Happy Holidays

As December comes to a close and Santa is only a few days away, who is thinking of trout, we all are! Last night we had heavy rain and the streams are up again, not fishable till maybe mid week if your lucky! On Thursday I saw the first Little Black Stonefly of the season and if I saw it you can be sure the trout have seen them, a #16/18 black pheasant tail would be a great choice the next time you go. Given the fact that this year has to be one of the wettest on record, the trout should grow big and fat without the normal pressure given to them, maybe Spring Creek has had the most pressure but there are still sections that receive little attention. Streams like Penns, Big Fishing Creek (blown out most of the year) and Bald Eagle have had a break from the steady pounding of late summer and fall. It looks as if this year will be a great young of the year hatch and the amount of bank cover and wood in our streams will help keep the predation of the fry down, our hope is that we will see a few really small guys next spring waiting to eat our flies. Lots of new products on the market that I really need to try, more as I use them. I'm still working on the Simms aluminun studs, can't get in the water to test them yet.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

What Customer Service Really Is!

A couple of months ago I wrote about Simms new "Stream Tread" soles, well I have to amend what I said and expand a bit. I have tried the new soles and have found them to be great walking shoes and have had good results with them in Spring Creek, I had a bit of problem with them in Penns but did add the "Hardbite Star Cleats". I have had no problems in Spring & Penns Creeks but when I tried to wade in Bald Eagle it was like walking on ice, I have no grip and could not stop sliding, I had no idea what the heck was wrong. Given the fact that I do not walk that much in Penns, expecialy in faster water, mostly targeting rising fish in the pools and tail outs, given up on the fast water nymphing at my age. With Spring Creek the pace is slower and more to the point of moving from location to location, standing in a pool and targeting specific fish before I move on. Bald Eagle creek on the other hand demands movement from you to target fish, they are in very specific loactions and some of the water is very pushy and not that hard to move around in but with the new wading shoes on- not so much. I have trouble moving in water than was no more than knee deep! It may be beacuse some of the bottom does not have total coverage with alge on the rocks? Well being a Simms guide I sent them an e mail and asked what was going on, after some specific questions on the water depth, flow rate and bottom structure they asked if I would try som "AlumBite" cleats- now that's service not just a blow off but a serious desire to help. When was the last time any company helped you. I have worn Simms gear for years and will forever, everything they make just plane works, if it doesn't they will make it right! I'll give you an update on the new "AlumBite" cleats as soon as the dam water goes down enough to wade but I'm thinking maybe the soft aluminum might make the difference?

Blown Out Yet Again

I guess it is only fitting to have all our streams blown out yet again, Penns is at 3480 CFS as of 11:30 AM today and Spring Creek is at 420 CFS not at all what we needed to spend Black Friday in peace and quiet! I'm not really sure that even Spring will come down enough to fish on Sunday and Penns is out for the near term future. I'm not a fan of fishing durning deer season having gone thru two experiences in the past, one on Fishing Creek and the other on Spring Creek, not something I want again. We are coming up on that time of year when the trout seem to get in a funk and just are off, this is usualy the month of Dec and the better part of Jan, they then tend to pick the pace up in Feb. In no way do I mean they are all off the feed just that some of them seem not interested. I wish we would have the same old midge fishing we had years ago in the "Sipping Pool" on Fishing Creek, those guys would work all winter long but that is long gone. When the water comes down be on the hunt for the midges of winter and enjoy the sipping. A few years ago we fished during a midge hatch using very small brassies on greased leaders, watching the leaders move and setting the hook with a slip strike when it moved, a wonderful experience but make sure the light is in your favor.  Happy Thanksgiving.
Dream of a Trout

Olives, steady as she goes

Olives & more olives, they keep on going just like the Bunny, if the sun shines or not it's game on. About 10:30 to 11:00 AM they begin and will go strong till 3-3:30 PM the size 20 duns are on. This dun is a typical\ olive that has a small body to wing ratio, a 20 thin dark olive body with very large 16/18 wings that are  dark dun, either fish a parachute or an emerger for the best result. Make sure that you look at every riseform to determine the exact choice the fish are eating, do not assume that your float was not correct or on time- look and determine what stage they are eating. It would also be a good time to add a dropper about 3-4" below the main fly, a #20 pheasant tail would be a great choice. The fish in Spring Creek don't seem to mind the droppes as much as the Penns Creek browns do. If the temps stay about the same this should go on for the rest of the month and in to Dec. One word of caution if you fish the first week of deer season- for heavens sake wear some very bright colors, our wading gear is very close to a deer's natural color!
Tight lines.

