* This is the second installment of a two part series ; listen to episode 58 for part one. * My first grand scheme was met with mixed results. I was at the point where the chase was as attractive as the catch. I wasn’t going to stop until I found trout nearby. The next …
He said he owned a stream. A stream with big trout in it. His plan was to charge a daily rod fee for the opportunity to fish in his stream with big trout in it. That was why he was in the fly shop. To see if we would advertise his stream and the trout. …
In 25 minutes, I only scratch the surface of this historic fly fishing region. Situated in south central Pennsylvania, the Cumberland Valley boasts some remarkable spring creeks. Who doesn’t like big fish in small, beautiful water? While the rivers aren’t what they once were, they are still worth seeking out. Moreover, a great opportunity for …
When is a fish native? When is it wild? Can it be both? And what about stocked trout? In this episode, I give a very quick overview of this topic. I look at the historic range of the three major American trout/char species, and talk about why knowing this information can be helpful. Oh, and …
We rounded the corner at the exact same time. The dense streamside foliage kept the other person obscured until we were only about ten feet apart. Happening upon someone relatively unexpectedly, deep in the woods, wasn’t the startling facet of our interaction. That was this: “So, have you caught anything?” he asked. “Yeah,” I replied, …
A lot has been written regarding native vs. wild vs. stocked trout. For some reason, people (and even state entities) struggle understanding the differences. Being informed and using the proper words is important. More significant than semantics is appreciating and supporting the science behind the terms. The native/wild distinction is an invaluable one to make …
The river was wide. Wider than any eastern trout river I had ever been in. It was so wide, that I had to turn my brain off to the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to fish every pool. Not every pool in an upstream/downstream manner, mind you: I wasn’t going to be …
Recently I fished a new river. It was a wide waterway with miles set apart for catch and release. I knew that it was filled with trout, and that it had been fishing well the week prior to my trip. So even though finding a spot and locating fish was a little daunting, I had …
There is an inherent symmetry in the fall run of steelhead within the Great Lakes system. There is cool rain, and the fish move from the lakes into the tributaries. There is a run of fish, and the anglers move from the trout streams into the tributaries. The fish shed their silvery sheen, and the …
Gimmicky. Bananas. Unnatural. And worst of all: stockers. Those are some of the pejorative terms used by anglers to describe a particular flavor of rainbow trout. The fish in question is, of course, the Palomino. Otherwise known as the golden rainbow, and sometimes improperly (and abhorrently, to the chagrin of west coast anglers) referred to …
