Tag Archives: Pennsylvania

A Good Day For It

Posted on March 27, 2021 by rivertoprambles

The sunlit day was beautiful. I found myself fishing in the cold water (35 degrees F.) of a Pennsylvania river where the trout seemed few and far between. I did manage to capture and release a first brown trout of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bamboo fly rod, birds, fly-fishing, Genesee River, Pennsylvania, poetry, technology, trout, wildlife | 15 Comments

The Wild Boy Campfire, 1891

Posted on November 29, 2019 by rivertoprambles

1/ So, Mr. Goodyear and his men believed they owned the place– the forests of northern Pennsylvania, the mountains good for building railroads over, the sawmills great for gobbling up the white pine first and then the giant hemlocks… Hold … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged forest fires, Goodyear, Hawthorn, Hide-Behind, history, House of Seven Gables, lumbering, narration, nature, Pennsylvania, poetry, Salem, Wild Boy Campfire, wilderness, wildlife, witches, writing | 9 Comments

A Thin Man Fishing

Posted on November 7, 2019 by rivertoprambles

Physically, the thin man isn’t really thin but, looking at a thread-bare autumn day, he felt that way– just basic flesh and bone, reduced to seasonal elements. His summer garments had been stripped away, replaced by heavy clothing to ward … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fiction, fly-fishing, hiking, invasive species, narrative, nature, non-fiction, Pennsylvania, poetry, society, thin man, Walt Franklin, wild trout, wilderness, writing | 13 Comments

Jumping the Back Fence

Posted on October 30, 2019 by rivertoprambles

Wild Boy Run was named for Lewis “Wild Boy” Stevens who settled on the Pennsylvania mountain stream in 1842. Born to alcoholic and abusive parents, Stevens “jumped the back fence” of his home (in New Jersey) at age eleven and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged brook trout, fishing, hiking, history, jumping the fence, Lake Ontario tribs, Lewis Stevens, narrative, peace, Pennsylvania, poetry, Salmon River, small streams, war, Wild Boy Run | 18 Comments

Lil’ Dorothy’s Riffle

Posted on July 17, 2019 by rivertoprambles

1. Late morning on a wild trout stream flowing through old farmland. The sky sun-bright and cloudless; the air getting warm. The water summer low and tight with vegetation, not exactly promising for the fisherman… And the brown trout? Spooky … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bee-Balm, fly tying, fly-fishing, friendship, Genesee River, Lil' Dorothy, Mark Libertone, Pennsylvania, poetry, soft hackles, Sulphurs, Walt Franklin, wild trout, writing | 24 Comments

Autumn Run: Four Strands

Posted on October 2, 2018 by rivertoprambles

1/ The first full day of autumn brought the usual blend of premonition and seasonal promise. I drove to Lyman Run, thankful for the sweatshirt on a morning as chilly as the John Cale tunes, like “Fear is a Man’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged autumn, fly-fishing, hiking, nature, Pennsylvania, photography, September, small streams, transitions, trout, wild, writing | 13 Comments

First Signs (At 37 Degrees)

Posted on March 27, 2018 by rivertoprambles

This one is as short and simple as the first tentative signs of spring. I keep under the radar of what’s happening in the news and just report on what is not so new. The weather is becoming fair, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birds, brook trout, dry flies, environment, family, fly-fishing, hiking, natural history, Pennsylvania, protest, signs of spring, society, Spring | 23 Comments

Black Stones and Zonker Pie

Posted on February 21, 2018 by rivertoprambles

Adam Russo, from Lancaster PA, introduced himself by email, thanking Rivertop Rambles for being an interesting and informative blog. The young fly-fisherman offered to tie a few of his Zonker specimens that he’s found to be especially effective in north-central … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Allegheny River, environment, fly patterns, fly-fishing, friends, nature, Pennsylvania, Spring, stonefly, trout, winter fishing, Zonker | 18 Comments

I Love/Hate Investigations

Posted on January 31, 2018 by rivertoprambles

I love investigations, especially when they involve fish, birds, and wildflowers. Investigations involving politics, economics, or health– not so much. Returning to familiar Pennsylvania headwaters for a second consecutive weekend, I began to ponder the presence of brown trout in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged activism, Allegheny, environment, First Mind, fishing, fracking, hatcheries, investigations, nature, Pennsylvania, Seneca Nation, waste treatment plant, wild, Wind in Willows, writing, Zen | 21 Comments

The High Bridge

Posted on October 30, 2017 by rivertoprambles

The high bridge that I have in mind is not some railroad or passageway on a trestle over an impressive gorge or canyon. It’s a simple concrete bridge that takes a forest road in northern Pennsylvania over a favorite trout … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bridge, Butternut Hollow, ecology, fly-fishing, habitat, headwaters, native trout, Pennsylvania, photography, small streams, stream remediation, wild trout, writing | 16 Comments