Spawn is Over

Fished Saturday Nov. 12, most all the redds are empty now, did see a few pairs but it's over for this year. In most years we are waiting for our normal late fall flush of leaves but it apperas that it happened early with the high water and along with the colder water temps the mating occured earlier than normal, yes it is the early part of Nov. but in most years around Thanksgiving is the time frame to see big numbers. I hope that the 2/3 week jump will result in a large number of fry for our streams.
  Not to fear the trout have really keyed on Midges & Olives, walking the banks of Spring Creek you will see clouds of Midges hatching and flying around the shore cover. About 11:00 AM the #20 Olives start and true to their form come in waves, believe me the trout know them very well. This Olive is not like the ones that you'll see on Penns this one does not care if the sun is out, they hatch! This occurance is likley to go on as long as the water & air temps stay about where they are now, if they both go down, it's Midge time. You will have to check out a lot of water to find the areas that hold both the Olive and Midge eaters, this does not happen the entire stream lenght.
  Looks as if Penns just might be in shape to fish Midges this weekend, a wonderful time to fish them- the water clears up and makes it a bit eaier to wade (at least you can see), the takes are very slow and you will have the opportunity to land some very nice fish. Again this does not happen on every part of Penns- you'll need to put the time in and find the holes, a very slow approach using caution to not wake them will be your reward if you use a #22 Griffiths Gnat or any of your patterns but keep them dark!
 

The Spawn is On

Tried to fish Bald Eagle on Saturday Nov. 5th with no sucess, the water is still really up and the push is just to much to handle, it needs another good week to get into shape. Normaly the Eagle comes up and goes down the same as most freestone streams but not this fall. Spring is still up a bit maybe 20/30 cfs but thats not eought to hurt the Eagle. Just could not get a good grip on the bottom and the pressure was just to great to wade to spots where we know fish are.
  Ate lunch and went to Spring Creek to look at the overall population of spawing fish, they are there in wonderful numbers, maybe not quite at full spawn yet but close. It is a wonder where the heck some of those fish hid thru the year. Some of the hens are quite impressive just to see the size of them, the males are not of the same size but it is wonderful to see how they pair up in regards to size. At one spot there was no less than 20 redds in a small area of maybe 30-40 yards, quite impressive. No wonder Spring seems to have a great population of smaller browns, sure beats dumping hatchery fish into our streams.
  Sunday found my wife and I walking the dogs from the FFF parking lot upstream to the Fish Commission cabin, water still high and not a thing rising. Our kids ran around and of course swam in the pool, walked back and took them to Johnson's to rinse the dirt off, the air was filled with midges, small tan caddis and olives but no risers, water level is just to high for that but in normal years Nov. is midge time on Penns, the water clears and the wading is easy as the trout rsise all day long if the sun is shining.
  If we have a good drying week we should have great levels to deal with, it's great to see most of the guys hunting and not along the streams.

Got Wood?

Fished this weekend and after the high water we have experienced over the past few months I was really anxious to see the end results of the flooding. Some sections seem to have had the muck and mud washed out of the main stream bed, there is more gravel and sand in these areas and the large gravel areas look as if they have been washed and cleaned resulting in a much better spawing substrate for the trout to take advantage of. The one result of the high water is the fact that wood is everwhere along the shores, this is one of the single greatest factors of juvenile trout recrutment over the winter, according to the studies by The Henry's Fork Foundation, wood along the shores of a stream offers the best possible safe haven for just hatched fry. The wood was everywhere and some of the old wood was still in the normal places, the adult trout are using the new wood for cover and feeding opportunities.
  The best combo was a size #18 tan caddis emerger and a copper john two rig nymph sets up. During the afternoon the trout looked up and stayed up all afernoon, a great approach and a good drift resulted in many landed fish, ants were the order of the day. Most all the fish were eating midges but at this time of year they seem to eat an ant if it comes by, never had to put a midge on. All morning the midges and caddis were everywhere but we watied till afternoon the look for rising fish. Left very happy because caught some nice fish and there was no one around!

Will it ever stop raining?

