Midges!

The day after Christmas and Saturday past were the days to fish Spring Creek, Midges and warm temp's were the norm, Friday not many guys around but Saturday was different! Just find a place and wait till you saw the rise forms, in pools, tail outs and even the soft edges in the riffles, it was an epic two days. This coming week should be good till at least New Years day but what the heck make sure you have your 2015 license and go any way, nymphs, streamers or dry's just go. Happy New Year to all!

Money Talks!

OK most of you know that I do not like the present PA Fish Commission because they have no balls and will bend at the first sight of a storm, case in point now they want to pass a new department change in policy- "Stocking of Class A Trout Water", what the hell are they thinking? I know some of you hate TU but if not for them we would not know about this change, I have not seen any other organization telling anyone about this. If you read any of the current or older scientific studies that have been done on stocking of hatchery fish over wild fish populations you know what it does to the resident fish, hey wonder why Montana stopped stocking years ago- they believe in good science not this crap we have here, some rich ass hole or a gas company wants to stock fish to either cover up a kill or make sure some rich ass hole can catch a fish. What a shame our Fish Comm. has become a political toy and the director nothing but a figure head, I sure am glad I lived my life when I did, sad to say we have seem the best and it will not get any better from here on. Hell just look at the Susquehanna River no one wants to take any responsibility to help that body of water or better yet tell us what is going on with the bass population, hey guy's maybe you could just stock a shit load of bass and call it cured!
  I think that maybe you could send a e mail to the PA Fish and Boat Commission and tell them that stocking a Class A trout stream is a bad idea, I did and I have not gotten any reply, typical of any political organization the hell with the common people and coddle to the money guys- screw you! I for one have no respect for anything they do going forward but know if you have money you have power with them and the resource is not number one any more, it is money to survive.

Post Snow Storm

We got a healthy 7.4" at my house on Thursday and that blew the planned two day trip to State College now it was only to be Friday. Arrived to find nothing eating on top so it was to be the new dark olive caddis larvae, #2457 #16 with a black nickel tung. bead, it worked very well accounting for 8 nice browns in a few hours BUT if you did not get a strike within a few feet after placing it where you wanted it the fly & your shot would be covered with that dark green shit, what a pain in the ass to get off and clean your hands after, had that crap on the rod handle and my waders and oh how it stinks! After lunch at Sheetz I started to see rising fish and not just a few but a ton of them, they were in places that I have not seen them before, soft pockets on the edges of all the riffles, most of the times you see them in pools and not where they were today. OK tied on a #22 Grif's Gnat using 6x (if I use 6.5 or 7x I get a wonderful mess in a few casts because my stroke is a bit to fast) took a lot of fish from 5" to 14"what a trill to experience, no one else around! Would have loved to have been there on Thursday when it was snowing, I have fished in a storm before and the silence is just wonderful as is the tempo of the trout, I think they sense that they are a bit more protected and ten to feed with more gusto. If it is snowing go and experience it or if not go the next day BUT do not wear felt soles to walk in the snow because you will be wearing 4" heels.
  Oh never saw any Olives but really did not go looking for them, I had a 80 yard riffle to play in.

Not this week

No fishing this week because of PA deer season, with the color of our Simm's wader's it would be very easy for someone to mistake us for a deer- hey don't laugh they shoot cows! This week I have been tying experimental caddis larvae to use next week. If I fish Spring Creek in the area below Paradise it is a safe bet that I won't be shot for a deer but again one never knows. The month of December usually has the brown trout in a funk and not really aggressive in feeding but one would think they should be after expending all that energy spawning, it's just not a great month to fish. I'll post something after two days of fishing next week.
  A note about the fur I'm using, it is Aust. Opp. not beaver, all the beaver that I have really does not have the dark olive color that all the caddis have on Spring Creek, about every other time you had to clean your nymph off you would see a live larvae attached to your hook- OK let's tie some that imitate them!

More Nov. 2014 BWO fish

Fished again this Monday in the wonderful weather, high winds were the norm but the Olives came off as expected at about 12:30 PM before that I fished some new nymph patterns and found again that a hot spot does make a difference. Also found a ton of caddis larvae attached to the many weeds that were on my brace of flies, need to tie a #16 2487 or a 2457 hook with a "black" bead and a very dark olive (a hint of black and a pinch of yellow for sparkle) fur bodied imitation, my best fur would have to be a beaver blend it's soft and dubs very tight, I'll also rib it with 4lb. mono, these things are everywhere, maybe the larvae of the tan caddis that hatches all the time. If you have a chance go and see the BWO daily hatch or just fish nymphs. I did see some fish still on redds but most are done spawning for the year, be careful where you walk! I saw a ton of fish on the shore line and that would be a difficult presentation to try and get them to eat but maybe a dry just might do the trick.

Attached is a short film showing the spawning colors of a fish that was feeding and not mating.

Nov. 13, 2014

Our Granddaughter wanted to come home and spend the weekend with us to help us remember Trico so I decided to go to State College one day early and stay over and fish! Thursday morning was overcast and about 38 just about perfect, I checked out some of my favorite spots and did not find any rising fish that early but I did see some very large spawning fish and a ton of redds in Spring Creek, I even checked Bald Eagle below the Milesburg bridge- no rising fish. I took a chance and drove up the dirt road from the "shit plant" to the kayak hole and guess what rising fish all along the railroad tracks, #24 Black down winged midges or a Griffins Gnat did the trick on them, some of the fish were inches off the bank and some of them were very nice colored up fish, it is amazing to see how may fish do not spawn with the rest of the population. As I worked my way to the tail out I spied 5 huge redds and took a look at the residents that were in them, at least 4 of the females were well over 18" and maybe over 20", where the hell are they during a hatch? It was about lunch time so I decide to fish a good Olive spot after Sheetz hot dogs. Of course I slammed the GD car door on my right index finger as I parked for my lunch! I decided to fish the Willow hole above Hartles Bridge because of the amount of rising fish I was seeing, #22/24 Olives were coming off, so I put on my outerwear and was ready, this time I slammed the trunk on my keys but was able to push the button to unlock it! The fish rose till 3:30 and some rises were heavy and some just sips, noticed that the wind would catch some duns and make them move fast on the surface the results were great splashy rises while others were sips all you had to do is play to the music that was before you- what a nice way to spend a day, midges & olives it what Fall & Winter is all about. This week will bring more of the same but please stay out of the spawing beds.

Trico & TroutHunter

On Saturday we made the ultimate decision to end the suffering of our beloved Lab "Trico", I know he was just a dog but not to us and the hundreds of children he had contact with at Janet Weis Children's Hospital on his monthly visits along with Federal Prison's, Nursing Homes, VA Hospital's and Children's reading programs not to mention a great fisherman! There is a big hole in our hearts and we know it will take a long time to close.
  I forgot to mention that last Thursday I tried a new leader, "TroutHunter" Finesse Leader 9' 6x with 18" of 6.5x TroutHunter tippet tied to the end, right out of the UV resistant package I could see that it was a good bit softer than other packaged leaders and the nail knot was really easy to get a small one tied but on the water it performed like magic! The Finesse leader turned the #20 BWO emerger over with ease and it was a dream getting to the spot I wanted every time, great turn over & accuracy means a keeper in my book, cost is $4.75 each but with the 18" of tippet this leader will last a long time. Check out TroutHunter or Feather Craft to get them, also try their tippet material- it is simply the best I have every used.

Trout Food

Thursday I joined other TU members from Spring Creek & Lloyd Wilson chapters of TU and some local people just wanting to help pack fish food for TU's Trout in the Classroom, wow what an experience! We packed over 800 bags that will be shipped with the eggs next week for the class rooms to incubate and raise them to fingerling size then release them into an approved Brook Trout stream, it was cold,damp and stinky but worth it. I am amazed at how they get so much member participation in their projects, women, students and their use of a web page, Face book and general can do attitude gets people out, I'm one of them and love it.
  Fished Spring that afternoon and again found no one around but did fine BWO's and feeding fish, the Olives were very dark red brown and the males had big dark red eyes- they looked like a Halloween decoration! I fished the hole below the 550 Bridge (it's the first one that is not on private land), starting at the bottom and working upstream at a slow pace because they have not had a good hard flood rain yet- the mud and leaves are knee deep and it is a bitch to wade in it but it made me slow down, took a ton of fish there and move to Rock Road and saw the same thing hatching. A wonderful day and to top it off I got to spend the night helping my Granddaughter go Halloween, can't get much better!

