The past couple of weeks have been busy with the fall steelhead Season kicking into high gear. The Boy's even got to get out and play a day up in New York while back here the Pennsylvania and Ohio Tribs were blown out.They were rewarded well and picked up some nice Browns, Kings, Atlantics and even a Trophy Coho.

Most of our fishing has been on the Pennsylvania Tribs where the numbers our looking real nice for this Fall and we are really impressed with the number of hogs we have seen and caught. The flies of choice have been size 14 blue steel caddis, size 10 kazulens caddis, size 10 black & peacock stone, size 12 steelhead blood worm, size 10 quick descent caddis, size 14 egg colored egg patterns, size 14 light blue egg patterns and size 14 champagne egg patterns.

We have also been poking around on the Northeast Ohio side of the Alley and have started to pick up some decent numbers of fish and look forward to some productive days in the following weeks to come. All the tribs are in need of some rain, but keep your selection of flies small and more neutral in colors and stay as stealthy as possible and you will be rewarded.

We will try to post a report as often as we can or feel free to call anytime for a report right from streamside. If your interested in booking a trip give Mark a call at 724-317-8582

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We were honored to be a part of the Project Healing Waters Wounded Warriors that took place about a week ago in conjunction with The One Fly Contest held by forum members of Fish USA. There was a dinner the night before in honor of the veterans. The next day's festivities started with each Veteran being presented with a gift of a custom fly rod, reel and flies to be used during the day's contest. There were enormous amounts of food, games and door prizes.

Rods were designed and built by Skip Hughes, owner of milecreekcustomrods & some nice bamboo rods by Jack Gripp, both were also the event coordinaters. They did a tremendous job with the help of many behind the scenes, however there are too many to list. defranksflies supplied all the fly box assortments for the Wounded Warrior Veterans. All the veterans caught fish including one hefty brown that lit a fire of excitement and kept all of them grinning from ear to ear the entire day.

Well the Alley in PA has been heating up. The numbers are looking much better compared to the start of last year's Fall season. There are very good numbers of Steelhead in the streams now and with the last amount of rain we received has pushed more up in and the streams are holding at a good level. There is significant rainfall due tonight that will blow the streams out again and will push even more fish up and will help keep good water levels.

The numbers and quality of Browns are really looking good for this Fall. We have been catching quite a few with nice size to them.

If you are interested in getting out with us for an enjoyable and exciting day of landing some chromers and the very good chance to land a nice trophy Brown, we still have some open days left.

Give us a call 724-317-8582 or email mark@defranksflies.com

Well the 2011 Fall Steelhead season is upon us. The air temps are cooling down and the foliage is beginning to transform into Autumn colors. This is the calling to a Steelhead Angler's Summer nights dreams anticipating the onset of Fall Steelhead Fishing.

Patience my fellow anglers, the season is just starting to simmer along the Alley in PA with some numbers of fish making it up to at least the half way point on Elk Creek and periods of decent fishing on the east side, although some of the creek mouths were still congested making it more difficult for fish to enter the streams...more heavy rains will help open them up.

As far as the Ohio side of the Alley the bite has been grim and not looking promising as of yet, but usually blossoms later in the Fall season.

I will post more as the season starts to come to a boil.

Tight Lines-------<*} ]]]]]]>(

- Mark

Would someone please turn off the faucet! The weather forecast dosn't look promissing for the next few days, rainfall amounts are from half to an inch and the water flows are already way up. The fish are getting their fill of chocolate milk for sure. My prediction is that most streams will not fish until weeks end or the first part of next week. It would be nice to make a positive report for a change.

Tight Lines---------------<*} ]]]]]]]>(

- Mark

It's a good morning to be at the vise. The water levels are on the rise, putting a hault to the thoughts of drowning some flies. We had substantial rainfall thru the night and more to come over the next few days with Wednesday bringing the bulk of the precipitation, while as of right now the skies are dark and dismal with spotty showers and an occasional poke of the hay maker shining thru to give false hopes of a bright sunny Sunday Morning.

Looks like my day will be spent shooting some new fly tying tutorials.

I will post again Monday night to give some insight on the water conditions for the later part of the week...Tight Lines All!

- Mark

5-14-11

We didn't get as much rain as I thought we would thru the early morning hours and this afternoon allowing some of the streams to come down to fishable levels while others did not, however we just had some heavy storms roll thru around 9 PM and the prediction is still for an additional 1 inch or more of rain on the way. I will be out tomorrow to get a look at the Casselman, Dunbar and Meadow Run and report as early as I can.

