I lived in a neighboring state for a while, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was practically in our back yard. I loved the place the first time I saw it. Dense timber, ridge and valley after ridge and valley, and in the bottom of every valley – a stream or a river. There were rivers with n
ames that came right out of the pages of American history – the Allegheny, the Susquehanna, the Delaware and the Schuylkill. There were rivers that I wasn’t real sure how to pronounce – like the Youghiogheny. And there were fish – there were even trout!
I wish I had known Rick Nyles back then. I wish I had known about Sky Blue Outfitters. SBO is one of the most experienced and comprehensive fly fishing guide services in Pennsylvania. Rick started guiding in 1999 and started SBO in 2002. It was a great move. Rick has fished for over 40 years all over PA and all over the USA. Like all the guides at SBO, Rick is a Pennsylvania native and a lifelong resident of the state. He knows these waters like no one else I know. That knowledge came in handy in the early days, as SBO started running day trips and packaged trips to Penns, Pine, Spring, Little Juniata, Big Fishing Creek, Bald Eagle, Slate, Cedar and Little Pine creeks – just to name a few. Rick was happy, the clients were happy and the business grew.
As it grew, Nick Raftas and Taylor Helbig came on to support and expand the business, bringing 35 years of additional experience in fly fishing these great waters. Their expertise made things even better, and SBO established itself as a leading guide service in PA. They branched out into fishing for bass, pike and muskies. When carp fishing became a thing, they began offering fly fishing guide service to target the “poor man’s bonefish”. They began to lead trips farther afield – trout in Montana…redfish, sea trout and stripers off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and more. Rick placed third in the Orvis fly tying contest in 2015. They were named as one of the top 90 guide services in the U.S. by Field & Stream magazine in 2016. Nick became an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide this spring. What a resume and recognitions they have built over the years. Who knows what SBO will accomplish next.
But don’t take my word for it. Go. Give Pennsylvania a shot. Fish for trout, fish for smallmouth, fish for carp – but whatever you do, fish with SBO. TU is proud to have Sky Blue Outfitters as a Gold Level TU Business member.
Sky Blue Outfitters
Rick Nyles
Fleetwood, PA 19522
(610) 987-0073