Fly Fishing Central Pennsylvania's Elk Creek and Penns Creek in mid-May

After spending a week in the Outer Banks, I returned to central Pennsylvania for my fiancee's graduation. Because of all the weekend festivities, I was only able to fish for a few hours. I nevertheless caught five fish: four at Elk Creek (three on a Panther Martin spinner, one on a copper john nymph) and one at Penns Creek (on a sulphur dun). Both fly-rod landed fish were beauties, and all were wild brown trout.

On my return to New Jersey, I stopped at the Brodhead Creek in the waning daylight. I didn't see any fish rise, nor any sign of trout. Fishing pressure really gets to the Brodhead. In addition, I fished Stony Brook here in Princeton on Wednesday night. The slow moving water was not conducive to fly fishing, and, because I only had an hour, I fished with my late grandfather's favorite style lure - a golden Rapala. I caught two sickly stocked rainbow trout.

I saw a number of wildflowers, including early dames rocket, soapwort, wild geranium, wild columbines, mayapple, pinxter flower, and plenty of tree flowers.


Image #1 - Stony Brook rainbow
Image #2 - Mayapple flower


Overall Total: 31

River Breakdown:

Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)


Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 14
Wild - 14
Stocked - 0

Rainbow Trout - 10
Stocked - 6
Wild - 4

Brook Trout - 7
Wild - 4
Stocked - 3



Wild Trout - 22
Stocked Trout - 9


Trout 15+ Inches: 2


Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Sulphur, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 22 (10 Wild Brown, 4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 9 (4 Wild Brown, 2 Stocked Brook, 3 Stocked Rainbow)


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 23
New Jersey - 8
New York - 0

Fly Fishing New Jersey's Paulinskill and Stony Brook in Early May

This past weekend, I drove up to northern New Jersey to fly fish one of my childhood streams. I spent countless hours at the Paulinskill River as a child, throwing Rapalas to willing stocked trout. It was my late grandfather's favorite stream, and it was there that I learned the basics of trout fishing. As much as I don't like the river for technical reasons - it's slow, it's muddy, it's too warm, and it's full of stocked fish - I nevertheless enjoy stopping by once a year. I'm sure any fly fisherman reading this has a similar stream in mind. You know, a place where you learned the ropes, a place where you caught your first trout, a place where the outdoors became home.

After eating lunch with my sister and two best friends in the Poconos, Jackie and I briefly stopped at the Brodhead. We found more flowers than fish, including purple trillium, large toothwort, wood poppy, golden alexanders, chickweed, and Japanese baneberry. We then decided to head to the Paulinskill. In the overgrown horse pasture that's adjacent to the stream, we found a number of wildflowers: lesser celandine, spring beauty, and dog violets. As for the fishing, I caught two stocked rainbow trout on a size 14 bead-head pheasant-tail nymph and two stocked brook trout on a Rapala (nostalgia, nostalgia, nostalgia).

On our way home, we stopped at Stony Brook in Princeton. Stony Brook is a lot like the Paulinskill: muddy, slow, and full of stocked rainbow trout. In the waning sunlight, I caught one rainbow on a size 16 sulphur dun and another on the Rapala. We also photographed some yellow violets, ragwort, wintercress, thyme-leaved speedwell, and lesser celandine.

Image #1 - Catching the first fish at the Paulinskill
Image #2 - Purple Trillium
Image #3 - Second rainbow trout at the Paulinskill
Image #4 - Wintercress

Overall Total: 24

River Breakdown:

Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Elk Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)


Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 9
Wild - 9
Stocked - 0

Rainbow Trout - 8
Wild - 4
Stocked - 4

Brook Trout - 7
Wild - 4
Stocked - 3



Wild Trout - 17
Stocked Trout - 7


Trout 15+ Inches: 2


Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 20 (8 Wild Brown, 4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 18
New Jersey - 6
New York - 0

Fly Fishing the Grannom Caddis Hatch at Penns Creek

Two weekends ago I fished a number of central Pennsylvania trout streams; indeed, I was lucky enough to fish Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I will thus recount these three days in three separate posts.

After two fruitless attempts to catch trout at Penns Creek in the past few weeks, I decided to try a third time. On the night of April 25th, I headed back out to the big limestone spring-fed stream. As the sun sank back behind the ridges of the gorge, the wild brown trout began rising to grannom caddis flies, black quills, and a few stray blue-winged olives. I missed my first two fish, before landing two in a row. Both of these wild browns were over 15 inches long. Despite the impending darkness, I continued to fish. I ultimately caught two more wild browns. All four fish took a size 14 tan caddis (my two grannom caddis patterns were lost to the wild browns of Fishing Creek the day before).

