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In: Fly Fishing, Professional Guide Service in Upstate New York, Trout fishing, Trout Fishing Guide In New York, Trout Fishing In New York

Since as long as I can remember I have always wanted to guide or lead people in search of fish. Mostly trout. The early seeds of which were planted in me by my father who brought me along to the trout rivers and streams each spring when I was a boy. My father would put me on his back when it came time to cross the river to reach another hole. He would let me fight a trout he hooked. And I watched him as he gutted the trout and inspected its stomach contents. To a 10 year old boy this was incredible stuff! SomeRead More →

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In: Central New York Fishing, Fly Fishing, Trout fishing, Trout Fishing In New York

As a boy, with my spinning rod and reel bundled and tied to the frame of my BMX bike with rubber bands and bread ties, I spent many summer days pedaling from my home in the hilly suburbia of Syracuse to the nearby Erie Canal towpath. Once reached, I could travel the towpath west to Butternut Creek or east to Limestone Creek.  Each creek, with its remote green pools of cold water, was an oasis of summer adventure where I fished and explored. In those days the creeks were healthy. Shaded by dense softwood canopies and rich with beds of clean gravel. Colorful trout wereRead More →

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In: Central New York Fishing, Fly Fishing, Professional Guide Service in Upstate New York, Trout fishing, Trout Fishing Guide In New York, Trout Fishing In New York

In the world of professional fly fishing and guiding there is no more anticipated time of the year than the Spring. The busiest season of the year. The Spring trips on my calendar are the  benchmark that can determine my success for the entire year. The loss of the 2020 Spring season will be difficult to survive for my modest guide service. But it is a nothing when considering the gravity and scale of what New York and the country is going through right now. Most frustrating is not all the cancelled fishing trips. It is being stuck here at home. The degree of sufferingRead More →

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In: Central New York Fishing, Ice Fishing, Professional Guide Service in Upstate New York

The Black Crappie is more than just a panfish! It is an elusive and handsome member of the bass family… It’s a fish that I get excited about when the ice is on the lakes. In Central New York healthy populations of Black Crappie can be found in many of the lakes and ponds of the region. These tasty fish are quite unique in their habits and often it takes a special approach and fine tuned tactics to be successful at catching them. Shallow, weedy bays and lakes with clean clear water provide the optimum habitat for Black Crappie. They are a slow growing fish that are piscivorous… MeaningRead More →

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In: Ice Fishing, Ice Fishing In The Adirondacks, Professional Guide Service in Upstate New York, Trout fishing, Trout Fishing Guide In New York, Trout Fishing In New York

With temperatures falling well below zero in the Adirondacks over the course of the last several weeks…Ice fishing season is here! Many of the big lakes and all of the small ponds throughout the six and a half million acre park are frozen over with five to seven inches of ice. Ice fishing in the Adirondacks is challenging. Early ice (now) is perhaps the best time of the year for fishing. The ice is new and easy to traverse and easy to drill holes through. The fish are adjusting to the new roof over their heads but have not become inactive. Coldwater species like trout,Read More →

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In: Fly Fishing, Trout fishing, Trout Fishing Guide In New York, Trout Fishing In New York

On a tailwater river I fish often the consistent and large hatches decline in early July. By mid August there are just a few reliable species of mayflies hatching each day. As the month progresses these hatches become unreliable and can disappear. The flies tied to replicate these mayflies are dressed on size 18 to 22 hooks and consist of sulphur, olives and tricos. Mid summer will find the river quiet. The bulk of fly fishermen have abandoned the banks. As summer ends and the shorter days and cooler nights begin, the insect activity begins to pick up again. Angling pressure does not. In theRead More →

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In: Central New York Fishing

As a light tackle angler on the lakes of Upstate New York I do not chase fish with mechanical down riggers. While trolling with down riggers is one of the most effective techniques for trout and salmon on the the Finger Lakes, Lake Ontario and the large salmonid lakes of the Adirondacks this time of year…It is one that I have no interest in. So when the lakes are at their warmest I focus on smallmouth bass. This species has invaded most all of the lakes in Upstate New York and has established healthy populations. They are in fact one of the worst invasive speciesRead More →

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In: Central New York Fishing, Trout fishing

  Longer days and strengthening sunshine evaporates the snow on the hillsides and warms the rocks along the lakeshore. The lake ice, built thick in layers from the winter weeks of bitter cold, separates from the shoreline more each day. Most of the ice anglers have put their sleds in the rafters and hung their pack baskets on a nail in the shed. The birds get excited. Woodpeckers hammer away on a dead maple, hollowed and tuned by the years. Calm, cold bright early spring days see the starlings clamber in the eaves of my cabin for a place to build a nest. Bluebirds sing from a perch on the wires and the troutRead More →

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In: Finger Lakes Ice Fishing, Ice Fishing

There exists no fish worth risking ones life for. It is assumed by many that anytime an angler walks on to a frozen lake that he or she is risking their life. That is not true. Lakes, ponds and bays covered with five or more inches of uniform ice are safe places to explore and fish when conditions allow. Ice uniform in thickness and appearance without large cracks and open water pressure breaks five or more inches thick is safe to traverse. Ice sheets on a lake or bay that are subject to warm weather and ensuing run-off caused by snowmelt can still be safe evenRead More →

Professional Guide Service In Skaneateles Lake

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In: Central New York Fishing, Finger Lakes Ice Fishing, Ice Fishing

The business of hunting and fishing equipment has morphed into a “big box” experience run buy corporations. While 25 years ago, the local sporting goods store or hardware store had a limited supply and selection, most of the stuff on the shelves was reliable. Made in the USA. Today… Not-so-much. The corporate buy-out of outdoor gear manufacturers and retailers  has created a homogenized lack of quality. The name of the game is to make more money. Useful, practical, well-constructed, quality outdoor clothing and equipment is tough to find! So much of todays stuff is disposable. If you get three seasons out of a pair of  Cabelas insulated hunting bibs before the crotch blows outRead More →