PA Wilds Fishing Tales from Angler Nick Lyter

“What does Fishing in the Pennsylvania Wilds Mean to You?” – a viewpoint from angler Nick Lyter, who averages 250 days per year fishing the trout waters of the Pennsylvania Wilds and Central Pennsylvania.

Trout fishing to me is a deeply personal experience, and my conversations on the creeks and streams in central and northern Pennsylvania are internal. It’s my meditation. The Pennsylvania Wilds is where I go to reawaken my senses of the natural world. When first asked to convey what fishing in the Pennsylvania Wilds region means to me, my initial feeling was that this would be the simplest piece of writing that I would ever do. But I was wrong. What I quickly realized was that although I can easily answer this question for myself – I have never been asked to share it in words for someone else to read.

Central Pennsylvania is home to fly fishing legend, Joe Humphreys, and in the soon to be released documentary ‘Live The Stream – The Story of Joe Humphreys‘, Joe says,

“I’ve always felt strongly about a stream – like it’s almost running through my system. I love the flow. I love the sound. These waters shaped my life.”  Joe Humphreys

I struggle to find a more convincing and honest way to explain what fishing in the Pennsylvania Wilds means to me as Joe does here.

As a young boy my grandfather had a camp in Cameron County, and I can remember driving there with my father from our home in Juniata County. As we drove further north the landscape would gradually change. The trees grew taller. The air became just a bit cooler and refreshingly cleaner. The whitetails seemed less skittish and welcomed us as we drove along the back-country roads of the north. Once we arrived at camp and unloaded our gear for a day or two stay, I would grab my fishing rod and hike into the woods and follow the streams to wherever they would lead me. Years later, my grandfather would become a founding member of another camp in Potter County just outside of Cross Fork. But as I grew older, so did my curiosity of seeking and experiencing other natural areas of our country. This led me to live away from my home state for seventeen years – returning a little over five years ago to discover a Pennsylvania that I had yet not known as a younger person.

Fishing in the Pennsylvania Wilds is an opportunity for me to reconnect with and learn more of my family history, and how they enjoyed the amazing waters of the Keystone State. It fuels an already strong desire to be a better steward of this land and to fight for the overall health and sustainability of the fish species that inhabit these waters.

My goal is rather simple as I spend more time in the Pennsylvania Wilds; I want to be able to give back to this wilderness more than it has given to me.

Author Background

Nick Lyter was born and raised along the Juniata River at the base of the Tuscarora Mountain in Thompsontown, Juniata County. Hunting whitetails and small game, as well as ducks and geese – fishing for trout in the local streams and bass in both the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers also played a large role in how he spent his time. His grandfather, father and several uncles served as sound instructors as they were seasoned and avid outdoorsmen.

Nick has served in both the United States Army and the US Army National Guard. He attended college at Southern Illinois University. He has worked with various nonprofit organizations, and with youth in an outdoor educational setting, and with at-risk youth in a residential treatment facility. Upon moving back to Central Pennsylvania in the Spring 2012 after having lived in the Midwest for several years, Nick ran for and was elected to the position of Mayor of Thompsontown with his primary focus being stronger environmental practices in the borough and surrounding areas.