New member Lancaster PA

[JSOutdoors]

Hi
I’ve been fishing my whole life, but just with an ultralight and worms/spinners.

I fly fished once in Alaska with a relative and loved it.

Since I’m in Lancaster county, we really don’t have many places like Alaska does to really get into fly fishing but I’m determined.

I recently acquired some nice fly tying tools, even a renzetti vise, but it’s mostly for saltwater fishing. My plan is to sell it and buy some smaller equipment for the trout and fish around my area.

I’ve heard the tulpehocken and spring creek are some good ones.
I think what I need help with most is making sure I’m using the right flies. I’m just confused about fly selection etc. thanks!

 

[Tigereye]

Lots of knowledge here on these pages. Keep the vice and tying material. You will eventually find a use for most of it.

As for flies, you could arguably start with about a dozen flies and be quite successful. There are a number of threads in here somewhere and its been discussed and hashed out many times. But a black wooly bugger, royal wulff, adams, tan elk hair caddis, ant or beetle, light cahill, hares ear, pheasant tail, parachute sulfur, and a march brown wet among a few local favorites will be enough to keep you on the board on most streams. As you gain experience you can pare that list down or add to it.

Its only fishing. You can make this sport as simple or complex as you desire and there are many paths you can take. Specialize in one aspect ie streamers only, match the hatches, or be a generalist and fish a litle of everything.

We are here to help. Good luck and welcome aboard.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear JSOutdoors,

I just want to say, "What he said," to Tigereye's post.

The tools and materials can be used for many things and a Renzetti vice will never be a bad thing to own.

Welcome aboard and have fun!

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[Schaefer406]

Hi
I’ve been fishing my whole life, but just with an ultralight and worms/spinners.

I fly fished once in Alaska with a relative and loved it.

Since I’m in Lancaster county, we really don’t have many places like Alaska does to really get into fly fishing but I’m determined.

I recently acquired some nice fly tying tools, even a renzetti vise, but it’s mostly for saltwater fishing. My plan is to sell it and buy some smaller equipment for the trout and fish around my area.

I’ve heard the tulpehocken and spring creek are some good ones.
I think what I need help with most is making sure I’m using the right flies. I’m just confused about fly selection etc. thanks!

I am from Lancaster as well. There are plenty of places in and around Lancaster to get into fly fishing. Tons of places to fish for SMB whether floating or wading, carp fishing, largemouth, and more. If you are dead set on trout, there are also plenty of wild trout streams within 30-40 minutes of downtown Lancaster City, you just need to do some exploration to find them which is half of the fun! Look around the forum, there are tons of beginner posts that have been made and a wealth of knowledge from members in here.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Welcome aboard. GG

 

[salmo]

DON'T SELL THE RENZETTI!!

 

[PatchezMDM]

Welcome from the other side of the river!

 

[Tups]

Get a copy of “The Soft Hackled Fly “ by Sylvester Nemes. Tie the dozen or so flies in the book. They are easy to tie and catch a lot of trout. You don’t need much more than these flies to start.

 

[Tups]

Soft hackles from the Nemes book.

 

[poopdeck]

You’re in luck because you can really get into fly fishing anywhere, even in Lancaster. you don’t even need trout to enjoy the hell out of fly fishing. I’d have no problems selling the saltwater Renzetti. If it’s not right for what you want to do with it, theres no sense in keeping it solely because it’s a Renzetti and there’s not many trout flies tied on 4 to 8/0 hooks. Renzetti makes a good vise but they are a dime a dozen and always available. The “other tools” are probably not specific to saltwater or trout fishing so you might be able to keep them. Welcome and enjoy the process.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

From one Lancaster countian to another, welcome to the forum!

The first thing you’ve undoubtedly already seen by reading the replies you’ve had so far, you’re going to get all kinds of advice here, the same as elsewhere on the internet, and while I’m sure it is all well intended, a lot of it can be incorrect advise, and an equal number of the replies don‘t really answer what you asked about.

As far as determining what flies to use you can get a lot of basic answers by simply doing a Google search similar to “what are the best flies to use for (fill in: where you want to fish, when you want to fish, and want you want to fish for).

Or, you can go to one of the local fly shops such as Precision Fly Shop in Lancaster or TCO in Reading and ask them for advice. Be prepared, however, as you’ll see here, when you ask that question to 100 different fly fisherman, you’ll get 100 different answers. None of those answers are going to be wrong, because just about any fly will work, its just that some will work better than others at different times and places.

The Tulpehocken is a reasonably good stream to fish for trout, and it’s relatively close by. I’m not sure which Spring Creek you’re referring to.? As others have already said, there are lots of places you can fly fish for trout in Lancaster County (some of which are best fished in the spring due to water temperatures, stocking, stream flows, etc., or perhaps in the fall). You can also ask at the local fly shops for more specific locations and advice.

Reading between the lines of what you’ve said about just getting into fly fishing, I’d suggest that you take small steps if you’re just starting out. You can make a big investment in fly fishing, if you’re not careful, but once you decide where you want to begin fly fishing, (say the Tulpehocken, for example) make sure you’ve got the right gear for fishing it first, like the right rod, reel, line leader, etc., and yes, the right flies. Unless, you just want to tie your own flies, I’d suggest you consider buying a few to start.
I’d put off tying your own flies until later.

I think @poopdeck is right on target with his comments about your Saltwater Renzetti, which is pretty much in line with what you already Indicated your plans were. I don’t know, however, how much of a market there is for that Saltwater specific vise, and you might find you’d have to almost give it away to dispose of it. Another option might be to look into whether you can simply change out the jaws. (Renzetti can certainly answer that question.)

 

[poopdeck]

Mt fly fisher is right. I neglected to recommend flies. There’s really only a few flies you need to catch trout. a gold ribbed hares ear, a bead head gold ribbed hares ear, and a guides choice hares ear all in size 14. All are super easy ties, have been around a long time and have been proven effective by everybody who has ever fished them. Fish them just off the bottom. Keep it simple, there’s no good reason to overly complicate the game.

 

[WWKimba]

Welcome to the site from a born and bred central NYer with PLENTY of fine fishing opportunities for anything short of salt--Syracuse, NY IS known as the Salt City, but NOT for salt water! Lakes, ponds, major and minor rivers, to the nicest of back woods streams. And don't get me started on the wealth of wine/brewery/distilleries with multiple trails for each! Nemes' book is a classic and I would highly recommend it. I love 2X2 patterns - take a hook and thread, then add a material or 2, tie it in less than 2 minutes and you've got your fly (ow, I use a calendar to time myself and I'm all set!

Here's a couple ideas:
Rackelhanen

Green Leaf Hopper

Micro Chenille Caddis Nymph

Horner's Deer Hair

Parachute Midge Cluster

Hot Mustard

The Chile Pepper

To name a few. I look forward to seeing your posts.

Kim

 

[hunter1]

Welcome from Maryland.