In the Riffle. Do I Need A Hatch Chart? Sign up New Members at Introductory Rate. A Newsletter of Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited.

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Lindsey Walsh
5 years ago
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We published the hatch charts for Bear Creek, the Little Schuylkill and the link to the Brodhead up in the Poconos.

1 A Newsletter of Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited Vol. 1 No. 4 April 2018 Do I Need A Hatch Chart? By Dave Derbes In our March newsletter we talked about some of the basics of fly fishing and observing what insects you will come across as you start fly fishing. We published the hatch charts for Bear Creek, the Little Schuylkill and the link to the Brodhead up in the Poconos. If you compared these charts you would notice that Larva in Mayflies they show the Blue Quill, then the Quill Gordon followed by Hendrickson and then the March Brown. You should also notice that for each insect there is a date range (Mid Apr- End Apr or End Apr Mid May) showing when that particular insect should hatch. If the weather is warmer than usual they might hatch earlier. There are several factors that influence when the insects will actually hatch. Weather being the primary factor. Water temperature clarity and speed also play a role. If we have a long cold winter that extends into April the insects may hatch later in the month. If a heavy rain s t o r m takes place and the water is Pupa muddy and fast you might consider going back home. The chart will also tell you what time of the day that the hatch might start (noon to 3pm or 1 to 2 pm). If the morning is colder than normal, the insects may not hatch until later in the day or during the warmer time of the day. So, what does all this tell you? Use the hatch chart as a guideline to what insects might appear on a particular stream. When they might start hatching and in some cases what time the spinners might come back. If you only fish dry flies, then you want to be on stream a little before the hatch is supposed to start. If you like to fish wet flies and nymphs then you should start fishing earlier in the morning. When you start to see insects popping up on the water surface, remove the wet flies and get a dry fly or emerger on. Some charts will also have the size of the insects body, the size hook you should use and the intensity of the hatch which is helpful. Here is a link to Pennsylvania Hatch charts. search?q=pa+hatch+chart&form=restab You will see some that are stream specific and a few are just for PA in general. Also note that mayflies, caddis and stone flies are included in some. This is a great resource for a beginner. Again, let me reiterate a hatch chart is only a guide. It will help you in preparing for fishing a particular stream. It will help you to plan what insects are Adult caddis important and which ones are just so so. It is a good resource and worth taking the time to study. If you have a local stream that does not have a hatch chart, then perhaps you should take the time to study the stream and pass it on to others to use. Good Luck Sign up New Members at Introductory Rate When new members sign up at gifts.tumembership.org/member/intro for the $17.50 introductory rate your chapter will recieve a $15 rebate. This is for new members. Make sure the new member selects your chapter.

2 Registration Is Open For the Following Youth Camps in Pennsylvania Wildlife Leadership Academy, 2018 PA Brookies Field School Dates are: July 17-21 At the Pennsylvania Brookies field school you

