Hooked On Flies

Tips on Avoiding Low Back Pain while Fly Fishing

2009-09-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

When I first started fly fishing I could stand in one spot for hours and not feel any ill effects from it. Of course I was just getting started back then and have learned many things since.

First of all, you shouldn't be standing in one spot for hours in the first place. If the fish aren't biting, move on. Seems simple, but when I was younger my thinking was quite different. I'd often find myself saying things like "This is such a beautiful hole. There just has to be something in here." I'm much older and much wiser now and rarely will stand in one spot more than 20 minutes. Continuously moving up or down stream has proven to be much more effective.

Of course, this constant movement has as much to do with my back as anything. Unfortunately other, more strenous sporting activities have taken a toll on my back and I now suffer from multiple back conditions including a herniated disc and spondylolisthesis (slipped vertabra). So, I now practice different on-stream techniques that can still keep me on the stream for hours.

Another thing you may want to explore is potential foot problems. If you have high arches like I do, you may want to head the local drug store or supermarket and get a pair of the gel arch supports and put them in your boots. This has helped me immensely. You can also go one step farther and pay a visit to your foot doctor. If a problem is uncovered, you may get fitted for orthotics as well. Either one will have your back thanking you.

The next issue is stretching. Stretch out your back and your upper legs (quads and hamstrings) including your glutes and hips before and after you hit the water. This will help to keep any soreness at bay that evening and the following day. You will also want to periodically stretch out your back every 5 - 10 minutes if you are standing in one position. Don't let your back get to the point where it feels stiff because it will be much harder to deal with at that point.

Now let's talk about your stance. It needs adjusting, you know. Seriously, you want to continuously adjust your stance. Stand tall and do not slouch. The tendency for fly fishermen is to hunch their shoulders forward in anticipation of that big strike. Resist the urge. Hunching or slouching puts much negative pressure on the low back and shoulders. Stand tall. Stand with one leg slightly in front of the other with your knees slightly bent. Alternate legs often. Bend your knees every so often to stay loose. Its amazing how much this one simple thing can help your back.

Back pain can make any day on the water a complete disaster. Use common sense. You'll know what works for you and what doesn't. Try these tips the next time you hit the water. I'm sure at least some of them will help.

Find out more about how you can maintain a healthy back and get long-lasting back pain relief at the StopTheBackAche.com website.

2009-09-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

One thing I'm hearing more and more of is how anglers are fighting nagging back aches while fishing. This is normally more of a complaint from "waders" rather than "floaters. Standing in the stream all day with very little movement can create an aching back very quickly. Check out a new blog called the Healthy Back Blog at http://stopthebackache.blogspot.com/ for tips on how you can find long lasting back pain relief resulting from your fishing activities. The main website can be found at http://www.stopthebackache.com/

Tight Lines,
Steve

Out before the first day...

2009-04-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I stay as far away from the streams as possible on and shortly after the first day of trout season in PA. Over the years, I have gone out on the first day only to be surrounded by some very rude and insensitive people.
So on Friday, the day before the first day of trout season, I took the day off work and headed down to the DHALO section of the Little J in Bellwood for a gorgeous morning of fly fishing.
The water was still quite chilly at 49° but it was certain to break the 50° barrier on this fine day with temps predicted in the 70's and all sunshine. There were reports that the grannoms were starting to come off down stream so I knew I should be in for a great morning of fishing. The trout didn't disappoint me. I started working the lower end of the DHALO section and within minutes began to see a little surface activity. I put on a BH Pheasant Tail nymph with a mini white sucker spawn dropper (with bright orange thread around the shank) and that was the ticket. I was soon fighting a beautiful 18-20" rainbow but unfortunately he outwitted me and within about 15 seconds he unexpectedly made a run at me, surfaced and spat the fly right back at me. I stocked him for another 15 minutes but to no avail.
So, I headed upstream to let this section rest awhile and found a nice pool about 3' deep just down from a beautiful set of ripples up against the bank of the stream. I kept the PT on but traded the SS for a BH Hares Ear nymph and for the next hour pulled out a number of brownies and bows until my fingers (and feet) were numb.
With it being such a nice day and these days being few and far between in the spring in PA, I decided it couldn't get any better so I called it quits and headed home to do some yard work.
Life is good on these days...
Tight Lines,
Steve

No Erie trip this Spring

2009-04-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I continue to read the posts about the Spring Steelhead fishing in Erie and it really pains me that I won't be making the trip up this Spring.
I really look forward to that pilgrimage each fall and spring but won't be making this trip.
I recently injured myself playing basketball and it has really put a dent in my activities. I have a slight tear in the plantar fascia ligament on the left foot and somehow got almost the same condition (plantar fasciitis) in the right foot at the same time. I was in a walking boot for 3 weeks and began physical therapy as well. It is still quite painful at times and standing in a stream, no matter how beautiful, would just be impossible for me at this point.
So, I'll try to be good and let it heal so I can at least hit the local streams of PA for the first big hatches here.

