Not even on my map!

Growing up in southeastern Pennsylvania I did the majority of my trout fishing in the small streams in and around Lancaster County and focused my efforts greatly on the many streams in and around Centre county in State College PA. Trout fishing was always a strong part of my fishing repertoire however with the Susquehanna River in my back yard, warm water fishing was not only accessible but remained a great focus of my efforts and ultimately supported my livelihood while living in the area. Various fishing road trips often led to other fishery addictions that included migrating stripers to the upper Chesapeake Bay as well as steelhead and salmon to the various great lake tributaries.

Recently I joined some colleagues and fishing brethren from the Orvis store in Richmond VA for a 3 day trip to fish the north branch of the Potomac and Savage Rivers in Western MD. We stayed at a beautiful waterfront chalet managed by Mike Evans of http://www.savageriveroutfitters.com Mike runs a beautiful operation situated on the banks of the Savage River that features 3 rental homes and an Orvis Endorsed fly shop stocked with everything you need to fish the local waters. Fishing is excellent right out back of the rental homes however the Savage offers miles and miles of wadeable water that is loaded with browns, brooks and rainbows.

Even as I have taught Trout Schools and hosted trips throughout Virginia this area of Western Maryland was not somewhere I had yearned to fish or was on my list of local fisheries to experience. It was not really even on my map!

We fished with Orvis Endorsed guide

PJ Daley http://savageriverangler.com

I had not met PJ before but was immediately impressed with his knowledge of the fishery and enthusiasm that he has for his local waters. He definitely falls under the “good guy and good guide” label- someone that I would look forward to sharing a day on the water with. I actually fished with PJ’s friend and associate guide Danny Teets. Danny worked the raft down the river effortlessly and positioned us for ideal shots throughout the day. We caught fish at the beginning of our float, at the end and throughout the entire day.

We will be organizing a group trip to stay with Mike and fish with PJ and Danny but that trip probably wont happen until fall of 2015 or even next year as we have so many other trips currently in the books. So in the mean time if you are looking for some phenomenal fishing and great accommodations that can be had within a 3 hour drive from northern VA, give PJ a call and get set up for a truly memorable trip.