Hiring a guide 
Combs
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Hiring a guide
thinking about hiring a guide for central pa. Drake, you do some guiding. Is it worth it in your opinion or are the waters there fairly easy to read this time of year?
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Bowhunter
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/23 08:01:12
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Combs,
If you have any experience at all and looking to catch wild fiah there is no need for a guide in Central PA. Get a map, pick a stream and start driving. Some streams and areas are better, but they all hold fish year around.
Late summer is by far the hardest to fish. Especially with the low / warm water. I have only been out 1 in 2 weeks.
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Thats_Hot
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/23 08:37:12
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The biggest reason to hire a guide in central PA is to learn a stream (places to fish, hatches, etc.) without spending a lot of time (and money) figuring it all out on your own. A guide can easily be asked to give a grand tour of the stream by hitting a bunch of different spots and showing you different places to access the stream. Of course, a fly shop can load you up with a lot of locations too. Most guides (not all) will also be able to help you with casting and presentation techniques, fly selection, and just all around good information about how to fish.
So in my opinion, if you have the cash and don't consider yourself an expert, hiring a guide in central PA wouldn't be a bad idea to see a new stream. If you feel pretty competent and have the time to figure out a stream on your own, don't hire a guide.
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Fisherboy86
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/23 11:40:48
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Combs,
I think most guys would be willing to share enough info on Central Pa to get your going in the right direction. What area in particular were you looking at?
If you plan on fishing Spring Creek some weekend, let me know and if I am home that weekend, I wouldn't mind showing you around the stream and helping you get into a bunch. The streams in the area aren't that tough of fishing. At this time of year, make yourself unknown and work the stream with a beetle. It's all you need.
Fisher
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thedrake
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/23 11:51:24
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ORIGINAL: Thats_Hot
The biggest reason to hire a guide in central PA is to learn a stream (places to fish, hatches, etc.) without spending a lot of time (and money) figuring it all out on your own. A guide can easily be asked to give a grand tour of the stream by hitting a bunch of different spots and showing you different places to access the stream. Of course, a fly shop can load you up with a lot of locations too. Most guides (not all) will also be able to help you with casting and presentation techniques, fly selection, and just all around good information about how to fish.
So in my opinion, if you have the cash and don't consider yourself an expert, hiring a guide in central PA wouldn't be a bad idea to see a new stream. If you feel pretty competent and have the time to figure out a stream on your own, don't hire a guide.
My thoughts exactly....
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thedrake
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/23 12:03:46
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ORIGINAL: Fisherboy86
Combs,
I think most guys would be willing to share enough info on Central Pa to get your going in the right direction. What area in particular were you looking at?
If you plan on fishing Spring Creek some weekend, let me know and if I am home that weekend, I wouldn't mind showing you around the stream and helping you get into a bunch. The streams in the area aren't that tough of fishing. At this time of year, make yourself unknown and work the stream with a beetle. It's all you need.
Fisher
Beetles are a good choice, but by no means "all you need". Most streams in the area have good trico spinner falls in the mornings. Also, on many of the streams such as big fishing creek, you may see 22-24 bwos with a brownish olive body in good numbers. Slate drakes also will hatch sparsley, and can bring fish to the surface on many central pa streams. Nymphs will also work well on all of the streams. I suggest using 18-22 bhpt's and trico nymphs. If your on spring creek, try small scuds and cressbugs.
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duncsdad
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/24 19:00:48
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Do you need a guide in Central PA? Probably not. Will a guide enhance your experience and shorten your learning curve? You betcha!!
I have had the opportunity to fish with The Drake and his cohorts on several occasions (not guided, just fishing together) and while I probably have in more fly fishing time, having started at the age of 4 many, many moons ago, than they have on Earth, I always learn something from them. Even if you learn that you are doing things right, that is a handy piece of information.
Also, having fished with guides elsewhere in the world, I have learned a great deal -- some of it was even about fishing.
If you have the cash, are short on time, or just want to fish with a knowledgeable person, hire a guide, you'll not regret it.
Duncsdad Everything I say can be fully substantiated by my own opinion
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thedrake
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/24 21:59:37
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ORIGINAL: duncsdad
Do you need a guide in Central PA? Probably not. Will a guide enhance your experience and shorten your learning curve? You betcha!!
