Brooks, Browns, & Bows

New Toys...

2012-01-29T08:33:00.001-05:00

Due to the rainy weather and some snow spitting in the forecast, Jimmy and I were rather productive. I asked my father in-law if they were going to use their deer feeder that they had sitting in the shed. Since they were not using the feeder, they had no problem passing it on. Jim and I hit up Gander Mountain yesterday prior to picking up feed and the feeder at Alicia's parents house. Having some money left from returns from Christmas, I decided to get a trail camera as well. I am really excited about this camera. Here is my first test shot above. hopefully the deer begin to show up soon.

Grouse...

2011-12-16T13:10:00.004-05:00

Being Jared is really on a Bird Hunting kick, I figured I would add one of my own. This grouse was killed in the ANF (Allegheny National Forest), with the help of my outstanding guide Garrett Brain and his trusty Gordon Setter (Danner). We had about 30 flushes in 2 1/2 days of hunting, it was a great time and can't wait to do it again!
You have to love the Nemacolin Shooting Academy promotion also...

A look back...

2011-12-16T12:55:00.002-05:00

Here are a few pics from last summer. As we approach winter I though it would be nice to look back at a great season. This past season at Nemacolin was awesome, we had a chance to meet and fish with a lot of great people. I already can't wait for spring, and this upcoming season is already shaping up to be great! I also am making a promise to myself to stay on top of the blogging. I really fell off this past season, I left a bunch of great memories undocumented. So my early New Years resolutions is... That's not going to happen this season, so be ready for more pics, videos , and what ever else we can throw at you.
Tight Lines and bring on 2012... The year of the "FISH"

WVU Tailgate and Birds...

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Big Help from Dad and Jimmy with the cook out for the Back Yard Brawl....

In the foil is a deer hind quarter rubbed in a roasted garlic peppercorn rub. Then we drizzled red wine over it. The two side cars are pork tenderloins that had a spicy coffee rub on it as well.

Brisket and two racks of ribs.

Zoie and I with a solid day with her.

Jimmy and Zoie posing for a photo.

Picked up a new Stoeger Uplander 28 Gauge at Ace's this weekend.

Had a solid Holiday and had a chance to get away to hunt with the dog. On Thanksgiving morning, Jim and I met up for a short hunt in the morning. All we ran into was a flock of turkeys at a local game land. We were still looking for a few stray birds in the fields, but it was rather soggy out and we decided to work up the hill instead. All in all it was a good workout prior to the fest later that day.
On Black Friday, while my wife was out searching out the great deals, Dad, Jimmy and I had taken the grill to a friends house to tailgate for the Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and Pittsburgh. We ended up cooking for close to 50 people and had a great time doing it. I also want to mention that people loved my Smoked Portabellas with blue cheese on them. Always a huge hit.
After waking up with little sleep, Jim was at the house Saturday morning bright and early for some all day bird hunting. We met up with his Uncle Rory and went to a local game land. We saw one bird and it was from a distance. It had crossed the road into a farm land that was posted. Zoie wasn't really birdie that morning due to the lack of scents. We then headed up the mountain to grab a bit to eat at Subway as well as plan our next spot. We hit up another game land in the mountain and was able to flush one Grouse. Jim had the only shot at it, but it was a distance away and moving quickly. We had taken a small break then headed over to the farm to finish up for the day. Zoie at first busted a few birds. But after I reflected on the hunt, I felt that I had her hunt with the wind rather than into it. When we had worked back into the other direction, she started to point really well and held her ground as long as the birds held still. I thought she did rather well and next time I will have my camera. She was very stylish on her points and her tail was straight as can be. She held tight until we flushed the birds. My favorite was when she had point a covey of quail. Between Jim and I, four pheasant, one chukar, and one quail. What a solid weekend for sure.
I have also got on the bench this week. I will post some photos soon on what I have been tying. Enjoy...

Steelhead on Dry Fly

2011-11-28T22:18:00.001-05:00

Mike had sent me these photos from his latest trip up to Erie for some steelhead. He had a great day on the water, but one fish really stood out. It was the one he was able to land on a dry fly. What a rush it was to see this steelhead take a fly on the surface. Hope you enjoy the photos....

1st Bird Shot Over Zoie...

2011-11-28T21:07:00.000-05:00

My Spanish SxS 20 gauge.....

Zoie after her first hunt at my parent's house....

She loves those birds...

After Chuck and I had gun broke Zoie, He said take her out and see how it goes for about an hour in the field. As per Chuck's instruction, I waited for her to point the birds before I shot instead of just shooting those that were just flushed by her. This required some patience, but I wanted to reinforce the right behavior. She had flushed five birds before she started to hold a point. Being a modest hunter, I will say I missed a few birds before I bagged my 1st with my 20 gauge. All in all, I must say that this was a memorable evening. Just wanted to share some photos from that evening...

Video From a Orvis School Graduate on a Trip With Mike Steiner....

2011-11-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

Here is a video from earlier this season! Thanks for spending some time with us Jonathan....

With Chuck for a Pheasant Hunt....

2011-11-28T20:33:00.000-05:00

Jake retrieving a bird back to Chuck. Jake does few rolls after he gives the bird back. It is his way of celebrating.

Jake holding tight on a bird.

Hunter bringing back a bird as well.

Chuck and his dog, Hunter.

This was an eventful day. I was on bye week during the football season and I had some things I wanted to accomplish. For starters, I wanted to watch a pheasant hunt to see how Chuck handles his dogs in the field. I asked if I could help out as well as take some photos. It turned out that I had actually taken this couple out on a fishing trip a few years prior to that day. I really enjoyed watching Jake and Hunter work the field. Two different styles. Jake is very aggressive and will just hop around in search of his birds. Hunter will work very close but efficiently in the field. The next behavior i wanted to accomplish was gun breaking my dog. Chuck and I had worked a few nights before to work towards finishing this task that evening. My next post will have those photos from that as well and Zoie's 1st hunt.

Zoie Loves Birds...

2011-09-27T20:05:00.000-04:00

My sister and I went this past Sunday to the mountains. Zoie is listening very well in the field to basic commands. She is flash pointing and holding for a solid 6 or 7 seconds before she attempts to creep up on the bird. Each time we go, she is getting better with holding her point. Been working with Roy Sisler at Hunting Hills. His knowledge and experience is second to none when it comes to developing your dog. I will heading over tomorrow evening for some more work with Zoie. Going to start firing some blanks around her while working some pigeons.

While at the farm, we flushed five quail and one Rooster Pheasant. Solid morning for sure. She just keeps getting better. In the evening, I met up with Garrett and his Gordan Setter. Flushed four more pheasant at another location. Zoie had a solid point on the third bird. Real stylish for sure.

Fishing Pictures...

2011-09-27T19:57:00.000-04:00

Her first fishing trip ever and she is a natural.

Celebrating a day on the water with his wife. Probably the most fun I had on the river this summer. This couple was tons of fun.

Chuck with some pictures from Montana this past August. We are working on a trip for next year this time.

Nice Brown.

Can't go to Montana with out finding a few Cutts.

I've Been Busy...

2011-08-06T19:46:00.000-04:00

So over the past month, I have been crazy busy with work. So this post is basically a recap of what has been going on. These are just some highlights among all of the guided trip, casting lessons, tying lessons, and trapping for sporting clays.

Left work with Garrett to help his dad and their friends with the flight pen they have completed for all 800+ pheasants that were loaded in here.

Flight Pen....

A few weeks ago, we held a PA State Shoot. I saw some unreal competitors shoot a course that not easy. Here is a picture of one of the stations with a tower set up to throw some targets. I actually had a ton of fun working this shoot. I also saw some sweet shotguns.

Saw this guy on the course. What a big dog for 6 months old. Reminded myself of my parents Fox Red Lab.

Here is a picture of Skout, Zoie's Dad.

On the Saturday during the PA State Shoot, We set a course earlier in the week for some US Congressmen to shoot sporting clays. I think the most fun that I had was talking to the capital police prior to the event. This is a photo of our upland hunting preserve. It is roughly 300 acre full of the proper habitat for game birds.

Liz Triggs celebrating her 50th birthday on a fishing trip with her sister. We did rather well for not having any experience fly fishing before.

I will never lay tile ever again. My brother and I spent 4 day laying new ceramic tile in my kitchen.

Mrs. Webster, completed her time at the Orvis Fly Fishing school. This was the following Monday morning on the Yough River. I really liked this photo of the fog early in the morning. She landed 7 or 8 fish on a Caddis Dry. She was probably the most enthusiastic fisherman I have been around as well as a solid fisherman. Dave, the other gentlemen in the fly fishing school had one of the most interesting things I have ever seen. He brought in a chest of flies. Quality ties of some Mid-Western flies. Dave had some experience fly fishing, but got him to throw some serious line by the end of the class. What a great student.

My dog being stir crazy with the house being a mess due to all of the tile being put in the kitchen. She found two capes of Grizzily and Brown. Fly Tyers and Hair Dressers wept a tear that day.

