Hatches & Rises Volume IV Number V November/December 2015 Inside This Issue:

Upcoming Speakers 3,4

President’s Beat 5

TU National Meeting 6, 7

Casting For Recovery 8, 9

Allegheny Fly Tyers 9

Women’s Outreach 10

Bar Flies / FOTM 11, 12

Annual Raffle 13

Tying the Life Cycle 14, 15 of What Kind of 16, 17 Are You?

Book Review 18

A Fly By Any Other 19, 20 Name Meet the Leaders, 21 Pine Creek Update

Member Photos 22 Photo Courtesy Dale Fogg Page 2 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches and Rises Penns Woods West What’s Emerging? PO Box 90137 Pittsburgh PA 15224 New Officers

The slate of officers listed to the left was elected in

Officers & Board of Directors October at the general membership meeting. President: Please congratulate the chapter leaders in their Dale Fogg new roles! The Vice President role is still open, (724) 759-1002 Vice President: and there are several other jobs that need to be Open done, so if you are interested in volunteering for Treasurer: Walter Reinemann PWWTU, see one of the officers. (412) 963-2824 Secretary: Earl Morgan (412) 486-8558 New Logo Hatches & Rises Editor: Ken Crawford National Trout [email protected] Unlimited Program Director: Christian Shane unveiled a new [email protected] logo at the Conservation Coordinator: Tom Walsh annual national (412) 486-5356 Women’s Outreach: meeting. The Leah Eggers [email protected] new logo is Web Site Editor: modernized Joe Birch (724) 816-1201 and the fish is Membership: now Chuck Buffington [email protected] recognizable as (412) 388-1666 a trout. It had Additional Board Members: Chuck Meyers been 15 years Rich Yurko since the last redesign. Bridget Shields Rob Reeder Honorary Directors: Mac Seaholm Hatches & Rises Online is published online 5 times yearly: Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, Sep/Oct, & Nov/Dec Rich Bujak by Penn’s Woods West Trout Unlimited to enhance communication among members & share information with the public. H&R is supported by tax deductible underwriting and the group’s general fund. Views, opinions and advice contained herein do not necessarily reflect the position of PWWTU or its Board of Directors. Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches & Rises Page 3 Meetings & Events November 9th, 2015 – Little Juniata River – From Sewer to Class A A story of revival for this excellent Central Pa. wild brown trout stream Presented by: Bill Anderson – President of the Little Juniata River Association; fly instructor/guide; Inno- vative ; National Finalist for the Field & Stream “Hero of Conservation” award 2014; and Outdoor News – “Person of the Year” for 2015. Bill lives in a solar log house in Sinking Valley near Tyrone, located just five miles from the Little Juniata River. He has fished the Little J since moving to Central Pa. in 1978. Bill and his wife, Carol Ann, raised three children and are now enjoying their two English Springers and four grandkids. Since retiring in 2004: Bill and Carol opened a coffee shop in Tyrone, Pa.; Bill and a partner started and ran a fly shop located on Spruce Creek; and Bill has served as the leader of the Little Juniata River Association, a 501 c3 watershed conservation organization, since 2005. In the winter months, Bill writes, teaches classes, and is the Senior Dog Handler for the Hillendale Hunt Club. Bill has written articles on and the Little Juniata River for regional magazines. Bill is the author of “Trout Boomer and the Little “j” - The story of a fly fisher and his love for the Little Juniata River”. His innovative fly pattern, the CET (Crippled Emerger Transformer) was developed over several decades of observing and fishing the hatches on the little Juniata River. He has most recently contributed the chapter for the Little Juniata River in a newly released book titled “50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast” – Stonefly Press. Bill may be contacted at [email protected], www.troutboomer.com

Penn’s Woods West Trout Unlimited meets on the second Monday of every month from September through May, at Grazie Restaurant in Wexford. Grazie is located off Rte 19 North in the Oxford Athletic Club, 100 Village Club Drive. Meetings begin at 7 pm, Admission is free, All are welcome to attend! Page 4 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015 Meetings & Events December 14th, 2015

