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 Lee checked in with some nice striper. He reports steady action on the right tide using a black and purple beast master general variant. According to Lee, "The time to get out and fish is now. The fish are hungry" Guide trips are available for trout, striper, shad and bass.    Striper are in multiple locations in our area. This fish was caught on an 8+ inch flat wing. We are happy to help you get set up to tangle with fish like this. Guide trips are available.  Lee checked in with a nice American Shad. Shad trips are available. Now is the time. This is great opportunity to put a big bend in your two hander or learn some new techniques. Give the shop a call or swing in to learn more. With all of the prep for our "Customer Appreciation Weekend" I must apologize that I missed last weeks report. With both the Pennsylvania and Delaware Trout openers behind us all of our local Trout rivers are fishing well. The White Clay in DE. and PA, the East Branch of the Brandywine and the West Branch of the Octoraro all are receiving weekly or Bi-weekly stockings. Fresh stockers are suckers for attractor patterns. Green Weenies, San Juan worms in pink or maroon and bright colored Buggers should all bring fish to hand. If you prefer to stick to the "hatch" side of things Midges still seem to be the preferred choice. The Red Zebra Midge, especially on the White Clay, seems to be the ticket. I personally fished the White Clay two times this past weekend and can report good numbers of fish throughout the entire river. Saturday I met my buddy Mark at the meeting house at 6:00 am. I figured I could get a few hours of "stockie chasing" before I had to go open the shop. Mark is not a fly fisherman (I know, I know, I am working on him also) so we decided to fish the main stem above the Delaware line. He was throwing his favorite Rooster Tail and I tied up a triple Nymph rig and drifted my three offerings under an indicator. The top fly was a #18 Red Zebra, the middle fly was a #14 Pheasant Tail I have been working on with a bright orange thorax, and the bottom fly was a #20 Olive Al's Rat. I guess I got lucky because of the first 4 fish I landed all three flies had been eaten. Mark and I had a great morning with several fish landed between the two of us. 
As we were walking out we met up with my buddy "One Boot Ed." Ed was swinging his new favorite fly, the Clouser Swimming Nymph and picked up a few fish above the London Tract Bridge. 
This guy swam within 10 feet of me!!!! Damn Beavers are big!
Sunday evening I was back on the White Clay, this time on the Middle branch. I fished the same rig all evening and had similar results. Several fish landed on all three flies on the rig. I also got a chance to fish my new Waterworks / Lamson Black Guru. This is the second time they have done a limited run of black in this reel and we have them in stock now. Stop by and check them out, you will be glad you did!
That black is just plain sexy! Four hours and several fish landed including these two brutes. Believe it or not both of these fish took the smallest fly on the rig, the #20 Olive Al's Rat. 
Ok, ok now the report everybody has been waiting for. Things at Deer Creek seem to be picking up. A few good reports from last weekend were followed by the shutdown caused by Wednesday's rain and several cold nights in a row. I had planned on giving it a try one day this weekend, but started to re think my plan. All the reports we received on Friday and Saturday morning were not favorable. With the Brandywine running well over 800 CFS and Deer Creek shutdown I was planing a Trout day on Sunday. Around 3:00 in the afternoon on Saturday we started receiving reports that Deer Creek was "on" again. Just about that time "One Boot Ed" sent me a text asking if I had heard anything about the Shad in Deer Creek. I told him we have gotten several good reports in the last 2 hours. I think he was out the door before he responded "on my way". Ed said the action was steady and the fish were eating flies and fighting hard. That sealed the deal, I was heading to Conowingo early Sunday morning and Ed and I were gonna lay the smack down on some Shad! 
Well, I was not ready for that, but the anticipation of hard fighting fish had me up and getting ready well before the sun came up. On my way down I got a call from Ed... On your Way? Just passed Nottingham Ok, I am about 3 minutes ahead of you Cool, see you in the parking lot. 
I actually stopped on the side of the road and snapped this picture. I love these colors when the sun comes up in the morning. We rigged up and headed to our spot. I guess because it was Easter morning many people did not come out. The river was not crowded at all. The water was 52 degrees and the fish were full on into their spawning ritual. I started with my favorite Shad fly, one of my micro Clouser Minnows in black and chartreuse. I am surprised to say I received no love with my old standby. I switched to my second favorite color, pink, and was into fish on the first cast. We fished for about 3 hours and had a medium pick of fish until the sun got high above then they shut down. It was not every cast, buy there was no time to get bored either. 
My 5 wt Loomis light spey rod was tailor made for Hickories
There is Ed at the top of the picture behind the trees
With the warming weather these next two weeks are full of opportunities. Get out and fish!
Tight lines..Tim We would like to thank everybody that came out in support of the Marblehead Spey Clave. The day was full of casting, tying and fun. This was the first dual spot event we have done. Mary Ann, Frank and myself were up in the shop answering questions, coordinating the shuttle and running the "sales" part of the event. Frank was tying some awesome flies (a few of which he donated to me, thanks buddy) and he kept everyone at his table interested in the great Salmon and Steelhead patterns he was tying.
