2020 Spring Creek Redd Count final numbers

Hopefuly I can get the entire spread sheet to transfer but for the year our numbers were up above lats years at 1771 total redds counted and a total of 1663 for 2019 even with the low water conditions the numbers are very good for the health and the future of Spring Creek. A good number came from the bridge on the old Rockview property down stream to the walking bridge at the pistol range, 208! Our section from the blue bridge at Rock Road downstream to the bridge at Benner Springs parking lot was 127 down from 2019's total of 141 but still withing the normal ranges. The amount of woody debries within the stream also told us that the fry will be well protected when they hatch. Most other sections had numbers that were well within range. The best numbers cam from the section of the Lamb Street bridge downstream to the parking area above the wast water treatment plant in Bellefonte at 218! A special thanks to everyone who took the time from their Sunday to help, it does help and will benefit our trout in the long run. A side not I seem not to be able to publish the entire spread sheet, I have sme kind of problem with Libra system, I'll keep trying to get it our for all of you. Happy New Year

Is this the most beautiful fly you have seen

Here is a pheasant tail nympg tied by a European fly tyer from Poland that is just stunning. Take a good look at it ant try to duplicate it

Thread oh how little we think of it!

Of all the things that we take for granted our fly tying thread just might be the one thing we never think about. I remember when I started tying flies some 60 years ago we had big hunks of bees wax next to us because we mostly used silk tying thread and it was slippery as snot. About the late 60's or early 70's Daville Co. introduced us to 6/0 Herb Howards Flymaster prewaxed tying thread (nylon) well the tying world changed for ever. About the same time Danville also introduced us to "Monocord" witch had a dam mind of it's own, you needed that hunk of bees wax to make it behave, if you left off the tension poof it would unwind. OK now fast forward to today- thank heavens for progress. Danville- 70 denier Flymaster 6/0 prewaxed (20 yard spool) is still the gold standard for tyers. Uni- 8/0 200 yard spool not waxed is the standard for tying anything size 18 and smaller. Danville- 140 denier (100 yard spool) waxed flymaster +PLUS+ is the thread to use if you need strength- think beetles and other foam flies Danville- 210 denier (100 yard spool) flat waxed nylon, about what monocord was but with the addition of wax- think intruders and streamers, also beetles Ultra thread- 140 denier (ok but NOT WAXED) good strength but keep wax close Veevus- 140 denier good strength BUT you need to wax or super glue the base or it will slip and nothing will piss you off when your tying beetles and have to entire body slip! Veevus- 240 denier greath strength BUT again you need wax or super glue to keep it from slipping. A great new thread just on the market that will help when you need to build an underbody on a fly. Uni- stretch (30 yards) 1x 270, I use it in white and it will build an underbody in no time then just start you main tying thread and wrap of this and cut it off, I super glue it at that point because it has a bit of memory. Caution it is a BITCH to thread in a bobbin, just go slow. My stonefly bodies take no time to complete and you and even tye up a bunch of them before hand. Try this on e out for sure. Just a not for anyone who is a hoarder like me your tying thread will get brittle so test it before you start tying a bunch of flies, remember thread is cheap but your time is not!

2020 Spring Creek Redd Count

Here is the results for the 2020 redd count for our section, The Blue Bridge at Rock Road downstream to the bridge at Benner Spring trout hatchery. The conditions were good cold but not too cold and a nice overcast sky which makes it easier to see into the stream. The water was 48 degrees and LOW with tons of alge on the bottom, you could not fish nymphs in this section without cleaning your fly off every cast. Saw a Bald Eagle and three live cock pheasents just wandering around (recent stockers) and one dead bird in the stream. We counted 127 redds and some of them were massive, a lot of them were tucked along down logs or large rocks and some had active fish on them but most were void of fish. We did see a lot of fish scooting out from our approach and we saw 5 active risng fish. All in all a good total maybe not as good as last year but really close. It looks as if Spring Creek is doing well and will be in the future. I'll post the totals as soon as I get them. Happy Thanksgiving

Nov. 22 Redd Count for Spring Creek plus a clean up!!

If you have the time we could use your help on Nov. 22nd at 9:00 AM at Spring Creek Park in Houserville, PA (just off Rt 26 before the exit to the stadium), we will be doing our annual redd count plus this year cleaning up the stream side areas. We have been seeing quite a few spawing fish this past week and believe they will continue to mate till December, this year is not normal at all, we have not had out post leaf fall flush of higher water so the redds may not be in their normal spots. If your fishing on Spring Creek of Big Fishing Creek be CAREFUL do not fish to spawing fish at all! If your ar BFC you'll be amaized at the size of some of the female fish you'll see! Spring has a few of the big ones also but leave them alone! If you can help just look at Spring Creek Chapter of TU's wed site for directions and sign ups also check out the Zoom cast this Thursday Nov 4 th @ 7:30 PM for a presentation on Brook Trout- again find the direction from Spring Creek's web site.

