We decided to write this blog as a way of sharing some of our stories from past experiences fishing, tying flies, guiding, and traveling. Most of which are completely 100% true except for the names of people, some stories are slightly embellished and some are mostly made up. It's really for you to figure it out and for us to have some fun writing down some of the truly good memories we have had while immersed in fly fishing.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Mahi-Mahi


Well there isn't a fly fishing story involved here, but it doesn't make it any less awesome! Caught this 20 pound brute the other day! Then I followed that up on Tuesday with TWO sailfish! (No good pictures..) Yes this is what I do as my part time job... Hopefully the good fishing continues! 

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Hells Bay Video!

As a follow up to my last post I put together a video of my latest fishing trip into Hell's Bay. You'll notice some overlap in the photos, but I wanted to put together a clip which better showed the intricacy of the mangrove creeks that we navigated through. It is pretty awesome check it out. You will also be able to access it from our videos tab on the top of the page!

The music is "Limelight" by Rush, because it's awesome.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Everglades Fishing Report: Backcountry Grand Slam!

I'll admit heading to the everglades and fly fishing the back country with 20-25mph winds didn't exactly excite me like it should have going into this trip. But, with wonderful advice: "you can sleep when you are dead," I set off for Flamingo at 6am. Surprisingly enough it seemed calm, excitement growing. 

When we arrived in at the boat launch it was like a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie "Birds." There were vultures and seagulls everywhere and they were seemingly hovering right above our heads waiting for the right moment to peck out our eyes... (Apparently they are a problem there?) That thought quickly left my mind as we raced across whitewater bay and into some intricate interconnected mangrove channels. This place is a maze of epic proportions. When I was in Alaska I though the lakes and rivers were complicated but at least we could use elevation as a place marker or a guide that you are in the right place. Out here if you don't have a GPS you are screwed. Oh hey, that clump of mangroves looks like that patch we passed an our ago but it also looks exactly the same as... yes... every other patch of mangroves in this area! 

When we finally popped out somewhere in Hells Bay we were immediately on fish but it was sporadic. We would get a flurry of 5 or 6 snook and then nothing. For just about long enough to lull you to sleep and then another one would try to rip the rod out of your hand. This went on for most of the day until we hit this stretch where there must have been hundreds of snook just lining this cut, because it was all I could do to release one and get my fly back in the water. It was literally two straight hours of catching 14-24 inch snook, all on the same fly, all in the same 300 yards of water. It was insane, it was BY FAR the most action I've seen on a fly rod since I've moved down here. To top that off in the midst of the chaos I landed my biggest red fish to date on a fly rod. As well as two mangrove snapper, and a lady fish. All in all I'm sure I landed 25 snook and that is a modest estimate... 

On our way back to the ramp to end our day my luck found a way to have another positive twist! Tarpon started boiling everywhere on glass minnows. Holy shit! Several casts later I had the silver king doing a tail walk across the water right in front of me. Granted it was only a 4 pounder instead of a 104 pounder, but I'll take it! A couple more tarpon in the boat made me one happy fella. After all it's not every day I get to go out and land the backcountry grand slam... Tarpon, Snook, and a Red Fish. 











First Tarpon on the Fly!

The smallest tarpon I landed... haha awesome. 

The only fly I used ALL day. It caught everyone of my fish. It's a little worse off then it started but boy was it productive.

Big snook of the day!

The Red Fish that completed my Grand Slam!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Spruce Creek (10/17/2012)

October 17th, 2012 I visited Spruce Creek for the first time in about three weeks and had a great time hooking into a few good rainbow trout.  It was a beautiful day and the wind was extremely calm which allowed for a tangle free nymphing day.  A few days earlier, I went to another stream and the wind was blowing hard and it seemed like every other cast I was hooking into fallen leaves that were getting swept down the stream.  I can only imagine the difficulty that the fish were having seeing any type of aquatic insect to feed on.  Both days produced a nice tan caddis hatch but the only time that I saw fish feeding on top was on Spruce Creek where there was minimal debris in the water.    

Below are a few photographs posted from my recent trip to Spruce Creek!  I hooked into a much larger rainbow that took me under two branches and snapped me off.  Life will go on!

Enjoy!





Thursday, October 18, 2012

Tarpon Photo Submission

Captain Chris White sent me this photo holding up a 30 pound tarpon that he caught near Flamingo this past weekend. He sent me this as a way to make me jealous as I still haven't caught a tarpon on the fly... Well it worked Chris I'm jealous.. When are we fishing?