I have had the opportunity to fish with The Drake and his cohorts on several occasions (not guided, just fishing together) and while I probably have in more fly fishing time, having started at the age of 4 many, many moons ago, than they have on Earth, I always learn something from them. Even if you learn that you are doing things right, that is a handy piece of information.
Also, having fished with guides elsewhere in the world, I have learned a great deal -- some of it was even about fishing.
If you have the cash, are short on time, or just want to fish with a knowledgeable person, hire a guide, you'll not regret it.
Wait.....No sucker joke?
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jlh42581
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/26 09:56:58
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I almost forgot...
Dan brings this carma with him that just seems to attract suckers. Dont let him fish the head of the pool.... make him fish for suckers!
Dan, speaking of guiding. I need to talk to you.
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duncsdad
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/26 10:48:25
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I was actually being serious for a change.
Besides, the last time we fished together you failed to catch a sucker. Of course Jeremy caught that monster Hoover and then Photoshoped in a brown trout, but that is a different story.
Duncsdad Everything I say can be fully substantiated by my own opinion
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thedrake
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/26 15:11:33
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ORIGINAL: duncsdad
I was actually being serious for a change.
Besides, the last time we fished together you failed to catch a sucker. Of course Jeremy caught that monster Hoover and then Photoshoped in a brown trout, but that is a different story.
Yeah, Jeremy is good with photoshop. He takes photos of me with monster trout, and makes them into suckers. Thats how I got this unfortunate reputation as a sucker fisherman. He's a jerk.
post edited by thedrake - 2007/08/27 00:53:29
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SilverKype
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/26 20:50:48
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Come on Dan. Our first fishing together, you caught a BIG SUCKER. 
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SilverKype
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/26 23:09:42
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Hey I saw that buck you were refering to Thursday and tonight. It's too far out for a point count in the dark. He looks to be about 4-5 inches past each ear. The points APPEARED to be really short but it was far. His rack didn't appear to be real heavy but then again velvet makes it tough to guess. All I could tell was that he was really wide. Did you get a tine length on this fella? Perhaps a point count? Did his rack come back in at all? The reason I ask is because that is all private there but there is state forest back behind. I don't care to walk down a cliff unless he is absolutely huge. At this point he's just big.
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thedrake
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/27 00:01:43
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Jon,
I did not get a point count on him, but he was very nice. I saw him while I was driving, so I didn't get a great look at him. One thing I could tell is that he had long tines. I am guessing... just guessing, he is in the 140-150" range. Maybe he's not the same deer you saw tonite.
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thedrake
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/27 00:10:40
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ORIGINAL: jlh42581
I almost forgot...
Dan brings this carma with him that just seems to attract suckers. Dont let him fish the head of the pool.... make him fish for suckers!
Dan, speaking of guiding. I need to talk to you.
Shoot me an email: dbaughman@berkshomes.com ....or give me a call: 931-8121
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SilverKype
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/27 00:39:10
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Dan -- could the same buck. I've been spotting that for about 2 months and didn't see him until Thursday. If the buck I saw tonight has 10 inch tines, he'll go 150+. The truth will reveal itself once the velvet drops hopefully. They'll be going "poof" soon. Of course, if that deer has a 23 inch spread with 10 inch tines, that'd be one incredible animal. That makes me think it's a different deer. Most of the deer around don't that have super long tines if they are that wide. That'd have to get into the 4.5 year old+ age class to get that. We know that ain't gonna happen around here. They've been eatin good in the neighborhood though. Never know.
post edited by SilverKype - 2007/08/27 08:39:48
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Fisherboy86
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/27 10:57:17
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ORIGINAL: thedrake
ORIGINAL: Fisherboy86
Combs,
I think most guys would be willing to share enough info on Central Pa to get your going in the right direction. What area in particular were you looking at?
If you plan on fishing Spring Creek some weekend, let me know and if I am home that weekend, I wouldn't mind showing you around the stream and helping you get into a bunch. The streams in the area aren't that tough of fishing. At this time of year, make yourself unknown and work the stream with a beetle. It's all you need.
Fisher
Beetles are a good choice, but by no means "all you need".
