10:00 a.m. Henry Ramsay: Fishing the Mid-Season Hatches
Fishing the Mid-Season Hatches discusses the important mayfly, caddis and stonefly hatches eastern anglers might experience on the water, their lifecycles, habitats, recent reclassifications and the fly patterns I carry to imitate them. Hatches covered includes March Browns, Sulphurs, Cahills, Cornuta Olives, Hydropsyche and Psilotreta caddis, Yellow Sallies, Slate Drakes and Green Drakes. This presentation shows images of each insect in their life cycle stages, imitative fly patterns and some approaches to fishing their emergences based on more than 50 years of fly fishing and tying experience. Henry Ramsay is the owner of http://www.ramsayflies.com and author of “Matching Major Eastern Hatches” and co-author of “Keystone Fly Fishing.”
11:00 a.m. Join Shawn Holsinger, owner and operator of Holsinger’s Guide Service, for an exciting presentation that delves into his 30+ years of fly fishing expertise in Western Central Pennsylvania. Raised amidst the limestone-rich
mountains of the region, Shawn has honed his craft on trout-rich waters, including the famed Little Juniata River and the popular Yellow Creek in Bedford County. Shawn’s passion lies in exploring the incredible Class A wild trout streams of the area, and he’ll share insights into the unique opportunities these waters offer.
Shawn’s presentation will also include highlights from his recent fishing adventure in Africa, showcasing an entirely different and fascinating side of fly fishing.
In addition to guiding, Shawn is a member of the Pro Staff for his family’s business, Holsinger’s Fly Shop, located in East Freedom, Pennsylvania, on the banks of the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River. He also manages the highly popular Holsinger’s Fly Shop YouTube channel, where he shares fly-tying tutorials, fishing tips, and insights from his travels. Through his work, Shawn has had the privilege of fly fishing in destinations like Colorado for large cutthroats, West Virginia and Maryland for trout, and the Great Lakes region for steelhead, browns, and salmon.
Don’t miss this chance to learn from Shawn’s wealth of experience and passion for the sport.
To explore more, visit www.holsingersflyshop.com.
12:00 p.m. Fly Fishing the Chesapeake Bay
Capt. Simón Valencia , is one of the owners of Current Culture Fly, a guide service focusing on the tidal waters of Virginia. The outfit’s goals are to give fly anglers opportunities that are only achievable on a motorboat, often seeking species of fish that are rarely targeted with a fly in the region. Some of the species caught on our boats last year include: Red Drum, Speckled Trout, Striped Bass, Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Cobia, White Perch, Yellow Perch, Hickory Shad, American Shad, Bowfin, Gar, Snakehead, and even Catfish! The operation switches to bird hunting in the winter, both, upland and waterfowl.
Capt. Valencia will be presenting on Sight-fishing for Red Drum on the flats and tidal creeks while including conversation about other opportunities in the Southern Chesapeake Bay.
This presentation will aim at being educational, interactive, and exciting, highlighting the adrenaline rush of sight-fishing only a few hours south.
1:00 p.m. “Gunpowder Trout – Exposed”: tactics and approaches to a successful day on the Gunpowder river Join local fly fishing guide, Bryan Donoway, for an exciting presentation on the
Gunpowder River watershed and what it takes to get the wild browns that inhabit those waters to “play the game” and make for a productive day. Bryan is an Orvis-endorsed
Guide and was awarded “2022 Orvis Fly Fishing Guide of the Year.” He has been
fishing the Gunpowder and Savage River watersheds for over 25 years and has been a
professional fishing guide for over a decade!
The presentation will cover fishing all four seasons on the water and what tactics will
make you a better Gunpowder River trout angler. Fly selection and how to fish them will
also be covered as well as when and where. From Trout Spey to Tightlining, the
Gunpowder River can be fished with success using a multitude of techniques.
2:00 p.m. Maryland’s Fly Fishing Trail Presentation by Rich Batiuk, past president of Free State Fly Fishers and leader of the Maryland Fly Fishing Trail Team. Launched in September 2020 with 48 sites, 2 each in Maryland’s 23 counties and the City of Baltimore, this is the “first in the nation” statewide fly fishing trail. It’s the ideal way to discover new places to fish
and public access points where anglers can cast from shore, wade, kayak, canoe, boat, or charter with opportunities to catch nearly 40 different fish species. The linked trail is a great way to introduce new anglers to what makes fly fishing so special. The trail website offers local fishing knowledge, including what gear you’ll need, where to buy it, and how to find guides and charter boats. This presentation will show how to take full advantage of everything Maryland’s Fly Fishing Trail has to offer to greatly expand your fly-fishing experiences across the state.
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