All PAFF members, family, and friends are cordially invited to join us for the Rescheduled 2009 SE PA Trico Summit on the Little Lehigh.

The Trico Summit has been rescheduled for Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 8AM. Hopefully the weather will be a little better this time!

Same location as before, but please note that the time has been pushed back to 8AM, due to the spinnerfall occuring a bit later as the hatch progresses. We'll head out for lunch around noon, or so.

Due to the nature of fishing the Trico spinner fall, and the desire of many members to have a "mini Jam" that they don't have to make a multi-day commitment to, a central location in the state (ie. Spring Creek) was deemed impractical. Therefore, the event will be held on the banks of the Little Lehigh, providing good access to anglers from two of the three largest metropolitan areas in the state.

We'll meet in the parking lot off of Park Rd at 8 AM, and there should be plenty of room for everyone to fish. The Tricos on the Little Lehigh have been providing outstanding fishing for a few weeks now, and there should be plenty of rising fish.

For those members that have never fished a Trico spinnerfall before - we'll try to pair you up with an experienced fisherman to help you out.

Waders are a good idea, but wet wading is an option (if you can stand the cold water). I'll have a case of spring water on ice in my truck, but it would be a good idea to carry some with you. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the Allentown Parkway system.

After the fishing we'll be heading out to do lunch.

DIRECTIONS -just right click twice on the parking lot and choose your option. http://bit.ly/arUKP

FOR MORE DETAILS - please follow the thread in the PAFF forum. http://bit.ly/Nf4rk

Picture by onemorecast

What an intriguing concept…Biodegradable Tippet material!!! I was actually very excited to try this Bioline tippet. It will break down within 5 years in the environment as opposed to around 600 years for mono…now, think of how many times you lost tippet and leader on snags. And think about how many fish broke the tippet at the leader knot due to a poorly tied knot. Multiply that by how many people you see on the streams doing the same thing. That is a lot of line for nature to get tangled in.

I tested the 5X line. I initially put it through some unscientific knot strength tests. I was impressed…It held up as well or ever better than the Orvis and Frog Hair that I normally use. It was a little greater in diameter, though. The Bioline tippet measures .008” in the 5X compared to .006” in the Orvis SuperStrong and Frog Hair…a difference that is even visible to the naked eye. But how would that affect the fishing?

I put the tippet through the paces in a variety of situations trying to test the limits of the tippet. I started by casting big deer hair poppers and bulky deceivers for bass on Keystone Power Dam with a 7 wt rod. I was amazed at how well it turned over the big flies. Where I normally would have fished a 2X or larger, the 5X showed no sign of being under gunned.

I fished it with dries on the Yough. It handled appropriately sized flies very well. The flies turned over easily. The tippet performed as it should all the way through the drift, as well as when executing reach casts, curve casts, and even slack line casts.

The Yough, being known for some good fishing with micro caddis and midges gave me a good opportunity to fish over some picky risers with a #20 black caddis. Obviously not a situation where you would normally use 5X, but in the name of research, I was willing to try for those fish with the Bioline. I was able to land 1 nice brownie, but the thicker diameter tippet had an obvious affect on the drift. In the past...

A walk in the park is free this weekend! Everyone is invited to national parks across the country for the third of three free admission summer weekends.

All 391 national parks will offer free admission this Saturday and Sunday, August 15-16. Many park partners, including tour operators, hotels, restaurants, and gift shops, will provide discounts and special promotions to sweeten the deal. Visit http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm for more information. Fees for activities such as camping, reservations, tours, or concessions are not affected by the entrance fee waiver.

“During these tough economic times, our national parks provide opportunities for affordable vacations for families,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of these free admittance weekends.”

My summers get pretty busy, but each year I've been fly fishing, I've gotten more fishing in. I enjoy doing small mouth and panfish, but am going to try and do more summer trout this year. However I got the golf itch again, and that cuts into the fishing time. I put 8-14 times, which will be pretty accurate with small trips here and there.

I picked 50/50. I always go with others when steelheading. Cuts down on costs of driving and tolls, and if I'm in a croud, better to be with friends. Stocked streams I try to bring people with me, especially the few guys I've taught to fly fish the past 2 years. I sometimes skip out of work, or hit a stream after work and if it's a short trip I'll go alone. I almost always go to my wild trout streams alone too. Close to 50/50, but maybe 60/40 with a group compared to alone.