Last Week BWO's!

Last Wed. was "THE DAY" of the month, Olives were hatching just about everywhere on Spring Creek and they brought up some really good fish! Mind you not every section of Spring had them, Rock Road, The Willow Hole, Hartle's Bridge and above, the hole just above the 550 Bridge and a few other spots had them above Bellefonte and of course the "shit plant" run had them. Just what we needed a day filled with clouds and crap weather always equals olives- check the weather forecast and go when it's bad, this Saturday would be another good day, cloudy windy snow and cold temp's will make them ride the water for a long period of time and give the trout confidence to take our imitations- go if you can. Not hearing much from Penns or Big Fishing Creek but I'm sure they are there as well just remember to check a lot of water to determine if they are on, it is amazing how sporadic they are, also remember that they come off in spurts heavy for a while then tapering off only to start again in a little while. If you find a good section stay put till at least 3:30- 4:00 PM, next week with the time change that will be 1 hour earlier- Enjoy- OH they were #20's.

A Sad Day For PA Trout

I'm not very political and hate to see shit e mailed to me or have to hear some one's views on politics, that being said it is a sad day for PA Trout after what our lawmakers just did at the expense of our resources. Our leaders passed HB 155 and sent it to the Gov. for his signature, I'm sure the gas company exec's will help him move the pen as he signs it! What does it mean, well before when anyone did construction along a stream they had to install a 100' buffer and maintain it, not so much anymore. This must have cost them to much and told their guys to change the law! Can you imagine how much silt will now be allowed to run into our head water streams, this is one of the biggest points of impaired water- silt. We had a very good law before and the protections that were in place helped to slow or stop the excess runoff that occurred during construction along our streams. It seams that the protection just cost too much and our law makers did the bidding of those who pay them- not us- hell even Jake Coreman voted in favor of the new law and he sits in some of the best water in PA, can you imagine what the gas companies will do with this in the Brook Trout streams in the north of PA. I can only imagine what would have happened if Ralph Able was still with us, why the hell would they change this when the Fish & Boat Comm. was against it- money talks and we the people loose!

We need rain

Wow do we need a good shot of rain, it's very low and clear to fish streamer's effectively unless your out very early or late in the day. Our days have been filled with too much sun for the BWO's to really be effective, some #20 dark tan caddis hanging around the stream edges, October caddis out but not in mass some Paralep's are found around Coburn but you never know when they will fall. Yes we have had a few great days of flying ants but you have to be in the perfect spot to take advantage of their flights ( they are normally found a good sunny day after a period of cloudy wet weather) and a few good days of just fishing a #16 black foam ant in the surface film or a #16 wet black ant under a dry have been a good bet but we need water. I have seen a few browns getting ready to spawn but there is just not enough water for them to get started, plus the water temps are not in the zone yet, will be have any early spawn we will if we don't get a good amount of water before the end of the month, so do your little rain dance and let the streams rise to give our fish some room.
  One saving daily event has been a great midge hatch on a few specific holes on Penns, Johnson's and Stan's Bridge pool are two of the best but you have to be spot on casting and slip striking with a side motion to keep the fish from running around the pool and putting all the others down, a #24 black or cream down wing midge patter is all you need.
  Another bet is Spring Creek for the same midge hatch but if your there and a few clouds do come in look for #20 BWO's to hatch.

What was large is now small

The other week I was fishing with a long time friend and the conversation turned to how all the streams seem smaller than they were 40 years ago. We seem to be able to fish were we at times had a hard time to reach, is it better wading gear, better rods or better lines. I know that way back we were using Seal Dri's with cotton blue jeans underneath (freezing all the while, or melting hot) and old rubber soled wading shoes but with youth we were able to get most anywhere we wanted. We had 9' rods, I have one of the first 9'0" #4 Scott graphite rods ever build and used and sold ton's of old Fenwick HMG 905's, we even played with Scott 10'0" #5 rods ( can't land a fish with them, hard to get them close to you) and we had T&T's, Winston's along with a few really good fiberglass rods, so I think our rods selection was fine. Our fly line selection was limited to SA & Cortland, back then we had a Pro Shop line of 444 lines but they were soft and really would not shoot that well and SA back then was a joke. Now we have unlimited choices of rods, lines and wading gear but is that what makes everything looks smaller or are the streams not that big any more with the loss of water? Heck you can hit about any spot in Penns, Fishing Creek, Spring Creek and Bald Eagle, heck even the Madison seems to be not over powering like it was those 40 years ago. Any ideas and don't say it's because were a getting bigger or older, hell when your old you shrink, the question still baffles us?
  OK it just might be the lines but it still seams that all the streams are smaller in volume or is it because were have fished them so many times we have become familiar with the water shed? A very interesting conversation to be part of.
  A note of interest, there might be another fly shop open in the former Penns Creek Angler spot, time will tell?

Last Week 10/2 & 3

Had a TU meeting in State College last Thursday night and on my way decided to give Penns in Coburn a look, there were fish up everywhere but they were not consistent nor were there any indication of a hatch- no Paralep spinners. Drove by two locals and they asked me to park and shoot the shit, what a wonderful time I had with them, just hearing about the eagles, osprey's and heron's and of course how hard the fish are to catch today, really nice guys who care about the stream and know what's going on about the total local environment, if you see a tall bearded fellow with a Vietnam Vet hat on stop and ask to see his pictures- they are special.
  I fished and took all my fish on a #16 black ant fished in the surface film, slow wading was key, you had to wait for the fish to show where they were, a nice easy time, low water and pleasant temp's. We need a shot of water then a good cloud cover to get the Olives going on Penns or you'll be fishing to midges till Nov.!
  Checked Spring Creek after I was done with Penns and found fish up in a few locations, Bald Eagle was running very dirty but Spring was fine but low. Picked my area for Friday and was off to help pick up my Granddaughter from preschool, what a wonderful experience to be able to do, retirement has benefits.
  Went to the Spring Creek Chapter of TU meeting and was well informed about the Little J, what a great org, they have to protect that water shed . I changed my membership to Spring Creek from RB Winter due to the local chapter not wanting to do much of anything. The next time your fishing Spring Creek just look at the new parking areas, Paradise (2), Rock Road and the in stream improvements that are apparent, not to mention the other projects they have completed this past year now that's what I want to be involved with! They make you feel welcome and keep you in touch with wonderful e mails that fully explain what they are doing and what they need- you to help- your are part of them. We felt that form the very first meeting with them, now my wife and daughter are involved with them. To all you TU members how many of you signed up your wife or daughter under the special offer, we have two more TU member in our family.
  Spring Creek on Friday was alive with rising fish but not at every hole, you had to find them- under Hartle's bridge below Paradise was one such spot, #20 BWO emergers was the ticket. There are two very large fish under the bridge and I hooked one but he took off upstream and had me into the backing in a few seconds and pop off he was. I remember 30 years ago Jim Leathers fishing under the same bridge for the resident big boys and how much fun he had doing it, just made me stop and think about guys like him that I was honored to fish with, that is a sign of getting old.
  This week will not be a good one, my Lab Trico has cancer and he will leave us very shortly, no more fishing for him but I know that he will be waiting for me at The Rainbow Bridge then we will fish every day. If you have a dog give them a special hug, that's all they ask for. My guy has been a Therapy dog for 9 years and in the time he and his sister have visited VA Hopitals, Federal Prisions,
Schools, Nursing Homes and Janet Weis Children's Hospital giving out those soft warm kisses that make everything OK, I will  miss seeing how much we help people forget about their pain if only for a brief moment in time. Time is running out and I know it is the right thing to do but why does it have to hurt soo very much.

Sun-Wind and Trico that were not!

Fished Bald Eagle Thursday and even though it was to be sunny and clear the valley fog was dense the temp. was only 56, just great for a Sept. morning. Took two rods in order to hit some of the very deep holes with a bead head PT and a dry rod to fish caddis & Trico's. Nothing home in the deep holes on nymphs but the darn small rainbows were every where and I mean everywhere, they are not just located in one small area heck they were upstream 500 yards, so much for the hatchery dump theory. The bow's ate tan caddis (soft hackles fished by Sherwin) an Iris pattern and a bubble back dry, it did not matter they just eat. Started to see some Trico's as the sky was clearing and I was sure we would have a great spinner fall, Sherwin reported that he saw a huge cloud down by the RT. 80 bridge. But as they say it was not to be, the wind came up and the leaves covered the surface, the Trico's either got blown away or moved downstream to the wooded cover out of the wind, it would have been like finding a needle in a haystack, the day was a good one with a ton of small fish landed but only 3 browns were among them. Most of the truly big fish here do not feed in the high skies and it must have a great hatch to get them up, next cloudy shitty day I'm there with big meat patterns!
  The attached video will show the average size of the rainbows!!!!

