Trout Update #15: Fly Fishing Spring Creek and Fishing Creek

I spent Thursday at the ubiquitously-titled Fishing Creek. This specific Fishing Creek is located in Clinton County, Pennsylvania and runs through Sugar Valley en route to its confluence with the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. It's a delightful drive out to the valley from Lewisburg. Mapquest and other "time-saving" devices would send a driver up to Interstate 80 and then west; I find that ride to be dull. Instead, I take PA Route 192 out past R.B. Winter State Park and a series of back-roads. These twisting mountain roads eventually take you through the stunning Logan Mills covered bridge and into quiet Sugar Valley. It takes a little over an hour, but it's worth the extra time. (image of Spring Creek; I couldn't photograph Fishing Creek because of rain)

However, I caught no trout. This was partially caused by the steady downpour that fell all day. I decided to brave the conditions, knowing that I wouldn't have many more chances to fish the medium-sized limestone stream this year. The only trout I saw was frightened by the landing of the fly. It seems that the low water conditions of late August have made the Fishing Creek trout tentative. I suppose I can empathize - I hate warm weather, too. I'm sure the fishing will pick up in later September. However, I didn't leave empty-handed: I scooped up a bunch of wild mint. Later, Jackie and I made mojitos with it.

On Saturday Jackie and I drove to Bellefonte, a small town near State College. I enjoy fishing the Fisherman's Paradise section of Spring Creek, the oldest designated fly fishing-only water in the United States. Before fishing, however, we enjoyed a great lunch at the High Street Pub in downtown Bellefonte - a place I would recommend to anyone in the Penn State area. After our meal we went to the park located in the center of town. Spring Creek runs through it and fishing is prohibited. Consequently, there are huge rainbow and golden rainbow trout. You can even pay a quarter to feed them some pellets. It's a highly entertaining enterprise - again, I would urge any readers near State College to give it a try.

After feeding the monstrous fish, we drove to Fisherman's Paradise. My first glance at the stream revealed that the trout were active: I counted three brown trout rising to the surface. I put on a green weenie, an inch worm imitation, and quickly caught one wild brown replete with beautiful orange flares decorating its fins. I proceeded to catch one more wild brown and two wild rainbows - all on terrestrial patterns. One wild brown (pictured above) and one wild rainbow (pictured left) were of considerable size. Jackie even got into the fishing, suggesting various patterns for me to try. Spring Creek is a highly productive, consistent, pretty, and accessible wild trout stream. It is a shame that the river is hundreds of miles from New Jersey and sixty-five miles from Lewisburg. I suppose I have to settle for another long-distance relationship.


Overall Total: 164

River Breakdown:

Marshalls Creek - 28 (28 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 22 (13 Stocked Brown, 7 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 21 (17 Stocked Brown, 3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Golden Rainbow)
Pequest River - 17 (9 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Beaverkill River - 10 (7 Wild Brown, 2 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Brown)
Spring Creek - 10 (5 Wild Brown, 5 Wild Rainbow)
Poplar Run - 9 (7 Wild Brook, 2 Wild Brown)
Faulkner Brook - 7 (6 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 7 (7 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 4 (3 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (4 Stocked Brown)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Rattlesnake Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 3 (2 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Tiger)
Mullet Brook - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Pine Creek - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Cherry Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Lawrence Brook - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Musconetcong River - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)
Neversink River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Yellow Breeches Creek - (1 Wild Brown)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 72
Wild - 57
Stocked - 15


Brown Trout - 72
Stocked - 48
Wild - 24


Rainbow Trout - 19
Stocked - 13
Wild - 5
Golden Rainbow - 1


Tiger Trout - 1
Wild - 1
Stocked - 0


Wild Trout - 87
Stocked Trout - 77


Trout 15+ Inches: 7


Angling Breakdown:


Fly Fishing Rod - 95 (34 Stocked Brown, 20 Wild Brown, 15 Wild Brook, 11 Stocked Rainbow, 9 Stocked Brook, 5 Wild Rainbow, 1 Stocked Golden Rainbow)

55 Stocked
40 Wild

Spinning Rod - 69 (42 Wild Brook, 14 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 4 Wild Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Wild Tiger)

47 Wild
22 Stocked


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 98
New Jersey - 52
New York - 14

Trout Update #14: Fly Fishing Pine Creek and Marshalls Creek

On Wednesday of last week I stopped in the Poconos on my way to central Pennsylvania. My goal was to purchase a reel for my "flea rod" - a six foot, 1 weight pole designed to fish small creeks. I stopped at my favorite outdoors shop, Dunkleberger's, and found the perfect fit. I also purchased 1 weight fly line and sped off to two of my favorite Pocono wild brook trout streams: Marshalls Creek and Poplar Run.

After setting up the rod and reel at Poplar Run, I discovered that the stream was overwhelmed by the warm weather and lack of rain. I left following only a few casts. Marshalls Creek was a different story: I landed seven wild brook trout on the flea rod (pictured left) and one on a spinner (for old time's sake). I fished the waterfall in Wilderness Acres and used a small olive wooly bugger to catch six and a copper john nymph to catch the seventh. These wild brooks are addicted to quick movement; small streamers are thus an effective way to catch them. Even when I use nymphs, I often drag them through the water in order to entice the tiny fish. I had hoped that adding the flea rod to my equipment would enable me to land more wild brook trout; my time at Marshalls Creek quickly affirmed this would indeed occur.