Until next time,
Steve

New website design

2009-01-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

Well, after 4 years online as http://www.hooked-on-flies.com I've decided its finally time for a facelift. The original version was "ok" for a first crack at it but this new design should be much "easier on the eyes".
I should have the new site up within the next week so keep checking back. Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions in the past.
Please continue to email me with any new suggestions, comments, criticisms or whatever...and thanks for all the support.

Tight Lines,
Steve

Awesome new fly fishing knots pocket guide

2008-07-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled across an awesome new resource that I just have to share with you.

Have you ever been out fishing and needed to tie a knot that you haven't tied in awhile and just couldn't remember how to tie it? Well , that happened to me a few weeks back. I was a bit embarrased and had to ask myself, "How long have you been doing this now?"

This left me searching for answers. After an extensive search, I think I found it. Check out ProKnots.com to see their solution to my problem. I've seen other fly fishing knots pocket guides and even used them, but this site offers animations on how to tie different fly fishing knots as well. What I like even more is that they have these little laminated cards that you can carry right with you wherever you go. It's much better than the little booklets as they're a little too bulky when you're trying to minimize as much as possible.

Everyone who fly fishes needs a set of these cards. Check them out...

Sorry for the absence

2008-07-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile I get a little lax in my posting and go offline for awhile. Many of you have emailed me asking where I've been. I apologize for my extended absence. I coach my kids in baseball and basketball and have been tied up with that for quite awhile now.
I'll be doing another worthwhile post here shortly but wanted to put this out there now with my apologies. Chat soon...

Steve

Gotta love Spruce Creek

2006-09-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

I must absolutely be one of the luckiest men in America. We just completed our second trip of the year over to Spruce Creek and what a night it was.
We began by helping Doc with some stream clean up as we do every year. We cleared the dams and other stream improvement devices of debris, which is the only time that anyone is ever allowed to wade in this pristine section of stream. Then we headed back to the house and suited up. The sun was still high and the trout were inactive so we started out slinging streamers. We couldn't get any to move.
Doc has many spawning beds and the browns are just beginning to spawn. So Doc had one of the other guys try an egg pattern. Success! He got one to bite...a small 12" brown, but it was a start. We moved out of that section to let it rest a little.
We moved down stream to another productive section. I tied on a medium sized roe colored egg with a single BB split shot. Within about 5 minutes I had my first trout of the night...a decent 18" brown. From there it was a flurry of activity. We pulled in trout after trout ranging anywhere from 12" to 22". I lost count after 10.
After about an hour of this we moved further downstream and decided to try some dries. None of us could get a rise but Doc did. He's just an incredible fly fisherman. He cuts his hooks off half way through the bend so he can feel the thrill of the take and then this allows the trout to get free without harming them. They're his babies and he definitely takes good care of them.
Some people have even asked me if these Spruce Creek stories are actually true or if I embellish some. Well, I can tell you for a fact that every word I write about Spruce Creek is true. It's a little piece of heaven on earth. To prove it, simply pick up last month's copy of Fish &Fly magazine. There is a huge article in there written about Spruce Creek and a good portion of it is focused on Doc's property. It features George Harvey and Joe Humphreys who are both very good friends of Doc's and who we have met at Doc's in past years.
I count my blessings and thank God before, during and after each trip to Spruce Creek because I realize how fortunate I am to be able to experience this. Thanks Doc.