Paralep's again

Fished Penns on Tuesday and again found most of the trout mid morning in the soft seams just taking Paralep spinners (#20 dark olive spent wing ), you could just look down a seam and spot the fish taking them, yes there was some fish taking tan caddis and you could spot them fast. All you had to do is find a seam and line your fly floating downstream to take the spinner sipping guys. The caddis taking fish were different at least 75% of them missed the fly the first time and they were dead drifting? If a fish missed your fly just pick it off the water and hit them on the head ASAP, it worked to some degree but not every time, the caddis guys were just in one of those moods? Before I fished I stood on the foot bridge below Coburn and watched an eagle slowly fly down stream over me and then head back up stream and land in a dead tree just below me but on my way in I almost hit one on the road as I came around a corner coming in from Milheim, I guess it was looking for road kill? According to the locals this mature pair have had "2" offspring and all are doing very well, never saw that 40 years ago!
   Give Penns a try and remember to have those #20 spinners in you box just in cast you see them on the water.
  For you guys who do not know what Paralep's are we call them summer blue quills and on Big Fishing Creek they never seem to fall when your there.

Numbers Games

A few posts ago I made mention of how many small rainbows that I caught in Bald Eagle and one of my friends some what made fun of me counting, well he just fished there on Friday and his total was 47. He took all his fish on soft hackle wets, his total could have been greater if he had stayed longer but a State TU meeting was at hand and time was running short. It's not the number that you catch but this fishery is noting short of wonderful, small rainbows are everywhere and I have not had any good explanations of where they come from, one source tells us it's a hatchery dump but that does not make sense, they have been there for years and their size never seems to increase? At the next Spring Creek TU meeting I'll ask the membership for their insight then maybe we can get some answers. In the mean time go give it a try and see for yourself what I'm talking about. Just below the Milesburg bridge it's all small browns then the rainbows will show up aprox. 50 yards below that, as the stream goes more East the number of rainbows seem to increase to about 1-2 miles below Curtin Bridge, oh yea there are some very large browns that seem to like to eat the rainbows and these guys are not everywhere but they are there no less. Just to take 8+ small rainbows from one small seam makes you smile, it's all about enjoyment in the outdoors, go experience it, see the Eagles and all the other birds that make this place their home no less the 13 miles where 100,000 people watch the Lion's play football!

How To

The attached video shows how to get young people interested in our sport, get them excited about going fishing, make it an event and make the trip to a farm pond that is loaded with Bluegill's both large and small. Our Granddaughter and I have been watching trout and other fishing video's for the last year and in that time she has become very interested in going, make them want to go do not just make them go, make it their fun time. We fished in our goldfish pond without a hook and did not catch any then we went to the Spring Creek TU family picnic and tried Spring Creek again without a hook and to get her to really want to fish. She was with us for 6 days and we planned the fishing adventure for Saturday night, I checked with the land owner and he said "any time you want to come please do so", we purchased some bobber's, circle hooks and of course "bait" butter worms. after a few lessons we cast into the pond and it did not take long for her first fish, then 4 more were landed before it was more interesting to walk after the ducks then throw stones into the pond with Grandma but when we left she said "I got my wish for a little fish and I want to go again". Next time we will try a fly rod with some small poppers- she's hooked for life!

Tail of Two Waters

Fished on Sunday, all the Rivers & Streams are very high with the amount of rain we have has (this is a very good thing). Was looking for Trico's, checked Bald Eagle and yes they were rising but is was running about 6" to 8 " higher than I like it, OK try Spring. Stopped at Hartle's bridge and the mating swarm was forming, about 8/10' above the surface, OK time to fish the wet ant and slowly move up to the "Willow Pool", took a bunch of smaller browns moving up the riffle, all the time looking at the pool and "0" was happening, I mean nothing. Looked downstream above the riffle and no Trico's- where the hell did they god. OK back to the car and down to Bald Eagle, they are up and going like gang busters, oops can't get to 90% of them the waters just to high, had to fish along the shore and pick my way very carefully because it gets dam deep fast. Saw some of the really great fish feeding but they were 30 yards away and most of the water was over my waders and the locals will not let you walk on their property to get within casting distance, wait till next time. Where did the Trico's go on Spring and why do the fish rise so well on Bald Eagle, guess you'll never know but I know where I'll fish Trico's, depends where they fall.

Why do you fly fish?

Just finished reading Gink & Gasoline this morning and it was a very interesting read, why are you fly fishing? Well I do it because that's what I was introduced to 60 years ago, given that we might not have used flies all the time but our rod and reel of choice (it's all we had) was a fly rod and reel, remember that spinning gear did not really become available to the mass market till the 50's. I was also brought up around fly fishing and fly tying because my father did it, he tied the best clipped deer hair bugs for Fishermen's Paradise ( we never realized that they looked like cress bugs), fished them deep and did very well. I liked the idea of tying flies and he gave me a vice, hooks and some material and away I  went, OK maybe crude was accurate but I still loved doing it. During my teenage years at the Susquehanna River I fished with spinning gear for bass, carp and walleyes but every time we were at the cabin it was fly rod only. Both my father and grandfather were nuts about trout fishing or bass fishing with big deer hair bugs, so I guess it's about all that I know but it is what I love to do. I don't really care what people thing about fly fishers but understand that some think we are elitists, maybe it's they way we talk or for some how they dress but most times on the stream we all speak the same language. Yes you could say that I don't share well and that is very true if you appear to be someone who takes and never gives I'll not give you shit because you give us all a bad rap but if you really want help or are willing to share I'll be the first in line to help. Fly fishing give you the opportunity to do it all (tie flies and build rods) and let your creative side take over. I am always tying some thing new because I'm never satisfied with what I tied last year and always think of how to improve my tying skills, hell what other sport can you act like a pack rat and be considered normal? My wife tells me I have enough fur to have a nice coat made for her if I really loved her!
  I fly fish because I love the sheer beauty of it and the surroundings of it, mountains, birds, snakes, wildlife and the biggest reason is because it is dam cool to do. What other sport offers so much beauty and peace but also becomes a passion but one that never seems to come to an end. No wonder we keep looking for what it around the next river bend. 

Bobbers

I just saw a new indicator that Headhunters is featuring and it is a true bobber, now that is just not right. We have seen a long line of indicators come down the stream from the fold over stick on ones to the mold on your leader ones and who can forget the Thing-a-bobber? Every one of these things is designed to tell us when a trout takes our subsurface fly but there is little concern about how they cast or kill your leader and some of them really are hard to take off or take the kink out of you leader after the day is done. I remember when Merican nymphing was nothing more that high sticking but now getting close to fish on some high pressure streams is just not that easy or you could use a 10-12' rod to keep your distance, then try to land a fish. I remember that we just used to add some shot and fish seams, maybe we took some shot off or added some but we never used any indicators then along came the pinch on stuff, good idea but hell to get off your leader as is the paste stuff, just too much trouble. We were on the Big Horn with a very young guide from George Kelly's lodge and he had me in a soft run and I could see that he was getting frustrated with my missing fish-so on went a large wool indicator and it worked very well but he never adjusted it all day. Well that indicator style was long forgotten, hell I can't remember how to do it but it did work. We made the move to dry droppers and had success but if you used a larger fly or a longer dropper set up your casting stroke had to be slow with a wide open loop something that I just am not good at. Then along came the Thing a bobber, yes they do work and in the smaller sizes are a bit easier to cast but they do kink your leader up. I do love the smaller black or white ones but hate the red & white ones ( a joke from the mfg. to suggest your using an old fashion bobber)! All of them have there place and maybe one of them is your favorite and that's fine keep using it if it works but you may want to try the "strike indicator.com " it's from New Zealand and uses wool in different colors, comes with a neat little tool and is easy to use and if you need to move it up or down no problem and the wool after it's treated is a high floater and is super sensitive. Any way you look at it indicators are here to stay just find one that works for you and stay with it. Try the New Zealand set up. it costs about $15.00 delivered to you door and has enough material to last for a few years, I'm sure that you could make a home made version pretty easy but what the heck we are all pack rats and love to buy new shiny things. A small BWO emerger with a nymph tied on the bend extending down about 6-8" is still killer when the Olives are on.

