Last Day on Letort
In an attempt to get just one more day in fly fishing for 2013, Afishinado, Fishidiot and I made our way over to central Pennsylvania on Monday. A cold wintery day, but to be expected for the end of December.
Dave Weaver Stalking on Letort Spring Creek
A heavy rain hit the region the day before. Many of the limestone and smaller streams were cleared up and fishable. It was still very cloudy and temperatures held in the upper 30's all day.
We found our way over to the Letort in hopes of a Blue Winged Olive (BWO) hatch mid day or early afternoon. It is pretty common on cloudy, mild winter days to find a sporadic BWO hatch getting the attention of the locals.
Winter fly fishing can be very difficult. Cold weather and less active trout can make for some real hit or miss fishing. For the Letort and the wild brown trout in the stream the best approach is nymphing with the hope that some risers are out on midges or BWO's. The high streamside vegetation that so strongly dominates everything along the stream in the summer is gone and it is easier casting if you are lucky enough to try some dry flies.
Afishinado Putting on a Nymphing Clinic
Afishinado managed to get some action with nymphs. I did see a few risers and tried a midge with my usual "no luck".
There were some small BWO's sailing down the stream, but not a lot of active fish rising to them. What was more interesting was our observation of what look liked a #16 sulphur mayfly that...
Dave Weaver Stalking on Letort Spring Creek
A heavy rain hit the region the day before. Many of the limestone and smaller streams were cleared up and fishable. It was still very cloudy and temperatures held in the upper 30's all day.
We found our way over to the Letort in hopes of a Blue Winged Olive (BWO) hatch mid day or early afternoon. It is pretty common on cloudy, mild winter days to find a sporadic BWO hatch getting the attention of the locals.
Winter fly fishing can be very difficult. Cold weather and less active trout can make for some real hit or miss fishing. For the Letort and the wild brown trout in the stream the best approach is nymphing with the hope that some risers are out on midges or BWO's. The high streamside vegetation that so strongly dominates everything along the stream in the summer is gone and it is easier casting if you are lucky enough to try some dry flies.
Afishinado Putting on a Nymphing Clinic
Afishinado managed to get some action with nymphs. I did see a few risers and tried a midge with my usual "no luck".
There were some small BWO's sailing down the stream, but not a lot of active fish rising to them. What was more interesting was our observation of what look liked a #16 sulphur mayfly that...
Season's Greetings and Merry Christmas
Sincerely,
Paflyfish
New Zealand mudsnails in Spring Creek
Pennsylvania has gotten hit with some bad news a few times this year about invasive species having a potential negative impaction on some waterways. Earlier in the year we heard about Didymo turning up in Pine Creek and more recently there was news about New Zealand mudsnails in Spring Creek. Fly fishing is a fun casual sport, but more often than not extra precautions will need to be follow with our gear.
Invasive species generally are plants or animals that are non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem and whose introduction causes harm to the native species. New Zealand mud snails have been detrimental in reducing some western streams productivity. Populations can reach 28,000 snails per square foot. This rapid and expansive growth can compete with native species.
“Based on studies conducted in western U.S. streams, if the population grows quickly, they could become the dominant organisms in the benthic – or bottom dwelling – community, upon which many others species depend for food,” said Bob Morgan, the PFBC’s ecologist who studies aquatic invasive species. “Because this is the first known occurrence of the New Zealand mudsnail on the Atlantic slope of the eastern U.S, the effects of the snail on higher organisms, such as fish, are not certain at this time.”
Fly fishing anglers will need to take extra precautions in cleaning their gear before leaving Spring Creek and entering another waterway. This is a serious issue without proper measures the situation could get worse in the region.
From the PFBC below and Clean Your Gear:
"New Zealand mudsnails...
Invasive species generally are plants or animals that are non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem and whose introduction causes harm to the native species. New Zealand mud snails have been detrimental in reducing some western streams productivity. Populations can reach 28,000 snails per square foot. This rapid and expansive growth can compete with native species.
Fly fishing anglers will need to take extra precautions in cleaning their gear before leaving Spring Creek and entering another waterway. This is a serious issue without proper measures the situation could get worse in the region.
From the PFBC below and Clean Your Gear:
"New Zealand mudsnails...
