Pennsylvania Day Six

June 29, 2018

It's the last full day of this trip and one of my goals was to get a legit smallmouth.  While I haven't done much of it, all the smallmouth I've ever caught have been unimpressive.  I wanted one that at least looked decent while lipping it.  So today while in the hottest parts of the day and when the trout fishing is less than ideal, we decided to try our luck at bass fishing with poppers. 

But before we did that I want to see a covered bridge.  I actually wanted a pic of us  fishing with one in the background.  So I asked Jona of the nearest one after asking about bass fishing.  We found one but did not fish around it as entry to the water was problematic.  So we took off to small recommended smallie water and started throwing poppers.  I managed to get three to rise but couldn't set the hook on any.  By this time we were feeling the effects of travel and six days of fishing and decided not head back in for lunch.

Our lunch of choice? Sheetz.  For those on the west coast Sheetz is a gas station chain that started in PA and expanded out along the east coast.  It actually serves decent food.  Not the crap we get here at our local station but legit food, made to order, using fresh ingredients.  I was thoroughly impressed.  We actually had this for lunch or a snack more than a few times this trip.  We made it a point to have it one last time before we headed back home.  For me it was an Italian sandwich loaded with fries.  When we finally got back to California we'd still talk about Sheetz and wish they'd actually open a chain here.  Not sure if it would work given economically given the real estate constraints and values of property here in the Southland but one can wish.

Now with hours to kill before the evening hatch, we need decided to be tourists and check out Penn's cave.  The tour is 45 minute boat ride through the cave checking out the geology.  We were warned by Jona that the tour guide can be cheesy.  We were warned.

Throughout the trip Kelly and I were thoroughly impressed with rural Pennsylvania.  I really enjoyed it.  It's a gorgeous piece of America.  In all my time knowing Joel he's always considered his move to California an escape.  From what I envisioned this place to be was completely different from how he's always explained it to me.  With both Kelly and I praising this place Joel was finally coming around and seeing how his home state wasn't that bad after all.  That was until we took this boat ride.  "There's always one" is the expression.  On this ride we were trap with the "one."  You know the guy.  The guy that will never shut up.  The guy who makes stupid comments who thinks are funny.  The guy who is always interrupting.  The guy who asked the stupidest irrelevant questions.   Basically the guy who ruins it for everyone else.  Just this one guy brought back all of Joel's repressed pent up frustration regarding this place.  His words, ""It's loaded with stupid people.  Now I remember why I wanted out of this place."  Of course as with any good American buddy would do, I needled him about it the whole rest of the trip.  I told him I love that dude only because he raised Joel's blood pressure so high.

With the cave experience now over, we were cutting it close to prime dry fly time.  Initially we were going to fish a new stretch of water but thought against it as we didn't want to waste prime time on exploring new waters.   So back to tunnel road and old familiar.   There we saw the bamboo rod maker's son and he showed us the 5 pound smallie he caught out of there the night before with a mouse fly.

The dry fly action was the best so far this trip although it didn't start until much later than the other nights.  Joel lead the way and in no time we were all on fish.  At one point when the action was hot and heavy the sun and glare was in my eyes and I couldn't get a proper bead on my fly so Joel would guide the both of us on direct us to where to place the fly.  Lost a beast slipped off the improved BWO.  Joel said it was at least 20 inches.  It felt heavy.  The earlier fish I caught were on a  slate drake.  Fished slate with bwo dropper the whole time.   The next day would be a travel day.  We'd pick up the Joel's boy at camp and then check out Penn State before heading to the airport where our flight was delayed.  It was not a fun way to end the day.  Ended up getting home past midnight before crashing big time.

Pennsylvania Day Five

June 28, 2018

Today would be a light fishing day as most of the time would be spent dicking around and traveling.  We had dinner plans with Joel's mother in Troy, his hometown.  But before dinner we'd hit a few famous waters on the way up.

When we finished breakfast we checked out the local bamboo rod maker located on the Feathered Hook premises.  The actual rod maker, L.J. Downes was not in but his son was there working on his personal rod.  We asked if we could take a look and he was kind enough to allow us in the shop.  We quickly bonded with the son as he was a San Diego boy in town to work on some of his rods.