Rainbow's, oh where do you come from?

Sunday morning was to be an epic Trico experience, air temp was 56, heavy river fog, gradual warm up usually equals a later Trico spinner fall. OK got to the BA at about 8:15 and still cold 62 then with fog blocking the sun, birds working the riffles, everything was looking just right. Started to see a few Trico duns and had an idea that today was to be just wonderful, some small rising fish, OK just a matter of time till it gets going, hold still and wait let the little guys alone, do not disturb the bigger fish. I just stood there taking in the sounds and the changing conditions, OK where are the bigger fish, oh maybe at the lower end of the pool, wade down there and watch- nothing but little guys (I did cast to them and caught them and they were little). Time passed and still no larger fish up, OK it should be going by now, still Trico's in the air but no brown's on top, it got to be 10:30 and nothing showing? Started to see tan caddis so I switched and began to catch a lot of fish- rainbows everywhere, I don't mean a few but a lot, on one inside seam I took 8, now these guys are not big 6-9" in length but healthy! Began fishing all the seams up stream and found larger browns in the shaded areas in water that averaged 12-18" in depth but the rainbows were everywhere. Total count was 37 little guys and 6 browns most all on the tan caddis bubble back. Yes there was a very brief spinner fall where I did cast to and catch more rainbows but the spinner fall was a total bust, can not figure out what was wrong but sometimes that happens and when you are handed apples when looking for oranges you become an apple eater or go hungry! I would love to know it the entire BA was the same or just where I was but I never did see a good number of spinners coming down the stream? I'm happy that we have town very important flies at this time of the year that we can count on if one of them takes a break, no I did not fish any ants or beetles, by 12:00 PM it got smoking hot, 85 and killer sun, too hot to fish!
  OK here's the question that no one seams to know the answer to, where do all the rainbows come from, natural reproduction or PFBC? If the BA or Spring Creek has the capacity of producing that many rainbows the water quality has to be just wonderful? What happens to them as the grow up or do they become food for the very larger browns that are found there, questions that I will ask the PFBC biologist the next time I see him at a Spring Creek TU project. Anyone have an idea what is going on there?

Take a break from trout

Just in case your not normally driving across one of our many Susquehanna River bridges or have not stopped for gas along the river and noticed that "The White Fly" is on, hey there are here in very big numbers. The hatch starts about 7:30/7:45 and goes on well after dark, they seem to hold close to the banks and maybe 20/30 yards out so there is no need to really wade far. Most times it might be smaller fish to begin with but locate the correct spot and you will see some very nice bass taking them off the top but if you see a big "V" wake try to line your fly up with it because it is a large channel cat and what a fight they will give you! I fished above the Danville bridge last night and it was only smaller fish there but the hatch was not epic, some days it's great and some days not so much. The North Branch is much better as is the Sunbury side at the Fibrdam but just pick a spot and wait for the flies. No need to get fancy, I use a #14 2x long Zelon winged white spent spinner and they eat it, just go and let the trout alone for a bit.

Trico fishing

No it's not Trico fishing it's my Lab Trico and I fishing Penns and what happens when he sees that you have a fish on, it's his! We fished Penns and there are no Trico's on it, just that darn #14 hard wet ant, they eat it really good till your dog swims thru the pool! We had a wonderful time with the entire creek to ourselves. Saw a good amount of fish in the shady skinny water rising to ants and other bugs that happen to drop off the trees.
  Saw the signs for the Mountain 101, One Hundred and One miles on a mountain bike on gravel roads, road rash to the tenth degree! They took off from Milheim at 7:00 AM and the front runners will make it back by 12:30/1:00, that's flying. It is just wonderful to see that our area is alive with outdoor adventure, something to be very proud of where we live.
  Get to the Fibre Dam in Sunbury if you can, the "White" fly is on big time! Don't worry about the middle of the river stay close to the shores, not more than 30/40 yards is fine- enjoy just fish a #14 white spent winged spinner and have a blast with the smallmouths.

Here is a video of Sat.

Epic morning for Trico's

What a great day for Trico's, arrived at 8:00 AM and only a few fish were working but they were like little pigs, come up and move either left or right all the while moving upstream then down and do it again, the trick is to guess which way they are going to go left or right and line it up- no refusals today! I used a dun but I just have no confidence in them and really never let it on very long. I used grey, olive and all black #24 spinners and they took them all. The pattern is simply 2 mirco fibbet tails split, thread body coated with head cement, clear Zelon spent wings (sparse is the key)beaver or mole fur around the wings, I like fur because it has short fibers). I had 4 fish landed over 17" and lost 5 really big fish from break offs bad leader knots or just too big to hold, most of these guys have been hooked before and know what to do and where to run to- brush. There was no less that 30 fish up in a 50 yard section more than enough to keep you busy. I even got a few 6" rainbows, we have no idea where they come from, natural reproduction? All this in Milesburg, PA on Bald Eagle! This will happen every day and the big guys will get really hard to hook, hell even some of the small guys near the road are dam hard now! As time passed more and more fish rose till about 11:00 AM then all I saw was a good amount of tan caddis and few fish up but this is not a good caddis area just too smooth of a surface to fish emergers, next time I'll go lower on the stream.

No Beetles for Penns

Just finished fishing Penns and the Beetle action was "zero", the section that I fished had great cover on both banks and the North bank had just over hanging brush with a good amount of shade, just went plopping along and a big fat zero. now Penns has never been a good beetle stream for me just never had much success, maybe they just don't see them enough to key in on them like they do on Spring, Big Fishing Creek and Bald Eagle, heck just plop one in Clark's Creek and hold on they come 3' for them! The #14 black wet ant did the trick, I fish it under a #14 Hair Wing Royal Coachman and have not had any fish hit the Coachman but they eat the ant, I use 12-18" of 5X for my dropper. I don't use the ant below a caddis because if you see and good caddis rise most time if you hit them on their head they will take it fast and with a dropper attached that's not really pretty casting! I use a tan Iris caddis if they are into them and they were a bit this morning, did see quite a few of the #14 Yellow Cahill's emerging but the fish were not on them.
  Penns is in great shape, Spring is a bit high and off color, Bald Eagle is slightly high and off color making it a tough one to wade, you have to see the ledges to avoid them. Logan Branch is that green milky color and that puts the fish off, period! Some Trico have been seen, if it's hot hit them early 7:30/8:00 AM but if it's in the 50's hit them about 9:00/10:00 AM. Some fish are rising in Bald Eagle but not a good amount to get excited about and Spring has some but you have to find them first!

A bit hot but time to go

It has been hot and humid not really the kind of weather we like to have for the good of our trout, Penns is holding up well with the little rain that we get and maybe the cool nights that are on the way. Now is the time to consider morning fishing with Tan Caddis, a perfect time for them to emerge, their egg laying does not usually occur till the afternoon or evening. You can use a bubble back emerger,Iris or a new double back CDC adult ahead of a bead head emerger or a tan & partridge wet during the morning period. I like to scout a few spots and see if the caddis are on or if not I'll pick a good bit of water that has trees and brush along the banks to do a bit of beetle plops or a nice #14 black ant fished wet under a dry (not a caddis), you will be surprised how many fish will come to the ant. The ant that I'm fishing is made (not tied) out of two balls of  UV Clear Cure Goo with a black thread underbody and just a bit of black hackle in the middle, they eat it well. I have also been using Chernoble ants with limited success, sometimes I think they scare the fish because of their size or it maybe that I just don't let the sit still long enough. You'll have explosive rises or the slow quite kind but both of these come quickly but not so with my experience using a Chernoble ant, this year I'm going to use some Blingnoble ants as tied by the guys at Fly Fish Food, who knows?
  It's about Trico time and you need to be there very early when the heat is on, most days the spinner fall will be over by 9/10:00 AM but if the weather turns cooler maybe a bit later will be normal. I never fish duns but in fact only fish spinners and sometimes a #24 Pheasant tail under it at about 3" a lot of the times I'll see the trout take the PT. I'm also going to try and fish some drowned spinners but the leader needs to be greased well in order to see the take. It does not take the fish long to get wise to guys waving sticks before they get really picky especially in Bald Eagle and even in Spring Creek it takes a really good cast and float to get them to take. The pattern that I use is a #24 or #26 spent winged black, olive or grey Trico spinner - 2 long tails, thread body, Zelon wings and beaver dubbing around the wings a very simple but effective pattern. If you float it over a fish and he does not even look at it get it back and check the tails, sometimes the get tangled up in the hook bend and it really puts the fish off fast, I have tried about everything to prevent this but it still happens, just be ready to make and adjustment. Have fun because you'll be done by lunch time and ready for an afternoon nap.