OMG it just keeps coming down! When we catch a break from the rain, the water is either coming up or just starting to fall making for very diffuclt fishing conditions. I'm not opposed to using very large streamers at this time of year but it would be nice to be able to cross the creek, not something I would advise. If you want to fish ,Spring Creek would be my choice but what the hell are you going to do with all the othet guys who have the same idea? In a normal year we would be seeing Olives and flying ants at this time, if the levels return and the sun comes out- look for the ants, it is time for them to swarm and it normaly happens on the first or second day after a period of stormy weather. The only problem with the ants is that you never know wich one will fly around, Black (size 14 thru 18) Red (size 18 thru 22) or the Black front & Dark Tan rear (size 16) you need to have them all in a special box- remember they need spinner wings. If you forget the box and the fall occurs, you will spend a few hours just watching trout gorge themselfs and have no way to fool them, they are very selective during this occurance.
  I don't wnat to sould like an old fart but I can not remember a year like this, high water in the spring then very low water and finaly flood conditions, who woudl ever expect that we would be 25" above normal rain fall? Now we need to have the leaves change and fall then a shot of high water to flush the stream and signal the trout that the conditons are perfect for spawing. Every year the trout seem to hold off (not all but most) till we get that shot of high water to flush the leaves from the streams. Check it out, it is the time of year when I check the realitive health of our trout populations and the average size of the active spawners, just walk a stream and watch and you'll be suprised at what you see. Check Penns, Spring and Fishing Creek for active redds and some of the browns that are found there, no time fram but the end of Nov and the first two weeks of Dec. Be carefult the redds are in areas you normaly wade in, stay back and keep hidden.

Trico time

Fished Saturday August 13th, arrived at Bald Eagle well in advance of the hatch & spinner fall, dressed and walked to the stream, found a section to wade across and stalked upstream to a position above most of the fish and away from the dam ducks! I started to see the birds working above the water and Trico's comming off, then the rain came Hard! Of course I did not take a rain jacket, believed the weather man about showers later in the day, walked into the woods and stood under a large tree till it slowed, no problem just go back to the car and get the rain gear, ok long wade and walk back- no rain gear in the car, just to old to remember it, swear I had it, do now. Decided to move to another spot, another long walk and wade, a few on small tan caddis but no Trico's, back to the car and off agin. Stopped at the bridge in Milesburg, the pod is back downstream, parked and down the hill, took 6 in quick order and another 5 smaller ones before the boats came down. The spinner fall was late due to the rain and really not that srong but the fish ate them.
  Have you ever looked at a past favorite rod and had the urge to use it and when you do, it sucks! Friday night I was set on using my Scott 8'8" #2 but looked at my 8'8" #4 and remember how much I love that rod on the Missouri, well it should be used out west and not for Trico's plenty of power but not enought finess. I guess when your old you forget and relearn the lesson fast! For Trico's stick with a 2 or a 3 weight line and 8' and above.

Still Too Hot To Fish

Hey it's still too hot to fish but the Swarm fellow just keeps tripping over his own words, now he's on the brook trout- go figure? With the lowered water levels and the intense heat it is best to leave the trout alone even night fishing make no sense. If you really want to kill trout go to the stocked sections and hook and play them and for heavens sake take them home but don't waste them.
  The white fly is on the river below the Fiber Dam in Sunbury, just look at the East end of the bridge along the road and you'll see piles of the spinners in the mornings. I have not been down to see the activety yet but based on the past three years I'm not willing to stand in the river and wait to see nothing rise! most people do not know that the white fly is a hatch that occurs on the edges of the river and doesn't reach the middle section! If your standing in the middle your too far out, fish the 1/3 from the banks. The North Branch side seems to have the strongest activety. If anyone sees strong activety, drop me a line and I'll wade out and sample it, even the channel cats can be fun, they are easy to spot because of their habit of making a "V" as the move upstream taking flies off the surface.
  Years ago we would load up a car or Russ' old jeep and make the trip to Falling Springs and fish the Trico hatch/spinner fall, then go to Big Spring or The Letort and fish scuds or beetles and end the day fishing The White Fly on The Breeches, then drive home- not gonna happen at this age, hell we'd fall asleep at dinner before going to The Breeches.