Zoie running the preserve. We finally found a rooster.

Larry had taken out a guided trip while Mike and I had a fishing school. Larry and Patrick from the Fly Bible fished the Savage River. They did rather well and landed fish on Hoppers as well. The Fly Bible is a solid site that chronicles Patrick's fishing experiences. What I was most impressed about was his fly tying ability. For only tying for two years, his tying is very strong. I would check out his some of his quality warm water ties.

The Fly Bible

My latest trip week. We landed 25+ fish on Beaver Creek. We really got after it. I hope that you enjoyed recap post for this month. I did fish the Savage River Thursday and will post some pictures of Wild Browns. So shortly I will post again.

Could Have Been a Great Day...

2011-07-10T11:16:00.000-04:00

Looks exactly like the fish that Joel did as a water color on "A Year on the Fly"....

Sipping Ants on the bank...

What a fish on a dry...

A nice fish on an Rs2...

Went up to Spring Creek on Thursday to be a snob and throw dry flies. Well, it paid off. I did nymph a few runs and that is why I said my day could have been better. I hooked five browns that were close if not over 20+ inches on my special midge pattern. The only part was that my hook sets were not solid, and the fish ran in the faster water. Needless to say I did not land any of them. I also had an equipment malfunction with my reel on the one as well. It was my fault as well. I had the drag set too low and the line went crazy on me when a fish ran.
Ok, I am done ranting about my problems at Spring Creek. We did land numerous other fish. At the Orvis gathering in March, Thomas Baltz, and well known guide and fly tyer for Orvis, hooked us up with some flies at that time. Man, did his Ant pattern produce fish. If you get a chance, you will see him at most of the Fly Fishing shows tying as well. Solid guy to know and one hell of a guide as well.
Yesterday during a trip at the river, I hit a rock with my shin and tumbled into the water. First time I have fallen during a trip ever. My guests got a small chuckle, but my phone was rather soaked. So I am with out my Droid X till tuesday when a new one comes via FedEx. Decent top water action with some Caddis still, but that was affected by the increase of water that was let out of the dam that morning. The bugs happened about 3 hours later than normal. After the trip in the morning and lunch, We headed out to shoot some sporting clays. I must say, it is much easier to break a clay than learning to dry fly fish for the first time. The couple really enjoyed themselves and look to have them back to fish later in the year.

New Fishing Vehicle...

2011-07-05T10:37:00.000-04:00

Finally parted with the VW Jetta last week. Traded it in for a Ford Escape. I felt it would be a bit more room, which was needed. And it also would be safer for Zoie riding from place to place. I also got a kennel for her to ride in as well.

New fishing vehicle.....

Last Week...

2011-07-05T10:33:00.000-04:00

Tyler with a nice Bow on a Caddis dry..

Mike and Jonathan, who just completed our Orvis school, working behind Tyler and I during some morning trips. Tyler and I had around 35 fish rise to my CDC Caddis pattern that has produced all summer for me. The river has been fishing very well and the dry fly fishing is in full swing. The middle of the river can be difficult in the middle of the day, but Iso, Olives, and Caddis are around. I also have seen some larger stones around.

In the Field...

2011-06-25T09:20:00.001-04:00

Had Zoie in the field yesterday with Garrett and Mike as well. I started out by having her on a 30' check cord, but removed it after I felt she wasn't going to run off. After her 1st big run, I noticed her having alot of natural ability. She is checking the wind and quartering back around on every pass. As you can see in the picture above, she was a muddy soaked mess afterwards. She found the pond on that property for a quick drink as well as an opportunity to get dirty. That got my mind going about packing a field bag to leave in the car for first aid, towels, etc. Here is a short video of her starting to work in the field. The video isn't all that much, just her running around. We just felt the need to not give her any commands and continue to walk in a direction. I think she got the idea of what was going on. Just a day in the field to see what she has. Enjoy...

A Peek Into the Scott Factory...

2011-06-23T10:02:00.000-04:00

Scott | behind the scenes from Scott Fly Rods on Vimeo.

I do enjoy a well made rod and Scott makes one for sure. When I first started getting into the sport, this was one of the rods that I wanted for sure. Maybe I will get one of these soon. Garrett, a guide with us, loves Scott rods. And why not, they are an great fishing tool.

PM Trip, Angry Bluegill, and Zoie

2011-06-22T15:52:00.001-04:00

Had a trip with Greg, Matt, and Aaron on Monday at the river. It was teaming with Caddis, but were a bit gun shy from the pressure from this past weekend. I used some of my CDC Caddis patterns that forced about 30 fish to rise. They did rather well for not having any experience fly fishing. Matt did the best by landing three bows and a brown.

After the trip, Mike and I left the Field Club to check out a pond on property. We caught one bass right at dusk and spooked two nice ones early on. We decided that we threw the mouse pattern too early. So we ended up with a bunch of angry looking Bluegills like this one pictured above. After this post, we are headed to an awesome farm pond for some bass tonight.

Last but not least, Zoie is officially house trained. Her is a picture of her telling it is time to go out. She is progressing rather well. Still working on basic obedience with her. Just picked up a Tri-Tronic collar for training later down the road as well. But none the less, a quick Zoie update.

Sharptail Media..

2011-06-21T09:52:00.000-04:00

Stripped Verity from Sharptail Media on Vimeo.

Saw this video on Orvis News this morning while I was sitting on the deck. Its a short clip, but it really does explain how simple a fly rod is. Well, need to get a shower and head up to the resort. Have a trip at 1pm...

Happy Fathers Day

2011-06-19T06:34:00.000-04:00

Savage...

2011-06-16T10:23:00.000-04:00

Mike working a few fish..

Typical Savage Brown...

After Mike and I landed five in this hole, we both tried working this 20 inch brown. We both missed him. He moved six feet to chase my dry fly. Mike missed him on a dropper.

Nice Brown that I landed a few holes up. Real hard drift, but saw him rising. Any fish that we saw rise, we caught. Most of the day we blind casted dries in riffles and close to the banks. We had some success. Mike landed the Savage Slam. A Brook, Brown, and Bow.

I love Fins...

The was was perfect with lots of bugs flying around. Garrett, Mike, AJ, and I did rather well on the river. Lime Sallies, Caddis, Olives, Sulfurs, and etc. Can't wait to get back down there rather soon. Every time I head to this river, I do get better and better. My patterns that I have been tying for here are finally working as well as reducing the micro drag on the fly helps as well. Enjoy the pics...

Past Week....

2011-06-14T09:48:00.001-04:00

Mike, Chuck, and I on the river with the fog rolling in....

Business is picking up a bit more now that people are starting to head out on vacation. This week I had a trip with Garrett and a group of men on the river. We ran into a solid caddis hatch which produced fish for all.

On Saturday, I had taken out Robert Young and his wife for an afternoon trip to our private stream. We had a few strikes and our best success was on a red copper john that afternoon. We tried some buggers but only a few chased. Around 4 o'clock, we were hit with a thunderstorm. At that point, we went back to the resort. Robert's wife, Mary, was a natural and really picked up the casting rather quickly. They are heading out to Montana in a few weeks and she wanted some instruction.

In the picture above, I have been tying alot since school has let out. I needed some rusty spinners in various sizes. I need them from #14 to #24 for the river. I have tied a dozen of each last night while my setter pup was past out. Zoie has been doing well. We have our ups and downs. Jut working alot of basic obedience and hoping it sticks here soon. My wife is doing a good job with her as well due to the consistency we are using in training her.

Well off to finish my coffee on the deck. Solid day ahead. Gotta work the dog some and then head to the river. And I'm a good husband and neighbor, cut the grass.

Zoie on the Road....

2011-06-05T19:14:00.001-04:00

Striking the pose...

Finding the tails planted by the tree...

My parents fox red lab, Tucker...

Just liked the lighting in this photo...

Zoie and I jumped in the care for a ride to my parents house. I wanted her to be around the labs as well as have my dad check her out in action. I had her out with the pheasant tails in the yard for about 30-35 minutes. I tried something different today just to see how it would go. Before we got over to my grandma's yard across the street, I had taken the tails and dragged them around the yard. I then place the tails in some high grass beside a tree. I had my dad bring her into the yard. She found the scent and with in 20 seconds was pointing on the tails. I have noticed that when I put the fishing pole away with the tails, Zoie would continue to work the yard in search of the tails.

Day 2: Introduction to Pheasant

2011-06-04T07:57:00.001-04:00

Starting to get her interested in the scent....

By the end of the short 20 minute session, Zoie would hold on a bird for 15 to 25 seconds until I started to move it a little bit. She would also let me stroke her tail upward to frame up her point. I was able to reward her a bit and started to use the "Whoa" command. We will work more on this today a bit to continue to introduce her to birds. After I get her introduced to the birds what is the next progression? Enjoy the pictures. My brother stopped by as well to assist in the training as well as pictures.

New Addition...