The 6th of July

Decided to go fish on Sunday evening, hoping that the hoards might have all gone home from the holiday, they did! There are just too many really nice fish in Penns not to go there. Arrived and no one in sight, the fish just below the soft riffle were feeding and this small spot holds at least 4 to 5 very good fish but they are not stupid. Well the first fish came up for a #18 BWO spinner and I had the rod in a position in front of me and off to the left, well try to set the hook when the rod hits your hat brim, no fish, OK try the others, they all gave me "1" look and not another till I change flies to a #18 BWO emerger then they ate it. I have not seen the very large fish that I stalked last year in this location but will keep and eye out for her. Took quite a few fish and at least 5 chubs that I gave flying lessons to but sadly they all failed their flight test and crashed into the bank above the water line- so sad. I looked down and saw the large fish in the slower section of the pool begin to rise and that's were I like to fish, the were all taking late season light Cahill type emergers and duns, some were easy to time but others were a bitch and some were in the most difficult currents in the pool, just watch your fly do things that it's not to do. Well the video that is attached is of one of the four good fish that I took aside from the others that I screwed up, some I just was late and others I'm sure were those last second refusals that we suffer. One fish in particular was rising in a good rhythm and I lined my emerger up and just really never set the hook, don't know why just froze up, well that was all for her!

  I left at 7:45 because I was satisfied and I really had enough, I never saw any Iso's to amount to a hatch but did see some spent nymph shucks floating in the water and to me they all seemed a bit on the small side maybe I'm fishing Iso's that are to large. There is a very good article in the new edition of Fly Fisherman Mag and we all were under the impression that the Fall Iso's were a different species well it turns out it's the 2nd. gen of our Summer Iso's! Seems that there are still some Drunella spinners falling later as I saw a bunch of them as I was leaving, I took one more look for that big brown in front of Doc's and saw them on the water as the fish began to feed on them.
  There was also a great article last week on Gink and Gasoline, "Fishing Buddy" and "Fly Fishing with Stealth" give them a read and it will help with your enjoyment of our sport.

Black Raspberries & Tan Caddis

I have been watching the new crop of black raspberries every day as I walk my dogs with anticipation of both eating them and what they bring to a trout stream, when they are in full ripe stage the tan caddis is also in full bloom. Off to Penns Creek to check the berry and caddis, not ripe just yet, maybe another week to be able to eat a few good handfuls during or after fishing, tried the junction pool in Coburn first, berries not ripe just yet and no caddis but a few very good fish rising on the Pine Creek side of the stream, in the shade and under the overhanging vegetation, just wonderful fun to get a cast under them and not miss a fish or get hung up, took 7 very nice 9" - 14" really colored trout before a "cloud" of spinners fell on the stream, not sure but I think they were Para Lep's mollis but not sure, these are very strong of Big Fishing Creek but we have never seen them fall there, I opted to move down stream to get a better position for a spinner fall if it came. At the car I opened the back up and started to put my gear away and could not find the car key, hell it was just in my hand, maybe down my waders, maybe on the ground, it was at least 10 mins. of pure worry, it was in my plastic tote that I carry my wading shoes and waders, no idea why but there it was, now after all that worrying I have to dump which I hate to do in the forest!
  I moved to the pool above the walk over bridge below the old RR tunnel, the entire pool was alive with rising fish but not all of them were taking spinners or maybe they did not like my fly but they did eat! I used either a #18 short body black spinner or a #18 med dark olive emerger. All the fish were in great shape and a few were really nice, a couple of them were in the 16+ range but the really bigger ones were hard to even get close to, wave the rod they were gone. I have noticed that in the last month the really good fish on Penns seem to feed just under the surface and their tails wave at you after they rise, makes it easy to spot the good ones but not so much for the bank guys. Even two very good fish in the tail out rose head and tail (with a tail wave), not sure if they are feeding on subsurface nymphs or drowned spinners but they will eat an emerger or a spinner if you time if correctly. I love this kind of fishing because it's all about timing and if you get it right you can see everything happen, not a fast rise from the bottom just a nice slow take and head shake after the hook set, then off to the races for some of them. If your up for it try mid pool to the tail out, don't even look at the riffles go straight to the mid section and pick out your first target and do not cast till you see the rhythm the trout is on and the pattern he is feeding in, some of them travel upstream then go back and start all over again (these are usually the biggest fish) others hold in a spot and rise in a rhythm, give it a try. If you see the summer Para Lep's in mass your lucky and be sure to take advantage of it because there was simply to many for the trout to not eat them. Oh by the way no Tan Caddis and no ripe berries.

What 40 years brings you

Fished Johnson's pool last night, no one around at Doc's for a Sunday afternoon it seemed strange but nice. Got dressed and walked down along the bank, stopped to check the water and heard something in the tree, it took off down stream then turned and headed back towards me, an adult Bald Eagle! My friends I have been fishing this spot for 40+ years and this is the first time that I have seen an adult Eagle sitting on the hole, yes I have seen them in the air and at Coburn but this really made me think about how many more birds and animals we have now that we did not have years ago. Forty years ago we never saw Cadian geese or Osprey on Penns, heck we never saw Turkeys either, we have come a long way with our conservation efforts, let's keep it up!
  I have seen a very large fish feeding in a spot over the last few weeks and tonight was an opportunity to try for him, still got my vest very wet but heck it will dry. He started to feed very well and I got him to refuse my offerings 3 times before he stopped. I picked on a few other fish all the while keeping an eye on his location, I took about an hour before he started to feed and at that time most of the fish were taking Iso. spinners or BWO spinners. I put on a #16 short shank BWO spinner and in 2 floats he took it, as soon as I set the hook he was off to the other bank and down stream, this guy has done this before, well after a lot of hooting and joy I got him in my hand, did not turn the camera on because this boy took all my skill to land him, well he was about 20+ but very heavy and battle scared from other fights, my night was over at 7:15, there is no way to top it so go home!
  Same flies BWO emerger's (most all the fish took them) BWO spinners and ISO emergers (I need something with darker wings, no one ate this fly) ISO spinners (most riffle trout were taking this), this will keep up for about another week then it will be ISO's and a few Cahill's but do not put the Stoneflies and Beetles and Ants away- keep the handy for use. The big fly on the way will be a Tan Caddis #16/18 if your not carrying them GO Home! Try a bead head caddis emerger below a caddis adult (I love the Harrop bubble back caddis or a Iris for the top fly, this works well on Spring & Bald Eagle!

What to take with you now

Your pattern selection now is pretty simple, Drunella dun & spinners BWO's in size (short) #16, the dun's & spinners have a very prominent hump in their bodies so tie your flies a bit on the short length. I fished Johnson's last night and the dun's and spinners were on but not in the large number we normally see, this might have been due to the low humidity and they might have fallen later in the evening. I also saw quite a few Iso's but this is really not gang busters yet but will become a very important fly in the next few weeks, this is a main stay in the early to mid summer on Penns. Mixed in to the pot were some late season Cahill's both light and the very yellow one's, also do not forget the large stoneflies that are crashing into the riffles and creating a great feeding frenzy for our riffle trout.
  I watched one vey large trout feed almost exclusively on emergers, he never did take a fly off the surface, only a head and tail rise showing his tail on every rise but never having his mouth show, my best guess is BWO emergers or nymphs just below the surface, I could not get within casting distance, I'll try again tonight! The water is in fine shape, some color but not much but it is on the high side and us short guys have trouble getting around to the mid pool risers.
  One last note on the new Simms Vapor wading shoe- do not wear them in Penns- heck even with the aluminum star cleats they are totally useless, it's Spring Creek only for these shoes and back to felt for this guy in Penns.
Ok here is what you need in your fly box;
#16 BWO Emergers, Duns & Spinners (emerger colors vary with the stage of their emergence)
#14 Iso. Wets, Emergers & Spinners
#6/8 Dark & Yellow Stoneflies, bang them into the riffles
#14/16 Light & Yellow Cahills

Plus the kitchen sink if it will fit into your vest.

