Trout Strike

Trout Strike Troutstrike.com is about learning. I am not a professional angler. I am not a guide. I am not a former member of a national fly fishing team.

I am just a regular guy who believes in continuous learning about fly fishing for trout. When I am not on the water, in front of my vise, or writing for TroutStrike.com, I am a school principal. Prior to my role as an administrator, I was a teacher. I have been serving students in public education for nearly thirty years. As an educator, my vision for TroutStrike.com is to create free online resou

rce for anglers to continue learning when not on the water. Most of my time on the water is on Central Pennsylvania limestone streams. My mission is to provide fly anglers with a free resource filled high quality content based on my own learning. As I am not an authority on any of the concepts I cover, I will embed posts with resources that helped me to deepen my understanding. Simply put, each post is designed to teach. The best teachers create a classroom environment where students feel free to take risks. As the lead learner of TroutStrike.com, my hope is to create a community of anglers in which we can all learn from one another. Some posts will tell stories and hopefully make you laugh and others will be more straightforward. Either way, the goal of each post is to teach a concept to help anglers have more success on the water. Understanding concepts helps us to adapt and transfer our skills to the many different challenges chasing trout with a fly rod presents. Remember, other than proper handling and releasing of the trout we catch, there is never just one right way to do something when it comes to fly fishing. We all know that time spent on the water is the best teacher of all. But for so many of us, we do not have the opportunity to spend as much time on the water as we would like. In fact, I don’t know anyone who says he or she gets enough time on the water. When you are not on the water, it is my sincere hope that TroutStrike.com becomes a space for you to learn, laugh, and reflect about fly fishing for trout so that your time on the water is more successful and enjoyable. Thank you for your support of TroutStrike.com. Spend more time on the water,

Jeff Smecker

What are your top nymph patterns?
06/05/2026

What are your top nymph patterns?

Stop guessing! My Top 10 Euro Nymphs help you fish smarter. Learn how focusing on bead size over pattern transforms your fishing and declutters your box.

06/04/2026

Trout can sometimes stack in a run. It’s just a matter of finding that run! Some days it’s quiet and then they come in bunches.

06/03/2026

Headed to the Lehigh tomorrow evening and Friday. Anyone know what I should expect? Hoping to find risers tomorrow night. I’ve never fished the Lehigh.

My Tajima Direct lenses are the best polarized sunglasses I’ve ever owned.
06/03/2026

My Tajima Direct lenses are the best polarized sunglasses I’ve ever owned.

Discover why Tajima Direct offers the best polarized lenses for fly fishing. Read an honest review on progressive lenses, lens replacement, and optical clarity.

Trxstle CRC loaded up and ready to go!
06/03/2026

Trxstle CRC loaded up and ready to go!

A quick favor. If you follow TroutStrike on Facebook and also use Instagram, would you consider following  there as well...
06/03/2026

A quick favor. If you follow TroutStrike on Facebook and also use Instagram, would you consider following there as well? Growing on Instagram has been a lot slower than Facebook, and every follow helps.

Some of the best flies in my box aren’t complicated.Just a hook, a tungsten bead, a little dubbing, and a profile that l...
06/02/2026

Some of the best flies in my box aren’t complicated.

Just a hook, a tungsten bead, a little dubbing, and a profile that looks like food.

Tied these up using Firehole 551 Sticks and Tungsten Slotted Stones. Heavy, durable, and exactly what I want when I’m tightline nymphing.

Proud to represent as an ambassador.

What are your favorite “basic trout food” patterns?

ARTICLE: Getting what we need for fly fishing has never been easier.We can order flies, gear, and tippet without leaving...
05/31/2026

ARTICLE: Getting what we need for fly fishing has never been easier.

We can order flies, gear, and tippet without leaving the couch. Stream reports and tutorials are always a few taps away.

But I think we’ve lost something along the way.

Recently, I spent some time at Creekside Fly & Tackle and it reminded me why local fly shops still matter. Not because of what’s on the shelves, but because of the people inside. The conversations. The local knowledge. The fly tying nights. The connections that happen when anglers gather in the same place.

This article is about more than a fly shop. It’s about community and why it’s still an important part of fly fishing.

I’d love to hear about your local fly shop and what makes it special.

Read the full article here:

It’s easy to order everything online. But something gets lost when you do. A quick stop at a small fly shop changed how I think about it.

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Troutstrike. Com
Lancaster, PA
17602

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