I have been many things so far in my life; however I have never been a good writer or poet, so this story will not be told as beautifully as it could be

Last year four "Jersey Boys" who knew very little about the art of flyfishing and even less about country living decided to take a trip to Elk Springs Resort in WV to learn a little about both. Returning with a new love for the south, flyfishing, biscuits w/ gravy and no cell phone signal it’s no wonder we had to go back. This year however, we went down not so much for our selves, but for our fifth newly converted fly fisherman, who just hoped to have as good of a time as we did.

Leaving Thursday night, to beat rush hour traffic, we started our eight and a half hour journey to the mountains of WV and the limestone feed river within. Arriving the Friday morning in the cold rain, fishing was the furthest thought from our minds. After eating some breakfast and saying hello to John the manager and a couple of other long seen friends we hit the sack with the slim hope that later that evening there might be a hatch. Needless to say with the weather, there wasn't one. That night we convened at the grill to drink, in moderation of course , and make some new friends who came out from Pittsburgh, PA. After a few more drinks and tons of laughs we all went to sleep looking forward to tomorrow.

Saturday morning we rose to regrettably find more cold drizzle, but all was well in WV when it cleared up by noon. Hitting the river for a good part of the day we didn't have much luck. No one seemed to mind too much as we where just happy to be out on the river. We returned to the Flyshop/grill in time for Phil's, our 5th member's flyfishing lesson. At this point our so far bust fishing trip took a complete 180. Watching him learn so much in such a short period of time was a real spirit lifter for us. After all that is what we where really there for. After his casting lesson with his teacher and guide "Wild Man" Bill he hit the holding area of Spring Creek to try out his freshly learned skills. He was luckier than some as he had "Wild Man" Bill, Todd aka Brogan, my brothers Eric, Brian and I to net for him and give him some encouraging words. It wasn't long before every other cast he had a fish on. By that evening he was both excided and exhausted. As Dawn came we eagerly awaited the signs of a hatch, however again the cold air that rolled in killed any hopes of one.

Sunday we woke to find nice sunny warmer weather. We said goodbye to the "Pittsburgh Boys" who where leaving that morning and we headed off for some fish. On that day, Brian caught a nice 16-18" brown, Eric caught a pretty 12 brookie and I caught a native fingerling brookie and a 12 inch brown. Not too bad for a bunch of amateurs like us. Later that evening at the grill as we where finishing up dinner, Bill came in and told us some great news, a hatch was coming off. Walking out side the air had a slight mist of march browns, sulphures and midges. Getting down on the river at the "mill pool" the air was more like a blinding fog of insects. So much that I wish I had one of those jungle hats with the mosquito net. I have seen hatches on KLG before, but nothing like this. Rises where every where you looked. There was so much activity that it was almost overwhelming. One of the two mistakes we made that night was using 7x tippet. John had warned us to use 5x tippet, however in our rush to get out there and cast a line no one wanted to take the time to change their tippet. By sundown about an hour later, Eric had landed two Brian, Phil and I had land one each. Phil and I had twins as they where both 16-18 bows that fought hard till the very end. Mine actual took me into my backing as it was trying to escape down one of the two off shoots of the Mill Pool. Many more where lost than landed, but we still had a blast.

Monday Morning came and it was time for us to go. Not eager to start our eight and a half hour trip home, we hit the river again for a couple of hours that morning, after which we said good bye to John, Bill and the others and started our way home. As we where leaving I was thinking of the conversation Bill and I had after Phil’s casting lessons. I asked him why they let beginners fish in the holding areas. He told me that he could teach some one how to setup their gear, cast, identify insects and send them off to the river, but he would only be doing half of his job. The other half is “putting them on the fish” to show them they can do it. With that new earned confidence they will be less likely to get frustrated and quit. It is that level of commitment to their customers that will keep us going back year after year.

If you remember I mentioned the first of to mistakes we made Sunday during the hatch. The Second mistake was trusting a waterproof Kodak disposable camera to catch our crowning moments. Maybe it was the lack of light or more likely just a defective camera, but half the film was empty. Being an amateur photographer, I should have known better. We will not make that mistake again. Here are some of the pics we do have:

The Jersey Boys (Bottom left to right: Brogan and Phil - Top left to right: Eric, Brian and myself)


Our home away from home:


Phil’s casting and spring creek lesson:




Fishing and River Pics:







Elk Springs Website: Fly Fishing at Elk Springs West Virginia!