The Bass Pro Shop smells of moving water and engine oil. There aren’t many customers around, as the store has just opened. A few, like me, seem to be killing time between errands or appointments. I have arrived early in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for a fishing trip. I always seem to arrive early for fishing trips. Much of my fishing feels like stolen time, as if some invisible hand is going to grab me by the shirt collar and fling me back to New Jersey. You’re having too much fun! Stop it. So I show up early to make it last longer. It never works.
I’m meeting Nick Raftas of Wild East Outfitters for a day on the Susquehanna River chasing smallmouth on the fly. Raftas guides for smallmouth, trout, muskie and a host of other species all around the area. He fishes the Lehigh, Susquehanna, Juniata and their tributaries nearly year-round. I’ve followed Raftas on social media and watched him on YouTube. The variety and tenacity of his work impresses me. He fishes hard for species that, like the rivers they swim in, seem happy to make catching difficult.
“Can I help you with something?” a burly man with a walrus mustache asks as I peruse the fly section. He has kind eyes and wears glasses. His nametag reads “Bobby.”
“Just looking,” I reply, which I’m sure he’s heard a million times.
“You fishing today?” he asks.
I’m wearing a Huk shirt and fishing shorts. Not an unreasonable question. “Yeah, I’m heading out for smallmouth with Nick Raftas.”
“I’ve heard of him. Good guide.”
“Should be a nice day. I’ve never been out
