A letter from your guide
Dear Erie Anglers:
For over 20 years I have fished for everything that swims in and out of Pennsylvania. As a teenager I counted the days in the Winter until Spring fishing would arrive for crappie, trout, and bass. I'd fish for carp and troll for musky in a rented row boat with someone I still call my best friend. Going to college in Western Pennyslvania led me to catches of big musky and hybrid striped bass, and more bass ponds than I could imagine. But it wasn't until October of 2000 that I encountered the Steelhead. After a trip in 1999 where we couldn't even find a spot to fish on the famed Walnut Creek wall I stated I would never fish for Erie Steelhead again. One year later, I went again. Heading to the Stop Sign hole at Walnut Creek with no waders and ski pants I set my eyes on a thousand fish in one hole. All of them were the usual 25-30 inch monsters I am now used to. Not long into fishing I managed to hook a 31 inch, 12 lb male Steelhead with bright red cheeks and stripes running down his side. I landed it on a 7' bass rod with 8lb test line that hadn't been changed since the prior year of fishing. Like many other first tastes of any addiction, I was hooked for life.
After learning more about the fish and the fishing each year I saw an evolution happening. Each season I had new tactics, learned new presentations, watched other successful anglers, and wrote in a journal what I saw and how I caught fish. I wanted to catch as many fish as possible every time I was on the streams. The numbers went up every year. I started tying my own jigs and flies. I fine tuned everything I used from the rod, reel, and line, to the floats, hooks, and splitshot. Colors and sizes of jigs and Flatfish lures would soon be matched to amount of sunlight, time of year, water clarity and flow, and even the angle of holding fish in relation to where I was standing. Some days I would forget what the sky even looked like. My eyes were on the water for 8 hours or more. My hands became part of a weapon. My brain was doing calculations I never learned in Algebra. It was no longer fishing, it was a test. And I started to ace it week after week.
I know I will always be learning every time I fish, but I did realize a few years back that I knew enough to get others to enjoy the sport I love so much. The highlights of my year changed from the biggest fish or most caught in a day to getting someone else into fish. Friends, family, sometimes a stranger fishing the same hole. I would give a jig away and be amazed that something I tied not only worked for me but for others, and because of my simple instruction he was able to fish it in a way that caught fish. After guiding some friends and family to successful trips I really got to thinking about doing it professionaly after a gentleman I gave a jig to the week before found me and told me he caught fish all day on his own until the jig was finally lost to a fish. This solidified everything for me. Leading another fisherman to a great day on the stream meant more to me than my own fishing. All it took was one jig and a few seconds of instruction and someone else had figured it out. It's this type of educating that got me from 2 fish days on minnows to 40 fish days on everything in my vest. I want to guide fishermen to days where they will make that jump in a few trips instead of a few years for myself. I relied on only my own learning ability and watching others to gain the skills I have now. Once I had that down I was quick to start doing my own fine tuning, tie my own jigs, experiment with technique, and use my own inginuity to have successful trips regardless of conditions. In hind sight, sometimes I wish I had the money 10 years ago to hire a guide.
The passion that fishing has been for me is now replaced by teaching others to fish. The overwhelming joy of anyone who has ever caught a fish is just as thrilling from the other side of the camera lens. Netting that fish of a lifetime for someone else and taking the pictures is what I am after more than ever. To be instrumental in leading an angler to that experience is a feeling of success even more intense than catching the fish myself. The memories you will make and pictures you will take will last you forever. As your guide I will do everything I can to make it happen. I will put each fisherman in the best situations to go after the most and biggest lake run Steelhead possible. My aim is to provide an all around experience on the water every time, to be immersed in the beauty of the Erie streams, and to catch fish that will keep you up at nights remembering the fight. Through the Fall, Winter, and Spring I share my enthusiasm for fishing and the outdoors with everyone I fish with. Whether I am with family, friends or guiding I try to convey that knowledge, understanding, patience, and respect for the fish and other anglers will always make each day a success. The infinite rewards and the way fishing can bond all walks of life together amazes me every day I fish and this is the #1 reason I became a fishing guide. As a fully licensed guide in Pennsylvania I look forward to providing THE Erie Steelhead Experience you are after.
Joe Baker
Owner and Guide
Erie Steelhead Experience