New Materials

Here is a small sample of the new materials I have been using with wonderful results; Stonfo Streamer Soft Heads (size 1 & 2) in place of Fish Mask #5 from Fish Skull, they are easy to get on smaller sized stramers and you can get them on a bit bulkier heads there by makeing for a much neater finish on your flies. They are easy to push on and take super glue or UV resin well plus the eye sockets are large giving you a better option for eyes on them Hends; Lead Wire Flat 0.2 x 1 mm this gives you a really nice flat under bodies on any weighted nymph pattern that you might want to tie, not expensive and really worth the money. Trout Ledgend; slotted Tung beads in packs of 25, if your having trouble getting beads give Trout Legend a try the are fast and very well price and they have the colors, sizes you need. Very fast efficient delivery from Springville, NY! Hends; Spectra Dubbing, they have to colors and sparkle we are looking for PLUS the stuff dubs easly, I use their black, peacock green and peacock bronze for all my beetle under bodies. There are some other dubbing that have the sparkle and colors but they are really hard to dub without using a ton of dubbing wax! Dave Whitlock; SLF Pattern Blends dubbing mateial, easy to dub and a really good assortment of specific pattern dubbing blends. It is soft with the right amount of shimmer in them. Natures Sprit; x-caddis deer hair, you will never be dissapointed with any of their products but the caddis x deer hair is spot on, just the correct colors and the hair size is prfect. I see so many tyers who struggle with! The selection of deer hair they offer is great, leave it up to them. Hemmingway's; Synthetic Tapered Peacock Quill in Nat., Yellow Olive, Brown and Olive. This stuff makes just killer quill bodies on nymphs or larger or mid sized dry flies. No more soaking quills or even stripping them to get the tapered quill body your seeking. I have tied some killer stonefly nymphs using this material- give them a try. Here's where it buy; Stonfo Soft heads- J Stockerd or Dakota Angler Hend's products- Trout Ledgend, they carry a lot of Hends products Dave Whitlock- TCO in State College or Dakota Angler Nature's Sprit- Dakota Angler or J Stockerd in CT Hemmingways- Dakota Angler Hey the Olives are on Penn's, Spring and Bald Eagle!

Bastard's

Just when I thought it was safe to say someone did something right we get screwed and are too dam dumb to realize it. Now if you read the new issue of Fly Fisherman mag. you get the real truth about the Prebble Mine! I quote "No decision on Prebble Mine until after election", that means we are being used as dummies to vote for the present adim. then we get screwed. Even with Nick Ayers, Donald Trump Jr. and Johhny Morris appearing on Tucker Carlson Tonight show slowing this down it appears that it is only a matter of time till this goes ahead. It is a shame that politicions use us sportsmen and women as a pocker chip just to get either elected or reelected. Both of the Alaska Senator's are just double talking about this and riding the fence till after the election. As I have said before this is nothing more than a game to the mine owners, wait and pay off people to get what you want, I bet it would be avery different story if it was an American company wanting to put a shitty mine in Canada? OK enought of that, just keep watching and we will get a clear idea of just how much our leaders care about our views. On a happy note the water is cooling down and the fish are getting active now, Oct. caddis have begun to appear and the trout will take one if your getting it over them. Olives have started on cloudy days and there have been some flying ants if your in the right location. Still tying flies like crazy every evening, I'm trying to do smaller patterns now now that I can see well, maybe there might be a time when my hands and eyes will not let me tie the smaller patterns, heck I have enough Trico spinners to last the rest of my life, BUT. We all need to keep refining our tying and our patterns every year, sometimes I look at stuff I tied 30 years ago and wonder what the heck I was thinking. I have been trying new materials and will post a review of them in the near future. If you walk into some of the fly shops now they are all excited about Cortland and SA tippet material, I for one am very happy with Trout Hunter and am not willing to try yet another new best thing!

OMG go look at the river below the dam in Sunbury

We took the dog for a walk below the Fibra Dam at the South end of Sunbury and it is just hard to believe just how low the river is, never in my adult years have I seen it this bad, there were 18 white cranes and a larger one just eating minnows. Also there were at least 50 of the red head mergansers just going nuts chasing and eating minnows just off the boat launch area. If there was any smallmouth spawing this year I will bet most of the fry are gone by now. Jesus we need rain and not just a little but a lot. I am holding off fishing this week in order to do some fly rod and line cleaning, yes I do also clean my rods not the grips but just the rod shafts while also giving them a good lokk to see if I might have hit them with a stupid back cast. Oh by the way PLEASE go to the Fiberglass Manifesto blog and look at the 12 Prebble Mine tapes- those ass holes will not let this die and it is all based on LIES! So far Trump has not killed it either, so we have to keep fighing to get rid of this stupid gold mine! If we do get some rain get out after with flying ants and a lot of olives because it will be really good.

Get creative

It's time to get creative, not much going on on top so try swinging a big wet or an intruder (light on light days and a dark one on cloudy days), don't get too big yet about 3" is just right. The other day all I could get any fish to take was a 3" light tan intruder, BUT make sure you get them down and not high in water column. and keep them in the full swing. It's also time to target midge feeders on top, Penn's clears up really nice in late Sept and Oct, so clear that it's really easy to wade. The trout are on midges at this time and there are not a lot of them feeding but the ones that are tend to be good ones- this is really slow techinacle fishing with 6-7x tippet and careful wading in order to not wake them. Try it, only the very large pools tend to have this action, Stan's pllo has a good amount of them BUT make sure the water is cool and not in the 70's.

Trico time has gone

Sad to report that the Trico's are about done, maybe a few stragglers might show if the weather keeps warm but the rise is short and sweet. Still taking fish on beetles but it's a chore to find water that has not been fished over. I would expect to see ants after Friday, it is to be very nice they love that weather pattern. Now is the time to get you BWO boxes ready, cloudy days in the mid afternoon will bring them out in force. Remember that the BWO's come off in waves, they come then stop then come again. Yu my have to look for a spot that holds them because not every area has a good population of them. Carry #16 thru #20's I would also carry some 3" shiner streamer patterns to tease some ot the more aggresive fish with. Beat Covid 19- go fish!

Another Year Without Them

Yet another sign that something is just not right with the Susquehanna River, there were no clouds of White flies again. Years ago there were clouds of them and on the bridges that crossed the river on the first sections of them there were just piles of them on the burm and on the road but not the last few years. We fished to them below the Fibra Dam in Sunbury and it has just not happened at all, we noticed maybe 5-7 years ago that the amount and duration of the hatch and spinner fall was just getting smaller then- poof! I sure would love to know what has happened to them, be it water quality or someother factor, any ideas? You could count on the smallmouths being up and eating during that hatch but now all is quiet!?

Do Not Leave Home Without These!!