Most streams in the area have good trico spinner falls in the mornings. Also, on many of the streams such as big fishing creek, you may see 22-24 bwos with a brownish olive body in good numbers. Slate drakes also will hatch sparsley, and can bring fish to the surface on many central pa streams.
Nymphs will also work well on all of the streams. I suggest using 18-22 bhpt's and trico nymphs. If your on spring creek, try small scuds and cressbugs.
Ok. Unless you want to pound fish all day long...a beetle is all you need. Better? But even then, on Spring, watching video recordings of fishing trips, I was averaging a hit every minute on a beetle... They are trout. People overcomplicate things too much.
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thedrake
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/27 11:49:44
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ORIGINAL: Fisherboy86
ORIGINAL: thedrake
ORIGINAL: Fisherboy86
Combs,
I think most guys would be willing to share enough info on Central Pa to get your going in the right direction. What area in particular were you looking at?
If you plan on fishing Spring Creek some weekend, let me know and if I am home that weekend, I wouldn't mind showing you around the stream and helping you get into a bunch. The streams in the area aren't that tough of fishing. At this time of year, make yourself unknown and work the stream with a beetle. It's all you need.
Fisher
Beetles are a good choice, but by no means "all you need".
Most streams in the area have good trico spinner falls in the mornings. Also, on many of the streams such as big fishing creek, you may see 22-24 bwos with a brownish olive body in good numbers. Slate drakes also will hatch sparsley, and can bring fish to the surface on many central pa streams.
Nymphs will also work well on all of the streams. I suggest using 18-22 bhpt's and trico nymphs. If your on spring creek, try small scuds and cressbugs.
Ok. Unless you want to pound fish all day long...a beetle is all you need. Better? But even then, on Spring, watching video recordings of fishing trips, I was averaging a hit every minute on a beetle...
They are trout. People overcomplicate things too much.
Thank you for correcting me.... I guess we should ignore the trouts main sources of food, and just fish beetles. Try catching a fish during the trico spinner fall each morning with a beetle and you'll see why a beetle isn't all you need....or try fishing a beetle when the water is up and slightly off color, and once again, you'll see why a beetle isn't all you need.
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BrookTrout26
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/27 14:21:08
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Combs,
The guys on the board are right. If you're looking to fish the wild trout streams of central PA in most cases a guide is not necessary. A PA atlas will give you a pretty good idea of where the better wild trout streams are. Just about any stream coming off any mountain in the central/north central part of the state holds wild trout. Most of these streams being tiny at best. Look for any stream that has a few feeder streams flowing in off the mountain too. The more feeder streams you see means the more water and a better fish population. As far as catching the fish themselves these wild fish are more finicky on your approach rather than the presentation. Like everyone said...load up a nice selection of terrestrial patters and trico's.
This pertains to the wild secluded streams...unlike your Spring, Penns and Fishing creeks which require a very identical match and size of the flys coming off. Even when matched they are still hard to catch with the crowds that fish them non stop.
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thedrake
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/27 15:14:47
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I would never trust a map to tell me where wild trout populations are located. There are plenty of streams that have lots of feeders, and do not hold trout. The raystown branch is a good example. There are plenty of feeder streams that run into it, but is is nowhere near cold enough to support trout in summer. If you plan on fishing an area for the first time, a map will tell you where theres water, but not trout.
If you are going to fish central PA, call Spruce Creek Outfitters, or Flyfishers Paradise. Both shops will be more than happy to give info on our streams.
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Combs
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/27 18:07:52
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thanks for all the replies. spoke with several shops, all were helpful. lookin forward to wetting a line. thanks guys.
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SilverKype
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/27 20:32:28
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drake , saw that buck tonight in the daylight. 7 point. real wide, short tines. Young deer. Just to give you an idea he'd score maybe around 100-105. Maybe next year if there is such a thing. I'll keep an eye out for that biggen.
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BrookTrout26
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RE: Hiring a guide
2007/08/28 17:50:20
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I always rely on the most remote of waters. I can gurantee you anywhere in the northwest/central, central or north central part of the state you will find fish a good 80 percent of the time. The fun part of it all is finding the streams yourself and exploring. Not hearing from others, who heard from others......who likes to fish off the beaten trail?
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