2011-06-04T07:44:00.002-04:00

On Thursday, I picked up my English Setter pup. We named her Zoie. She has good energy and a solid nose. I am still working on her and Macie on getting along with each other at the house. I am sure they will work things out eventually. I have been reading up a good bit about training her, but it seems like there are many different views on how to start. It is somewhat overwhelming at times. I can fly fish with the best of them, but this new pup is going to be a challenge and a rewarding experience as well. Any ideas are welcome.

1st Trip...

2011-06-01T21:27:00.006-04:00

A little over a week ago I had the opportunity to take another person out for there first time fly fishing. Jeremy is 17 years old and had done a little fishing in the past with his mother Sharon, but this was the first go with the fly rod. This was a very interesting trip because Jeremy had his own personal photographer (mom). Sharon was able to document the day with some very nice pictures and video. Jeremy did quite well for a newbie, he was able to land fish using multiple techniques, and even got one to eat a dry... It was great for Sharon to spend this day with Jeremy. Hopefully this is the first of many fly fishing adventures they will enjoy together. I hope everyone enjoys the video, it's a great way to document the day...

The Golden Ticket....

2011-05-25T09:53:00.000-04:00

Went to another local stream the other night in pursuit of the drakes and they were present as usual. Mike and I met up around 4:00pm to fish and we did pretty well nymphing for the first 2 hours. Between the two of us we had 25-30 fish landed in that run. Then the thunderstorms came by and had us get out of the water. While on the banks, we started to see drakes doing their thing on the surface. Garrett joined us for some dry fly action in the evening. There were alot of March Brown Spinners, Tan Caddis, BWO, and Yellow Sallies flying around. Its getting better each and every day.

In other news, I was offered a great bird dog puppy for a good rate. I am working on my wife to allow me to get this puppy. Great bloodlines and parents were grand champion grouse dogs. Maybe sometime this week I will have pictures of a new English Setter on the blog to add a new feature to this blog. I plan on journaling my training progress through the blog if I end up with the puppy. Garrett, the newest guide to our operation, has a Gordon Setter. Great looking dog with a good nose. Here is a photo of his setter.

Good Old Friend Is Back....

2011-05-24T09:07:00.000-04:00

Needs no explanation....

Nice Brown....

Left after school to fish in the mountains for the evening. There was a decent amount of bugs in the air, but only a few fish willing to play on the surface. In the air were March Browns, Green Drakes, Yellow Sallies, and the occasional Olive. I had to nymph most of the evening and a large stone seemed to work rather well with a dropper. Around 7pm, I noticed a few fish rising to some drakes, but only managed two fish on top. I met up with Mike after his trip and we caught about 15 from 6pm to dusk. Hopefully the flows continue to drop a little bit more and fish will look up some more. Tight Lines...

Little "J"...

2011-05-13T19:37:00.005-04:00

This past week I had the opportunity to fish the Little Juanita twice. The first day being 05-08-11 (Happy Mother's Day MOM) and the second was 05-10-11.

Day 1: Had a chance to fish with two fellow Blogger's Matt and Bill (Grobe's Angling and Adventures). Most of day one was all about the subsurface game, my most consistent set up was a Dun Sulphur with various nymph patterns as the dropper. I think there were enough Sulphurs hatching periodically through out the day it had the fish feeding higher in the water column. So I fished a very shallow dropper rig and it produced. The best fish I caught this day is the very bottom picture. Unfortunately it really never turned on as far as the dry fly actions goes, but still fished well most of the day.

Day 2: This is now only two days later, but the fishing was very different! Early morning produced a decent tan caddis hatch, this had the fish going for at least two hours. Garret and I ( Garret being our newest member of the guide family) were able to cast to some rising fish and hooked and missed a few on the surface. While this was going on I was lucky enough to land my largest trout to date on the "J". Picture Below the snake (we will address that later) this fish fell to my new favorite pattern of the season. We guessed this fish in the 20-22 inch range, and it had decent mass as well. As day two progressed we manged to land a few more on caddis patterns and various nymphs. As evening approached we made our claim to a juicy piece of water in hopes that the sulphurs would show. And show they did, it wasn't quite the full blown sulphur hatch we are used to running into on the Juanita. When the fish finally decided to eat it got crazy, it seemed as if they were eating every bug they seen. It just so happened I had a pattern that was like crack to the fish, and I could do no wrong. It was one of my better evenings of dry fly fishing in a long time! The bulk of the activity happened from 7 pm till after dark, with the 8 o'clock hour being the best. Garret and I had what some may call an epic evening on the water.

As for the snake picture: We had seen something swim across the river about 70 yards down stream. I thought it was a Beaver or Otter, and Garret claimed it was a snake. Curiosity got the best of both of us and we went to take a look, this guy is what we say. A eastern timber Rattle Snake at least 3 feet long. It had made it on the the river bank and still was quite lethargic due to the water temps. We were able to get a few pictures before he got motivated again, then left him alone. It was the largest Rattle Snake I have seen in the wild personally. Sorry for being long winded with this post, had a lot to talk about...

A Short Bike Ride....

2011-05-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

New Stretch of Water...

What was left of my Clouser....

When I mean short bike ride, I'm talking less that a minute to the stream. I fished by my house for only about an hour. It was very productive. I landed six bronzebacks on an olive/white Clouser Minnow in that time frame. As you can see in the picture above, I need to tie some more. The largest bronze I landed was about 12-13 inches and put up a great fight on my 5wt rod. If I don't fish in the mountains today after school, I plan on tying a few more Clousers to head back to this stretch and walk a little bit further down from where I stopped. I think it will be well worth it...

"They're In There...."

2011-05-08T10:27:00.001-04:00

Trillium

Nice Brook Trout after Work...

This guy had alot of spunk..

As soon as the last school bell sounded, I was poised to head up the mountain to get some fishing in. I got to the stream a little bit after 330 pm and fished till around 8pm. The water was up a bit more from the rain the previous evening, but there were alot of bugs in the air. I saw March Browns, Caddis, Stones, and some BWO. The only bad part, none of the fish were looking up. So I put on some nymphs and preceded to do rather well. That Brookie that landed was a solid fish and good fight. He had taken my dropper as did most of the fish that day. The next cast was the story of the day. I hooked this brown that jumped three times and then ran me down stream at least 50 yards. Mike and I gave chase and tired the fellow out since neither one of us had a net. After that, we picked fish up in about every stretch that looked fishy. It was a nice evening to be fishing as well as having the stream pretty much to your self. In the parking lot, I met the only other fisherman that was on the water with us. Richard said he did well nymphing too. Hopefully see you soon on the stream again...

Father...Son...Fishing Trip...

2011-05-08T10:11:00.000-04:00

Grant with his first trout ever....

Charles and his son Grant....

Had a great time with Charles and his son Grant this past Saturday. I know I'm a little late on posting some material this week, but I have been busy. We fished our private stream just off property since all of the other waters were rather high still. Grant was a natural at picking up the casting and any instruction that was given to him. He proved that with in the first 15 minutes of the trip by landing his first trout ever. He had a huge smile when he set that hook. It was a slow day on the stream throwing streamers,but every fish that chased the streamer, we hooked. Later that day, when running an errand to the resort, I saw Grant with his tackle box heading to lake PJ. Charles e-mailed me the following day and said he caught some bass there as well. This kid has the fishing bug bad...

Easter Day...

2011-04-26T17:36:00.002-04:00

Big Bow....

Abby, Bailei, Tucker, and Maggie

Mike, Garret, and I had a trip on Easter morning. Water was up as usual and buggers were the name of the game. With the picture above is Mike with the lady landing a big rainbow on a large streamer. I had got a Tiger Trout there on an earlier trip, but couldn't get this big boy to eat. It was a great way to end the trip.

In the picture below are my parents labs. I must say, this is a hard picture to take with four labs to look at the camera at the same time. I thought Mom and Dad did a good job with the picture. Tucker, a Fox Red lab that was rescued this winter is really fitting into the family. Abby, my sisters chocolate lab is the ornery of the bunch. Maggie was my lab while growing up and has set the standard for our type of family pet. Bailei, which was hit by a car a few years back, is the most affectionate of them all. There is no better feeling than stopping by my parents house for good food and seeing the dogs.

Stripping Streamers....

2011-04-26T17:14:00.000-04:00

Lanny stripping an Olive Zonker....

Had a half day trip with Lanny that was visiting the resort for the first time. With the water high, I dug deep into my Cliff Bugger Box to find some meat to throw at these trout. Lanny was awesome to fish with because he was able to land the fly anywhere I asked. We landed two solid fish and had many more strikes. We have been battling the rain as of late, but its only a matter of time. Starting to see some larger BWOs flying around on the streams.

The next generation...

2011-04-10T20:35:00.004-04:00

Just a few more photos from the last couple of trips. If you look at post below there are a few more details that go along with the pics.
Just wanted to say that it's great when people want to get there young ones involved with fly fishing early. These guys really are going to be the future of this great sport. So when you get a chance try to get as many kids involved as you can. Regardless on how you do it, being bluegill on a pond or trout in a stream. These are going to be the next generation of conservationist to keep our sport going...

Highlights from last two weeks...

