry flies is because they love to eat Cantara beetles. These massive beetles look like hummingbirds when flying and are a huge meal for a hungry trout. A size 4...
The Aisen Region of Chile is located about the same distance South of the Equator as Montana is North. On a recent trip to the Coyaquie province we targeted wild browns and rainbows while fishing a remarkable diversity of fisheries including large float rivers, huge crystal clear lakes, spring creeks and wilderness mountain streams. We stayed at the Magic Waters Patagonia Lodge which is tucked away in remote valley with 5 private lakes filled with wild trophy fish.
The lodge is right on the edge of the Cerro Castillo National Reserve and the wilderness lakes and rivers within but is also within easy striking distance of the fertile spring creeks and valley rivers of the dryer pampas region. The mountain rivers are free of sediment and are gin clear with an emerald green hue. The pampas areas near the Argentine boarder are dryer and it is a similar landscape to the Dillon Montana area (without other fisherman!). I have been hosting trips to Patagonia for the last five seasons and this area blew me away in every way: amazing diversity of fishing options, big trout, few other anglers (we didn’t see any), and exclusively fishing huge dry flies. As a Montana fishing outfitter I pride myself on a nice collection of big rubber legged attractor dry flies but when I showed up to the lodge and showed Eduardo Barrueto, our host, my box he asked “do you have anything bigger?”. We spent the entire week throwing the biggest dry flies we could handle including huge size 2 beetle patterns and even larger mouse patterns.
Big dries. One of the reasons the trout in the mountains of Chile love such big dry flies is because they love to eat Cantara beetles. These massive beetles look like hummingbirds when flying and are a huge meal for a hungry trout. A size 4...
An Award Much Deserved
An Award Much Deserved
By Dave Weaver
For Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited and Paflyfish.com
A fine time indeed was had at the recent Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited (CVTU) Limestoner Banquet. This is CVTU’s main fundraising event each year. Like many TU chapters, CVTU relies on volunteer efforts to complete a wide range of valuable endeavors and this includes putting together an annual banquet to raise funds. Among these outstanding endeavors, CVTU is involved in land preservation, youth fly fishing outreach in the form of the Rivers Conservation and Youth Camp and Trout in the Classroom; fly fishing schools for women, US military, and disadvantaged youths as well as wounded veterans.
Dave Kile and Justin Pittman
Among our recent stream improvement projects during the last year include the Phase 2 project on Big Spring as well as projects to improve habitat in The Run in Boiling Springs, as well as restoration of habitat for native trout in a recovered lake bed. Every year, CVTU juggles an array of stream improvement and outreach programs designed to raise awareness and protect cold water resources and trout habitat across hundreds of square miles in the Cumberland valley and adjacent areas – an area encompassing many of our state’s best known trout streams but also dozens of lesser known freestone and limestone trout streams. And CVTU isn’t alone. Roughly fifty chapters of TU and the State Council are all in the fight.
In CVTU’s case, not only do we run a very nice banquet with the typical array of fun items to bid or purchase, but over twenty years ago the chapter decided to include a couple awards that would be presented at the banquet to deserving recipients. These include the...
Fly Fishing Getting Started - What Fly Rod and Fly Reel to get?
For the love of Zeus, you don't want to look like the dopey guy in the Symbicort commercial that has a crappy M*A*S*H hat, is fishing for brook trout in a creek with a large arbor saltwater 9 wt reel and 15-foot fly rod setup with a real bobber on your line. I'm not saying go spend all your 401k money, quite the opposite. Don't spend a lot, but get something that makes sense to get started within our region to fly fish for trout.
Fly Rod
If you are just getting started, you will likely want a 5 weight (wt) 8'6" - 9' graphite, medium-fast action fly rod. This is an all-around great fly rod for beginners. I like the four-piece rods as they travel better. Make sure whatever setup you get has a good rod tube to keep it protected when it is stored away or while in your vehicle. You can expect to pay about $100 or more to get started.
Fly Reel
To select a fly reel you match the weight of the fly rod to the corresponding reel. If you get a 5 wt rod then you get a 5 wt reel. Nothing fancy needed when you first get going, it's really just a spool to reel in your fly line. A line holder if you will. No need to drop a car payment just yet. Starting at around $100 will get you a good quality machined aluminum reel. While as little as $35-$70 will get you into the game with a stamped steel or synthetic line holder.
Fly Line
Be sure to complete your setup with a weight-forward fly line that matches the weight of your fly rod and fly reel. Remember, unlike a spinning rod...
After the Hatch at the Snitz Creek Brewery
Anytime you are fly fishing over at the Swatara or Quitty in Lebanon Valley a stop to the Snitz Creek Brewery is a must after packing up your gear. Proprietors, Patrick Freer and Adam Szajda opened the brewpub in January with a little something special for all us fly fishing anglers in mind. Anyone who has thrown a dry fly will love the attraction of getting a Brown Trout Stout draft beer from a tap handle made from a fly rod and reel.
The brewery goes all in with the fly fishing theme by not only taking their name from the local Snitz Creek waters, but adds a whole selection of crafted beers, food and even a logo that is a hop fly.
The Saturday afternoon I dropped in the place was already way crowded. Kim was kind enough to find me a spot to test the waters.
I enjoyed a sampling of the Opening Day IPA, Brown Trout Stout, Woolly Bugger IPA and Explorer Ale. The Explorer Ale is a season ale that offers nice combination of malt and hops. I'm an ale guy so it hit the spot. The Woolly Bugger was of course a lot bolder as an IPA with big body with a dark roasted punch. The Brown Trout Stout had a great mix of some roasted flavors including chocolates. The Opening Day IPA delivered a lighter color with some tasty hops.
The brewpub provides a great feel as a...
The brewery goes all in with the fly fishing theme by not only taking their name from the local Snitz Creek waters, but adds a whole selection of crafted beers, food and even a logo that is a hop fly.
The Saturday afternoon I dropped in the place was already way crowded. Kim was kind enough to find me a spot to test the waters.
I enjoyed a sampling of the Opening Day IPA, Brown Trout Stout, Woolly Bugger IPA and Explorer Ale. The Explorer Ale is a season ale that offers nice combination of malt and hops. I'm an ale guy so it hit the spot. The Woolly Bugger was of course a lot bolder as an IPA with big body with a dark roasted punch. The Brown Trout Stout had a great mix of some roasted flavors including chocolates. The Opening Day IPA delivered a lighter color with some tasty hops.
The brewpub provides a great feel as a...
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USGS Stream Gauges
