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Lehigh River, Susquehanna River, Juniata River Fly Fishing Guide Service
Premiere Orvis Endorsed Guide Service of the Poconos and Central, PA
The Rivers We Guide
Lehigh River
The Lehigh River is a large tail-water by eastern standards that is best fished from drift boats and rafts. It is arguably one of the best places to fly fish in Pennsylvania and one of the most scenic rivers on the east coast. The Lehigh is one of Pennsylvania's best kept secrets due to the rugged landscape of the area and sheer size of the river. Our target species on the Lehigh River are brown trout and rainbow trout. The river has good populations of wild and stocked trout and offers an experience to catch large fish on dry flies on big water. Our Lehigh guide season runs from March until late June until the waters warm and then picks up around the beginning of October.
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna is the second largest river system in the U.S and one of the best smallmouth bass fisheries in Pennsylvania and perhaps arguably in the country. Smallmouth bass, an often overlooked quarry provide anglers with premium opportunities for streamer fishing and vicious top water action. When PA's waters are too warm to fish the Susquehanna is in full swing and offers incredible fishing opportunities. Join us on a float trip in one of our drift boats or rafts for some incredible fishing. Our Susquehanna season runs from roughly mid June until November. 30-80 fish days are common give or take.
Juniata
River
The Juniata River or the "Big J" is one of the largest tributaries to the Susquehanna River. Our main target species on the Juniata are smallmouth bass and musky. The Juniata as a smallmouth bass fishery closely rivals that of the Susquehanna and the two rivers resemble each other in many ways. The river is best fished from drift boats or rafts. Fishing the Juniata is a much more intimate fly fishing experience as it is much smaller than the Susquehanna and it is wadable in many sections as well. It resembles the appearance of a big trout river in many locations and it is full of smallmouth bass. Our Juniata season runs from roughly mid June until November. 30-80 fish days are common give or take.
Wade
Trips
The Brodhead, Tulpehocken Creek, McMichael's Creek, Little Lehigh, Saucon Creek, Monocacy Creek, Brandywine River, Pickering Creek, Penn's Creek, Spring Creek, Letort Spring Run, Big Spring Creek and countless others are all a possibility for booking your guided wade trip. All of our guides love to chase wild trout and have spent countless hours fishing and guiding some of the states best trout and smallmouth bass rivers. Whether you are a beginning angler or advanced angler we will cater your wade trip to your needs to ensure that you have a great day and come away a better angler.
Meet The Guides
Nick Raftas
Owner & Lead Guide
Nick is a full-time guide and owner of Orvis Endorsed Guide Service, Wild East Outfitters. Fly fishing on some of Pennsylvania’s most technical waters has been Nick’s lifelong obsession since he was 7 years old. In 2011, he began guiding and quickly established himself as a sturdy, reliable and hard-working guide.
People who know Nick have referred to him as the anti-trout bum. Nick has grown particularly fond of fishing and guiding on Pennsylvania’s larger water ways. He spends most of his time guiding on the Lehigh, Susquehanna, Juniata and Delaware Rivers. He has also hosted trips to Montana, Outer Banks, Michigan, New York, Arkansas and Chilean Patagonia.
Nick has been featured in the Anglers Journal, has contributed to Field and Stream Magazine and The Hook Shot’s Video series. He is also a published author in Fly Fisherman Magazine. Nick has served as a board member and briefly as the president of Lehigh Cold Water Fishery Alliance and has currently resumed his role as a board a member. He has been a strong voice in advocating for the Lehigh River trout fishery.
When Nick is not guiding he enjoys hosting trips and has hosted groups of anglers to fish in Chilean Patagonia, Montana, Outer Banks, Michigan, New York and more. Nick also enjoys speaking engagements primarily in the winter months and has presented to numerous Trout Unlimited Clubs throughout the Tri-State area, to local universities, The Anglers Club of New York, The Philadelphia Anglers Club as well as at the Fly Fishing Shows in Edison and Lancaster.
Matthew Marran
Guide
Matthew Marran is a guide and a teacher in Pennsylvania since 2010. In the outdoors he has done subsistence hunting & fishing in Alaska, shuttled boats in Colorado, and worked at an Orvis fly shop in Pennsylvania.
His favorite thing about guiding is teaching the drag-free drift. “Not casting, but learning how to get a drag-free drift is the main skill of fly fishing that most people just don’t get from videos or books.”
He guides in eastern and central, Pennsylvania.
He lives on his family’s farm in Chester County.
Adam Nidoh
Guide
Adam was born and raised in Scranton, Pa. He still lives there. He grew up spin fishing for bass, but got into fly fishing when I was 13. Adam has been fly fishing for the past 18 years. He and his father are co-owners of A&G Outfitters, in Dickson City, Pa, for 14 years. Adam has been guiding on the Lackawanna, Lackawaxen, Lehigh, Delaware & Susquehanna Rivers for 10 years. Licensed in PA & NY.
Adam has worked as the Fly Fishing Instructor/Guide at TLAW for 5 years, and been a part of the Orvis R&D team for 3 years. Adam also has taught Fly Fishing & Fly Tying Courses at Keystone College for 3 years, and been recently published in the guide book, Keystone Fly Fishing & Fly Fisherman magazine. Adam also works at Whitetail Country Fly Shop in Starlight, PA & for Cross Current Guide Service.
Kyle Ale
Guide
Kyle grew up fishing the limestone spring creeks of Central, Pa. Growing up surrounded by such incredible fisheries it’s easy to take them for granted. Kyle knows exactly what he has and has spent a great deal of time learning about the diverse bug life and wild trout that inhabit these amazing fisheries. Kyle’s full-time job as an art teacher and passion for fly fishing, inspired him to pursue working as a fly fishing guide in central and eastern, Pennsylvania where he now resides.