2011-04-10T20:19:00.002-04:00

Here are a few shots from the last two weeks. We had some really great fishing in-spite of some nasty weather conditions. Most fish have been taken on larger nymphs and small streamer patterns, still not much surface activity. This week the thermometer is heating up, so we hope to see some bugs soon. We have been really lucky with some larger fish this spring, so hopefully this is just a prelude of what's to come. So everyone pictured above thanks once again for letting me share some time on the stream with you...

I must say big fish = BIG SMILES!!!

Something to Check Out...

2011-04-04T12:00:00.001-04:00

Brian from Glendorn Resort, started a blog this past week. It will be dedicated to his fly fishing adventures as well as some hunting stories too. After fishing the first time with Brian, I noticed he had a fly box labeled "Toothy Critters." I know this guy meant business. He chases musky, carp, and even walleye on the fly. Mike and I meet up with Brian to fish as much as we can. Here are some links from the previous trips: Trip 1 Trip 2

These guys at Glendorn have some awesome water they fish. The rivers are scenic and the wildlife is spectacular. They are only minutes away from some of the best steelhead waters as well. Be sure to check out his blog. I'm sure you will see some pig trout on there. huntfishguide.blogspot.com

Carp Video...

2011-03-31T08:46:00.000-04:00

Carp on the Fly! from Shane on Vimeo.

Gotta love Carp sipping dry flies on the surface. Shane and Brian, the guys from Glendorn, having some fun with these Golden Bonefish. It also looks like Mickey is excited to be out on the lake as well. Had a good conversation with these guys in New York about getting these on top water. In the creek that I live near, I have seen the Carp taking insects and berries off the top. I will be looking forward to this in a month or two.

Can you catch me now???

2011-03-28T18:05:00.001-04:00

These great fish are from this past Friday... (03-25-11) Had a chance to get out with a couple guy's and this was the fruit of our labor. We manged to get into some really nice fish, the water was perfect high and green. And the fish wanted to eat Wooly Buggers like it was there job! Mark and Travis both did really well, being Travis had never fly fished and Mark was more familiar with the still water game. Travis I'm sorry about the sun soaked Brookie in the net picture, but the close up shows how good that fish really was (WHO DEY). As for Mark and his Rainbow, it speaks for itself...PIG!!!

Last but not least, we were heading off the stream we ran across this gentlemen locked in an epic battle. This is what came to the net when all was said and done! I did not get this man's name but asked if I could take a picture of this beast and post it on our blog... As you can see he said yes, great fish dude!!!

More Spring Creek Fever....

2011-03-28T16:49:00.002-04:00

Here are a few more pictures from Spring Creek this past weekend. Check out the picture of the scud trying to escape the trout's belly...Pretty Sick!!! I would like to send out a big THANK YOU to Larry's wife for providing 3 large pizza's for Lunch. (From Brother's Pizza) That may have been the most clutch moment of the entire trip!!!

Spring Creek Fever.....

2011-03-28T12:04:00.003-04:00

Olive sitting on a Helios....

Nice Brown that Larry landed early in a riffle....

Water was a little bit higher than usual, but the fishing was on par...

World Class Sucker at Spring Creek....

After the rendezvous, Mike and I met Larry and his wife in State College. We found a place to stay and a good bite to eat at the Champs Sports Bar in town. It was a perfect place to grab a bite to eat since we fished for about four hours till dark before arriving at the hotel. We landed about a dozen fish that evening. I was having success on a Scud and black midge pattern.

The follow morning Larry, Mike, and I fished Benner Spring to try a few different spots in the morning. We did really well exploring some other spots that we had overlooked before on other trips. After lunch, we moved further down the creek to find if the Blue-Winged Olives were coming off. It was a cool day with some clouds, but they were not in full stride yet. We were able to find fish throughout the afternoon feeding in some dries. They wanted a #16 parahute olive or an adams in the same size.

Mike has a good picture to post of a brown that I caught with Scuds crawling out of his mouth. It was a sweet picture.

Orvis Rendezvous....

2011-03-23T19:18:00.004-04:00

Orvis Sandanona - Millbrook, NY

Back of the Shooting Lodge

Tom Rosenbaur getting some video for maybe his next podcast.

New Gale Force and Safe Passage chest packs.

New Flies for 2011

This pass weekend, Mike and I went to Orvis Sandanona for the guide rendezvous. I was a great time to connect with other guides as usual and to see the new products that are going to become available in the near future. Mike and I cast the new Access rods and the new Superfine Touch rods. They are not that bad and they look rather sharp too. My favorite product that will becoming out soon is the gale force packs that will be added to the safe passage lineup. They are waterproof chestpacks, backpacks, camera bags, & etc. Really sharp line of fishing accessories. I also had to talk to most of rod designers and product designers.

During he last day at Sandanona, we shot that wingshooting course there. It was one of the most difficult I have shot in a while. Not used to using a field gun with a full choke didn't help all that much either. It was a great time.

Before I left I picked up a 11ft 7 weight switch rod with a mirage reel. Can't wait to use it on the river for this big brown then floating as well as for those pike I've been chasinin my float tube. I did cast the 10 weight switch and shot the line in the area of 120'. The new line is better than the lone that was introduced last year when the rods have first came out.

Cabin Fever Fly Fishing Show...

2011-03-14T10:06:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to thank the Penn's Woods West Chapter of Trout Unlimited for putting on another great show.
Also thanks to everyone that stopped by and chatted with us...

Jared was holding the fort down, and representing the Nemacolin Field Club and the Brooks, Browns, and Bows blog. Check out the Ipad with the blog front and center... Thanks for helping Jared!!!

Spring Fishing the Remix...

2011-03-14T09:56:00.004-04:00

Here are a few more pictures and video to go with Jared's post below...

Spring Fishing....

2011-03-13T13:25:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, Mike and I meet up on a fun mountain stream that had some good small stonefly action. Mike's trip cancelled, so he called to see if I wanted to fish with him. This has been the first time that I have been out fishing all season. Mike had fished the afternoon before and the fish were very active. The difference was that afternoon, it was a few degrees warmer and some sun on the water. The bugs were more active. The following day, it rained and stayed over cast. So the bugs were a little less active as well as the fish. the fishing started slow, but as the day went on, Mike and I started to slam the fish on hare's ear and black copper johns. If I really wanted to catch every fish, the water was perfect for a white woolly bugger. Jason was moving fish in every seam with a woolly bugger. Jason runs the Nemacolin Field Club and is started to really enjoy fly fishing.
The only downfall that happened that day was that my Orvis Hydros had snapped into two pieces. I have broken a few rods before, but never the way it did that day. It snapped in the top blank on a guide. All i was doing was pulling out some slack line. Kind of weird, but that is why I like a 25 year guarantee with Orvis.
Mike will also post some underwater video from his camera as well.

Trout in the Classroom.....

2011-02-28T19:30:00.002-05:00

Since October, in my biology classroom we have been raising Brook Trout. Here are some photos of the fish to date. We started with fertilized eggs and these little guys are now about 3 inches long. We have about 35 to release this late april. This is also my first post from my IPad. Works good so far. Enjoy......

All Fins no Faces...

2011-02-18T23:55:00.002-05:00

Larry sent me some pictures today, and I decided to show all of the love to the fish. These were taken over the last month ranging from Pennsylvania to Maryland. I think they are all pretty cool in there own way, I really dig the under water photo on top! It's so amazing how the same species of fish (not the rainbow) vary from stream to stream. Each of these fish have traits that really catch your eye and make each photo unique...
It's really sad how much we love TROUT...LOL!!!

February Fun...

2011-02-15T11:13:00.001-05:00

Just a few more shots from the little fishing excursion the other day. As you can see by the time we finished and walked to the Jeep things had started to freeze up. Once again it was good to get out, catch a few fish and pull someone out of a ditch. Really wanted to take pictures but didn't want to embarrass the guy anymore...

New Gear and Fishing...

2011-02-15T11:05:00.001-05:00

Had a chance to get out this past Tuesday 02-08-2011. Air temperature was somewhere around 30 degrees and water temperature was about 38 degrees. Larry and I manged to get into a few fish and a couple had decent size to them. Your basic winter pattern's seemed to work the best, eggs, buggers, green weenies, etc... Also shown in the above pictures is Larry with his new Orvis chest/back pack system. It is sick, I usually don't try yo push products, but if you have not checked this out do so. It's new for this year and it is amazing. I will be purchasing very soon... As the weather continues to improve so will the post, it's almost that time again!!!
Side note we will be at the Monroeville convention center this weekend for the sportsman show, if your in the area swing bye and say whats up. We will be there representing the Nemacolin Field Club strong...

Fish...

2011-01-05T14:10:00.001-05:00

Here are a few more shots, like I said below just getting familiar with the new camera. This up coming season we are going to get some sick pics and video!!! I can't wait I promise it will be good, were going to a whole new level...LOL!!! Hope everyone enjoys these pics as much as we enjoyed catching them.
2011 is going to be epic...

Finally...

