Check out this strong report from Henlopen!

Some big blues were caught on the Flats, plus a couple of stripers.  The blues were taking deceivers and Clousers in white or pink and white. 

  Well, it is with a heavy heart and a big sigh that I packed all of my wet wading gear away for the year. I am not saying that the Smallmouth game is done, in fact this could be one of the best times of the year to land a big ole' bronze back as they try to pack on the pounds for winter. What happens is as I see all the beautiful pictures that get mailed and text to me it doesn't take much for the Trout bug to bite me and then it is game on...

  All of our southeastern PA rivers have received a heavy dose of fish in the last 2 weeks. With the WCFF stocking and the state stocking all of the branches of the White Clay are chock full of fish. There is a mixture of fresh stockies, stocked fish that have been in there for a few weeks, and a few hold overs for sure. Buggers, Weenies, and worms will always bring fish to hand. My guess would be that some of the fish that have been in there for a while have switched to more natural food sources, and the deadly tandem of a Copper John and a Zebra midge should produce well. if you prefer to fish on top Midge patterns such as Griffiths Gnat would be in the game, and I am sure some of the fish would would be willing to eat a well placed attractor dry such as the Thunder Dome, Purple Para Wolf, Stimulator, and Royal Wolf. We still haven't had a frost yet, at least not at my house, so Hoppers and Crickets should still be in the game.

 Rat Squad member One Boot Ed sent me this fine picture of a good brown he stuck on the middle branch last week.

 Dr Jim Reamer was up on the West Branch of the Octoraro the other day. The good news was there are "many many" fish in the river. The problem is they had a bad case of lock jaw the day he was up. Jim reported all of the fish seemed to be huddled together at the bottom of the deepest holes. Jim was fishing on top all day and found the fish UN-willing to take his hoppers or caddis imitations. His good friend and angling partner had a better time nymphing up a few fish. I am sure as the fish get acclimated to their new surroundings they will be more willing to and and this means we could have good fishing on the west branch for quite some time.

 I received some great pics from Rat Squad member Rick Bender this week. Rick is as much an artist with the camera as he is with a fly rod. Great pics. Rick. Thank you for sharing.

 The reports from the Salmon River we have received other the last week are that the Salmon bite had eased off.  There are a lot of Salmon on the  beds and the Steelhead are behind the salmon waiting for eggs.

 In the Salt the Beaches are still full of 2 to 3 pound Bluefish. Small Stripers are still in, and Roosevelt inlet may get the nod. Rat Squad member Bill O'Connor believes he hooked a Spec at the inlet last week. The hook pulled before he landed it, but he he was confident it was a Spec.

 Fall is the a great time of year to get out and fish. We hope to see all of you out on the river.

                                                                                                                                                                  Tight lines,
                                                                                                                                                                                 Tim  

Rain brings with cooler air temps and cooler water temps. Most of the southeastern PA trout streams got a healthy dose of fish this week. Many anglers have been having good days on the middle branch of the White Clay. Shop friend and good customer Jessie Reyes, lives in Florida and is an accomplished salt water fisherman. Jessie is up here for work and has been spending some time on the Trout rivers in our area. He sent a few pictures across the wire, one of which i believe was the first Trout he has ever landed. The second pic was a solid fish that looked to be in the 16" to 17" class. Great job dude! keep stopping in and we will make an eastern fly fisher out of you yet!   

Jessie also shot a video of himself landing a fish with the Go Pro cam you see on his chest. I am trying to get the link to the video so I can put it up on the blog. It is way cool!!!!

  It will take a while for the fish to acclimate themselves to their newly acquired residence and for the "wild" instincts of the Trout to kick in. Until then attractors like the Green Weenie, the San Juan worm in red, pink, chartreuse, and purple, and buggers of all colors should get the job done. If you prefer to fish on top any version of the Elk Hair Caddis with a tan body would be a good choice, as well as Stimulaters, Thunder dome's, and any big bushy attractor dry should bring fish up. It is definitely getting cooler, but we have not had a frost yet. Plenty of Crickets and Hoppers are still around as well as ants, so don't forget your terrestrial box for the next week or two. The shop is fully stocked on all of these patterns, stop in and we can set you up. 

  Another friend of the shop Bob Flanagan was in yesterday with a report from Pulaski. Bob, along with may others, has been spending a fair amount of time up north chasing salmon. The reports are the run is still on strong and Bob said he landed about 40 salmon a day over the course of a 3 and a half day trip with about half a dozen fish over 30# and three over 40#. With the amount of egg yarn, and Estaz going out the door I would say egg patterns are the ticket. As soon as I get a few pictures from Bob I will get them up here, they are too good not to share. 

  The Delaware and Jersey beaches are still giving up a fair numbers of Bluefish in the 2 to 4 pound range with a few Stripers mixed in. Joe Gallagher said he had good Bluefish last Sunday at IBSP with a 2 pounder being the norm. The "man in the striped pajamas" should be following close behind the Blues...stay tuned. 

  It is a great time of year to be out, there is a nip in the air, The leaves are changing, and the fish are willing. Fall is my favorite time of the year. Get out and fish!

                                                                                                                                   Tight lines, 
                                                                                                                                                       Tim                                                                                                                                                 

  Well as I type this it is raining Cats and Dogs. (and maybe Birds, Cows Horses and every other thing out there). We haven't seen rain like this all summer. A quick check of the USGS site shows the Brandywine running at almost 1200 cfs! High and I am sure it is off color by now.  Way to swift to wade in my opinion. The river can drop pretty fast though, and I know of at least one guy that loves to fish the falling water after the storm. He says "I've actually caught my biggest bass in Huge water". Keep an eye on the discharge, I wont wade unless it is below 450 and even then it can be an adventure,  and if you decide to give it a go please be careful. I would recommend fishing with a partner. 

 It looks like the rain will be with us through most of the week. This could be just what the doctor ordered. A good blast of rain to freshen up the river should keep it fishing strong through September. As we move through September and into October the big ole bronze backs will have one thing on their mind, putting as much weight on as they can before the winter. One fish I got last week had a Crayfish it had coughed up in its mouth that was half the size of the fish. I will probably switch from top water and start swinging big streamers. Lefty once said "if you want a big bass give em the groceries" and that will be my plan for the rest of the season. 


 One boot Ed is at it again and text me some pictures of some nice ones he caught earlier in the week. Nice job dude! so when are we going to fish together in your neck of the woods?     

 One of our long time customers, Joe Gallagher was in this weekend. Joe was telling me about getting into some good Bluefish action on a recent vacation. He brought in a "before and after" sample of some flies he was using. Can you guess which is the after?  

With our guidance Ryan caught his first striper and had constant action on shad, blues and sea bass. Check out the double header. We are here to help. Have questions on where to go or what to use? Message us or drop us a call at the shop. Guide trips are available.