Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited

The below add was found in the Williamsport Sun Gazette today.  It makes great sense to give a great gift that allows you to fish every day of the year, get outdoors, and to share in a great sport / hobby.  Happy Valentines Day.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will be considering adding a total of 99 streams to the Wild Trout Stream list and 22 streams to the Class A list at its next board meeting, March 30-31.  A few of these streams are in our area! Check out the list below.  Can you write a letter supporting all the listings with specific mention about the importance of the streams below for your chapter?

Comments can be submitted here.  February 22 is the deadline to submit comments.

 

Streams proposed for Class A listing at the PFBC March meeting
County of Mouth	Stream		Tributary To	Latitude	Longitude
Sullivan	Double Run		Loyalsock Creek	41.460833	-76.59

 

Waters Proposed for Future Addition to the List of Wild Trout Streams
County of Mouth	Stream	Tributary To	Section Limits	Latitude	Longitude
Lycoming	UNT To Laurel Run (RM 1.49)	Laurel Run	Headwaters to Mouth	41.290919	-76.731668
Sullivan	Sullivan Branch	East Branch Fishing Creek	Headwaters to Mouth	41.326111	-76.345278

 

You are invited to join Glenn McConnell from McConnell’s Country Store & Fly Shop on our SIXTH ANNUAL MONTANA FLY FISHING ADVENTURE

Why McConnell’s Country Store & Fly Shop Hosted Trip? We’re knowledgeable: The outfitter and guides we use are on the river every day so they have a fair idea of where the fish are, and what they’re eating. We’re experienced: we’ve been at this a while; even have a little grey in our beards. We’re patient: if you’re struggling, we’ll help you work the kinks out of your cast. We’re enthusiastic: this isn’t a job. Making your day a success is the thing that keeps us going.

We have had so much fun the past five years with Ed Lawrence & his staff of experienced river guides that we are continuing this annual tradition. As a matter of fact we have TWO TRIPS planned for this year.

August 5 through August 13 – (2 opening is available at this time) This trip will be 6 days of fishing with some of the best guides that the Missouri, Madison & Yellowstone have to offer. We are going to spend 4 days exploring the Missouri River. The section of the river that we will be fishing has a population of over 6,000 trout per mile. For an additional cost of $100.00 you may want to fish the section of the Missouri known as the “Land Of The Giants“. Located between Houser Dam and Houlter Dam, this section of the river is only accessible by jet boats and a licensed Coast Guard Captain. Last year the average rainbow that we took from this section was 20″ and weighed between 4 & 5 pounds. We also landed a brown trout that was 27 1/2” and weighed 7.6 pounds. After the four days we will head back to Bozeman to fish the Madison & Yellowstone Rivers. The Madison is known as a 62 mile long riffle. The fishing here can be fast and furious from a drift boat on this river. The Yellowstone is probably one of the best known “Blue Ribbon” trout streams in the world and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to fish this gem.

This 8 night 6 day fly fishing adventure will include your hotel stay at the Holiday Inn Express upon arrival in Bozeman, 4 nights stay at a B&B ranch near the town of Craig (includes all meals while staying at the B&B), 3 nights hotel accommodations at the Holiday Inn Express in Bozeman. Your host will have a rental vehicle for travel to and from our fishing locations.

The cost of this 8 night – 6 days of fishing package is $2305.00,

Additional costs on this package will be your airfare, license, $100.00 per day additional fee to fish the “Land Of The Giants”, 3 evening meals and tips for your guides.

August 14 through August 19 – (4 openings are available at this time) This package allows you to fully experience Montana “Blue Ribbon” fly fishing at its best on the Madison and Yellowstone Rivers in the company of the same experienced river guides that have shown us the way in the past. Here’s your chance to chase the thousands of fish living in the Yellowstone and Madison Rivers during four days spent in the Madison and Paradise Valleys. You will be floating in a 16′ drift boat where your guide will maneuver you into the most productive spots on the river, with stops along the way at likely looking holes and riffles.

An addition to this package is the option to fish a private spring creek (with limited access) for a day that flows into the Yellowstone River. This is a true spring creek fishing experience that shouldn’t be missed. The cost of this addition is $100.00 per day.