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

"Secrets of Fall Trout Fishing"


trout fly fishing
Fall often screams hunting as the seasons start to open, but the avid angler knows that the fishing is just as hot in the early fall months as it is in the summer. Early fall fishing is one of the best times to head out on the water in search of mega trout. Trout anglers are still grabbing their fly fishing rods and fly fishing reels, casting theirfishing line into the best time of season to fish. Some of the upsides to fishing in the early fall is the serenity that comes with fewer anglers to compete with leaving the best riffles and runs open for exploration, and the temperatures are warm but not scorching. The summer slump trout tend to go through during the hot months is starting to turn around and the strikes are getting hotter in anticipation of winter. Some will put their fishing gear away, but for those of us who look forward to the early fall fishing times, here are some tips that will get your gear reeling.
trout fly fishingWhen fishing during the early fall season there are two tricks that will help make the day not good, but great. The fall brings the needs for some unique approaches to trout fishing and one of those tactics is to throw streamers. While the number of fish that strike the fishing line might not be as high, the quality of the fish will higher. They always say “Quality, not quantity” and nothing is truer when early fall fishing. It is advisable for anglers to strip heavily weighted flies such as Sculpins, Muddler Minnows, and Zonkers rigged with a sink tip through deep holes, but be aware that when a trout strikes the line, the fly rod will nearly be ripped from your hands. The deep water fishing technique and aggressive trout means that a lightweight fishing rod and light tippet are going to do no good. Throw on some waders and wander to the middle of the stream. Cast into the bank and as soon as the streamer hits water, strip hard. This quick action from the fly will attract the trout and before long there will be a tug on the fly line.
The second tactic for fishing trout in the fall is to target brown trout during the spawn. Between October and December is the best time to fly fish for browns, but in addition, large rainbows will be quite active on the same lure, roe. Fishing egg patterns on sink tip lines proves to be a great approach to trout fly fishing since the fish are feeding heavily on the drifting roe. Focus on fishing for the opportunistic trout that are feeding and plenty of fish will hit the line without disrupting the spawn.

trout fly fishingChoosing the right pattern for fly fishing for trout is much easier during the fall and winter fishing seasons since there are fewer hatches occurring. An angler’s best bet during these months is the snow fly and trout tend to feed aggressively on this particular species. Across the board, hatches do not last as long and the size of them will be smaller, 18 to 24. The limited hatches mean that the trout will not have as much to choose from and the amount of time they have to feed will also be shortened. The trout are hungry and there are limited options for food, so anything that crosses the trout’s path is fair game. The western rivers call for Zug Bugs, Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ears, or others that work well when activity is subsurface. For topwater trout fly fishing look to Hoppers, Elk Hair Caddis, and Parachute Adams for great bites.
trout fly fishingTactics for fly fishing for trout during fall are nearly the same as fly fishing for trout during the summer. The only major difference is the water levels affect on fly fishing gear. Fall means that water levels and flows will be low so make sure to rig your fishing line appropriately. Lighter tippets should be used when fishing closer to the surface, drag free presentations and careful wading are all characteristics of fly fishing in fall. Trout will typically be found feeding in the shallower water in the riffles and scum lines lining the edges of faster waters, as well as at the bottoms of runs. Stealthy wading and finesse casting is key to being successful when fall fly fishing. In addition, keep low and concealed as much as possible. Kneel down upstream and on sandbars or behind walls of vegetation. Remember that most trout lie facing upstream to watch for foods that wash by, and they'll be watching you if you move too close. Trout that have been pursued all summer do not want to encounter more anglers -- they just want to eat.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Beautiful Colorado Brown Trout

We've had a bunch of photo submissions recently and this one comes to us from a good friend Adam Massaro, who lives in Colorado.  He caught this hefty brown trout on one of his recent adventures on the streams of Colorado.  He estimated that this beautiful fished weighed around 4 pounds.  Great catch Adam!

Make sure you hit the streams this weekend, the weather forecast in Central Pennsylvania looks beautiful!

If you have a great fish that you'd like to send to the blog, email us at flyfishingfiles1@gmail.com!




Thursday, October 11, 2012

Fall Fishing Photo Submission

A special thanks to Bryan Doyle who recently sent us a series of pictures of some absolute toads that he's caught in and around Central PA!  Keep up the good work, I know you're making a bunch of people jealous!

