Most people don’t think about Fly Fishing when it’s 3 Degrees Below Zero…But, on February 13, 2016, I was invited to Gander Mountain where the Trout Unlimited Club “TU” was having a Fly Tying Pizza Party. It was really cold running across the parking lot, but the Gander Mountain Meeting Room was nice and warm. And, I knew hot Pizza was coming.

This event was the ending of the TU classes on how to tie a variety of good fishing flies for PA Streams. A lot of people signed up for the 8 week classes. At this party anyone else could learn how to start to tie a fly. Next year I want to take the whole class.

The TU Guys I interviewed on video at the Allegheny X-Fest last fall invited me to this event. They are Andy Fresch and Dave Wright. At Gander Mountain they showed me how to tie a Caddis, and do a whip finish knot. I have to practice the whip finish tool. They also tied a Foam Popper, a Hair Popper, a Foam Frog and a Hellgrammite. The Crawfish was the best.

Everyone was welcome to this fly tying demonstration for free, even kids. There were signs on the Bulletin Board at Gander Mountain for a few weeks. It’s nice that the TU members do this to help get kids and adults get more interested in fishing.

Now it’s a good time to tie flies when it’s snowing and cold outside. Then you can think about spring coming when you can be out in the warm weather fishing. With some luck you will catch a nice trout with the flies you made yourself last winter.

Ruby was invited to participate in the Allegheny Adventure Xfest in Johnstown last fall. This event attracts all types of outdoor enthusiasts, including, mountain bikers, hikers, canoe and kayak clubs, anglers, snow skiers and more. It also draws in those interested in checking out the new gear for all of these activities. There were about 30 exhibitors and vendors at the event. Ruby was doing a fly-tying demonstration there and she had a booth setup with her fly-tying gear. The event got quite a bit of publicity on TV and in the newspapers. See Ruby on the front page of the “Tribune” and her “Video Interviews” below.

Last Fall I went on my first ever Bird Hunt with my Granddad. We met our guides and they had really good bird dogs, a Brittany Spaniel and a Yellow Lab. I wasn’t going to actually hunt, because I’m in the PA Mentor Hunter Program and you can’t walk around and carry a shotgun. But, I was the Producer and Director of the video show. Making a Hunting Show and getting video of all the action, the Dogs, Birds and Hunters, is harder to do than I thought. And you’ll see all that in my video segment, see below.

Last year, on the day after Christmas, my Dad took Vayda and I to the pet shop to pick up our new Kitty. As we drove down the road past “Greenhouse Park” my Dad yelled, “Look at that Eagle!” The Big Bird was sitting right along side the roadway and then flew up into a nearby tree. Dad pulled his truck off the road and tried to get a few pictures with his cell phone.

Then we thought, we have to call my Grandfather, he’ll bring his camera with a telephoto lens. I called him and was really excited to tell him about the Eagle. We had to leave for the pet shop, but when we came back the Eagle was gone. My Grandfather was waiting for us in the parking lot of Greenhouse Park. He thought the bird would be near the Stoneycreek River, but he didn’t see the Eagle. Then my dad said, ”Get in the truck and we’ll drive up and down the road to see if we can find the Eagle.”

Well, as we drove towards St. Andrew’s Church and School (Their Sports Teams are called the “EAGLES”) we saw the big black and white bird perched in a Sycamore Tree.

It was really cool to see our Nations most famous Bird, The Bald Eagle. When I went back to school I told some of my friends that we saw a beautiful Eagle near my house. Some of them couldn’t believe we saw an Eagle there. Some people told us we probably just saw a buzzard, not a Eagle. Then the Johnstown Tribune Newspaper published one of the photos that my Grandfather took. Then every one knew it really was an Eagle.

I’ve been deer hunting with my Grand Father for the past 3 years. We set up two tree stands and we also use a ground blind when we hunt on our property around my house in Somerset County. I also hunt at my cousin’s property about 15 miles away in Cambria County. I like to go there  just for a change of scenery and because my cousin, Danny, has shot 5 deer there and he’s only 9 years old. So, for 3 Deer Seasons we have scouted, used our trail cameras, watched for buck rubs and buck scrapes. During that time my Grand Father and I have spent many, many hours in the tree stands and in the woods hunting with my Parker Crossbow or my 50 cal. in-line muzzle loader. Some of our hunts were in the rain, snow, sleet, wind and cold. A few  of our hunts were in beautiful Indian Summer Days. In all that time I never had a really good chance to shoot at a buck…until October 20 of this year.

Ruby will be appearing at the Allegheny Adventure X-Fest on Saturday, October 3, 2015. She will be doing fly tying demonstrations, talking about fishing, her outdoor activities and topics on her Website. You can see Ruby at the “People’s Natural Gas Park” in downtown Johnstown from 10:00 am. till 3:00pm.

Stop in, say hello and see Ruby tie her Black Flash Streamer!

This summer is coming to an end, school has started and we’re ready to put our boat away for winter. I went on some nice fishing trips this summer with my sister, Vayda, and many of my cousins.

We love to go to Paul and Connie’s farm. The pond has big bass, bluegills and some fat catfish. Vayda caught a nice bass all by herself.

Vayda got a big catfish that almost pulled her fishing rod into the pond. She could barely hold it up for a photo.

Best of all we can fish and still all hang out on the dock with our feet in the cool water.

Or you can jump in to cool off, like Travis does. Edye and I like to fish from the dock most of the time.

I was fishing off the dock with Edye and a few minutes after this photo was taken… a big catfish grabbed my bait and dragged my new spinning rod into the water! We never found the rod and reel.

We also caught a few catfish at Raystown Lake at our camper.

On these trips we swim, ski, go tubing and just float around on our pontoon boat and spend time with our family at our camper.

Every summer my Dad takes me fishing at the beach. We’ve been going to Myrtle Beach for our family vacation for years. Sometimes we fish from the surf or from the pier. But, this year my Dad rented a nice center console boat. We went out into the bay and we had a great day in the sun just watching all the big boats go by. Noah and I caught some Sea Robins, Whiting and I got a Sheepshead. Noah also got a Puffer Fish. Next year were going to get this boat again and go for a big Sea Bass. Now, we have to start planning for Archery Season!!!

After Noah and I were done shooting the 22 rifle, we went fishing with Connie (Paul’s wife) and Sarah (their daughter). They travel to the ponds on their quad, so they can carry lots of gear easily.

On this trip we used our fly rods and spinning rods and I caught a couple bluegills, a large mouth bass and a big catfish!

When Sarah and I were on the dock…I set my new yellow Spinning rod down  on the dock to get a drink.

Just then a catfish pulled it off the dock and into the water.

We tried to find it, but the rod and reel and the fish were gone.

Connie kids, Travis, Emily, and Sarah enjoy hunting, fishing, riding dirt bikes and four wheelers and playing with their cats and dogs.

They have chickens, too!

(see my video clip, “Shooting the 22 Cal.” for more chicken info.)

I love going to their farm, a few years ago they gave all us kids Hay Rides on a big wagon pulled by a big tractor. That was a great Labor Day Party.

My cousin Noah caught all the same kinds of fish that I did!

We were using special catfish bait that looks like little hot dogs. Sarah uses chunks of real hot dogs or even a slice of bologna lunch meat for bait.

Sarah is a really good angler. She caught two big catfish on her bologna bait. They were hard to reel in and the ones that she caught were the biggest of the day!

The catfish are really hard to hold for a picture,

This fish bit my thumb.

Even Noah had a tough time trying to hold the catfish up for a picture.

We had a great day fishing at the Farm, and as always at Ruby’s Outdoor Rendezvous, We’re on Target for all Seasons!