Meet Your Guide - Paul Jensen

Growing up in Tioga County provided me with ample opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Sundays my family would pack picnics and spend the day at Owassee on Pine Creek giving me plenty of time to fish for small mouth bass and trout. Later when I could drive I explored the small creeks of the Canyon. Back then I fished in multiple ways. Live bait, spinners, stick baits and fly fishing. At that time I never really had the grasp of fly fishing for trout. I mostly hit farm ponds in the evenings and caught bass with poppers. Not knowing anyone having knowledge about fly fishing for trout, made it difficult, and at that time lack of experience made it difficult for me to see what I was doing wrong.

At some point I took an 11-year hiatus to Murrells Inlet, South Carolina and became a charter captain and ran dive trips offshore and later chartered fishing as well. Through this venture I found joy in seeing people happy with the experience my crew offered them. It was very satisfying to see people learn and have success doing what they love. The feeling of being able to pass on knowledge I had acquired over time was very satisfying. Reflecting back, I was the fella I wish I’d had when I struggled with fly fishing for trout as a youth.

Upon returning to Tioga County I had to find a type of fishing that gave me rewards like what I experienced offshore. I know, you’re thinking nothing’s going to replace that here! But I had unfinished business. I still hadn’t been as successful at fly fishing for trout as I’d liked. So, one day I put the spinning rod away, and fished solely with the fly rod. It was the best thing I could have ever done. I now catch more trout with flies than I ever did in my youth. I still didn’t have guidance, but I found through my ocean/charter experiences that you need to commit and build your knowledge through experiences.

I’ve found fishing success comes with being versatile. Being able to adapt to fishing conditions can save a day of fishing. I’ve had experience in all forms of fly fishing. Euro Nymphing or Tight Lining, Dry Dropper, Indicator, fishing Dry Flies, and the Nymph/Dropper method, which in my opinion is a lot like Euro Nymphing. All are great methods, and I feel each work best in different conditions. Along with methods I can help you with reading the water to understand where fish lay. This is a key skill you will need to learn to be successful. In nature, conserving energy means life. Trout won’t swim far from their position to grab a nymph or fly on the surface. You need to be able locate the fish and pass your fly or nymph in their feeding lane. I can help you with this skill.  

Whether you are looking for a guide to show you where to fish in our beautiful area or a fishing buddy to take you fishing for a day, I look forward to meeting you and sharing with you what I know about fishing and our area! Who knows, I may be the fella to you I wished I’d had as a young man and send you on your own flyfishing journey for years to come.