2011-01-05T13:50:00.003-05:00

It's about time... We finally were able to put a small trip together and do some fishing this past Monday and Tuesday. We headed to central PA and were able to spend time on one of our favorite streams. We really couldn't have picked two better days in the month of January to be on the water. Both days the temps were in the High 30's with plenty of sunshine, and very pleasant for this time of year. With that being said the fishing was also very good, water temps were in the low to mid 40's. And we found plenty of fish that wanted to eat. I think every fish we caught either was landed on a scud or egg pattern with different variations of both. This also was the first chance to play with the new underwater digital cameras. I would advise not trying to learn how to use a underwater camera in January, it makes things a bit tough. We also were able to shoot some video and if I can figure out how to upload and post it I will. Until then you may just see some grip and grin pics, with some underwater shots mixed in.

Go Navy....Beat Army...

2010-12-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

Alicia and I at the tailgate...

My dad and I at the game....

What an awesome field. I was thoroughly impressed with Lincoln Financial.

Not the same Hummer that I use on our guided trip, but sure wish it was....

Mids...

These guys were impressive....

The first fly over...

Just got back from Philly this weekend and had a great till at the Army - Navy game. This was one of the games that I can cross off my list that I have attended. My parent went last year as well as this year with some close friends. They stayed at the historic district, which was an awesome area in the evening. I must say that I have attended many sporting events, but this is high on my list for sure. I think next year I will goto the game as well in DC. Next stop at the end of this month....Winter Classic in Pittsburgh...

Grip and Grin...

2010-12-09T09:33:00.002-05:00

I had these pictures in my possession for a little while and figured it would be a great time to post them. All three of these shots were taking during fishing trips. The top photo is both of the John's (former Orvis School students) and now good friends posing it up. They are not new to the blog some of there previous pics are also archived. The next two are of Mike also a Orvis School Student. He's putting into practice what he learned from the School.
Nice work guys...

Day Off from Work...

2010-11-12T01:41:00.000-05:00

Had the day off from work, so Mike and I went to our favorite Brookie stream. The stream was low as we thought, but the fish would still feed on dries all year long. They were super spooky today. One time I got with in 25 feet of a nice plunge, and the fish went into hiding instantly. All in all a great day. Enjoy the photos from this morning.

Beast...

2010-11-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

Like I said below... We didn't have a good camera, go figure! But we still got a few pics and it was an awesome fish, I honestly thought he had a pike on...lol!!! You gotta love big fish...

This isn't Philly but those are Eagles...

2010-11-10T10:51:00.001-05:00

Larry and I decided to do a little fishing after work yesterday. As we were getting to the Yough we noticed a couple of large birds, as it turned out there were 2 Bald Eagles. They also must have decide to do some fishing that day, and I bet they had better luck then we did. The highlight of our little excursion to the river was a 22-24 inch fall spawn great color wild brown trout. The bad news is we only had a cell phone, we did get pics but they do this fish no justice. Larry hit this beast just swinging a size #8 black Wolley Bugger, he was the last fish we expected at this spot. We may head out again tomorrow and see if any other large fish have moved up. If they did we are going to try to stick a hook in there face...

Bengals...

2010-11-02T21:11:00.002-04:00

I am done torturing everyone with my Bengals pics. And yes Domata Peko is giving me a shout out, not really his family was sitting really close to us...lol! And sorry about the cheesy pic of me getting my next top model on but had to show of all the gear!!! And the wife was the one who got the fly over pic, not to shabby...

More...

2010-11-02T21:03:00.001-04:00

You gotta love the orvis sunglasses with all the Bengals gear...

Who Dey....

2010-11-02T20:58:00.001-04:00

I know this is not fishing related but....
Had to show the pics from my weekend off, as you can see I spent it in the "nati" watching my boys. This was my 30th b-day present from my wife and it was awesome!( birthday was in sept. ) So I must admit I am the biggest Bengals fan this side of Cincinnati. And even know CP blow another game in the redzone in the 4th quarter I still loved every second. This post is gonna be pic heavy but the wife and I had great seats and got awesome pics! So even if you are not a fan enjoy the great pics...

Still deciding...

2010-10-28T08:22:00.001-04:00

A few more shots from the other day... I really like the pic with Larry hooked up and me getting ready to net his fish! (From the last post)
We may have to head out one more day and get a few more shots...darn we have to fish more!!!

Photo Shoot...

2010-10-27T13:29:00.001-04:00

Larry and I spent a few hours trying to get a good photo for the new Orvis catalog. Here are a couple pics from the day, now we have to sift through the 150 pictures we took and try to find one to use. I will post a couple more shots and if anyone see's anything good give us a shout. This will make the selection process a little easier with some outside influence...

Grip and Grin...

2010-10-17T07:54:00.001-04:00

Just a few more shots from the last couple of days... We are even giving away the secret flies...LOL!!!

A few GOOD days...

2010-10-17T07:45:00.001-04:00

Hit the water this week with a former Orvis School graduate and we tore them up. All three days we were into fish basically the entire time on the stream. The water was still low and clear, but the fish were playing nice. Eric and I fished multiple streams in the area and had success on them all. For me it was great to see that the fishing is improving and should actually still get better if we ever get more water. We were using a couple different patterns and they seemed to work on all of the streams. Tiny single eggs, tiny parachute adams, and very tiny disco midges. I am going to add a few more pics from the last few days in a post above...

Fall Colors...

2010-10-15T06:33:00.001-04:00

Larry and I had a chance to do some native Brook Trout fishing earlier this week. These fish came from a branch of a stream that I had never fished and was fortunate enough to be let in on the secret from Larry and Jared. The stream was awesome it had everything you could want when chasing wild fish, great scenery and awesome looking fish. The only downfall is I did not have a good camera and these pics came from Larry's cell phone. Next trip we will get a few pics of the stream and some higher quality fish shots. Side note; the top pic was maybe the best looking wild trout I have ever seen hands down! The camera does not do it a bit of justice, I have caught a lot of wild trout and nothing really could compare to that fish. It was the "MACK DADDY" of Pennsylvania Brook Trout....

Dudewater...

2010-10-12T19:58:00.000-04:00

Jim Lampros's Blog has some amazing shots of Steelhead. Just wanted to give him a shout out and wish his success on his blog... Check it out...Dudewater

Spoon Full of Grass - Teaser....

2010-10-08T07:47:00.000-04:00

Spoon Full of Grass - Official Teaser from chase hancock on Vimeo.

Being that this is my favorite Cash song as well as mixed in with some tailing Redfish, I really liked this teaser. Check it Out...

Buisness Trip...

2010-10-06T20:02:00.001-04:00

This past Monday we headed to State College PA for a Orvis dealer meeting. We got to see some of the new product that is going to be introduced this year, and I must say I was impressed! What really stood out for me was the new Safe Passage line of Packs, Slings, and Chest Packs, etc... They all were awesome and showed Orvis is really trying to reach some of the new blood in fly fishing. When this stuff is released you gotta take a look...its sick! Another thing to keep a eye out for is the new Access Fly Rod, got a chance to cast it and I was really diggin' it. Now to what's really important, we spent the next day fishing on Spring Creek and it was killer. We had a great time fishing with some of the other orvis guys and everyone seemed to do really well. The picks are of average Spring Creek Brown trout, except for the last one. The last is a Golden Rainbow Trout that had very strong wild fish features, if you look at the picture you can see the white tipped fins and still some faint spots on the belly. I am unsure if these fish are able to occur out of a hatchery, if anyone know please let me know. I have never seen a Goldie that looked quite like this... On a side note we are giving the facebook thing a try, you can find us by searching fly fishing, sporting clays and wing shooting in South Western PA. Please show us some love...lol!

More Early Season Chrome...

2010-10-01T14:11:00.001-04:00

Just a few more pics from the Erie trip. The top is a very fresh chromer and the Hen down below is a pig!!!
Enjoy...

September Steel...

2010-10-01T14:04:00.001-04:00

On the last day of September we felt it was time for us to make our first run to the Erie tribs this year. Erie had received some heavy rain a few days prior and we figured with the perfect conditions the Steel should move. We left Uniontown around 3am and were sitting at McDonald's in Erie at 6:20am. We were the first on the stream and about 15 minutes into the trip Larry was hooked up with some chrome. We thought this trip could be epic, but it didn't turn out quite that way. The water was great but there was not a great number of fish in the streams just yet. As the morning went on the actions stayed pretty consistent and I got lucky and hooked up with a giant buck. We guessed this fish close to if not over 12 pounds, it gave me and the 9 wt everything we could handle. We continued to catch a few fish throughout the morning. As afternoon approached we decide to eat some lunch and I had to buy some fresh concord grapes (the best part of early steelhead season) and then finish out the rest of the day on the water. The fishing in the middle of the day was tough, by this point the fish had been fished over and were very skittish. As evening approached the conditions improved, the last couple hours of light seemed to be the best. Larry really laid into them in those last few hours with lots of hook ups and a few fish landed. We used multiple patterns throughout the day and seemed like White Woolly Buggers and various estaz eggs worked the best. Please take note of the last pic, it was snapped after Larry quick released a giant fish with no picture. This happened a few more times throughout the day, I would reach for the camera and Larry would lose the fish... I guess that's what happens when you try to bring hate to every Steelhead you hook in the face with a fly...
Fish on....