New Yellow Creek parking lot

2006-08-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Last week I finally got over to fish the fly fishing only section at Yellow Creek in Bedford County, PA. While I couldn't have picked a worse day for this trip, I did end up acquiring some useful info.
I got up early and checked the internet for the weather. It showed isolated thunderstorms in surrounding states but nothing in PA.
I headed out with high hopes. I got to the stream and parked where I had seen others park in the past, geared up and started my trek. About 25 yards upstream from the bridge was an elderly gentleman spin fishing (he was just below the Fly Fishing Only section). I asked how he was doing and he had caught 2 nice 12" browns earlier in the morning. There were a few rising right in front of him. He commented how they were tormenting him with his spinning gear. Anyway, he asked if I knew about the new parking lot that had been put in upstream a little ways. I said that I was not aware of it.
Apparently earlier in the year, a few groups got together and put in a new gravel parking lot, making it easier than ever to access the fly fishing only section now.
I crossed the stream and headed up the other bank and within minutes came to the new parking lot. What a great improvement. I'll have to try that next time :)
Anyway, I fished for about 30 minutes before the skies just opened up and let loose. Naturally I had left my rain gear in the car. I was drenched within minutes and was now about a 30 minute walk from the car so no sense in rushing back. I found a large leaning tree and took up shelter under it. The rain stopped about 10 minutes later. I walked upstream another 1/4 - 1/2 mile to another beautiful spot and began fishing again. Five minutes later the rains began again. This time I began my trek back to the car having had enough of this...good thing too as it continued to rain the whole way home.
That just goes to show you how unpredictable the weather can be.
Oh yea...to get to the FFO section of Yellow Creek and to the new parking lot, turn off Rt 36 onto the small road at the Frontier Restaurant near Loysburg. Go 2.2 miles on this twisting road and there will be an unmarked gravel road to the right. Turn onto this road and you'll go back probably a little over 100 yards to the parking lot. Great improvement there.

Tight (and wet) Lines,
Steve

Fishing the Arkansas River in Colorado

2006-05-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, after having never fly fished outside of Pennsylvania, I've just returned from my second fly fishing opportunity out of the Keystone State in the past 2 months. In my last post you read about my trip to Scotland. This time I have just returned from fishing the Arkansas River in Colorado.
I stopped in At Royal Gorge Anglers in Canon City, CO for some last minute advice and to buy my 1 day license ($8 plus $1 in other charges for a total of $9) and the necessary flies to assure me a good day of fishing. Unlike the Scotland trip, this time I actually caught some fish using the recommended flies. I chose a caddis (dry) selection along with some various nymphs.
It was a gorgeous day. Sunny and about 70 degrees with 10-15 mph wind gusts. The Arkansas is a much bigger river than what I'm used to fishing so this took some adjusting. The most productive part of the river is from Parkdale up to Leadville. This entire stretch follows state highways and it is part of the Colorado State Parks system. There are a multitude of named park pulloffs where fishing is allowed. To use these pulloffs, you simply pull into any one of them, pay your daily parks fee (currently $2) which entitles you to use any one of the pulloffs for the remainder of that day. I stopped at the first pulloff at Parkdale to pay my fee and to get my first look at this new river.
There were a few caddis coming off but no trout rising that I could see so I went deep. I have heard so much about the big, beautiful golden stonefly nymphs that it only made sense that I go this route to start. Well I selected 2 deep pools to start and struck out at both. So I headed up river searching for the location I thought would give me the best chance in this new adventure.
I pulled off at Lone Pine which would prove to be an excellent move. I found 2 large rocks within a few feet of the bank that provided perfect cover for trout. So I started drifting my stonefly through these pockets. Within 20 minutes I had pulled out 2 beautiful 12-13" browns. I studied these fish intently and saw that they were much more colorful than the eastern stocked trout I'm used to catching. Anyway, after about an hour I moved down the 2nd rock and duplicated my first effort and pulled out 2 more browns about the same size.
Hopefully to find some airborn critters, I hopped in the car and headed upstream again to a pulloff called Valli Bridge. Still didn't find the hatches I'd heard so much about (I was actually a little late for the caddis hatch) so I tried nymphing for about another hour with no more success here.
Exhausted, I decided to pack it in and call it a day. This had been a most perfect day and one of the best I've had the privilege to experience (considering the beautiful day, the fish caught, the beautiful mountains and scenery and the wildlife).
I look forward to my next trip to Colorado where I will explore the South Platte River.