A Tail of Two Creeks

I fished Big Fishing Creek the other day and a great comparison is due because I was on Penns this morning. Penns was alive with tons of insects hatching, caddis, stoneflies, craneflies and Drakes but the real difference is the trout in Penns came up and took bugs off the surface. I arrived just after 7:00 AM and it took a while to get going but when the Coffin Fly began to fly around and mate and hit the water the little guys began to take them with splashy rises followed by the bigger guys sucking them down like a toilet flushing, not great but if you waited you saw them and that's a far cry from Big Fishing Creek. When I finished fishing BFC I saw Steve S. from Fly Fisher's Paradise walking along the road, I stopped and he and I compared notes on Fishing Creek, he has had the same experience that I have had not much happens hatch wide till just about dark and it's not what it used to be and neither is the overall trout population, don't know why but that's our observations- any one else have the same experience? Be aware Penns is very busy and you'll really not enjoy the evening fishing because of overcrowding but if you like to see tons of bugs and rising fish get there soon.
  The olives will be on in a week and they last for a solid 3 weeks, oh the spinner falls every night between 6:30 - 8:00 PM BUT not every pool will have them, you need a really good riffle feeding the pool for them to like to mate over it. Remember stay away from the riffles because these guys flap their wings to expel their egg mass and the trout key on that action, if your fly does not move it's wings their not interested in it, go mid or to the bottom of the pool, yea it's harder but they are taking non moving spinners- think Drunella.

High Water & What to DO?

Yea we all know the high water that we have had in the past few weeks gives us all fits, no where to fish, not quite the fact. If you look around you can find many smaller limestone streams to fish. One of the very best is Logan Branch, it flows between Center Hall & Bellefonte, abet it's not the most scenic locations given the old Cerro Metal plant takes a big chunk of it but it still has wonderful big brown trout, be careful some of the land owners are not nice and the railroad is not easy to stay on the bank and be safe from trespassing issues. Another good bet is Slab Cabin Run, it runs from Oak Hall to Spring Creek in Houserville, it's small but has a great trout population, check before you fish if someone has been on the water just above or below you, too small to take that kind of pressure. The section just above when it joins Spring Creek is wonderful but overgrown and it's like fishing White Deer OK if you like that style of combat fishing. Those are just two of the many smaller streams to add to your list when Penns is blown out.
  I have been using a new pair of Simms Vapor Boot with the Vaport Tread platform/4.0 mm Vibram Megagrip sole, they have been wonderful to walk in but you still need some star studs on them in order to wade safely! These dry out fast and do not become hard after the dry cycle, easy to get on and very easy to lace up- great for us old guys who can't bend over well.
  The Drake is on Penns and I'm not going anywhere close to it till it's over, just too many nuts to contend with. Plenty of great fishing after this weekend is over and all the one time wonders go home for the year. I remember guys falling down the banks just to get a small section of the creek and never picking out a fish to try for all the while casting to every rise form they saw only to not get one in a feeding cycle, it's just to madding to watch. Give me Sulphur spinners or Drunella spinners any day! Then the real fun begins, Ants, Beetles and Trico's along with our beloved Tan Caddis now that' real fishing lasting till frost!

You Can Help

The other week as I was having lunch below Coburn at the walk over old rail bridge I noticed that a very large percentage of trees are dead, maybe a victim of the Emerald Ash Borrower? We are loosing a valuable source of shade for our beloved Penn Creek, well what could you do to help, plant a few trees is one the biggest things we could all do, here is a list of the species that will work well;
Near the stream- Silver Maple, Swamp Oak and River Birch
Away from the stream- Red Maple, Hackberry, Honey Locust and Sweet Gum
According to the experts if you had to pick one you would pick River Birch, we can either buy some of them or just find a good stand and take a few small trees and plant them in good locations. Just pick a spot that has a dead Ash tree and hope that it will withstand a high water event. This is a project that every fisherman and woman should try and do, our resource is loosing valuable cover from the Emerald Ash insect and from what I can see the only two things that our benefiting from it is fire wood guys and wood peckers.
   Speaking about high water, last week my backyard rain guage had 3" in it from the Thursday/Friday rain, blown out is not accurate, really really blown out is a much better description of the state of our streams and the Susquehanna River. Penns went from 250 cfs to 5200 cfs in a few short hours, Spring Creek is still over 200 cfs, maybe they might be fishable by this weekend? We still have a ton of Gray Fox, March Browns and Sulphurs to go before the big event. If you want to go, the one that I might try by Thursday would be Fishing Creek in Larmar but with no in stream gauges it is a guessing game at best, maybe we might want to take up golf! No way!
  The other night I watched a new movie "The River" from Gate's AuSable Fly Shop, if you have ever fished the river or wanted to do so you really should watch it, a moving and insightful presentation about the resource and the history of the river. Years ago I was aquainted with a few guys from Michigan and Jim Temple who told me stories of how good and hard the fishing was, well being from the East I scoffed at them and really did understand just what they were saying. Move forward 25 years and after fishing the AuSable and getting my butt kicked a few time I began to understand just how good these guys were and how good the fly tyers were that supplied the shops (most all of them were local tyers and really took great pride in their flies). I began to understand just how difficult it was to get a good float in the river and if you caught a fish over 12" in the day light in Summer it was a big deal, this river system is late evening and night fishing at it's best, that my friends makes good flyfishermen and women. This river makes you think about your presentation and just how you'll float a fly to the rising trout, no blind casting here, very specific targets and always thinking how to fool the fish. Take a dose of really great warm sharing people and it is one of the best places in the world to spend time, stay at Gates Lodge and leave your motel room door open with the screen and fall asleep to the sounds of the river. Buy the movie and you'll get an appreciation for the people and resource, make sure you don't miss the short spots about Bob Summers and The Brothers Brown!

Really?!

Dear Cousin Brucie you make a threat on your site for everyone to see, sure will make it really easy to bring charges against you if we do in fact meet, stupid. Ever wonder why I never have a unkind word for George Daniel @ TCO , Steve Sw. at Fly Fishers Paradise or Jerry @ FTH, it's because they tell the truth and always have kind words for their customers, they give good advice and never insult their customers the way that you do and have, grow up! There are many places that customers can go to buy materials and supplies it's your job to treat them with respect and the truth not BS them or insult them. I have had encounters with some of your customers and have been amazed at what you have told them, surly not the facts. Grow up and look in the mirror. We have been together and you have avoided me every time we have been in a room, TU meeting, Sportsman's Club Fly Swap and TU fly tying class. I will never write another word about you and your business again and you do the same for me. Oh if I do use some colorful words remember the reader assigns off color meaning to them.

Fact or Ficton

If you read the two guys who post about Penns "The Crook and Cousin Brucie" every thing in the world is coming off and you just have to visit their shops and buy their special flies or take their guides out if you wan to catch fish, bull shit! This has been a long cold winter and I think that our streams are having a hard time waking up, hatches are delayed and the trout are just not looking up like they have in the past warm years. I talked to a friend who was at Penns last week and spent most of the day and early evening at the Station 22 pool and riffle coming into it, yes their were caddis Hendrickson and Red Quill spinners on the water in good numbers but only a very few dinks came up to eat, if you know the area there is always a few really good fish on the bank in front of the Fish Comm. cabin but not so much this night, but cousin Brucie was going on about the 100 trout his buddy took, really?
  I fished Penns after spending a few hours on Big Fishing creek just sitting on the bank waiting for anything to come up, a big fat "0", no one wanted to eat on top because there was just not flies to temp them. I drove to Penns below Coburn and talked to few guys who told me that The Crook told them it was just wonderful that morning, of course that's before they got there? The talk was that the parking lot might be closed and most guys just wanted to check it out, well if they soon don't clean it up it might be closed. I took a bag and began to clean all the trash up around the parking area all the while 3 guys just looked at me as if I was nuts, well if the owner does close it just might your inaction have something to do with it, look it's in your best interest to keep the areas free of trash, OK you didn't put it there but you sure can take it with you to keep an area open, to the guy in the Mercedes from Maryland you are a lazy ass.
  Now to the fishing yes there was Caddis, Hendrickson's and Crane flies on the water with the Crane's the dominate species but nothing in mass to get the trout up and in rhythm, Wed was overcast all afternoon so it was not the sun or wind or rain. When I found a fish rise all you had to do was wait till he came again and most time he would eat one of the flies #16 bubble back caddis, #14 2xl Hendrickson emerger or a #18 Yellow Crane fly, never any pattern only change the fly 30 times. Most of the fish were typical of the area but there was a few stocked browns mixed in (the left pectoral fin was damaged on them) I tried for the two really good corner fish but made two bad floats on them and they both swirled under the emerger never to come back again. Did take one good fish of about 17" in a weird place but most of the good fish spots no one was looking up. The entire time I fished there was a constant parade of cars and truck coming and going on the road never stopping but just driving? I'm not saying the two guys are wrong but lets just tell the facts it's nice to be on the stream and if your in the right spot you might see the blanket hatches they talk about but if your not what they don't understand is that there customers will remember how much bull shit they were feed and go somewhere else where the truth is spoken or where they don't look weird.

