As many of you already know my wife, Michelle has been stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. We have been living with MS for over 8 years now. This disease can be devastating to a persons ability to preform simple, everyday activities such as tie your shoes or walk a flight of stairs. In a effort to combat this terrible disease my wife is looking for sponsors for a walk to benefit MS research and hopefully find a cure. If you are inclined please use the link below to make a pledge to support Michelle's team. Click the link to the Walk for MS home page, click "Donate" and type in Michelle Oneill (spelled just like that no apostrophe or capital "N")  where it says "Name". Your generosity is much appreciated.  For any donation of $50.00 or more "Irish Flies" will give that person one free, in home, private fly tying lesson. Please help us try to find a cure. Thank you. 

To donate to Michelle's team click HERE  ​

This year the walk is on May 1st. Starting at Paper Mill Park (the corner of Paper Mill rd and Corner Ketch Rd). The walk will start at 10:00 am. This walk is about 2.5 miles in length. You are free to come out and walk if you are so inclined. We hope to see you there. Thank you for your generosity.


                                                                                                                        Michelle & Tim 

As I sit here typing this I have just finished one of those marathon weekends of fun. Why is it as hard as we try when planing things everything seems to end up crammed into a span of 3 or 4 days? Well, that is what happened to me this past weekend. On Thursday I was at the South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers monthly meeting. I was there to give my presentation "Shad Fishing 101". As soon as I got there I got an appreciation for what a cool town Ocean City NJ is. Driving around this quaint little town for a  minute you would never know that Atlantic City is just minutes up the road. From the clubhouse to the members of the SJCFA this club is top notch and Joe does a fantastic job keeping everything running smoothly. Of all of the clubs and all of the presentations I have given, this is only the second club that did the "Pledge of Allegiance" before the meeting. I gotta say...that is pretty damn cool! 

The meeting was well attended with about 40 people there. Based on the conversations and the emails after the meeting, I think the members enjoyed it. 

I would like to thank Joe and all of the members of the South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers for having me out last Thursday, I hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did. I hope we can do it again real soon. 

I heard a smart man say not too long ago "why do you want to go to Montana to Trout fish?" "We have some fine fishing right in our back yard." The person who said that was Eric Stroup and the back yard he was speaking of is one of the premier limestone rivers in central Pennsylvania, the Little Juniata. The Little "J" as known by the locals is a beautiful river full, and I mean full, of Wild Brown Trout. I didn't get home, Thursday night from the presentation, until almost midnight. I was glad when Eric said there was really no need to be there first thing in the morning. The time change had the fish active later in the day. This allowed me to get at least a few hours of sleep. I met up with my buddy "One Boot" Ed at 7:00 and we began the 3 hour drive North West to Eric's lodge.  

We didn't waste much time and before long we were on the river looking for Trout. It wasn't 10 minutes into the first run and Ed knocked the skunk out of the boat with a solid fish! 

We continued having steady action throughout the first day. I don't know how many fish we landed, nor do I care. It was a great day on the water with great friends, to me that is what fly fishing is all about! 

I didn't know Ed had taken this picture. It is kinda funny he would click the shudder at this moment. This was a fairly serious discussion about the industry and some heartfelt suggestions from Eric to me about the direction of Irish Flies. This one is going in a frame! 

​After a good night sleep and a trip to the local diner for breakfast (if you go to Diner 22 I would recommend the Diner 22 mess, a cool Breakfast meal with a little bit of everything) we were back at the lodge pondering the plan for the day. I will tell you this...it wan MUCH colder the second day! I actually changed clothes twice before we left. A full set of long johns, and a set of fleece over top of that. Trust me, I was glad I had it! 

It didn't take long for the action to start on the second day as I think on the third drift I was tight to a feisty little Brown. We fished our way through three runs netting about a dozen fish. The highlight of the morning was the hooking of a solid 20" fish. Ed stuck the brute on the dropper and before he even had time to react the big ole boy had snapped him off. It was literally less than a second! The only way we know what he was is he came out of the water as he was leaving almost as if to say "I win this one." What size tippet you ask...4X. It was a great morning, better than I thought it would be with 40 degree air and water temps. 