2 2 Registration Is Open For the Following Youth Camps in Pennsylvania Wildlife Leadership Academy, 2018 PA Brookies Field School Dates are: July At the Pennsylvania Brookies field school you spend a week learning all about our state fish, the brook trout, its biology, cold water conservation and more! PA Brookies takes place at the SIEG CONFERENCE CENTER along a beautiful fly fishing stream in central Pennsylvania near Lock Haven. Accommodations include a large classroom space, barrack style rooms with bunks and shared bathrooms. A team of fisheries and coldwater conservation professionals Only a few spots still open! The Cumberland Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited is hosting the 24th Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp. Several other states now offer similar camps, but this is the original camp that became the model for the others. The camp is held at Messiah College, Grantham, PA, Sunday through teach at the Pennsylvania Brookies Field School from various agencies and conservation organizations including the Pennsylvania Fish and Board Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Penn State Extension, SeaGrant, Clearwater Conservancy, and the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited. Age 14 to 17. This camp is filled for Applications for next year can be found by going to: brookies-tour/ 2018 Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp, June 17-22, 2018 Friday, June 17-22, Camp is limited to boys and girls between 14 and 17. While at camp, our students will engage in a variety of activities including fly fishing, instruction both in the classroom and outdoors, fly tying, and building a habitat structure. They will develop an understanding of what conservation is about while enjoying nature and fly fishing. Our goal is to instill within the next generation a love for the outdoors while giving them the skills to protect our natural resources. If anyone is interested in attending, please contact Tony Mione at or Keystone/TU Teens Conservation Camp, June 17-23, 2018 March 1 st the Keystone/TU Teens Conservation Camp began taking applications for their summer Camp at Keystone College in LaPlume, Pa. (just outside Scranton). The dates are June 17 th through June 23 rd. Students ages 14 through 18 will stay in the dorms at the college and eat in the cafeteria, take classes and fish on the Special Regulation area of the Tunkhannock Creek which runs through the center of the campus. Instructors come from DCNR, PA Fish and Boat, DEP, along with professors from three colleges and volunteers from the local T.U. Chapter. Fee for the camp is $400 (if a chapter wants to sponsor a student the Chapter only pays $350). FB. Keystone/TUTeens Conservation Camp ffnepa@epix.net or If anyone is interested in attending, please contact Tony Mione at or

PA s Pilot STREAM Girls project (TU designed Girl Scout patch program) 3 PATU, in partnership with National Trout Unlimited, The Girl Scouts In the Heart of PA and the PA Fish and Boat Commission,

STREAM Girls is a TU designed program that results in a conservation patch earned by Girl Scouts during a two-day program.

3 PA s Pilot STREAM Girls project (TU designed Girl Scout patch program) 3 PATU, in partnership with National Trout Unlimited, The Girl Scouts In the Heart of PA and the PA Fish and Boat Commission, are launching a STREAM (Science, Technology, Recreation, Engineering, Arts, Math) Girls pilot program in Pennsylvania this year! STREAM Girls is a TU designed program that results in a conservation patch earned by Girl Scouts during a two-day program. The program has been successfully piloted in a few other states by the National TU and local TU chapters. The program not only connects young females to coldwater resources through investigation, discovery and art, but also to recreational opportunities. It also introduces them to potential career paths as well! The coordination and training needed for the first PA STREAM Girls program is being done with guidance from National Trout Unlimited. The STREAM Girls weekend will be held July 27 th -29 th at the Sieg Conference Center, along the banks of Fishing Creek. To get started, we need to train STREAM Girls instructors! That is where YOU come in! PATU, National TU and PFBC will be holding STREAM Girls Instructor training on May 5 th & 6 th at PFBC s Centre Region office in Bellefonte. For more information, you can participate in a pre-training webinar either on April 18th. at 1:00 PM or April 19th. at 7:00 PM. If you are interested in becoming an instructor, please contact Judi Sittler (PATU s Youth Chairperson (814) , jlsittler@comcast.net or Amidea Daniel (PATU s Diversity Co-Chairperson/PFBC s Youth and Women Coordinator) adaniel@pa.gov Women s Intro to Fly Fishing Program Offered Saturday, May 5th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Frances Slocum State Park in Luzerne County PA Fish and Boat Commission and the Stanley Cooper Chapter of Trout Unlimited are providing a FREE Womens Intro to Fly Fishing Program on Saturday, May 5th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Frances Slocum State Park in Luzerne County. This 4.5-hour educational program is designed for ladies interested in learning the basics of flyfishing (e.g. equipment needed, knot tying, fly ID/ USE, casting and more). Participants will receive hands on instruction from PFBC staff and community instructors. It is a perfect opportunity to learn fly fishing basics and meet other ladies interested in fly fishing! Those who attend will leave with a fly fishing booklet, a network of friends to continue your fly fishing journey with and the opportunity to attend our FREE on-water classes held throughout the year! The fishing license requirement is waived for participants age 16 and older. Pre-registration is required, as space is limited. Register by 4p.m For more information and to register visit the calendar of events at or Allan Schreffler at and alschreffl@pa.gov

A few years ago, I was out exploring one of our local unnamed mountain streams. I saw the stream where it flowed into the Schuylkill and it looked good. No yellow rocks and crystal- clear water.