Well, Mother nature has done it again. We have received heavy storms late this afternoon and evening with more to come overnight and thru the next couple of days, they are predicting around an inch of rain. The Yough River is blown out, also including Meadow Run, Dunbar Creek, Laurel Hill, Casselman River, Savage River and North Branch of the Patomoic. If we get the predicted amount of rain, I don't see any of them to be fishable until next Tuesday and Wednesday.

- Mark

5-10-11

It has been a while since I have reported, but as you can see we have been busy overhauling the site and I hope everyone enjoys the new look as well as the additions. We are aware of a few glitches, such as the photo gallery and are currently addressing the problem and should have it fixed soon. We still have more content to add as well, so check back often.

WOW... What a wet Spring this year! We mannaged to get a few Steelhead trips in, but had to cancel most of them due to rain and high water flows and they are forecasting a wet Summer to boot. Rivers flows are finally getting back to normal with the exception of the Yough still running high. Keep an eye on the flow gauge and a comfortable level to wade would be no higher than 2.5 to 3 feet. Hopefully we won't miss all of the March brown hatch.

Most of our fishing has been on Dunbar Creek and Meadow Run and a few days on the Casselman and Savage River . Dunbar has been fishing the best, while Meadow Run was still running a little strong 2 days ago, but with very good visability. Most presentations have been sub-surface, with the hot flies being the #10 Finn Bugger, #16 CDC Tan Extended Body Caddis(sinking it as a pupa imatation), #12 Grim Reaper and the Latex March brown wet fly. Some dry fly action was had on the Savage floating a sz 18 BWO.

Mayflies to expect hatching in the following days...

March Browns - Now, should be hatching on fair weather days late afternoons.

Sulphurs - Now, late afternoons with the spinner fall at dusk.

Cahills - Within a week or so we should start to see some cahills hatching.

Green Drakes - By the end of the month.

Brown drakes - Shortly after the Green drakes start to appear.

- Mark DeFrank

11-20-10

I fished Ohio the past few days and the angling is just starting to pick up, it has been a late Fall Run for the Ohio Fishery, but is looking very promising for the next few weeks until the dead of winter hits the Alley. Most of our trips have been to the PA streams and all have fished well depending on the weather conditions, precipitation, and migration of the steelhead. We have moved from different locations (streams and sections of) as expected of a steelhead angler to stay successful. Tactics, fly selections and rig set up all vary from our day to day encounters of conditions that dictate what type of set up we will use that day.

11-12-10

Mother Nature is testing our ability again to prevail under low gin clear water conditions. Try and find the fish holding in the faster water, this is where you will be more successfull in hooking up. Keep your presentations small, I suggest sizes #12, #14 even #16. The Grim Reaper, Kazulens Caddis and small subdued egg patterns have been the top producers the past few days. Do away with the bright indicators and none if possible. Go to 9 foot legnth leaders and flourocarbon tippet will increase your odds in 4x and 5x and let them run. Drab colored fly lines will also contribute to the stealth factor.

Rain is in the forecast and should bring the streams up to unfishable levels for a day or so, but is much needed. I expect a nice run with the next significant rainfall and spreading out the fish that are holding in the streams now.

11-7-10

Past couple of weeks I have been busy with trips, so it has kept me from making any reports. Streams in PA are running clear again after receiving rain a few days ago. Conneaut and Ashtabula are still high but will fish tommorow, Conneaut by Wednesday. Ohio Steelhead runs seem to be picking up a bit and I'll be out the rest of the week and plan on fishing Conneaut and the Ashtabula tomorrow and Conneaut Wednesday and will report later. Flies of choice were chartreuse estaz eggs during high water conditions coupled with tube flies and clouser minnows. As the water conditions imoroved it was mostly nymphs including my quick desent caddis, grim reaper, flash back hares ear, wiggle hex, bead head fox squirrel nymph and oregon cheese glo spawn.

I still have a few available dates open. If you are interested in spending a day on the water with Mark or Chris Contact Mark at mark@defranksflies.com or call 724-317-8582 for available dates.

Just a few pics from some of our trips the past few days.

