Keystone Fly Fishing: The Ultimate Guide to Pennsylvania's Best Water

by Henry Ramsay, Mike Heck, Len Lichvar, Gary Kell, Dave Rothrock

Overview

The definitive, up-to-date guide to Pennsylvania's best fly fishing by regional experts and guides. Includes over 200 rivers and streams across the state as well as information on where to fish for trout, smallmouth bass, and other game fish species. First ever guidebook to the state written by a group of regional experts (professional guides, fly fishing instructors, lecturers, fly tiers) to provide insider knowledge to the best fishing opportunities. Stunning color photographs, accurate maps (created with GIS), and over 200 local fly patterns are featured.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934753453
Publisher:	Headwater Books
Publication date:	02/01/2017
Pages:	608
Sales rank:	118,788
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Mike Heck grew up fishing the spring creeks of southcentral Pennsylvania. He is the author of Spring Creek Strategies: Hatches, Patterns, and Techniques (Headwater Books), which is based primarily on his experiences fishing Cumberland Valley spring creeks, but also contains lessons for all challenging waters. He is an Orvis-endorsed guide, fly designer, and contributor to Fly Fisherman, American Angler, and other publications. He lives in Dry Run, Pennsylvania. Gary Kell worked for the USDA Forest Service for over 32 years. Since retiring in 2003, he has taught fly fishing to hundreds of students, and for five years taught fly fishing for L. L. Bean at the Outdoor Discovery School in Front Royal, VA. He is a FFF Master Certified Instructor and registered PA Licensed Fishing Guide. He currently operates Gary Kell: The Fly Fishing Coach and provides a variety of fly fishing instructional services (www.theflyfishingcoach.com). His articles have appeared in the Warren Times Observer and Fly Fisherman. He lives in Warren, Pennsylvania. Len Lichvar is the District Manager of the Somerset Conservation District, District 4 Commissioner, professional freelance outdoor writer/photographer published in local, state, and national publications, and the Outdoors Correspondent for the Somerset Daily American. A long time member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, he is also an active member of many local and state sportsmen’s groups, as well as conservation and civic improvement organizations. Len resides in Boswell, Pennsylvania. Along with wife, Becky, he has two children, Laurel and Logan, and a granddaughter, Mackenzie. Jay Nichols is a publisher, editor, and photographer specializing in fly fishing and fly tying. He is the Northeast Field Editor for Fly Fisherman magazine, fly fishing editor for Stackpole Books, and publisher of Headwater Books. He has authored or coauthored numerous books including the best-selling 1001 Fly Fishing Tips, Tying Dry Flies, Fly Fishing for Smallmouth (with Bob Clouser), and Fleye Design (with Bob Popovics). He was the primary photographer for Casting with Lefty Kreh and Fly Casting Fundamentals, both with Lefty Kreh. He lives in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, with wife, Donna, and two children, Amelia and Lilian. Henry Ramsay is a part-time guide, instructor, writer, and photographer. He is author of Matching Major Eastern Hatches: New Patterns for Selective Trout (Stackpole/Headwater) and has written for Eastern Fly Fishing and Fly Fisherman magazines. His flies have appeared in a number of magazines and books, and he presents at many shows, clubs, and Trout Unlimited chapters in the eastern U.S. He is a pro staff member for Daiichi Hooks and Regal Vises, and is a contract fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants. He lives in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania.Dave Rothrock is a part-time guide and fly fishing and casting instructor (Salmo Trutta Enterprises). His articles have appeared in Fly Fisherman, American Angler, and Pennsylvania Angler magazines as well as other publications. His fly patterns have graced the pages of various publications, books, and calendars. He has presented programs on fly-fishing related topics to groups throughout the eastern U.S. and Canada and was previously an instructor in the L. L. Bean fly fishing schools. He lives in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. Brian Shumaker is the owner of Susquehanna River Guides, which specializes in fly fishing for smallmouth bass and other warmwater species. He has guided for over 20 years. He has written articles for the Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide, has been featured in Fly Fish America, and was a contributor to the Susquehanna River Guide. He is a popular speaker at many local and regional clubs and organizations, as well as many fishing and outdoor shows. He is on the pro staff for TFO Rods and Cortland Line Company. He lives in Mount Holly, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Rene. Ben Turpin has been fishing Pocono area streams since 1996. He owns and operates Ben Turpin Custom Rod Building and Guide Service (benturpin.com). He has written for Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide and is a popular lecturer and exhibitor at local Trout Unlimited meetings and fishing clubs as well as fly fishing shows. He is currently the stream manager for a private fishing club in the Poconos on McMichael Creek. He and wife, Jodie, and children, Andrew and Valery, live in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. Karl Weixlmann started fly fishing in western New York as a teenager and caught his first steelhead in 1983 from Fourmile Creek in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he has been a fly fishing guide for the last 20 years. A previous contributing writer for the Erie Times News, Weixlmann has also written feature articles for Fly Fisherman magazine and is the author of Great Lakes Steelhead, Salmon and Trout: Essential Techniques for Fly Fishing the Tributaries. He has served as past President of the Pennsylvania Steelhead Association and also the PSA Board of Directors. He lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Lisa, and son, Kyle.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi

About This Guide vii

Pennsylvania Hatches and Patterns: A Practical Approach x

Pennsylvania Hatch Chart xii

Putting Together a Fly Box xvi

Northwest Gary Kell 2

Allegheny River 11

Oil Creek 22

Oil Creek Area Streams 30

Hemlock Creek 30

Porcupine Run 31

Caldwell Creek 31

Pithole Creek 33

Sugar Creek 34

Sugar Creek Tributaries 36

Little Sandy Creek 37

Kinzua Creek 40

Kinzua Creek, South Branch 45

Tunungwant Creek, East Branch 47

Tunungwant Creek, West Branch 47

Brokenstraw Creek 50

Clarion River System 54

Clarion River, East Branch 64

Clarion River, West Branch 66

Clarion River Small Tributaries 68

Crooked Creek and Powers Run 68

Little Toby Creek 68

Callen Run, Clear Creek, Cather's Run, Tom's Run 69

Big Mill Creek 70

Spring Creek 70

Bear Creek 71

Millstone Creek 72

Maple Creek 72

North Fork Redbank Creek 72

Tionesta Creek 74

Minister Creek 80

Blue Jay Creek 83

Salmon Creek 84

Ross Run 84

Coon Creek 84

Tionesta Creek, South Branch 86

Tionesta Creek, East Branch 88

Tionesta Creek, West Branch 91

Twomile Run 93

Fourmile Run 96

Farnsworth Branch and Arnot Run 99

French Creek 100

Neshannock Creek 103

Slippery Rock Creek 104

Northcentral Dave Rothrock 105

Sinnemahoning Creek System 112

First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek 113

East Fork Sinnemahoning Creek 115

Driftwood Branch Sinnemahoning Creek 115

Main Stem Sinnemahoning Creek 116

Kettle Creek and Tributaries 117

Germania Branch 123

Little Kettle Creek 123

Cross Fork Creek 124

Hammersley Fork 124

Young Womans Creek 127

Left Hand Branch 127

Pine Creek 128

Little Pine Creek 135

Slate Run and Cedar Run 138

Loyalsock Creek 146

Little Loyalsock Creek 149

Elk Creek 149

Lycoming Creek 150

Roaring Branch 153

Rock Run 154

Pleasant Stream 154

Grays Run 154

Hoagland Run 155

Larrys Creek 155

Rauchtown Creek 158

White Deer Hole Creek 160

Other Northcentral Options 162

Allegheny River, Upper 162

Oswayo Creek 164

Lyman Run 165

Muncy Creek 167

Little Muncy Creek 168

White Deer Creek 168

Central Dave Rothrock 170

Little Juniata River 173

Spruce Creek 181

Bald Eagle Creek 181

Vanscoyoc Creek 182

Big Fill Run 182

Tipton Run 182

Frankstown Branch Juniata River 183

Halter and Plum Creeks 187

Poplar Run 187

Piney Creek 188

Clover Creek 189

Spring Creek 190

Logan Branch 199

Penns Creek 201

Elk Creek 209

Cherry Run 211

Bald Eagle Creek 212

Fishing Creek (Clinton) 218

Cherry Run 226

Little Fishing Creek 227

Kishacoquillas Creek 228

Tea and Honey Creeks 230

Northeast Ben Turpin 231

Brodhead Creek 237

Poplar Run 243

Devils Hole Creek 244

McMichael Creek 246

Pocono Creek 250

Big Bushkill Creek 252

Toms Creek 257

West Branch Delaware River 258

