I was at my “branch office” (Dunkin Donuts) the other day, and someone mentioned that they had gotten the new fishing catalog from Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s. Now all of us who have been smitten with the condition known as “fishing” enjoy browsing through a fishing catalog with all of the newest gear —
READ MOREI know we are hot and heavy into trout season, and you can bet that I’ll be doing my share of trout fishing too, but there’s other fish to be had during this early spring season. I’m talking about bluegills, pumpkinseeds, rock bass, perch, and crappies — especially crappies. Collectively this group falls into the
READ MOREThe first day of the regular trout season is Saturday, April 13 with an 8 a.m. starting time and weather permitting I’m sure there will be a good number of anxious fishermen lining the banks of area streams. I’m sure too that there will be a wide variety of baits and lures as well as
READ MOREA couple of weeks ago some friends and I attended the Fly-Fishing Show in downtown Lancaster. If you are a fly-fishing enthusiast then very likely you are also a fly-tying devotee as well, and if that’s the case, this show should be on your agenda. Anything a fly tier would ever need is on display
READ MOREBack in December we hard water walkers weren’t too sure we were going to have much of an ice fishing season, but it turns out we are having one of our longest seasons in a while. Even as I write this piece, I’m planning a couple more trips to area lakes in search of my
READ MORESpotting eagles has become rather common for me, and I’m sure a number of other people as well. I don’t know how many times I’ve been sitting in my “branch office” (Dunkin Donuts-Muncy) only to look out the window and watch one or even two mature eagles flying low along Muncy Creek — sometimes they
READ MOREMy wife and I spent the better part of a day at Cabela’s the week before Christmas, and trust me, I was never overtaken by boredom. Needless to say, I spent a good bit of my time wandering the seemingly endless aisles of fishing lures and fishing equipment. I probably don’t have to tell you
READ MOREI recently came across an interesting story in an outdoor publication; a guy at hunting camp killed a deer in the morning and then when out and caught some trout later in the day. Certainly not an impossible task but it surely is a fairly rare occurrence. I suspect it’s rare because trout fishing is
READ MOREThe mistletoe is hung, and so are the garlands, the ornaments, window decorations, and lights. You’d be ready for the holidays, too, if you weren’t hung up on a gift for that one certain person. Now what? Now head to the bookstore with this column in-hand, and look for one of these great books…. FICTION
READ MOREHEY. YOU WEREN’T IN THE PAPER THIS WEEK. OK. I missed another deadline and thanks to those who continue to remind. There’s actually a great story behind my mishap, and I will do my best to explain. But before I begin, I want to say cheers to the handful of fans. Your feedback and praise
READ MOREI must admit that I do not pursue walleyes with the same dedication that I have for trout, bass or even panfish but I do enjoy some dedicated walleye fishing on occasion. In previous years I would often travel to various locations in Canada just for the opportunity to catch walleyes and many of those
READ MORESome of the best fishing of the year is yet to come this fall and fishing with artificial lures can produce some of the best action. Both trout and a variety of warm water species of fish will be feeding more heavily as the water cools and the winter season approaches and with the multitude
READ MOREIt’s no secret. I am a huge fan of Lycoming County. There is nothing but love for my gorgeous neighborhood. North Central Pennsylvania is the bomb, and it is home to many treasures. We live in an area with such amazing beauty. Fishing has always been a passion, and I take full advantage of what
READ MORETo be honest, the past couple of weeks have been so busy for me I haven’t had time to fit any fishing in, but with the flooding conditions slamming our area recently, it doesn’t appear anybody else could get any fishing in either. The thought of fishing completely disappears when your favorite streams become raging
READ MOREYou can obviously take the title of this story a couple of different ways, but the first thought is probably the temperatures hovering around the 90-degree mark — that definitely makes for some hot fishing. Hats, sunglasses, sunscreen and cold drinks help make the heat more tolerable. Admittedly these recent hot, sunny summer days have
READ MOREMost folks will agree that there is no more relaxing sound than a steady rain on an old tin roof as you are drifting off to sleep. One of the most serene sounds that most of us have had the pleasure of hearing is the calling back and forth of a pair of mourning doves.