Kyle’s favorite part about fly fishing is the opportunity to learn something new every time you step on the water. When Kyle is not exploring the trout streams of Central and Eastern, Pa he is off pursuing Lake Erie steelhead. He has spent a number of days targeting steelhead on the Pa and Ny tributaries.
Book a day with Kyle and you will come away with some great memories but most importantly an improved angler.
Taylor Tate
Guide
Taylor was born and raised in Irvine, Kentucky. He started fishing when he was old enough to put a fishing rod in his hands. Taylor has been fly fishing for the past six years. In the Spring of 2021, Taylor attended and completed Montana Fly Fishing Guide School hosted by Gallatin River Guides. During Guide School, Taylor fished the Yellowstone River, Madison River (upper and lower), and Gallatin River. This unique combination of rivers allowed Taylor to teach a wide variety of techniques and different scenarios for guiding. Canvasing both float and walk wade work throughout guide school in different river environments. This allows Taylor to touch on different techniques and situations.
Taylor displays a true passion for the sport of fly fishing and a desire to teach others as a fishing guide. He loves seeing the joy on clients' faces when they catch their first fish on a fly rod. “The joy I get from watching others catch fish using the skills I taught them is second to none and leave with more knowledge to make them a better fly angler.”
Taylor has spent four years on the Missouri River near Craig, Montana. His favorite technique is stripping streamers for big browns and rainbows with nymphing being a close second favorite.
Licensed in PA & MD
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Andy Ranieri
Guide
Andy grew up in central PA as part of a family where no one fished or hunted. In Jr. High, one of his classmates exposed him to fly fishing. He was instantly hooked. For his 15th birthday, he received a fly tying kit and signed up for an introduction to fly tying class. The instructor was Bob Clouser and his son.
Once he was able to drive, he became a shop rat at Bob Clouser’s fly shop along the banks of the Susquehanna River. Bob was kind enough to teach him different things during slow times in the shop. Andy became a fixture at central PA streams like Clarks, Big Spring, Spring Creek, The Letort and others. When he got out of the service in the late 80’s, he took a job at the largest private hatchery East of the Mississippi. One of the owners exposed him to the Beaverkill and Catskills which started a new chapter in his love for fly fishing. This is where Andy met Art Lee and was fortunate enough to fish with him several days a week for an entire season.
Since the mid to late 80s, Andy fell in love with the challenge of chasing fish on larger waters like the Susquehanna River, the Lehigh River, The Upper Delaware and The Youghiogheny.
Just as Bob and Art shared their knowledge with him to make him a better angler, Andy looks forward to paying it forward and sharing what he learned over his 36 years of fly fishing.
Mike Kerstetter
Guide
Mike grew up fly fishing the Pocono Mountains and the Lehigh river for trout. While fly fishing for trout was ingrained in Mike at a very young age he has also spent considerable time throughout his college years fishing the great lakes, particularly the tributaries to Lake Ontario for monster brown trout and steelhead. The passion for fishing is resolute and it permeates into your experience on the water with him.
In 2013 Mike started his guiding career in upstate NY but is happy to back on his Pennsylvania home waterways. He has owned several drift boats over the last 15 years and his experience on boat positioning, handling, and knowledge of the water will ensure you have an equally safe and enjoyable day on the water. Whether chasing trout on the Lehigh or smallmouth on the Susquehanna and its tributaries you will find him in his element behind the oars of his 2021 Stealthcraft superfly which is set up in ultimate comfort and safety with his clients in mind.
Michael Lohman
Guide
In 1972 Michael's father developed an interest in fly fishing so Michael decided to join with his father in learning how to fly fish. Back then there was no internet or fly fishing classes. Michael learned a lot through books and trial and error.
Since then, Michael has fished in many places for many species. He has fished all over Canada and even Newfoundland. He has trout fished in countless Pennsylvania trout streams. He has fished for bonefish and permit in Mexico and several islands in the Bahamas. He has caught more stripers and bluefish than he can count.
One of his greatest passions is FF for tarpon. Michael's passion is fly fishing for tarpon throughout the Florida Keys.
Michael enjoys teaching fly casting and fly tying. One would be hard pressed to find a better casting instructor and fly tying instruction than Michael. Michael is also a great guide and his favorite places to guide are in the Poconos on the Brodhead, McMichael's Creek and the Big Bushkill. Michael is very well versed in the art of dry fly fishing and wet fly and soft hackle fishing.
Jeff Gensheimer
Guide
Jeff is a husband and father of two, who loves spending time outdoors with his family. When it comes to fishing, Jeff's greatest joy comes from being on the water with his family. Whether guiding family or new friends, Jeff will do everything in his power to put together a great trip, hopefully with lots of fish.
Jeff comes by his love for fishing naturally, a passion shared by his grandfather and father. He has been fishing his entire life, and fly fishing for over 15 years, continually honing his skills on the streams and rivers of Eastern Pa. A multispecies angler up and down the east coast, Jeff loves throwing dries at rising trout or topwater for smallmouth, preferring the visual eats.
Jeff has an extensive knowledge of the resident and migratory species of fish that share his home waters of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. He enjoys chasing after stripers, but there's no denying his first love - the anadromous American Shad. Once the Shad trees bloom, there's no better way to spend time on the river than a noble fight with these (underappreciated) fish.
Jeff's love for fly fishing and the almighty shad result in a natural confluence of those passions: targeting shad on the fly.
