12/27 Piney/peters

Struggling to recover after a night at The Clarks show, I met up with Logan for a few hours before the Steelers game. Using the same big streamer, I managed one trout in the first 4 minutes, then zoned out the rest of the day and didnt land a fish. Nursing a hangover and a banged up toe, I stumbled and bumbled through the streams trying not to take a swim.

Logan landed 2 in the course of the day.Once i landed this sweet native on the swing, I knew our day was over.
Headed to my parents house to watch the Steeler game and snooooooze

Christmas Morning

Made the annual Christmas Morning trip over to Piney Run for some winter trout before we opened gifts. This year dad accompanied me into the cold. Decided to use a huge atriculated streamer that I had recently bought. I had been doing good on black buggers, so this fly might get some hits.

I landed these two trout in a steady freezing rain

Moved locations a few times, mostly to blast the heater in the car on the way.

Stopped at one last spot, knew Dad should catch one here.

Dad will be bringing gloves next time.

Erie with Ben 12/19-20

Andrea was meeting up with her gal pak from home in Buffalo for the weekend, so she dropped me off with fishing gear in Erie. Spent a few days with Ben trying to catch some steelies before the streams froze up. Got a late start after taking 3 and a half hours to get from Pittsburgh to Erie because of a snow storm, got started around noon on 20 mile. Ben landed a couple, then I hooked into a hawg.

Fished 20 for a while, then headed over to 16, met up with Logan and his buddy, lower 16 was devoid of fish, so we headed to the Walnut Project waters around 430pm. walked up to the chutes, very few fish seen. Hooked up with one, but it shook lose after a short battle. Things were starting to freeze up. Got showered and warmed up at Ben's place then went to Night Flights where the cold Labatts and Cajun Ranch wings hit several spots.

Up early on Sunday we headed to 16 mile. Had a few hook ups all day, none landed... Also tried at 12 mile, to no avail before meeting back with Andrea and making the 2 hour commute to Grandma's for dinner.

Snow Flies- Piney Run 12/5

The snow was forcast, the cold was already here. Didn't feel like heading to the Highlands, or Erie, so stayed local and fished my favorite ditch with Sean Brady. I'd been telling him about this little stream for a few years and we finally got out. Decided not to try any Trout power worms and stick with the flies...

As usual i was getting my luck on a weighted black bugger. Landed a total of 6, missed atleast a dozen. Sean was doing well on his egg/nymph dropper, getting 6 as well on the lower nymph.

Great to get out in the colder weather with some snow flying.

First Cold Spell. Neshannock Creek 11/28

Headed up to Neshannock Creek with Logan. Cold morning temps brought out the fleece liner pants for the first time this year. Landed a few here and there, even raised some on the surface.

Fished the main stretch in Volant then tried over at Cool Spring for the last hour. Logan landed one there and missed a few. Would be a nice spot to try again in the spring.

Foothills Fun in Fall

Guest blogger Josh Berezansky has taken the reigns for this installment of the blog's most recent fishing adventure.

November 22, 2009

Has the fumes of the opposite sex and adolescence sincerely taken over the vice of passionate portrayal? Due to the typical collegiate outlook, it’s been over a month since my last blog, and sadly, I’ve forever lost quite a few memories shared with new lifetime friends all sharing the same passion as myself. Women… bars… also known as ‘teenage wasteland’ has left me closing my eyes in unfamiliar places. and taken up the lay time I usually, though now seldom, devoted to my concentration on fly fishing. Razz, a friend I met through the fisherie.com forums, has been at me for weeks about getting to the water together. I finally had enough after countless threads that were posted with laurel highland fish that make even the novice angler’s heart race just a little faster at the tug of a swing or slurp of a dry. I twisted and turned the night before, rising just after 5 am and began the journey into the upper reaches of the Appalachian mountain range. After a brief introduction with Razz, we loaded the rods onto the straps that reside on the hood of his car, and were soon ginking our dries while quietly approaching the wild rainbows I had put my research in over the past year to locate. Our groggy eyes were quickly opened just a bit more as we saw a scurry of wild fins race upstream, forcefully reminding us that stealth, not fly selection, was the key to our success today. After missed opportunities, the splash of a small wild brought out the second nature of a fly fisherman, the hook set, and Razz and I were photographing the first catch of the day, all smiles, and a sense of optimism now touched the ground with each tread upstream.A few wild bows photographed, a few missed strikes that were accompanied with laughs, and the sun now high in the sky, we ventured to another wild stream that I had heard nothing but positive reports about, but surprisingly never ventured to. Easy public parking and a community center bordered the stream’s access, instantly bringing on that pessimistic outlook on wild fish being in the vicinity, however, was quickly diminished after wild brook trout was swimming out of my hands after the second drift into a hole that cut and eroded the bank, showing the roots of healthy, thick maple. With little time to fish, and the desire to swing some buggers to the fall stocking of fish in a local dhalo, we focused on the best stretches of stream, and moved rather fast. In the distance, I could see the mecca of the freestoner; a run that ran 40+ yards with a plunge pool at the head. As Razz slowly worked the tail, I could see an abnormally large fish sitting at the bottom of an emerging rock. Razz quickly id’d the fish and threw a size 12 stimulator a few feet to the left, and behold, a 16 wild brown turned to it’s side, slowly making it’s way in perfect harmony to the fly. A gentle sip and the firm set of Razz’s bamboo set the fish into fight and flight, ripping and tearing through the stretch desperately trying to break his tippet, but to no avail. Not a soul was seen on the waters we walked, adding to the story book experience. It’s days like this, when we, as anglers, set off into serene places, absorbing the tranquility of nature at it’s finest, that we are reminded the simplest things in life are actually the most complicated, yet most treasured things to acquire.

Happy Thanksgiving

Highlands Romp

With minimal coaxing I was able to convince Tim to come out to Pittsburgh from Harrisburg. He wanted some "Arns and a Primanti Sammich". Logan came up from Washpa and we hit the South Side. The two of them got moderately to severely intoxicated while I DD'd them from Dormont to South Side and back. Home and to bed around 2:30am, up with the alarm clock at 5am. Logan still "woozy" from too many Irish Carbombs. Loaded gear and humans into the Red Troutmobile and headed for the Highlands under the cloak of darkness. My two passengers unable to keep their eyes open for much of the ride...

Started off at Meadow run to try for some of the stockies who have gotten smarter over the last few weeks. Add low clear water and it would be tough going. Tim got one in faster water. To the mouth we headed.

Nothing going at the mouth. Worked back up Meadow, chased this Palimino around.

Worked some water above the Natural Slides, Tim landed another.

Went over to Cucumber falls, the trickle was 99% devoid of the spawning trouts we saw the past few weeks.

Worked the Yough river pretty well, saw a few bruisers, swung some massive streamers, no takers. Left Ohiopyle area to head to a native stream. Stopped for some much needed refreshments.

Worked behind Tim and Logan who missed out on this little fella
Met back up with them a ways up, Tim had got into a few native brookies on his new bamboo rod to break it in a little.
Headed for home, my fellow Trout Bums helped me stay awake along the way...