Favorite PA FFing YouTube Channels

[Wild_Trouter]

Yeah, I agree too - the videos themselves are great!

I'm bitter about a snakehead angling YouTuber posting ONE trout fishing video to his 40k followers that burned a criminally underrated wild brown trout stream on state park land in Baltimore County (not the Gunpowder which everyone knows and fishes) mere months after I'd just discovered it for myself. He didn't mention the name in his video, but he posted one of his catches from that day to Fishbrain, with the location pin turned on. Not hard to figure out.

My first visit there resulted in 10 wild browns from 10-16.5". Since the video, I have seen footprints every time, worm containers, etc and it's about a 50% chance of taking a skunk...keep going back though because it's produced a pair of 18 inchers so it's obviously not completely ruined.

I used to post some videos to YouTube myself, and probably still would, if I could find a way to film them such that all identifying road or natural features are removed. Which is really hard to do and would mean not showing the natural surroundings that draw me to those streams in the first place. It takes too much time to edit even without worrying about blowing up my own secret streams.

I think the biggest criminal on Youtube is "Traveling Trout". I have no issue with how he fishes, but I do have an issue with openly naming all of the streams that are the subject of his videos along with all access points, etc. If you haven't watched his stuff, it's 95% all PA Class A streams. Like you, I'm now seeing evidence of increased fuckery on some very fragile streams that could handle a few people now and then, but following his broadcast, fishing pressure has ramped up considerably including increased posting by landowners. I have no issue with people filming videos provided they use some commonsense and discretion.

 

[wildtrout2]

I believe it's Traveling Trout Company. And, I totally agree about the stream naming. He does that almost every time in his videos. I stopped watching his stuff because I was tired of hearing "single barbless hook", "wet hands", and "ethical release". Seems like an okay dude, just waaaay too repetitious for my liking.

 

[Beernut]

I think the biggest criminal on Youtube is "Traveling Trout". I have no issue with how he fishes, but I do have an issue with openly naming all of the streams that are the subject of his videos along with all access points, etc. If you haven't watched his stuff, it's 95% all PA Class A streams. Like you, I'm now seeing evidence of increased fuckery on some very fragile streams that could handle a few people now and then, but following his broadcast, fishing pressure has ramped up considerably including increased posting by landowners. I have no issue with people filming videos provided they use some commonsense and discretion

I find him incredibly annoying.

 

[sarce]

I think the biggest criminal on Youtube is "Traveling Trout". I have no issue with how he fishes, but I do have an issue with openly naming all of the streams that are the subject of his videos along with all access points, etc. If you haven't watched his stuff, it's 95% all PA Class A streams. Like you, I'm now seeing evidence of increased fuckery on some very fragile streams that could handle a few people now and then, but following his broadcast, fishing pressure has ramped up considerably including increased posting by landowners. I have no issue with people filming videos provided they use some commonsense and discretion.

I haven't seen his videos. The landowner posting concerns me more than the potential impact to fish populations. I have seen this sort of thing a few isolated times in MD and the initial wave and seemingly "ruined" fishing has been temporary. When it's on park land all I can do is grit my teeth and wait it out, and even educate other anglers I run into, if they don't already have knowledge of how to respect the resource. But when private land is involved the outcome is always the same. It's getting posted. Then the fish are saved but the access is gone for good (sometimes).

The example above, it was also a good video. And I don't have any issue with the guy who posted it. He makes very helpful and informative videos. This one just happened to be a closely guarded secret of mine, and he only fished it because he coincidentally grew up nearby and used to fish it often as a kid. And he only caught one trout in the video. So he didn't really see that he was calling too much attention to it and I think his view was justifiable. But that's the thing about having so many followers. If only 20 of his 40,000 followers figured that location out and cared enough to fish it (I suspect it's more than that), it is still quite an increase.

 

[BWayne9623]

A few of my favorites below. These are all slickly produced, and for the most part are pretty lighthearted in nature...Mostly just friends out FFing together and having a good time doing it. My kinda deal.

Allegheny Native
Hardway Outdoors
The Everyday Outdoorsmen (Formerly Pennsylvania Outdoors Unlimited)
Lively Legz/Living4theoutdoors
Backyard Angling

Not sure if any of these guys are PAFF members or read the site, but if so, thanks for the time and effort you put into making these videos. Definitely helps with the Cabin Fever.

The best one on that list, imo, is hardway outdoors... The grind that Dan put on in 2018 to ultimately get his trophy buck defines the show. As for his fly-fishing, I don't think you can find too much better quality, just watch his bull trout episodes from idaho, and the fishing he does in PA.

 

[wildtrout2]

I have no issue with how he fishes, but I do have an issue with openly naming all of the streams that are the subject of his videos along with all access points, etc. If you haven't watched his stuff, it's 95% all PA Class A streams.

In this young man's defense, I do have to mention that on one particular Class A stream, he didn't name it. It's actually one that's quite remote, which he noted, and one that I love fishing several times each year.