Main Stem Delaware River 265

Lackawanna River 274

Bowman Creek 282

Fishing Creek 284

Lackawaxen River 287

Lehigh River 290

Pohopoco Creek 302

Hickory Run State Park Streams 305

Hickory Run 306

Mud Run 306

Hayes Creek (Black Creek) 309

Bushkill Creek 309

Martins Creek 313

Southeast Henry Ramsay 317

Lititz Run 323

Donegal Creek 326

Schuylkill River 328

Little Schuylkill River 333

Little Lehigh Creek 335

Cedar Creek 339

Monocacy Creek 340

Saucon Creek 342

Tulpehocken Creek 344

Manatawny Creek 349

French Creek 351

Scotts Run Lake 352

East Branch Brandywine Creek 353

West Valley Creek 354

Hay Creek 355

Valley Creek 356

Perkiomen Creek 359

Philly Area Streams: Urban Gems 362

Wissahickon Creek 363

Pennypack Creek 363

Neshaminy Creek 364

Ridley Creek 365

Other Notable Southeastern Streams 366

Pickering Creek 366

Middle Branch White Clay Creek 367

Bear Creek 369

Lizard Creek 369

West Branch Octoraro Creek 370

Upper and Lower Little Swatara Creeks 370

Quittapahilla Creek 372

Southcentral Mike Heck 374

East Branch Antietam Creek 379

Conococheague Creek 380

Conococheague Tributaries 383

West Branch Conococheague 384

Conodoguinet Creek 387

Falling Spring Branch 390

Big Spring Creek 400

Green Spring 405

Letort Spring Run 408

Muddy Creek 416

Codorus Creek 420

Conewago Creek 422

Yellow Breeches 424

Mountain Creek 435

Stony Creek 437

Clarks Creek 439

Other Dauphin County Waters 441

Shermans Creek 443

Southwest Len Lichvar 449

Youghiogheny River 453

Indian Creek 462

Meadow Run 463

Dunbar Creek 465

Loyalhanna Creek 467

Mill Creek 470

Linn Run 471

Laurel Hill Creek 472

Jones Mill Run 474

Casselman River and Tributaries 475

Coxes Creek 478

Piney Creek 478

Whites Creek 478

Flaugherty Creek 479

Stonycreek River 481

Wells Creek 486

Bens Creek 487

Clear Shade Creek 491

Quemahoning Creek 493

Bobs Creek 496

Cove Creek 498

Yellow Creek 499

Potter Creek 505

Other Notable Southwest Streams 507

Little Mahoning Creek 507

Wills Creek 508

Two Lick Creek 509

Chest Creek 510

Laurel Run 510

West Branch Susquehanna River 511

Steelhead Alley and Presque Isle Karl Weixlmann 512

Steelhead Alley 517

West and East Branches Conneaut Creek 521

Turkey Creek 522

Raccoon Creek 523

Crooked Creek 523

Godfrey Run 525

Elk Creek 526

Trout Run 529

Walnut Creek 529

Fourmile Creek 532

Sevenmile Creek 532

Twelvemile Creek 533

Sixteenmile Creek 533

Twentymiie Creek 534

Surf Zone Steelhead 539

Presque Isle Bay 543

Smallmouth Primer Brain Shumaker 556

Seasons 557

Food and Flies 559

Smallmouth Gear 561

Susquehanna River System 563

Carp 2.0 569

Juniata River 573

Smallmouth Flies 578

Contributors 580

Index 582

Pattern Index 585