Too Hot to Fish

I decided that it is just too darn hot to fish, the Trico hatch and spinner fall would last about 20 min's at best and that is just not enough time to zero in on a good fish, then plopping beetles while you sweat- no thanks!
This coming weekend looks to be more of the same, 90+ degrees daytime temps and 75+ at night, might be a good time to swim some mice in a few of the larger pools in Spring Creek or Bald Eagle but I'm really not into that crap. Yes you can catch some fish and a lot at that with beetles and ants but with the tress of playing them you run the rish of killing them after you release them. Was at Spring Creek park on Sunday the 24th and saw a wonderful 15" brown dead on the path, no idea how it got there but what a loss, it made it that long in that area before it died? We took a lab into the water for him to cool the water felt cool but factor in the stress of playing them and you'll have certin death as a result.
  As I said last week I'll go over an experiment we did 35 years ago, Sherwin Albert and myself took the time to collect a bunch of stoneflies both yellow Perla's and big black Tarnus (sp) we took each one and released them in the water and watched what they did and any other actions that might help us tie flies. Here are the results, Perla's moved their legs ( a crawling motion) in an attempt to try and swim but floated and desended in the water until they bounced off the bottom a few times befoer they got their footing and dissepeared under a rock. The big black (very dark brown) Tarnus (sp) did nothing but float in a fetal position till they hit the bottom once and with their very powerful legs and claws grabbed hold and moved under the rocks- Results all your Perla (yellow stoneflies) need to be on straight hooks with legs that move in the currents, hen hackle works the best as does the aspect of the fly in the round, trout see all side of this, the different colors that are seen are triggers for this are very important, The larger very dark guys are quite different, a curved hook with legs that do not move seem to be keys for this guy, a stiffer fly will not hurt your results only be very sharp on the hook sets because the rejection time is fast on these guys, this fly also needs to be fished in some very heavy riffles.
  I also said that I'll talk about Charlie Meek and I using blue flies, well here goes. Charlie worked for PSU and would visit my store from time to time and we would review ideas that we had and compare results. We both read somewhere that the color blue was visible deeper into the water column, we talked about it by darm we both came up with different ideas to try. I tied some sparkle winged spinners from size 14 thru 20, both light and dark, took them to the Hepner Hole and waited for the next sulphur spinner fall, well a few took but not anything that we thought would happen, I tried them the entire summer even tying some 24's for Trico's- no big deal. The next time Chalie came in, he had the same results, well maybe we need to go under the surface, OK let's tie some nymphs! I tied some of my Perla stonefly nymphs in blue using the pattern that has been very successful but using blue rabbit fur for the bodies- gave them a bath and not much worked- took it off and put on a standard Perla and got into fsh. I guess Charlie had better luck because the next time we fished together on Elk Creek he had the Patriot as a dry dropped rig and it worked- go figure.

Beetles Again

Fished Spring Creek Saturday July 16th, started in Spring Creek Park and fished upstream with very good results in the shaded areas but as I got into the fields leading up to Route 26 Sheetz & TCO fly shop intersection the trout stopped coming to the plop, results 12 nice fat browns and a 300 yard wade with no results. I had lunch at Sheetz (the best hot dog bargin in the East) and went back at it. If I stayed in the woods with  good tree cover and shade they ate the beetle but if I was in the sun, not so much. Next time I'll try a dry dropper with a wet black ant under a emerger and see if that makes any difference. Not much hatching but a few #20 BWO's and the usual craneflies but no rising fish.
  A Trico update, not quite yet and if it did happen with the soaring temps and dew points the hatch & spinner fall would last about 20-30 min's at best. The main hatch will happen any day but if it is this week you'll have to be there very early and pick the best one of the bunch to cast to and hope you line it up. Here's a story about Trico fishing with Vince Marinaro, A Modern Dry Fly Code author about 35 years ago. We were introduced to Vince tru Milt Wiest of Pillow, PA and would drive to Carlisle and pick him up at his home after stopping at the Dunkin Donut shop to get breakfast, yes we did it then! We would drive to Chambersburg to fish Falling Springs, we assembled in the meadow and Vince held council telling us what to expect and at what stage the fish would be feeding on as far as the time of day was concered. We would take our Vince assigned spots and wait till we saw the fish feeding on nymphs and fish to them, well a size 24 nymph was not and is not a pleaseure to fish but hey if Vince said it we did it. When the spinners came the fish would rise in a pleasant rythm, I would look at him and wonder how in the heck he could catch so many fish because it always appeared that he was casting, well I asked him if I could watch and he grumped but said ok! What he told me is a lesson we need to remember, when a dun hatch or spinner fall occurs and the surface is covered with them the fish will tend to move up in the water column thereby reducing their field of vision, there is no need for long floats! Cast just above the fish 6-8" is plenty and if it gets to their tail get it off the water and back in line, it is a one back cast motion and nothing more, the more you float over the more you catch. After the trout stopped we would all assemble in the Meadows to have lunch, Vince, Milt, Sherwin, Russ and the Meyers boys from York,PA we ate bologna and cheese and Vince would tell us how we did and why we did good or why we did bad, it is a wonderful memory but an experience that helped many times with fish high in the water column. I do remember asking to see his flies and was told no! I do remember one summer after his trip to England and his introduction to their knife blades in the butt end of their bambo rods, he built a few over the winter and used one with us, well the next year he told us he dam near stabbed himself when he fell going over a fence. There is no way to ever forget this stuff, it has helped me and I hope it helps you, by the way yes all my books are signed and noted by Vince in the meadow.
  By the way you never see tout in Penns come up that far in the water column until the light fades so keep those long floates to those guys but with Trico's in Spring and Bald Eagle keep the floats short.
  Next week I'll talk about Sherwin & I collecting stone fly nymphs and throwing them back into the water and watching how they moved or didn't move and how many times they bounched off the rocks before they grabbed hold, I'll also tell you about the Charlie Meck & I with our blue flies experiments!
Jim

