The Times — They Are A Changin’
2023-03-09
Professional Outdoor Guide In Upstate New YorkRead More →
A Trout Stream Epiphany
2023-03-07
In 2018, after entertaining several public forums across New York state, the DEC fisheries managers reversed their inland trout stream management policies. After some 75 years of put-and-take, hatchery-fueled stream management, they abandoned their course. In the management, of anything, a drastic 360 degree turn in procedure, an abrupt change of path, is interpreted as a serious correction. In this case, 75 years of inland trout stream management based upon an in depth stocking program, was deemed no longer suitable. The creeks, streams, and flows that make up the inland trout waters of New York State have changed over the era for the worse. TheRead More →
That’s A Wrap!
2023-03-04
It is clear, to all of us here in “The Real Upstate New York” that Mother Nature cannot decide — from one day to the next — if it will be Winter or Spring. In twenty seasons of guiding ice anglers; This ice fishing season was the most challenging. This winter started with 16 scheduled ice fishing trips on my calendar, but only eight of them were completed. Upstate New York resembled northern New Jersey this winter. Minus the casinos and gold chains. Mild temperatures this winter left most of the lakes around here with unsafe ice. The traditional ice fishing season in central New YorkRead More →
There Is No Such Thing As Safe Ice?
2023-01-23
On occasion, like so many of us, I turn off my brain and surf through reels on Instagram. You know, like when you are in the waiting room at the dentist or waiting for a flight at the airport. The world of hunting and fishing has found a surreal home in this interesting cyber-land of eye candy. All forms of fishing (and self-proclaimed fishing experts) are alive and well on this social media platform. Ice fishing, in particular, is a current popular topic. While surfing reels today waiting in my car at the grocery store, I watched as a red-bearded 20-something ice angling expert declared;Read More →
Hardwater Season Approaches!
2022-12-16
In the Autumn of 2012, a decade ago, I launched myself into the game of guiding ice anglers. While I have guided ice anglers since 2003, and have been an avid ice fisherman my entire life, it was not until the winter of 2012/2013 that ice fishing became a signifigant part of my guide service. In the Autumn of 2012 the USDA closed the doors of the satellite laboratory where I was employed as an arborist. My day-job was lost. But my guide service was growing. I had been keeping it alive, on the weekends, for years while cutting down trees for the government. TheRead More →
Whitetail Deer Hunting
2022-11-22
November in Upstate New York is whitetail deer hunting season! Big game hunting is a healthy outdoor activity that can be both exciting and bountiful! Whitetail deer hunting is a great way to get outside and observe wildlife and put meat in your freezer. Deer hunting can mean different things to different people. What every deer hunter wants is a big buck. Each moment in the woods, in the blind, or in the tree stand, every deer hunter anticipates a mature buck with big antlers will appear. Sometimes they do. Whitetail deer hunting requires patience and skill, but it is a game of luck. AndRead More →
Glass Is Dead
2022-07-30
My first fly rod was a two-piece fiberglass Wonderod made by Shakespeare. It had metal ferrules, cheap tin guides, and a chipped cork handle. It was a terrible fly rod. But the only one I had. When I first discovered it (resting on two nails hammered into the floor joists of my fathers workshop) it was wrapped in a musty cloth sock and covered in years of dust. Taking the rod out of the basement shop, I lashed it to the frame of my BMX bike with rubber bands and bread ties. My father watched as I affixed the rod to my bike seeming toRead More →
Learn To Fly Fish
Sticky
2022-07-30
Fly fishing is a large part of Upstate Guide Service. I have been teaching fly fishing and fly casting on the lakes, streams, and rivers of Upstate New York since 2003. Lefty Kreh taught me how to cast on VHS tapes in the 90’s. I have been consumed with mastering the presentation of the fly ever since. The year 2024 marks 21 years of guiding and instructing fly fishing. Over the course of two decades I’ve been fortunate to teach hundreds of people how to fly fish. My approach to teaching fly casting can help beginners progress quickly. Fly fishing has changed in theRead More →
The Big Five 0
2021-12-23
The years seem to go by like yesterdays. When the age of 50 hits it requires me to sit down and think about life a little bit. A lot of bit in fact. The year 2022 marks my 19th year leading others in pursuit of fish and game as a licensed guide. Vibrant and vivid memories of all the nice people and beautiful places I have known in nearly two decades of professional guiding come to my mind. It is easy for me to get lost in reflecting on memories of seasons past. I become overwhelmed with happiness and satisfaction. What stands out most, besidesRead More →
Whitetail Deer Hunting — Tips and Perspective — Final Points
2021-12-01
A couple other methods deer hunters use is called driving and pushing. They are simple, effective, and makes deer hunting much more communal. When driving deer, the more hunters the better. The pushing of deer, however, is best done with just a few hunters. Driving and pushing are deer hunting methods that mankind has been practicing since we learned that deer are good to eat. A book written by Canadian biologist Farley Mowat documented the lives of a now extinct tribe of native tundra nomads whose existence relied entirely upon caribou. The book is called People Of The Deer and I recommend it. These native people of theRead More →