Rick Nyles, Sky Blue Outfitters Rick is owner and guide with Sky Blue Outfitters, a guide service that started in 1999. The service has expanded over the years by adding Nick Raftas as a guide and offering packaged destination trips to Central PA, Delaware River, Lehigh River, Montana and the Outer Banks for Redfish. Rick is also an accomplished fly tier specializing in using CDC feathers for Mayflies, Caddis and Stoneflies. In 2014 Rick introduced his UP DN TROUT wing material and it became a big hit. Rick placed third in the 2015 Orvis fly tying contest using CDC and the UP DN TROUT wing material to tie up a Green Drake, a true "guide" fly. Rick's presentation will be showing patterns of CDC flies and flies using his new wing material. Rick's websites are: www.skyblueoutfitters.com; www.updntrout.com; www.cdcflies.com for more information and to review photos and videos of his fly tying skills.

Did you know?... CDC is an acronym for , which is French for “Duck Bottom.” The feathers surround the ducks preening gland and are impregnated with a natural oil that is used by the duck for cleaning and waterproofing. The presence of this oil eliminates the need for fly floatant.

Upcoming Events January 11, 2016—7 PM—The Great Joe Kline Fly Sale—Purchase 6 flies tied by our mem- bers for $5. Flies are needed, so tie up a bunch and make a donation! February 28, 2016— 9 AM to 4 PM—Cabin Fever 2016—This is the BIG EVENT of the year! The largest fly fishing expo in Southwestern PA. Stay tuned for more details in the next is- sue of Hatches and Rises. Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches & Rises Page 5 President’s Beat By Dale Fogg Purpose Larger Than Ourselves This past September 16-19th, Christian Shane and I had the honor of attending the 2015 Trout Unlimited Annual Conference in Scranton, PA. This was my first time attending the Annual Conference, and it was a great experience. I was able to meet some of the people at the national office that we communicate with. The conference really enlightened me as to what the whole ideology of TU really is. There were many great meetings and seminars. At Chris Wood’s State of TU address, one of the things that really opened my eyes was the lack of diversity in TU as a whole. TU has 148,000 members in 380 chapters nationwide. The age demographics are staggering; 70% of TU members are age 55 and older. The gender statistics are even worse with 93% being men and only 7% are women. This means if we don’t get younger and more diverse, we will no longer be relevant. In a recent study done by TU, members age 56-76 were asked if they would like to be involved in chapter leadership, the “yes” results ranged from 0% up to 19%, by contrast, members in the age group 18-35 were asked the same question and their “yes” results were 29-33%. The younger members are looking to become involved, and we need to encourage them to do so. One great way to increase our youth membership is through the 5 Rivers program. This is a college fly fishing program that is sponsored by national TU. Locally Pitt has a chapter, the Panther Fly Fishing Club, and we need to get involved and also look into other youth based programs. The future of TU is in the hands of the youth. Some other statistics that struck me were from the State of the Grassroots seminar. The top three reasons why members join TU, 72% join because of the TU Mission, 60% join because of Environmental and Water Quality Concerns and 40% join for Fishing Information—learn to fish better. As a conservation organization, PWWTU will be taking a closer look at the conservation efforts we are doing and how we can continue to improve what we do and make a positive difference. Making connections and seeing firsthand how the National TU staff are truly engaged in the mission of TU really re-energized me. The national conference was truly beneficial, and I am excited for the future of PWWTU. All the best, Dale Page 6 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015 PWWTU Represents at the National TU Meeting