Some of Frank's great work. I need a private tutorial on this one buddy!
Down on the river Terry and Andrew ,with help from Rick, spent the day giving instruction and casting demos. With all of our manufactures represented people had a great time casting all of the rods from Sage, Loomis, Redington, and Ross. The one rod that seemed to get the most attention was the 7126-4 Sage Method. "That rod is awesome" "it is the smoothest casting spey I have felt" "I love it" and the ever popular "my wife is gonna divorce me" were some of the comments I heard as people returned from the river. The Redington Prospector rods got some favorable reviews as did the new Loomis Pro4-X rods. 
Yeah buddy! now there is a full set of mag mounts!
All in all it was a big success! We would like to thank all of the people that helped this event come together. Our sales reps for making their demo rods available for the event. Frank for tying some great flies and helping our customers better understand the construction of Salmon and Steelhead flies. Ed and Pat for running the shuttle cars all day. Ed for taking all of the great pictures. Andrew for instructing on the river all day.Last but certainly not least you, our loyal customers, without you there would be no events like this. Thank you! Here is a slideshow of the rest of the great pictures Ed took of the event. All of the rods, lines, reels and other equipment we used on the river are in stock now at the shop. Please feel free to stop in and check out what is new in the world of Spey and Light spey fishing. To read how you can put this type of casting to use in our local waters like the Brandywine, White Clay, and many others click here.
Our Calender of events has just been updated with several items you may be interested in. Due to many requests we have added a fall fly tying class. This 4 week class will start on Wednesday night, October 23rd and run for four consecutive weeks. We are still kicking around ideas for this fall class, thoughts have included "Guide Flies" "Articulated Streamers" "Tying with Foam" or a "Steelhead / Tube Fly" themed class. Whatever Class we do it is sure to be a great time. Our Winter tying classes will keep the same format as in past years. We will start the beginner class on Tuesday, January 14, 2014. The Advanced class will start on Wednesday the 15th and the Salt Water class will start on Thursday the 16th. All 3 of these classes will run for six consecutive weeks, weather permitting. Our winter tying classes are a great way to get out and have "fishing" fun during the winter months. Based on past years the beginner and advanced classes fill quickly, be sure you to get in early to hold your spot. For more information on our tying classes you can click here. Here are a few pictures from last years classes. Looks like fun to me...
If you look at the July calender you will see an entry on Sunday the 7th. We are going to do an informal gathering at Brandywine Creek State Park on Sunday afternoon. The goal here is for us to get together, talk fishing, fish a little, and have a good day on the river. Terry and I, as well as many members of the Rat Squad will be there with our Light Spey rods. Casting demos and informal casting instruction will be available. Kind of a mini Brandywine Jam if you will. If you have ever had an inkling to try this Spey casting thing, want to see some new gear, or just want to come out and hang out with some like minded people this is a great opportunity to do so. Light refreshments will be available. We are also targeting this date as the launch of our new Spey casting and fishing club. This formal club is something we have been working very hard on. Club meetings, conservation projects and hosted trips are a few of the things that will be a part of our ultimate goal. Time for this event will be 1:00 pm till 5:00 pm We will be posting more information about this event here as well as our Facebook page when it becomes available. This could be a great opportunity to cross a few fish off of your Smallmouth Challenge list as well. We look forward to seeing you there.
Last but not least we will be hosting the first annual Marblehead Flyfisher Spey Clave at the shop. We are still working out many details for this event with our biggest sales rep. We are shooting for the first Saturday in September, but that could change. Our goal with this event is to promote and showcase all things Spey. Similar to our "Open House" events this is another great opportunity to get into this very popular casting and fishing style. Many more details for this event will follow. Keep an eye on this website, our Facebook page and the Twitter feed as more info will be posted as it becomes available. Fly tying, Smallmouth fishing, and Spey casting, there are plenty of things to keep us busy through the dog days of summer. Tight lines... Skagit Master 4 features Tom Larimer and a bunch of his steelheading buddies as they travel from the rivers of Wisconsin to Steelhead Alley in Ohio, swinging flies for midwest Steelhead. Dave Pinczkowski, Jeff Hubbard, Jay Niederstadt and Greg Senyo spend long days with Tom on their home waters cracking the code and hooking numerous fish. Check out the trailer... This two disk set is in stock now and goes for $49.99. We also have SM1 through SM3 in stock as well. These are some of the best DVD's on the subject of Skagit casting and Steelheading across the country. Stop in and pick up a copy today. You will be glad you did!
Tight lines... As many know, I can be found chasing many species of fish with my Spey rods, when not guiding. I just PLAIN enjoy casting and fishing these rods. With the introduction of lighter line weighted Light Spey / Switch rods, trouting and river bass fishing have entered the world of “two handed fly rod fishing”. Of late, Sage and Redington have the latest in 4 weight Light Spey / Switch rods and Rio has introduced the 275 grain Skagit and Scandi heads to match these magic wands. WOW, how cool can this get!?!
