Fly Fishing Penns Creek in April

Almost two weeks ago (I'm so behind on the blog-writing), I drove to Penns Creek for some mid-April fly fishing. It took almost 3 hours and 15 minutes to get to my favorite river from south Jersey. It was a nice ride, though, once the interstate gave way to winding central Pennsylvania roads. I had all day to fish, so I decided to walk two miles upstream and then fish back down to the car. It had been years since I went up that far (May of 2007, actually), so I was excited to see that part of the creek again. On the hike, I stopped and photographed a showy purple flower called fringed polygana, or gaywings. It was a remarkable looking plant, and signaled an auspicious start to the day.

My chosen starting spot was a braided section of the stream. Divided into three main threads, this part of Penns Creek is easier to fish. I missed a few trout on streamers and nymphs, including one 15+ inch wild brown. I quickly grew frustrated with my non-success, and had been at the river for over three hours before I caught my first trout. And the first fish didn't even take a fly; instead, it hit a barbless spinner on my spin-casting rod.

Despite my lack of fly fishing success, a robust grannom caddis hatch was ongoing. I figured that the fish would start rising to the grannoms after the sun went down over the ridges, and I was proven correct. I landed a 17.5 inch wild brown on a size 16 dry black caddis. It was probably the biggest Penns Creek fish I've caught on the fly rod. And although it came almost 6 hours after I arrived, it was worth every minute of it.

Other trout were rising so I thought I'd be able to catch a few more. Strangely, though, the fish stopped coming to the surface. The caddis were still coming off the water in droves, so I was a bit confused. A few minutes later, however, a fast moving thunderstorm rolled into the gorge. Facing a 1.5 mile hike back to the car, I decided to take shelter in a rhododendron grove. The evergreen shrub provided significant cover as the rain came pounding down. While I was cowering in the grove, I heard a building roar approaching. I kept telling myself, you're in Pennsylvania, there's no tornado coming, but the deafening roar seemed to suggest otherwise. The high ridges had formed a wind tunnel, and the rushing air blasted through the gorge, taking down tree limbs and dead plants. A huge limb fell about twenty feet away from me, and I decided I'd take my chances in the river, even with the lightening. Luckily, the storm died down, but not before I was soaked and somewhat rattled by the fallen tree branch.

Always remember that remote, beautiful places like Penns Creek can present danger at any time. Rely on your instincts and knowledge, and you'll more than likely end up fine.

Image #1 - Fringed polygana
Image #2 - Wild brown trout
Image #3 - Grannom Caddis
Youtube Caddis Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_qu6nlp3P4

Overall Total: 19

River Breakdown:
Paulinskill River - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Sevemile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead)
Raritan River, South Branch - 2 (2 Stocked Browns)
Marshalls Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)


Species Breakdown:
Brook Trout - 8
Stocked - 7
Wild - 1

Brown Trout - 6
Wild - 4
Stocked - 2

Rainbow Trout - 5
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2
Stocked - 0

Stocked Trout - 9
Wild Trout - 8
Lake Erie Trout - 2

Trout 15+ Inches: 3


Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 5 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)
Bead-head Olive Wooly Bugger Streamer, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Tan Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)


Angling Breakdown:
Spinning Rod - 10 (7 Stocked Brook, 3 Wild Brown)
Fly Fishing Rod - 9 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 10
New Jersey - 9

Fly Fishing the South Branch of the Raritan River

One week ago, I drove 90 miles north to the Ken Lockwood Gorge. The South Branch of the Raritan River flows through the gorge, and this section of the river is considered one of the best trout fishing locales in New Jersey. Although it is stocked with hatchery fish, some wild browns reproduce and can be caught by knowledgeable anglers. Furthermore, the river is under strict regulation, an occurrence that limits the put-and-take mentality of many Garden State trout fishermen.

The goal for me was to catch fish, obviously, but it was also a chance to try out my new fly rod. I bought a Temple Fork 9ft 5 wt, and it had just been delivered. Rather than use it on South Jersey slow water, I took it to the Raritan for its maiden voyage. The river looked nice, and there was a decent caddis hatch. I ended up landing two stocked brown trout, one on a bead-head pheasant tail nymph, and one on a dry tan caddis. Both fish were small and didn't provide much fight, but it was nice to land something on the new rod.

Before closing this post, I'd like to offer a brief soapbox-like commentary. Now that the trail that runs through the gorge has been paved, fly fishermen should seriously consider not driving on it. When the road was closed, the river had a feeling of privacy, and you could walk at your leisure. Now, nosy fishermen patrol the river from their vehicles, driving slowly, often stopping and observing you cast. This type of voyeurism rubs me the wrong way, and it seems antithetical to the quiet nature of the sport. The last thing I want to see or hear at the gorge is somebody's idling Ford F-150 as I prepare to lay down a cast. If you read this, fish the Ken Lockwood Gorge, and are able to walk in, please consider doing so. Thanks.

Soon, I'll post about a trip to Penns Creek and Opening Day in Pennsylvania.