I forgot to say anything about the Fall flying ants, do not forget them for the next few weeks, if you do GO HOME for the fish will make a fool out of you. Have both black and cinn. ants with wings either upright or spent winged in sizes #16 thru #22 both colors and have a few #16-#18 black front and dark maghoney rears also. The swarm takes place in good weather that is usually just after pretty crappy weather but in this year we could see it just about any time. Makes sure your sticking you nose close to the waters surface. I saw a hell of a fish the other day while I was in the car looking but it would not even bother with a beetle BUT as soon as I got back into the car he came out and took something off the surface with a really nice wake, this boy moves water when he eats- mark him for another day!

Beetle time again

Yes it was beetle time again yesteday, some of the takes were on the suttle side but make no mistake this year has been the very best beetle fishing I have had in many years. If your going forget the middle of the stream and concentrate on the banks and even the shallow riffles. I have noticed that on the section that I fished on Tuesday, I have NOT taken a fish off the heavy wooded bank, go figure? A #12-14 black beetle with new Hends spectra dubbing underbody and 4 metalic blue legs with a bright pink post on top does the trick. After many fish and some of them bigger than normal my beetle was really beat up, time to strip the hook and just tie another. I wanted to do a scud morning on a section that I have not fished for at least 25 years but when I looked at it there were two very large trees downed in the best section of the area, oh well just wait for high water to take it. a #16-18 dark tan/grey scud will do the trick in this section. Time to get ready for the large Oct. caddis and another round of smaller Iso's if we get some water in Penn's. This year has been not so great with the tan caddis for some reason? Had one good morning on Bald Eagle using a tan bubble back caddis then have not seen many of them or maybe I have not paid that much attention to them all the while concentrating of Trico's and beetles!? Still tying flies every night, now tying the shit that I might not be able to tie ina couple of years. I tend to tied a ton of one pattern in a few sizes thereby not having to tie them every year, this is only viable if your pattern is proven and has not changed much over the years. Go fish and enjoy the Fall because the hunters will be out soon.

Wonderful Reverse

I see where the Trump Ad. is now going to reverse the Trump Adm. and stop the Prebble Mine? What the heck just happened here? I for one can not understand how the heck this thing came back again for considation in the first place, no one in Alaska wanted the dam thing and the native people surely did not want it nor did the countless fishermem and women who have gone there. But I guess that meeting bewteen Trump and the Alaska Gov. started the process all over again, the Army Core got involved and gave the go ahead then all of a sudden Donald Jr. and Tucker Carlson came out aginst it, no matter how is came about- cheers it migh just go away but do not rest till we see the Canadian mine co. give up, oh that's right the company that wants to kill thousands of acres of our land is from Canada- go figure. Just keep watching for this to finally die or be reborn under a new name! I wanted to tell you about an odd thing that happened the other week, I got up at 5 AM and got my two rods that I wanted to take and never looked at them, well that was a mistake. As I was in the stream starting to cast my beetle to the shore line at the first spot I noticed that someting was really off, not really getting any kind of accuracy or distance, looked at my rod and noticed that I was using my T&T nymph rod with a Dt#3 line not what it was intended for now wonder it felt like a string on a stick! Next time get the rods out in the light!!!

One Wt. Fun

Tried to catch the Trico's again and my target was the bend pool below Hartle's Bridge on Spring Creek, ( Bridge below Fishermans Paradise). The big guys on the outside bend are very touchy to say the least. Got into position and cast to the first one, he took and with the 1wt and a #24 Trico spinner it was a great fight, well I felt kind of cocky after that-NOT!! Did not take another fish till I got 5 abslute refusals! I had 6.5x tippet on and I think I could have used 7x. It took a lot of casts to get the spinner lined up for them to take but they did take it and some of the boys were very nice, all in all there were at least 30 fish up in the entire length and it was nice to be in the cool shade. The action lasted for the better part of and hour and a half, a morning to just smile about and wonder why the fish at the bottom of the bend were so picky. The bottom has a good amount of weed growth and I know there are some funky currents along with the fact the fish were not holding close to the top. The other fish were up and holding close to the surface thereby not needing a long float into them. All the action was a bit late because of the cooler temps. No rising fish in Bald Eagle? There wer 8 cars in the parking lot at the old McCoys dam site at 8 AM- what the hell? Paradise was also crowded but that is because there are guys just BS'ing there every morning. Go Fish

Tough time last week

Last week was a tough time trying to find any rising fish, soo when that happens us a #12 black beetle and go plopping! The fish were really not that aggressive but again would take the beetle if it had a bit of movement, go figure? I actualy had more fish take the dam thing when I moved it a bit (2-4") than just after it landed which is really unsual. I tied all my 2020 beetles with rubber legs and not black hackle, Also began to use either white or pink indicator posts on top making for a better visual experience. Did not see any Trioc's or any rising fish but it might have happened later than when I checked and decided where to fish. I try not to fish the same spots this time of year. There is a wonderful short story on Gink and Gasoline web site about "Two guys and one smart trout" , good reading and something I really miss since my buddies passing.

Need your help

We need your help to keep the slot limit on upper Penns Creek, from Coburn downstream to Swift Run. This limit allows someone to keep trout from 7" up to 12" and allows all the lrager fish to be returned to the stream, if you fish this section you'll agree it has worked out very well abet for more anglers fishing there. Just use this link; www.fishandboat.com/regcomments and mention Chapter 65 slot limit for section three of Penns Creek. You will be doing a great service to all of us who fish Penns! Still tying a ton of #24 Trico spinners some to sell and some to give away. Going to go tomorrow and try and get behing the shit plant in Bellefonte but that dam train has been on the track closest to the creek and that makes it very hard to get around! Look for a nice weather change on Thursday & Friday but make sure your not on the stream to early thoses days.