Paflyfish Spring Jamboree May 16-18, 2014
The Paflyfish Spring Jamboree is the annual spring meet-up when members from the site get together to fly fish, tie flies, camp and share a few stories. We have folks coming from Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida. 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.
Csoult and BikerFish hanging at Penns Creek
This year is no exception and members from the forum are making plans to meet the weekend of May 16-18, 2014 at Seven Mountains Campground in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania. Please contact them if you would like to stay there that weekend. They have a limited number of cabins and campsites.
I am hoping to plan more activities specific to new fly fishing anglers. I am working on casting lessons, fly tying and even a few trips out on to some of the waters in the area. There are a lot of members on the site that will informally help folks out not familiar with the area. Just check the forums and don't be afraid to ask for some help.
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.
Friday, May 16th
Jam attendees often start arriving throughout the day if they haven't arrived earlier in the week. Stop by after 3:00PM to help or meet others trying to get back out on the water before dark.
Saturday, May 17th
Coffee 6-9am...
Csoult and BikerFish hanging at Penns Creek
This year is no exception and members from the forum are making plans to meet the weekend of May 16-18, 2014 at Seven Mountains Campground in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania. Please contact them if you would like to stay there that weekend. They have a limited number of cabins and campsites.
I am hoping to plan more activities specific to new fly fishing anglers. I am working on casting lessons, fly tying and even a few trips out on to some of the waters in the area. There are a lot of members on the site that will informally help folks out not familiar with the area. Just check the forums and don't be afraid to ask for some help.
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.
Friday, May 16th
Jam attendees often start arriving throughout the day if they haven't arrived earlier in the week. Stop by after 3:00PM to help or meet others trying to get back out on the water before dark.
Saturday, May 17th
Coffee 6-9am...
Where to Fly Fish in Montana? Part Two - How to Plan a Guided Trip
By Brian McGeehan at Montana Angler Fly Fishing
As the 2013 season winds down many of us put our fishing ambitions on pause until the thaw arrives in spring. For those folks that enjoy blending their travels with their favorite pasting, fall is also a great time to start planning a destination fishing trip for 2014. When Dave Kile asked me to put together a post for planning a Western fly fishing trip I realized it was a pretty broad task so I decided to limit the advice to my home state of Montana (although a lot of these tips can apply to other states as well). Since planning a trip where you are fishing unguided is very different than going with an outfitter part 1 focused on DIY anglers. I make my living helping anglers plan their Montana fishing trips so hopefully, this post won’t come across as too much of a sales pitch, but rather a useful guide for planning a guided fishing adventure to the big sky state. Montana is a huge state and there is also a much larger diversity of types of rivers and streams than encountered in the East so teaming up with an experienced outfitter can definitely streamline your trip. Quality Montana fly fishing lodges and outfitters can offer several advantages to out of state anglers: local river knowledge and timing, float fishing access for the larger rivers, private access on ranches and assistance with lodging.
Most of the folks that email and call us about a trip to Montana don’t know where to begin. The first thing we try to do when someone approaches us bout a possible trip to Montana is to...
As the 2013 season winds down many of us put our fishing ambitions on pause until the thaw arrives in spring. For those folks that enjoy blending their travels with their favorite pasting, fall is also a great time to start planning a destination fishing trip for 2014. When Dave Kile asked me to put together a post for planning a Western fly fishing trip I realized it was a pretty broad task so I decided to limit the advice to my home state of Montana (although a lot of these tips can apply to other states as well). Since planning a trip where you are fishing unguided is very different than going with an outfitter part 1 focused on DIY anglers. I make my living helping anglers plan their Montana fishing trips so hopefully, this post won’t come across as too much of a sales pitch, but rather a useful guide for planning a guided fishing adventure to the big sky state. Montana is a huge state and there is also a much larger diversity of types of rivers and streams than encountered in the East so teaming up with an experienced outfitter can definitely streamline your trip. Quality Montana fly fishing lodges and outfitters can offer several advantages to out of state anglers: local river knowledge and timing, float fishing access for the larger rivers, private access on ranches and assistance with lodging.
Montana Fly Fishing
Most of the folks that email and call us about a trip to Montana don’t know where to begin. The first thing we try to do when someone approaches us bout a possible trip to Montana is to...
