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