A Nice Morning Fish

Decided to try for a good Trico spinner fall on Thursday morning, well there were no big clouds of them any where, Bald Eagle "0" Spring Creek "0" none of the normal spots had any clouds over them. To be fair it was colder than it has been and very cloudy putting them later in the day. I did find a good pod of rising fish just off Rock Road and began to cast to them but became stuck in the mud on the bottom, the same under water grass was there as it was in another spot last week, (note to self stay out of that shit). Tied on a #24 Dark Olive Trico spinner and began to take fish, none big but on the 1 wt. they feel good. The cloudy conditions plus the glare light made it very hard to see the fly and most time just had to set on a guess. It took about 1 hour to wade up to the top of the pool and look upstream to find nothing happening at all. This area is also a good place to plop beetles or float ants, so I fished another hour using a #16 black foam ant and they ate it like candy. Not a bad morning except for the glare on the water fishing upstream, I normaly like to fish quarter downstream and that makes it a lot easier to see your presentation. A sign of becoming and old fart- I forgot to put a hat on again- that did not help the glare! Agan only "2" flies used the entire time but I'm still tying like a mad man. Enjoy

Notes from last post

Sorry the leader I used was a Trout Hunter 12' 6x finess leader, I used a nail knot to attach it to the 1 wt line and it worked really well. Gone are those Doug Swisher flour. green flat butt leaders of the past, they were really great in the day but with fly lines changing their tapers and materials they just would not perform as they did in the past! Just receive a shipment of Hens Spectra Dubbing, wow what great colors and it's easy to dub not like ice dub where you have to use a ton of wax on your thread. Give it a try if your liiking for a peacock subsitute.

1 wt. & Trico's

Was looking for an empty Sage 3100 spool and found "2" spools loaded with 1 wt fly lines and wanted to try them again for Trico's but they both had old Doug Swisher flat butt leaders on them and I had to chage them, heavens knows how old they were? I took the flat butt off and cleaned the lines then added a Trout Hunter 9' 5x finess leader to the end of the line. Checked just below Paradise and there were a billion Trico's over the stream, so I drove downstream looking for rising fish, found some spots that were good but drove to Milesburg to check Bald Eagle- a big fat "0" was going on there. Drove above Bellefonte and found a spot where the fish were eating, got ready and put on a dark olive #24 Trico spinner and 6.5x Trout Hunter tippet and got to working on them. I can tell you that a 6" on the 1 wt feels just great and the Scott very soft 8'8" #2 was the perfect rod for it. Just lined them up and maybe not the first float over them but they would at some time just eat the Trico. After about an hour & a half the action started to dimish so I tied on a #18 cinn. foam ant and cast to the banks, well they ate that also. I got to the head of the pool and wanted to get a bite to eat and move to another location that I have had great action in. Ate then drove up and walked to the tail of the pool and almost killed myself getting down the bank, started to wade up stream to avoid the drag at the tail out and became stuck in the mud on the bottom, this resulted in a 30 yard struggle to get upstream and not set foot on private land all the time not knowing if I could manage to get free in some spots. This was exausting to say the least and NO dam fish rising at all, no Trico's no takes on the small ant (the pool is very deep). I tied on a #12 black beetle and that was not the best thing to do on a 1 wt with 6.5 tippet! I cut the tippet off and used 5x and began to catch fish on the plopped beetle. If you do not get a take in the first couple of feet try and slowly bring the beetle to you before you make another cast, they seem to follow it quite a distance and the action triggers them to take. After I got to the top of the pool I had to get out on the road side bank, yet another adventure but based on the day and fall would not have made to sad. A good day to fish and learn Only used "3" flies the entire morning, not loosing any to the tree gods!

Trout Line Hooks DO NOT BUY These

Last Winter I was sent a e mail about some newer hooks at Trout Line by Lucian Vasies from Romania, so I ordered some up, a very easy and professional experience dealing with them. I ordered the Maruto Fly Hooks D9626 BL in #16, 18 & 20 and just waited to fine something to use them on. Well I decided to tie #20 (but tied short to give a 22-24 size body and wing) but use the larger gap. Tied up 49 of them and put them in a special box. I tried to use them the last two weeks and could not get 6.5X tippet material thru the eye, WTF, can you imagine what the hell is going thru my mind standing in the middle of Bald Eagle? I tried again this past Wed. and to no avail could I get the tippet thru the hook eye. I sat down at home and tried to put a smaller needle thru the eyes and guess what no go! OK I know why did you not see it when you tied them- stupid is as stupid does, now I have 40+ beautiful Trico spinners in a special box that for all their beauty are not useful at all- anyone want them.
  Lesson- check the eyes on the hooks before or after you tie the first one!!! I have never seen anything like it ever!

Trico Day To Remember

Today was one of those days that as an angler you will remember forever, as long as you have your wits about you? I checked Bald Eagle and found zero rising fish, hell not even the little guys above the gravel bar were not up. Drove up Spring Creek stopping along the way looking for the clouds of Trico, even at Hartle's bridge none. Got to Paradise and not till I turned around and drove downstream did I see the clouds of Trico's, I mean clouds! Stopped at the hole below Paradise near the cabin for sale and looked upstream and yes rising fish. Hurried to dress and get the "2" wt Scott ready for action but of curse had to stop and sample the ripe raspberries on the way. Climbed over the railing and waded up to the tail out and WOW everywhere there were fish up and in rhythm, this was about 7:45 and it lasted till about 10:00 AM in all I took 21 fish with at least 3 over 14" and most of the rest 9-12" and very few little guys. Just line the drift up and get it back on the water as soon as it got over them but had the check the tails because they are tied longer than normal to accurately imitate the naturals. At one point I waded into the sun and looked to my left and saw no less than 6 good fish scooting from the left bank! I used "2" flies the entire time, Trico spinners tied about 10-15 years ago, a #24 all black and a dark olive abdomen with a black thorax, they just took it if it had a good drift. The action petered out, then back to car but stopping to eat more berries, never can get enough of them.
  Drove up to Rock Road and fish a small section with beetles, taking "7" smaller guys before running out of space, I did not have the time to complete the entire section today but will be back to beetle them again. As I got into the water below the bridge I took a small guy with the first cast- never it that a good omen. Under the bridge I almost stepped on and very large brown that was just intent to stay near the bridge foundation but did finally swim away, mark this guy for next time.
  All in all one of those days that brings a smile to your face and give you pleasant thoughts to remember. The Trico fishing has not been this good in quite a few years and today made me happy to see that not all has been lost to development.

