troutmaster08 0 Report post Posted August 6, 2020 I have a friend who lives in the state college area and he is just getting into fly fishing. What are some good trout flies for that area I could send him. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
samsonboi 0 Report post Posted August 6, 2020 Soft hackles, some beadhead nymphs, some nice hoppers and caddis and mayfly dries, I guess. Just send him a little assortment of flies and he'll catch fish on all of them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redietz 0 Report post Posted August 6, 2020 If he's fishing Spring Creek at State College, Walt's Worm is popular year round. There are usually midges, so anything along that line. The sulfur hatch can be amazing in May, so some sulfur dries. Otherwise, just the same flies you'd fish for trout anywhere. If you want to know what's working at the moment, TCO Fly Shop has a list of recommendations at Stream Conditions for Spring Creek. It's usually pretty much the same flies that I would there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Philly 0 Report post Posted August 7, 2020 I'm in SE PA. Different set of flies for down here. Midges definitely , caddis, I use a CDC and Elk, gray, olive and tan bodies on whatever dry you decide to tie. There are always caddis and midges on the streams. A mayfly hatch you might miss. If you're tying for someone in PA. You got to tie a couple of Green Weenies. Easy to tie and effective. I usually tie mine with a black bead head. Size 12 and 14. There's a debate over what to suppose to imitate. My vote is for a Green Rock Worm. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Poopdeck 0 Report post Posted August 7, 2020 State college is the center of PA's trout fishing and there are lots of famous streams very close to each other. There are no shortages of fantastic trout fishing creeks in the area with impressive bug activity. Spring creek may be the most fabled creek in the state. Caddiflies, sulphers, scuds, sow bugs, midges, stoneflies are a safe bet. If you want to really hook him up get him a copy of "keystone fly fishing" by Mike Heck, Gary Kell, Len Lichvar, Jay, Nichols, Henry Ramsay, Dave Rotheock, Brian Shumaker, Ben Turpin and Karl Weixmann. I know it's a mouthful but the book is a collaborative work involving noted experts from various parts of the state. The book has the general hatch charts for the state and very nice write ups on a lot of the best creeks to include parking, access and preferred flies and notable hatches. I'm not a big trout fisherman but it's my bible when I do go trout fishing. My old standbys for general PA trout fishing are a hares ear, a bead head hares ear and a simple Stewart's spider which somebody relatively recently let me in on the secret. It's the secret weapon in the state college area. At the fly shop the trout aficionados all talk about the various hatches in their Latin tongue but when they are on the creek all by themselves they all fish the Stewart's spider, or at least the successful ones do. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uV7k3epJfJY Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DarrellP 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2020 What's hatching? that is what he needs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2020 What @DarrellP said google hatch charts for his area. Tie those flies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Landon P 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2020 I've heard ants with a slim waist and two distinct balls of fur with 2 turns of hackle Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redietz 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2020 On 8/6/2020 at 11:18 PM, Poopdeck said: ... a simple Stewart's spider which somebody relatively recently let me in on the secret. It's the secret weapon in the state college area. Stewart's black spider will catch trout almost anywhere, and I fish it all the time. I would certainly fish it in Spring Creek, However, if I were tying flies to give away, I don't think I would include it -- it's too ugly, and I don't think a beginner will view it as a confidence fly. He'll more likely think you're not a very good tyer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moshup 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2020 2 minutes ago, redietz said: Stewart's black spider will catch trout almost anywhere, and I fish it all the time. I would certainly fish it in Spring Creek, However, if I were tying flies to give away, I don't think I would include it -- it's too ugly, and I don't think a beginner will view it as a confidence fly. He'll more likely think you're not a very good tyer. Lol. I agree redietz. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
troutmaster08 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2020 1 hour ago, redietz said: Stewart's black spider will catch trout almost anywhere, and I fish it all the time. I would certainly fish it in Spring Creek, However, if I were tying flies to give away, I don't think I would include it -- it's too ugly, and I don't think a beginner will view it as a confidence fly. He'll more likely think you're not a very good tyer. Thats exactly how i approached it. I ties some good looking soft hackles and wet flies because I want to send him more and dont want them to look like crap. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vicente 0 Report post Posted August 10, 2020 Tie the black spider and spruce it up with a couple wraps of peacock herl. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Poopdeck 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2020 8 hours ago, troutmaster08 said: Thats exactly how i approached it. I ties some good looking soft hackles and wet flies because I want to send him more and dont want them to look like crap. I'm confused. You want to send a beginner pretty flies over a proven PA fish catcher because they are simple looking and perhaps ugly to the eye? I must have read that wrong. If you want to go by general hatch charts for August - September little black caddies 16 - 18 tan caddie 14 - 18 slate drake 10 - 14 pink Cahill 12 - 16 trico 22-26 pale evening dun 16-18 white fly 12-16 ocotber caddies 10 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
samsonboi 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2020 I think the black spider is a great looking fly if it’s tied with care and not thrown together. I think that many times less is more, but to each his own. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redietz 0 Report post Posted August 11, 2020 6 minutes ago, Poopdeck said: I'm confused. You want to send a beginner pretty flies over a proven PA fish catcher because they are simple looking and perhaps ugly to the eye? I must have read that wrong. No, it's because it won't get fished. There's a reason you never see them in fly shops -- it's hard to convince people not in the know that they actually catch fish. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites