Getting Started
Blue Liner Flows Review | USGS Stream Gauges
All water level data originates from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Surface-Water Data, which monitors over 13,000 stream gauges across the U.S. and more than 350 in Pennsylvania. The USGS has been transitioning to a new online interface over the past five-plus years. The updated look and feel have left some old features behind while adding new ones. I hate it.
So, I’ve been on the hunt for a desktop and mobile app that delivers USGS backend data through a clean, easy-to-use interface. Blue Liner Flows offers a solid solution for iPhone, iPad and Mac users, with apps built for both platforms. Most importantly, favorites and preferences sync across devices. There’s a free version, but I’ll be reviewing the $6.99 annual paid version.
Key features include: favorites, state selection, map view, latest data overview, discharge in CFS, discharge in feet, average annual discharge, various time views, weather forecasts, alerts, temperatures (station-dependent), turbidity (station-dependent), and other data specific to each gauge.
I found the app very easy to set up on my Mac. Once configured, all my favorites and alerts synced automatically to my iPhone. You don’t need both devices—an iPhone alone works just fine. I especially liked navigating between the state, favorites, and map views. It’s fast and intuitive. Most views display the key information I’m looking for, including directional arrows indicating whether water levels are rising or falling.
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Fly Fishing Getting Started - Trout Food Overview
These different types of trout foods may not only be specific to a stream, but seasonal as well. Trout are limited to what is presented to them much like many animals in the wild. Typically spring and summer offer a great abundance of food choices. Winter may only provide limited food supplies. Trout adapt to the cold water by naturally reducing their metabolisms.
Familiarity with different food sources is one of the fundamentals of successful fly fishing. Let's have an overview of these trout foods.
Aquatic Insects - mayflies (Ephemeroptera), caddisflies (Trichoptera), midges (Diptera), and stoneflies (Plecoptera)
For many, fly fishing is centered around the life cycle of aquatic insects as much as it is the trout themselves. Many anglers unwittingly become pretty good entomologists in pursuit of fly fishing. These insects are a significant part of any trout's diet throughout the year. Most aquatic insects live almost 98% of their lives in the water. Trout will feed on these bugs during all times of the insect's life cycle. Most notably trout will key in on active or passing nymphs in the water. For a brief period at the end of these insects' life, they hatch from the water to mate, lay eggs and die.
For many fly fishing anglers, mayflies are the belle of the ball and can be found hatching in...
Catch and Release Fly Fishing: Best Practices for Ethical Anglers
I'm often fishing in waters that are strictly "Catch and Release" areas, where I’m required to all of my catch. Even in places where it's not mandatory, I choose catch and release to help conserve fish populations and ensure future generations of anglers can enjoy the sport. Properly releasing fish not only gives them the best chance to survive but also helps them grow, reproduce, and possibly be caught again in the future.
There are several factors that affect a fish's survival after being released. These include the length of the fight, where the fish is hooked, water temperature, and how I handle and release it. To give the fish the best chance for survival, I generally follow these guidelines:
Best Practices for Catch and Release Fishing
- Use Barbless Hooks – Barbless hooks make it easier to remove the hook quickly, reducing handling time and minimizing injury to the fish.
- Play Fish Quickly – Land the fish as quickly as possible to avoid exhaustion, which decreases its chances of survival.
- Use a Landing Net – A rubber or knotless landing net helps prevent injury and unnecessary stress on the fish.
- Keep the Fish in the Water – The longer a fish is out of the water, the higher the risk of injury and mortality. Minimize air exposure as much as possible.
- Wet Your Hands – Always wet your hands, net, and any other materials that may come in contact with the fish to protect its delicate slime coating, which helps prevent infection and disease.
- Hold the Fish Upside Down – This can calm the fish, making it easier to remove the hook quickly and safely.
- Remove Hooks Quickly – Use hemostats or long-nose pliers for fast and safe hook removal.
- Cut the Line if...
Fly Fishing Getting Started - The Caddisflies
Trout enjoy a wide array of food, with insects being more popular. While mayflies (Ephemeroptera) enjoy much of the spotlight, caddisflies (Trichoptera) are incredibly plentiful in waters across the region. Not always the preferred insect of fly anglers, mostly due to a lack of familiarity.
Caddisflies are hardy insects and have thrived in streams that have been decimated by pollution. Streams like the Tulpehocken, Oil Creek, and Casselman are just a few streams known for their abundant caddisfly populations in our region. For many of these streams, the caddisfly is so prolific that mayflies are often an afterthought for anglers.
The caddisfly behavior is a little less predictable and is certainly one of the reasons it is not as popular for many anglers. Many mayflies can be timed to within a few days and hours. The Green Drakes on Penn's Creek are revered by anglers the same way the "Swallows" of Capistrano are anticipated at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. Caddisflies, not so much.
That is not to say great hatches of caddisflies are not enjoyed by anglers and trout, as there can be wonderful evenings and days with them covering a stream. Just as often, there can be sporadic emergers happening without much fanfare.