Lessons from yesterday. (7/8/20)

Trust your memory in terms of time of year and location when deciding where and when to go.
Get a good pair of cheaters (readers for your eyes) so you don't cut the GD leg off a new beetle that you just tied on. Remember to use an improved chinch knot when your tying on beetles, especial when your just lazy about the tippet size. Never never try to use 6.5x when your going from a Trico to a size #14 beetle- the knots keep sliding out and you get the curly tippet for proof you were just dam stupid. Try to work on a system of where to put your hemostat so you can get it unhooked fast in order to get flies out of trout mouths, I have mine attached to a small Fishpond chest pack on the left and can not get it unhooked when I need it, if I put it on the right it will tangle in my fly line*#! I may need to try and find the other unhookers that I know I have but some how seem to not know where they are.
  You know that your fly is right when the big boys just come up and roll on your fly, if that is the case you hit the pattern and size just right, think tan caddis.
  When your fishing beetles remember the best and most fish will be on the shore line and near some type of cover either on the bank or above. When your plopping beetles DO NOT be fast to set the hook, wait till you see the little swirl to lift, you will know when you get it right because the beetle will be inside their mouths- hence you need hemostats. I gave up "5" new beetles to larger fish because I could not get the dam hemo's out fast enough!
  When your fishing Trico's wait till you actually find a fish that is rhythm and it will be easier to time him out, if he comes up and just looks just let him rest for a bit and try again if he does the same check your fly, we tend to tie our Trico's with longer tails and some times they get messed up.
If they keep refusing your pattern put a #22-24 pheasant tail nymph about 6-8" below and try again. Make sure your using 6 to 7x and not anything heavier, the float counts.
  Finally make sure you know where the hell your wading staff is all the time, I dam near killed my self when I became wrapped in mine.
  DO NOT FISH PENNS

Trico's, Tan Caddis & Beetles

Today was one of those days you will long remember, 2 really big boys on a tan caddis along with a bunch of smaller browns in Bald Eagle from 7:30 to 9 AM, had 2 on a Trico spinner in the beginning but they gave me the finger with that pattern after the 2 I landed. I tied up 36 new spinners on new hooks and of course never took the time to make sure they eyes were open, there I am at 73 years old bitching about not being able to get the dam tippet thru the eye! There was no real Trico activety just yet, a bit to early in the month. The carp were making a ton of noise while they were spawning, sounded like a big brown eating stuff, scare the hell out of you. Off to Spring Creek above Bellefonte, 100% beetles and they ate them like candy! I used a all new beetle pattern with sparkle rubber legs and a pink foam hot spot on top, again when I finished all of them I used a shot of UV cement on them- and YES did not clear the eyes! Took 3 more really fine browns along with more than 10 others, most near the shore in less than 6" of water. No one around and the birds were alive and so was the dark mink on the far bank. Done by 10:30 because the sun came out and it got really hot. I need to clear beetle eyes, Trico eyes and trim some of their wings (got the length a bit too long).
  All in all a day to remember!

Caddis was the key

I tell you that it's Caddis time and it is! Fished the junction pool on Penn's the other morning, Elk & Pine keep it cooler than above Weikert. I arrived to a pair of Osprey sitting atop some of the dead Ash trees that line the banks of Penn's, they gave me hell for being there. It did not take long for the action to begin one here and one there, a size #16 or #18 Tan Bubble Back Caddis did the trick maybe not on the first cast but if you put it over them they ate it. I have noticed that in some conditions when you use the newer wide gap hooks it seems as if you come unhooked more often than normal or it might be that I'm just not reactive but it is something to be aware of. The unhooking seems to occur when a fish jumps or does the Chubby Checker twist under water below you! Did not see any spinners in the air, those dam Psedo's are not out just yet nor are the raspberries ready but the caddis are on. Total for the morning was 15 fish with 2 of them over 15", all nice and fat and colored up. I did not try an ants or beetles yet but that's the next outing on Spring Creek. You really need to try a dry dropper with a hopper or cricket and a #12-14 black wet ant under it, this is a killer duo. Stay away from Penn's below Poe Paddy because it just get too hot and with no rain all the trib's are running really low.

Raspberry & Caddis Time

It's that wonderful time of the year just before the Trico's, eating wild raspberries and catching lots of trout on small tan caddis in the morning! I look forward to this time of the summer because you can get a great snack and catch some nice fish. Be there early in the morning, use a caddis emerger wet fly style and wait till you see the tell tail rises from the fish, it is fine to hit them on the head when you see a rise, I think sometimes they may think that they missed the fly and will come right back and take your fly ASAP. A CDC Bubble Back tan caddis in size #16 or as it goes on longer a size #18 will do the trick, if you don't have a bubble back try a Sid Neff style pattern, it's nothing more than a body and a flared clipped deer hair head BUT never forget an Iris Caddis pattern that Blue Ribbon Flies from West Yellowstone first tied- they flat out work! After the morning caddis hatching is over try some ants & beetles, if your on a larger stream with a lot of shade try a large Chernoble Ant pattern- watch the wake that forms when they come for it. Remember when you fish a beetle make sure your fly "plops" into the surface and don't forget to fish the skinny riffle water- you will be surprised. Take care and watch the stream temp, if it's high just pick the berries and take a nap.

