Best of '08

It's certainly been a while since the last post. Although I haven't hit the stream since November, as any true fly-fisher will tell you, we're never really done fishing, even if technically, we're not fishing. In that time, I have read about, talked about, & thought a lot about fly-fishing. I have bought materials for tying, I've browsed equipment in catalogues & in stores, whether in a fly-shop or another outdoors store that happens to have a fly-fishing department. I have looked into possible trips for the upcoming new year 2009, as well as show a new stream to a friend, even if we didn't actually fish, we were fishing it in our minds, or at least talking about where we would fish if we were actually fishing. I have asked & answered questions regarding our sport. I have looked at new fly patterns that I would like experiment with from magazines or web-sites, and I have planned my winter tying regimen. I have checked out different techniques to tie even well known & proven patterns better and/or more efficiently. I have thought, too, back on the memories of a great year of fly-fishing, many of which have been recorded in this blog.

2008 was, for me, a turning point year in my fly-fishing experience. I believe I've become a better fly-fisherman this year for many reasons. I wanted to try "new" stuff this year, while getting back to some old stuff as well, for example, getting back to my graphite rods after a year or two of fishing bamboo exclusively. I see the value in being able to fish both types of rod. This is the year that I went to such places as Bozeman, Montana, Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, and Lake Erie in my native Pennsylvania. Speaking of PA, I fished in lots of new places, even new parts of creeks I had already fished. I even picked up a few new fishing buddies along the way & renewed friendships with "older" buddies (that means you Bob, although I know age is just a number!). One of the new things certainly has been this blog, where at least I had a forum to communicate my fly-fishing thoughts, experiences, ruminations & ideas. Below are some of my top ten highlights of 2008 in pictures. Hope you enjoy this Top Ten List for 2008 & here's hoping '09 will be yet another incredible fly-fishing odyssey for all. Tight lines & Happy New Year!

#10. The Bushkill

A helpful guide in Dunklebergers (in Stroudsburg ) turned me on to this section of the famed Pocono stream back in May. Fall was not as promising, but I'll be heading back up here in the spring for some good evening hatch action.

#9 Lake Erie Tribs Fall Steelheading

This trip was my first to Erie & it's environs. This was really something new, even though I came home without a fish. But, meeting up with some other steelheaders & getting to know a whole new part of the fly-fishing game & a new part of PA made this still worthwhile. I'll be back!

#8 The Po
The Pohopoco, or the "Po" as we affectionately call it, is quite a fishery. Many of the known areas of the Po are stocked pre-season. It maintains very cool temps throughout the summer (especially below the Beltzville Dam), which is why it's a good choice for summer trout fishing. Above the Beltzville lake Dam, there are some areas that are near class A trout water & supports wild browns. Chaz & I went on some wild goose chases looking for new spots to fish on the Po. That in itself was alot of fun.

#7 Grannom Time on the Little J Timing is certainly everything for the Grannom Caddis hatch in Central PA. I Learned this the hard way by arriving really at the tail end of the hatch. As Alan Bright from the Spruce Creek Fly Shop told me, "This hatch is really only a 5 day hatch. Everyone says it's 2 weeks, but that's just not true." He told me that April 17th is a good rule of thumb: if you get there & no Grannoms are out, chances are they'll be there very soon. If there are Grannoms, it's in full swing. Or, you may get there on the day the hatch starts. In spite of my tardiness, I was able to hit some of the other creeks, like Spring Creek, & get some R& R in Centre County. Also, I discovered some new spots on the Little J & was rewarded with a nice brownie or two.

#6 Flyrodding for Bass in the Poconos

Trout have been & still are my favorite choice of fish to pursue with a fly rod. But, hitting a private lake in the Poconos in mid-July for largemouths, panfish & pickerel was a hell of a lot of fun. It was a truly fun time. Plus, it got me into a whole new realm of tying, with poppers, divers, etc. as part of the ever growing repertoire.

# 5 The Honey Hole
Finding new spots to fish was a goal of mine in '08, & will contiue to be next year & beyond. Sometimes, finding a new spot requires new friends. Chaz & I became good fishing buddies this year. I hopefully helped him with his getting acquainted to our sport & he certainly brought a lot to the table with some private fishing spots, which turned out to be phenomenal. Chaz caught his biggest trout, a 23" 'bow (see picture near left) in this private stretch of the Tobyhanna Creek in the Poconos. Now if he could just resist going to the well too many times!

#4 Converting Others From Bait & Spin Tackle into Bona Fide Fly-Fishing Nuts
Chaz, pictured at left, has crossed the line into true fly-fishing insanity. Even those of us who might now think twice about going out in weather less than 50 degrees or in inclement weather, had once been so hard core, too. Fly-nuts like Chaz just remind us that at the heart of whatever so-called wisdom we've attained, or however skilled we may imagine ourselves to be in our beloved sport, we're still stone-cold fly-fishing lunatics to the core. Thanks, Chaz, for helping us remember how nuts about fly-fishing we should be & still are. And Happy New Year.

#3 Fishing The Firehole River in Yellowstone Nat'l Park

What a thrill! Where else could you fish in view of geisers, buffalo, elk & awesome scenery & still cach wild rainbows & brownies? This was truly a great day I'll never forget. Besides the fishing, seeing Old Faithful & enjoying some of the most unique terrain in all the world was a great experience. The fishing wasn't bad, either. Fished a nymph tandem rig for a short spell not too far from the Nez Perce & had a rainbow hit the dropper on one cast & a brown hit the point fly on another. Both were about 11" or 12." Bob sat in the car& read . Wonderful day.

#2 Big Sky Memories

Montana is for the Fly-fisherman what Jerusalem is to Christians & Jews, & Mecca is to Muslims: the center of the world. I spent 3 days float fishing with our trusty guide Toby & my good friend Bob on the Lower Madison & the Missouri Rivers. Thanks to Toby & the entire experience, I came back from Montana a better fly-fisherman. Also, I met Dr. Ed from Bethlehem, PA out on the Lower Madison. Later last summer, we hit the Monocacy for some Trico action & wild browns. A life long memory & hopefully, another trip back were the result of this great trip.

#1 Bob's Big Boy
Some of us spend money on the latest, cutting edge fly-fishing gear, tie or buy the hottest new flies, or we work on technique, research & visit some of the most famous places to fish. Others simply let their line, leader, & fly do their thing without such bother. That would sum up Bob. Bob is laid back-he ought to be-he's 78 & retired ("The Porp"). 5 minutes after putting in on the Lower Madison below Bozeman, Montana, Bob got this pig: a 22" brown. He could have flown home after that & be satisfied after just 5 minutes on the water! Bob's flyline was in the water, just floating along. None of us were even paying attention to Bob's line. Toby glanced over & knowingly realized something was attached to the end of Bob's leader (and it wasn't just his fly!), told Bob to lift up, & BAM! There he was. Bob's amazing catch reminds me to keep it simple stupid!