We have made this package easy for you… Your lodging will be at the Holiday Inn Express in Bozeman. After a cooked breakfast you will be transported to the river for a morning of fishing. You will take a break from the fishing to enjoy a fisherman’s lunch then fish the afternoon away and at day’s end, return to town in time for cocktails and evening meals at some of the area’s best restaurants.

The cost of this 5 night – 4 days of fishing package is $1577.00. Additional cost on this package will be the your airfare, shared car rental, license, $100.00 per day additional fee to fish the private spring creek, guides tips and all of your evening meals.

You can add this option to this package… The group will normally arrive one day early so that we can spend a day fishing on our own or spend some down time getting to know each other and exploring the area. This will incur an additional cost for a room and meals for one day.

Got Fish? Yep. That’s why our rivers are so popular. The Madison, Yellowstone, and Missouri boast 2,500 – 6,000 wild (not hatchery raised) Rainbow, Brown and Cutthroat trout in every mile of water between their riffle filled banks… Here’s your chance to chase the thousands of fish living in the Missouri, Yellowstone and Madison rivers during your days spent in the Paradise and Madison valleys. You’ll float in a 16′ drift boat where your experienced guide will maneuver you to the most productive spots on the river, with stops along the way in likely looking holes and riffles. Got Fun? You bet. on our multi-day, multi-river  trip, once you plant your feet in one of our drift boats you will be treated to a top shelf fishing experience. We’ll also provide transportation to the river, a tasty lunch, instruction (if needed), and plenty of chit–chat. You won’t find many ways to spend your time that match the enjoyment of floating a river while fishing with guides who are tuned into, and responsive to, your needs and expectations.

What’s a typical day? Lodging is in the Holiday Inn Express in Bozeman and a Bed & Breakfast ranch near the town of Craig.. You will be shuttled to the river and back to your rooms. We’ll meet you after breakfast and expect to be fishing shortly thereafter…Lunch is served on a stream bank…We typically have you back in town in time for cocktails ( +/- 6 p.m.), unless you need to return sooner.

How do we do this? We float the rivers in 16′ drift boats and will travel 8–10 miles per day…We stop to wade those pools and runs that look promising.

Who will I fish with? You and your fishing buddy will take turns fishing from the front and the back of a 16′ drift boat along with your experienced fly fishing guide who can instruct you in the fundamentals of casting and presenting flies, selecting flies, and, generally, makes life simple for you.

What equipment will I need? Five and six weight fly rods with matching reels and line are our go–to equipment, but other sizes will do the job. You can bring your own flies, or we’ll assist you in selecting those that work best in Montana this time of the year.

What about clothing & stuff? Lightweight pants and long sleeved shirts are the basics during hotter days, along with sandals or sport shoes…Waders aren’t usually required during mid – summer, but you can bring ’em or we’ll arrange rentals. You’ll want to bring a camera, sunscreen, hat, windbreaker, sunglasses/eye protection, and a cheery disposition.

PLEASE CALL FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Space is limited… We have room for 2 more guests on the August 5 trip and 4 on the August 14 trip. Don’t wait, call and book your Montana Fly Fishing Adventure now,

Glenn McConnell
McConnell’s Country Store  Fly Shop
570-753-5074
glenn@mcconnellscountrystore.com

The Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold a public meeting on February 10th at 7:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall at the rear of 102 E. 3rd St., Williamsport. The evening’s program will be Eric Hussar, District 5 Commissioner of the PA Fish and Boat Commission. He will have an update of Fish Commission activities and developments for the coming year. We invite your thoughts, concerns, and ideas concerning the Commission and its regulations and policies for discussion with Commissioner Hussar.

Susquehanna TU is pleased to announce that it will be offering an eight week fly tying course open to the public beginning on February 9 and extending through March 29. Sessions will be on Tuesday evenings between 7:00 – 8:30 PM at First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, rear 102 East Third and Mulberry Street in Williamsport. There will be no cost for the course which will include instructive manual, tools and materials used during the sessions. Instructors will include notable local fly tiers. Both beginners and intermediate skill tiers are welcomed.