After lunch we went to a spot that Eric said we are gonna do a little "Donkey Huntin" We parked in the lot and walked about a half hour up to the spot. Apparently people don't fish this spot often because of the walk. "It is funny, people will drive three hours to get here, but they wont walk 10 minutes." A very true statement. We set up in the same run, me at the top and Ed at the bottom. Ed's rod was as hot as the hinges of hell... I don't know how many fish he landed, well over a dozen. I do know every time I looked down his rod was doubled over. It was pretty cool to see my buddy having a banner day.   

Well, there you have it, a 3 day marathon of fly fishing. If you are in the Ocean City NJ area and think you might want to chase some salt water fish with fly gear check out the SJCFA HERE. If you would like to check out some of the best fishing central PA has to offer check out my buddy Eric Stroup HERE, or contact me to book a trip. Both of these organizations are first class. Check em out, you will be glad you did! Till next time...

                                                                                                                       Tight Lines

If you have never fished the Shad Run. 
The Spring Shad run can be one of the most prolific fisheries of the year. It can also be one of the most overlooked. Stop out this Thursday night march 17th and check out this informative and fun presentation. "Shad Fishing 101" will cover all aspects of Shad fishing including; species, gear, rigging, flies, and locations. If you have ever wondered about this great fishery, you won't want to miss Thursday night. 

Details, details, details
This presentation is composed of over 100, quality photographs arranged in such a way you will think you are actually on the river. I have been fishing this run for over 15 years and my addiction to this fishery has taken me to countless rivers across half a dozen states. After attending this presentation you will have the knowledge you need to become a Shad junkie like me! I will also have tons of Shad flies for sale at this show. 

​Dates, Times and Directions. 
This event will take place Thursday evening, March 17th starting at 7:00. The South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers meet at the Bayside Center, 520 Bay Avenue Ocean City New Jersey 08226. For directions click HERE. For more info on the SJCFA visit their website by clicking HERE. This promises to be a great evening, I hope to see you there. 

Till next time...
​                                                                                                                                  Tight Lines

This coming Tuesday, March 8th I will be at Trout Unlimited #468 giving my presentation "The Brandywine, a Tale of three rivers." The Brandywine river is the jewel of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Located right in our back yard, this river's beauty is matched only by it's diversity. A cold water wild Trout river in the upper reaches, a blue ribbon Smallmouth river through the main section and tidal river in the lower end, the Brandywine has something to offer everybody. 
Trout Unlimited #468, The Southeastern Montgomery County chapter  meet at the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust Visitor's Center at 2955 Edge Hill Road in Huntingdon Valley, PA, at 7:30 PM every second Tuesday of each month. The visitor center is located just off of the Willow Grove exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, just a short drive from Philadelphia and it's suburbs.  

If you are looking to learn more about this great river, would like to expand your fishing season, or you just love to talk Fly Fishing you won't want to miss this. I hope to see you next Tuesday night.  

If you have any questions about Tuesday night please feel free to contact me. For directions to the club house, click HERE. Till next time...


                                                                                                                                          Tight Lines 

I can't help but to think of the great Willie Nelson when I typed the title to this post. I am taking the Irish Flies "Shad Fishing 101" on the road, all the way to central Pennsylvania. 2 Presentations, 10 patterns, an overnight stay at a beautiful lodge, and all the food, friends and fly fishing discussion we can cram into a weekend. On March 19th and 20th I will be hosting the class in Eric Stroup's beautiful Gorge view lodge. I have stayed here and let me tell you it is awesome! Everyone that participates in this class will have an opportunity, later in the year, to come and fish the Shad run. Check out the flier for more details. Space for this class is limited to the first 6 people that commit. If you are interested in learning more about this fantastic, but often overlooked fishery you wont want to miss this class. Staying in a beautiful lodge located in the heart of central Pennsylvania's limestone waters isn't a bad thing ether. Eric's operation is top notch. come check out the lodge and the class, you will be glad you did!