Complete Newbie

[timfarley]

Hi everyone, I'm completely new - not just to the forums but also to the sport of fly fishing! I recently inherited a fly rod and some equipment from my Grandfather and have spent a good part of this summer teaching myself some of the basics of casting and so forth - safe to say I'm completely and utterly addicted at this point!Most of my experience so far has been for warm water species. My family has a fishing cabin on a lake in Canada (SE Ontario) and I spent almost a month there this summer just practicing my casting and bringing in bass and panfish. Anyhow, once I returned home to South Central PA I began realizing how great of an area this is for trout fishing and have shifted focus to colder water species.My rod is nothing special - a 9ft, 8 wt rod from Cabela's - a little heavy for the smaller, troutier streams in the area, I understand - and I'll probably end up getting a lighter rod before too long. So far I've fished the following streams: Conodoguinet Creek (not many trout, i don't think - water temps in the 80s! - but it is practically in my backyard), Yellow Breeches (south of Allenberry, near town of Brandstville), Fishing Creek in Perry County (near Marysville), and Trindle Spring Run (aka Silver Spring) near the Wegman's shopping center. I hooked one trout on Trindle Spring on a grasshopper but snapped the line trying to set the hook, so still no trout landed to this day!Anyhow, i'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions of a good open place for a beginner to try to land some trout. Some of the smaller streams I've tried are just too tight for a 9' rod and I spend half my time retrieving flies from trees and weeds. I've heard the Yellow Breeches near Allenberry is a good place, but it is C&R and I'll have to make sure to de-barb my hooks, I guess. Any other thoughts?Also, if any older retired guys feel like passing on any wisdom in person on the stream, I'd love to meet up and become more involved in the local community. I'm a freelance web developer, so I can set my own hours to a certain degree, which has been absolutely great for mid week, mid day fishing excursions!Okay, enough rambling...thanks for any advice, online resources, recommended books, etc. that you are able to pass down to a recent, but already very devoted newcomer to this wonderful sport!

 

[Fishidiot]

Timfarly,
Welcome to fly fishing (FFing) and welcome to the Paff forums. Our's is a large and diverse online community and we're glad to have you join us. It sounds like you're off to a good start with your new gear. Summertime is often a good time for newbies to practice on warm water fish....and many of us old hands still love bass fishing. Yes, Allenberry on the Yellow Breeches is a good place to try trout fishing. This section is fished very hard and the trout can be challenging to catch but that's part of the fun (you don't need barbless hooks in PA anymore, although I still recommend flattening your barbs). It's not brushy and easy to wade.
Take some time to breeze through the forums and see what folks are talking about. This Beginner's forum is where you can ask basic beginner questions.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Welcome aboard. GG

 

[albatross]

Welcome TimF! I'm a western PA guy, so I can't help you with SC spots. FishIdiot's advice is good.

 

[salmo]

I do suggest getting a smaller rod. Ebay is not a bad place to look. I always think of Pennsylvania as a small stream state and I love it. My favorite rods are 4 wt in 6ft and 8ft lengths. You might want to try the Breeches in Allenberry with the setup you have.

Welcome to my addiction!!

Salmo

 

[roosters977]

You should try The Run. Its at boiling springs and it goes into the breeches, Plenty of fish and good practice.

 

[JackM]

I have to agree you will be a lot better off if you acquire an inexpensive 5 weight rod for trout. In many smaller waters, the 8-weight may be hard to keep quiet when laying down the cast. If you are new to casting, using a long leader, which would help to "quiet" the landing, may not be a possibility. But if you are going to use the 8-weight on trout and can cast a longer leader, try that.

Welcome to the forums.

 

[Padraic]

The connenequinett is a great stream in stretches. Look for places where the bottom is broken up, and places where tributaries come in. It's full of nice smallmouth, or it was when I was fishing it. Look for a whale of a great hex hatch in late July and early August. This time of year, try all the standard smallie patterns; chartruese clouser minnows, crayfish and hellgremite patterns.

The connie has some legendary limestone streams as tribs. If ppl got weird about warmwater fishing like they do about trout, every outdoor writer in the country would have an article out about it.

 

[timfarley]

Thanks for all the posts guys - I decided I was addicted enough already to invest in another rod. Got a 3wt 7foot rod (also from Cabela's) during their fishing sale at a good discount.

Since then I've been out a bit more, but all the flooding over the past week has put a damper on things. Finally caught my first trout just before the record floods hit. 7" brookie on Mountain Creek in Pine Grove Furnace SP.

And, Padraic, you are right...I love fishing the Connie. I live just across the street from it and have had many great memories growing up there. Since I got into FF, I've found a few spots I really like and always seem to be the only one out there. It is wide open, super easy to wade, and has a decent amount of smallies in some spots.

Thanks again everyone, and I see why you all love this sport. Look for more posts from me in the future!

Adios.

 

[pheasanttail85]

hello tim and welcome to paff and your new addiction. i used to live in carlisle, and have fished a few very nice streams around you. if you park at the run at the breeches, and fish the main part of the breeches from there down to where it gets to deep to wade is a great spot. other steams in the area to give a try are greensprings, bigsprings, clarks, and the conocoheague. you will fall in love with clarks. it is probably my favorite in that neck of the woods. hope this helps you.

 

[Chaz]

Try Big Spring and get some big lime green stimulators, #12 or # 10. They'll imitate a hopper, use 5x or 6x tippet. You'll catch fish. Oh and welcome to the board.