Beetles are Best if Plopped

Fished July 9th, wanted to try Bald Eagle but after having quite a few floaters pass me by and seeing more on the way I decided to try Spring Creek, I'll do The Eagle when the Trico's are on. I went to a favorite secluded spot on Spring and knotted on a large black beetle and got instant results. Moving upstream and casting in shallow water first then into the gut of the holes gave me great results, just make sure the beetle plops. Remember that all land based insects do in fact fall into the water and not gently but with a discintive plop, even if the trout do not see the fly they will feel it and are conditioned to come look for the food in the summer months, if the black raspberries are ripe it's time for terrestrials to be on the water. Took fish from 4' to 14" all nice fat browns and willing to attack the beetle. This is really not hard and does not require a lot of tackle, beetles, ants and crickets some tippets- that's all. Be warned that you can not fish the same water over and over again and expect to fool them, think change of patterns or locations. I love to use a small chest pack and wade light, yes I'll still use waders I'm not that brave to think that I would not get poison. The type of beetles and ants that I use are foam and are easy to tie and hold up well enough but with the larger browns teeth they will get battered, so tie a bunch. If you need instructions, just ask.
  I'll comment on a few new products that I have been using and give you a run down on them. First is SA Sharkskin fly lines, when I first used it I loved that it added about 10 yards to every cast and it handled like old silk, I did not mind that it sings as it moves in and out but my love affair has come to an end. I have had a heck of a time trying to find a leader combination that turns over well and it seems to want to not fall as I want it to. I keep holding back and do not get the accuracy that I want, also the dam cuts to my finger are getting old- yea you try to remember to take a bandage along every time. the line is about one size heavier than it is marked. Ok I know what your saying, well this past weekend I used my XPS New Zeland Grey WF3F and it was wonderful, the line acted just as I wanted it to, not that I'll give up on the Sharkskin I'll just use it less- sorry I do like the music it provides.
  Next item is Simms new Vibram Streamtread wading shoe soles, tried them a few times and looked as if I was wading on ice but I felt great walking to and from the stream, really nice support and spring in them but not for our streams. I called Simms and they suggested I use Hardbite Studs, well ok. Received the studs and installed them (really easy) and Wow what a difference, great grip and no noise when you walk in and out and when your wading- they clearly have a winner, I give them the best ratings that I can give!
  Another item of note is Trout Hunter tippet material and leaders, if Rene Harrop tells me it's good, take it to the bank it is. Fine tippet material made in Japan and the size of the spools make it easy to carry and the material comes off the spool with little effort. Trout Hunter leaders have been a good addition, I tried them with the Sharkskin lines and was not happy with the results but using them with the SA XPS line made a difference. Yes I'm to lazy to tie my own leaders and I do not like George Harvey's formula, Barry Beck got me hooked on Doug Swisher flat butt leaders 30 years ago and it's hard to stop now. As a side lite the Swished leaders seem to have gotten softer butts on them and just do not turn over that well.
  As I promised here is the results of a test we did 30+ years ago, we wanted to see how trout in Johnson's Hole took crickets and hoppers, well we collected them and threw them in and watched. All the crickets were taken upstream with little or no inspections a very confident take, hoppers on the other hand were taken downstream only after considerable inspection. Our conculsions are that crickets are something they see from time to time but hoppers are just not that normal and our wood land hoppers are not that evident along Penns- so try Crickets and be happy.
  Yes I know I told ypu that I'd get the Black Rat snake mating pictures and post them well I just have not see Posey Bowersox yet! I'll make an effort to get them and share it with you.
  There seems to be a fly shop war going on and if you read between the lines the Swarm guy is telling us the other shops need to stop their customers from fishing while he does something else- BS! The water in Penns is getting too warm but Fishing Creek, Spring Creek and Bale Eagle are fine, just don't play them to death. Yes other fly shop do emblish the facts but they will not insult like the Swarm fellow will, this guy always seems to catch more and bigger fish than his customers- not smart. Fly shops must remember they are in the service industry not I'm better than you are mode. Make sure your customers expecitations are not over sold or that you do not get on a soap box and tell everyone how great you are, for heavens sake measure your fish!