Next on the agenda, one of Joel's old stomping grounds, Slate Run.  Joel told me in PA there are big fish in small water.  This was such a place.  We stopped by the Slate Run Fly shop, located with a small gift shop/market/deli and picked the brains of one of the employees and bought a few flies.  He recommended the simulator.  I ended buying one of the shop's hats as a souvenir.  Both these purchases were to be a running joke for the rest of the day.

When the fishing got tough, despite his love for the Stimi, I told Joel that that employee duped you into buying some overstocked flies that he needed to get rid of.  "Did you see how many flies were in that bin compared to the others?"  I asked.  "He saw a couple of California dopes and said its a good time to offload this shit."  I also told him he'd probably get employee of the year for selling the only Slate Run hat in fifteen years.  "That mofo smelled us coming a mile away and had the register open ready to take money from our wallets,"  I joked.

We had to hike down to the river through dense forest.  Normally I like doing stuff like that but before fishing here everyone from the guys at the Feathered Hook fly shop to Slate Run warned us about snakes.  Watch where you step.  One of the guides at the hook was very adamant about it. It freaked us out.  He suggested we stay in the water as much as possible.  The numbers photos of venous snakes on the wall on the Slate Run fly shop did not relieve of anxiety.

Mist rose off the water and the overcast morning made for some picturesque fishing.  It would not be long after reaching the water I had fish rising on my dry.  Fishing was okay in the morning but once it warmed and the sun poked through the clouds the fishing died off.

After a few hours of trying to get another fish to rise to no avail it was time to give up.  The humidity was starting to get to us and we started our climb up the mountain in search of our vehicle.  Every step up the mountain was fraught with peril.  As any step could lead to a snake bit.  This anxiety was with us throughout the day and made fr a stressful time out.  when we finally reached the car, Joel was pissed.  He'd concluded we stress about it way too much like a bunch of pussies as he put it.  He'd fish these waters for years in flip flips no less and never ran into or worried about snakes.

Maybe so I told him but I had been bitten by a snake and  when they were carrying me out for rescue I would have looked at him and said "You motherfucker. I blame you.  Why the fuck did you take me here?"  He laughed and said he would have said the same thing in any similar situation.  Like when a buddy asks to go surfing with you and you get stung by a jellyfish, you'd look at your buddy and say the same thing.

Troy, PA

Continuing our journey north, we made a pit stop at Joel's alma mater, Mansfield College.  He'd tell us all the antics he'd and his pals got into and such.  Once we were done we drove to a nearby stream to do some fishing.  Joel's mom wanted some fish so we'd oblige her but when we reached the water it was blown out.

So instead we made our way to Troy.  Ever since I met Joel, he has been shitting on his hometown.  I honestly thought it was going to be a dump but in realty it's quite nice.  Quaint even.  After walking around town Kelly and I both liked it and were glad we checked it out.  It has interesting architecture and historic landmarks. 

Rural PA Knows How and What to Advertise

Pennsylvania Day Four

June 27, 2018

Cherry run was one of the waters that was on the agenda.  On this day we decided to check it out.  Rain was in the forecast and by the time we parked riverside the light rain began to fall.  With overcast and light rain I figured the dry fly action maybe going off throughout the day so I rigged two rods, one with nymphs and other with a dry.   The parking lot was already filled with a handful of cars which was a bit disappointing.  We hiked down to the water and started fishing subsurface.

I don't recall anyone getting fish for the first couple hours but in time we all managed to meet up at a confluence where we all fished one section or another.  Kelly was the first to get a fish.  If I recall it was a whitefish but since Joel and I were on the other side of the river we couldn't see.   We speak up once again eventually meeting up at another confluence.  Here we'd a sporadic rises here and there.  I switched to my dry rig.

We'd split up once again and I'd move further up where I found a few fish feeding with regularity.  With an improved BWO I managed to get my first fish of the day.  Eventually Joel would catch up with me and I told him to switch to a dry and get up here.  He'd eventually get his gear rigged for the surface and started tossing to risers.

In no time he was on a good fish.  He were forced to make long bombs into the banks as where we were at there was no good way to get any closer.  Mending and clean drifts became somewhat problematic.  So we continued upstream for easier water to fish.

