Fly Fishing Central Pennsylvania's Penns Creek, Elk Creek, and Fishing Creek

This past weekend I fished a number of central Pennsylvania trout streams; indeed, I was lucky enough to fish Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I will thus recount these three days in three separate posts.

On Saturday Jackie and I decided to enjoy the fabulous weather at Penns Creek. The heat, however, prevented us from thoroughly enjoying ourselves: Jackie found it difficult to work outside, and I found the fishing to be impossible. Despite a robust grannom caddis hatch, the trout were not rising and were not actively taking nymphs. The intersection of unseasonable temperatures and high water may have been the reason for the sluggish fishing. Or maybe I'm just not that good! That being said, it was nice to spend some time at the enigmatic limestone stream. I would return the next night with significantly better results.

After leaving Penns Creek, we stopped briefly at Cherry Run - a small freestone stream that has recently been designated catch-and-release. A few years ago the state decided to transform this once-stocked stream into a wild trout water. This transformation has yet to take complete effect and the wild brook trout population is still rebounding. I didn't catch anything, but near the stream Jackie and I photographed some stunning moss phlox (image #2). After taking the aforementioned pictures, we drove through the Bald Eagle State Forest back to PA Route 45. At this point, I decided to head to Fishing Creek for what I hoped would be a twilight caddis bonanza.

On the way to Fishing Creek, we stopped briefly at Elk Creek. I'd never fished Elk, and walked away impressed after spending 45 minutes wading in its limestone green water. Most of the land around Elk is privately-owned, but a majority of the landowners allow anglers the opportunity to fish the beautiful stream. It is thus designated as a Class A wild trout water and possesses numerous wild brown trout in its fertile riffles and pools. I landed one on my spin-casting rod: a lovely 8 inch fish (image #4). I know that I will be back to Elk sometime in the near future.

Once we arrived at Fishing Creek, Jackie and I photographed some periwinkle, garlic mustard, and dwarf cinquefoil (image #3). While she sat and worked in a grassy field, I fished the grannom caddis hatch. Of all the central Pennsylvania hatches, including the vaunted green drake, I enjoy the grannoms the most. I love how they cling to the riparian vegetation and dart erratically through the air. I also thoroughly enjoy trouts' appetite for these insects. I ended up catching two wild browns on a size 14 black caddis (image #5). It was a very nice day capped off by a delicious dinner at Lewisburg's Vic's Pub.

Image #1: Me fishing at Fishing Creek
Image #2: Moss phlox at Cherry Run
Image #3: Dwarf cinquefoil at Fishing Creek
Image #4: Wild brown trout caught at Elk Creek
Image #5: Wild brown trout caught at Fishing Creek

Overall Total: 14

River Breakdown:

Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Elk Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 5
Wild - 4
Stocked - 1

Brown Trout - 5
Wild - 5
Stocked - 0

Rainbow Trout - 4
Wild - 4
Stocked - 0


Wild Trout - 13
Stocked Trout - 1


Trout 15+ Inches: 0


Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)



Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 13 (4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Brown, 4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 1 (1 Wild Brown)


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 14
New Jersey - 0
New York - 0

Fly Fishing Central Pennsylvania's White Deer Creek in Late April

This past weekend I fished a number of central Pennsylvania trout streams; indeed, I was lucky enough to fish Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I will thus recount these three days in three separate posts.

On Friday Jackie and I drove to White Deer Creek, a freestone stream that meanders through Bald Eagle State Forest en route to its confluence with the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. After debating where to stop, we headed for the short fly-fishing only stretch of water that exists on White Deer. We enjoyed ourselves despite the relatively slow trout activity: I threw nymphs into the creek's fast runs and Jackie read in the warm sun. Along the bank we spotted some trailing arbutus, a creeping wildflower that owns a magnificent scent (image #3). In the end, though, I only caught one fish: a stocked brook trout that took a bead-head green weenie (image #2).

I find White Deer Creek to be somewhat of an insufferable place: the river is beautiful, but it is too heavily fished, relies too much on a stocking regimen, and lacks the prolific hatches of its neighboring limestone creeks. In a way, White Deer reminds me of my home waters in the Pocono Mountains. These are streams that could be amazing, but suffer from many of the aforementioned problems. But a fish is a fish, the day was beautiful, and we took some lovely pictures.

Check back soon for further updates!


Overall Total: 10

River Breakdown:

Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Fishing Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 5
Wild - 4
Stocked - 1

Rainbow Trout - 4
Stocked - 0
Wild - 4

Brown Trout - 2
Stocked - 0
Wild - 2


Wild Trout - 10
Stocked Trout - 1


Trout 15+ Inches: 0


Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)



Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 11 (4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 0


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 11
New Jersey - 0
New York - 0

Fly Fishing Spring Creek, Penns Creek, and Fishing Creek in April

In the last two weeks I've had the opportunity to fish three of my favorite Pennsylvania wild trout streams. Unfortunately, I've been slow in updating these visits (lots of work).

My first trip was to Centre County's Spring Creek - a beautiful limestone spring-fed stream that lays claim to the oldest fly fishing-only water in the United States. The wild brown and rainbow trout were rising in the shade on this sunny April Saturday. I caught one brown under a bridge with a crazy backwards cast. The fish took a size 16 blue quill. I landed a rainbow further down the river on a blue winged olive, size 18 (image #1). It was nice to catch a few fish on top of the water; indeed, nothing beats the excitement of a wild trout rising to a dry fly. In addition, I caught two rainbows on a green weenie, size 14, along the shoreline and one rainbow on a scud pattern, size 16, in the middle of a rapids section. It was a wonderful day on the water. I found only one new wildflower, though: bloodroot (image #2).

Last weekend, on my way out to central Ohio, I stopped and fished Penns Creek and Fishing Creek (Clinton County). Penns was way too high, and Jackie and I left after about an hour. We did find some spring beauty (image #4), violets, bluets, coltsfoot, and ground ivy.

Fishing Creek was likewise high, but I managed to land a 14 inch wild brown on a size 8 golden stonefly nymph pattern (image #3). Jackie also photographed the exiquisitely beautiful trout lily (image #5).


Image #1: Wild rainbow from Spring Creek
Image #2: Bloodroot
Image #3: Wild brown from Fishing Creek
Image #4: Spring Beauty found at Penns Creek
Image #5: Trout lily


Overall Total: 10

River Breakdown:

Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Fishing Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 4
Wild - 4
Stocked - 0

Rainbow Trout - 4
Stocked - 0
Wild - 4

Brown Trout - 2
Stocked - 0
Wild - 2


Wild Trout - 10
Stocked Trout - 0


Trout 15+ Inches: 0


Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 10 (4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Wild Brown)
Spinning Rod - 0


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 10
New Jersey - 0
New York - 0