A day of steelhead fishing is something every angler should experience. Steelhead are one of the most thrilling and prized sportfish in the world. With powerful runs and acrobatic jumps to the pure beauty their colors display, they are what anglers dream of.  Erie, Pennsylvania, is in the heart of Steelhead Ally and hosts a world-class fishery. Erie tributaries also offer the chance at a trophy lake run brown trout. These migratory fish start running the tributaries of Lake Erie in early fall in great numbers in search of their spawning grounds. The fish will stay in the system till late spring when the lake calls them back.  We target steelhead wading the tributaries with 6-8 wt fly rods with various tactics throughout the season. Eggs, nymphs, and streamers are the name of the game for these big lake-run fish. Steelhead can test even the most experienced anglers, but with the right techniques, you’ll be hooked up in no time. 

The biggest Gem in Pennsylvania is our native Brook Trout, the only trout native to our waters. What these fish lack in size makes up for in aggression and willingness to take a fly. What draws anglers to Brook Trout, though, is their beauty, not just their fantastic paint job but the streams they live in are some of the most beautiful nature has to offer. Brook trout live in small streams with tight cover and require special techniques. Pursuit targets brook trout throughout western PA from ANF to Lural highlands, using  2-5wt rods with dry flies, nymphs, and streamers either with euro nymphing techniques or traditional fly rods. Presenting a fly to a Brook trout in tight cover can be challenging but can be some of the most fun and rewarding fishing experiences you can have. Blueling isn't just for Brook Trout. PA offers amazing small-stream fishing for wild Brown and Rainbow trout as well as a chance to catch all three species in one outing,  PA wild trout slam. 

Pennsylvania has more streams than any state in the U.S., leading to many trout fishing opportunities. Pursuit guides all over western PA on the best trout streams, depending on the time of year and conditions. Trout have a wide variety of feeding habits, which lets us fish in many different styles. Euro nymphing, indicator nymphing, dry fly, and streamer fishing are all covered with pursuit. Whether you want to target wild brown trout or one of many stocked trout streams, a day of trout fishing connects you with the soul of fly fishing. 

Smallmouth bass are a personal favorite; Aggressive takes, hard fights, and acrobatic jumps make Smallmouth a great fish to target on the fly. If you are in for a day of streamer fishing, there is no better fish to chase than a smallmouth bass. Pursuit offers walk and wade or one-man float trips on many waterways from Erie to Pittsburgh. Smallmouth trips are offered from April to September, with various streamer patterns thrown with a 6-8 wt rod. Smallmouth offer some of the most action-packed days on the river; you won't regret chasing these fish.

Toward the end of the Steelhead run, we get into a unique situation where many different species of fish run Lake Erie's tributaries in late spring to spawn. This allows anglers to catch Steelhead, Brown Trout, Smallmouth bass, Gar, Rock Bass, Common Carp, Redhorse sucker, Quillback, Freshwater Drum, and more. Using 5-8 wt rods and small streamers, an angler could catch any of these species at any time. It is extremely fun casting into a mess of different fish species, not knowing what you might catch. This opportunity doesn't last long; the best fishing starts about the first week of May and lasts about a month. 

If you are starting fly fishing, this trip is for you we will spend about 2 hours running through all the basics of fly fishing. Starting with rods, reels, and lines, then moving on to rigging and fly selection. Next, we will head to the stream to practice casting and reading the water. Once you are ready and we cover all the basics, we can begin fishing and work on those newly learned skills. The fishing portion of this trip is about 4 hours, and you can select any trip that Pursuit offers with this package. If you have been fly fishing for a while and want to learn a new technique like euro nymphing or streamer fishing, this package is also great.

If you have a specific destination, species, or trip in mind that Pursuit doesn't offer, please don't hesitate to reach out because Pursuit is more than willing to help plan and assist you on any trip. Whether you want to learn how to target Musky/Pike or you just moved to Pennsylvania and want help finding and exploring streams near you, a trip can be made to help on your angling adventures.