Scene from last year’s jump!

In Wired Outdoors fashion, when we get involved in something we are all in!  So we will be filming this event and we will be taking the plunge with many of our Wired Outdoors fans!  So all you Wired Outdoors fans, band together and we are asking you to join us and have a great time for a great cause as we take the plunge into the Allegheny River in Parker, Pennsylvania.

• Event: 4th Annual Parker Polar Bear Plunge – “Freezin’ For A Reason!”
• When: January 1, 2010
  Registration 11:00am-1:30pm
  Safety meeting, at 1:45pm
  Plunge at 2:00pm
• Where: Parker City Boat Launch (311 North River Avenue, Parker, PA 16049)
• Who: Parker Polar Bear Club
• Why: Benefits Hunt of A Lifetime and Parker Parks and Recreation
• Cost: $10 registration fee (free t-shirt to all participants)

Additional Information:

• $50 prize for “Most Unique Plunging Attire”
• Chinese auction for items donated by local business.
• 50/50 raffle.

While the cost is only $10 a person, we are encouraging folks to go out there and get sponsors and help us raise as much as possible for our kids who we will be sending on their “Hunt of A Lifetime”.  Questions or comments should be directed to Tony Davenport at 724.659.5114 and we look forward to seeing you all very soon!

An all-star lineup featuring Michael Waddell, Lee & Tiffany Lakosky, Stan Potts, Ralph & Vicki Cianciarulo, Mark Menendez, Bob Clouser and many more will present seminars and meet those attending the 2010 Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show.

“Our 2010 lineup of seminar speakers is like a who’s who of hunting and fishing. The amount of experience, knowledge and skill that will be shared with attendees will be huge. If you want to be a better hunter or angler, the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show is a must,” says Chris O’Hara, Event Director, Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show.

Michael Waddell– Appearing February 11-14

Through his Outdoor Channel shows Bone Collectors, Realtree Roadtrips with Michael Waddell, Hunt Masters, and Turkey Call, Waddell has become one of the most popular and entertaining personalities in hunting world. Waddell drives over 20,000 miles each year to hunt, and his real-life experiences make him a favorite on the outdoor show circuit.

“Michael Waddell was a huge success at last year’s show and a valued member of our Whitetail Deer Panel. We are thrilled to have him back at the 2010 Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show. He is just as knowledgeable and entertaining in person as he is on his television shows. He takes the time to personally speak with everyone that comes to the booth to meet him, so the visitors to our Show love him.” says O’Hara.

Michael Waddell will share his deer hunting experiences and tips and tricks during daily seminars during his appearance days, as well as participate on the Whitetail Deer Panel with other deer hunting experts.

Lee & Tiffany Lakosky–Appearing February 6-14

Husband and wife hunters, Lee and Tiffany Lakosky, are best known as stars of Getting’ Close–one of the highest-rated shows in outdoor television–and their newest show, The Crush with Lee & Tiffany.

“What can I say… people just love Lee and Tiffany,” says O’Hara.

In addition to being celebrities, the Lakoskys are very accomplished hunters. They spend countless hours sharpening their hunting skills and actively managing their land for trophy whitetails in eastern Iowa.

Many hunters recognize the couple from the widespread use of many of their trophy photos and magazine articles which have appeared in dozens of high profile publications and catalogs over the past few seasons.

Stan Potts–Appearing February 6-8

In 40 years of hunting, Stan Potts has harvested numerous whitetail bucks with a bow, three of which scored over 200 inches. He also took another 200 incher with a TC muzzleloader.

Potts gives hunting seminars all across North America and has been the subject of many feature magazine articles. His hunting successes have been featured in North American Whitetail magazine and several other media sources. He has appeared in several hunting videos and television shows, including Realtree Outdoors and Hunter’s Specialties Prime Time series. He is a co-host of North American Whitetail Television on the Outdoor Channel. He is also featured on Whitetail Country on ESPN and Hunt Masters on the Outdoor Channel. Pots hunts 100% wild whitetails on public and private property and is well known for his expertise in treestand placement and patterning bigger, mature bucks.

Ralph & Vicki Cianciarulo–Appearing February 6-9

Ralph and Vicki Cianciarulo, of Lanark, Illinois, are co-hosts of the award-winning Archer’s Choice and The Choice television shows.