I think he realized how special this stream actually was, and that might have motivated him not to name it. It's ironic, because he didn't catch very many trout that day, yet it's a stream where I've had 30-40 trout days. Just needs to be fished at the right time, which it wasn't the day he chose to fish it.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

If you fish SEPA, specifically some already pressured Lehigh Valley limestoners, and want to rage watch over 1) creek naming 2) treble hook throwing and 3) some questionable fish handling, by all means check out Jun T! I can't get rid of his vids in my algorithm, so I eventually asked him why he can't just name counties or something, as he's only hurting his own fishing. I left the other sins alone.... I hate to even mention his channel but maybe there are some of you out there better suited to being trolls

I have a feeling about why he and dudes like Traveling Trout name cricks: more hits. I keep a blog and try to be really careful with pics and text giving away spots (and it is not monetized, it's just for me a some buddies, really). When I've named a creek, it gets double the hits....

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Naming creeks definitely gets more views from my observations.

On top of traveling trout naming just about every stream, he often provides explicit description for access points.... I find his style and narrative to be quite annoying. For some reason the algorithm seems to recommend alot of his videos for me and I cringe every time I see a wilderness trout stream or small stream I like to fish in the title. Some of these streams can not support hundreds of anglers in a year without impacting the fishery.

 

[silverfox]

Reminds me of a central PA stream that I suspect only a few of us knew about until it was posted on a popular youtube channel. Used to go there and catch abnormally large BT with relative ease, and the last time I went there there were boot tracks everywhere, and I found a large black articulated streamer hanging out of a branch on a good pool there. The fish definitely responded to the increased pressure. They're still there but it ain't as easy to trick them as it used to be.

They didn't name the stream in that video, but there were enough visual clues that some internet sleuths with CIA skills figured it out and then told everybody's brother about it.

TLDR; Moral of the story; videos provide enough visual clues that even if the stream isn't named, it's very likely someone will figure out where it is. Unless it's a nondescript mountain freestoner w/ no landmarks shown.

 

[krayfish2]

Short Bus Diaries
Dead Drift Outdoors
Jensen Fly Fishing

Occasionally..... hardman, pa woods and water.

 

[moodyblues]

One of the best is Wild Trout Man.

 

[salmo]

Wholly bugged- here’s what you need to know, get your self an 9 Ft extruded leader , tie on a squirmy and a frenchie dropper and go fish a keystone select. That’s most of the videos.

I’m not ripping him, it’s fine but he does the same thing over and over.

Be more impressed if he was fishing hatches and talking about hatches and rises sometimes.

Facebook and Instagram pages for fly fishing are nauseating with grip and grind

Let's agree to disagree. Those of us who love brook trout appreciate Mike and his vids. He saved my sanity during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

 

[salmo]

Drew Looknfishy. Not sure if this guy does anything other than fish.

 

[moodyblues]

I believe it's Traveling Trout Company. And, I totally agree about the stream naming. He does that almost every time in his videos. I stopped watching his stuff because I was tired of hearing "single barbless hook", "wet hands", and "ethical release". Seems like an okay dude, just waaaay too repetitious for my liking.

He's in love with himself! Cried about upping his subscriber count early on, and tagged everyone who tried to give him any sort of good advice as haters from the beginning. Trust me, I was one of them. I might add that he isn't as young as you think he is (early to mid 30's). I ran into him at the Manor Hotel last summer (no, I did not introduce myself) and he's just as obnoxious in person.

 

[wildtrout2]

Let's agree to disagree. Those of us who love brook trout appreciate Mike and his vids. He saved my sanity during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Agree. I enjoy Mike's videos too. Also, if you love native brookie fishing, I think Hardman Fishing Adventures is tough to beat. This young guy takes you on numerous remote W Virginia freestone streams that produce some of the biggest natives I've seen in any video.

He's also no joke when it comes to BIG wild brown trout as well. He's one of the most accomplished young fly fishermen I've seen yet. He really knows his stuff.

 

[wildtrout2]

Drew Looknfishy. Not sure if this guy does anything other than fish.

I watched most of his six week truck camping/trout fishing videos, which I thought were very cool. He's very good at what he does, which as you mention, is pretty much just trout fishing.

 

[wildtrout2]

I might add that he isn't as young as you think he is (early to mid 30's).

Well, I'm 65, so him being in his early to mid 30's makes him young in my book.

 

[caddisflyer]

I don't watch any fly fishing videos on youtube but I enjoy deer and turkey hunting ones. I am pretty sure one guy posting videos of a York County stream got it posted. The landowners didn't say anything about the occasional fisherman but after those particular videos brought attention they had enough. He never named the stream but it was very easy to figure out where he was.

 

[bdhoover77]

Old Dominion Trout Bum has some good videos. Yes, he focuses solely on Euro nymphing, but (a) he‘s good at it and (b) he offers up a lot of helpful instruction and tips.

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

Josh Miller is probably my favorite PA YouTube guy. Lively Legz is probably second favorite. As far as trout fishing content goes, I enjoy seeing the different places that people fish for trout around the world. I will probably never go to Japan,Slovenia,Chile, or Mongolia to fish for trout but have found the videos interesting even if I don't speak the languages.
Chasing the Wild -Dusty Rhoads is another PA guy who catches big trout . The whole fishing streamers on spin rod seems different.
I agree with those that have noted certain Youtubers have a helped play a role in increased pressure, which can lead to decreased access. Trying to acquire access over the past few years, I've been asked by a few property owners if I had a channel or have been asked not to video on their property if I had a channel.