By Christian Shane & Dale Fogg For those of you familiar with the show “The Office,” the characters of Dunder Mifflin put Scranton, PA on the map for TV viewers. This year’s National Trout Unlimited meeting was held in this unique “Electric City” of Scranton in September. Dale Fogg and I traveled from Pittsburgh to Scranton, PA, in just 5 hours to represent Penn’s Woods West. We began the conference in a session called “The Evolving TU Brand.” There, the TU staff discussed the new logo and impetus behind the new branding and objectives of Trout Unlimited. That evening, we also attended the awards ceremony and banquet. On Saturday, we enjoyed hearing Chris Wood, President of TU, share the State of the Trout and individual examples of how volunteers are making a difference in the individual chapters. Later on in the day, we attended some of the sessions including “A Fresh Look at Membership Engagement,” “Angler Science,” and “Non-profit Leadership Workshop.” Also, John Arway, the PA Fish and Boat Commissioner, spoke at the luncheon about Pennsylvania’s watersheds, issues, and achievements. It was great to hear him sharing all the positives going on in Pennsylvania and our great fishing opportunities. In the evening, Dale and I managed to visit a fly shop near Scranton called “The Evening Hatch” and even donned our to try out the Lehigh River. Even in some high murky water, we managed to pull out a few trout and enjoy some time on the water. The evening concluded with a more formal banquet where we sat with some TU National Board members and enjoyed the TU live auction. Many prizes were available to purchase for a bucket raffle, including our own donation to PATU of a Simms Wading bag and Simms logo hat. All in all, it was great for our chapter to show our support and meet many other TU chairs and presidents from around the country. PA Trout Unlimited really put together a great national convention. We’re looking forward to next year’s National Convention in Bozeman, Montana!

Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains. - Henry David Thoreau Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches & Rises Page 7

Dale Fogg and Christian Shane with TU CEO, Chris Wood (center)

Dale Fogg descends the rocks to the Lehigh River...

...and the result Page 8 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015 for Recovery Western PA chapter By Bridget Shields

Since 2009, a team of 11 amazing, dedicated volunteer’s work hard to raise the funds to host a fly-fishing retreat here in PA. The Western Pennsylvania program of Casting for Recovery has served more than 98 breast cancer survivors by establishing the retreat at HomeWaters River Village Lodge, a beautiful private fly fishing club in Spruce Creek, PA on the Little Juniata River. This year our retreat took place on August 28, 29 and 30, 2015. The mission of Casting for Recovery is to enhance the quality of life of women with breast cancer through a unique program that combines breast cancer education and peer support with the therapeutic sport of fly-fishing. On a physical level, the gentle, rhythmic motion of fly-casting is similar to exercises often prescribed after surgery or radiation to promote soft tissue stretching. On an emotional level, women are given the opportunity to experience a new activity in a safe environment amongst a supportive group of peers. Fly-fishing is the theme, but the retreat also offers emotional support by providing group sessions with our psychologists, doctors, and breast cancer specialists. We start the weekend with an introduction to the equipment and move onto knot tying and what fish eat! The casting sessions are fun for all those who participate. Each woman is accompanied into the water with her own personal “River Helper.” Our river helpers are a big reason each of our retreats are so successful. We couldn’t do what we do without the generous support of their time and knowledge. We are also grateful to these River Helpers for the support they show throughout the year helping with donations of hand tied flies, fundraising and helping to get our message out to the public. This year all 14 women caught a fish. Some caught more than one! We are an ALL-Volunteer organization here in W PA and it is up to us to raise the thousands of dollars it takes to provide such an opportunity for these women each year. Our local fly shop, International Angler, is a big supporter sponsoring the Fly Fishing Film Tour along with a generous raffle of major fly-fishing gear with all proceeds going to W. PA CFR. Penn Woods West Chapter of Trout Unlimited chapter helped us this year by providing a great table at Cabin Fever and a generous donation. Both the chapter members and International Anglers have guided as River Helpers since our program began. Each organization, shop, company, alumni, and person that contributes is credited for helping these women experience one of the “best weekends they have ever had.” Those are the words from many of the participants each year. One woman told me, “being in the water fishing was the first time I didn’t think about my cancer in 10 years.” They leave the retreat expressing joy, gratitude, and a newfound respect for nature and fly fishing. Seeing and hearing the women coming out of the water excited and energized makes it all worth the hard work it takes to make the retreat happen each year. I want to personally thank every individual who has helped me. Whether it be donating flies, having me speak at their organization, organizing the River Helpers, giving donations, or helping to guide on the water, I am forever grateful. I look forward to helping to provide more W PA CFR retreats. With gratitude and thanks to all, Bridget Shields, Head Fly Fishing Instructor/ W PA Casting for Recovery Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches & Rises Page 9 Casting for Recovery Western PA chapter

River Helpers Assisting CFR Anglers

Allegheny Fly Tyers: by: Bobby Heil

Greetings to our fellow fly tying partners! This fall, Allegheny Fly Tyers is back with the Intermediate fly tying classes. One class is at Gander Mountain in West Mifflin,PA. The other is held at International Angler. Gander's class is every Tuesday night starting at 7:00 PM. International Angler's class is on Thursday night starting at 6:30PM. Currently we have 20 students that participate in both classes. Our classes will run for 10 consecutive weeks. For anyone that is interested, our beginning classes will start mid January of 2016. We already have a couple of people signed up. I invite anyone to come and see any of our classes at either location. You will not be disappointed with what you see!! Until next time, may your vise always have a hook at the ready!

Page 10 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015 Women’s Outreach—Fall Outing by: Leah Eggers PWWTU Women's Outreach held our autumn outing on October 10th at our 'home waters' on Pine Creek. We had a cross section of anglers join us for the day, from the very experienced all the way to been-on-the- stream-once-at-our-spring-outing level. Over coffee and bagels, we discussed various areas of the stream and the recent stocking - and then hit the stream at sun up. Mother Nature obviously approved our efforts through the gloriously beautiful day she produced - topped off by just enough rain two days before our outing to provide the perfect fishing conditions! I am very pleased to report that all the ladies not only did great, but also that everyone caught fish!! Of course we had a fantastic time fishing together! Collectively, we are developing into an inspired group passionate about helping each other develop fishing experience and skills. The ladies expressed thanks to the chapter for our dedication to development of the Women's Outreach and can't wait to find out where our next spring outing will be! Stay tuned for more details....

Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches & Rises Page 11

Barflies By: Ron Milavec

Barflies is the chapter’s fly tying night. Barflies is held at Grazie’s in Wexford starting at 7 pm (earlier if you want to grab a bite to eat) on the fourth Monday of the month, from September through April. This is an informal session. If you are just starting out, or an intermediate tyer, this is a great, low pressure way to learn new skills, improve your craft, and hopefully catch more fish! And it’s FREE! Bring your tying vise, tools, a lamp (lighting in the room is not very bright) and extension. If you do not have a vise and tools, you can share mine. Our sessions so far this year: September 28th—Ron Milavec demonstrated the Pheasant Tail Mayfly Parachute. There were 8 tiers and 7 on-lookers at the session. October 26th —Dale Fogg tied The Fish Taco, an intruder style fly, with 13 tyers. November 23rd— Christian Shane will demo the Furled Alevin and talk about other flies that represent different stages of a brook trout’s life cycle December—No Barflies due to the Holidays. The chapter bought a video camera to use for the tying demo. That allows you to follow the tying steps on the big screen. This year, we are asking tyers to tie two of the featured flies, or other favorite pattern, and donate them to the chapter for the Great Joe Kline Fly Sale, one of our favorite fundraising events held at the January General Membership meeting. The chapter will provide any materials needed for the featured fly. Become a Contributor to Hatches and Rises If you would like to write an article on fishing, fly tying, trout, or share a picture, fishing tip, or write a short story, we welcome your contribution. Contact Ken Crawford to discuss at [email protected]. Page 12 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015

October Fly of the Month

Hickman’s Fish Taco Shank – Senyo’s Articulated Shank by Fish Skull 40mm, Blue Thread – Danville 210 Denier Flat Waxed Nylon, Fl Orange Wire – Berkley Original Fused Fireline, 30lb Hot Spot – STS Trilobal Dub Kingfisher Blue Ribbing –Purple Ultra wire - brassie Hackle – Rooster Saddle - black Body – UV Purple Ice Dub Underwing 1 – Ostrich Feather fibers - Purple Underwing 2 – Holographic Flash Blue

November Fly of the Month Fly recipe on Page 14

Although has been around for over 200 years, it was virtually unknown outside of Japan until 2009 when Tenkara USA introduced it to the

West.