Will we become like BASS?

Ok I like a little competition but this shit is getting old quick, I loved reading the Caddis Chron's but he is going on about his son fishing in the competitions and I've stopped reading that shit. Next we'll see babes in bikini's and big Dodge trucks at the official weigh in stations and some dude that looks like Ray Scott talking about how wonderful the fishing was and what baits they used! They will line up and run to the holes they want to fish, first come first fished, ok it's not that way now but wait till someone finds out how to make money from it. I have seen this on Penns and they left shit in the tree, hey no one but you guys like this and we don't want to see your crap in the trees and on the bank. Just go out an enjoy the day watching nature and hearing the birds sing, maybe catch a few fish and hopefully share it with someone who likes the same, not some ass hole who has to catch more than you or run ahead of you to get to the secret spot- why? If these guys think that it will help them in life I go news for them, no one cares in the working world how many trout you can catch.
  It's still Hendrickson spinners at night and we will see Gray Fox and March Brown's any day if it ever warms up, just go sit on the bank and enjoy.

Get There if You Can!

  It's that time of year when if your there when it happens your blessed but get the timing wrong and you'll stand there with your stick in hand and nothing to wave it at! The Hendrickson's and Blue Quills are on in Penns & Big Fishing Creek's, plan a trip ASAP but the weather today and Wed, might put a damper on it, heck why not go today? Fishing to Hendrickson's and Blue Quill's is a blast with an emerger fished in the film and again when the spinners come back a sparse winged flush floating imitation will take lots of fish. Get the float wrong or even the height of your fly in the surface film will put the fish off, sparse is the key and great drifts in to the feeding lanes will help.
  I have not been fishing much due to an accident that I had April 16, some dude hit me head on and totaled both my car and his truck, I'm on the mend with a shoulder injury and hope to fish by this weekend, it's very hard to hold a wading stick in my left hand and I need it more now than ever.
  Go Fishing!

Caddis & Hendrickson's

Yes they are on, not the Grannom's but the #18 Little Black Caddis and not that much on top, go under with a pupa or a bead head larva patterns and you'll have success! The Hendrickson's are really just getting started on Penns and not so much on Big Fishing Creek, maybe by the end of the week both the Grannom and Hendrickson's will be in full bloom in the "narrow's", this is one of the very best times to target really nice fish on Fishing Creek- go if you can. Penns is still running high and can be a problem to hit the fish that you might want to target, wait a couple days and you'll be fine, I love #14 2x long emerger's with a loop wing to get fish on Penns. Today's rain did nothing to hurt any stream in our area, so go forth young man and fish.
  Two clean up's to note this weekend;
Penns Creek clean up 9:00 AM meet at the Union County Sportsman's parking lot in Weikert, PA and help our resource.
Spring Creek clean up 9:00 AM at the Rock parking area or McCoy's Dam site and help clean both the stream banks and the roads. Both these area's on Spring get a ton of litter from cars traveling and look very unsightly!
  Please help with either one you can, my family from State College has decided this year to help with Spring Creek so that is where I'll be but Penns is in very capable hands- enjoy both and remember any time your out and about take a bag of trash home with you.

Rod and line testing

Saturday we tested a few of new Orvis Helios 2 and found a few interesting features. First was a 8'4" #3 rod that we used a WF3F XPS Sci. Angler Grey line, really nice casting and wonderful line control with pinpoint accuracy, not surprising because they don't make the line anymore- note if you find something good quickly go out and buy more. Next up was a WF3F GPX Sci. Angler and not surprising it acted as it should, a line that was 1 line size heavy but still not bad, could be good for short work with a good spinner fall but nothing that would involve distance. The final line was a Orvis new Hydro line, what a total mess no control and it gave the final delivery a line that had "S" curves it, now if they used this line to design or test their new rods WTF were they thinking, then we were told that we need the NEW Hydro 2 line, well maybe some other time. Overall this is a rod that I would own, most like a Winston BIIX and a Scott 8'4" but what the heck I already have them.
  We tried a 9'0" rated for an 8 WT and I was not the least bit interested, just too heavy but it sure did cast 70- 80' with total ease. In both cases the rods performed as advertised and they have a wonderful finish, both offer very good value for the price along with a great warranty.
  It's raining like heck and it looks as if another year of the Grannom's will be washed away never to be fished to but in the back of my mind I still think Big Fishing Creek will offer up so good days next week?

First Day for most folks

Saturday was the opening day for trout in the Northern section of PA and with the very high water the normal crowds were only a fraction of what they usualy are. Drove along Spring Creek and was just amazed to see the amount of guys using spinning gear and BAIT, don't know what the hell they were doing with the fish they caught but I'll bet they are not in the water today. Of course there we no waterways patrol men around the check them, what is up with that? Spring Creek was just full of anglers, that is not normal but with the high water everywhere else I guess it was the only game in town. We checked Pine Creek as is our tradition and the amount of people was only about 30% of a normal year due to the very high water, there were still ice jambs around! No insects!
  We stopped at Big Fishing creek and it looked just about right, a bit high 4-6" above normal but the color was just perfect and at the lower bridge before the "narrows" a great hatch and egg laying dance of little black stone's was in full swing coupled with a good amount of little black caddis but as we moved upstream the hatch seemed to loose steam, it's just about ready to get going!! Put this one on your list to watch, when the Forsitha are blooming the Grannom is on there!
  I took my daughter and granddaughter to Spring Creek Saturday night to check out our assigned clean up spot above "The Rock" , when we turned into the parking area all we saw was dead deer all around. Now who the hell does that some one who has a hard on for the Game Comm or just too cheap to have them disposed of? This has been going on for years and it looks as if it is someone who just wants to make a statement, hey catch this guy. We see this just above Bellefonte and above the 550 bridge, I have seen dogs and cats in the mixture, this dude is sick.
  Have to make a statement about the guides, long hair, beards, piercings and tattoos, who the hell wants to spend time with them and all they can say is "dude" and stick their nose in their "I" phones and text everyone, what a hell of a world we live in, glad I'm old because that is not how we old people treat folks. These guys should have stayed working at Burger King!

Update and denial

Before the torrents came and will come today, Spring Creek was fishing very well last week, nymphs in the morning then small localized hatches of #20 BWO's came off. It is getting very hard to fool the fish because they are getting pounded by everyone who needs a bit of outdoor time! When the hatch comes as usual the olives seem to come in waves, the fish start working and you pick your poison and hope you have time to cast and catch before the bugs stop, then in a few minutes they start all over again, typical olive behavior. If you have lookers but no takers keep tying new float options, "just below the surface, in the film or on top", it depends on the day and how the fish want their food delivered! Sometime a dry with a dropper just below the surface is the best option and nothing beats a #20 tan glass bead pheasant tail nymph fished about 2-3" below the point fly. Another option is a small soft hackle wet fished on a greased leader. Looks as if we might get about 1/2" of rain and with our streams full it will put us off for this week, so  much for me bitching about no water, I'll take that.
  Now the denial, I have no association to the Penns Creek Angler or his web site, when he posts my name on his site I shit, there is simply no way I want anything to do with him. What he should do is post that  the Penn Creek cleanup up will take place on April 26 @ 9:00 AM and anyone interested in helping meet in the Union County Sportsman's parking on in Weikert, PA- leave me off you site! If you think your helping, your not!

