We put some miles on the wading boots today. My son and I hiked into the deep and steep valley of Slate Run to fish for wild brown trout. The air temps started at 25 degrees in the morning and only improved to the high 30’s The fishing gods were not overly generous with numbers but we each managed to catch a truly nice brown with a few other smaller specimens including a couple native brook trout. The long hikes in and out of the valley were a great opportunity to talk fishing, life and have a few laughs.. including when I did a nose dive traversing some big fallen trees. I’m not as nimble as I used to be but I’m pretty darn durable. Ha ha!

The first day on Slate I watched as my son worked this trout for a few casts. I could tell that he was focused on a specific trout in the pool but because of his calm demeanor its hard to gauge the size of the fish. I’ve found over the years of guiding that the intensity and speed of an anglers movements is directly correlated to the size of the fish the angler sees. The more kinetic activity and flailing about of the rod.. the bigger the fish! Not so with my son. Calm and steady won the day with this nice wild brown trout on the often meligned “Green Weenie” fly.

I landed my big trout on our second day at Slate. The torpedo shaped brown trout took an old school beaded Prince Nymph on a perfect drift through a run. The run was very quick and only about 12 inches deep. I’d like to say that I had a feeling about the water but it was just one of those nondescript runs that you fish because your working your way up toward “better water”. The fish put up a fantastic fight on my 10 ft 3 wt nymphing rod. The buttery color of this brown trout was incredibly vivid in the low gray light of the early morning. It is now one of my all time favorite trout catches.

My son and I always try to consciously take some time on our excursions to lift our eyes beyond the riffles, runs and pockets and take in some of the great sites that exist in the wilds of Pennsylvania. As an unnamed wise man once said, “trout do not live in ugly places”. We discovered a series of two rather large water falls about 40 yards off the main creek. A perfect spot to sit, rest and reflect on the day.

Food is always an integral part of our fly fishing trips. Sometimes we cook streamside and other times we hit a local establishment. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just good. On a number of occasions we’ve enjoyed the food and drink at the Manor Hotel that sits on the confluence of Slate Run and Pine Creek. Today the Manor’s heat was very much appreciated after several hours out in the cold. Some warm food, cold drink and lively conversation at the end of a memorable two days of fishing! Time to head home and dream about the next adventure.