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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The History of Erie Steelheading from the ‘60s till today with Jim Simonelli: An Odyssey
Interview edited for clarity
As the leaves begin to change and the temperature starts to cool off from the dog days of summer, there is one thing on the mind of nearly every fisherman in the Tri-state area: migratory lake-run rainbow trout, commonly known as steelhead. For the unaware, a steelhead is identical in genetic code to that of the traditional native rainbow trout of the Western United States, except that this rainbow trout decided to go on a so-called “big adventure”. Typically steelhead are an ocean faring fish, or anadromous as we like to call them, but they were historically stocked in the Great Lakes region as a sport fish and will behave exactly like their anadromous cousins but there is no ocean therefore we call them adfluvial.
Generations of anglers have been making the pilgrimage to the Great Lakes region in hopes that they too will be able to dance with this fiery fish, but how did we get to this point and who is responsible for the fishery that we know and love? What were the tactics used through time and what was “Steelhead Alley” like in past years? Recently I sat down with Jim Simonelli, past President of the 3-C-U Trout Club, to discuss just that. Jim was a prominent figure in the Erie steelheading scene nearly from the beginning and along with some other amazing gentlemen played a critical role in creating the wonderful fishery that we have here today.
Alex Ciocca: Tell us a little about yourself and how you first got involved in the Erie steelhead scene.
Jim Simonelli: I moved to Girard, Pennsylvania in 1971 after I left the service to be a little closer to the Elk Creek region. Some friends and I were doing trial-style dirt bike riding back then and on a frigid winter day, I was riding through the Fairview gravel pits and I saw Bob Hetz leaning over a tank containing all these fish; and so I rode over and that was my...
Fall Fly Fishing in Pennsylvania Presentation Sept 21 at 7:00
The fall season offers some great weather and outstanding fly fishing after the heat of the summer. Trout behavior and hatches change during the autumn months, but there is plenty of angling opportunities if you know what to do. If you are looking at extending your fly fishing season this fall then join Derek Eberly and Dave Kile for a presentation on Fall Fly Fishing in Pennsylvania.
Topics
What’s different about trout fall behavior
Seasonal hatches and trout food
Flies and tactics
Where to find locations near you
Gear and clothing
Your questions and answers
Derek Eberly
Derek has been fly-fishing across Pennsylvania for over 20 years and he started his guide service, Keystone Fly Guides in 2013. Recently Derek joined Sky Blue Outfitters and is looking forward to working with their team to offer quality fly fishing experiences across the state. He has been a perpetual student of the sport and enjoys sharing what he has learned with others. Derek is a certified casting instructor through Fly Fishers International.
Dave Kile
Dave has been fly fishing for over 35 years and is the founder of Paflyfish, an online community of fly fishing anglers in the Pennsylvania region founded in 1995. He was recognized in 2014 by the Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited with the Charles K. Fox Rising Trout Award.
Audience: Novice anglers
Date: Tuesday, September 21 at 7:00 PM
Where: Online Zoom Presentation
Register in advance for this event: https://bit.ly/3ln7RY2
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Artist Residency
I was selected as an Artist in Residence for The Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, which gave me the opportunity to spend two weeks deep in the backcountry of The Bob Marshall Wilderness (technically, I was in the Great Bear Wilderness, but it’s part of The Bob) in Montana to write and explore. Mules packed all my gear into an old Forest Service cabin that had propane lights and a stove. No running water, no electricity, and an abundance of mice. The cabin sat on a high ledge above the river which gave me access to plenty of fishing for Westslope Cutthroat Trout and Whitefish, a number of trails for hiking, and a great view to watch while I spent each first and last light writing.The fishing was incredible. I fished four flies the entire two weeks: a purple foam hopper, a caddis, a purple haze, and a streamer (occasionally, when it got really windy). They seemed to be keyed in on anything purple. At first, I had trouble getting my timing down — the river was crystal clear and I would watch these cutthroats come up for my fly from ten feet away and get excited and set the hook way too early. I switched over to my McFarland 7’6” 4 wt Spruce Creek fiberglass rod which forced me to slow down. I ended up catching most of the fish on that (including some pretty big ones). It was a blast. Simple. Easy. Consistent.
I also hiked up a few mountains while I was there (which I go into more detail on in my blog post). It was a pretty amazing experience, but it wasn’t without its difficulties. Hiking and flyfishing in grizzly country (The Bob has the highest density of grizzlies in the lower 48) was a challenge and forced me to be hyper attentive (I did meet a grizzly, but I’ll save that story for the blog…). I also knew that if I slipped or tripped or fell while fishing or hiking...
Summer Warm Water Fly Fishing Zoom Presentation - July 27, 2021
Are you looking to continue fly fishing even as the summer heats up? Then join Dave Weaver and Dave Kile as they take a fun look at warm water fishing tactics and techniques for the Pennsylvania region.
TopicsWhy small warm water creeks are overlooked
Species, with emphasis on sunfish, rock bass and smallmouth bass
Scouting & public access
Safety issues/clothing
Wading and boating
Flies and tactics
Questions and Answers
Dave Weaver
Is a history teacher in Gettysburg Pennsylvania and a moderator at Paflyfish. He is an award-winning artist specializing in fly fishing-related topics. Dave has been fly fishing small streams in Pennsylvania for over forty years.
Dave Kile
Is the founder of Paflyfish, an online community of fly fishing anglers in the Pennsylvania region founded in 1995.
Date: Tuesday, July 27 at 8:00 PM
Where: Online Zoom Presentation
Register in advance for this meeting: https://bit.ly/3BlDYyq
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
You can see more of Dave Weaver's great artwork on his Instagram account.