The grannom caddis hatch is frustrating: while thousands of these speckled insects may line the riparian vegetation and erratically dart above the water, the trout often pay them little attention. I've found that waiting until dusk helps, as the trout sup on the dying adult caddis. During the daytime, I've been successful fishing caddis nymphs in fast runs. Dry flies occassionally produce during the day, but they aren't as successful as underwater options.

Penns Creek is an engimatic, lovely river. While its terrain is often harsh, its fish often fickle, and its water often discolored, the stream will reward a patient angler with a fly fishing experience on par with any offered by an eastern wild trout river. It is big; it is fast; it is tough; and it is my favorite river.

I took the following video of the hatch at about 2 PM. Enjoy!

Image #1 - My first brown
Image #2 - My second brown
Image #3 - Grannom Caddis
Video #1 - A view of the hatch

Overall Total: 18

River Breakdown:

Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Elk Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)


Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 9
Wild - 9
Stocked - 0

Brook Trout - 5
Wild - 4
Stocked - 1

Rainbow Trout - 4
Wild - 4
Stocked - 0


Wild Trout - 17
Stocked Trout - 1


Trout 15+ Inches: 2


Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 17 (8 Wild Brown, 4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 1 (1 Wild Brown)


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 18
New Jersey - 0
New York - 0

Fly Fishing Central Pennsylvania's Penns Creek, Elk Creek, and Fishing Creek

This past weekend I fished a number of central Pennsylvania trout streams; indeed, I was lucky enough to fish Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I will thus recount these three days in three separate posts.

On Saturday Jackie and I decided to enjoy the fabulous weather at Penns Creek. The heat, however, prevented us from thoroughly enjoying ourselves: Jackie found it difficult to work outside, and I found the fishing to be impossible. Despite a robust grannom caddis hatch, the trout were not rising and were not actively taking nymphs. The intersection of unseasonable temperatures and high water may have been the reason for the sluggish fishing. Or maybe I'm just not that good! That being said, it was nice to spend some time at the enigmatic limestone stream. I would return the next night with significantly better results.

After leaving Penns Creek, we stopped briefly at Cherry Run - a small freestone stream that has recently been designated catch-and-release. A few years ago the state decided to transform this once-stocked stream into a wild trout water. This transformation has yet to take complete effect and the wild brook trout population is still rebounding. I didn't catch anything, but near the stream Jackie and I photographed some stunning moss phlox (image #2). After taking the aforementioned pictures, we drove through the Bald Eagle State Forest back to PA Route 45. At this point, I decided to head to Fishing Creek for what I hoped would be a twilight caddis bonanza.

On the way to Fishing Creek, we stopped briefly at Elk Creek. I'd never fished Elk, and walked away impressed after spending 45 minutes wading in its limestone green water. Most of the land around Elk is privately-owned, but a majority of the landowners allow anglers the opportunity to fish the beautiful stream. It is thus designated as a Class A wild trout water and possesses numerous wild brown trout in its fertile riffles and pools. I landed one on my spin-casting rod: a lovely 8 inch fish (image #4). I know that I will be back to Elk sometime in the near future.

Once we arrived at Fishing Creek, Jackie and I photographed some periwinkle, garlic mustard, and dwarf cinquefoil (image #3). While she sat and worked in a grassy field, I fished the grannom caddis hatch. Of all the central Pennsylvania hatches, including the vaunted green drake, I enjoy the grannoms the most. I love how they cling to the riparian vegetation and dart erratically through the air. I also thoroughly enjoy trouts' appetite for these insects. I ended up catching two wild browns on a size 14 black caddis (image #5). It was a very nice day capped off by a delicious dinner at Lewisburg's Vic's Pub.

Image #1: Me fishing at Fishing Creek
Image #2: Moss phlox at Cherry Run
Image #3: Dwarf cinquefoil at Fishing Creek
Image #4: Wild brown trout caught at Elk Creek
Image #5: Wild brown trout caught at Fishing Creek

Overall Total: 14

River Breakdown:

Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Elk Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 5
Wild - 4
Stocked - 1

Brown Trout - 5
Wild - 5
Stocked - 0

Rainbow Trout - 4
Wild - 4
Stocked - 0


Wild Trout - 13
Stocked Trout - 1


Trout 15+ Inches: 0


Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)



Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 13 (4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Brown, 4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 1 (1 Wild Brown)


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 14
New Jersey - 0
New York - 0

Fly Fishing Central Pennsylvania's White Deer Creek in Late April

This past weekend I fished a number of central Pennsylvania trout streams; indeed, I was lucky enough to fish Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I will thus recount these three days in three separate posts.