Ryan

I usually travel within an hour and a half to fish. But again, I'm surrounded by so many great trout streams.

I didn't count possible trips to Canada, or any other vacations in the works.

Sry guys im 23 and im kinda liking my woman more than my scotch... so therefore i picked the brunette.

The PAFF Informal Casting Clinic was held on Wednesday, 7/15/09, at 3:30 PM on the banks of the Little Lehigh. This event was as much a chance to meet some fellow PAFF members as it was a casting clinic, and a good time was had by all.

As Dave Kile has pointed out before, PAFF has some really skilled anglers, and this event was further proof of this. Dave Rothrock, a certified FFF casting instructor, was kind enough to provide his impressive teaching skills to his fellow PAFF members free of charge at this event. To all who attended, I hope each of you took something with you that will improve your skill level, and enable you to catch more fish.

PAFF has grown exponentially over the years. We've come a long way from the old "continuous threads" format of the old forum, but the heart and soul of the forum is still the incredibly talented membership of this forum. Kudos to Dave Kile for providing us with such a great resource!

This event was an informal get-together to share some of the wealth of knowledge that exists on the board and with its members. As Afish stated, it was just something some of the members came up with to promote good will and camaraderie amongst our fellow board members. A common thought that was expressed throughout the evening was a sense of regret people had for not being able to attend the "official" PAFF Jamboree. Events like these provide a way for us to get together and share skills and good times without having to make a multi day commitment in time that many just can't do. Look for more of these "Mini Jams" in the future!

On a personal note, I was surprised that we didn't have any beginners attend this event. It was a perfect opportunity to get some free casting help. An even bigger surprise was the really experienced anglers that showed up - for example, Afishinado. Smart anglers take every opportunity to further their skills, and a better casting skill set is always desirable. The never ending quest to improve oneself...

The House Republican budget proposal outlined today misses the mark on the amount of state forest land available for natural gas development, and the amount of revenues that could be generated through a lease sale, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Acting Secretary John Quigley said.

TENNIS!

My first thought was "Oh, not all that many...I'm a creatue of habit"...but then I started thinking about it. Between steelhead, trout, and wild trout, I have already fished 16 streams this year and I have yet to take an "extended" fishing trip.

Bellefonte proudly proclaims to be “Central Pennsylvania’s Victorian Secret” with it’s charming homes in a modern world, but it is no secret to anglers that it also holds a charm all its own when it comes to fly fishing. Nestled in the Nittany Valley of Centre County, Bellefonte is home to some of the premier fly-fishing waters in Pennsylvania. The members of PaFlyFish.com have selected Bellefonte, Pennsylvania as the Best Fly Fishing Town in Pennsylvania for 2009.

Anglers enjoy the world-class fly-fishing waters of Spring Creek that meanders through the town. Other prominent streams such as Penns Creek, Fishing Creek, Spruce Creek and the Little Juniata River are all in close proximity too. The mountain fed and limestone streams provide cool productive waters through out the year that are a delight to fly fishing enthusiasts.

Members of the Pennsylvania fly-fishing community at PaFlyFish.com resoundingly selected Bellefonte in a recent poll as the Best Fly Fishing Town in Pennsylvania. Selected for not only the close proximity to the many wonderful streams in the area, but its hospitality, shops, dining and accommodations. With a lodging named the Riffles and Runs Bed and Breakfast how can this not be a wonderful fly fishing town.

Bill Simmeth, member at PaFlyfish.com adds, “If I would ever move somewhere close to good fly fishing, Bellefonte would be at the top of my list. The town has all the amenities a fly fisherman could want with good restaurants, accommodations and two great fly shops nearby. Yet it still has that nice small town feel to it."

Walt Goldman, Mayor of Bellefonte, commented, “We are thrilled to hear that Bellefonte has been recognized for this wonderful designation. Bellefonte welcomes all fly fishing anglers to come and visit our wonderful town."

Thanks to www.VisitPa.com for the Bellefonte picture.