Grobe Anglers and Adventures: Western Edition

2010-09-22T08:22:00.000-04:00

Matt and his brothers went out west for a remarkable fishing trip. He has uploaded a ton of pictures as well as some solid descriptions about the trip. Those Cutthroats look awesome too. Be sure to check out the entire trip at his blog below.

Grobe Anglers and Adventures

Orvis School Alumni

2010-09-12T06:55:00.001-04:00

About a week ago I had the chance to fish with a couple of alumni from our Orvis Fly Fishing School. We battled low water conditions and spooky fish, and still persuaded a few to eat. All of the action that day came from a size #10 foam grasshopper. Most of the fish that were willing to cooperate came from under overhanging branches and along the banks. Both John's seem to have the bug and will be forces to wreck en with on the streams in the near future. As you can see above a few of our fish are starting to flare out and get their fall spawning colors. As for the streams we still need rain but cooler temps have kept the fishing consistent. I am pretty optimistic that the fall will shape up and fish well...

Bassin'...

2010-09-01T12:51:00.001-04:00

This is the same Bass from the post below just another view. This is the best pic as far as seeing the mouse pattern. I will take a picture of the pattern and post later, it has been crushing big fish for us this summer...
P.S. ~ I can almost smell chrome...it's coming quick!!!

No trips today...

2010-09-01T12:31:00.001-04:00

Had the day off so Larry and I decided to try to catch some fish for ourselves. The first stop on the trip was the North Branch of the Potomac River. We had some success there with beetles fished along the bank, and Larry picked up this nice Golden Rainbow in a fast run on nymphs. As the day progressed the fishing slowed, so we headed back across the border to Pennsylvania. We fished the evening with some success and were able to find some fish willing to rise to our dry flies. It was nice to get out and do some fishing on our own. Now it's time to get back to work and finish the season strong, I think we are in store for some great fall fishing. So if you get a chance look us up in October and November...

Playing After Work.....

2010-08-29T12:20:00.001-04:00

While I am coaching football at Waynesburg University, Mike and Larry have been still finding big fish. After trips in the afternoon, They headed over to "Secret Pond" on the property. Some of the best bass I have seen. Fishing for them on the fly is not easy since you have to sling about 100' of line to reach them. I also noticed Mike was using that mouse pattern again. After receiving the picture on my phone, Mike sent a text to say that Larry missed an even larger one.

New Addition...

2010-08-22T11:10:00.000-04:00

Over the summer, I have been tossing around the idea of starting an online fly shop. Well, it is finally here. The Brooks, Browns, and Bows Fly Shop will offer flies that you would find in our guide boxes. We will carry flies for Trout, Smallmouth, and Steelhead. We will continue to add new patterns to our selection as well as offer custom tying at your request. So hopefully you visit and enjoy the site.
Brooks, Browns, & Bows Fly Shop

Day Off...

2010-08-13T09:30:00.000-04:00

Went down to the Savage River in the afternoon to chase some wild browns on the top. I pulled in to the first hole I wanted to fish, but seconds later a van pulled up with a few kids to swim in one of the bridge holes. Even when I came back to this hole about four hours later, it was still skunked. I went to my money hole on the river and it did not prove me wrong. I missed a few smaller wild browns on a #18 X-Caddis. Then I finally landed a 17" wild brown on this river this year. The problem fishing by myself is not having the ability to my good camera and get a great shot. Quite possibly the best looking fish I have ever caught. He crushed a pattern Larry wanted me to try down there and it worked. After catching a few more there, I went to another section of stream that I had a fish that I have been after. I knew there is a hog in the 20" range in this one hole. The drift is long and the access is tough for casting but I got him to eat again, but not hook set. I hooked him last time down there and he was bigger than the one I landed today. I will be back for him and hopefully have someone there to photography him for me.

Dog Days of Summer.....

2010-08-11T22:56:00.000-04:00

After having a trip in the morning and tying some flies at the shop in the afternoon, I had spent the evening with Jim Lampros. He is the Orvis Fishing Manager at the Cleveland shop. I remember seeing Jim in the Fly Fishing Film Tour in the early Spring and made me what to pick his brain about Steelhead fishing in Ohio. After dinner, we discussed about fishing in the AM. I wanted to show him the river in the morning for some decent dry fly fishing. Since I had a trip at 1pm, we only had the opportunity to wet our lines for about an hour and a half. In that time frame, Jim hooked two nice bows and I missed two. Not too shabby for casting 60+ feet of line and trying to set the hook as well. All in all, we had a great time and look forward to fishing with him again, especially this Steelhead season.

During my trip this afternoon, we landed seven nice size browns on the river. The fishing this time of the year is not easy, but we are still getting guests on fish.

After work, Mike and I headed over to the secret pond on property. It is small but had enormous bass all throughout the pond. We basically had to cast across to the other bank of the pond which was about a 100' cast. Having that bass taper on my 7wt helios makes that possible. We missed to huge bass on a mouse pattern. We believe one was in the 5lbs class when we saw him practically out of the water. We will be back real soon to sling flies at these guys. We landed a bunch of bluegill as well as three bass. In the words of Larry, "That fish smoked that mouse pattern...." I think that has been the line of the summer. Well, heading to get some sleep and fish the Savage in the morning...

Saturday Cookout...

2010-08-09T22:27:00.000-04:00

One of the pork tenderloins getting prepped the evening before....

Brisket getting the special rub.....

Before I start the coaching season, I needed to have one of my cookouts. It was a great time had by all as there was much to eat and lots to drink. I got the smoker out and started bright and early. The picture above was taken at 6:45 am. The brisket was on the smoker at 8:25am and did not come off till 5pm. This was the largest brisket I have done and any one of my cookouts weighing in at 14lbs. I did two pork tenderloins, hot & sweet sausage, and some chicken. Well, need to get some sleep, Fishing trip at 6am.

Trout Painting...

2010-08-05T09:32:00.001-04:00

Joel contacted myself via email while I was getting off the river. I checked to email after we got back in the car during probably one to the worst storms in the mountain this summer. When riding back to the next place to fish, we drove over, around, and even under a large fallen tree on Sugarloaf Road. If it wasn't that dangerous out, it would have been worth the photo. Mike basically told me to kept driving rather than stopping for photos. He was no fun and nor did we fish since they let more water out of the dam. Back to the email. Joel's painting is from our recent trip to Spring Creek while chasing the trout on Tricos. I thought the painting turned out very well and we are pleased that he used one of my photos. I think other than the painting, the part of the post I liked the most was the photos of the different stages during the project. Thanks again Joel.

Link to the Post

If you get a chance, check out Joel's blog. It is quite a remarkable deal since he is producing a painting a day. I can't even motivate myself to tie a fly a day let alone a painting. Be sure to cycle back on some of his stuff from previous months, they are pretty good as well. Here is the link: A Year on the Fly

Fun Evening....

2010-08-03T22:29:00.000-04:00

Headed to the river last night to chase some fish. Matt, Danny and I did rather well. It is not everyday that I through a Royal Parachute Stone to catch some rising fish. No fish of any serious size but more less trying to trying to beat the heat. I left my Blackberry in my pocket and due to the heat, my phone is not working presently. This happened once before fishing so hopefully the keys will start to work again. Maybe I will wet wade next time. Early morning trip tomorrow and just wanted to get a quick post up...

Ants...

2010-07-29T22:03:00.000-04:00

Went up to the shop this afternoon to pick up my check and more less to see what was happening up there. Turns out Mike had all of the fly tying stuff on sale. As usual, I looked and around to see if there was anything I needed. What I found was some Whiting 100's packs. So this evening, I decided to start tying some traditional ants as well as the parachute ant above. Have been working on an addition to the blog that I hope to unveil in the next two weeks. Well, back to the bench...

Spring Creek...

2010-07-27T20:12:00.000-04:00

Mike waiting patiently for the Tricos....

#24 Trico

Larry landing a nice one...

Estimating....

My favorite fly for Spring Creek....

This weekend was fun, but got very little sleep. I was in a wedding in Pittsburgh and had a great time. Knowing that I was going to Spring Creek on Sunday with Mike and Larry, I should have napped or even tied a few flies in preparation for the trip. Mike called on Sunday and said to be at his house at 2:45am. I almost choked on my dinner, but I was there on time Monday morning. We were on the water by 6:10am and saw some Tricos already. Being that this was one of the cooler days we have had in some time, we thought this would be the best day for the bugs. It turned out to not be the case. We landed about 25 fish between us nymphing. Best flies were midges, red copper johns, and green caddis larvae. I was fishing 6x and I decided to horse a 4lbs brown in. He didn't like that much at all. He completed a series of head shakes and spit the hook. That would have been a nice fish to have a photo with for sure. After stopping at the fly shop, we tried some new water closer to the head waters. I must say that this may be my new favorite stretch of water in the whole stream. I think we landed another 15 on caddis pupa and wet ants. After fishing last night, I realized I need to refresh the fly box because I am running low on some of my staple patterns.

