Hi Everyone,

The end of winter is just weeks away and it’s time to seriously gear up for the spring season. Now that we are entering peak season, I’ll be sharing this update at the beginning of every month, recapping what we’ve been doing and providing an outlook for what the next month has to offer on the fishing end.

Winter Recap
Our Guides were able to sneak a few opportune days on the water with some clients who weren’t afraid to take on the cold. Despite dealing with blizzards, icy guides, and low water conditions, we were able to put together some solid days and catch some quality fish in the process. Nymphing with eggs and cress bugs as well as tossing the occasional streamer were all effective throughout the season. This year the winter fishing was a little more challenging due to a very strong cold snap that made shelf ice a real problem, as well as lower than average flows which made the ice problem worse in many places.

Show Season

Relentless Fly Fishing made appearances throughout the winter show circuit, including Edison, Virginia, and Atlanta. Jake was busy with seminars and time in the authors booth, while our other guides were hanging out chatting and tying flies at the booth. Many of our guides ran tying classes over the winter months which is a great way to push through those cold winter days that make fishing challenging.

Jake sneaking out to catch a Redfish after the Atlanta show

Listen to Frank on the Wade Out There Podcast!

March Outlook South Central PA

Yellow Breeches

March is a tricky time for the Yellow Breeches because the majority of the creek is closed until the PA trout opener due to stocking. This relegates people to the catch and release section near Boiling Springs, and thus things are a bit more crowded on the water. Despite this, there are some awesome hatches that really get going strong in March in the C&R water. Grannom Caddis and Hendrickson fishing has the potential to be lights out. Grannoms come in amazing numbers and dominate the creek when they are really on. Hendricksons, though not quite as dense of a hatch, will often bring fish up even when numbers are sporadic. When these hatches are on, other anglers on the creek are not as problematic because fish seem to rise all over the place and will give you plenty of targets. If crowds turn you off, look to other places during the month of March. Flows have improved lately, but more rain will be welcomed!

A respectable wild brown form the Breeches C & R water.

CV Spring Creeks

Both Big Spring and the Letort start to give us more dry fly fishing opportunities in March, namely in the way of smaller olives. The typical offerings will continue to work. Scuds, cress bugs, and sculpin patterns are all great. Expect a slight increase in angler pressure, but not nearly as bad as the Breeches C&R.

Bass

Bass start to get back on the feed in March with the early part of the pre-spawn action firing up on the Susquehanna tribs. Floating with one of our guides is the most efficient way to catch bass on the fly this time of year as a boat is a crucial tool in navigating the flows in early spring, especially as temps are still chilly. If you want to throw big swim flies on intermediate lines this is the start of that season. This is a great early season option before the trout opener in April.

March Outlook Central PA

Spring Creek

March on Spring Creek is all about the Blue Winged Olive hatch. This is the first great hatch of the year in Central PA and it's worth the effort to seek out. Look for cloudy drizzly days for your best chance to run into this awesome dry fly opportunity. Small streamers on the edges can also be fun and productive. If you aren’t opposed to fishing eggs this late into the year, the sucker spawn is also in the cards, which if you find the right water, can be some of the easiest fishing you can encounter on Spring Creek. Later in the month as we approach April, you can also find Grannoms starting on the lower river and working their way upstream. In recent years the Grannoms are being spotted further and further upstream. Flows are seasonally low but fishable.

Penns Creek

BWOs are also around on Penns Creek in March, though not quite as reliable and ubiquitous as Spring Creek. You can also find some fun opportunities to fish brown and black winter stoneflies. Look for them fluttering in the slow water before getting intercepted by a feeding brown. This can be tough fishing requiring long casts but is quite rewarding when it comes together. We often see this activity later in the day. Early in the month or before spring temps come through, March can often resemble an extension of winter fishing scenarios, but that can change as the month progresses. Peak bug season for Penns really gets moving in April, but March starts to show signs. Flows on Penns right now look great!

Upcoming Events

Lancaster Show

Come meet and hang out with the Relentless crew at the Lancaster show March 15th and 16th. This is a great venue and awesome show that is right in our backyard. Jake, Frank, Neil, Tom, Alex and Eric will all be around tying flies and talking fishing. Find us right next to the TCO Booth by the main entrance!

Book your trips!

If you're interested in fishing with us, now is the time to get on our calendar. Especially if you want to go out with a specific guide or a specific day, it's best to get on the calendar sooner rather than later. We also updated our booking procedure to make it easier for you to get on the books. Book directly on our website now with the ability to see the availability for all of our guides based on the region of the state they work in. April and May are the highlight of the year for trout season and is also a great time to catch smallies on big streamers.