10-24-10

I've been hearing many anglers say the fishing has been poor and not many fish are in the streams...remember it is still a bit early in the season and it only gets better from here! There are good numbers of steelhead in the PA streams and with the little bit of rain the past few days there are some fresh fish coming in. We do need some rain and this week is looking promising for that. With the angler pressure, particularly on the weekends, and low and clear water conditions, most steelhead are somewhat shy customers. More concealed and deeper pools and runs are going to produce better results. Ohio fall steelhead runs are off to a slow start, but this is the norm. There are a few steelhead scattered thru...more will come! Fall steelhead season is a blessing in itself, the scenery of fall follage is just spectacular!

Our Steelhead Guide schedule is filling up for the Fall, but we still have a few available dates open. If you are interested in spending a day on the water with Mark or Chris Contact Mark at mark@defranksflies.com or call 724-317-8582 for available dates.

The past several days has blessed us with a few dandy's!

10-16-10

The streams are looking pretty good this morning and very fishable...get out there and make some memories!

10-15-10

Last nights rain has put the damper on fishing today...the streams are swollen and visability is poor to muddy. Chance of percip is low for today, unless the forecast changes the small streams should fish in the morning and most of the larger streams by sunday.

10-13-10

I'm glad to report that there are good numbers of steelhead spread out thru the streams now, it looks like this fall will be better than last year. The streams are low and clear, so keep the presentations small...stealth is key to a more productive day. Rain is in the forecast in the next couple of days...up to a 1/2" This should put some color and water levels up a bit. Late Thurday - Friday morning should be the best time to get out.

Our Steelhead Guide schedule is filling up for the Fall, if you are interested in spending a day on the water with Mark or Chris Contact Mark at mark@defranksflies.com or call 724-317-8582 for available dates.

10-7-10

Not as much rain fell as expected yesterday...the streams are looking pretty good this morning. Conneaut is still a bit on the high side.

10-6-10

With the majority of the rain behind us now look forward to fishing the smaller streams come morning and and the larger by Friday, Saturday should be prime.

10-5-10

Overnight rain has put the streams on the rise and murky again. With an additional 1/2" plus on the way thru the day and night tapering off Wednesday will make them unfishable. This is a good thing, we should get a good run of fish. The weekend should bring decent fishing and remember...practice good stream etiquette, help police the area of trash and respect the land owners.

Tight Lines-----------------------<*} )))))) >( Fish On!

10-4-10

The streams have come down considerablly , but visability is still poor. The small streams will fish in the morning until the heavier rain takes its toll bringing all of them back up. Northeastern Ohio has had some heavier rain fall already and I'm certain Connie is going to be the worst.

10-3-10

All The streams are blown out, and 1 1/4 precipitation predicted thru Wednesday. That will keep them running high...time will tell. I will post later thru the next couple of days as it unfolds. There may be some chance to fish the smaller tributaries in between the heavy rain falls.

I would like to thank everybody for coming yesterday to our Steelhead Seminar, I enjoyed talking with and informing you on your journey into the realm of Steelhead Fishing. I have not yet met any anglers who went steelhead fishing for their first time and never returned to the impressive Steelhead Alley to battle the mighty Great Lakes Steelhead for a second visit and remain a lifetime Steelhead Angler. Good Luck to all and I look forward to meeting new anglers in the future who embark on the journey of Steelhead Angling. See you all on the stream!

9-30-10

The PA and Ohio streams received some rain the past couple of days. Steelhead are on the move wiith each decent rain we get, but the best is yet to come. Weather forcasts rain in the next couple of days with the most being predicted for Saturday. Cool temps are a plus right now, however if we dont get the rain the streams are dropping fast and will be low again by the weekend making for tough conditions. Do the rain dance...we need the water table to come up to keep the stream levels prime.

Saturday, October 2 2010 Jeff Blood and I are holding a steelhead seminar at Woodlands World...more details on the events page.

Some King Salmon action!

Our Steelhead Guide dates are filling up. If you would like to book a trip with Mark or Chris, we would be happy to share the experience. Contact Mark at mark@defranksflies.com or call 724-317-8582 for available dates.

9-6-10

Sorry I havn't reported in a while, I have been busy with competitions, classes, demos and plenty of fly orders. I would like to take this time and thank you all. I will continue to serve you with the highest quality flies and professionalism to help you to enjoy this sport of fly fishing and contribute to your angling memories.