"Its finally fall, one of my favorite seasons to spend time out on the rivers in central PA. Its still early for catching some monster wild browns but the big bows are in full feast mode, here are some photos of fish I've caught the past few weeks on bfc, spruce and spring creek. The fishing is only going to get better going into November and the excitement is building everyday. Enjoy!"


-Bryan Doyle










Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Chilean Exploration

Every now and again while I was in Chile we got to do something cool. On this trip we went for a hike through the temperate rain forest in search of a hanging glacier.

See photo documentation below: 










Monday, October 8, 2012

South Platte Photo Submission

This weeks user submission comes to us from Will Torres. By the sounds of it Will has been spending this summer chasing trout on the South Platte River. Now that fall has arrived he is just as excited as I am to start getting into some seriously hungry fish. Well thanks Will for the pictures and keep us in the loop if you have any new pics to share! 

Fall fly fishing out on all areas of the South Platte River is my favorite time of the year to catch some nice trout! I caught these browns all in the Deckers area on #20 BWO. I have had good trips all summer long out on the Platte just been waiting for fall and now its here and I'm making my trips up to lip every sipping trout I get!





Friday, October 5, 2012

Reminder: Catch Magazine is Awesome!

In case any of you needed reminded. Catch Magazine is by far and away the best fly fishing magazine out there. Fantastic camera work, good stories a new movie every month. It's just really, really good, entertaining stuff. For this, their premiere publication for their new calendar year they threw in a FREE cover photo for everyone to enjoy. So I'm sharing it with you. Check out the magazine, for $12 a year you cannot beat it. 



Thursday, October 4, 2012

Don't Forget!


We want your photos too!

Are you a weekend warrior who wants to share a fish picture? A proud father/adult who wants to show off a youngster with a fish who you took out fishing for the first time? A guide who wants to document a proud client or finally got some free time to fish yourself and want to share your fish pictures?

If you send an email to flyfishingfiles1@gmail.com we will post your pictures! Please give us a little details about the general area where you caught the specific species of fish in the picture. Lets be honest, no one expects you to write exactly where you caught the fish! But back stories make for a cooler picture!

Not every picture will make the cut, we will gladly accept any and all submissions and let you know one way or they other if it's going to get on our site. However, with out strict rules, "cool or not cool," some will inevitably not make it. Bring on the pics!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Hurricane Irene, and what it did to a Vermont Stream...

This is an email that I received from my brother who lives along the Battenkill River in Vermont.  Phil Monahan, who writes a fly-fishing blog for Orvis, wrote a post on the effects that Hurricane Irene had on one of his favorite streams.

Please take a look at the link to see just how powerful Mother Nature can be.  I can think back to when my brother sent me links to YouTube videos where cars were getting swept downstream at the height of the storm. It's astonishing.

One Year After Irene: How Did Trout Survive the Ravages of Nature...and of Man?


http://www.orvisnews.com/FlyFishing/Irene-Anniversary-Man-vs-Nature.aspx#.UD-Zi35cT2w.mailto



One Year After Irene
Photo by Phil Monahan
One Year After Irene
Photo by Josh Samuelson

One Year After Irene
Photo by Phil Monahan

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Fall Streamer Fishing

The weather is starting to cool down. The leaves are changing. Do you know what that means? Now we don't have to go out there are worry about matching the hatch. The fish are no longer in jeopardy of being over stressed because of high water temps. Most importantly, as our friends from winterfell say "winter is coming." These fish are sensing cooler temperatures coming and with that a depleting food source and are getting hungry. 

It's during this change that the fish get aggressive. Particularly, towards large pieces of protein in their general direction. October through December are some of my favorite times to catch large trout in our home rivers in Pennsylvania because those normally sluggish two footers always seem to come out and smile when I make wakes with a big streamer. 

3 Favorite Patterns this time of year:

#1 Slumpbuster... Created by John Barr. This is the best streamer I've ever fished as far as casts/bite ratio. It dominates everything else I've thrown in PA. The name proves true time and time again. 

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/detail.cfm?parentID=37

#2 Sex Dungeon. A Kelly Galoup pattern, very effective when specifically targeting larger fish. Doesn't quite produce the numbers of the slumpy but it attracts some monsters. So hang on to your rod.
http://flyfishingtheozarks.com/2008/06/10/june-fly-of-the-month2-rated-pg-13/

#3 Autumn Splendor. A Tim Heng Patterm. This pattern was introduced to me in Chile by the one and only Sam Duprey. Incredible fly and really simply tie. Two of my favorite things. It works and I can tie it in a couple of minutes. 

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/details.cfm?parentID=90