On Friday Jackie and I drove to White Deer Creek, a freestone stream that meanders through Bald Eagle State Forest en route to its confluence with the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. After debating where to stop, we headed for the short fly-fishing only stretch of water that exists on White Deer. We enjoyed ourselves despite the relatively slow trout activity: I threw nymphs into the creek's fast runs and Jackie read in the warm sun. Along the bank we spotted some trailing arbutus, a creeping wildflower that owns a magnificent scent (image #3). In the end, though, I only caught one fish: a stocked brook trout that took a bead-head green weenie (image #2).

I find White Deer Creek to be somewhat of an insufferable place: the river is beautiful, but it is too heavily fished, relies too much on a stocking regimen, and lacks the prolific hatches of its neighboring limestone creeks. In a way, White Deer reminds me of my home waters in the Pocono Mountains. These are streams that could be amazing, but suffer from many of the aforementioned problems. But a fish is a fish, the day was beautiful, and we took some lovely pictures.

Check back soon for further updates!


Overall Total: 10

River Breakdown:

Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Fishing Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 5
Wild - 4
Stocked - 1

Rainbow Trout - 4
Stocked - 0
Wild - 4

Brown Trout - 2
Stocked - 0
Wild - 2


Wild Trout - 10
Stocked Trout - 1


Trout 15+ Inches: 0


Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)



Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 11 (4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 0


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 11
New Jersey - 0
New York - 0

Fly Fishing Spring Creek, Penns Creek, and Fishing Creek in April

In the last two weeks I've had the opportunity to fish three of my favorite Pennsylvania wild trout streams. Unfortunately, I've been slow in updating these visits (lots of work).

My first trip was to Centre County's Spring Creek - a beautiful limestone spring-fed stream that lays claim to the oldest fly fishing-only water in the United States. The wild brown and rainbow trout were rising in the shade on this sunny April Saturday. I caught one brown under a bridge with a crazy backwards cast. The fish took a size 16 blue quill. I landed a rainbow further down the river on a blue winged olive, size 18 (image #1). It was nice to catch a few fish on top of the water; indeed, nothing beats the excitement of a wild trout rising to a dry fly. In addition, I caught two rainbows on a green weenie, size 14, along the shoreline and one rainbow on a scud pattern, size 16, in the middle of a rapids section. It was a wonderful day on the water. I found only one new wildflower, though: bloodroot (image #2).

Last weekend, on my way out to central Ohio, I stopped and fished Penns Creek and Fishing Creek (Clinton County). Penns was way too high, and Jackie and I left after about an hour. We did find some spring beauty (image #4), violets, bluets, coltsfoot, and ground ivy.

Fishing Creek was likewise high, but I managed to land a 14 inch wild brown on a size 8 golden stonefly nymph pattern (image #3). Jackie also photographed the exiquisitely beautiful trout lily (image #5).


Image #1: Wild rainbow from Spring Creek
Image #2: Bloodroot
Image #3: Wild brown from Fishing Creek
Image #4: Spring Beauty found at Penns Creek
Image #5: Trout lily


Overall Total: 10

River Breakdown:

Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Fishing Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 4
Wild - 4
Stocked - 0

Rainbow Trout - 4
Stocked - 0
Wild - 4

Brown Trout - 2
Stocked - 0
Wild - 2


Wild Trout - 10
Stocked Trout - 0


Trout 15+ Inches: 0


Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 10 (4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Wild Brown)
Spinning Rod - 0


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 10
New Jersey - 0
New York - 0

Trout Update #1: Fly Fishing Marshalls Creek in March

I spent about thirty minutes at Marshalls Creek today, ultimately catching my first few trout of 2009. I fished the pool beneath my favorite waterfall with my 6'6" fly rod - a rod replete with 1 wt-WF fly line. Despite its short casting range, the "flea rod" responds quickly to small fish. In the cold March water, four native brook trout snatched up a size 14 bead-head wooly bugger streamer. It was a beautiful day and I was relieved to land a few trout: I've been very busy, and subsequently went over 70 days of 2009 without catching any.