Vicki Cianciarulo is credited with taking the largest wild white-tailed deer by a female on camera, with her Colorado buck scoring over 200 inches. She also has numerous black bear, caribou, moose, dall sheep, whitetail, mule deer, antelope, a turkey Grand Slam, and many different African species to her credit. Her history includes outfitting and guiding for both bear and deer, serving on conservation boards and editing and producing television shows.

Ralph Cianciarulo is a well-known international bowhunter, a noted videographer, a seminar speaker, and a TV personality for the Outdoor Channel.

“North America’s Favorite Hunting Couple,” the Cianciarulos have worked from the bottom up to earn a reputation that is second to none in the hunting industry.

Bob Clouser– Appearing February 12-13

Clouser’s love of the outdoors, especially fishing, led him into the fishing business. He continues to guide, teach and share his enjoyment with others. He will present casting demonstrations, using visual aids and casting weighted flies and lines, as well as lectures on “Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass” about catching smallmouth from top to bottom using flies and “Fly Fishing Adventures”, about various species that can be caught on fly rod and flies.

Clouser has received numerous awards for his strong conservation work including his induction into the national Fresh Water Fishing Hall of fame as Legendary Angler. In 2000, he was named National Angler of the Year by Fly Rod and Reel Magazine.

Mark Menendez– Appearing February 6-8

There are few bass fishing professionals on the national scene like Mark Menendez, who is currently ranked 17th in the world. On the water, the 44-year-old Paducah, Kentucky angler has spent the past 18 years earning the reputation of a warrior on tour. He finished fifth in the Angler-of-the-Year points, after winning the Lake Dardanelle tournament on the BASS Elite Series in 2009. His career earnings of more than $900,000 along with success in individual tournaments (three wins and 18 top-ten finishes) and season-long point standings are testament to his dedication and skill.

Menendez, who has fished the Bassmaster Tour since 1991, has held the record for the biggest bass, weighing 13-pounds, 9-ounces, ever caught in a bass tournament.

Cost
$32.49 online

Product features

• Patented, precision-engineered, multi-angle flip-over knife clamp
• Sharpening hones on color-coated, finger-grooved safety holders
• One guide rod for each honing stone
• Specially formulated honing oil
• Extra long knife clamp screws
• Custom molded storage/carrying case to hold all system components
• Complete easy-to-follow multi-lingual instructions

Lansky sharpening angles

• 17 degree – A severe angle recommended for razor blades, X-Acto blades, scalpels or similar tools.  Provides an extremely sharp but delicate edge.
• 20 degree – A commonly used angle for higher quality blades and provides an excellent edge for kitchen cutlery and filet knives
• 25 degree – The recommended angle for most knives that need a durable, sharp edge.  Ideal for hunting and outdoor knives
• 30 degree – An outstanding angle for knives that see the heavy use of cutting cardboard, wire or carpets.  Recommended for heavy duty use.

Personal Assessment of product

Until coming across the Lansky Sharpening System, I was never able to put a sharp durable edge on my knives.  I’ve tried whetstones and though I could put a serviceable edge on my knife, it was never truly sharp.  I had friends, and family who were willing to sharpen my knives for me, but I was always bothered by not being able to do it myself.  I came across the Lansky Sharpening System from a co-worker.  He was telling me about his knife sharpening kit and offered to let me try one of my knives on it.  After receiving the kit and a few instructions from my friend, I gave it a shot.  I took the system home that evening and brought my dull hunting knife to a razor sharp edge on my first try.  This was the first time I was able to get a truly sharp edge on my hunting knife.  I was amazed at how easy this system was to use and purchased a Lansky that night.  After receiving my system in the mail, I had all my hunting knives honed and ready for the upcoming hunting season.  The great thing about this sharpening system is that it takes the “art” out of sharpening knives.  Just put your knife in the clamp, decide what angle you want on your blade, attach the rods to the hones, and use the slots built into the clamp to bring you knife to a razor sharp finish.  Though I already had an idea how to use the sharpening kit, the instructions were thorough and easy to follow.

Product Limitations

There are only a couple of things I could mention as “limitations” when using the Lansky Knife Sharpening Systems.  This system is used by running a hone over the knife as the fixed surface, as compared to running a knife over a whetstone as the fixed surface.  A little more care is needed when using the Lansky Sharpening System. The same friend, who introduced me to this kit, also cut himself bad when the hone slipped off the blade and ran his finger into the knife edge.  This is completely avoidable ,and the system is safe to use, but always use care when dealing with knives.  Also when doing large knives (above 6-7 inches) it is recommended to do ½ of the knife at a time.  When trying to sharpen the whole knife at once, the angle changes too much and the rods might not be long enough.  I have done our chef’s kitchen knife ½ at a time, and though it took a little longer, the end result was great.

