Spruce Creek PA Fly Fishing Blog

Part One: The Leggy Stonefly    The doyens of winter fly fishing often say that tiny midge patterns are the rule of thumb.  Yes, they work; but let’s acknowledge that many of us have difficulty using size 24 flies.  They are hard enough to see, and more difficult to tie on.  Here’s a leggy stonefly pattern…

Ingenious Innovations in Fly Fishing from Fly Fishing Innovators: Part Two: The Strike Doctor   One of the most effective ways to scout new water is to fish with a dry-dropper rig.  The rig allows you to fish in two important feeding zones, doubling your chances of hooking up and covering more water in less…

Ingenious Innovations in Fly Fishing from Fly Fishing Innovators: Part One: Redi-Droppers   Tying a dropper rig to the hook bend of one or more flies is commonplace in fly fishing.  Hopper-Dropper, Double Nymph Rig, Dry-Wet combo, we all know the benefits of offering trout two flies from which to choose. Tying a knot to…

3 Reasons Why Hemlock Lodge at Spruce Creek is Outstanding      3. On-Stream Location Enjoy the convenience of proximity; Hemlock Lodge is literally steps away from Spruce Creek. There is no need to drive a car or ride a boat to the best pools.  Trout Haven puts anglers on to countless HUGE trout within sight…

Spring is an excellent time of year to fish Spruce Creek. Click here to learn more about fishing Spruce Creek at the start of Pennsylvania’s Trout Season 2016.   April is one of my favorite months to fish Spruce Creek.  The Blue Quill hatch on Spruce Creek is spectacular and oftentimes brings big hungry trout out…

Trout Haven caught several rainbow trout on Christmas Eve! A few of them swirled at dry flies but wooly buggers proved to be most effective on this outing.  The mild start to winter is very welcome.  Be patient with your retrieve and make sure that your wooly bugger is getting down!   My Spruce Creek dates…

The Biggest and Most Vibrant Brookies of 2015:   As 2015 is coming to an end, Trout Haven is reminiscing about the superb fly fishing gifted unto us this season.  We’ve caught some impressive brown trout and we’ve caught rainbow trout behemoths… A big “thank you” to those who posted pictures of monster rainbows on Trout Haven’s facebook page.…

3 of the Biggest and Most Colorful Rainbow Trout of 2015:   As 2015 is coming to an end, Trout Haven is getting nostalgic over the excellent trout fishing we had this year.  Several trophy rainbows came to the net on dries, nymphs, and streamers.   3. Jamie’s Big Rainbows — Spruce Creek   This…

Five of the Biggest and Brightest Browns from 2015:   What a fantastic year it’s been for fly fishing!  The Northeastern states experienced great weather and ample rain over the summer.  The fall fishing has been extended due to a mild start to Winter.  Quality fish are coming to the net – on dry flies –…

Hardy Trout in the Otselic River   Call it wishful thinking or ambitious but my mind was set on dry fly fishing yesterday… December 13.  The Otselic River in upstate NY offers year-round fishing (catch and release from October 15 – Opening Day) and produces a healthy population of native brook trout in its upper reaches.…