Guided Fly Fishing for Trout in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has some of the best trout fishing in the country. Though our rivers are loaded with fish, they’re not always easy to catch. A guided trip is a great way to ensure you have success on the water. Innovative angling offers trips customized to what you want to do, from catching your first fish on a fly, to head hunting big trout on dry flies form the raft, to targeted skill building trips for advanced anglers, and everything in between.
Pennsylvania Guided Trout Fly Fishing Trip Options and Rates
Half Day Walk & Wade Trip
4 Hours
Half day walk & wade trips are a great way to see what Pennsylvania trout fishing is all about or hone your skills.
$400
Full Day Float Trip
8 Hours
Float trips are a great way to explore our larger trout rivers. We’ll cover more water and better shots at fresh fish. This is our favorite way to target big fish on dries in the spring.
$650
Full Day Walk & Wade Trip
8 Hours
A full day walk and wade is the best way to learn new skills and up your game. We highly recommend full day trips for our euro and dry lessons.
$550
Guided Trout Fishing in Pennsylvania
Though Central Pennsylvania has amazing trout fishing, it can also be very technical. Our fisheries aren’t easy, but we’ll do everything we can to make sure you have a successful day on the water. What exactly we do with our day is up to you. We customize every trip to your specific needs, whether that’s how you want to fish, what you want to learn, or simply what you want to get out of the experience. While all of our guide trips are educational, some clients prefer to focus more on catching fish and experiencing new water, while others come to us specifically to learn new tactics and improve their skills.
All trips are led by our head guide, Fly Fishing Team USA member Mike Komara, a 5X World Fly Fishing Championship team medalist and 2X national third-place finisher. Mike is an expert in all forms of trout fly fishing and a world-class instructor in euro nymphing and dry fly tactics. Whatever you want get out of your guide trip, we’ll make it happen!
PA Walk & Wade Fly Fishing Trips
Walk & Wade trips are our most popular trip type here in Pennsylvania. We offer both full (8 hour) and half day 4 hour) walk & wades, and guarantee fish on either option. Half day tips are great for getting acclimated to Pennsylvania trout fishing or work on one specific skill, while full day trips are better for really upping your game and getting into lots of fish.
These trips are the best way to learn and practice new skills, because we can really break down the water in front of us. We recommend walk & wade’s to anyone coming to us for a fly fishing lesson or education focused trip. Since we’re mobile on W&W’s, we can fish any of our Central PA waters down to the smallest spring creeks, as well as link multiple rivers or sections of river together in a single day. We can accommodate 1-2 anglers of any skill level, age, or physical ability level on walk and wade trips.
PA Fly Fishing Float Trips
Pennsylvania is not widely know as a state with great float fishing, but we have a few rivers that offer amazing fishing from a raft during the right time of year. This a is a great way to experience larger sections of some of our favorite rivers, and creates more interesting and varied overall experience for the day. Float trips are also our favorite way to head hunt for big fish during hatch season, because we can cover tons of water in search of risers. From our rafts, we can either fish from the boat with dries, streamers, or indicator rigs, or use the boat as more of a taxi to take us from one great spot to the next where we can get out and wade fish to really pick apart the water. Using our rafts we can also fish the stocked lakes in our area, which can be exceptionally fun. This is how we teach loch style fishing and Stillwater tactics.
Float fishing in Pennsylvania is heavily dependent on the water conditions. We have just a few rivers that have the size and access to get the boat down, so there has to be enough water. Not only that, but these larger rivers also have to be cool enough to ethically fish, which means there’s limited summer time fishing. Because of that, we primarily run floats in the spring, from March to Mid-May, conditions allowing. Float trips can sometimes be run during the summer if conditions line up, but that is on a day to day basis.
Trout Fly Fishing Seasons in Pennsylvania
Trout fishing is great 365 days a year in Pennsylvania. That being said, since we operate in New Zealand through the winter, our PA trout trips start up in Mid-March. Fishing this time of year can be great if you’re willing to brave the cold. Mid-March is usually the start of our BWO hatches, as well as the sucker spawn, so not only can the nymphing be exceptional, but we often get a few shots at fish on top mid-day.
As we move into April, the fishing and water conditions only get better. The first week of April opens up our stocked trout season, which can be some very fun and fast paced fishing. After that, our hatches really start up with the Grannom caddis and Hendricksons These are some of the best hatches of the year, and bring up some big fish that haven’t been bothered in a while. The nymphing is also exceptional through this month, probably some of the best of the year.
May brings the sulphur hatch to our Central PA rivers, which is probably the most fun hatch of the year to fish. Some exceptional fish are caught on top this time of year, especially during our float trips on the Little J. The hatch and the water conditions peak around the second week of May, and begin tapering off towards June. Around Memorial Day we get our green drake hatch on a few rivers, which can be quite the spectacle and fishing.
June through September is our classic summertime PA fishing. Some of our rivers get to low and warm, but a few stay perfectly fishable through the whole summer. Nymphing is the name of the game this time of year, and is usually quite good. By mid-July the tricos are hatching, and can provide some fun morning dry fly fishing if you know where to go. When mid September comes around, we head back to New Zealand to guide for the monster trout down there.
No matter when you chose to fish Pennsylvania, we’ll make sure you have a great day, learn a few things, and get on some great fish!
Common Questions & Answers
What do I need to bring on my guide trip?
Some anglers prefer to bring all their own equipment, while others prefer to travel light and use ours. Whatever your case is, there are a few items we recommend you bring either to be more comfortable, or because we can’t provide them:
- Sunglasses
- A sunshirt and hat
- Sunscreen
- Extra water
- Snacks
- Having your own waders (if you want waders at all) is recommended for the most comfortable fit
How much fishing experience do I need?
Absolutely none! We can work with you to plan a trip to your skill level, where you’ll have fun, catch fish, and learn some new tricks whether you a beginner, intermediate, or advanced angler.
Is lunch provided?
We can provide lunch for full or half day trips at an additional cost, or you can choose to bring your own. In either case, we will take a short (15-30 minute) break during the middle of the day to eat and stay hydrated.
How can I pay for my trip?
We accept cash, check, Venmo, or Zelle due by the end of our trip. Deposits are due at the time of booking, and the remainder of the trip is due at the end of your fishing day. Deposits are refundable up to 14 days before your date, and 30 days before your date during prime time (April-May)
Where We Guide in Central Pennsylvania
We run guided fly fishing trips on all the famous Central Pennsylvania limestoners and Cumberland Valley spring creeks, as well as some of the larger freestone rivers in between. You can find info on some of our favorite waters below: Spring Creek, Big Fishing Creek, Penn’s Creek, The Little Juniata, The Letort, Big Spring Creek, Kish Creek, and the Yellow Breeches. We also guide a few secret rivers that you’ll just have to book a trip to find out about!
