New member, longtime lurker. SEPA/Berks/Lehigh

[LBJ]

Hello! My name is Jake, I’ve been fly fishing since 2018. I’ve been visiting this website since that time and have found it to be an amazing resource for all things fly fishing. You all have taught me a lot and I’m happy to be here!

I mainly fish the Lehigh, Little Skook, and everything SEPA with occasional trips to NJ, NY (WB Delaware), Central PA and beyond. I fished the Madison in MT last summer and had a great time, but no place I have visited really compares to Pennsylvania. I love it here. I enjoy tying my own flies and reading about the history of fly fishing in PA. Vincent Marinaro is a favorite. Here is a photo of a fish I felt extremely lucky to catch on my first visit to Letort Spring Run recently.

I fish mostly older Fenwick/Phillipson fiberglass rods and have begun dipping my toe into bamboo. I’m not a snob about it as I’m an amateur caster at best, I just like old things.

Thanks for having me! I’ll be at Penn’s this week (5/25-5/30) if anyone wants to go fishing!

 

[Bamboozle]

Welcome!!

Vince has been one of my fly fishing idols since day one. I was lucky enough to meet him, chat and have him inscribe my copies of his books. Charlie Fox too...

BTW - Nice CFO!!

 

[LBJ]

Welcome!!

Vince has been one of my fly fishing idols since day one. I was lucky enough to meet him, chat and have him inscribe my copies of his books. Charlie Fox too...

BTW - Nice CFO!!

View attachment 1641251308

That is amazing! I bought my copy of “In the Ring of the Rise” used online and it happened to come inscribed to a TU chapter out of Michigan, and included some letters of correspondence between Vince and the club. He did a speaking engagement there and mentions mailing out some Jungle **** feathers for the club to tie with.

I got to visit the PA Fly Fishing Museum when I visited Carlisle and it was incredible to see Vinces tying desk and old camera on display.

 

[Bamboozle]

That is amazing! I bought my copy of “In the Ring of the Rise” used online and it happened to come inscribed to a TU chapter out of Michigan, and included some letters of correspondence between Vince and the club. He did a speaking engagement there and mentions mailing out some Jungle **** feathers for the club to tie with.

I got to visit the PA Fly Fishing Museum when I visited Carlisle and it was incredible to see Vinces tying desk and old camera on display.

The first time I fished the Letort, the light green muslin screens that Vince made to hide behind to take photos for "In the Ring of the Rise" were still in place on the Letort in Fox's Meadow.

I met him a handful of years later at at couple of Theodore Gordon Flyfishers meetings I attended when I lived in NYC. At that time I was green fly fishing-wise, but I was enamored with bamboo rods and owned a few despite being a broke-a$$ kid.

When I talked to Vince, I knew he built rods so our conversations were all about rod building and his theories on everything from node placement to tapers. For that reason he always was more than happy to chat with me at length anytime I saw him at similar events.

If you haven't yet read "A Modern Dry Fly Code" you should. Another book, albeit a pricey one that is must reading for Vince fans is "Split & Glued by Vince Marinaro," written by Bill Harms & Tom Whittle all about Vince's rod building.

Tom & Bill are excellent rod builders in their own right and they leaned a lot about Vince's rod bulding from Vince.

 

[JG63]

Welcome from the Cumberland Valley - Vince’s house (600 Marble St. Mechanicsburg) was 3 blocks down from my childhood home - I had no idea of his standing in the fly fishing world - but his published works had a profound influence on my PRESENTATION and the observation of rising fish - his fly designs still influence some of my modern work as seen here:

Reading MDFC was life changing in my ability to see into the water instead of looking at it AND observing lines of drift, current seams, and drag inducing cross currents - the Letort is a harsh mistress, though she was made a bit easier to please from reading Marinaro, Fox, Shenk, and Schwiebert etc.

