I recently had the incredible opportunity to spend a day on Penns Creek with Scott Major from PA Woods N Water. Scott has been creating content for his YouTube channel for eight years, and his videos have been a significant part of my fly fishing education. My father introduced me to his channel several years ago, and I’ve been an avid viewer ever since, soaking up Scott’s knowledge and passion for the sport.
Meeting a Mentor
Scott fishes all over Pennsylvania and even has some videos from streams in New York and out West. His specialty, however, is the Upper Delaware River. This resonates deeply with me, as my Uncle Don, my fishing mentor, passed on his love for the Upper Delaware to me. I recently wrote a tribute post about Uncle Don and his influence on my fishing journey.
When I reached out to Scott for a collaboration, I was thrilled when he agreed. We chose a day in mid-June, blessed with a high of only 66 degrees—perfect fishing weather. Scott graciously showed me two different sections of Penns Creek that I had never fished before.
A Day on the River
We started early, with the June sun hiding behind a low ceiling of gray clouds. As we fished, we discussed various techniques and shared stories. Scott is a true gentleman, with immense respect for the sport of fly fishing and fellow anglers. Despite his mastery, he remains open to continuous learning and generously shares his knowledge.
Scott’s Traditional Approach
Scott is a traditionalist. He primarily uses a floating fly line but catches more fish underneath than any pure “euro-style” or tight line angler I know. He employs a braided leader and a three-nymph rig to present different options to the fish. Unlike some anglers, he ties his nymphs in a straight line through the eye of the hook instead of using tags.
At the start of his drift, Scott dead drifts all three flies through the strike zone in succession. He focuses on targeting fish on the bottom of the river, not concerning himself with the water column at the start of his drift. At the end of the drift, he lets his flies swing and then holds them momentarily , a technique he refers to as “the hang.” Interestingly, he catches about 50 percent of his fish at the start of the drift and the other half during the swing and the hang. This method is highly effective and showcases his skill and understanding of how trout eat under the surface.
Different Styles, Shared Learning
Over the past few years, I have learned to use a mono rig setup from troutbitten.com, which differs from Scott’s traditional approach. Keeping fly line on my reel, I attach a 30-foot “mono-rig” leader. I use a variety of different diameters, but on this day, I was using Troutbitten’s standard mono rig formula. I explained to Scott how I like the versatility of the system. It allows me to quickly convert my setup to a dry dropper rig, which the situation called for on this day. I can even throw a single dry fly for short distances. The only limitation is making long casts, but in such cases, I simply remove the mono rig leader and attach a dry fly leader to my floating fly line. Of course, I can’t take credit for any of that; I’ve learned all of this from Troutbitten.com.
Scott and I also differ on how we manage our weight when nymphing. Scott primarily uses split shot, while I manage my weight by using different bead sizes. I’ve discussed this in previous posts, tying and organizing my nymphs by weight. I change my bead size the same way Scott adds and subtracts split shot. Either way, we both agree that making weight adjustments is one of the keys to effective nymphing.
Not Just Nymphing
Scott and I didn’t just catch fish underneath all day. We spent much of the afternoon and evening casting to rising fish. I’m not much of a “match the hatch” guy. Scott is much better at this and has the fly selection to prove it! One fly that ended up being very effective for me is a bi-visible style fly that my Uncle Don swears by. He called it his “World Famous Fly.” He gave me a box full of them, and I use them all the time when nothing else seems to work. I’m going to need to learn how to tie them because I’m starting to run out! Since there were slate drakes on the water that day, I went with the bigger size. Scott and I both found that giving them some movement would trigger strikes.
The Power of the Swing
One thing I have learned from Scott is that trout will take a swinging nymph. While a dead drift is always the primary target, I’ve learned from Scott’s videos to not be afraid to let flies drift below and swing. I used this method in this video when fishing wider areas, trying to cover water and fishing shallow riffles. I was able to get hookups by targeting higher areas of the water column with my flies on the swing.
Capturing the Experience
Unfortunately, my camera filled up a little after midday, so I couldn’t capture all the footage, especially the late afternoon when we got into a lot of fish on dry flies. Despite this, the time spent fishing was only part of the day’s joy. Equally rewarding was the fellowship and conversation with Scott. His openness to learning and generosity in sharing his knowledge made the day special.
Reflections and Take Aways
Spending a day on Penns Creek with Scott was a reminder of why I love fly fishing. It’s not just about the fish; it’s about continuous learning and the joy of shared experiences. Scott’s approach taught me to be more observant, patient, and thoughtful in my technique. I also learned that you don’t have to be in the peak hatch season to have a great day on the water. Though the major hatches have ended, there is still plenty of action to be had. Even in mid-June, Scott and I found plenty of rising trout. As we head into the summer months, being able to adapt to the conditions will be critical to keeping the catch rate high. I look forward to seeing where Scott takes us this summer in his videos and how he adapts to summer flows and temperatures. Be sure to check out his past videos to learn how he handles these conditions. It might be time to head to the cold waters of the Delaware!
I’ve put together a YouTube video of the day, and I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here. Scott’s channel, PA Woods n Water, also has a fantastic video of our adventure, offering his perspective.
Join the Conversation
I hope you enjoyed reading about our day on Penns Creek. Have you had any memorable fishing collaborations or learned something new from a fellow angler? Share your stories in the comments below. Let’s continue to learn from each other and make every trip a memorable one.
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