Win this 12 foot Tenkara Rod in the PWWTU Annual Raffle! (Tenkara Rods are Telescoping Rods) Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches & Rises Page 13

Penn’s Woods West Annual Raffle by Charles Cantella In a departure from years past when we would raffle off one gift per raffle, we’ve decided to shake things up a bit this year. This year, for one ticket, you will have a chance at one of five gifts. (Once a ticket wins a prize, it is removed from the drawing). The five gifts are: 1. A print from Montana artist, Teshia Purchase Raffle Tickets Online at: 2. Gift Certificates to Dick’s Sporting Goods www.PWWTU.Org 3. Streamer package, including flies by On The Fly Payments via:

4. Gift cards to Wholey’s Wild Alaskan Grille 5. Tenkara rod by Uintah Fly Shop Another twist is that there will be no “first prize, second prize, etc”. Instead the drawing will be “double blind,” meaning we will draw a prize, and then draw the winner of that prize. Each $10 ticket you buy gives you a chance at one of five prizes! But in order to make this our most successful raffle ever, we need everyone to help us sell tickets. Since everyone loves to win, we also will have prizes for the person selling the winning tickets, so be sure to fill out the “seller info” on the ticket stubs. Each ticket you sell, gives you a chance at winning a seller prize. Tickets have been stapled into packets of 10 for ease of handling. Packets will be available at our meetings, or by contacting myself or one of the officers. Please remember that we couldn’t have put this together without the generosity of our donators, I urge you to consider supporting the businesses and people that support us.

Page 14 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015 Tying the Life Cycle of the Brook Trout by: Christian Shane At the heart of every fly fisherman or fly tyer lies a curious and innovative spirit. Witnessing the amazing process of the trout life cycle during the Trout in the Classroom project prompted me to experiment a little on the vise. Each November, the PA Fish & Boat Commission ships brook trout eggs to over two hundred classrooms throughout Pennsylvania. These eggs are part of the Trout in the Classroom project which are placed within our classroom aquariums. The tanks, running at a cool 50 degrees Fahrenheit, are ready and waiting for the orange eggs to arrive. After just a few weeks, our eyed eggs hatch into alevins. These creatures have their bellies attached and do not need food for a while. When more weeks have passed, the alevins “button-up,” become more slender and lose their bellies. This is when the students begin feeding the fry. Later, these fry (under an inch) will grow to fingerlings (over an inch) and are later released into the wild. If this process can occur within an aquarium, it surely is happening in nature. When trout spawn and begin the egg laying process, these eggs, alevins and fry are present within the watersheds of Pennsylvania. Other trout are piscivores and will feed on other living fish along the bottom of the stream, creek or river. Using the actual specimens as my fly tying examples, I studied my pictures of the project to develop a recipe for each stage of the trout’s life cycle: eggs, alevins and fry. In researching existing patterns, I found a variety of materials, techniques and tools to create each stage relevant to our Pennsylvanian trout. These patterns below are some of my experimentations using some simple and not so simple materials and techniques. Brook Trout Life Cycle Recipes:

Egg (The Ultra Egg or Jeff Blood’s Blood Dot) Hook: Curved Scud Hook #10-18 Thread: White/Orange UNI Thread 8/0 Body: Egg-colored Glo Bug yarn Yolk: Orange Glo Bug yarn

Furled Alevin (Adapted pattern - Ken Hanley’s book) Hook: Nymph Hook #8-14 Thread: 8/0 White, yellow, or tan Weight (Optional): gold or silver metal bead Egg Sac: Alaskan Roe or Light Roe Glo Bug yarn Body: Furled white, tan, cream or gold antron, 1 ½ hook lengths Eyes: Black monofilament nymph eyes, extra small or small Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches & Rises Page 15 Brook Trout Life Cycle Recipes:

Brook Trout Fingerling – Orange Fish Hawk Hook: Wet Fly #12-16 Thread: Black Hackle: Badger hen/Grizzly hackle/Partridge Thorax (Optional): Black Ice Dub Ribbing: Gold/silver tinsel or wire Body: Orange floss

Brook Trout Fry – Fontinalis Fin Hook: Wet Fly #8-14 Thread: White Rib: Flat silver tinsel Body: Orange Floss Hackle: Furnace Wing: Orange, topped with narrow strips of dark/white

