Transcript: Central PA Fishing Report with TCO Fly Shop State College
Transcript
Marvin:
[0:04] Hey folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of The Articulate Flower, back with another Central PA Fisher Report with George Costa of TCO Fly Shop and State College. How are you doing, George?
George:
[0:13] I'm amazing as always, Marvin. How are you?
Marvin:
[0:16] And as always, I'm just trying to stay out of trouble. You've been the traveling Mack recently. Where have you been?
George:
[0:20] Yes, indeed. I was out west for a little while last week. We went out to Montana.
We visited the Simp Factory, saw some really cool things there.
Yellowstone, the Ruby, a couple other rivers out there. So I had a great trip out west. They were having a good season out there. It was super fun.
Marvin:
[0:36] Yeah, I know it's been hot everywhere. Were there hoot owl closures or have they been able to kind of miss that a little bit?
George:
[0:42] No, we didn't have anything out there. I mean, there was talk of some of it happening, but we didn't have to deal with any of that. I'm not 100% sure if this week things changed, but last week we didn't have any of that to have to deal with.
Marvin:
[0:52] Yeah, that's pretty awesome. That's actually a little bit unusual.
And so we kind of bring it back home you know it's cooled off mercifully I don't know how much water you've gotten in your neck of the woods but what are you seeing on the water?
George:
[1:05] So our temperatures have been good this week we've had nice cool nights and temps have been low mid 80s all week which is what we're looking for for this foreseeable future as well so levels are actually nice they're seasonably high you know low side for you know compared to everything else but high for this time of year which is good so last week they got a good shot of rain while I was was away, so the creeks did come up a bit, get blown out a little bit on one day, which was nice because it cleaned out some of the weeds.
So this past week, the fishing has been pretty solid.
We're still seeing trikes in the morning. Terrestrial fishing has been good with beetles and ants, and not an awful lot going on otherwise.
Dry fly fishing, there's sporadic cahoes around. I heard somebody said they saw a handful of isos the other day, and caddis are here and there.
But terrestrials really been pretty good. Those small ants, those beetles work really well around here.
Streamer fishing has been a little on the slow side with the lower clear water, but if you want to fish early, fish late, fish in the dark, that's where you're going to move some fish on streamers this time of year.
And nymphing's always productive. The usual suspects are going to work well for there, but as far as seasonally goes, I mean, temps are good.
Water levels are good for beginning August. Can't complain about that.
Marvin:
[2:21] Well, there you go. How's your smallmouth bite?
George:
[2:25] That's been solid from what I've been hearing. I mean, the guys are doing well on topwater.
The Jay has been fishing really well. The West Branch has been fishing well for guys that have been out there looking for those smallies.
Now is the best time of year for them. They're really active.
Great fishery, great time to do that this time of year.
Marvin:
[2:42] Got it. I got a question for you from Brenner. He was kind of interested in your thoughts on unconventional colors for streamers and dry flies in the summer and fall, which I think you and I were talking before we started recording that really kind of translates into, you know, what do you think about about attractor patterns and what do you like.
George:
[2:59] I think that really depends on the fishery. For attractor patterns around here are, depending on where you are, like let's say Spring Creek, most fish are pretty selective.
And this time of year, you can maybe get one and occasionally fall for a coachman or a purple parachute or something like that.
But those patterns tend to work best, in my opinion, around here locally in PA on less pressure fish. Corkies are eager to take anything they see.
They can work on occasion, but consistently, I don't think they're amazing around here in Pennsylvania, especially on our heavily pressured streams, those fish are just a little more selective.
For streamers going into fall, those attractor colors, like let's say your yellows and chartreuse or something like that, I think that really depends on water clarity more than anything else.
Off-color water, dirty water, I think that those bright attractor colors work better just because fish have limited visibility and they're going to attack or move on something that just looks like it's invading your space more than anything.
As a rule, clearer water, I generally like more natural colors.
Dirtier water or water that's full of leaves, that's a good time to use a brighter, more attractor color for a streamer.
Marvin:
[4:18] Got it. And so, for example, if you were on Spring Creek and, you know, you're saying the fish are selective, hard to dial in, would your kind of change up pitch maybe to be, you know, fish something that they've seen before, but it's actually not coming off to maybe stand out of the crowd, something like that?
George:
[4:33] As far as an attractor goes, if we're talking dry fly specifically, I never personally have great luck with that.
With that. I really think that selective trout are going to eat what they're eating. And not to say you're not occasionally going to fool a dumb fish, but consistently, I think you're better off with natural most of the time on heavily pressured fish.
Those fish that are... If you're standing out in a crowd, let's say you're actually in the middle of a good hatch, I mean, I rarely would even bother trying to put an attractor on. I would stick with more natural approach I think in most situations personally.
Marvin:
[5:10] Yeah, but I guess what I'm saying is like let's put the tractor thing to the side so you want to fish naturals and let's just say hatch X is coming off but you're having a hard time getting them to eat.
Would you switch to natural Y that they've seen before to maybe see if that stands out like if you got a really heavy hatch or something like that.
George:
[5:28] Yeah, I mean definitely the pace that switch up and find something that is gonna work and I would I would try something that would Be a little more familiar to them You know with it with maybe a little bit of a twist to give the variation for what they've been looking at Yeah, rooster tail or a Paula something like that Absolutely have a stick of pepperoni Always works in a pinch.
So don't use a circle. Look, it's okay.
Marvin:
[5:51] Yeah, but do you like to hackle your pepperoni sticks?
George:
[5:56] Absolutely, with only whiting plathums.
Marvin:
[5:59] There you go. Well, folks, you know, we love questions at the Articulate Fly.
You can email them to us. You can DM us on social media, whatever is easiest for you.
And if we use your question, I will send you some Articulate Fly swag, and we're going to enter a drawing for something cool from the shop at the end of the season. And George, before I let you go, you want to let folks know location, hours, any special events and all that kind of good stuff?
George:
[6:20] Surely. are the same as always, 9 to 6 Monday through Saturday here in State College, 9 to 3 on Sundays, the rest of our doors are open a little later, until 7 o'clock. Check us out on the web at tcoflyfishing.com.
Events not an awful lot going on, but I am doing my hosted trip this coming March. I'm going to go to Andrew of Swains Cane, the Bahamas.
If anybody wants to go with me, we've got spots open, check out our website on the travel tab.
I'd love to have some people get on that trip with me.
Marvin:
[6:50] Yeah. I've been down there before and Andros is really special because you get that ability to fish kind of both sides of the tide, right?
George:
[6:56] Yep, absolutely. It's a great location looking forward to it.
Marvin:
[7:00] Well, there you go Well, listen folks, you owe it to yourself to get out there and catch a few. Tight lines everybody. Tight lines George. Take it easy, Smurf.