Fly Fishing Show

Spent the day at the Fly Fishing Show. The show was about the same as last year in term of vendors. I was excited to finally get some hackle from Collins Hackle Farm today. He does not have a website but I have the info about his stuff here. I highly recommend his hackle.

I also stopped by to see a friend of mine from Maine, Kevin McKay. He was working the Scott Fly Rod booth. He’s a master Maine Guide and He runs http://maineflyfish.com/ and http://mainefishingadventures.com/.

I had an opportunity to fish Saucon Creek for a couple of hours. I waded hear the rt78 bridge area and park with no luck. Right before lunch with my Aunt and Uncle, I decided to check out another section of Saucon Creek. I saw plenty of fish, but did not have time to try it. I hope to get back there someday as it was a nice creek to fish.

Weather: Cloudy and cool
Water Temperature: Unknown

Photos

A friend from Maine invited me to fly fish the Salmon River. My friend is a master Maine fishing guide, so I highly recommend hiring him if you are in Maine, Maine Fishing Adventures. There were various people joining the group throughout the 4 days of fishing. It was fun both on and off the water.

Fishing that river has been something that I wanted to try out for awhile now. I had to buy a new Scott Fly Rod (10ft) and Ross Reel to target the larger and more powerful steelhead. We started the trip off mid-day on Wednesday on the Upper Fly Section. I lost a steelie within the first 15 minutes only to see him splash away. I did manage to get a nice brown later in the day but no steelies.

The next day was more difficult. We explored various sections of the river. My friend had a productive day with many steelies on but none taken in. With these fish being fresh out of the lake, it’s difficult to bring them in on smaller tippet lines. I saw a few steelies brought in by spinners using heavier lines. Later at night the group had more success with bringing in nice browns, with one group member bringing in a large 25 inch brown.

Day 3 proved to be the most productive day. We started off in the Owsego River to get big browns. We all got fish but no steelies. After the warnings for rising waters we headed back to the Salmon River. I think I had nightmares that night from the sirens and lady on the loud speaker. Finally, I managed to get my first steelhead! Later I fought a really big brown for about 4 minutes before he won and snapped the line.

Day 4 was a half day of fishing and a long drive to PA. Managed a good size brown and lost a few steelies that morning. Great few days of fishing with some real hardcore fishermen.

Lesson learned during the trip, let them run when they want to so that you don’t break the line and let the drag do the work. Colors that worked this time were orange estaz eggs and small yellow and orange dot eggs.

Weather: Cold, rainy, sleeting and snowy
Water Temperature: Unknown

Photos

My in-laws are in from Montana for a brief visit in PA before heading down to Florida for the winter. My wife and mother-in-law went to see Leonard Cohen down at the Tower Theater. My wife and I saw him over the summer in Baltimore for his first tour in 15 years, I highly recommend seeing him. Anyways, I had a opportunity to take my father-in-law fishing so we headed to Pickering Creek for a couple of hours. We walked the stretch below and up stream from the bridge. Saw lots of fish, but there were not very active, probably due to the warm weather and sunny skies. I did manage to get 1 nice colorful rainbow on a salmon egg pattern. Nice quiet couple of hours fishing.

Weather: Sun, 70s
Water Temperature: Unknown

Now that we are into Steelhead Season, my new Scott A3 Fly Rod and Ross Reel combo came this week. Because of the nasty weather out this week, I have not had a chance to try out my new gear but I’m looking forward to it. I’ve used Orvis rods and reels over the years and I’m excited to add a different vendor into my collection. I suggest you take a look at Scott Fly Rods and Ross Reels. They are both made in the US. Also, I purchased them from Eldredge Brothers Fly Shop in Maine. If you are in Maine, specifically the Portland area, check them out.