Recommendation

The Lansky Sharpening System is easy to use and has brought out razor sharp edges on knives I have never been able to get sharp before.  The process of sharpening my knives before owning the Lansky Sharpening System had been frustrating and often times impossible.  After using this system, I believe this product would work great in any outdoorsmen’s home.

I would also like to tell everyone a very special story that happened to us a few days ago at the Clarion County Youth Field Day banquet.  Each year, Randy Culberson of Sportsman Outfitters and one of the organizers of the Clarion County Youth Field Day invites us to the annual event.  Initially I was not going to be able to attend the event due to a scheduled hunt that we were filming.  A phone call from the guide earlier in the week said he wanted to hold off that the birds just weren’t here yet.  So a phone call later and I was off to Clarion County for the banquet.

Our buddy Sawyer – He is WIRED!

Some More Wired Fans!

At the banquet each year, Kyle Schwabenbauer, Co-Host Wired Outdoors, presents the highlight Youth Field Day video to all the guests.  This year, Randy asked if we could also show our Hunt of A Lifetime videos that we did the past year.  Once Kyle was done showing the highlight video I would be showing the Arianna video and Michael Ciarlone clip. (You can see both those videos at the bottom of this story)  Before showing the videos Randy informed me that since we weren’t quite ready to begin our fund raising for this year’s Hunt of A Lifetime kids, he had come up with an idea just hours before.  He purchased a small Christmas tree about three feet high and hung lottery tickets and a couple of gift certificates on the tree for decorations. He informed me that he was going to sell raffle tickets for the tree and donate all the money for our “Hunt Of A Lifetime” kids.  I was very thankful and expressed my gratitude because any money we can raise is always appreciated it, but really didn’t know what to expect.

Amy Shoup from Strattanville, PA won the Hunt of a Lifetime raffle. It was a live Christmas tree filled with lottery tickets, $100 gift cert, $50 savings bond and a Traditions muzzleloader. Congrats Amy!!

After showing the Arianna video and the Michael Ciarlone clips there were a lot of folks who I could tell were really touched by our work.  Shortly after the presentation, I had to get on the road as I had a 4 hour car ride and had to be at the airport the following morning to fly out to Illinois.  About an hour down the road, I get a text from Kyle saying, “An anonymous donor just said they would match any money raised for the Hunt of A Lifetime kids.” About another hour down the road I get a call from Kyle saying, “How much money do you think they just raised for our kids?”, I replied, “I have no idea, maybe $500?”  Kyle said, “Try $3600.00!”  I was floored.  There are not many times in my life where I don’t have something to say, I was truly speechless.  In a year, when the economy is so bad to have folks open their hearts and wallets like that was truly humbling.

Clarion County Sportsmen for Youth raised over $3600 for Hunt of a Lifetime in less than two hours at their banquet. CCSFY President, Eric Black, presents Kyle with the money!! Thanks guys for everything!!!

I have so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and they just keep rolling in.  I would like to thank all the folks from the banquet who purchased tickets, to the anonymous donor, Randy Culberson and all the CCSFY committee members and the list goes on. Thank you again, I can’t say it enough and I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!!

For those who haven’t seen the Arianna video and Michael Ciarlone clip, you can click on the videos below.  They both will make you truly thankful for all you have.

I won’t be redundant in the thanks to everyone involved with the September 19, 2009 3-D Benefit shoot. But as we know if it weren’t for those people that see the good in all people and the importance of God in our daily lives the world we live would be in worse condition.   Without our sponsors and those of you who want to make a difference none of this would of been possible.

The preparation for the day was very time consuming. Once you see the outcome and the day comes to an end you can feel the relief and sensation of a task well done.

Once again there were many firsts as are with the great outdoors we all cherish so much.  New friends, old acquaintances, first time shooters, young and old combating the same passion united as one, and smiles that will last a lifetime.  Being blessed with the presence of Tina Pattison, Hunt of a Lifetime Founder, Arianna Evans one of our Hunt of a Lifetime children. Allowing the unknown person to experience the wow factor.

As I listened to so many people comment about the day and ask how to “Get WIRED”.  They are pumped and now hopefully they ARE “WIRED”.

To those that weren’t able to attend you can still be apart of our wonderful family. Get involved, get “WIRED”, and continue your support.  Thank you all for your kindness.