There are over 1200 species of caddisflies in the country. They range in size and colors covering the gambit of black, green, tan, cream, and white bodies. The more popular Grannom hatch does arrive across much of the region at the end of April and is much anticipated by anglers and trout alike.
To get some understanding of their cycle it is as easy to do as by simply lifting a rock the next time out on the water.
Many types of caddis larvae can be found at the bottom of the stream in self-made protected cases or roaming along the bottoms of streams. Some of these species...
Beginner’s Strategy for Locating Small, Wild Trout Streams in the Wilds of Pennsylvania
I often see a common question come up early in the learning curve for anglers looking to get into small stream, wild trout angling: How do I find good streams to fish? It can be an intimidating first hurdle to overcome, but once over it, the way is open to a very rewarding angling experience. It requires some homework, often good for a cold evening in the dead of winter with your beverage of choice. You’ll swing and miss sometimes, but the home runs you hit will be well worth the strikeouts.
Below is the method that I’ve developed and relied on, and that has led me to many good small stream days in the woods of Pennsylvania:
1. Locate via some simple Googling, the following three lists published, and regularly updated by the PFBC: 1) Natural Reproduction List. 2) Class A Wild Trout List. 3) Wilderness Trout Streams List. They contain different information, and there is some overlap between them, but it is all useful. They all indicate the county the stream is in, so you can use that to begin to narrow things down.
2. (Optional, but not necessary. Good for a beginner with this method, but the more successful you get, you’ll find you’ll rely on these less.) Purchase a couple of PA stream guide books. Dwight Landis’ is very good, and is my personal favorite, but there’s several other good options out there as well. Again, some simple Googling will head you in the right direction if you wish to purchase these. They all run about $20-$30.
3. Review the above-mentioned lists and books and locate some streams in a given area that you think interest you. Cross reference those stream’s locations with a good mapping software. Google Maps works very well for this, and of course, is free. Are the streams on publicly owned land? If not, who owns the land? What are the potential access points? Of course, it goes without saying, always...
Understand the Life Cycle of Mayflies for Trout Fishing
Introduction:
Trout are one of the most sought-after fish species for fly fishing. Understanding the life cycle of mayflies, an essential food source for trout, is crucial for successful fishing. In this basic guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about mayflies and how to use their life cycle to your advantage while fly fishing.
Green Drake
Mayfly Basics:
Mayflies, also known as ephemeropterans, are aquatic insects that are found in freshwater environments. They have a unique and short lifespan, making them a crucial part of the aquatic food chain. The life cycle of a mayfly consists of three stages: egg, nymph, and adult.
The Egg Stage:
Mayflies lay their eggs in freshwater, usually in the evening. The eggs then sink to the bottom of the river or lake where they will hatch into nymphs.
The Nymph Stage:
Nymphs are the underwater stage of mayflies, where they live and grow for several months to a few years. Nymphs are an important food source for trout and other aquatic species, and they are usually more vulnerable to predation than adult mayflies.
The Adult Stage:
Once the nymphs are fully grown, they will emerge from the water and transform into adult mayflies. The adult stage is short-lived, typically lasting only a few hours to a few days. During this stage, mayflies mate and lay eggs, starting the cycle all over again.
March Brown
Using the Mayfly Life Cycle for Trout Fishing:
By understanding the life cycle of mayflies, fly fishing enthusiasts can use this knowledge to their advantage. During the nymph stage, trout will feed on the nymphs. As the nymphs emerge...
Trout are one of the most sought-after fish species for fly fishing. Understanding the life cycle of mayflies, an essential food source for trout, is crucial for successful fishing. In this basic guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about mayflies and how to use their life cycle to your advantage while fly fishing.
Green Drake
Mayfly Basics:
Mayflies, also known as ephemeropterans, are aquatic insects that are found in freshwater environments. They have a unique and short lifespan, making them a crucial part of the aquatic food chain. The life cycle of a mayfly consists of three stages: egg, nymph, and adult.
The Egg Stage:
Mayflies lay their eggs in freshwater, usually in the evening. The eggs then sink to the bottom of the river or lake where they will hatch into nymphs.
The Nymph Stage:
Nymphs are the underwater stage of mayflies, where they live and grow for several months to a few years. Nymphs are an important food source for trout and other aquatic species, and they are usually more vulnerable to predation than adult mayflies.
The Adult Stage:
Once the nymphs are fully grown, they will emerge from the water and transform into adult mayflies. The adult stage is short-lived, typically lasting only a few hours to a few days. During this stage, mayflies mate and lay eggs, starting the cycle all over again.
March Brown
Using the Mayfly Life Cycle for Trout Fishing:
By understanding the life cycle of mayflies, fly fishing enthusiasts can use this knowledge to their advantage. During the nymph stage, trout will feed on the nymphs. As the nymphs emerge...