Page 16 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015

What Kind of Fisherman Are You? By Rusty Spinner

As an observer of people, it is curious how many 'types' of fishermen that can be found on the stream. The Loner - he walks the stream by himself, seems almost hermit like in his squinty eyed glances in your direction to ensure that you don't invade his 'fishing space'. He is either minimally geared up or has every gadget known to man attached to him. He doesn't want you to 'see' his special secret flies or fishing hole and speaks to nobody. May get irritated if you look at him a moment too long. When asked how he's doing will reply that he hasn't caught anything (even if he's caught a bunch) just to throw you off the trail. The Salesman - he greets you with a big hello and asks how you are doing, and what you have caught, and what flies you are using. He will regale you with tales of every fishing experience he's had - but he doesn't do much fishing that you observe. By the end of your stream encounter you have a headache and want to dive into the nearest pool to clear your head of his tales of past years of fishing expertise. And you wonder as you walk away why he actually purchased a fishing license? The Buddies - usually two fly fisherman who have been fishing together forever - sometimes a bit older so they can help each other out getting down slippery banks or in really icy conditions. They have their space staked on the stream so they can move up or down and are rarely encroached upon. Their friendship carries over well enough to greet you and ask how you are doing. If they are catching quite a few, they are easy to approach and will usually share knowledge or a fly that is catching fish that day. The Angry Guy - this man is a competitive angler with a big ego. He will get in your space, in your face, and determinedly throws across your line into your fishing space. He will look at you balefully as you get irritated. Much like that childhood bully, he is used to pestering his way into your area until you either push back or walk away. He likes to shout across streams before it even gets light to ensure that everyone knows that he was in a fishing space first and tries to make himself more powerful than he actually is. The Teacher - he is usually with a beginner (or more). Has a friend, girlfriend or a couple of kids in tow. He runs up and down the stream detaching flies from trees, untangling lines and deratting reels. He is in continuous motion trying to stay ahead of his students. Buy this man a beer when you get off the stream - he personally has had no fishing time, has lost most of his gear, and his nerves are frayed - and he's completely earned it. Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches & Rises Page 17

The "He wasn't a Boy Scout" Guy - this fisherman is a study in unpreparedness. He always leaves his best rods at home and brings the one that needed 'a little repair'. He ties flies the week before and forgets to bring them. He may or may not remember proper flies, split shot, or his waders without holes. He usually has to buy his fishing license on the way to the stream. If fishing with him, you will want to bring your own atlas as he has 'general' directions on how to get to the stream at best. May be found scrounging in trees or banks for supplies. The 'Whoo Hoo' Guy - this guy is the one whose tall tales are the tallest. He catches more and bigger fish than anyone. Usually a good angler in his own right, his need to embellish stories doesn't always make sense. His memory makes cold days colder, and great days amazing. He has been known to chase pelagics on the fly and says he can double haul into a 70 mph gale. We all want to live in his world. Mr. Intensity - this angler can excite your passion - or make you feel like you are a slacker. He is an accomplished angler and can quote details about every angling experience he's had. He explores everything there is to know about the sport. He can't wait for the next season and his enthusiasm can get you giddy. He loves BIG fish. Jaded Man - this angler has been on the stream for many, many years. He has seen and done it all. He loves the sport and is very accomplished. Because he has had so many awesome experiences, it is quite frankly hard to top them on a regular basis. Has great (true!!) stories and is happy to share the experience with others. He doesn’t take pictures of trophies…because he has way too many pictures of trophies he’s caught. The Diva - the diva is all about the 'in' thing. Of course the 'in' thing is completely defined by them. A fly that they once had luck with will be the ONLY fly to be fished - on a particular stream - ever. Someone else must ensure that the right sunscreen and lip balm are present. Fishing conditions must always be pristine or they will inevitably be preparing their rig rather than fishing it. They must don the 'in' gear. Their offspring tend to exhibit the same Diva tendencies as this is a genetic condition. The "I'm not a Newbie" Guy - this is the wannabe fisherman that has been around the sport for long enough to know better, but still acts like a beginner. While making rookie mistakes (which confound the true beginners to no end who are confused by their advice), find potential fault with truly experienced anglers. They have been 'enough of everywhere' to talk a great game - but are ultimately posers on the stream. The Regular Guy - the average guy on the stream. He is a good angler but doesn't 'slay them' every time. When he catches five fish - he tells the truth. When he gets skunked - he says he was skunked. 6" is truly 6". He has good equipment and comes prepared and usually has a great day fishing. He is the guy we all think we actually are. So which type are you?