Ants in your pants

Saturday July 2 found me fishing on Spring Creek, looking for the Beetle & Ant time of the year. Stream levels are getting at the stange on Penns that it is just not advisable to continue to fish, same conditions as all the other years, too much water then not eounght! I checked Bald Eagle and if there was any rising fish you would be hard pressed to wade it, it's just a bit high and a few weeks early for the Trico'sbut it will come down.
  Checked a few spots on Spring and no rising fish, tried nymphs but sometimes you want to fish dries and that's what is in your head and you might as well just do it. Tried caddis and olives but only dinks were  looking at them. Tried a trusty #12 black beetle and no takes. Tied on a red foam ant found it was the ticket. Dead drift was the key, slow easy takes were the norm, a few of the fish were decient but it was just nice to lay a nice cast and follow the drift and see the take, it's want we want some times, not numbers just the thrill of the take. I would try Tony Delong's dry with a black wet ant dropper the next time, he has told me time and time again about how great a combination it can be during summer terrestrial time. We are not officialy in the zone till Trico's come on, ant, beetles and maybe a black cricket fished early in the morning. I'll post an experiment we did many years ago on Penns about crickets vs. hoppers and how the fish take them, the crickets won out big time. This is the time out the years you get ants in your pants to fish them.

Flying Smallmouth

Fished both Friday and Saturday nights with different results but one big problem exists on Penns. Friday night was a Johnson's and the trout were up and eating, first in order was Iso spinners follwed by the Drunella spinner and finaly at dark and small tan caddis. I took a position in the mid pool and had the water to myself, let the guys in the riffles try to imitate the spinners movement, not so much! There are are few really good trout feeding, not hard to spot them but every once in a while some of the rise forms result in a smallmouth bass! I'm not against bass but not in my trout stream. The night was a very fullfilling one with good company on the bank and hatches that are consistant, so much in fact I decided to go Saturday night.
  I arrived at the parking lot with ten other cars but soon discovered as we have seen a few of the cars are walkers and people riding bikes. I wanted to check the Fish Comm. Cabin pool because you can always find a few good fish on the bank, not so much as I waded and took a few small browns off the bank, got above the cabin and decided to go down stream and fish the Hepner Hole, off I went. The fish were taking Olive spinners in the roffle feeding the pool and remember the beating wings? I went to the tail out where there were a ton of fish up, one really good trout on the far bank in the back water all the rest- 12 were smallmouth- if this trend keeps up they will creat hell on the small trout and we will have a popluation of a few large trout and a ton of smallies. I wanted to see if they know how to fly and tried a few out, poor fliers and I could not find them to lead them to the water, I guess maybe everyone should try it. This is a direct result of the warm water conditions that have been the norn in the past years and they usualy don't actively feed on top till May & June, the problem is getting very apparent, at the bottom of the Cabin Pool there are at least 8 of them feeding! Hey it's our beloved Penns and if we can't do anything about the barbary maybe we can teach some bass to fly.