4 4 Bug Gatherer II By Dave Derbes Last month I wrote about bug gathering. If you are serious about fly fishing and you really want to be good at it, then you need to understand all that is happening below the surface of our streams. A few years ago, I was out exploring one of our local unnamed mountain streams. I saw the stream where it flowed into the Schuylkill and it looked good. No yellow rocks and crystal- clear water. I had a short fly rod and a light chest pack with only a few fly boxes. No waders as it was warm, and the water temperature was bearable. I was hoping to find some native brookies as I have found in the past. I moved along the bank searching for some life. After about 15 minutes or so I thought I better step in and turn over a few rocks. I didn t find a single insect or macroinvertebrate or fish. The water was too acidic although it certainly looked healthy. That s what you should do when you re fishing in a new stream or one that you are not familiar with. As I said last month, you will be amazed the first time you turn over and pick up a rock from the stream bed and see all the insects clinging to it or racing for cover. Take a moment now and type in macroinvertebrate then scroll down to images and click on it. Look at all those creatures. If you start doing this you will see some streams have a lot of insects and some not so many. Chances are that if you stick to the streams with a lot of bugs, you will do better than the marginal streams. Now if you want to take this one step farther, carry along a small glass or plastic bottle with a screw on top the size of a 35mm plastic film capsule. Carefully catch and lift off a sampling of mayfly, caddis or stonefly. Put in a little water to keep them alive until you get home. You might look for a small seine which is a small fishing net. I made one with a small piece of plastic screen material and two small sticks as handles that you can staple the screen onto. Make it small enough that you can put it in your vest back pocket. Facing upstream, take the handles in each hand and dip it in the water holding it there for a short while and see what drifts into the screen. This is especially effective if you can do it right at the beginning of a hatch and you just want to verify what is coming off. Somedays it works just fine. You may be surprised what you might find. Sometimes there are two hatches going on at the same time and you can t determine what they are. Your hat makes a good fly catcher when you have insects in the air. It s hard to determine what they are in the air. Most of the time they are smaller than they appear in the air. I find this especially true with caddis. And of course, you can t determine the color of their body when they are flying. I hope this helps you a little bit in your fly fishing success. Go on line and do some searching. I can t believe all the information that is on the internet. All good stuff and FREE. Officers & Board Members BRIAN LENGEL President BRUCE HERB Vice President NICOLE SUTTON Treasurer PEGGY HUTTON Secretary Board Members BUD NOLL ROCKY SEIDERS TOM FOLINO On the Internet contact us at Like us on Facebook SchuylkillCounty TroutUnlimited/

Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited May Fly of the Month Contributed by: John & Brenda Robertson Red Quill What can I say about the Red Quill that hasn t already been said?