Page 18 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015

Book Review by Dale Fogg Strip Set –Fly- Tactics, & Patterns for Streamers – George Daniel Most of us should be familiar with George Daniel, as he spoke at Cabin Fever last year. In fact, PWWTU was the first group to hear George’s new streamer presentation based on his new book, Strip Set. Having read George’s first book, Dynamic Nymphing many times, I was more than excited to hear that he was embarking on a streamer book. Dynamic Nymphing changed the game when it comes to nymph fishing, and Strip Set will do the same for streamer fishing. The book starts out explaining the gear needed to effec- tively chase trout with streamers. He covers the rods, reels, lines, leaders, tippet and the accessories that make a day on the water slinging streamers more enjoyable. George then goes in to talking about Predator and Prey. Discussing the predatory response of large trout and what prey they aggressively go after. The plethora of streamer patterns in this book is amazing. There are so many patterns, you could spend all year to tie all of them. There are a few old stand-by flies, but mostly new and cutting edge designs by today’s brightest minds in streamer design. Chapter 5, A Dynamic Streamer System, will really open your mind to the various ways to fish streamers. George’s unique way of explaining every technique in complete detail makes it appeal to the average angler looking to up his streamer game. Reading this made me feel like I have never really fished streamers the proper way before. I am anxious to put to use some of the information I have read in this book.

Sex Dungeon Pole Dancer Stacked Blonde Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches & Rises Page 19

