The streams and rivers that drain into Lake Erie from Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania make up the explosive fishery known as Steelhead Alley. Unnaturally large runs of fish rival or exceed those of native steelhead fisheries and provide anglers with one of the best opportunities in the region to catch trout of Jurassic proportions. This is our most popular regional trip and space is limited so we will offer additional trip dates as we fill trips. The 2006 season was nothing short of excellent with some clients already rebooked for 2007 trips!

 
Steelhead Fly Fishing

Join us as we fish the steelhead streams of Pennsylvania once again in search of these hard charging, acrobatic, drag melting fish. Trib fishing is mostly sight fishing in shallow riffles and runs with the occasional deep pool. The tribs are extremely wader friendly and most of the time you'll be knee deep or less. Fishing is done with rods from 6-8 wt, floating lines, and a reel with a good drag system. The average fish ranges from 7-10 lbs and can tip the scales as high as 20 lbs! Lake effect weather this time of year is unpredictable at best but our experience shows that November and December are prime time for big runs without the barrage of leaves and other debris that often chokes the streams out in October. In most cases Steelhead fishing is simply nymphing or streamer fishing, wet fly swings can sometimes be effective, with standard trout nymphs, streamers, or egg patterns such as the sucker spawn or glo bug. The key steelhead tribs in Erie are Elk Creek, Walnut Creek, Seven Mile Creek, Twelve Mile Creek, Sixteen Mile Creek, and Twenty Mile Creek.

• Transportation from our New Ringgold location

• Two -and-a-half days of guided fishing

• Three nights lodging

• Breakfast and Lunch

We can provide quality Orvis tackle for your float trip if necessary. We do not charge ridiculous rental fees for tackle but we do ask that you give us a good heads up so that we can make arrangenments.

Rods
9-11 foot rods in the 6-8 wt range with a moderate flex are preferred. The stiffer the rod the more prone to break offs you will be. Longer rods allow for better drifts which is often the difference between a productive and unproductive day.

Reels
Reels should be appropriately sized to allow for 150-200yds of backing as runs into the backing are probable. Reels should also have a good smooth drag system capable of applying good drag pressure.

Lines
Floating - Most fishing situations on the river call for a floating line which when properly cleaned and/or dressed allow for easier mending and are also easier to pick up and cast. Mini Sink Tips allow for a quick change to a sink tip line without the hassle of changing spools and are a good option to have on hand but are not necessary.

Leaders & Tippet
Fluorocarbon leaders from 8-10 feet tapered to a 2-4x fluorocarbon tippet are standard for us. The fluoro is stiffer and more drag prone than nylon tippets but its strength-to-diameter ratio allows us to use thinner tippets, if you've ever handled a 10lb fish on 4x tippet then you know what we mean. In addition to strength, the low visibility and high abrasion resistance are extremely helpful.

Flies
Commonly used Steelhead patterns are stoneflies, copper johns, pheasant tails, scuds, prince nymphs, soft hackles, estaz eggs, glo bugs, sucker spawn, moe eggs, and crystal meth flies.

The Other Stuff
Licenses are available, please advise us what kind license and what quantity you'll need. Fingerless gloves or flip up mittens can take the chill off your hands on a cold day and inexpensive disposable heat packs in you pockets can help to warm the hands up after handling and releasing fish( be sure to bring some zip lock bags as most heat packs are deactivated by water). Waders are mandatory because the water temps are usually below 60 degrees and though you could probably get through most situations ok with hippers we recommend full chest waders as they will keep the majority of your body dry in foul weather. Studded wading shoes are recommended. Plain felts are fine with limited amount of wading necessary but if you have studded boots, they can offer better grip on the sometimes slick shale bottoms. Raingear is mandatory and a comfortable rain jacket can make a rainy/snowy/sleety day much more bearable. A wading staff is helpful. You are welcome to bring your own camera and all LGO guides carry digital cameras with them.

Rivers uses a realtime online booking calendar to minimize booking conflicts between our two PA fly shop locationsand to allow potential clients to review availability instantly. Click here to view availability...