Transcript
Marvin:
[0:04] Hey folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of the Articulate Fly, and we're back with another Central PA Fishing Report with George Costa of TCO Fly Shop in State College. How you doing, George?
George:
[0:14] I am amazing as always, Marvin. How are you?
Marvin:
[0:16] And as always, I'm just trying to stay out of trouble. And we were talking before we started recording, like you've got great weather, other than the fact that there's no rain, right?
George:
[0:24] There is that. We had high water a couple of weeks ago, now we're back down to low water, so all the streams right now are veering towards the low end for average, definitely low clear conditions.
And temps have been pretty good, nice and cool at night, so temps aren't a problem right now.
But we could use a little more rain for sure, not an awful lot coming in the forecast this weekend or next week, nothing really predicted.
So we are going to probably get some low clear conditions moving into some of the prime weeks this year.
Um, outside of that, fishing has been pretty good. Um, cool nights have kind of put the bugs down a little bit, um, a portion of the day.
So we definitely look for those windows where the bugs are hatching.
Fish are going to be way more active.
Um, but we've had great hatches, um, Sulpers everywhere around here have been good, really much better in the evening.
Um, I'd say, you know, don't even bother getting on the water till seven, seven 30.
The best patches have been just before dark. Uh, we're seeing canned Canada's black canis, March Browns on the bigger streams, uh, pens J are seeing good March Browns.
Um, Cahill's was starting to pop here and there. We've seen a couple of them around. Um, we're on Drake watch probably by the next time we talk in a couple of weeks, the Drake's will have started, um, expect them.
[1:38] I would say mid to end of next week, um, to start popping up on pens.
So that is right around the corner outside of that, you know, the conditions are good. Waiting has been been easy, so no worries on that.
Fishing has been fantastic for dry flies.
Nymph streamer bite has been kind of lame lately, just low clear conditions and the fish have so many bugs to eat that they're not really moving for streamers all too much.
If you want to get that, it's really time to focus on low light conditions for a better streamer bite. And we're just starting to see terrestrials working.
Our famous greenie weenie pattern is just starting to work this good this week in terms of starting to drop from the trees.
So we're almost into the prime weeks of the season here and almost getting ready for those low clear summer conditions to start.
Marvin:
[2:25] Yeah, and so when you say things are, you know, you're dry and you need rain, I mean is water low enough that people need to change their nymphing tactics?
George:
[2:35] For sure. I mean, just to fish those deeper, greener slots, as far as nymphing tactics go. If you're high sticking, you'll target those deeper slots.
Most of the fish really, when they're feeding, when the bugs are coming off, they, we've seen a lot of fish really move into the shallow, shallow ripples. So if you're going to continue to nymph during a hatch, you barely need any weight.
You know, just position your, if you're fishing with an indicator, position that maybe two, three feet away from the fly max.
If you're high sticking, you're just gonna be sinking a foot of line a lot of times. A lot of the bigger fish really move up into those shallow riffles to feed during a good emergence.
If you're gonna continue to nymph, you don't need a lot of depth for sure.
Marvin:
[3:17] Yeah, do you need to drop down on your tippet or is it not that low yet?
George:
[3:22] Yeah, I think that five and six are gonna be good. I know some guys have been switching over to seven and if you can handle 7X and not break your tippet, do it because the center of the diameter, especially with these lower clear conditions, you're gonna probably have a higher hookup rate.
Marvin:
[3:36] Yeah, there you go. And you know, folks, we love questions at the Articulate Fly. You can email them to us, you can DM us on social media, whatever's easiest for you. And if we use your question, I will send you some Articulate Fly swag.
We're gonna draw for something cool from the shop at the end of the season.
And George, before I let you get back to the chalkboard, do you wanna let folks know hours, location, and all that kind of cool stuff?
George:
[3:57] Absolutely, hours this week are pretty much the same Memorial Day.
We're open nine to three.
But other than that, our normal hours are nine to six, Monday through Saturday here in State College, nine to three on Sundays. All our other stores are open a little later during the week.
We've got some really cool stuff coming up here at the shop.
I want to remind everyone, we got our All Fins In Fly Fishing Grand Prix, June 10th and 11th.
Check out our website, tcoflyfishing.com for the details on that.
Really awesome tournament we're putting on here in a few weeks.
Couple of beginners classes still available, and hope to see you guys out here pretty soon.
Marvin:
[4:30] 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.
George:
[4:37] Take it easy, Mark.