USGS Water Data Goes Mobile
One of the first useful websites I found for anglers on the Internet was the USGS Water Data site. The website provides real-time streamflow conditions for over 9,000 streams and rivers across the country. Detailed information about stream discharge levels and water gage level heights are provided. The USGS has just started a beta (early release) version on the web for mobile users to get easier access to the data.
The desktop version has always been an incredibly useful trip planning tool for me before I headed out on fly fishing trips. Nothing worse than driving flippin four hours to that great mountain stream for the weekend only to find out that it blown out along with ten surrounding counties that looked like a hurricane just rolled thought the region. I use this almost every time I go fly fishing and have changed my plans by hundreds of miles based on the reliable data from this web site. Sometime those plans involve me just driving to a closer bar, but it works.
The new mobile site is pretty straight-forward to work with and can be found here: m.waterdata.usgs.gov. No need to install any app, just point your browser to the url and you are good to go. Right away it feels like it was designed to be navigated with you just the use of your index finger.
That is good because the other designed point for the site is for it to work with newer smart phones. A data connection and browser on your iPhone or Android based phone is really all you need. Works with my iPads and other tablets as well. The USGS does mention that it may not older devices or older browsers.
I found the mobile site is very responsive and with very detailed terrain map as the base. The graphs show a seven day view at the gauging station, which can show if the water is...
The new mobile site is pretty straight-forward to work with and can be found here: m.waterdata.usgs.gov. No need to install any app, just point your browser to the url and you are good to go. Right away it feels like it was designed to be navigated with you just the use of your index finger.
That is good because the other designed point for the site is for it to work with newer smart phones. A data connection and browser on your iPhone or Android based phone is really all you need. Works with my iPads and other tablets as well. The USGS does mention that it may not older devices or older browsers.
I found the mobile site is very responsive and with very detailed terrain map as the base. The graphs show a seven day view at the gauging station, which can show if the water is...
Big Spring Update and PFBC Meeting - Part 2
This is the second half of the Big Spring Update and PFBC Meeting - here is the beginning Part 1
Stream Improvements in Section 2
I was really taken back by how good the project looked on Section 2 a few weeks ago. Much of this got rolling in the fall of 2012 when the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) outlined the agency’s habitat management plan for Big Spring Creek with Section 2. The project was finished late summer of 2013 as planned and supported by funds from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
The plan was to improve 2000 feet of habitat conditions in Big Spring Creek that would favor wild brook trout. To accomplish this the project focussed on narrowing the stream bed in addition to reducing: the rate at which the creek’s waters warm as they flow downstream, the amount of water surface area exposed to solar radiation and late-afternoon dissolved oxygen. Effort was taken to include specific gravel in the steam bed that would favor the wild brook trout during the spawn.
Upon visiting Section 2 of the creek it appeared much of the last of work had recently been completed in September. Clear evidence of the stream narrowing could be seen along the creek and the stream was noticeably deeper. Some areas it appeared as if over 20 feet of stream bed was reclaimed. Grass seed and tree saplings were planted along all the new habitat areas of the stream banks.
The efforts on the project looked great. It had only been a few weeks, but already the...
Stream Improvements in Section 2
I was really taken back by how good the project looked on Section 2 a few weeks ago. Much of this got rolling in the fall of 2012 when the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) outlined the agency’s habitat management plan for Big Spring Creek with Section 2. The project was finished late summer of 2013 as planned and supported by funds from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
The plan was to improve 2000 feet of habitat conditions in Big Spring Creek that would favor wild brook trout. To accomplish this the project focussed on narrowing the stream bed in addition to reducing: the rate at which the creek’s waters warm as they flow downstream, the amount of water surface area exposed to solar radiation and late-afternoon dissolved oxygen. Effort was taken to include specific gravel in the steam bed that would favor the wild brook trout during the spawn.
Upon visiting Section 2 of the creek it appeared much of the last of work had recently been completed in September. Clear evidence of the stream narrowing could be seen along the creek and the stream was noticeably deeper. Some areas it appeared as if over 20 feet of stream bed was reclaimed. Grass seed and tree saplings were planted along all the new habitat areas of the stream banks.
The efforts on the project looked great. It had only been a few weeks, but already the...