Its Been a While...

2010-07-21T22:20:00.001-04:00

Iso Nymph

Soft Hackle Hare's Ear

The past few weeks have been very busy. Lost a close friend and fellow coach, Mike Czerwein. Hands down one of the best players that I have ever coached and even better a great guy to coach with as well.. He will be missed for sure. Link

I also had a few trips that went well too. Nothing more notable than this past Monday. After a hard storm Sunday night, the water was off color on a freestone stream. Mike and Don had a spectacular day fishing. The one time I do not have my camera, Mike landed a 17 inch Brookie on a #6 Stonefly nymph. I have been fishing there for 11 years and have never seen or caught one that big there. Had an awesome kype and gorgeous color. Most of the other fish were landed on soft hackles. Later that afternoon, we meet with Scott from Orvis to discuss some new things to offer at the resort. Soon after that, we went and shot some clays and enjoyed a nice dinner.
This past weekend we had the pleasure of having one of the best Orvis schools in some time. Alot of solid questions and a good time by all.
Decided to tie some flies this evening. I really needed an Iso Nymph in my box as well. The pictures above appear to be the nymph setup for the Yough.

Catch Magazine #12....

2010-07-09T09:38:00.000-04:00

Great video on Green Drakes... Check it out.. LINK

Another Float...

2010-07-07T14:00:00.000-04:00

Met Mike and Matt on the river for a long float. It was a warm day and obviously with the high sun, the fishing was tough as well. I met them at the 2nd boat launch since they had Steve take photos during the first 1.5 miles. One awesome photo that Matt had taken during the 1st part of the trip is a photo of a Bald Eagle. Check out his blog for the photo. We landed a few fish and located more fish as well in some different spots on the river. I am starting to see more fingerlings on the river and they are more than willing to hit a fly too. I saw tons of Olives hatching all day. I did see more fish rise than any other trip on the river. I missed one on an a Olive and we moved some large fish as well. We caught most of our fish on a Soft Hackle. I will the bench tying some up this week.

The evening before, Larry and I went to the Savage River to fish after work. I had an early trip and a fly tying lesson at 1pm, so what better way to finish the day off than fish the Savage River. We landed about 15 fish. Lime Sally's, Sulphurs, Humpys, and Caddis patterns were very successful. Larry put on a clinic in one hole landed a bunch of fish. I had my largest brown on at the Savage River, but it came off. It was close to a 20 inch rising brown too. I will be back to look for him. That river is so addictive. Fishing for wild fish is my passion.

The Snozzberries Tasted Like Snozzberries.....

2010-07-01T11:41:00.001-04:00

The raspberries were a treat all day.

Chuck with a hook up.

This Copper John was getting torn to shreds.

Proof that Chuck caught a double.

High-Sticking...

Alex wanted to join us. He was on the path watching us land fish after fish. We asked him to join us. Mike took him under his wing and taught him how to fish two flies at the same time. He also showed him how to catch fish on the swing. He was so happy and we saw his grandma later on the lower section, she said Alex said this was his best day fishing ever.

Active Brown...

Loves the Green Copper John.

Over the Shoulder Hook-Set...

Close-Up..

No much left to my Copper John...

Bow on the Lower....

Left the house around 5:30am to meet Mike and Chuck to head down to the North Branch. What a treat it was. We were the only people in the hole that had tons of fish in every direction that you cast. I think between the three of us, we caught about 130 fish by lunch time. I know Chuck had eight straight casts that produced fish. At one point he landed a double as well. Most of the fish were landed on skating flies on the surface such as caddis or stoneflies. I had great success with a dry and a blue soft hackle as well. Chuck later then switched to a red copper john and the fish would not leave it be. I know at one point I was pulling in my line to check for a tangle and all of a sudden, I was hand lining a fish in. After lunch, we went to the Lower catch and release to try that section. We landed a few fish, but we believe in about another week or so this place will be perfect in the lower. We then decided to give the Savage River a shot at dusk to see if the Lime and Yellow Sally's were doing their thing. They seemed to be a size #16 or #18 instead of my #14. I will have to tie some smaller ones for the next trip. What a great day on the river and can't wait to go back soon...

Quick Trip...

2010-06-23T22:30:00.000-04:00

Ryan called this morning and wanted to fish. It doesn't take much for myself to answer "Yes." We met at Ramcat and fished the riffle. I missed a few on dries and tried to swing some nymphs as well. The river was flowing at 613cfs. We decided to drive closer to town to fish some dries where I knew the fish would cooperate more and boy did they ever. Ryan and I fished a X-Caddis and a Beetle. We each landed a few bows. Not bad for a quick trip to the river. Not many people fishing, but the cold water felt good on a day with the weather in the high 80's. After a few errands tomorrow, I will tie up some Yellow & Lime Sallies. I believe Mike and Larry are fishing the North Branch. Should be a good trip. The state record trout come from there year after year. Hopefully they produce some photos....

Savage River....

2010-06-22T08:02:00.000-04:00

Had a good feeling about the Savage when I went out to my car and seen these on the roof of my car.

Larry landing one quickly...

In the evening, I ended up here and caught some rising fish...

Fish Rising....

The hook set...

Fish on...

The Browns on this stream are awesome...

Sunday, we decided to fish the Savage River instead of floating the river. The river is flowing at 683cfs and felt like dry fly fishing over some wild fish too. We got on the stream around 8am and fish were rising in the first section we stopped at. My first cast I landed a brown. Larry caught two in the first few minutes as well. I landed mine on a #18 Parachute Adams and Larry got his on a #14 Sulphur. We then each went our separate ways. Larry moved upstream and either missed or landed a fish in each section of pocket water section that he fished. Mike and I went down stream and we landed seven more respectively. But the theme of the day was how many we missed. We met back up at the car and Larry surprised us with what he was tossing to all of these fish. He put on a #12 Western Green Drake. That confirmed that these fish were just feeding opportunistically. We headed to the next section and found a pod of rising fish through a slow section. This is where your see the fish rising photos as well as the Brown pictured above. After messing around in that section we went the cement bridge and didn't have much luck except for the Brookie and Larry got one on a nymph. Around 640pm, we decided to work a few of those sections that we started on. Larry and Mike worked up above and landed a few fish and I work a bridge that has some risers. I caught one more, but these fish are very wary of fisherman. Not a bad day on the river and the Savage River is not as bad as I thought since all of the work that was completed last year. I will be back down there soon as well as packing some Lime Sallies too.

Training Day....

2010-06-18T09:29:00.000-04:00

Started out by landing 3 browns in the first 20 minutes of the float.

Close up of a Yough Brown.

We landed about 15 Smallmouth from the Cassellman to Ramcat. Bead-chain Clouser never fails.

Nice Smallie that I landed.

Stonefly and Pupa....produces all of the time.

If you look in his mouth, tons of Caddis pupa and adults.

Larry go this one on a Circus Peanut...

Nice Brown..

My point fly that I was using on my nymph rig. This stone really produced as well.

Got a new toy yesterday and had to break it in. New Hydros.

Orvis Water Ninja...

Email us to book your trip with the Ninja....

What a wonderful day to be on the river. The weather was very overcast for the first three hours of the trip, but no rain showed up. I was all geared up for the trout, but the Smallmouth were on fire for Larry and I. He threw a Circus Peanut and I launched a Clouser. We also saw some massive ones along this tree that I got snagged on as well. After that snag, I switch to my Tungsten Stone fly and a Cinnamon Caddis Pupa nymph rig. Every other cast I was landing a fish. All of those fish were nice looking rainbows. Larry then landed a nice brown on white CP. Saw some fish rise,but we did our job fishing and learning this river more in preparation for our Float trips to begin next week.

The flow of the river was 800 cfs. Tons of Olives, Cahills, Caddis, and Slate Drakes around. It made some of my favorite spots very thin, especially my place where the monsters lay. In a deeper pool from the area, Mike had about a 6lb brown chase his CP about 20 feet, but would not strike. I think if I fish it again, I may just run a big stimulator and a long dropper with a stone fly nymph on the end of it. This being my 11th time floating this river, I feel that we have the line down and located alot of fish as well. I also feel that my tactics have changed. I truly believe that people think big water and streamers are the answer. I think if you nymph it, you can have a 30 fish day like we did today.

I usually fish the river with my 7wt Helios, but getting my 9' 5wt hydros out was fun. What an awesome rod and it really made myself nymph more since some of my beefy streamers were too heavy to throw with this rod.

Long week as well for myself. Had my last week of work and summer has began too. I tied a ton of clousers and alot of Caddis. I have also been working on my Masters project too. So sorry about posting a ton, but that will change.

Sandy Moret...ESPN Video...

2010-06-09T06:07:00.000-04:00

This is a video of Sandy Moret talking about his love for the sport of fly fishing. Where we stay in the Keys is just a three minute walk to his shop from the house. Great shop to visit and to just hang out in. Can't wait to get back down....