Before I begin my trout breakdown, I'd like to say a few words about native trout. By definition, a wild trout is a fish that has spent its entire life in a stream or lake; however, the species itself may not be "native" to the specific body of water in which it resides. A native is thus a trout born in a river that historically supports that species. For example, Penns Creek is full of wild brown trout that are not native to the river (brown trout hail from Europe). Marshalls Creek, on the other hand, has an abundant population of brook trout - a char native to eastern North America. The fish that I caught today were therefore wild native brook trout (upper Marshalls Creek (above the town) hasn't seen a stocked fish in a long time; the only evidence of stocking I've encountered is an occasional memory from a Pocono lifer, and one non-native rainbow trout I caught there when I was 15). It is likely that these fish have reproduced unimpeded for a number of years. Marshalls Creek's numerous waterfalls prevent other types of fish from threatening or intermixing with its native brook trout, fostering a group of isolated native fish. I believe that this isolation explains why Marshalls Creek brook trout are visibly distinctive: note their overall dark bodies, vibrant orange bellies, brilliant white-tinged fins, and numerous bright red and purple spots. Only DNA testing, coupled with historical evidence, could ascertain the degree of nativeness these fish possess. Still, I would offer an educated guess that they are aboriginal to the stream.

Image #1: My first brook trout, about 4 inches.
Image #2: My second brook trout, about 5 inches.
Image #3: My fourth brook trout, about 6 inches. Note its damaged tail-fin. Wild trout encounter injury in a myriad of ways: floods, predators (bigger fish, herons, raccoons), human interaction, etc.
Image #4: The flea rod and the waterfall.

Overall Total: 4

River Breakdown:

Marshalls Creek - 4 (Wild Brook)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 4
Wild - 4
Stocked - 0

Brown Trout - 0
Stocked - 0
Wild - 0

Rainbow Trout - 0
Stocked - 0
Wild - 0

Tiger Trout - 0
Wild - 0
Stocked - 0


Wild Trout - 4
Stocked Trout - 0


Trout 15+ Inches: 0


Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Spinning Rod - 0


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 4
New Jersey - 0
New York - 0

Additional Photos

It's been awhile since my last post; however, I haven't had the opportunity to go fishing in quite some time. Cold, snowy weather and an increasingly busy and complicated semester have prohibited me from getting out. Still, I would like to post some additional pictures that I haven't included in my previous posts. Check back soon, as I hope to do some fly fishing (maybe as early as tomorrow!).





Penns Creek in August, 2008.










Ice Fishing fun at Round Valley Reservoir, 2009.









Cardinal Flower growing near the Delaware and Raritan Canal, 2008.









A porcupine at Penns Creek, fall 2008.









A crappie caught through the ice at Jefferson Lake, 2009.







A largemouth bass caught through the ice at Jefferson Lake, 2009.








A downy woodpecker and a house finch, 2008.







Finches at the feeder, 2008.

Ice Fishing New Jersey in 2009

I've been ice fishing three times over the past few weeks. These three trips have consequently brought me to some of the Garden State's most revered freshwater fisheries: Round Valley Reservoir, Spruce Run Reservoir, and Jefferson Lake. As a fly fisherman whose primary interest is catching wild trout on rod-and-fly, I rarely, if ever, fish waters like the aforementioned lakes. Indeed, all three are well-regarded: in addition to claiming a significant amount of state fishing records, Round Valley is the southern-most body of water in the United States to contain a naturally reproductive lake trout population; Spruce Run is known for its hybrid bass and its ferocious northern pike; and Jefferson Lake is considered a solid producer of black crappie. It was therefore a fantastic experience to fish these three reservoirs (Jefferson Lake is a minor one, the other two are major water-supply centers).

Ice fishing is cold, strenuous, frustrating, back-breaking, and dangerously slippery. It is also rewarding, full of exercise, and fun. Most importantly, ice fishing is an activity that allows ardent anglers the opportunity to catch fish in the most difficult season of the year. For those who have never done it, I will briefly describe the process.

Firstly, you choose a body of water safely frozen over (the cold winter of 2009 has basically made every lake - and some sluggish rivers - in northern New Jersey good targets). You then pack up all the essential equipment you'll need: a device to cut through the ice (augers are the most common; my family, however, uses a spud bar), tip-ups (wooden instruments that alert you when a fish bites), an ice strainer (dualistically used to scoop ice from a newly formed hole and break-up ice that adheres to tip-ups throughout the day), bait (typically minnows), various tackle (hooks, sinkers, extra line, etc.), a portable chair, and food/drink (beer has sustained and warmed ice fishers for millennia). Next, you drive to the lake and place your equipment onto a sled (we use a cheap Wal-Mart plastic one) and begin cutting a hole in the ice. Once all your tip-ups are located in the water, you sit back and wait.