I do not import flies and all are tied in shop. With that said, please don't wait until November to order your flies on short notice for a planned trip, because our Steelhead Guide Season will keep us very busy and orders will be delayed slightly. Now is the best time to place your orders. We are currently running at about a 1-3 business day turnout, but this will increase every week thru November and will be back to 1-3 days turnout after Thanksgiving.

Fall chills are in the air...do I hear the thrashing of tails? Oh yeah! Soon our Fall Steelhead season will be kicking off. The Steelhead have already been cruising in and out of the river mouths, but not in great numbers, it's still too early. We need the temps to drop some more and good rain falls to bring the water levels up. Do the rain dance people! I have been fishing the Great Lakes Steelhead Alley Steelhead Runs since the mid 80s and have been a Steelhead Guide since the late 90s. But last Fall, the leafs created one of the worst stream conditions I have ever seen during the Fall Steelhead Runs. The Fall follage was beautiful as usual and it is my favorite season to fish, but Mother Nature had to test our will. We had a big storm with high winds which brought all the leafs down at the same time and we had no rain for a good time after that. This was out of the norm and left the streams choked with leafs for close to 3 weeks and the acid content of the water was high due to low water levels. We needed a good 2-3 days of steady rain to flush the streams out which never came until late November. Regardless, we fought our way thru the tough conditions and put fish to the net and still had good times. It's fishing and we can't always have the best, you just deal with it and enjoy the times spent on the water sharing the great outdoors with everyone we are privileged to fish with.

Our Spring steelhead guide trips were awesome... We met so many great people, had great times and put alot of steelhead in the net. Presentation is a key factor when pursuing Steelhead. A drag free drift and with depth - you must get the presentation down to the steelhead. Many times, more often than not, it will be a subtle take, not arm-wrenching rod-ripping strikes. Personally, I prefer a tight line high stick nymphing technique over the indicator. I believe many steelhead fishermen/women miss many if not all of the strikes by having too much drag or slack lines. You must keep the flies in constant check using either method. A few of the top flies, not to mention scores of others that produced well, for the Spring Steelhead Guide Trips were the Defranks Grim Reaper, Defranks Wiggle Hex's, Defranks Blue Steel Caddis, Defranks Depth Advantage Caddis, Kazulens Caddis, Fox Squirrel Nymphs, Defranks Emerald Shiner, Oregon Cheese Glo Spawn, Steelhead Orange Glo Spawn, Champagne Glo Spawn, White/Orange Blood Dots, Dead Egg/Orange Blood Dots...

If you have never fished for steelhead, this Fall season should peak about the 3rd week of October and all of November, so if you're planning on using some vacation time to get out on the tribs and test your skills against this wonderful fighting game fish, keep that time frame in mind. Now is the time to book your Steelhead Guide Trip before all of the prime days are booked.

To reserve your dates call Mark DeFrank at 724-317-8582 or email mark@defranksflies.com

Feb, 2010

Yesterday, I attended the Eastern Sports and Outdoors Show for the Pennsylvania State Tying Championship and I took first place in the Pro Division. What an impressive show, if you're looking for an adventure into the outdoors and want to meet some of the outfitters, this is the place to do your research. I was able to visit with some old friends and made some new ones.

Mark & Michael Klimkos from the Cumberland Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Chairman of the PA State Fly Tying Championship.

Dec, 2009

I rescheduled my trips this week due to another winter storm, creating driving hazards and slushy water conditions. If your thinking of booking a last minute winter steelhead trip, keep an eye on the weather forecast for a window of opportunity and call me at 724-317-8582 to check for any available dates.

12-09-09

The rain has blown out most of the streams in Ohio and PA. Good fishing will be the result if the temps hold in the upper 30's and 40's

12-07-09

Warmer temps have heated up the fishing and we're putting them in the net! More rain is on the horizon and we'll have to wait and see how much we get.

12-02-09

The rains brought the streams up finally, bringing in fresh chromers. With good water color the fish were more at ease the past week, and where willing customers, my clients had double digit hook ups with quite a few put in the net. With the snow in the forecast the water leveIs should hold steady and fishing will be excellent.

I have some open dates for guide trips this month for anyone interested in getting out on the water for some winter steelheading. Give Mark a call for available dates at 724-317-8582 or e-mail me mark@defranksflies.com

Spots are filling up for the Spring Trout School 2010 don't hesitate for long as the school will fill up.