Taking a Chance!

Talked to a few fellow guides and the general theme was how stupid it is to have some local shops provide guides that do not have a Pennsylvania Fishing Guide Permit, mine is #207, that means they are not legal. Any time money changes hands from a customer to a client in PA you need a permit to guide, with the permit you also need to prove that you have completed a CPR course and have liability insurance, these guys do not and they could loose everything if they have an accident! Oh boo ho it costs a bit, if that's the case don't put your client in harms way, stop guiding. If you only guide a few times a year don't take the chance. I was told by a well know guide that he takes money for fly casting instructions not guiding, really a stupid thing to do, I'm sure a clients lawyer would shoot holes in that, sad but true you need to protect both you and your clients. No I do not and will not take clients to the FFF section of Penns, purely out of respect for the resource and the land owners, all of the other fellow guides that work with me also share my respect for this section of Penns. Want to find out if a guide has a permit, check out the Fish Comm. web site.

Sure Sign of Spring

  Little Black Stoneflies are all over the Susquehanna River, the sea gulls are here in force, Spring is here. The Little Blacks are also coming off Penns but there have not been any rising fish to them, to be fair most guys really never see them taken off the top, it is a very small rise form and barley makes a surface disturbance, look hard for them This hatch is best fished with a dry dropper rig, the dry can be any black caddis imitation in a size #14 (just to keep the nymph up) and a dropper of a black pheasant tail nymph Tiemco #16 T200 with a 5/64 Black Nickel tung bead, a deadly combination. Pheasant tail dyed black is easy to get and the style really lends itself to the stonefly nymph. Tie up a few and try them out. Also heard reports of a large #12/14 very dark mayfly hatching near the shore but nothing taking them, I'll check them out on Wed!
  Get out there before the crowds are here, Spring is out of the question till Trout season opens up, to dam many spin and bait guys trying to get rid of their rust for me to bump into.