Kelly would catch up us and we told him to rig for dries.  Eventually we'd reach a stretch that had enough consistent  risers that all three of us had a chance to fish.  The whole day was bit of slog and by the time we stopped fishing by late afternoon and started our hike out of there we debated if we had enough in us to fish the evening hatch.

By the time we reached the rental van we had enough for the day.  None of us wanted to fish the evening hatch.  So we drove back to town for another meal at Elk Creek and called it a day.

Pennsylvania Day Three

June 26, 2018

While this trip was a "fishing" trip, the trip itself was never really about fishing.  It was merely for old friends to hang out away from the kids and family, relax and have a few laughs and maybe come home with a campfire story to tell years from now.   Despite that it was still a fishing trip so when Kelly was struggling to get his first fish for the trip we decided to up his odds and hit a small brookie stream.  I wanted to do this anyhow as it's classic east coast fly fishing.  After getting some suggestions from Jona we headed to the creek, Roaring Run.

We drove up the mountain and began to set up.  It was a good time to whip out my Orvis Superfine 6 foot 2 weight paired with a Battenkill reel.  I'd say it was a nice pairing, East Coast fishing with an set up from an East Coast company.  It didn't take long for fish to rise for Joel and me.  Kelly struggled.  He hasn't fly fished since his teenage years while working as Montana ranch hand during his summers.  Also he didn't have a small creek rod so loading the rod at short distances as well as controlling line was problematic.  Joel would try and guide him for most of the time  and while he was getting fish to rise he was always too slow to set the hook.  This resulted in endless teasing from us for the remainder of the trip.  Kelly would see a gnat 60 yards away but failed to see a fish strike his fly 15 feet away.  As asshole friends always do, we didn't let him forget about it and continued to pester him about it.

A few hours of small creek fishing it was time to head out for lunch and then to another river closer to Spring Creek known for bigger fish.  Wading here was a chore and took most of my energy as the banks where lined thick with vegetation.  The only way upstream was to hit the water and move up.  Wading proved difficult with swift currents and a slippery bottom.  I ended up taking a dunk a few types destroying camera in the process.

Afterwards we'd come back to Coburn and wait for the evening hatch at tunnel road.  We were told by Jona that we should have fished previous night as that's when all the action occurs.   As we were informed the night before this was magic hour.  Fish began rising.  It took me a handful of flies before I knew what they were taking.  At this instance it was BWOs.  Once I landed my first I screamed out to Joel who was fishing upstream of me to tell him to tie on a size 18 BWO.  In time my improved BWO stopped producing and I switched to a cahill and started getting fish again.  A few hours would pass and light beginning to fade we quit and headed back to the B&B.

Pennsylvania Day Two

June 25, 2018

We awoke in the morning with the owner of the Feathered Hook, Jona, making us bacon and eggs.  After a late start and a quick briefing of what is available to us and what flies to use we headed off to Penn Creek down tunnel road.  After walking down the path longer than we should have, we finally reached the water and started fishing.

It took us a few bends before we finally started to get some fish.  Joel was the first to hook up.  He told me they took the golden Griddle Bug that the shop recommended.  So when I reached him gave a a couple and I switched flies.  It was not long after I was on my first fish of the day.

When the temperature started to rise the fish slowed to a halt.  We still carried forward and wasted much of our energy trying to pursue these fish but to no avail.  Joel managed several chub for his efforts much to his chagrin.  I'd tease him relentlessly for his impressive chub fishing abilities.

After hours of endless casting and watching bobbers drift downstream, we headed out for a meal.  We drove toward State College to find a restaurant but none appealed to us so we drove to the nearby town of Bellafonte, a town that looked like it came straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.  If you ever watched the Chevy Chase movie Funny Farm, when the town acts like the perfect picturesque American small town with couples walking their well groomed purebred setters and kids playing on grass, that was what this town seemed to us.  After our meal we walked around town to check it out and found the local distillery.  It was closed but the gentleman inside let us in for a tasting.  The boys ended up picking a bottle a piece.  Afterwards when we started to make our way back home we were too tired to fish which later proved a big mistake and a running joke for the rest of the trip.