Take time to take a friend, loved one or a first timer and introduce them to our wonderful sport.

Above, Pat Gonsman, United Bow Hunters of PA

Sportsman Portal Field Staff, (from left to right), Don Ott, Teresa Patterson, Kyle Schwabenbauer and Andy Traister with Arianna Evans in the center. Arianna was presented with a plaque made by Joanie Haidel, Joanie’s Beard Busting Calls.

Buying raffle tickets for prizes.

The “running deer crew”, Jimmy Patterson (Teresa’s son) and his good friend Nick Eberhardt.

Rex Fahr (right) Teresa’s dad organized the 3-D shoot, and Brenda Martz, President of the Loop Sportsman Club.

Tina Pattison’s son, Jaimie and his daughter shooting her bow.

The running deer target group effort

Arianna driving her chariot.

Wendy and Mark Blystone some of our “Wired Fans” from Facebook and My Space came out to join us for the shoot that day.

Rex, Jr. (Teresa’s brother) and his wife, Larissa Fahr enjoy the concession.

Thanks to all our sponsors.

Jimmy Young and crew came out to support the cause.

Is he milking that deer???

East Coast Archery Manager talking with John Ott.

The “gut gang”

Tanner enjoying the ride.

Ben Fahr (Teresa’s brother) and John Lubert out for the shoot.

Nice Sportsman Portal fan truck!

With all the traveling I have had to do over the past couple of months, it has been hard to spend some real quality time with my son Colin.  So since summer has rolled around and things have slowed down a little, I have really been itching to get him out fishing.

Gary Robson, Colin and Me

I have had the privilege to fish with good friend Gary Robson, RodGun from the forum board, on several occasions in one of his secret spots and I knew that this would be a great place to take Colin.  I made a call to Gary and he was more than happy to meet us for a little fishing.

Colin Reeling In His First Fish

Colin was really excited, but I don’t think he really knew what was in store.  Colin is now 7 and I think the most fish he has ever caught in an outing is 3 and I was anticipating catching more than that as well as some bigger fish.

Colin’s First Fish of The Night

It was important to explain catch and release to Colin and get these fish back in the water as soon as possible.

As I anticipated, Gary’s spot didn’t let us down, we were immediately into nice fish and Colin reeled in his first one of the evening.  As a father, there is nothing better than watching that smile as he was reeling in his first fish.

Colin insisted on holding the fish.

All in all, Colin caught about 8 trout this evening in about an hour and we had to go.  I usually only plan outings with Colin for about an hour because he has the attention span of an ant.  I was very happy to see that he didn’t want to leave, but I guess when you are catching lots of fish, who would want to leave.

Based on this smile, I would say he had a good time!

Colin has asked me everyday since then when we are going fishing again and I tell him very soon.  As many of my friends know, I am a pretty sentimental guy, so I won’t try and sound too sappy here.  I find myself, as a father, in awe and appreciation at watching Colin develop.  I know that it is important to me, just like it was important to my father, and his father, to pass down our outdoor lifestyle and traditions to my children.  This is the first year that I have really seen Colin want to hunt and fish with me and I look forward to many years in the outdoors with what I think is going to be my best fishin buddy!

Thanks again Gary for taking us fishing.  I know Colin will remember that night for a long time!

The past three weeks I have been trying to get out fishing and every time I plan a night, we get a bunch of rain.  So needless to say, I haven’t had the chance to fish as much as I like this Spring.  So when we were back at my hunting camp in Clarion County before our trip to South Dakota, I decided if it was nice I was going fishing on Oil Creek.

Mark and Don searching for a rising trout

Well as luck would have it, the weather was beautiful and good friend and moderator of the Oil Creek Fishing Forum, Mark Ferringer, was available that night also.  Fellow field staffer, Don Ott, who was also heading to South Dakota with me, was also along for the evening of fishing.

Oil Creek, Pennsylvania

This was approximately the same time that I fished this stream last year and all I could remember was the amount of bugs on the water, specifically, grannom caddis.  Well this trip was no different, there were grannoms everywhere.

Mark lands a nice palomino

For some reason, the fish were not very active on top so we were forced to go down after them.  The theme for the night was going to be palominos.  Mark was the first one to tie into a real nice one that we did land, but before I could get a photo it flopped out of Mark’s hand and back into the water.  Even though there was a guy on the bridge that said it didn’t count, I will give you that one Mark.