YOUTH CAMP FLIES - THANK YOU
To the fly tiers of PAFF, a hearty thank you for your efforts in supporting the Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp. I had put in a request for fly donations (original thread) and many of you donated your time and materials to produce some excellent flies. The camp director, upon receiving the flies, was very appreciative, calling them a "game changer," as donations were lower this year. The students will be meeting soon on the Yellow Breeches and will put the flies to good use. The youth camp was conceived by Jack Beck of Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited who pondered why America had all sorts of youth camps for various sports and other activities, but not cold water conservation. Today, the CVTU youth camp sets the standard for a variety of similarly themed youth camps and puts teenagers in hands-on activities including building stream improvement structures, fly tying and macro-invertebrate study. In the mornings and evenings, the students get to apply what they learned by fly fishing on Yellow Breeches.
Thanks,
Dave_W
May 2021 Trip Report and Unofficial Jam
Th
is past January made it very difficult to plan a few weeks out let alone several months. The normal Spring May Jamboree was officially put on hold again. Unofficially, the Sulphurs, March Browns and Green Drakes would still be hatching.
Many of the usual crew made it up for the weekend and stayed at Seven Mountains Campground. The weather was great and we were able to enjoy a couple of good nights of catching up, listening to music, and even enjoying some of the pizzas from Bruno’s oven. Plenty of music from Shakey and Turkey added to the evenings.
Saturday morning turned into an impromptu casting clinic with Derek helping a few new and experienced anglers with some techniques. Which came in handy for our fly fishing during the weekend.
Back to the fly fishing. On the first evening of the Unofficial Jam, Afishinado and I went over to the Little J with the anticipation of an evening Sulphur hatch. We made an important dinner stop at the Spruce Creek Tavern for some burgers, beers and fries before hitting the water. A great joint to hit if you are in the area.
Afishinado picked slower and softer water to fish. I stuck to some faster ripples for the evening. I got into a few bringing up many fish in the faster water at about 6:30. It got slow at about 7:30 and then when the Sulphur hatch hit we did very well.
...
is past January made it very difficult to plan a few weeks out let alone several months. The normal Spring May Jamboree was officially put on hold again. Unofficially, the Sulphurs, March Browns and Green Drakes would still be hatching. Many of the usual crew made it up for the weekend and stayed at Seven Mountains Campground. The weather was great and we were able to enjoy a couple of good nights of catching up, listening to music, and even enjoying some of the pizzas from Bruno’s oven. Plenty of music from Shakey and Turkey added to the evenings.
Saturday morning turned into an impromptu casting clinic with Derek helping a few new and experienced anglers with some techniques. Which came in handy for our fly fishing during the weekend.
Back to the fly fishing. On the first evening of the Unofficial Jam, Afishinado and I went over to the Little J with the anticipation of an evening Sulphur hatch. We made an important dinner stop at the Spruce Creek Tavern for some burgers, beers and fries before hitting the water. A great joint to hit if you are in the area.
Afishinado picked slower and softer water to fish. I stuck to some faster ripples for the evening. I got into a few bringing up many fish in the faster water at about 6:30. It got slow at about 7:30 and then when the Sulphur hatch hit we did very well.
...
Green Drakes - May Madness for Fly Fishing
I say observe as I usually find myself on Penns Creek fishing while a huge Green Drake hatch is coming off and I am doing anything but catching a lot of trout. The mixed hatches that occur during this time of year are exciting and frustrating as many anglers would agree.
So this year I am going to stop practicing the fine art of talking to myself during the hatch and I might even throw on a sulphur or a should I dare say an emerger on during the madness?
The Green Drakes can start showing up around May 20th and are complemented by the Coffin Fly spinners which provide equal splendor during this time of year. So sit back and get ready to enjoy the show.
Rob Snowhite Podcast Interview with Dave Kile of Paflyfish
From Rob: The 300th episode brings us to Dave Kile and his long-running site PAFlyFish.com Dave discusses how his website went from the primitive days of the 90's internet to the modern internet and social media and how the community around fishing in Pennsylvania is strong a quarter-century later. We learn about the different geographic ranges of Pennsylvania, the famous and not-so-famous streams, some history, and more in this fun-filled episode.
Produced by Jason Reif
Brought to you by Solo Stove
April Trip Report to Central Pennsylvania
This year more than ever I have been very anxious to get away to spend some dedicated days fly fishing. My winter cabin fever fueled with some Covid sequestering added to my desire to escape. An invitation from Rick Nyles to join him and some others to Central Pennsylvania in early April was the ticket. As we got closer I would nervously eye up the ten-day weather forecast and bring up the USGS gauges to calculate the water levels for the trip. Everything was shaping up to have ideal conditions, which is rarely the case for April.
More importantly, Rick was including a few guys I have known for many years but had not yet had a chance to share any time on the water. Dave “Wetfly” Allbaugh and I had just done a presentation together in March, Dave “Oldlefty” Rothrock catch up at the Paflyfish Jams, Shane “sbecker” Becker, William Kosmer and Ray Herbine were all part of the crew at different times during the week.
I left early on Wednesday making my way up to Keystone Project along the way for early evening fishing. Several previous warm days and sunny weather fueled some early Hendricksons coming off the water that night. Not a lot of risers, but I switched over to rusty brown spinner and enticed several up and made a few things come together.
Navigating my way past the onslaught of Amish buggies lite-up on the road, I made my way to the farmhouse Rick had arranged. A really beautiful place in Centre County along a fishing creek.
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