Drunella, Olive Spinners

Saturday night I fished Penns Creek in the Coburn area to make sure the Olive spinners were on and all is right with the world, well they are and world is right. The spinner fall really did not get started till about 6:45- 7:00 PM a bit on the late side. In a 40 yard area there we at least 30 trout activley feeding. The conditions could not have been better, water volume and tempearture are perfect, air temperature was perfect in the hight 70's to low 80's, birds were active but so were the cabin people and that road was a busy as it always is, not really sure were all those cars are going to! The trout were picky but catchable, saw a lot of spinners still beating their wings (females trying to expell their egg mass), hard to imitate it, name of the game is rhythem, get them timed and make a cast. Took a good amount of fish but only found one good on that I hooked and after a clear the water jump and head shake- gone! The event was over by 8:30PM, time to go, did see a fair number of light cahills and very large stoneflies become active. Some of the takes on the stoneflies in the riffles were violent and impressive but with no large patterns and not really wanting to cut my leader back, I just watched. Fellows you have at least 3 weeks of Drunella spinner active falls in the evening and a good morning hatch. Look for the small Olives around the 4th of July if we have cloudy days, the trout key on them and really but on the feed bag. Ant and beetle actively will beging to heat up.
  For a side adventure walk the old railroad bed and look for the wood turtles that are actively laying their eggs, it is a wonderful sight to see. I'll also try to get a picture that a friend took of 2 rat snakes mating and post it.

Cornuta of Old now Drunella Lata

The other guy is telling us that Cornuta is on Penns, well that's just not the case, the name was changes a few years ago the correct name is "Drunella lata". I love all that has been written about this hatch and spinner falls, not a lot, seems as if most all authors do not think the spinner stage is of any importance nor are the duns! Having fished this hatch for the past 40 years and having the creek to ourselfs I think this might be a good case of not telling anyone about it. During the mornings it is a great hatch, not a blanked one but a good steady one here and one there but the duns have a bad habit of changing colors with the amount of time that they are on the water. The nymph actualy starts hatching within the last 12" of the water column, the duns float for a long time due to the matted wings, they emerge as a pale greenish yellow then change to a medium olve and finaly to dirty dark olive body and the trout do key on the color. We did experiment with a floating nymph with one wing as a loop the other as a spinner wing position and the trout loved them but it was always the body color that is the key to success. This a lovely hatch to just wade upstream and key on the feeding fish above you, if the day is cloudy they will come all morning.
  The spinner stage is what we all wait for, actual body size is really a 15, the actual fly has a crook in the last 1/4 of the abdomen and is really apparent to the total length of the body. The body color is really a very dark olive almost black, I have at least 4 colors that I use and I select according to how I feel at the moment with no scientific basis for my choice only do not fish these guys in the riffles. The spinner has a habit of beating their wings as they fall in the riffles in order to eject their egg mass, a hackled fly would do better in this area. It is best to key on the mid pool to the tail outs for the active feeders. This is a hatch/spinner fall that will last 3-4 weeks, no hords looking for the Swarm!
  Next will be ant and beetle fishing.

The Swarm????!!!!

Look's as if Green Drake feaver has taken over for another year, can't wait till it's over and the swarm is gone, no that's what some kook is calling the main hatch. I suggest this fellow read and absorb the proper terms and try to use them in his report or as we call it rental and fly sale site.
  As soon as the Drakes are a memory we will have at least 3 weeks of great Olive fishing both all day dun and the best spinner fishing of the entire season in complete solitude! The old Cornuta now called Drunella is the best spinner fishning to be had on Penns, a real gentlemens fall 6:30 to 8:00 PM and done for another day. There are some real keys to picking the best location for the spinner fall, not every section of the stream will have them, long riffles that feed into a large pool will be the best locations. Be careful because they have a habit of beating their wings for a few moments as they fall in the riffles, this is very hard to imitate, best to fish where the riffle tails out. Any questions just ask.
  Tight Lines!

May 30,2011

If you have come for the Drakes your a bit early this year given the higher than normal water level and the hot bright weather. I would expect that about Wed or Thur. we should start to see some strong emergence but the bright sun will keep it a evening affair, maybe by the coming weekend things might be back to normal and the hoards gone. We were at Spring Creek Sunday for a drive after seeing our Granddaughter in State College, it was packed and not the kind of environment we come to expect as a place to fish, just to many people in a small space. All the trout in Spring Creek are getting pounded to death , I'll bet the Trico's will again be a  bust with very picky fish that are scared to rise, kind of reminds you of the Missouri trout not taking Trico's! If our sport is loosing people you sure can not tell it from around here, more and more people every time you venture out, thank heavens that I and my friends have fished 40 years ago and had the stream all to our own and learned that some times it's more about just being there than it is in the numbers. What the heck is the attraction about getting close to others, how about giving the other guy some space and pratice good manners. Don't stop fishing just maybe find a hidden spot and not one next to your neighbor.
  We are trying to gather some information on how to get rid of barbary, if you have been on Penns you'll know all about it, it has chosed some of the paths off to foot traffic, has anyone gotten rid of it- if so tell us how. This might be a great winter project for us local guys.