Image #1 - The Raritan
Image #2 - Stocked brown trout with coloration

Overall Total: 15

River Breakdown:
Paulinskill River - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Sevemile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead)
Raritan River, South Branch - 2 (2 Stocked Browns)
Marshalls Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)


Species Breakdown:
Brook Trout - 8
Stocked - 7
Wild - 1

Rainbow Trout - 5
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2
Stocked - 0

Brown Trout - 2
Stocked - 2
Wild - 0


Stocked Trout - 9
Wild Trout - 4
Lake Erie Trout - 2

Trout 15+ Inches: 2


Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 5 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)
Bead-head Olive Wooly Bugger Streamer, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)


Angling Breakdown:
Fly Fishing Rod - 8 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook)
Spinning Rod - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)



State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 9
Pennsylvania - 6

Fishing for Trout on Opening Day in NJ

When I was a little kid, my grandfather used to take me trout fishing from the beginning of April until the end of May. For him, Opening Day marked the nascence of the trout season, and Memorial Day signified its conclusion. As a child, this was okay with me: I'd turn to fishing in nearby lakes for bass, pickerel, and catfish in the summertime and ice fish in the winter. But as I grew older, and wild trout became my passion, I sought out year-round, catch-and-release only types of trout water. And although I currently fish for trout 12 months a year, the festive allure of Opening Day is still strongly implanted in my consciousness. I was therefore thrilled when my best friend Will suggested we fish on New Jersey's official trout opener this past Saturday.

Where to go was easy: as a kid, I was always brought to Warren County's Paulinskill River. The state stocks the warm-water stream with tens of thousands of trout in the spring. And since we were bringing along Frank, a friend unfamiliar with trout fishing, we figured the Paulinskill would be the perfect place. When we arrived around 9 AM last Saturday, the river was running quite high. It was, however, quite fishable. We started downstream from the Blairstown park, where we found some breathing room from the crowds. Because of the high water conditions, I immediately began nymphing. After about ten minutes, I walked out of the river to help Frank. When I next picked up my fly rod, it literally snapped between my fingers (it's highly likely that the strain from the steelhead weakened the infrastructure of the rod, rendering it fragile and breakable).

I was, of course, mortified. Despite my skill as a fly fisherman, I am nonetheless a poor Ph.D. candidate that owns only two fly rods: a 9 ft 5 wt that can be used on a wide variety of streams, and a 6 foot "flea rod" for tiny wild trout waters. So by breaking my rod, I was literally left without a legitimate fly-fishing option right at the outset of our day. Luckily, though, my best friend Will had brought along two extra spin casting rods. I had grown up fishing for trout with spinners and Rapalas, and I still use this technique as a back-up or a change of pace. For instance, last year I caught 80% of my trout on the fly rod, and 20% on the spinning rod. Opening Day 2010 was therefore all about the golden Rapala.

I caught 7 stocked brook trout and lost about 15. The fish were striking very slowly, probably a condition caused by a combination of high water and confused, instinct-stunted hatchery fish. Will landed 3 after some initial trouble, and Frank didn't catch any, but nevertheless enjoyed himself. It was an excellent Opening Day, and the broken fly rod lended a fun throwback feel to it.

As soon as I got home, though, I ordered a new rod. I hope to test it out tonight.

(For the record, I caught a wild brook trout in Marshalls Creek back in March. I landed it on a small wooly bugger streamer in very high water.)

Image #1 - Paulinskill River
Image #2 - Ugly stocked brook trout
Image #3 - Muscovy ducks
Image #4 - Lesser celandine in bloom

Overall Total: 13

River Breakdown:
Paulinskill River - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Sevemile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead)
Marshalls Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)


Species Breakdown:
Brook Trout - 8
Stocked - 7
Wild - 1

Rainbow Trout - 5
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2
Stocked - 0

Brown Trout - 0
Wild - 0
Stocked - 0

Stocked Trout - 7
Wild Trout - 4
Lake Erie Trout - 2

Trout 15+ Inches: 2


Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)
Bead-head Olive Wooly Bugger Streamer, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brook)


Angling Breakdown:
Spinning Rod - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Fly Fishing Rod - 6 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 1 Wild Brook)


State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 7
Pennsylvania - 6

Fly Fishing for Lake Erie Steelhead

In mid-March I drove out to visit my family in central Ohio. The week of my visit was marred by the massive flooding that inflicted havoc on the eastern part of the country. While my current town of Blackwood got about 8 inches of rain, the area of Ohio I was visiting caught the very edge of the system. Nevertheless, the rain threatened a planned trip to Lake Erie steelhead country.

Steelhead are rainbow trout that travel from the big lake into small tributary streams to reproduce. They are called steelhead because their color is more of a grey-silver (the color of steel, I suppose). As the big fish make their way into the small rivers, their progression upstream is often blocked by low water conditions. Consequently, you can often see numerous fish pressed up against one waterfall. Once it rains, the elevated waters allow the fish to continue up the river. There are two runs per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. As it was early-ish March, I was hoping to catch the very beginning of the Spring 2010 run.