Tight Lines,
Steve

Fly fishing in Scotland

2006-05-09T05:42:00.000-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Scotland on business and managed to squeeze in a day of fishing while there. Naturally I was hoping for this so I took my gear along with me. We worked through Saturday and decided Sunday would be a day off. So Sunday morning (April 30, 2006) we headed to the Anglers Emporium in Hamilton (southeast of Glasgow) to acquire our day permits and to get some last minute advice on what flies we would need to fish the River Clyde. Alan (the owner), hooked us up with some dry flies and printed out a map to a section of the river that he recommended that wasn't too far away and easy to find (since driving in the UK is a bit challenging when you're used to driving on the right side of the road). We got our permits and headed south (which is upstream of Glasgow). We took M74 South to A72 South to the little town of Dalserf. Go around the roundabout in Dalserf (which actually takes you over the river as you cross over 2 different bridges) and continue south on A72 for about 1/2 mile and you'll see a little pulloff there just before the Dalserf Church. Turn into this turnoff and park. Suit up and walk back toward Dalserf on the road until you get about 150 yards up from the bridge and look for a place to crawl down the bank. The absolute best fishing is on the opposite side of the river where the small dam directs the river through a small chute. In this area we used olive woolly buggers to pull out 5 beautiful browns. I latched onto a beautiful, roughly 20-22" brown that took me down river in pursuit. We were using a 2 lb test so I had to be extremely careful with that one. After a 6-8 minute bout I attempted to net this beauty. I missed on the first attempt as he still had some fight in him. I then missed on the 2nd attempt. On the 3rd attempt, he was about 1/2 way into the net when the line snapped, he flipped and took off. Fortunately I was able to catch a few good glimpses of this brown but never got a picture.
After about 4 hours of fishing here, we headed back toward Glasgow and about 1-2 miles into the return trip we saw a pulloff along a slow moving stretch of the stream so we suited up and crossed the small field and fished this section as well. Here we used pheasant tail and hares ear nymphs and a few different caddis patterns and caught some small trout here on all these patterns. My fishing partner even caught a Grayling on a hares ear nymph. What a great experience.
After about 8 hours of fishing we headed back to the hotel for some rest. What an awesome day of fishing in Scotland. Oh, and those dry flies that we had bought earlier??? We never caught a thing on them. We ended up catching all of our fish on our own flies. Go figure.

Tight Lines,
Steve

Make your own fly tying bench and save money

2006-01-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I took on a new project. A few weeks ago I enrolled in an advanced fly tying class. The first class I showed up with little more than my vise and a few tools. Every other person in the class had their portable fly tying benches equipped with magnifying glasses/lamps and a myriad of tools and materials. A lesser man would've run out of there intimidated but not me and I'm glad I didn't. Those guys made me feel so welcome. They shared their knowledge, they shared their personal experiences and they shared their skills with me. One thing they said that really hit home...not all the tools in the world can make you a great fly tyer. That has to come from within. But I also saw how convenient those fly tying benches made everything. So, I set out to build one for myself. The reasoning behind my decision to build instead of buy was simple...cost. The benches I saw in magazines and online that I liked started at around $150. I didn't want to pay that so I took pictures of some different ones and designed my own and I'm just tickled with the way it turned out. I went to Lowes and picked up the wood (all oak) all in pre-cut widths so that all I had to do was cut it to length and sand it down. Personally I think it looks better than any bench I had found and the cost was under $50 for everything. If you want further details, please visit the web page where I give the contact information. Here's what it looks like. You can do this to. I know you can.

Tight Lines,

Steve

Fly Tying

2006-01-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

Well, it's winter time here in PA so what better way to spend your time indoors than by tying flies. I spent the past two winters taking a beginners fly tying class offered by the Blair County Chapter of Trout Unlimited. This year, the classes have begun again and I have moved up into the advanced fly tying class to try to further my skills.
I was a bit apprehensive about moving up into this class with these advanced fly tyers but I'm so glad I did. These guys are just so helpful and are so willing to share their knowledge and general fly fishing and fly tying experiences. We are currently working on the complete life-cycle of the sulphur.
I have started updating the fly tying section of my website at http://www.hooked-on-flies.com. As I learn more, I will then begin posting all the patterns for dry files, nymphs, streamers, glo bogs, etc. Stop back often to see the changes.