On Friday I decided to stay close to Bucknell (relatively) while Jackie went to her three hour seminar. I drove to Pine Creek, seeking its confluence with Stony Run deep in the Bald Eagle State Forest. Pine Creek is a typical mountain watershed: it has shallow riffles, "deep" pools of about 2-4 foot depth, and tall coniferous trees growing above it. These pines shield the river from direct sunlight and thus keep the water cold enough for wild brook trout to flourish. After a few weak attempts with my spinning rod, I switched to the flea rod. Soon enough I caught one wild brook trout (pictured to the left) on a bead-head caddis nymph. A few hundred yards downstream I located a deep pool near where Stony Run dumps more water into Pine Creek. At that spot I caught another wild brook and saw a few bigger rainbows - fish I assume swam upstream from the town of Woodward, where the stream is stocked. Knowing time was running short, I took a few casts in Stony Run. I momentarily courted a small brookie, but failed to land it. On the way back to Bucknell, I fished Rapid Run for an hour. I lost one stocked trout and caught nothing.

Overall, I am elated to have caught ten wild brook trout - nine of which were landed on my new flea rod.


Overall Total: 160

River Breakdown:

Marshalls Creek - 28 (28 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 22 (13 Stocked Brown, 7 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 21 (17 Stocked Brown, 3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Golden Rainbow)
Pequest River - 17 (9 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Beaverkill River - 10 (7 Wild Brown, 2 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Brown)
Poplar Run - 9 (7 Wild Brook, 2 Wild Brown)
Faulkner Brook - 7 (6 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 7 (7 Stocked Rainbow)
Spring Creek - 6 (3 Wild Brown, 3 Wild Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 4 (3 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (4 Stocked Brown)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Rattlesnake Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 3 (2 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Tiger)
Mullet Brook - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Pine Creek - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Cherry Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Lawrence Brook - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Musconetcong River - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)
Neversink River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Yellow Breeches Creek - (1 Wild Brown)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 72
Wild - 57
Stocked - 15


Brown Trout - 70
Stocked - 48
Wild - 22


Rainbow Trout - 17
Stocked - 13
Wild - 3
Golden Rainbow - 1


Tiger Trout - 1
Wild - 1
Stocked - 0


Wild Trout - 83
Stocked Trout - 77


Trout 15+ Inches: 5


Angling Breakdown:


Fly Fishing Rod - 91 (34 Stocked Brown, 18 Wild Brown, 15 Wild Brook, 11 Stocked Rainbow, 9 Stocked Brook, 3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Stocked Golden Rainbow)

Spinning Rod - 69 (42 Wild Brook, 14 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 4 Wild Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Wild Tiger)


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 94
New Jersey - 52
New York - 14

Bass Update #5: Fly Fishing Penns Creek

With my second year of coursework in graduate school rapidly approaching, I frantically raced to fish some of my favorite stretches of water before classes began. In the end I had fished eight beautiful rivers, caught 14 trout, landed a few bass, and spent a lot of time with my girlfriend at some of Pennsylvania's most well-known limestone spring-fed wild trout streams. Over the past few days I've debated how best to write up the experiences of the past week. Ultimately, I've decided to put up three different accounts of my latest fishing expeditions; these posts will be grouped according to a vague sense of similarity.

I fished Penns Creek last, but I will write about it first. On Sunday Jackie and I drove the thirty miles from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to the special regulations catch and release area of Penns Creek located close to the village of Weikert. It was a pleasant and entertaining drive: Sundays in central Pennsylvania are busy days for the region's Amish and Mennonite population. We passed numerous buggies, bicycles, and bonneted women, all en route to their religious/social Sunday gatherings. After arriving we enjoyed a nice riverside picnic lunch. At our meal's conclusion I left Jackie to go fish my favorite river.

Early September/late August is a difficult time to fish the big limestone stream. Firstly, an angler needs to consider the water temperature: the higher the temperature, the greater the risk to the river's precious wild brown trout. Fortunately, the summer had been relatively cool; additionally, two separate rainstorms at the end of last week provided much-needed cold water. Despite the relatively decent fishing conditions, I saw no trout. It appears that the trout at Penns are not yet over the stress of the summer (that, or I am an unbelievably bad fly fisherman). Not willing to abandon my favorite place so quickly, I ventured back to where I had left Jackie - on a grassy bank in front of a wide, shallow pool. I tied on some terrestrials and caught a few smallmouth bass, a rock bass, and a bunch of chubs. Indeed, Penns always delights, even when the trout are hidden.


Note: all pictures taken by Jackie.







Overall Total: 23

River Breakdown
Penns Creek - 5 (4 Smallmouth, 1 Rock)
Stony Brook - 5 (4 Rock, 1 Smallmouth)
Delaware River - 4 (4 Smallmouth)
Millstone River - 3 (2 Largemouth, 1 Black Crappie)
Potomac River - 3 (3 Smallmouth)
Bushkill Creek - 2 (2 Smallmouth)
Difficult Run - 1 (1 Smallmouth)

Species Breakdown
Smallmouth Bass - 15
Rock Bass - 5
Largemouth Bass - 2
Black Crappie - 1

Type of Fly
Streamer - 11 (6 Smallmouth, 4 Rock, 1 Black Crappie)
Nymph - 6 (4 Smallmouth, 1 Largemouth, 1 Rock)
Popper - 4 (3 Smallmouth, 1 Largemouth)
Dry Fly - (2 Smallmouth)

State Breakdown
New Jersey - 11
Pennsylvania - 8
Maryland - 3
Virginia - 1