Secret Flies and Shit

I have heard nothing but a buzz about this from some locals for the past couple of years and it's getting old, if you have a secret keep it. Yea I know some of you will snicker at this and say under your breath that Hepner has secrets and will not give them up, well your right I do not give them to everyone, I give some of them to people who I trust and consider good fishing partners. No I will not give any or very little info to people who just take info. and patterns and do nothing but show everyone and give nothing in return to our sport, these guys are takers. Some of this stuff has taken 37 years to understand and that it some times means that you stop fishing and just watch or fish with someone who you can take turns fishing to a specific fish and working on why and how to catch the dam thing. I'm not really sure that it's the pattern, well maybe a little, if it's the correct size and close to the correct color and most importantly if it drifts correctly maybe the trout will take it. I see guys all the time who can't cast worth a shit and really never consider how the fly will drift to the fish change flies till they find the secret fly, that's not what you need you need some work on presentation, just get the fly close and maybe if you don't line the fish he might take. I see so many guys with a straight upstream cast and they wonder why the fish refuse their offering, maybe they see your leader or maybe your cast lander like a branch hitting the surface, think softer landing and maybe a down or across presentation and maybe you'll see better results.
 Ask Sherwin how many time we fished together and talked all the time about trout behavior and fly presentations and maybe you'll understand how much real work goes into this secret fly shit. For the guys who don't understand this and want a magic fly, call Orvis, how that's, oh right you want it free!
  As a good example why will the Rainbows in the Missouri River take a #20 secret Baetis emerger during a #24 Pseudo full blow hatch, ever consider that a good float in to them might just make them eat?

Hope for the bettter

If you take a look at the USGS stream gauges for our area you will notice some very disturbing trends, low water for this time of year. It appears that we are going to have another low water year for the early season and who knows when the rains will come, I'll bet it will be during the Drake season then we will go dry. Our weather is off from the normal, yes we have a good amount of snow left on the mountains and it has melted as it should, little by day then freezing up at night but we do need some liquid to fall and get our streams up to more normal levels. look I love the lower water for this time of year but worry about later in the year. Heck Penns is down and that will not help for the future or what normally happens all the hatches come at once if the water warms to a above normal level, we saw this a couple of years ago and it was great while it lasted if you could get there when the main hatch comes off but miss it by a few days and they're gone for the year.
  Let's just hope we get some rain and keep it coming just enough to keep our streams in good shape. Just got some news that the rainbows in Spring Creek are on the redds, watch out for them!

Important Dates

Some dates to keep in mind for Spring. April 26th @ 9:00 AM in the Union County Sportsman's Club's parking lot R.B. Winter Chapter Trout Unlimited will begin the annual Penns Creek cleanup, I think it might be a 10 year anniversary for this event, please join us. Our numbers have never been large but the amount of items that we remove from the stream is amazing, it never ceases to make me wonder how all that plastic makes it out into the environment and it our streams, seems some people have never seen a trash can, please join us.
   April 22 & 23 please join The Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited complete the West bank stabilization of Spring Creek above the former McCoy Dam below Bellefonte at the former dam site, check www.springcreektu.org for details and a sign up sheet. They will have a fire company there to shuttle us across Spring Creek, if you know where this is, you need help crossing.
  This week has been black midges & little black stoneflies hatching everywhere, what are waiting for-GO. Have also fished to a wonderful BWO hatch on Spring Creek, #20 really dark Bateis, they ate like pigs, again this is not universal but a specific local event, find them and enjoy.

SOMETHING TO READ today- check out Gink and Gasoline web site for today and read his commentary on taking pictures of fish and killing said fish, brilliant and to the point. I agree with him 100%- what do you guys think?

Sign of the times

With sadness I just finished reading Fly Fisherman Magazine's article about the health of fly shops and noticed among the casualties was Kauffman's Streamborn in OR, that truly is sad. On any given day you could call them and ask for a special item or color of hackle/ fur and be certain that you would get it. Seems as if too many Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's have turned customers away from really good shops or maybe it was just a hassle to worry everyday if you could make payroll that week. If you find a good shop either local or on the net by all means spread the word and keep them going, if there is a bad one -well just don't support it no matter how much you need that thread or fur. The bad ones give the entire industry a very bad rap.
  OK it's time to fish, by this weekend we will be in the 40's BUT stay away from Spring Creek at this time of year, the bait and spinner guys are all over and it becomes just a pain in the ass to even look at them. Remember that at some time in March some streams are off limits- Bald Eagle is one of them. Big Fishing Creek is a great option and a #16 little black stone fly nymph is a great choice.

There Here!

It's that time of the year and they are here, Little Black Stoneflies "Taeniopteryx nivsalis" are everywhere, check out www.troutnut.com for a wonderful photo showing what the nymph looks like. Spotted the first one on my garage and more followed soon, the gulls were here on the river eating every one they could get. It just might be a bit early for Penns because it's frozen over in most spots but Big Fishing Creek, Spring and Bald Eagle have them. It's time to break out your #14 & 16 black stonefly nymphs and hit the water, the adults do ride the water but it's very hard to spot rising fish because they ride on the water so low and the rise forms are subtle. Our weather is not in our favor till next week but if you can spare a few hours go, at least one trout is better than sitting on your ass. Yea it's cold but that's what they make cloths for and remember the Patagonia R-1 gloves, they are killer.
   Check out Flyfish Food web site, they are now chucking around a 3 part tandem streamer!

Something to watch

I have been a subscriber to www.catchmagazine.net  for a few years and just marvel how they get the pictures and the movies to be as good as they are, must be the camera's not me! I received the new "Master Series season 5" DVD and I think it's about the best quality I have ever seen, it makes you feel as if your there in the cold damp rivers of the north west. There is one 10 min. film "Winter Run about
 two guys steelhead fishing and hooking a fish and running and climbing up and down cliffs just to land the fish, heck I don't think I could have done that when I was you let alone now. Every short film it absolutely the best quality that I have seen, order yours today or ask to brow mine to view it.
  Another kinky web site is www.ginkandgasoline.com/blog different but they have some really fine fly tying hints and patterns to view, a bit out there but still worth the look each day.
  No fishing this week, it's to cold to even leave the house, no where to put the snow that has fallen and now they are looking for more- it you see that groundhog put him out of his misery, any one for stew?

Dam Groundhog

Fished Thursday and Friday of last week on Spring Creek, it and a 2 to 3 mile section of Bald Eagle are open with no or very little shore shelf ice. Spring has good water levels and the Eagle is running just a bit high for comfortable wading (it gets dam cold when your in up to your hips), both have been having fair midge actively in the afternoon and a some BWO's if you find the right spot. Both days I fished scuds in the later morning and if you found an inside corner with a dark bottom and slower water the fish hit hard but you have to get down and fish very slowly, a #16 grey scud did the trick, the attached picture is one of the better guys from Friday- he crushed it.

 

On both days the surface activity started about 10:30 and continued till 3:00 PM, midges were first on deck but the fish were picky, you had to change to find what each wanted, of course I took three fish fast on a Griff's Gnat and that was that no more on it! I moved to better BWO water and found a few fish feeding like little pigs on the #20 emerger took if it floated well. Both days were a welcome break form the weather we have been having, the little Hog just gave me good reason to want a few Groundhog tails. Get out there if only for a few hours or heck cast in the back yard just to shake the winter blues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Polar vortex

As most of you know we are suffering from a very cold winter, well not really according to Tom Clark we are only off by .3 of a degree! I have been fishing on Spring Creek because Penns has self ice and it's just not fun to crawl over that stuff, both the midge and olive fishing has been very good but you need to find the fish because they are not rising the entire stream. Fish some nymphs in the morning then look for surface activity about 10:30 AM and if you see some insects flying around but no rising fish pack up and drive to find the risers, if you find them it only takes 3 flies to get them, #22 Grif's Gnat, #22 Black down wing midge or a #22 olive emerger, you might want to carry a few buzz balls if you see some larger midge mating clumps but this is something that we normally do not see that many of. If your cold and don't want to fish ok then check out the Global Fly Fishers web site www.globalflyfisher.com-video and look for "Fly vs Jerks" 5 part video, it's about 2 fly fishers vs. 2 plug guys in Sweden fishing for Pike and the video quality is just superb, watch it and you'll agree.
  I also highly recommend the Catch Magazine site, yea it costs $12.00 a year but after you see the quality of the pictures and video you be hooked. While you are at it get the new Confulance flim "Way Points" DVD, wow it is that good, there are many others to fill the cold nights and keep you in the game.