Tight Lines,
Steve

More Erie Steelheading

2006-01-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

First of all, let me apologize for neglecting my blog. I've been spending time on another website and this blog has suffered because of it. But let's see if I can turn that around.
This next update deals with another fishing trip to Erie. Back on November 14, 2005, I took my father-in-law and we headed to Erie for some steelhead fishing. I knew it would be tough because the rains had been few and all reports at www.fisherie.com indicated that the streams were low and the fishing was quite challenging. But the weather reports indicated it was going to be around 60 so I couldn't resist. Crowds were sparse and just as expected, the fishing was less than stellar, but driving 3 hours to get there, we were going to make a day of it. We fished Elk Creek the entire day. I used all the "bubble gum" patterns (meaning all the colorful patterns known in steelheading). I did end up hooking a nice one on a glo bug but lost it within about 20 seconds. I switched to the natural patterns and that was the ticket. I hooked and landed a 5 lber on a BH Hares Ear nymph and landed another 6 lber on a BH Black Woolly Bugger. I also hooked about 5 others but was not able to bring them in as I was testing some strategies that just didn't work.
My father-in-law wasn't quite so fortunate. He had no hookups at the first location but on our way out of town, we stopped at another spot and he did finally hook and land a small steelie. So not all was lost and all in all it was just a beautiful day in a beautiful setting.
God certainly has blessed us with some awesome fishing opportunities here in Pennsylvania.

Tight Lines,
Steve

Hot, dry summer in PA

2005-07-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a very dry and hot summer in Central PA. All streams are dangerously low. Decent fishing still remains in some tailwaters though. I've only fished Spruce Creek and the Little Juniata so far this year but have caught decent trout on both streams. In May I caught 1 rainbow about 26" on an egg pattern and 1 brownie about 28" on an olive wooly bugger on Spruce Creek. We caught many more between 16" and 22". Most recently we fished the Little J below the town of Spruce Creek, parking at Barree and taking a beautiful hike up the gorge ("The Narrows") a little ways. No big trout but many between 10 and 14 inches. Tried different nymphs with little luck, in the end it was the green weenie that landed multiple trout.
We definitely need some rain to raise the water levels again.

Tight lines,
Steve

Erie Steelhead

2005-04-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I certainly haven't been able to write as much here as I had hoped but now that the nice weather has arrived, it's so hard to spend the time at the computer.
Anyway, I was finally able to hook up with friend, John Collins, and his father-in-law and headed for Erie to do some steelhead fishing last Friday, April 1. What a gorgeous day it turned out to be. Sunny and in the lower 60's, which was a real switch from previous days. Started on Elk Creek and found ourselves on a practically empy stream. It was hard to believe. We figured the run must've ended or something. Well, within about 45 minutes, we started catching some fish. Ended up spending most of the day on Elk but did make it over to the mouth of Walnut for about an hour where John took one nice one from. Kept 3 fish between the 3 of us (which I never do because I don't care for fish). Had one filleted, had one smoked regular and one smoked cajun. They say it was awesome...I'll have to take their word for it.
Anyway, caught most fish in fast moving, shallow water and the combination of the day was a cream globug with blood dot and a bead head hare's ear nymph dropper. The egg seemed to attract them and they were nailing the nymphs. I hooked 10 and landed 4. I hope to be able to get up there once every Spring and Fall from now on. Great time and great fishing.

Tight Lines,
Steve

George Harvey and Joe Humphreys

2005-02-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Well, what better way to start a blog than with some big news (at least its big to me). This past Wednesday, February 16, 2005, I had the honor and privilege of meeting one of the biggest names in our beloved sport of fly fishing, George Harvey. I was invited down to Spruce Creek to have lunch with George and also with Joe Humphreys.
I had met Joe for the first time last October and had the distinct privilege of fishing with him and learning from him. Joe is such a delightful gentleman and was such a blast to fish with. He is such a wealth of fly fishing knowledge.
Anyway, back to our lunch meeting. We had a delightful lunch and sat around the table for an hour and a half as I listened to George, Joe and Doc (our gracious host) swap the most amazing and entertaining stories of growing up and the early days of fly fishing, Penn State and numerous fishing experiences together on some of the local streams.
I was also able to get my picture taken with them and haven't gotten it back yet, but if it turns out ok, I'll post it as well.
Tight Lines,
Steve

Welcome to the Hooked On Flies Fly Fishing Blog

2005-01-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Hooked-On-Flies Fly Fishing Blog. I'll be publishing some tips and tricks on fly fishing and fly tying so please check back often.

You can learn more by visiting my site at www.hooked-on-flies.com. Thanks again for stopping by.

Tight Lines,
Steve Haupt
Hooked-On-Flies