A Fly By Any Other Name by: Charles Cantella Streamer fishing is getting to be all the rage these days. With the new materials and refined tying techniques available some of the streamer gurus are whipping up some pretty amazing patterns…and giving them some pretty colorful names too; too colorful if you ask me. I get it that the names are funny in a good ol’ boys club kind of way, but dammit they have seriously fouled up what was going to be a great fishing trip for me, and I’m not happy about it! I wasn’t always this bitter, brooding, stick in the mud. I enjoy an occasional raunchy joke now and then. In fact I was a relatively normal, mild mannered man, up until, well this weekend when everything fell apart. It all started innocently enough when I came home from work to finish up some yard work, prior to the weekend’s long awaited fishing trip. Nonchalantly, I tossed my wallet onto the nightstand and went outside. Not more than half an hour later I had managed to gather and coax a pile of damp leaves to burn, when my wife came out to see me. Let me just say that the leaves weren’t the only thing ablaze that chilly afternoon. She was mad as a hatter about something and it was just a matter of 3…2…1 seconds until I found out what it was. “So, where exactly are you guys going this weekend?” she asked, eyes narrowing. “We were going to head up near Erie. There should be some brown trout and steelhead up in the streams. Why, what’s up?” “Really? You’re going fishing? Where again, exactly, are you going and what exactly are you doing?!” She grabbed the hose lying on the ground that I had brought out to control the fire. (You know, safety first.) “I told you: Erie. To. Go. Fishing.” I mocked, “What is wrong with you? You’ve known about this for weeks.” “Oh, really? Do they have a sex dungeon in Erie?” She blasted me with a shot of icy water straight from the hose, right in the nether region. I staggered back. “Oh, never mind” she said “Apparently Casey is taking care of that.” Another shot of icy water hit my groin. “WILL YOU STOP WITH THE HOSE ALREADY?!” I shouted. “Really? You want me to stop doing this…?” I took another shot of water, this time to the chest “Or this…?” Another shot hit me square in the face. By now I was soaking AND furious. “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?” I lunged forward attempting to grab the hose but she avoided me and wrestled me to the ground where we rolled over and over the now soaked, but still smoldering, leaves. Eventually we both sat up exhausted and Charles Cantella on a Pennsylvania Stream dreaming up his next storyline Page 20 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015 filthy. She’s much stronger than I realized, or I’m much weaker. Both of which are distinct possibilities. We were covered with remnants of burnt leaves and ash and mud. We sat in silence for a few moments, a stalemate brought on by our mutual need to breathe. Finally I managed to pant out, “What… the heck… are you talking… about?” “This paper fell out of your wallet” She shoved a slip of paper at me. “Explain it!” I read the paper: ‘Jed- two bit hookers’ ‘Casey-sex dungeon’ I let out a slight, poorly timed, chuckle. “ZIP IT, MISTER! Apparently, you’re responsible for bringing stacked blondes and Nancy P!” she roared. “Whoever the heck they are!” and she jumped up, grabbed the hose and proceeded to water me again. “Wait a minute, will you wait for one God forsaken minute! You’ve got it all wrong….” I sputtered, holding my hands out in front of me in a vain attempt to shield myself from the stream of ice water as I walked towards her before disarming her. “…those are the names of fishing flies.” “Bull! You’re lying to me and you’re not even a very good liar! Who the heck names a fishing fly two bit hooker?” She snarled. By now I’d had enough. I grabbed her by the wrist and led her, writhing and cursing, into the house and up the stairs to the computer in the loft. I typed in a few keys on the keyboard and lo and behold,a website appeared, complete with pictures of exactly what “sex dungeon” and “two bit hooker” flies looked like. Her anger subsided, but just a little, so to be sure it was all put to rest, we followed up confirming that “Nancy P” and “Stacked Blonde” were also the names of actual fly patterns and not women of ill repute. “Oh. Ok.” was all she said before she went back to doing whatever it was that she was doing before all the madness started. It turns out that Sex-dungeon and Two-Bit Hookers are good flies. Damn good flies. Big, meaty browns with kypes big enough to hang jackets off of crush them, along with the Nancy Ps and Stacked Blondes. Unfortunately, I don’t know this firsthand, and am merely passing along the stories that Casey and Jed shared, as they texted me photo after photo of the fish they were catching while I was stuck at home cleaning and shampooing ash and mud out of the carpet. And it chaps my cheeks to think that all of this could have been avoided if they’d simply named their flies something a little more domestic, like Gallon of Milk, or Loaf of Bread. Nov/Dec 2015 Hatches & Rises Page 21 Tom Walsh How long have you been fishing? Who was the most influential person in your fishing career, and why? I’ve been fishing since I was a kid. My Dad was my fishing buddy and mentor. We learned to fly fish together. How long have you been involved in TU? I have been a PWWTU member for a long time but I did not become active until I retired in 2004. I was asked to join the board and become involved with our work on Pine Creek. Penns Woods West has over 1000 members on the roster. What would you say to an “inactive” member to encourage them to come to the membership meetings? The meetings are usually very informative and a nice evening out at a great venue. What would you say to encourage a member to become involved in the leadership of the chapter? It is a lot of fun to help accomplish things that benefit our sport and you will work with some very nice people. Fishing and funny stories go hand in hand, tell us one of the funniest things that happened to you on a stream. On a Montana stream, my 2 way radio unclipped and slid down into my wader foot. When my fishing buddy called me I was sure that my foot was talking to me.

Pine Creek Stream Improvement by: Tom Walsh

The 2015 Pine Creek Improvement Project was the third phase of a restoration project in Hampton Township from the Hampton Water Treatment Plant, downstream to the Duncan Avenue bridge. The purpose of this project is to stop bank erosion and to provide trout habitat. The instream devices installed in 2013 and 2014 are working well. They were topped with dirt and planted with grass. They blend into the streambed so well that they are hard to spot.

This three year project was a joint venture which included—PWWTU, Allison Park Sportsmen’s Club, Allegheny County Conservation District, PA Fish and Boat Commission and Hampton Township. See the back page of Hatches and Rises for pictures of our work!

Tom Walsh taking a break from a hard morning of work on Pine Creek Page 22 Hatches & Rises Nov/Dec 2015 Member Photos

Left and above—Pine Creek Improvements Below—Underwater Green River Brown by Christian Shane

Below—Rich Maser with a Salmon River Salmon caught on a “Flashy Trash Fly”

Below—Dale Fogg with a BIG Erie Hen

‘Til Next Time…. …..Tight Lines!