Cornuta (Drunella) Spinners in June

Was ready to fish the annual spinner fall on Monday night, everything was lining up just right, but! The temp. was good 78, warm in the sun cool in the shad, spinners ever where along the shoreline (they usually start out just off shore and then move to above the riffles. The water level was perfect, color was great and no one was around! Before the main event, it was #16 Tan Caddis on the menue, just about every fish that raised either made a pass or ate the caddis! I was using a modified CDC Bubble Back Caddis pattern that I have be fooling with for a while, I tie some stiff poly like material spinner style and then tie the Bubble Back as usual and trim the spinner style legs off, this helps the fly to land just right and keeps it just a bit high on the water, worked really well. You could also make a great case for throwing a BIG dry stonefly imitation into the riffles, there were many of the naturals just crashing around egg laying but you would have to cover a lot of stream to really be effective.
  As it happened the spinners did come down but not till almost dark and it seemed as if only the smaller trout were on to them, again the lowest section of the pool is where you want to be not in the riffles. These guys beat their wings to dispel their eggs and the trout key in to that action but if your stuck in the riff try using a ISO spinner, we see them falling about the same time. As I was walking out I looked up and saw a Zillion sulphur spinners above the riffle, too dam bad that I'm old and kust can't see that well to keep fishing after dark.
  Pattern is: #16 straight eye hook, stiff poly wing material tied spent (do not over wing this) 2- micro fibbetts for tails- split, black or very dark olive quill body with UV resin over it and black or dark olive beaver or mole dubbing. You will need to tie at least 6-8 of the pattern because they will destroy it. I also carry different variations just to give them something else to look at. The sixe is really a 15 but the actual insect has a very distinct hump in the thorax! This spinner fall can be a love/hate relationship affair but remember NOT every riffle/pool has them!

Bubble Back CDC Caddis

Tried to do Penn's again but Coburn was full at the old rail road bridge and the flat above it is a great Drunella (Cornuta) spinner spot. I decide to try Fishing Creek, not crowded at all BUT as I pulled into the parking spot near the top bridge "2" cars pulled I, one in front and one behind! One was a guide from Western PA and the client was from Ohio, he asked if it was OK to park and I said as long as I know where your going to fish and he looked at me in a huff, such a ass hole needs to grow some manners! Never would I have ever though of pulling in that close to someone. I was going to leave a note on his Ford Escape (dark blue) but I did not. He wore a brimmed hat and looked like a Amish fellow, just rude.
  The fishing turned out to be really good and NO one was near me all night, small tan caddis were the item of the night, yes there were Sulphurs but not enough to turn them on, oh maybe later close to dark but catching wild brown was the name of the game. Got one small Brook Trout that had the wild color- not stocked. The browns jumped on a #16 Tan Bubble Back CDC caddis, I did notice that either I really did not do a good job of debarbing the hooks or they took it that hard because I had to destroy some flies to get them out of their mouths. I also noticed that the deer hair I used on the smaller flies was not very stiff and seemed to become soft and not able to be gotten back in shape! All in all a very nice evening, the sun stays off the water there most of the afternoon and evening so it's not turning off the trout. There are about all sizes you need to have a good time a 15" fish there gives you a great fight and is in perfect shape. Need to tie a lot more of that pattern, you can YouTube CDC Bubble Back Caddis to see it. From now on this caddis will be very important through out the days.

And another night at Penn's

Ok Ok I know why, well I spotted "2" really good fish the other night and wanted to get a chance to try for them again. Both of these guys live in spots that most people would walk past over and over again. On the road side below Stan's concrete bridge, one was rising in about 10" of water, of course no access other than a bit downstream with rose bushes to content with when you did get a cast, timed him out and he took a Green Drake emerger BUT as soon as I set the hook he bolted across the pool as my line was tangled in the GD rose bush- gone!! Fish number two rose three times and would not even look at anything I put over him! Walked downstream to the next pool and low and behold there were "3" fish rising on the far bank, not great but you could spot them and wait for the right time, all of them took a Green Drake emerger, they ranged from 15" to 19" all fat and with really nice color. As I was fighting the last fish I heard car doors slam and it did not take long for "3" sports to appear at the shore, at that point I was done there and walked back up to see if the second good fish was ready, NOT! All in all a great day and had the water all to my self in the midst of a Green Drake hatch but I was out of there by 2:30 PM and not subject to the madness of the evening.
  Stay safe and remember the Olives, Sulphurs and ISO's are on the way

And another night at Penn's

Another night at Penn's waiting for something to happen as the wind whipped upstream and the flies were blown off the water. Thank heavens for nymph fishing before that, a new style of stone fly with a tung. head and a curved hook! Not any really good fish but the ones I got were nice and in good shape. I was surprised as to how much the creek level was down in the few days since I was there! East to see where to wade and able to get to just about any fish you saw rising till the wind put them down! I was at least able to remember to take my felt sole shoes and not kill myself wading.
  Have you ever used a rod and felt that it was just not matched up with the fly line you were using or that it was just not the best one for your intended use? I took a 9 1/2' #6 Winston LTX and had a WF6F Sharkskin line and dam it never felt as if I was able to control where it was going but only in a general area. The rod felt heavy and cumbersome not confortable and maybe that's because all my rods that I have been using are 8 1/2 or 8'8" with line weight of 2,3 or 4 to me a 5wt is really heavy, heck I even use a 3wt for nymphs!?
  No Drakes in Coburn but there was traffic everywhere and guys at every spot except where I was, that makes two outing with NO ONE around! I guess Weikert is like a mad house, try to avoid it if you can but if you must just get some where early and just wait till dark or go a cloudy shitty day.