Despite the rain, the Lake Erie tributary streams were fishable. The weather was decent, if not exactly warm, and the fishing itself was okay. On my first day, I drove from Columbus, OH to Sevenmile Creek (all of the streams to the east of Erie, PA are titled by their distance from town center, not by their length), a small tributary located near the grounds of a convent. This eastern stream is marked by beautiful cascading waterfalls, a shiny blue-green shale bottom, and slightly less fishing pressure. Although I didn't catch anything, I did notice one specific pool that was holding steelhead. As this is Lake Erie, though, there were 4 guys standing right on top of the fish.

I left Sevemile and drove to Twelvemile, where I fished with no success. I then moved on to Twentymile, which seemed fishable and likely to hold a few of the big rainbow trout. After watching a person lose a fish (a spot I would take care to remember), I decided to try Sevenmile Creek again. The hole with the steelhead in it was still covered by many of the same fishermen, so I fished the pool directly above it. I caught three small rainbow trout, each about 7-9 inches long. These fish are future steelhead. When they leave the creek in June or July, they will become fodder for the lake's huge walleye population. The few that survive will return to the creek of their birth in a few years, where they will procreate and leave behind the next generation. Although they were tiny, it was fun to catch some fish just beginning their entry into the reproductive cycle.

After catching the smallish fish, I decided to try the run located below the steelhead pool. I drifted a size 14 bead-head pheasant tail nymph through the fast water; the strike indicator stopped; surprised, I lifted my rod up, fully expecting it had fastened onto a rock; on the end of the line was a beautiful, 20+ inch, 6lbs-ish steelhead. Because I didn't pay the money for a more appropriate rod and reel combination, I was using my standard 9 foot, 5 wt pole. The rod couldn't really handle the weight of the fish, so much of the energy was transferred to my shoulder and biceps. I also didn't have the strength to pull the fish to shore in the flooding river. Luckily, I was only 50 feet from Sevemile Creek's confluence with Lake Erie. So I fought the fish downstream, carefully avoiding putting too much pressure on the end of the line, while not offering it too much slack. Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only 10 minutes, I made it to Lake Erie, where the lack of current allowed me to pull the fish to shore. It was a beauty, and my inappropriate equipment made for a hell of a fight. After taking the nymph out of its mouth, I let the big fish swim off into the lake.

I fished Sevenmile for a while after my catch, not catching anything else. In the twilight, I fished Fourmile Creek and didn't so much as see a fish. I then checked into my hotel and fell asleep, exhausted after hundreds of miles of driving, and hours of fishing.

The next day I returned to Sevenmile Creek at 6 AM, hoping to finally get a chance to fish the hole with the steelhead. Of course, the same two guys were already there, crowding the trout. At that point, I headed back to the car and drove to Twentymile Creek. I decided to check out its mouth: I was hoping that some fresh steelhead had entered the river the night before. As I was walking along the rocky beach, I saw three steelhead splashing in the water, about 100 feet upstream from the lake. To my surprise, I was the only angler around. I eagerly headed to the spot, and tied on a few different flies. The fish were actively feeding, but they didn't take my offerings. Finally, though, one of the steelhead hit a size 10 bead-head golden stonefly nymph. Just like the day before, I fought the fish down to Lake Erie. My muscles were aching from the last steelhead, and right before I was about to die/pass out from the exertion, the fish mercifully tired. I photographed it, and subsequently released it. Another amazing experience.

I fished Twentymile for a few more hours, hooking into two steelhead, but losing both of them. One hit the same stonefly; the other took a single orange egg-pattern. One of the fish I lost was nearly 10 lbs, and I stood no chance of landing it on my 5 wt. I spent the rest of the day fishing the western streams, many for the first time. I fished Raccoon Creek, Elk Creek, and the mouth of Trout Run. I found no fish in Raccoon, saw a few steelhead caught by a tour group on Elk, and couldn't stand the frigid water of Lake Erie at Trout Run. I did, however, get some ridiculously interesting pictures and video from Trout Run. Since it's a hatchery stream, hundreds of steelhead pack its small confines. Of course, it's rendered off limits to fishermen, but anglers can fish in Lake Erie at its mouth.

I had a blast during my two days in Erie. I caught two big steelhead, three small fingerlings, and one sucker. Although this total would be scoffed at by steelhead experts (something I most certainly am not), I wouldn't trade it for anything.


Image #1 - Sevemile Creek
Image #2 - Shale run on Sevenmile where I hooked the first steelhead
Image #3 - Fingerling rainbow trout
Image #4 - The steelhead
Image #5 - Twentymile Creek
Image # 6 - Second steelhead
Image #7 - Trout Run ridiculousness
Video Link of Trout Run: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EW_h8KadQA


Overall Total: 5

River Breakdown:
Sevemile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow Trout, 1 Steelhead)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)


Species Breakdown:

Rainbow Trout - 5
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2
Stocked - 0

Brook Trout - 0
Wild - 0
Stocked - 0

Brown Trout - 0
Wild - 0
Stocked - 0


Wild Trout - 3
Lake Erie Trout - 2
Stocked Trout - 0


Trout 15+ Inches: 2


Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 5 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead)
Spinning Rod - 0


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 5