Whip finish vs half hitch?

Open question, which do you prefer? I was a huge fan of whip finishing but I've recently started to appreciate the half hitch for avoiding trapped hackle on small dry flies. Which do you prefer and why?

Oh and shout out to Owl Jones for hosting an awesome terrestrial fly swap! Can't wait to use these.

No bugs but still fun

I spent the last week tying about 50 dry flies and figured I'd test them out today.

When I pulled up to the stream I saw a bunch of fishermen sitting around and talking. That's never a good sign. Yep, no hatches were going on.

Even though there was no surface activity, I was still able to fool a handful of trout on top by smacking down a furry foam beetle along the edges of a typical feeding lane.

I'm glad I got my fishing in today. Looks like we're gonna get a much needed few inches of rain in the next 36 hours. That will hopefully ensure the stockies behind my house at least have a chance. Right now, it's looking bad for them!

Springtime photo dump

I realized today that I've had no time to really update this blog, and unless you're on Instagram or occasionally seeing my Twitter posts, it seems like I haven't been up to much of anything.
So yeah, here's a quick springtime recap and a massive photo dump of fishing and family stuff.


I knocked out about 40 bugs for two separate terrestrial swaps. I can't wait to get my flies back.



I hit one of the most epic midge hatches I've ever seen at the Little Lehigh and had a ton of fun with wild brown trout and small dry flies.




We took Michael to the Camden Aquarium for his birthday. That place is so badass.






My stepdad and I hit a local secret spot for some great March largemouth action. He slammed a nice one.



Easter with the kids was pretty damn fun.



And last but not least, the ride got the massive fly fishing bumper sticker treatment last weekend.


Happy Friday!

After two years, I finally got one!

I headed out Thursday night after the kids were finally asleep in the darkness to stalk some nighttime risers. I stopped at a few spots with street lights and noticed two things, extremely low clear water, and no fish. I guess the bait chuckers were really wiping them out.

I headed down to the old foot bridge were I was chasing carp over the winter and I saw a few rises. Perfect. As I walked to the stream I also noticed it was really muddy. I then saw a ton of monster carp mudding along the edges of the stream, digging for food. I opted for the bigger species :)

I tossed a small crayfish imitation named "Skip's Dad" that I got from the Instagram Fly Swap. I swung it in front of a big carp and a smallie came out of nowhere and smashed it. OK, not what I was looking for, but I didn't get skunked.


This wound up happening a few more times, with dink smallmouth taking the fly. After a few minutes I saw a window of opportunity with two big carp heading towards the same big rock. I dropped my fly perfect between then and saw a slight pull on my line as the small one inhaled it.

Once he was on, I realized that I had made the mistake of not really having the gear for this fight. I had a 4 weight and 6X tippet. Not something you want to realize when you're backing deep into an 8 lb carp.

I took my time, played him right, and safely landed him. I was so freaking excited. After two years, I finally got my first carp on a fly. I let out a giant "YES!!" even though I was standing in the middle of a dark park by myself with no one else around. This was a night I won't soon forget.


I watched him swim away with a giant smile on my face and noticed the trout starting to rise again just upstream. It didn't matter. No trout in this stream would repeat the fight I just had.

I'm a day late on this...

Three years ago my life drastically changed. The nights were spent awake, my fishing holes were deserted, but it was totally worth it. Happy birthday Michael. Enjoy being 3 and know that your daddy loves you more than anything in the world.

They grow up so fast. *tear*

Can you smell the powerbait?

Went for a run this morning and came across this. Poor fish.