Another Night at Penn's

Well Penn's was on the agenda for Wed. night and besides a bit of wind and some colder conditions everything seemed good. It did not pan out that way, the fish were not on the many March Brown's, Grey Fox and larger Sulphurs that were on the water? There were a few guys on the far bank that were working more than any other. The big boy under the tree was working well, I got one good drift over him and at the moment he decided to take the fly it started to drag downstream- resulting an a big splash of refusal and gone for the nite! It was really cold standing up to my waste in 58 degree water with the wind blowing, not at all pleasant. Called it a nite because I was surrounded by some ass holes who have no idea of manners! I was watching a fish on the other side before I tried for the tree boy, when a guy just started to wade in right in front of me, I said something and he smartly said well do you want him while he's 1/4 the way out- he will pay some time in the future. This guy has no manners at all but what can you expect from a down easterner. I grew up fishing in a different word where manners mattered, you gave people space and never jumped in on anyone. Many years ago we had a guy do the same thing in front of Warren Wolfe and I while we were having a snack, well he paid the price as we tossed rocks into the pool to give him a little reminder of manners! The drive up the creek road again exposed the real problem, cars everywhere in all parking areas.
  I guess it's time to find a quiet spot to fish till the idiots give up after the Drake is gone. Maybe some areas of Fishing Creek will be better. Do not even attempt to go the Spring Creek given the great Sulphur hatch that is going on there now, nite time is like a traffic jam! Maybe a small Brook Trout stream might be a good option?
  Oh someone is posting about a great March Brown spinner fall- NOT, they never seem to fall on the water but they are everywhere giving you the impression that they are falling. A better bet to fish is a larger Sulphur spinner.
 

A Night at Penn's

Spent Sunday afternoon and night at Penn's below Coburn and the fishing was tough, rising fish were few and far between their rise. Wanted to fish nymphs BUT I had my Simms Headwaters Vibram Sole wading shoes on and even with aluminum star disks on the bottom they are just too dangerous to try and wade much- stupid me- getting old sucks when you can't remember to never wear them in Penn's. The shoes would be good in Loyalsock or any freestone stream not a limestoner.
  Saw March Brown's, Grey Fox, BIG Stoneflies and larger Sulphurs near dark. Yes there were a few good fish taking the Sulphurs but not the really good ones that live in the pool. Oh well I'll just go again, the traffic on the Creek Road was really heavy but no one was anywhere near me? This week will be 100% perfect abet only for the last few hours of the day but go to anywhere else.

Penn's Creek, a love/ hate relationship

Spent a wonderful afternoon at Penn's the other day, not much going on- wind and cold water prevented the insects from getting going. It was a really nice time to be able to catch up with people I have not seen in a long time, Piffy, Tom B. and a few others, time well spent. We all have different paths in life but we share a love for trout and Penn's Creek so that makes our bond strong. We watched a single trout on the far bank in the shade take about every March Brown that floated over him, no sense trying for him because he was just to dam far away at 600+ cfs! Saw March Brown's, Grey Fox's, some larger duns (never got close to one) some giant stoneflies just floating on the surface but nothing eating them.
  We talked about how some of the newer guides are just concentrating below AFREWO and making it really hard for us locals to fish in some places. I do not understand why the hell they come down here from Coburn, you have really good water up there!? I know we do not own the stream but do you have to screw up someone else's area just for the sake of a buck? Take your clients to your local waters and guide them there or do you not want them in your special fishing areas. If the current parking and guiding continues I think there might be a day of reckoning in our future, so be careful about where you park and fish.
  I bet the idiot will be singing the praises of the Green Drake coming soon, that means we will take some time of fishing and just go sit on the bank and take pictures.
  In the mean time go fish White Deer or Loyalsock.

March Brown, Grey Fox 2020

Went to Penn's on Wed. had the entire pool to my self. Waited till I saw some of the good guys mid pool start to rise and planned my wading carefully because the water was still a bit on the high side. Took the first brown of about 17" on my Grey Fox emerger then saw another one a bit down stream, well I did not realize just how deep it was until I got on shore! The second brown was a solid 19" fish that was fat and colored up really nice, after trying to get the GD GoPro to turn on I released it and waded back to shore and realized that my vest was soaked and the fly boxes of course had some water in them-Stupid. I took a drying cloth to them and put them on shore by my lunch to dry a bit but as I was wading back to shore "3" yow butts came walking up the bank and of course took up positions just below the riffle where a few good fish raise. Decided to eat lunch and watch the surface, OK some more rises down near the picnic table, walked down and caught them of course all Penn's Creek Tarpons (chubs)! Saw the one fish on the far bank just as the stream starts to widen and I wanted to try for him, took off my vest and waded within safe casting distance, a 9"0" #6 Winston gave me the extra umpf that I needed, well he ate as soon as the fly drifted over him, another really nice brown. Waded back to shore and looked up now the tree guys are still in the same location. I walked up and watched them fail and throw crap over the fish as they were rising! Holy shit they still were staying and not getting anything at all, finally one of them walked down and started to talk and asked about the fish I had caught, he said that he might go down and try for some of them, now this fellow was maybe 5'6" and had waders that were hanging down near his waste, I told him to be careful! The two other guys never moved and never did get any fish!
  After I was finished I decided to drive up to the main parking lot and see how crowded it was- the LOT WAS FULL- we are loving the shit our of Penn's again. there was "4" cars at Cherry Run and
"3" cars at AFREO! So much for working from home!
  New advice don't go to Penn's, find another place to fish-please.
All my fish were taken on a size #12 1x long light wire Grey Fox emerger, never did I see a March Brown emerge when I was there, as usual it was all Fox's.

Brook Trout !?