     Anyone interested in taking the course or having questions should contact Walt Nicholson at (570) 447-3600 by February 5th

The Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited would like to wish everyone a very happy and safe New Year.  It is hard to believe that another year has past and a great deal happened over the past year and we are looking forward to 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 The public is invited to attend a Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited meeting at which Walt Nicholson of the chapter will present a program on Atlantic Salmon fishing on the beautiful Grand Cascapedia River located on the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. The unique history and restoration efforts of   Atlantic salmon fishing on what has been described as the best Atlantic Salmon river in North America will be discussed as well as the traditions, ecology, regulations, techniques, tackle and flies that are used.  The program will take place on Wednesday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at the rear of the First Presbyterian Church at East Third and Mulberry Sts. in Williamsport

     The October meeting of the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be held on Wednesday October 14, 2015 at the First Presbyterian Church (102 E. 3rd Street, Williamsport, use rear entrance) starting at 7:30 pm.  Joe Radley will be discussing what an angler can do over the winter months when there are no streams to fish. He will give the many options available to anglers so that they may get ready for the next fishing season.  This will be a great presentation and some new ideas may be presented. The meeting is free and open to the public and we hope to see you there.

Taken from the PA Fish and Boat Commission Website: ( We have a second water in our area in addition to Pine Creek)

Trout anglers who want an experience targeting bigger fish will have the opportunity to catch 14”-20” trout in eight Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters, unveiled here today at the quarterly meeting of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).

Under the program, approximately 3,200 large trout will be distributed among the eight waters, one in each commissioner district. The trout will be stocked at a rate of up to 250 trout per mile, which is comparable to the numbers of fish of this size in Pennsylvania’s best wild trout waters.

The eight waters include:

• Chester County, Middle Branch White Clay Creek, Section 3 (1.67 miles)
• Dauphin County, Wiconisco Creek, Section 3 (0.74 miles)
• Lackawanna/Wyoming Counties, South Branch Tunkhannock Creek, Section 4 (0.99 miles)
• Lawrence County, Neshannock Creek, Section 3 (2.67 miles)
• Lycoming County, Loyalsock Creek, Section 5 (1.49 miles)
• Potter County, First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek, Section 4 (1.67 miles)
• Somerset County, Laurel Hill Creek, Section 3 (2.33 miles)
• Westmoreland County, Loyalhanna Creek, Section 3 (1.67 miles)

“We wanted to add an element of excitement to trout fishing and at the same time remind anglers that the trout season can extend well into the summer,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “These are the biggest stocked trout we raise, so anglers will definitely enjoy catching them. And the waters are regulated under Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only (DHALO) regulations, which provides the opportunity to catch these fish multiple times.”

Under DHALO regulations, waters are open to fishing year-round. But anglers may harvest trout only between June 15 and Labor Day and the trout have to be a minimum of nine inches. From the day after Labor Day until June 15, these waters are managed on a catch-and-release-only basis and the creel limit is zero. Tackle is limited to artificial lures and flies.

Arway added that similar programs have proven very popular on other waters, such as Pine Creek in Lycoming County.

“These programs have successfully demonstrated that destination fisheries can be created, drawing anglers from across the state and even the country and providing an economic boost to local communities,” he said. “We’re confident our program will have the same effect and we’ll draw anglers to each of these eight destinations.”

The waters in Dauphin and Chester counties will be stocked with the larger trout in advance of the regional opening day of trout season on April 2. The other waters will be stocked prior to the April 16 statewide opener for trout. Each of the eight waters will also receive an in-season stocking in late April. Both stockings will include a number of these larger fish. The PFBC website or FishBoatPA app should be consulted for the actual stocking dates.

PFBC staff presented the concept of the new program at the last quarterly meeting, and then ran an online promotion asking anglers to submit suggestions for the name. More than 1,550 submissions were received with 144 different names recommended by the public.
“A committee reviewed the selections and the Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters name was chosen,” said Leroy Young, Director of the Bureau of Fisheries. “This name ties the program uniquely to Pennsylvania and includes the new Stocked Trout Waters name, which replaces the previously named Approved Trout Waters beginning in 2016.”