Bellefonte, PA

Pennsylvania Day One

June 24, 2018

Before my Taiwan trip I was chatting with one of my best buds who offered to take me on essentially an all expense paid fishing trip to Pennsylvania.  I was reluctant to say yes as work never gives me a set schedule and planning trips in advance tends to be problematic.  But while on my Asia trip we were chatting on Skype, he suggested he book the trip for me and if I canceled so be it.

Having more miles than he knows what to do with, Joel thought even if I had to cancel last minute all he would be out was miles which he thinks as the house's money anyways.  So no big loss.  With that in mind I told him book it then.

Once we started making plans of this trip, I was getting really excited.  For one, I've never fished the East Coast.  Of course I've read about in all the periodicals and books.  Second, I'd be fishing once again with one of my best pals.  Joel was one of my first fly fishing buddies after coming back home from college.  We met through a mutual friend that worked at the fly shop.  We'd fish just about every weekend until he got married.  Then we fished every other weekend.  Then he had three kids and I didn't see him for 10 years.  Now the kids are all grown up to the point they have some independence, Joel is free to pursue some leisure time.

Pennsylvania is Joel's home state and he grew up fishing there.  He'd be there for a week dropping off his son at a skateboarding camp.  Instead of flying back to LA only to return a week later, he decided to stay and fish some of his old jaunts.  Also if his son suffered any type of injury he'd be at least within driving distance to take care of him.  Joel didn't want to be alone on this trip so he invited me to tag along.  To entice me more he said he'd pay for the whole thing.  So we started to make plans.  Later when our friend, who is a recovering cancer survivor, Kelly got another cancer scare, Joel added him to the party.  I'm glad he did.  Kelly is an optimist and always is in a good mood.  Unlike Joel and I who are miserable sons of bitches.

Joel would head out the day before Kelly and I to get his son and his friend settled while we would take the redeye and meet them in the morning the following day.   I met up at Kelly's place and after having dinner we ubered it to LAX.   After getting absolutely no sleep on the redeye to Philadelphia, we landed early in the morning and needed to wait couple hours for our transfer to State College.  Exhausted we had breakfast of stale pastries at a small coffee shop in the airport that did not perk me up until it was time for our plane.  The flight to State College is a quick one.  Once you're in the air you're basically ready to touch down and after we collected our luggage we waited for Joel to pick us up.  Once he did it was time for a real meal and then off to camp to send off the kids.

Now with the kids offloaded it was time to find a place to get our fishing licenses.  We found a hardware store that sold them and we were off.  It took some mapping on Google but we finally found the river we wanted to fish.  Unlike what I'm used to here in California finding the public water here can be somewhat tricky.  Roads, mountain ranges, hills etc all get in the way.  Say for instance if you park and fish somewhere on the river and you want to fish the bend a half a mile down, you can't simply jump in the car drive to it.  That would take you at least 45 minutes of roundabout driving to get to tat section.  You're best bet is simply to stay on the river and hike down to it.

We finally found on water we wanted to fish Penn Creek at Ingleby.  After finding a parking spot we geared up and headed upstream.  I started with nymphs and managed my first East Coast catch.  A crayfish.  Fishing weren't biting so I was constantly changing flies until I finally reached a point in the river where I saw a midge hatch going off.  Once I saw that I took off the nymph rig and set up the dry fly, a size 18 Galloup's Goober midge.  After a few drifts I managed one to take.  The action did not last long and as soon as I manged to get a rise, it shut down.

With a few hours on the water, it was time to head over to the Feathered Hook B&B to check in.  When we arrived no one was there and the doors were open with a note in the kitchen letting us know which rooms were ours.  After unpacking we searched for place to eat.  After driving to the nearby town of Milheim and found the Elk Creek Cafe & Aleworks.  It was closed for a live music event with the Plate Scrappers but they were willing to serve us if we paid the cover.  We had no problem with that.  We were glad we did as the food, music, and drinks were excellent.

The Elk Creek cafe was started by a group of local business men who've partnered with local farms and producers to keep money in town and create a sense of community.  Highly recommended to those who find themselves in central Pennsylvania.