naturalistwynn
New member
When researching spots, I have come across this forum many times, so I thought I'd finally join. So, hello! My name is Kevin. I hail from Pittsburgh and went to school for Environmental Resource Management & Cartography, with forays into human-scale agriculture, research in Halfmoon Creek stream health, and riparian pastureland rehabilitation with biochar at Penn State, where I lived for a good 6 years from 2019-2025. Now back in the 'burgh for work. I sure do miss CenPenn fishing, but PGH is home. Originally, I learned to fish from my Grandpa (standard 'here's a rod, here's a hook, here's a worm' story) on a lake in Somerset County where I'd spend summers. It wasn't until I was maybe 12 or 13 that my uncle, Nigel, a 30 year royal army veteran who married my aunt, took me under his wing and showed me the beauty and challenge of chasing the native and wild trout of the Appalachian region. Nigel was taught by his grandfather in the UK and has been an ecologically minded fisherman throughout his whole life, and instilled these values in me as well. We treat the fish with respect, we refuse to disturb the fish when we know they are stressed, we leave the stream better than we found it. Our first trip together was in Tucker County, WV, and I was immediately hooked after seeing my first brook trout. Those colors & patterns are so mesmerizing that most every time I refuse to take a picture of the fish, I usually tell others that you just have to see it for yourself. Since that trip with Nigel, I guess it was about 12 years ago now (wow time flies), I have been on an autodidactic mission to educate myself on the ins and outs of Pennsylvania's waterways, trout habitat, life cycle, feeding habits, all the good stuff.
All that said, I have a bit of a European slant to my flyfishing and tend to have fun interactions with other fishermen who maybe call things differently or are perplexed by some methods. I enjoy it, but for a while I've been wanting to connect with other fishermen like me in PA. I have my fishing buddies & we always have good convos and outings, but I've been wanting something more, to feel part of a larger community. The culture of flyfishing, and of America in general, is one of hyperindependence and suspicion/explicit aggression towards outsiders, but only together can we collaborate to conserve trout habitat, communicate observations of stream conditions, call out corruption on our waterways, and come together to protect one thing we all care about: the fish and the habitats in which they reside. I see a lot on this forum that streams need friends, and I couldn't say it better myself.
Don't be afraid to say hi! I need more PA fishermen friends!
All that said, I have a bit of a European slant to my flyfishing and tend to have fun interactions with other fishermen who maybe call things differently or are perplexed by some methods. I enjoy it, but for a while I've been wanting to connect with other fishermen like me in PA. I have my fishing buddies & we always have good convos and outings, but I've been wanting something more, to feel part of a larger community. The culture of flyfishing, and of America in general, is one of hyperindependence and suspicion/explicit aggression towards outsiders, but only together can we collaborate to conserve trout habitat, communicate observations of stream conditions, call out corruption on our waterways, and come together to protect one thing we all care about: the fish and the habitats in which they reside. I see a lot on this forum that streams need friends, and I couldn't say it better myself.
Don't be afraid to say hi! I need more PA fishermen friends!