My fish of the evening

We picked up a few fish here and there with different combinations.   I was able to land a couple of fish on top with an elk hare caddis, but there just wasn’t much activity on the surface this paticular night.  My fish of the trip was a nice palomino that I picked up on a copper john nymph.  The one thing about catching a palomino is you can always see them easily in the water as well if they are actively feeding.  This guy was actively feeding and I made a perfect cast to him and he hammered it.  I have caught a few other palominos and was never very impressed with the fight that they gave, but this guy didn’t give up easily.  He gave me two very nice water clearing jumps and a very good fight.

All in all we didn’t catch a ton of fish, but we had a blast.  It was a different kind of night on Oil Creek than I am used to, but very nice to catch some different fish.  Just goes to show you, when you head out in the outdoors, you never know what you are going to get.

I really can’t think of a better way to bring in the first day of spring than fishing for steelhead in the Lake Erie Tribs.  This past weekend I was able to do just that and also able to catch a few fish while we were at it.

Since this was my first trip to Erie in over a year, I definitely wanted to fish with some friends, so a few phone calls later, my cousin and field staffer Mike Bell and fellow field staffer Don Ott were in!

Don doing battle with the first steelhead of the day

A nice steelhead

One thing I have learned years ago is, I never expect to catch many steelhead, it just seems like I never hit it right.  I have been going to Erie for the past 8 years or so and have yet to hit one of those days that you hear so much about where guys are catching 20 and 30 steelhead in a day.  But you know what, that never really seems to matter, if I can go up, get outside, spend time with some really good friends, and manage to catch a couple, that is a REALLY GOOD DAY, and that is just what we did.

We would be running much later than usual and were only able to get on the stream by 3:00 pm.  One thing we always try to do when we fish in Erie is get away from the crowds.  I personally would much rather  catch a couple fish and have a little room than catch 20 fish elbow to elbow with other guys.  This may be part of the reason that I have never had one of those 3o steelhead day, but that is ok.  Just to catch a couple and feel the raw power of these guys is almost overwhelming.  I don’t think my forearms could handle 30 steelhead in a day!

Mike and I would both be flinging flys and Don was mixing it up with some different baits.  Don started the day off right catching the first steelie of the day.  It seemed like bait was definitely the preference, but Mike and I were able to catch 4 or 5 on our fly rods.  Don caught them mostly on minnows while Mike and I caught them on sucker spawn and egg patterns.

Me with my first steelhead of the day.  I know, nice glasses!

Mike and I with his first steelhead of the day.

There were lots of fish in the stream, but the stream was low and clear, and as any steelheader knows, is not ideal conditions.  We made the most of it and were able to land 10 steelhead in about 3 and half hours.

Mike and I with my first jack.  What a blast!

There were also two firsts for me on this trip.  I caught my first jack, and wow!  These things should be called Silver Rockets.  What a fight, the one I caught fought harder than any other fish I caught on this day.  It made three acrobatic jumps and cleared the water by at least two feet on each one.  I could catch these guys all day.

The infamous one eyed steelhead.

Little gross, but a close up of the one eyed steelhead.

My other first was catching a one eyed steelhead.  I explained to the guys that only the most seasoned fisherman can catch one eyed steelhead.  They are very wise and old and you must be able to expertly cast to their one good eye.  At least that was my reasoning, but Mike and Don were not buying it.

Heading home after an awesome day spent with good friends.

Like I said before we landed about 10 steelhead and had a blast.  Too me it is always about the time spent with good friends and family and even if we didn’t catch a fish that day, I guarantee that we would have had a great time.  I would also like to thank Mike for always giving, sometimes making, Don and I fish the good holes!

Trout season is almost hear and I can’t wait to get out on the water.  Until next time, tight lines!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER PHOTO – You MUST REGISTER on our forum to participate

Each Category Winner Will Win All The Following Prizes:

• Sportsmen Portal “Team Angler” Shirt
• McConnells Country Store and Flyshop Fishing Hat
• Medalist Men’s Scent-Inhibitor™ Silkweight Short Sleeve Mock

Rules

• Contest begins April 4th, 2009 and runs through May 26th. Because April is notorious for bad weather and high water, this contest will run long.
• To be eligible for the contest, you must be registered on our forum boards with a valid user name and e-mail address. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
• The Deadline for entry is the same as the final day of the contest May 28, 2009.
• Participants will be randomly paired with one other participant when the contest is over. A point system will determine the score for each participant. The combined points for both participants will be entered as that teams score.
• The team with the highest combined score will be declared the winners. In the event of a tie the team with the most golden trout will be declared the winner. In the event of that tie, the team with the most trophy trout will be determined the winner.
• All photos must contain the 2009 PSP Trout contest identification tag. Click Here to download the ID Tag. Photos not displaying the id tag are not eligible.
• A best overall trout photo will be selected and the winner of that contest will also receive a prize!

