Read the Water and Pick Your Weapon

As the sun sinks into the horizon earlier each day and the flaming foliage slowly alters the landscape, a welcomed change is in the crisp air.  As September ends the ecosystem is in full swing of preparation.  Not only are we as humans preparing for the winter season, but the plants, insects and animals are in full awareness of the need to survive. Although nature is not conscious as to the significance of the autumnal equinox, nature is keen to the change of temperature and solar illumination.

Many outdoorsmen see the fall season and dream of bows and bucks.  Anglers in PA, on the other

hand, salivate of monster wild browns and brilliant native brooks.  By far, there is no better season to trout fish, than the fall season.  A drop in water temperature is a signal to these fish that it is time to get fat.  The more a trout can eat during the fall, the more fat reserves are created and a better chance of survival through winter when food is limited.  This feeding frenzy can result in hooking into larger than average fish, as the older wiser trout are more interested in eating and willing to bite.

In order to give you the best chance at landing good fish, I have highlighted 4 key lures to have within your tackle box.  In fact, these are the only lures I ever carry with me in the fall. (Fly fisherman need not read any further.)  Along with highlighting the best lures, I have illustrated how to throw the bait.

 4) The Original Floating Rapala

It's the original because it is versatile.  Throw up or down steam with success. Limit use in shallow water and use in larger sections of stream.  Although this lure can be used in a multitude of locations, it may not be the be the best when encountering different stream dynamics. 

3) Rapala's Ultra Light Shad

The lip on this bait allows for use in only one area, deep pockets! This bait dives fast so be sure to reel

slow and add a couple twitches.  Utilize the ULS within an eddy or any slow channel that will harbor large fish down deep.

2) Rapala's Flat rap

This lure really puts on a show.  Throw in very slow moving water and add a fast (but not hard) twitching action with a slow retreavel.  This bait will dance, drive trout wild, and will seem irresistible as it will pull trout out from under logs and cover.

1) Rapala's Ultra Light Minnow

The ULM is the absolute bomb of a bait.  It will almost always produce a trout on the other end of your line. Toss upstream and allow to slowly sink as you reel and twitch. It will appear as though it is a dying fry drifting in the water and will attract trout of all size, especially the hogs.

To answer the question you may have...  No, I am not sponsored by Rapala, nor to I receive any benefits. From my personal experience and time on the water, these Rapala lures have out preformed every other option trout lure option. They work well for me, and the evidence provided should suffice.

Good luck and C&R Wild Trout!

Trout Week 2013 TECH FALL!

Massive amounts of apologies need to be made to all of you.  Due to highly unexpected technical fallout and difficulties, Trout Week 2013 was interrupted earlier this week.  Please excuse my errors.  Look for the additional Trout Week 2013 blogs to appear throughout next week.  I hope that you will continue to visit my blog, read my articles, remain entertained, and follow up with angling questions.  Have a great remainder of your weekend.  Fish On!

Trout Week 2013 Day 2

Trout Week
Day 2

Alright, it's time to finally get things right and set everything strait.  Nothing bothers me more than people wrongfully identifying trout or improperly calling a wild trout a "native".  So read this, learn this, and get it right!

Native Vs. Wild
Today, people are still confused with the difference in the classification of fish.  Often times anglers still misuse the proper description when speaking about a fish they caught or a stream they have fished.  So just to clarify things...

Wild Trout:  A trout that is the product of natural spawning in a stream from previously stocked fish.  An example of a wild trout stream is a stream that was previously stocked but is no longer stocked, allowing for the fish to naturally spawn and continue to live without any assistance.  Spring Creek is an example of a wild trout stream in Centre County.  Within this stream you catch WILD trout, not NATIVE trout.

Native Trout: A trout, (specifically brook trout only in PA), that has naturally lived and reproduced in a particular stream since the arrival of European settlement.  Native trout are often much smaller than stocked trout.  Native trout frequent smaller streams with class A water quality.

Stocked Trout:  Neither of the above.  Trout put in a stream through stocking.  These trout lack intelligence and are a great way to introduce children to fishing.  Many ignorant adults fight over their "spots" on stocked streams and often complain about the amount and size of these fish every year.

Now that we have cleared things up, here is a complete list of WILD TROUT STREAMS in Pennsylvania.  The Facebook page: PA's Wild Trout, often receives questions on "Where is a wild trout stream around me?"  If you have every asked this question or are wondering, be sure to view that complete list.  It is second to none.

Trout Week 2013 Day 1

Trout Week

Day 1

Welcome to Trout Week 2013!  Now that the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" is finally over, we can get to some information that actually matters.  Every blog each day will focus on something trout and Pennsylvania related.  The blogs will also be specially designed as to not take up too much time out of your day, but still bring you pertinent information.  This is so all you trout bums can sneak a peek while at work and not get busted!

Today's Topic: Trout Lures

In March of this year, Outdoor Life came out with an article entitled "Top Trout Lures: 13 Best Trout Fishing Bates of All Time"  Click here to see the article.  This article had some good information, but was lacking substance for what it was worth.  To be honest, I don't understand why Outdoor Life chose the lures listed for their article as they are all generic lures that produce a limited amount of time.

Below I have compiled a list of the top go to trout lures that need to be in your everyday trout tackle box.  I have also narrowed the list down from 13 to 5.  Because, quite honestly, 13 is an unlucky number and too drawn out.

1) Rapala's - You can't go wrong with any Rapala while in search for big trout.  Any combination of these Rapala styles will catch you fish in any fishery.  Ultra Light Minnow.  X-Rap.  Original Floating.  Ultra Light Shad.

2) Rooster Tails - These spinners come in a wide range of colors, patterns, and sizes these days.  You can even find them in UV patterns.

