Meet The Guides

is Precision Fly and Tackle’s Head Guide, as well as the instructor for our Fundamentals of Tightline Nymphing Classes. Ben was introduced to fly fishing and fly tying at a very young age. The sport quickly became a passion of his as he experienced the rush from bending his fly rod with a Panfish or trout. You could always find him spending time sharpening his skills while chasing after wild rainbows and native brook trout in some of the best steams in south-central Pennsylvania. Shortly after college, Ben was able to volunteer with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. This is where he found that he enjoyed teaching the art of fly fishing and sharing his passion with others. Since then he has grown as a fly fishing guide and loves to provide trips that will give memories for a lifetime.Streams that he guides on are various trout streams such as Falling Spring, Big Spring, Yellow Breeches, Little Juanita, Conococheague, Erie tributaries for steelhead, and the Juniata River for smallmouth.

Mike was blessed to have been able to learn the art of fly fishing on some of the difficult and most famous spring creeks in the country. He has been doing so for over thirty years. Mike is a graduate of Penn State where he acquired a degree in Forestry. Mike Heck is the author of, “Spring Creek Strategies”. Mike also helped with, “Tying Dry
Flies”. Mike has also had articles published in Fly Fisherman,
American Angler and Fish and Fly Magazine. Mike has appeared in the TV show, “Road Trip USA”, a Discovery channel show that aired across Europe. Now, Mike operates as an SA Endorsed professional guide for himself and Precision Fly and Tackle. He guides on Falling Springs, Letort, Yellow Breeches and many other South Central PA trout streams. Mike is also an innovative fly tyer with several patterns credited to his name. These flies include his Simple Shrimp, Big Eye Rainbow, Mike’s Midges, Pupa, the snowshoe emerger series of
patterns and his well know baetis and sulphur nymphs. You can find Mike Heck’s Trout Guides on the web at www.fallingsprings.com or contact Mike by e-mail at fallingsprings@outlook.com and by calling (717)-321-5160.

As a biologist and aquatic biology instructor with experience in doing river water quality testing and macro invertebrate sampling, Janet has a strong background in the how’s and whys of the fly-fishing world. A certified fly-fishing guide with 35 plus years of fly-fishing experience and having enjoyed being an instructor for fly-tying and casting along the way has allowed Janet’s passion for the sport to shine for all to see. Her tenure at the Evening Hatch fly shop for many
years has provided her with the opportunity to manage the shop, advise, and outfit customers and clients for success on the water. Janet has fished for Steelhead, Grayling, Landlocked Salmon, Trout, and has
fishing experience in Western US and in Florida for Bonefish, Tarpon and Permit, as well as Canada for Atlantic Salmon.

JD grew up in the Poconos and began fly fishing in his late-teens, learning and enjoying the miles of diverse and beautiful water the Pocono Mountains has to offer. Trout, Bass (large and smallmouth) and Panfish are a few of the species JD likes to target locally.  He’s even been known to make an appearance or two on the Steelhead tribs of PA, NY, and OH. JD is very comfortable when it comes to targeting a variety of species around Pennsylvania and promotes safety, education, and sustainability.  Always up for a good time, he enjoys the experience of watching people catch fish just as much as he likes to catch them himself!  

My Father and Grandfather started me fly fishing at the ripe old age
of 8 years old. They created a monster. I’ve fished the streams, rivers
and lakes of NEPA my whole life. Primarily guide the Lehigh and its Tributaries. Then in late summer Smallmouth take over and you can find me on the Susquehanna river and some small cold water gems in the
Pocono Mountains. I’ve guided professionally since 2004 and been
lucky enough to fish all over the world. Mongolia, Greenland and
Australia to the Chalkstreams of England have been recent destinations. For better or worse, I literally spend all my time fishing and trying to figure out where’s next.

Adam, a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, started fishing for bluegills at the age of 5, in a local farm pond. Although he fished most
of his childhood, the passion for fishing really increased when he started fly fishing in high school. As he learned more about the sport, he found he enjoyed teaching others what he had learned and how to
increase their catch rates. This realization prompted Adam to attend the Sweetwater Fly Fishing Guide School in 2007, which took place on the Yellowstone River in Big Timber, MT. It was here he learned how to row
drift boats on big rivers and how to read and breakdown large bodies of water to optimize success. Adam most enjoys stalking big rising trout during any of PA’s mayfly hatches. His preferred method of catching fish is with dry flies however he’s also proficient at getting fish to eat
streamers. When the spring mayfly hatches die down, Adam will be hunting tailing carp or cruising smallmouth bass through summer and early fall. Adam primarily float guides in Southeastern PA for trout, bass, carp
and musky. When not on the water, he enjoys hunting, fly tying, hiking
with his wife and playing with his two Australian Shepherds. Waters Adam guides in include; Schuylkill River, Susquehanna River, Lehigh River and various other lakes and streams in SEPA.

A native Pennsylvanian, Ken Mead has spent most of life fly fishing the Pocono Mountains. He has extensive knowledge of the region’s streams and their hatches. He’s been a licensed fly fishing guide since 2004,
was one of the original Evening Hatch guides and has worked through his own guide service, Western Pocono Fly Fishing. He has fished extensively throughout the United States and Western Canada and has adapted fly patterns, tactics and techniques from those journeys with great success
here at home. Ken is also a professional fly tyer. Since the early 1980’s, Ken’s flies have been featured in shops throughout eastern
PA. He has several regionally popular patterns, including Ken’s Copperhead and Ken’s Caddis. He and his flies have appeared in the books Trout Flies of the East by Jim Schollmeyer and Ted Leeson and Tying
Flies like a Pro by Marty Bartholomew. Ken was a member of A.K. Best Tool Company pro staff and a long-time guest fly tyer at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum. He has been published in the Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide. Ken enjoys helping clients become more proficient with their casting; especially when fishing dry flies and
dry/dropper rigs; and improving their technique when swinging wet flies
and streamers. He does walk/wade trips throughout the Pocono Mountains. Ken is a board member of the Lehigh Coldwater Fishery Alliance, (thelehighriver.org).