Tying Midges....

2010-06-08T22:04:00.000-04:00

Spent the evening tying up some midges to fill up one of the new boxes that I just bought Lots of wire, v-rib, and ice dubbing in this collection. This motivation for tying midges came about because I use them for sight nymphing at Spring Creek. Would have finished the rest of this side of the box, but ran out of hooks in the size I was tying. Really didn't feel like tying #22 midges either. Over the next few days, I plan on getting some Whiting 100 packs to finish the other side of the box with midge dries. Saw a neat pattern Larry tied for the Savage River. Looking forward to trying it out as well. Well off to get some rest. Five more days of school left. Perfect weather now really makes you wish that I did not have all of those snow days.

Old Photos I Found....

2010-06-07T06:30:00.001-04:00

Where we stayed that week.

Sloppy Joe Fries

Nothing like Duval Street.

Mangroves....

Captain Larry and Alicia on our back country trip.

Sandy's leader formulas for tarpon and bonefish....

The other half....

What Keeps Me Coming Back...

2010-06-04T07:35:00.000-04:00

This brown had some girth.

We nicknamed this one "Hog boy Jr."

I was waiting on my brother to call me back to see if he wanted to fish last night, but he said he was too busy with work. Luckily, Matt called to let me know that Andy, Bill, and himself were fishing my favorite spot.
Once I got down there, there was a small amount of caddis, sulphurs, light cahills, and some coffin flies. The reason we wanted to make this trip is fact that this was most likely the end of the drakes for the year on this stream. Andy caught three little bows closer to the bank, but had a big boy rising before we got hit with a small shower. Billy had the same issue. One larger fish was feeding pretty good, then the rain put him down. After the rain ended, we just listened for rises on this glassy pool. Matt and I both heard a rise behind us and then worked towards the fish we heard. I was closer to the rise, but within a few cast Matt hooked into the fish pictured above. He smashed a coffin fly. We thought it was a decent size, but wasn't really sure. The Brown had taken him on a few decent runs until we got him into the net. In the low light conditions, I was rather nervous trying to net him because I did not want to hit the leader and dislodge the fly. This fish capped off an weird night of fishing. Sporadic rises, the big boys were out to play as well. The flow was 890 cfs too. I missed one last night on a coffin fly, but I was actually moving and too much slack in my line to set the hook.

Ten people in the Orvis School this weekend, so I will most likely chase these guys again this weekend. Until then, I will be hunting the next "Hog Boy."

Here is the original "Hog Boy". And these fish are the reasons that keeps me coming back time after time.

Intriguing Stone Pattern...

2010-06-03T06:00:00.004-04:00

Last night, I had taken care of some things around the house before I got a chance to tie some flies. Tied a dozen zebra midges last night while watching River Monsters. But I was looking for a Stone pattern that I could tie for trout as well as some steelhead fishing in the spring. This video and pattern was simple and it had ice dubbing included. Right now, ice dubbing is becoming one of my favorite body materials to use. I even mix in with existing dubbing to enhance some older patterns. Great stuff.

Brookies & Drakes....

2010-06-01T23:23:00.000-04:00

After school I had to run up to the resort to take care of some stuff. As soon as I was done, Mike was finishing up his full day trip. We decided to hit a stream just off the mountain. There was a decent amount of people at the stream, but they were in all of the main pools. So we decided to hit all of the pocket water between all of the people. It paid off very quickly. I caught two in about eight casts. One on a #22 crystal midge dropper and the other on a #16 X-Caddis. Mike went to his goto, a foam beetle. Once again, One cast and a nice brookie. We went on to catch six out of the first spot we fished. We then moved to a pool further down the stream and we stayed there till dark. We caught them on many types of dries. Mike and I did some sight nymphing as well with a #14 yellow stone nymph. It was very productive and I got a bit better at sight nymphing to feeding fish. By 8:00pm, there were numerous Coffin Flies around. The fish would only take a Coffin Fly if it was skittering around. We watched one wild brookie do some serious leaps at these spinners in the air. About 20 fish rising throughout the pool. It was quite the treat. We ended the night with about 35 fish between us. All brookies with two browns mixed in. I will be back to this fishery in the next few days to fish after work.

Holiday Weekend...

2010-06-01T06:00:00.005-04:00

You would think at this time during the year, I would be finishing up the wrapping up the school year. With the amount of snow days to make up, I will not be out for another two weeks. Kind of a bummer at this point with this awesome weather that we have had lately.

On Saturday morning, I taught the Orvis Fly Fishing School from 9-5pm. As soon as I cleaned up, I called Matt (Grobe's Anglers and Adventures) to see if he wanted to fish. He picked up a bike for me. We drove down to Ohiopyle and biked to a few spots to see if we saw any risers or Coffin Flies. We did more walking than fishing and I almost placed my hand on a snake when climbing over a tree since the water was at 1800cfs. The temperature of the river was 62 degrees as well. I saw a few rising fish, but most were out of my wading difference. I did manage to catch one rainbow on a coffin fly. There were numerous March Browns spinners in the mix as well. The river should continue to drop to levels that are more suitable to fishing, but only time will tell. I will most likely head up to the river Tuesday night to see if there are any Coffin Flies still around.

On Sunday, I finished up the Orvis Fly Fishing School. We had 13 people take part in the school and they all seemed to enjoy the school a great deal. During the stream application part of the course, it was 89 degrees outside on the stream and Meadow Run was 68 degrees already this summer. I actually saw tons of Iso shucks and slate drakes around at the 2:00-4:30pm period of time on the water. Laurel Hill is at 71 degrees too. This could be why the river is so warm for this time of the year.

Monday, I got out the grill and had some fun with some close friends. I smoked a brisket and pork loin in my secret rub recipe. All in all, a great way to wind down the long weekend.

1 cast 1 fish...

2010-05-26T06:17:00.001-04:00

Had to attend a meeting last night at the resort, thankfully water was close. I had a few minutes to kill before hand so I grabbed the old 6wt and after one cast boom...fish! After that I went inside talked a little about our up coming float trips and heard the proposed plan for the casino that may happen on property. So not a bad evening went 100% on the fish did some work and ate some free food.
Tight Lines...

Jersey Boys...

2010-05-25T14:56:00.001-04:00

Had a chance to hit the water a few days ago with a couple guys from New Jersey. We were able to get a few fish to the net early that day using nymphs. As the day progressed the angling pressure on the stream increased and the fishing got tough. Between the amount of guys on the stream and having no fly fishing experience these guys did really well. Above are a few pics of fish landed that day, and the last photo is the infamous fumble the fish pic we have all experienced. These guys proved even a few city boys can handle there own on the stream...

After Work...

2010-05-25T14:26:00.001-04:00

After a busy day of guiding this weekend we did what any other guides would do...FISH! We hit a local stream for a few hours to unwind and have a little fun. There were a few March Browns hatching and returning as spinners that evening. Nothing really exciting happened as far as bugs and fish turning on. We were able to land a few with various patterns ranging from a Parachute Adams to a Griffiths gnat. Here are a few photos from our little fishing excursion. The top picture is the coolest a wild brown from a stream that usually doesn't produce many wild fish, always good to see. Next is Jared with a nice brown and the bottom is a March Brown spinner that spent a little time on Jared's leg.
Tight Lines...

Rubber Lips...

2010-05-24T18:45:00.002-04:00

All of our streams in the area are currently high and muddy. So Larry and I decided to hit up the carp flats for a few hours, Larry landed 4 and I broke off 1 and lost another. Not to shabby for a couple hours of fishing. Sorry about the color of the picture I screwed up the settings on my camera phone and left the good camera at home. Hopefully the rivers come back down soon it's about time for the Green Drakes to happen! Tight Lines as always...

Bassin...

2010-05-21T06:00:00.032-04:00

Spent the evening at my friends house to fish his pond over the hill for some Bass and Bluegill. I got there around 5pm, put on a Blue Damsel fly to entice some fish. I caught a few a fish on the fly, but I need to improve my wing material. I may use a deer wing to make it float more consistently. The Bluegill were on their beds working anything that came their way that had foam and rubber legs. Compared to last time I fished there, caught more Bass than Bream this time around. The foam spider pattern was awesome once again and produced on just about every cast. The most interesting part of the night was the 30 10-20# Carp on the surface in the shallows. I threw a few nymphs and eggs at them and had no customers. I will have to consult Larry on how to attack these guys. As soon as I cast at them they would scatter. I had a few singles to cast to, but they would not even turn there head at my fly. I thought more about it on my short ride home to try a soft hackle too. After I had caught enough, I went back up to visit with Jim and his wife for a bit. All in all a good night.
Currently, the streams are slowly coming back down and the river is still very high to get to some of my favorite places to fish. The Yough is at 3,800 CFS and the norm is around 1700 CFS. Coming up this week should be the Green Drakes on the river. So time to head down if the water and rain holds off. Lots of March Browns around Ohiopyle too.