My Journey to Catch the Frankenfish
The "Frankenfish!" Chances are you have heard this name on your local news channel or on some overdramatized fishing show. The snakehead has received a lot of sensationalism by the media over the years with a lot of it misleading or greatly exaggerated. The snakehead is just a fish. They can’t walk on land to eat your pets and they don’t spawn five times a year. Just recently, John Odenkirk, the leading biologist on the Northern snakehead's impact on the Potomac with over 15 years of research has recently stated that he does not see the Northern snakehead as an invasive species anymore.
For a fish species to be considered invasive, it has to cause economic or environmental harm. To date, there is no scientific evidence to show that this fish is causing harm to the economy or existing fish populations. If anything the snakehead has boosted sales in fishing licenses and equipment in the area they're inhabiting. They are a blast to catch with spectacular topwater strikes and they are great table fare which makes them attractive to many anglers.
Since hearing that this fish was found in Meadow Lake in 2004 I was intrigued about this so-called devil fish. So, like any angler, I wanted to catch one. I took to the internet to do my homework and gather all the information I could to help me catch these fish on the fly. What I found was very limited: a few guys claiming to be experts but only had two or three fish caught in a period of several years. To me, catching three fish of a certain species hardly makes you an expert and the experts shared no info on what techniques to use other than they had flies for sale that would catch snakeheads.
After a disappointing search for fly fishing-related information, I turned my search towards what techniques conventional...
Where to Fly Fish in Montana? A DIY Trip Guide - Part 1
As a Montana fly fishing outfitter – the majority of my time from November through April is spent helping our guests plan trips for the following season. Montana is a very large target with a huge variety of fisheries so it can be a daunting challenge to folks visiting for the first time. When Dave Kile asked me to put together a guide for planning a trip our way I decided to break it into two parts do to the breadth and diversity of what Montana has to offer and what different people want out of their trip.
One of the aspects of trip planning in the Big Sky state is that we have such a huge variety of different rivers, streams, still waters and spring creeks. Each type of fishery has different peak seasons, different characters and different tactics that are best used. This post will focus on anglers that want to do the majority of their fishing unguided. Montana is arguably the best state in the west for planning a DIY trip for several reasons. Thanks to the stream access law, anglers in Montana have access to private land along streams and rivers. This means that as long as an angler gets to the river corridor from a bridge or other public access point you can fish on private property without trespassing. Secondly, we have a lot of public land in Montana and surrounding areas like Yellowstone Park so finding water to access legally is pretty easy. Finally, the huge variety of fisheries means that there are a lot of smaller waters that are ideal for wade fishing.
Where to fish?
Pick up any coffee table fly fishing book that showcases famous waters around the world and Montana rivers will be heavily represented. Anglers from around the world are familiar with the Yellowstone, Madison, Missouri, Bighorn, Beaverhead, Gallatin and many others. Where do you...
2022 Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp
The instructors in the program often include leading experts including many from state agencies like the PFBC, DEP and DCNR. The Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited sponsors the program with help from the Cumberland Valley TU.
Every morning and evening the participants are given the opportunity to fly fish the catch and release section of Yellow Breeches where they stay for the week. June on the Yellow Breeches is an excellent time to be fishing. Lessons in casting, knot tying, fly tying and more are also part of the curriculum.
- Camp is held annually on the third Sunday in June, starting at noon running to ~2:00 pm on the following Friday.
- All activities will take place on or near the property of Messiah University in Grantham, Pennsylvania. Students will have dorm lodging, meals, and class time at Messiah.
- The majority of the time at camp will be spent in a classroom setting, but many sessions will also take place on the stream or outside. The curriculum covers various topics in conservation and fly fishing.
- Students are provided with 3 meals per day plus an evening snack. Meals are buffet style with several entrée selections available.
- Some classes are held in the evenings after fishing.
- Campers receive all course materials, a camp tee shirt, hat...
Dressing for Cold Weather Fly Fishing
Temperature, sun and wind can make huge variables when gearing for some winter fly fishing. Standing in 45-degree water can set you back pretty quickly too. You've heard it before, but I'll offer it again: layers, layers, and more layers. The most important way to keep yourself prepared is with the proper layers.
Headwear
I like wearing a ball cap for fishing because the visor helps me with my visibility while I’m looking at the water. But I’ll always have a wool cap to switch on if I find myself cold. One of the best and fastest ways to regulate your body temperature is what you are wearing on your head. I recently found a decent billed cap with earflaps that can be pulled down. Certainly, the Elmer Fudd look has its own calling, but I’m not a slave to fashion while on the stream.
Alright Captain Obvious we know cotton socks don't work, so the best bet is a two-layer approach with your feet. I first put on a thin polyester-wicking sock. Overtop of the polyester sock I use a classic ragg merino wool sock. Bigger can be better, but make sure you can still get into your boots comfortably. If your socks are too thick and your feet are too tight your feet will be constricted in your boots and make your feet cold. What you are trying to accomplish...