READ MOREWith the catch and immediate release of the bass season now over, and the regular bass season now underway many fishermen have turned their attention to bass rather than trout. There’s no doubt that April is big for trout and May still attracts a pretty good number of trout anglers, but by June trout fishing
READ MOREWow. You look great. Have you lost weight? No. Not really. Jeez, you’re tan. You must be playing lots of golf. Not at all. Actually, I came up with a new workout routine. It doesn’t require much skill, and it’s somewhat refreshing. You only need a little time and a pole. I like to call
READ MOREIt’s great to see the mountains that line the West Branch Valley aglow in that special spring-green foliage. At times, it didn’t seem like spring was ever going to get here — let alone summer. We truly live in one of the most beautiful places on God’s green earth, and it’s great to see everybody
READ MOREOver the past month or so, I’ve been writing pieces about improving your fish catching rate by becoming a more versatile fisherman; one of those improvements involved learning new techniques and presentations. I mentioned that fishing a tandem fly rig was something I had been reading about, but had not yet tried — that is
READ MOREOver the past couple of weeks, I’ve been writing about how one might go about increasing their fish catching opportunities. Being willing to target a variety of fish species is one way to increase your catch rate, and using a variety of equipment will also add to your numbers. Another possibility I would like to
READ MOREIn last week’s piece, I mentioned that versatility was a key to catching more fish. In fact, the whole point was that the more different species of fish you were willing to pursue the better your chances of hooking up — literally. I would like to continue that theme of versatility but with a different
READ MORE“A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.” How many times have you heard that little quote? Well, I don’t buy it; a better thought is, “A good day of fishing is better than a good day at work.” Yea, I know it’s nice to just be out there enjoying
READ MORE“Double your pleasure, double your fun — with Double Mint, Double Mint, Double Mint Gum!” This popular jingle was used in years past to advertise a brand of gum that remains popular to this day. Careful, if you remember this jingle, you may be giving away your age! But, “Double your pleasure, double your fun”
READ MORETo be honest, I haven’t fished the opening day of trout season for many years. It wasn’t always that way though; when I was a young fellow in the 60s, I wouldn’t have missed the first day for anything. Most of my first days were spent on Sinnemahoning Creek using Mike’s Lucky Seven salmon eggs.
READ MOREThe opening day of trout season is still a month away — April 14th here in our part of the state — and a couple of weeks until the trout opener in the southern part of the state on March 31st. With the openers still that far out, why would I be ready to give
READ MORENo, this is not going to be a story about one of my favorite socks, but it is a piece about one of my favorite trout streams — the Loyalsock Creek. My wife and I left DuBois, PA following our wedding and our next stop that evening was just beyond Williamsport. I remember telling her
READ MORETake someone fishing. Understand, the word “fishermen” in the title is meant to include men, women, and children. Now that I’ve cleared that up, what am I talking about when I say more fishermen are wanted? For starters, it’s no secret that the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has been seeking a license fee increase
READ MOREWe are at that time of the year when most of our hunting is over; sure we can still chase rabbits and squirrels until the end of February and, of course, coyotes can be had anytime. Last week, I even spotted a distant field with a bunch of goose decoys spread over a large area.
READ MOREAs a hard water angler, one of the questions I am most often asked is, “Do you ever actually catch any fish?” The answer is a resounding, “Yes! Lots of fish.” The second question is usually, “What kind of fish do you catch?” My answer is, “All kinds of fish, but I most often target
READ MORE“There is an old saying that one can never enter the same river twice. The river is always new; the man is forever changed.”- Mike Crockett and Grant McClintock, Flywater “It is the challenge of the fishing more than it is the catching of the fish.”- Joseph D. Bates, Jr., Atlantic Salmon Flies & Fishing
READ MOREWith only a few more shopping days before Christ.mas morning arrives, hopefully, you have taken care of all of the major items on your gift list and can now turn your attention to the last minute items and the ever-popular “stocking stuffers.” I reflect back, fondly, to the early days when the three stockings, hand-knit
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