Scoring for the contest will be as follows:

• Each participant can enter up to 5 fish in the contest. Only one trout from each species can be entered for each participant Fish will be scored according to type as well as size. All fish must meet the state minimum for length to be eligible. (If you catch a fish that is borderline, please include a measurement in the photo).
• Fish that have the entrails removed or have had the heads or tails removed are not eligible. Also, mounted fish and/or replicas are not eligible.
• All submitted pictures become the property of PSP and may be used for future promotional purposes.

Rainbow trout – 5 pts
Brown Trout – 5 pts
Brook Trout – 5 pts
Tiger Trout – 5 pts
Golden Trout – 10pts

Bonus Points

PSP Bonus
As usual, anyone displaying a PSP logo on their clothing or on their vehicle will receive 10 bonus points.

Trophy Trout Bonus
Any trout measuring over 16 inches will receive 10 bonus points. Please provide a clear picture displaying a measurement of the fish if it is over 16 inches. Fish that appear to be to close to call will be reviewed by the judges of the contest.
Tip: use a measuring device with large clear numbers on it. Display the entire fish in the picture.

Streamside Bonus
Pictures taken Streamside will receive 2 bonus points.

PA Trout Grand-slam Bonus
Participants that enter one of each species will receive 10 bonus points.

Winners will be announced on May 28, 2009

Click Here For Complete PSP Contest Rules

There is one fly that will catch fish on the Tulpehocken Creek twelve months a year. One fly is all you need. It is the zebra midge, a simple fly that imitates the most abundant insect life in this stream. A midge, in its larva state, is distinguished by an enlarged head that is fused to a segmented thin body, usually dark in color and is smaller than a dime. Trout in the Tully depend on this aquatic life for nutrition throughout the year.

The midge is often overlooked by fly fishers due to the popularity of the caddis hatches that begin in late April and the trico hatches that begin in late June. What makes this fly so unique is the ability to fish it twelve months a year with great success, as compared to the caddis and trico imitations.

The zebra midge imitation can be fished by a number of methods. It is a sinking fly, so most of the time it will be fished dead drifted on the stream bottom with or without a strike indicator. The secret with this fly is to keep it rolling and drifting with the current down deep. Trout key on midge naturals as they get dislodged from the rocks and debris in the stream and drift with the current. This is exactly what the fly fisher is trying to imitate.

To better your chances with strikes, a tandem rig (2 fly set-up) with a strike indicator can be used. In one version, the zebra midge can be tied 12-16 inches behind the first fly, usually a type of bead head nymph, with a strike indicator further up the leader. When fishing this set-up, both flies should be drifting along the stream bottom. A good rule of thumb: if you’re not getting snagged every few casts, you’re not on the bottom. One need’s to be where the trout are feeding and that is down deep. Make sure there is enough line between your strike indicator and the first fly to achieve this. A simple technique to use to estimate stream depth is to look at the water height on your waders and add another 12 to 16 inches to compensate for stream flow. The flies will not hang directly under the strike indicator when fished, due to the differences in drift rates between the strike indicator and flies, thus the need for extra line length.

In times of high fast water, like the springtime, a weight may be added between the strike indicator and first fly to get the tandem rig down deep. Don’t be afraid to experiment with this set-up. That’s what makes this fun.

A third way to fish the zebra midge is solo through the strike zone of feeding fish. Many times feeding trout can be seen thrashing and slashing in a stream’s current a foot or two below the water’s surface. Carefully cast to these fish a few feet upstream, adjusting for stream flow, and let the midge dead drift through their strike zone. This is one of the most exhilarating moments of fishing a midge pattern, sight fishing to feeding fish just under the stream’s surface and actually seeing the “take”. Fish-on!

Zebra midges may be purchased locally at Tulpehocken Creek Outfitters (TCO), West Lawn. TCO will be glad to answer any questions about fishing this pattern and the equipment best suited for the presentations described.

The next time you head out to fish the Tulpehocken Creek, don’t forget about that small fly that will produce big results all year long, the tiny zebra midge.