Last weekend's trip to Round Valley marked my fiancée Jackie's first ice fishing experience. After some initial trepidation, she stepped out on the ice and enjoyed herself. My best friend Will also came, as did my father Marvin, his neighbor Joe, his co-worker Brett, and my little brother Sean. After a few hours we had only caught one fish - a chain pickerel that my dad noticed had not set off the tip-up properly. Jackie, however, ice skated on a frozen lake for the first time. Everyone had a great time, even if the spot was overcrowded and over-fished.

On January 30th, I went to Spruce Run by myself. I arrived shortly after 11 AM and stayed until 5:30 PM. During the entirety of my stay I had one flag go up; it, however, turned out to be nothing more than an overzealous minnow. It wasn't a complete failure: I was able to spend a few hours to myself, get some exercise (10 inches of ice is a lot of work!), read a book, and enjoy a beautiful sunset. My decision to go there was based almost entirely on a desire to catch a northern pike. My father believes that pike are the holy grail of freshwater fish. He claims to have caught one twenty years ago, and ever since he's talked about how rare and singular a fish it is. It is not. And the only way I could ever prove its ubiquity to him would be to catch a few myself. Alas, I spent six cold hours on a windy, frozen lake because of an incessant need to prove a point. A point, it should be noted, that I have YET to make.

Today, though, my father and I drove to Jefferson Lake (located in Sussex County) and had much better luck. After parking in a very full lot, we made a bee-line to a cove once suggested to him by his wife's late father. It was an excellent spot. Thirty minutes after we got there I caught a 24+ inch pickerel; it was so big it almost didn't fit through the hole I chopped. We ended up with seven fish total (not a bad day, especially following my six hours of nothing on Spruce Run): 3 largemouth bass (one was about 16 inches and 2 lbs., the other two smaller), 2 pickerel (my monster and a smaller one), and 2 black crappies (my family's first crappies through the ice). It was an exciting day.

Ice fishing is also a great opportunity to see wildlife. During my three days on the ice I saw: a red fox, white-tailed deer, squirrel, vulture, red-tailed hawk, slate-eyed junco, tern, starling, flicker, pileated woodpecker, and a kingfisher (must be tough for kingfishers when all the water's frozen!).

If you've never been ice fishing, I suggest you bundle up and give it a try!

Image #1: Will and Jackie making a hole at Round Valley.
Image #2: Sunset at Spruce Run.
Image #3: Jefferson Lake.
Image #4: The big pickerel.
Image #5: A tip-up.
Image #6: The big(ger) bass.
Image #7: My dad's feast.

Covered Bridges of Central Pennsylvania

Because January, February, and parts of March are difficult months to fly fish, I've decided to write a short post about a few Pennsylvania covered bridges I photographed over the past weekend. I've always been fascinated by these beautiful and increasingly rare structures. For me, they are indicative of the process by which people transform objects of utility into works of art. Indeed, the roof of a covered bridge was a technological achievement designed to prolong the integrity of a bridge's wooden frame by shielding it from snow, rain, and ice. However, covered bridges' wooden sides and roofs became a canvas for artistic display - builders and local communities were able to select colors (the traditional red being the most common), signs (hex signs are frequently found on covered bridges in the heart of Pennsylvania German country), and other forms of adornment (flood level lines, local lovers' graffiti, etc.).

I have been searching and photographing covered bridges for a few years. As a fly fisherman, it provides me with an excuse to seek out new rivers in the middle of wintertime. I hope you enjoy the three bridges Jackie and I photographed a few days ago in Pennsylvania's Snyder and Juniata counties.



The Aline Covered Bridge is located in Snyder County. The bridge was constructed in 1884 over the Mahntango Creek.







The North Oriental Covered Bridge is located on the border between Snyder and Juniata counties. It was ameliorated in the 80's and again in 2003.






The Mesier's Mill Covered Bridge is located in Juniata County. It was built in 1907 and spans the Hahantango Creek.

Fly Fishing "Beginnings" Part II

Because January, February, and parts of March are traditionally difficult months to fly fish, I have turned my attention to writing longer pieces about the sport. Periodically I will update the blog with segments from these essays. Here is Part II of a piece entitled "Beginnings." (Please forgive the unedited, rough quality of these drafts!)

"Beginnings" Part II

Fly fishing in the Catskills, as Matt Supinski notes, “was religion to the native…population” in the nineteenth century (34). While the United States encountered rapid industrialization in the late 1800s, Theodore Gordon, the inventor of the important Quill Gordon fly pattern, refined his casting technique and tested his experimental patterns in the Beaverkill’s striking Covered Bridge Pool. As the nineteenth century passed into the twentieth, Edward Hewitt, widely credited with inventing felt-bottomed wading boots and numerous patterns, fished the Neversink. These two men, along with all the countless others history has bypassed, opened America’s eyes to the wondrous spectacle of landing trout with rod and fly. Accordingly, all contemporary Catskill fly fisherman stand in the chilly birth-waters of their sport’s origin; for any serious angler, it is both a humbling and empowering experience to fish these singular rivers.

Once I arrived in Hancock, NY – a small town located directly adjacent to the confluence of the Delaware’s West and East Branches – I stopped at a gas station and bought some bottled water to help combat the heat. Because the Pennsylvania side offers easier access to the river, I next drove over the Delaware and into the far northeastern section of the Keystone State. Parked alongside the wide, flat river, I saw a number of cars and trucks sporting diverse license plates. Indeed, nothing demonstrates a river’s renowned reputation like the license plates of the vehicles that adorn its banks. At the Upper Delaware, a traveler may encounter any of the following: your predictable, I’m-so-lucky-to-live-within-an-easy-day’s-
drive-of-this-beautiful-river plates, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey; your intrepid, I’ve-traveled-hundreds-of-miles-to
-fish-the-best-trout-river-east-of-the-Mississippi-plates, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut; your ridiculous, I’m-tired-of-always-fishing-great-rivers-out-West
-so-I-think-I’ll-try-this-one-only-to-realize-that-the-West-is-by-far-superior plates, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming; and your foreign, I-think-I’ll-drive-down-from-Canada-to-see-what-all-the-fuss-is-aboot plates, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. The Delaware is that kind of river – a gem, a beauty, and, of course, a destination.

Fly Fishing "Beginnings"

Because January, February, and parts of March are traditionally difficult months to fly fish, I have turned my attention to writing longer pieces about the sport. Periodically I will update the blog with segments from these essays. Here is Part I of a piece entitled "Beginnings." (Please forgive the unedited, rough quality of these drafts!)


"Beginnings" Part I

I drove my rusted 1992 Chevy Blazer, a vehicle I not-so-lovingly refer to as “the beast,” nearly three hours to the Upper Delaware River system on a ninety degree day in June of 2008. My body ignored the heat – the beast, of course, does not possess a stellar air conditioning unit – as my mind filled up with images of stunning waters, soaring bald eagles and rising West Branch wild browns. However, reality would not equal my daydreams: the water was overrun with nasty green algae that coated all my underwater flies, the eagles were flying elsewhere, and the typically fickle Delaware browns refused every dry fly I threw their way. My emotions that day included anger, exhaustion, anger, disappointment, and anger. Yet, as I drove home sunburnt and mud-encrusted, I realized that fishing failures, at least for me, often illuminate profound experiences usually masked by the glamor and excitement of a successful day on the water.

Despite the journey’s route through some of northern New Jersey’s post-industrial badlands, the ride from the center of the Garden State to the small New York town of Hancock is not entirely unpleasant. As the ride progresses, the bucolic farms of central Jersey – lined at that time of year with adolescent shin-high sweet corn – disappear into the depressing, yet eerily beautiful, industrial decay of cities like Newark and Elizabeth. Eventually, the broken windows of former textile factories and the stench of oil refineries gives way to the trees and cleaner air of New York’s Catskill region. The final leg of the trip winds through various mountains and passes through the Catskill locales of Middletown, Monticello, and Roscoe – three potential stops where a forgetful angler may purchase any necessary last minute equipment.

Once I exited onto New York Route 17, I rolled down my windows to let in the cool moving air. The scent of rural life filled the beast and easily supplanted the smell of musty waders and muddy boots. My mood and optimism rose as I crossed the well-known Neversink River, the underrated Willowemac Creek, the historically productive Beaverkill River, and the green waters of the Delaware’s East Branch. As any avid eastern fly fisherman could - and probably would – tell you, these Catskill streams are where American fly fishing was transformed from a localized pastime into the multi-million dollar industry we recognize today.