The other week I was fishing with a long time friend and the conversation turned to how all the streams seem smaller than they were 40 years ago. We seem to be able to fish were we at times had a hard time to reach, is it better wading gear, better rods or better lines. I know that way back we were using Seal Dri's with cotton blue jeans underneath (freezing all the while, or melting hot) and old rubber soled wading shoes but with youth we were able to get most anywhere we wanted. We had 9' rods, I have one of the first 9'0" #4 Scott graphite rods ever build and used and sold ton's of old Fenwick HMG 905's, we even played with Scott 10'0" #5 rods ( can't land a fish with them, hard to get them close to you) and we had T&T's, Winston's along with a few really good fiberglass rods, so I think our rods selection was fine. Our fly line selection was limited to SA & Cortland, back then we had a Pro Shop line of 444 lines but they were soft and really would not shoot that well and SA back then was a joke. Now we have unlimited choices of rods, lines and wading gear but is that what makes everything looks smaller or are the streams not that big any more with the loss of water? Heck you can hit about any spot in Penns, Fishing Creek, Spring Creek and Bald Eagle, heck even the Madison seems to be not over powering like it was those 40 years ago. Any ideas and don't say it's because were a getting bigger or older, hell when your old you shrink, the question still baffles us?
OK it just might be the lines but it still seams that all the streams are smaller in volume or is it because were have fished them so many times we have become familiar with the water shed? A very interesting conversation to be part of.
A note of interest, there might be another fly shop open in the former Penns Creek Angler spot, time will tell?
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