Fish Camp

Matt, Jack and Bryan

When Bryan and I first started talking fishing he spoke with reverence about Potter County.  At the time Emma spent have her time at Hogwarts and it took me a few seconds to understand that Potter County is a real place.

Fish Camp very comfortable

The Davis’ don’t hand out accolades lightly so I knew this place must be special. I wasn’t disappointed.   Potter county is largely uninhabited forest, at least by people, in north-central Pennsylvania and very trouty.

We hoped in here on this Davis Favorite stream

Nicely marked brookie

Parachute Adams worked most anywhere

It’s so dark at night in Potter County there’s an astrological observatory in the in a field as there’s no so little light pollution.  

Bryan brought this tiger of a brookie to hand

The population in Potter swells x5 in deer hunting season and 4/5 structures are hunting camps uninhabited but for a month a year. As Jack, Bryan’s dad, likes as to say, “the biggest fishing question is, where”?

Handsome big brown caught on Jack's Coffin fly

As the story goes, and recounting tales while eating 4-star meals is part of the fun, Jack was asked by a friend to take him fishing decided to hit the waters of Potter to introduce this friend to fly fishing.  

Bryan and Jack reminisce over french toast

Jack w handsome brookie

Everything has its season and after years Bryan began to join the annual outing around 2000 a few years later the friend bowed out. For Jack it’s been nearly 30 years of planning the outing and when I asked what I could do to help was politely (and pleasantly for me as I’m usually the planner) to just show up with a cot and sleeping bag….Jack would take care of the rest…and he did.

Another Coffin fly caught chunky brown...look at them spots!

Fat rainbow soon to be slipped back into the water

Like Bill Pfeiffer at Salmon River, Jack has caught enough fish that the familiar-nostalgic rhythms and camaraderie of fish-camp are as rewarding as the actual fishing.  

The waters here at temples

As a motored north on Sunday I reviewed my plan to fish Mon, Tuesday and Wens morning and traced running for water North for 330 miles passing the Potomac, Juanita, Frankstown Branch of the Juniata, West Branch Susquehanna, Sinnamahoning, First Fork of the Sinnamahoning, Freemans Run, Wycoff Run, West Branch Pine until I made a left hand turn along Lyman Run to our camp site.

Brookie and my PA fishing button!

After setting camp and catching onto familiar routines we’d head out after a full breakfast to question small stream each filled with trout and memories. Deer jumped in front of us every hour as we surprised them from their grassy riverbank beds and made and startled us so that we looked forward to as shower.

Rainbow caught at night when I couldn't see the fly

We fished together for several days generally stalking brookies in the morning on smaller streams and then looking for the hatch in the evening on somewhat bigger waters.

Massive Green Drake -- a nice meal 

We saw gnats, caddis, stoneflies, sulphurs and then found a smattering of green drakes, the king of flies in these waters. With its heavy and long abdomen and large wing span if they're in the air you can't miss their fluttering presence....and if they're on the water the trout don't miss them.

Jack's version of the Green Drake 'Coffin Fly'

Night 2 Jack and Bryan scouted a large pool and fended off the downward stream progress of an angler on some larger water and armed with one of Jack's special drake ties...his own version of a coffin fly... I headed downstream to the next pool and in 10 casts brought 2 good sized browns and a plucky bow to hand with a long 2wt as darkness ended another amazing day.

Grand Canyon on PA featuring Pine Creek as she continues to carve the canyon walls taken from West Rim Overlook

Bow from Bryan

Both Jack and this Brookie are smiling

Thanks for looking through this adventure -- get out on the river -- it'll do you good :-)