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!