5 Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited May Fly of the Month Contributed by: John & Brenda Robertson Red Quill What can I say about the Red Quill that hasn t already been said? It is a classic Catskill style fly created to imitate the Hendrickson [Ephemerella Subvaria] hatch on the famed Beaverkill in New York. It may be the most anticipated mayfly hatch in the northeast. Hatching generally begins in mid April and continues into early May. Warmer weather usually produces the heaviest hatches during the afternoon. While I have fished to this hatch countless times on the Allegheny River, Hendricksons are widely distributed in many waterways. Red Quill Hook: Std. dry fly Thread: Olive 70 denier Wing: Wood duck flank Tail: Medium blue dun hackle barbs Body: Quill from reddish brown hackle, well soaked Hackle: Medium blue dun Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited 2018 Meeting Schedule Locally I would suggest fishing the Lehigh River during mid-april for action on the Red Quill. For more information on the origin of the Red Quill visit features/oldflies/part349.php 5 Tying Tip The quill body is definitely the highlight of this fly. The best feathers for the body of this fly come from a Rhode Island Red. The quill can be prepared by soaking the feather in water for a few hours then stripping the barbs from the stem however this process can crack the outer shell of the hackle stem. I prefer bundling a dozen or so feathers by the butt ends with a rubber band then burning the barbs from the stem using a solution of one part liquid bleach to one part warm water. Immediately after the barbs dissolve, rinse them well then place the bundle in a water and baking soda bath to neutralize the bleach. After a few minutes rinse well and you are set to tie. I usually prepare several bundles at one time then I am good for a while. Before tying, soak the quills in water for a few hours to discourage cracking. After completing your Red Quill, coat the body with a thin coat of head cement or lacquer. This will increase the durability and deepen the color. Happy tying, John Date Event Location Time April 24, 2018 Brief Meeting, A Road/Stream South Manheim Muncipal Building, Auburn, Pa. 5:00 pm Clean-up at Bear Creek Picnic food will be availble for all participants May 22, 2018 Monthly Membership Meeting Amvets Building 1300 Seneca St. Pottsville, Pa. 6:00 pm June 26, 2018 Monthly Membership Meeting Amvets Building 1300 Seneca St. Pottsville, Pa. 6:00 pm

6 SCTU Certified Fishing and Fly Fishing Instructors Eight chapter members successfully completed the Family Fishing and Fly Fishing Instructor courses provided by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat

Basic fishing skills like knot tying, casting, catching and releasing fish safely, fly fishing equipment and casting techniques were taught.

John Robertson, Robert Hughes, NE Regional VP, Allan Schreffler, NE Region Education Specialist for PFBC. teaching fishing, and fly fishing to others.

6 6 SCTU Certified Fishing and Fly Fishing Instructors Eight chapter members successfully completed the Family Fishing and Fly Fishing Instructor courses provided by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission(PFBC) that was held at the Fancis Slocum State Park. This is a program developed by the PFBC to promote family fishing and family fly fishing as a fun fishing activity. Basic fishing skills like knot tying, casting, catching and releasing fish safely, fly fishing equipment and casting techniques were taught. Thanks to Allan Schreffler, PFBC, for helping SCTU achieve its goals of Left to Right John Bondura, Dave Sfarra, Beau Huey, Brian Lengle, Chapter President, Randy Emerich, Cliff Hutton, Bruce Herb, John Robertson, Robert Hughes, NE Regional VP, Allan Schreffler, NE Region Education Specialist for PFBC. teaching fishing, and fly fishing to others. Congratulations to our members and thanks for taking the time and effort to promote fishing as a family wholesome activity. SCTU wraps up the 2018 Fly Fishing Classes A big THANK YOU goes out to all our chapter fly tying instructors for the best season of fly tying classes. We had a total of 147 attend this year which is a record. Our thanks to flytyers John Robertson, Tony Mione, Bruce Herb, Cliff Hutton, Ivan Willard, Beau Huey and Ed Motley for a great job. WELL DONE SchuylkillCountyTroutUnlimited/ videos/ / Cabela s Fishing Derby Cabela s have a kid s fishing event scheduled for May 26 & 27 from 11-4 at our pond at the store. It will be stocked with catfish and bluegills for this event. We could use a few volunteers to help. Cabela s helps us with donations of gear and fishing stuff that we use in our raffles and fund raisers. This is a way to thank them.

7 7 Flytying Fun 1 Schuylkill Headwaters Fish Derby SHA will have a Fish Derby on Saturday, May 19th from 9:00 AM to!2 noon at the Schuylkill River at the New Philadelphia Little League field. Bring out the family and enjoy the day fishing and have a picnic. Photos on this page were taken at our recent flytying class.

A Newsletter of Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited

A Newsletter of Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited Vol. 1 No. 5 www.schuylkillcountytu.org May 2018 Trout in the Classroom Program What Trout See by Dave Derbes This week my Fly Fisherman magazine arrived