Sage 4116-4 ONE: I matched up my floating Light MOW Tip to the 275 grain Skagit Short Head and began casting on the Brandywine River. Once I got over the fact it wasn’t my 7 or 8 weight rod(s), I started casting short, then longer, then long. I threw Ska-Oppers and streamers with 10-12 foot leaders. After a few minutes I got lost in this rod, WOW! It pitched line like my heavier rods, even with some wind. Of course when I kicked my 1st mend, the whole line flew upstream, because it was so light. When I switched over to some T-8 MOW tips, I figured the challenges would begin; NOT to be! This rod JACKS line, that’s all there is to it. Did I mention that this rod is handsome, not that this is very important to me. I can’t wait to get my first shad, smallie and trout on the end of this stick. GREAT rod, awesome job, Sage!!!
Redington 4109-4 Prospector: This is a different animal than the Sage ONE; softer with a different flex point. I matched up the same Floating Light MOW Tip to the 275 Skagit Short Head. Once again, I needed to erase my 7 & 8 weights from my mind. I threw the same Ska-Oppers and streamers. After settling down a LOT, I just let the rod do all of the work and casts began to head for the horizon. If I punched too hard, casts piled up, but when I let it “all ride”, line disappeared from my fingers. The rod was easy in my hand, light and very “caster friendly”. Distance came up a bit shorter and casting heavier MOW tips didn’t come as easy as the ONE. The 275 Grain head felt a bit “chunky” on this rod for me. I need to put some lighter grain lines on this one to see where it falls in my arsenal. The Prospector definitely has game! 
On Tuesday this week our G Loomis rep, Dick Kondak, stopped by the shop to show us all of the new Loomis gear. Now, anyone who has met Dick knows you will be laughing from the time he gets there until the time he leaves. He is a class act, the kind of person we need more of in this industry. In between jokes, stories, and laughs we actually got some work done. The first thing he showed us was the fantastic line of clothes the crew at Loomis has put together this year. Everything from tropical shirts, soft shell jackets, light rain gear, foul weather gear, hats and bags are first rate. I personally really liked the the lined and un-lined hoodie and the Soft Shell jacket. Terry seemed to like the deep, roomy pockets in the Soft Shell, Native Run and the Max 3 jacket. The Bonded Fleece jacket was a favorite of both of ours. All quality stuff and all with the un-mistakable G Loomis logo throughout. I believe Loomis will do well with the new clothing line.
The highlight of any of these meetings is always when the new rods come out and Tuesday was no exception. We got to see all of the new Loomis rods and all I can say is DAMN! We spent most of the time with the new LP series of NRX rods. The LP Stands for Light Presentation. These rods are extremely slim, especially at the tip, and feather light. They load with a deep bend, but have plenty of reserve power. Loomis has done a exceptional job of creating a series of rods that are deep loading, but don't feel "whippy". We cast the 9' 3 weight, the 9' 4 weight and the 7 and a half foot 3 weight. All were cast with S/A GPX lines and these lines preformed well. If I am to own one of these in the future I would like to try one of the longer "trout" taper lines such as the RIO Trout LT. I must say my favorite was the 7.5 foot 3 weight, I have the perfect spot for that rod in my arsenal...it is always fun to dream!  The 7 and a half foot 3 wt NRX lp Definitely not the first choice for throwing an indicator nymph rig, but that is not what the series are designed for. If you are a native brookie "guy" or a guy that loves the subtle sip of a Midge and the dimple in the water that follows these rods should should get serious consideration if you are in the market for something new. The most fun part of the night was when we rigged up the new 13 foot 460 grain NRX Spey rod.  Terry rigging up the two handed cannon This is a true big boy spey rod with a price to match. The first thing I noticed was how light in the hand the rod felt even though it was 13 feet long. We were throwing the Air Flo Scandi compact head and a .032 running line. Because we were in the grass and not on the water we were limited as to what we could do with the traditional underhanded casting. We did throw a couple of C spey and Perry Poke casts. The rod felt great and we REALLY want to get it on the water to see what it can do with a proper load on the rod! Now for the really cool part. As we use our 2 handers on the beach more and more the 2 handed overhand cast becomes a very important tool. Typically we would go with a integrated shooting head like the RIO outbound for this type of casting, but the night was getting long and we decided to give it a go with the Scandi compact set up. I can say it was a pleasure to see the line launch off of the rod and travel through the air. We were booming 100 foot plus casts with very little effort. I am confident Terry went WELL over 100 feet with a few of his casts. It is truly a pleasure to watch a technically sound caster do his thing. We would like to thank Dick for coming out and letting us see all the new stuff. Please feel free to stop in or give a call if you have any questions.
Tight lines... Tim With this Echo Practice rod you can practice all of your single hand casting and with the new Spey adapter you can work on your two handed skills as well. Inside or out, single or Spey casts, this is a must have fly fishermen of all skill levels.
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