3) Blue Fox Minnow Spin - This is the best of two worlds.  Combine a Rapala style body, with a spinner, and your left with this hot lure.

4) Woolly Buggers - These work all year, in every season, in just about every stream, in most conditions.  Providing a variation with your patterns can be crucial sometimes.  Leave a bit of a tail, mix up the colors, or add some extra flare.

5) Jigs - When all the above fails, and you're having problems catching trout, pull out the light finesse jigheads and throw on a soft plastic.  Worm bodies or tubes can both be effective when other baits are busted.

Catch & Release Providing Big Results

Everything has it's place.

There is a reason for the trees.  There is a reason for the butterflies.  There is a reason for illness.  And there is a reason for predators.  This is the same in the world of angling.  There is a reason to keep and there is a reason to release.

This past weekend presented an opportunity for myself to head back to "God's County" and fish a small lake that a friend had introduced me to last year.  Rose Lake.  Despite the distinction of being named a lake, this body of water is more of an oversized pond.  Though small, this prime fishing water provides some big catches, all of which is a direct result of Catch & Release practices.
(Pictured right, largest mouth of the weekend on a Livetarget trout jerkbait)

I fish this water for two reasons:
1) It is quite.  You do not often find many people at this location.  This area is peaceful and the wildlife is abundant.
2) The bass are big and abundant.  It's almost impossible to have a day without catching any fish.

I have read that there is a multitude of different species swimming within this warm water fishery.  Perch, crappie, and catfish round out the diversity.  I have not personally caught these species, but from hearsay, I can share that anglers can expect these catches.  My main pursuit lies within the lunker largemouth bass and pesky pickerel.  Both can be caught in good numbers, but the bass provide good size.


(<--Doubleheader caught on a Livetarget jerkbait)

Once entering the property of Rose Lake you will be met with a sign asking you to only keep the pickerel that you catch.  If you wish to keep them, of course.  All other species, specifically bass, are to be released back into their environment.  This is not a place to fish if you want a meal to take home, unless you are seeking pickerel.  This is a lake that is being preserved in a way that offers anglers with a relaxing afternoon of catching quality fish in the same way that parts of Penns Creek produces the same adventure.     (Pictured right, a hefty bass landed with the use of a Berkley Crazy Legs Chigger Craw on a football head jig)

By the catches provided within the article show, if people are willing to make the investment, catch and release will produce in the end.

A Sunday In Central PA

The weather was perfect this past weekend to hit some of the C&R streams in central PA.  With temperatures not getting higher than 38 on average so far, the 56 degree days were more than welcomed.  The macros also took advantage of the warmer weather.  A black cloud of Blue Winged Olive's hovered above Spring Creek.  While the water was a bit colder, there was still a descent hatch of BWO's on Penn's Creek that my friend, Corbin, and I spotted on Sunday.  We also saw a couple Black Caddis' emerging from the very clear water.

Although the surge of the BWO hatch has came and went on Spring Creek, expect to see them hatching throughout the rest of March.  The Penn's Creek BWO hatch will continue to be gradual as the weather temperatures will drop again this week.  The water temps on Penn's are still pretty cold.  Much cooler, of course, than Spring Creek.  Hatches on Spring Creek are generally a couple weeks earlier due to the amount of springs that feed the stream, keeping the water temps generally a consistent temperature all year.

Corbin is a fly fisherman whereas I am a spin fisherman.  We both had good luck yesterday.  There were some trout that would occasionally feed on top, but the dry fly catch was not to be apart of our day.  Corbin's success came while nymphing.  I stuck to my usual guns; jerk baits.  I threw on a couple different patterns and shapes and caught fish on 3 out of the 4 lures I used.  Within the 4 hours we fished I was able to land 6 nice fish, and Corbin 3.

For the fly-fishermen:  Below are a couple fly charts.  Obviously the times and dates are relative to how the season is running.  Rain, sun, cooler/warmer temps, and clouds could easily affect the hatch patterns.  Regardless, these links should give you a good idea of what to use when headed out.

PAFlyFish.com Chart
Keystone Anglers Chart
Central PA Fly Fishing Chart





Land Them Safely...

Fly Fishing

Be sure to check out my buddy's blog, http://sulphursalvation.blogspot.com/, for all things fly fishing for trout!

Friday Fillet

Species: Largemouth Bass


I have never kept a largemouth bass to eat.  There's no reason why I never have, it's just the way I've been.  Even though I never have saved my catch of largemouth to cook I know plenty of fisherman who swear by their taste and ability to cook many different ways.  Honestly, I have never even thought of how I would even prepare a largemouth if for some reason I kept one.  This got me thinking and interested today, so all of you benefit today as my curiosity is peaked to the maximum!

Since today is March 1st, and pre-spawn conditions here in PA and the northeast region inch ever closer, you get a double bonus Friday Fillet.  Not only will you learn just how to properly fillet a largemouth but I have also picked out a video that will help you to cook in a way that is different from the usual batter and fry.  Enjoy!

The first two videos give you a detailed play by play of how to properly execute the perfect fillet.

Now here is an easy and cheap, but tasty, way to cook your catch.

2013 Winter Wild Trout Music Video

Here it is!  The finished product.  Nothing fancy, but I hope it entertains all of you.  Look for more in the future for each different season!

Friday Fillet

Species: Crappie


One fun fish to catch and one tasty fish to eat!  Today felt like the quintessential spring day.  The sun was out.  The temperature was in the mid 50's.  There was a slight wind.  And the ground was soft with snow melt.  It's getting close to spring time in PA, so in anticipation of the spring spawn and crappie fishing paradise, here is the best way to fillet a crappie.