Though I live less than 15 minutes from several CV Soring Creeks, I don’t fish my home-waters much these days - not because of the “been there done that” mindset - but rather, as a nod of respect to the ghosts along the banks, and the few remaining descendants of those once numerous wild Browns:

 

[TimMurphy]

Welcome aboard LBJ! It's nice to know someone else appreciates and enjoys older gear. 🙂

 

[LBJ]

The first time I fished the Letort, the light green muslin screens that Vince made to hide behind to take photos for "In the Ring of the Rise" were still in place on the Letort in Fox's Meadow.

I met him a handful of years later at at couple of Theodore Gordon Flyfishers meetings I attended when I lived in NYC. At that time I was green fly fishing-wise, but I was enamored with bamboo rods and owned a few despite being a broke-a$$ kid.

When I talked to Vince, I knew he built rods so our conversations were all about rod building and his theories on everything from node placement to tapers. For that reason he always was more than happy to chat with me at length anytime I saw him at similar events.

If you haven't yet read "A Modern Dry Fly Code" you should. Another book, albeit a pricey one that is must reading for Vince fans is "Split & Glued by Vince Marinaro," written by Bill Harms & Tom Whittle all about Vince's rod building.

Tom & Bill are excellent rod builders in their own right and they leaned a lot about Vince's rod bulding from Vince.

I own and love “A Modern Dry Fly Code”, and I just started getting into Charlie Fox, currently reading “The Wonderful World of Trout”.

It was really cool seeing Vince’s rods at the museum. I watched a great interview with Bill Skilton recently where he talked about how Vince requested all his rods be burned upon his death. I’m really happy they were preserved instead.

My obsession with bamboo started with and still centers around George Maurer, who I discovered thanks to Gierach’s story. George operated out of Kutztown around that time, where I grew up, and that local connection resonated with me. I’ve gone pretty deep and learned everything I can about George and I will own one of his rods one day. My research of him led me to Harry Middleton, another writer I love.

 

[Bamboozle]

I own and love “A Modern Dry Fly Code”, and I just started getting into Charlie Fox, currently reading “The Wonderful World of Trout”.

It was really cool seeing Vince’s rods at the museum. I watched a great interview with Bill Skilton recently where he talked about how Vince requested all his rods be burned upon his death. I’m really happy they were preserved instead.

My obsession with bamboo started with and still centers around George Maurer, who I discovered thanks to Gierach’s story. George operated out of Kutztown around that time, where I grew up, and that local connection resonated with me. I’ve gone pretty deep and learned everything I can about George and I will own one of his rods one day. My research of him led me to Harry Middleton, another writer I love.

Charlie Fox was a peach of a guy....

Many moons ago, whenever I fished the Letort, I used to sleep in my car behind his house. The first time I met him was when I knocked on his front door to ask him to sign my copies of "This Wonderful World of Trout" and "Rising Trout."

One time & buddy & I were "car camping" back there and we killed his battery because we were using the dome light too often when it was getting dark. My buddy was in a bit of a panic so I knocked on Charlie's door, told him of our dilemma and he said he would wake us up the next morning at 6:00 am.

Sure as rain he knocked on the car window at 6:00 am, we all hopped in his car to borrow a set of jumper cables from a local service station, went back and got the car started. After that we all went to breakfast at the long gone Carlisle Farmer's Market Restaurant before parting ways.

For years after that until it changed ownership and ultimately closed, whenever I was heading to Carlisle I'd get there early and stop at the Carlisle Farmer's Market Restaurant and join Charlie for breakfast until he passed.

Speaking of George Maurer...

You should seek out a copy of "Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly-Rod," the book George wrote with Bernard P Elser in 1998.

Before he passed, the Slate Run Fly Shop used to have several of George's rods for sale. Stupidly I passed on buying one when I had the chance and when he died, they disappeared quickly.

I do own a couple of rods built by Wyatt Dietrich, one of his disciples who retired from rod building at an early age. Tom Whittle of Stony Creek Rods also learned how to build rods from George.

 

[Trapshooter]

Welcome aboard.

 

[PatchezMDM]

Welcome from SCPA.