Penns Blown yet again

Guys I just checked the USGS site and Penns is now at 4200, of course some will tell you to come and wait for "The Drake", I'd be more inclined to wait another year. Yes fish do rise for the Drakes in high off colored water but given the fact it is not wise to step off the banks and your area of coverage from the bank is limited, why try to he a hero, stay at home and spend some time with your family. It looks as if we will have water past June 15 and that is not normal, the trout will be willing and hungry after that time. It looks as if we will have a lot of very fat trout that have not be hounded to death to fish to during the later summer and fall seasons. Be safe and stay home, or find a pond to fish in.

Blown Out!

Good morning, we had a very nice cook out Wed. May 18 that was to have taken place at the Bowersox cabin near Cherry Run but Mother Nature had other ideas, Dr. Lewis offered the use of his picnic pavillion and of course we said yes. It rained hard most of the entire evening as we ate and talked about how high the creek is and was getting. I have checked the USGS reports and can tell you it might be fishable the weekend of May 28 but we will require sun shine and wind to get it to come down. When it does come down the hatch explosion will be a sight to be seen, the real question will be what will they be feeding on? My best guess is the the Drakes will come on time and life will go on, I have fished Drakes when we could not get 1 foot off the banks and have caught fish but it is no fun to fight that volume of water! I'll keep you posted as what is going on.

Sat May14,2011

Fished the FFA area on Penns today, not much hatching and darn few fish taking on top, water still high and very forceful to battle. If you have a chance walk to the R.B. Winter cabin and watch the pair of snapping turtles that are mating in the pond, by accounts this is an every year occurance and worth the walk. When your there look across the stream and see the pair or Orieols that are flying in and out of the trees and the stinking barbary that has taken over the entire southern shore of the cabin pool (or Alumillers Flats, named for the homestead that was there many years ago). Talked to some very good fishermen and they told me that not much has happened on top this past few days, taking all fish on small nymphs and a few on streamers.
  I tend to look for the bank huggers at this time of year, you'll find some really good ones just along the banks in the flat glides at the ends of the pools, they just attack the March Browns and Grey Fox's as they come down stream, nice easy wading and nice takes. The water just might be a bit cool yet to get the trout looking up but it just might be the week it breaks.
  Don't forget this Wed May 18 is the R.B.Winter Chapter of Trout Unlimited fish out and cookout held at Bowersox cabin just off the Weikert Road before Cherry Run, Briar Lane. See you there.

UpDate for May 10, 2011

Seems as if all it does it rain and then more rain, all the Central PA Limestones are still running higher than normal. It looks as if we'll have another one fo those years where everything will hatch in a short burst, if your there fine if not wait another year. We are having the last stages of Hendricksons and some Blue Quills are still on the water but fading fast. The main event will be tan caddis, March Browns, Grey Fox's, Crane Flies and of course Sulphurs but not quite yet for the little yellow guys. If you can wade (be careful) check the mid pool and tail outs for March Browns, the fish take up feeding positions in these locations and pick them off one by one even in high water.
  Our best fishing is about to start but check out the USGS stream guages before making any trip to the water, if in doubt pick a pond and catch some bulegills.
  please ask any questions that you migh have.

The Grannom is on Penns Creek

Have a report from a few reliable fellow flyfishemen that the trout are feeding very well on the Fish For Fun area on Penns Creek, can you stand the high water?
  This past Saturday a small group from the Raymond B. Winter Chaper Trout Unlimited cleaned the same area of trash, "The Braids" have a tendency to collect unsightly items. A camping area was also destroyed in the "Briar Patch" hole, if this persists please call the local DEP office and report the activity, there is to be no overnight camping or fires in this area. Judging from the looks of things in the fire ring, I'll bet a few trout were had for dinner, let's stop this.
  More posts as information becomes available,
Sincerely,
Jim Hepner