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Lunch buffet at the Oyster, with Sinatra and Buble

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Metz culinary group rises from Northeastern Pennsylvania roots to 19 states

<p>There are several reasons why Ken Shiffert has been in the fly fishing business for 21 years.</p><p>The product line, knowledgeable staff and service at his Evening Hatch Fly Shop are crucial, but perhaps the biggest reason he&#8217;s been open for so long is location.</p><p>The Lake Harmony business is a fly fisherman&#8217;s dream, and it&#8217;s close to several of the region&#8217;s top trout waters, including the Lehigh River in Luzerne County, Pohopoco Creek, Tobyhanna Creek, and the fly-fishing-only stretch on Bushkill Creek in Monroe County.</p><p>The abundance of prime trout waters in the area has made for steady business at Evening Hatch, which is closed only two days all year &#8212; Christmas and Thanksgiving.</p><p>&#8220;There are an awful lot of people coming to the Poconos all the time to fly fish,&#8221; Shiffert said. &#8220;There are just so many places to go that it&#8217;s a draw for anglers.&#8221;</p><p>To cater to those anglers, the Evening Hatch carries plenty of rods, reels and flies, but it goes beyond that equipment. Shiffert said his store has the biggest selection of fly-tying materials in the area, and it resulted from angler demand because so many people tie their own flies.</p><p>Still, Shiffert knows that in order to keep his business growing and thriving, the sport of fly fishing needs to do the same. That&#8217;s why Evening Hatch offers fly fishing school and fly-tying classes for beginning anglers, and even has a guide service available to fish the Lehigh River, Brodheads Creek and the Bushkill, as well as float trips on the Delaware River.</p><p>&#8220;We get a lot of people from out of the area, from beginning anglers to experienced, and that&#8217;s a tribute to the popularity of fly fishing,&#8221; Shiffert said.</p><p>&#8220;Fly fishing is a lot more interesting than sitting on a bank watching a bobber. It&#8217;s a full-circle experience because you learn about insect life, hatches and the stream, and you&#8217;re a part of all that when you fly fish.&#8221;</p><p>And plenty of anglers want to be a part of it.</p><p>The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has set aside stretches of streams across the state that are stocked with trout and open only to anglers using flies or artificial lures. John Arway, executive director of the PFBC, said the fly fishing and artificial lure stretches are extremely popular, and he sees more fly anglers on the streams today than ever before.</p><p>According to the PFBC&#8217;s Trout Plan in 2010, 15 percent of all trout anglers use flies. But Arway added that the popularity of fly fishing in the state peaks in late spring.</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll see more fly anglers on a stream in May than you will on opening day in April. May is when the insect hatches start, and for fly anglers that&#8217;s when the fishing gets better,&#8221; Arway said.</p><p>While the PFBC doesn&#8217;t maintain figures on the economic impact of fly fishing in the state, Arway said he&#8217;s confident it is significant. A fly rod alone can cost $50 to $800, and while bait is more expensive than artificial flies, Arway said fly fishermen often buy more and tend to stock up on materials to tie their own flies.</p><p>That&#8217;s why Shiffert keeps his store well stocked and his product line up to date. He knows fly anglers depend on his store to have what they need as they travel to the Poconos to fish some of the most popular waters in the state.</p><p>&#8220;It makes me feel good that they count on us,&#8221; Shiffert said. &#8220;That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s important for us to have a really knowledgeable staff. There are so many new anglers that are coming in with questions about the sport, and we want to help them get started the right way.&#8221;</p><p><ins>For other sports stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/sports" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Ken Shiffert, owner of the Evening Hatch Fly Shop, says his store draws fly anglers heading to the Poconos. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_EveningHatchFlyShop3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ken Shiffert, owner of the Evening Hatch Fly Shop, says his store draws fly anglers heading to the Poconos. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_EveningHatchFlyShop4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">According to a state report, 15 percent of all trout anglers use flies. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_EveningHatchFlyShop4.jpg</photo1><caption1>According to a state report, 15 percent of all trout anglers use flies. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_EveningHatchFlyShop1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A selection of fly-tying feathers at the shop awaits anglers. May is popular for fly fishing. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_EveningHatchFlyShop1.jpg</photo2><caption2>A selection of fly-tying feathers at the shop awaits anglers. May is popular for fly fishing. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_EveningHatchFlyShop2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Evening Hatch Fly Shop in Lake Harmony is located close to several of the region&#8217;s top trout waters. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_EveningHatchFlyShop2.jpg</photo3><caption3>The Evening Hatch Fly Shop in Lake Harmony is located close to several of the region&#8217;s top trout waters. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>EVENING HATCH</strong></p><p><strong> FLY SHOP</strong></p><p>&#8226; <strong>Year opened</strong>: 1996</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Owner</strong>: Ken Shiffert</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Address</strong>: 797 State Rte. 940 East, Lake Harmony</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Phone</strong>: 570-443-0772</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Website</strong>: <a href="http://www.eveninghatch.com/" target="_blank">www.eveninghatch.com</a></p><p>&#8226; <strong>Notable</strong>: The shop posts weekly water conditions for numerous area trout streams on its website. The business also posts the dates of fly hatches in the Poconos.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Fly fishing creates steady business for Evening Hatch shop