2008 Fly Fishing Report? How did you do?

I know an end of the year report is a little premature and that there is still a lot of good fishing to be done but for me the season is drawing to an end. I am a teacher and the Fall is an overwhelmingly busy time. I will definitely throw some more line but instead of all day adventures I will be squeezing in a hour here and there if I am lucky.
This year was unique in a lot of ways for me. My season really started at the beginning of March. We had several weekends where the temperature shot into the low 50's, which in the beginning of March felt like 70. My first trip was to Driftwood Branch of Sinnemahoning. It was our first trip to the creek and our expectations were centered around getting out of the house and doing some exploring. As we fished I was somewhat surprised to see Trout rising consistently in the first week of March. Although we ended up doing better with sucker spawn and egg imitations it was still enough to set the fly fishing season off with a bang. Black Moshannon and Spring Creek came next; I eagerly anticipated the BWO hatch at Spring and figured I would stop at Blacky and give it a shot first. I love Blacky in the early Spring and this outing was no different I caught a nice holdover Browny and a couple Native Brookies. Spring Creek turned out to be a disappointment on each visit for me this year. I had such a great year in 08 that my expectations were just too high. However many friends that I talked with seemed to have banner years on Spring. Next, on the list was First Fork Sinnemahoning. I instantly became hooked on First Fork; it makes me feel like I am fishing a spring creek out west and the trout rise consistently. In March we were taking them with little black stone flies and in July I got hooked on midges. At times it was literally every other cast I was hooking a trout. We hit Kettle for the March Browns and BWO's. Kettle is always great, just so far away from home. Next year I will be staying over night. Pine Creek was fun but a little disappointing. I love the big water and the atmosphere but the fishing just wasn't that great for me this year. From talking with a lot of the locals it seemed to be the case for a lot of people. I think the very cool temperatures really put a damper on some of Pine's best hatches. Fished Slate and Cedar Runs with similar results. I did catch fish but not as many as I had hoped. The Little Juniata had me scratching my head this year. I can count the number of Trout I caught on one finger! I can honestly say it wasn't the water conditions. Each visit was with 3 or more friends and they always did great. I also have to note these guys were far less experienced at fly fishing than I. I didn't mind being skunked the first time but the second and third time was unacceptable. The only good size was there are four guys that just got hooked on fly fishing this year because of the Little J. I had a blast on Fishing Creek this year! This is just an awesome creek that has great hatches. We did very well with streamers and Sulphurs and was even having fun after I went down face first in the water. Penn's Creek (my personal favorite) was a blast every single time I visited. I didn't catch the Drake spinner fall or the March Brown spinner fall but had a blast with Green Drake duns and Sulphurs. I also had the opportunity to explore several nice streams closer to home (Clearfield). Caught a beautiful Rainbow on the Susquehanna and I caught the nicest trout I've caught in years on Spruce Creek. The only disappointing thing was that the Smallmouth fishing was the worst I can remember in my life. It was indeed a great year for fly fishing. I love this sport and can't wait to see what next year brings.
Just a few other notes on the season. My wife and I recently had our first baby and many people ask me if I get to fish much. My response is usually this: I fished about one third of what I fished last year but probably three times as much as most people get too. On a final note, I have had the opportunity to talk with a lot of fellow fly fisherman this year. Many of those conversations have turned to the topic of nymphing vs. dry fly fishing. It seems to be a something that defines fly fisherman; you're either a nympher of dry fly fisherman. If I had to choose I would be a dry fly fisherman. To me the excitement of the take is well worth landing a few less trout. I do nymph an will continue to do through the years but my true love will always be landing a trout on a dry fly. Thank you to everyone that visits the site. Please add comments and share your thoughts and experiences.