Fished Fishing Creek (Clinton Cty.) on Monday and found the stream a bit on the high side but still more than Ok, have been watching George Daniel fish there for the past couple of weeks and why not give it a try. Wanted to fish just below the top bridge but someone had that run so I decided to fish were Paul and I fished many times in the early spring, no one there so I parked and got dressed and walked in, this is a small parking area just below the SIG Center drive way. Walking back I saw how many trees have fallen due to the high winds we have been having and the litter the fallen trunks have caused. Arrived at the area and found once again the geese are there and of course noisy! Got everything ready and tied on a smaller Hendrickson emerger to start and then just waited for some thing to happen, it did not take long! A rise here and a rise there from top to bottom. OK lets give them a try, bang the first cast a good looking brookie of about 10", then another and another. Saw some other rises that were a bit better and cast to one of them, well he refused the emerger so I tied on the trusty Olive #18 emerger and he took, another brookie! Saw two fish rising in the tail out and decided to give them a go, the first was the closer part of the tail out to me and he took on the first cast! The second was on the far side in the other section of the tail out, these are fish my buddy Paul just loved to fish to, well I got this one also and as soon as I landed it I looked to the sky and said this one is for you Paul, of course another brookie. Thru the course of a few hours  I landed 16 brookies and lost at least 10 more, this is very strange and not normal at all. Maybe 20 years ago we might catch a brookie here and there but never that many? I think that the cabins in that area must have stocked that entire area with brookies for their kids? I moved up to the big pool at the rock slide and began to see a few rises in the flat water and caught some of them ALL browns. Saw a really big fish on the other side just eating like a pig but all my best casts fell 3-5' SHORT, a DT3 just can't get that kind of distance, should always carry a 7wt just in case. On the road side there are some great log jambs and of course there was a really fine fish just eating like another pig tight to the outer branches of the bottom log jamb. This section is just too dam deep to even think about stepping off the bank or even using a downstream presentation, some fish are just not meant to be caught.
  I should have stopped in to the Tylersville hatchery and asked if the know anything about the brookie stocking. If they did stock them than was a very dumb thing to do, stock fish into one of the best naturally reproducing stream we have????
   Had an adult Raccoon swim across the stream no more than 15 yards above me, never had that happen before, he got on the far bank and just looked at as to say what the hell are you doing in my area.

Go go fishing now

Today is a blue bird day and a great day to fish, yes the streams are up but you can find some water to drop a line in. Think about making the stream smaller, break it up into smaller sections and concentrate on them and not on the entire section your on. Spring and Big Fishing Creek are a bit high but you can get down using weight, Olives, Blue Quills and Caddis  along with Hendrickson's on Fishing Creek will get some fish up. Don't go early unless you want to hit the caddis emergence, they come off early in the day and return in the evening to mate. I watched a George Daniel video the other day and he crossed over into the "Dark Side' fishing squirmey worms, mop flies and eggs BUT he did catch fish! The segment was shot on Fishing Creek.
  I am sad to report that the 11th season of "Fly vs. Jerks" was a complete bust, 1 fly team against 6 artificial bait casters, I just loved the photography and the new fly patterns that those guys would throw at the pike, not much was show from the fly guys! I still like to watch Fly TV on YouTube it's from Sweden and sometimes you just have to watch and turn the sound down because you can't understand them, the content is good.
  I love the fact that at any time you can see any pattern tied by at least 4-5 tyers on YouTube,some are a lot better than others but you get the meat of it at any rate.
  Still tying a ton of flies, now on the spinners using stripped peacock quills then covered with a thin layer of Loon thin UV, they look great and we shall see what the trout say soon.

Hook Update

The last couple of nights I have been tying Drunella (Cornuta) spinners using a quill body dyed black and finished with Loon UV resin on Firehole 419 Size 16 Competition Dry 2XG Light and when I try to whip finish the shank bends 45 degrees to me! I can push them back but we all know how metal gets fatigue and will fail. I e mailed Joe from Firehole and got an absolute shit response in essence telling me that over 2 million hook have been sold and no one has complained and that they were designed to be a bit soft in temper! Well so long to them, I have boxes of the same hook in sizes 10 thru 20 and have zero confidence in them any more, maybe it was a chance but not when it happened to 3 out of 12 flies, I would blow a cork if the same thing happened again as it did years ago during a superb Trico spinner fall on Bald Eagle using Vivars hooks!
  In my mind that leaves us with Tiemco, Diachii and Fulling Mill and of course Mustad as reliable options. The only reason I'm not nuts about Mustad is that they are not easy to get any more and some of the older numbers have changed but they are still a dam good hook. I still love to use Mustad 3906 for all my wets and some caddis emergers. If you need Mustad try J.Stockard in Kent, CT they have a really good selection but make sure you up the postage to the $6.00 charge to get them much faster.
  No fishing on Monday but George Daniel has posted a great video on YouTube showing him fishing in the high water, he did really well- watch it.
 More later

Just When it was getting good!

Just when the water was getting in shape this shit will hit us again, rain then a good day then rain again, over and over again. Water up then down a bit then up again, the key is to find water that you can handle, smaller streams or divide the larger streams into fishable sections that you can handle. Fish slow and deep or if it's streamers make sure they are deep and fish slow, remember dark days fish dark flies and light on light days but don't be afraid to change that up.
  Still tying a ton of flies and loosing quite a few to my waster bag, old age and fingers that don't quite work as they should have resulted in numerous lost hooks and flies. Yesterday I took the bag off and spread out the contents on newspaper to look for the flies and hooks, well only found 1 hook and 1 completed fly, the rest? I have a habit of keep the waste bag between my legs while I'm tying and make sure all the waste goes on the bag but sometimes stuff drops and into the bag it goes with all the trimmings in it they become lost, oh well just and another reason to tie more.
  Am now tying new brown stone fly nymphs and yellow stone nymphs with a new style from some one in Europe, can't understand him but I can just watch and learn. Also tying a new set of BWO spinners for Summer with stripped hackle for the abdomen and the UV cured over it- who knows if they will work well?
  I'll try to get some pictures to post after I fish on Monday!!!

A new idea for a midge adult

Quite a number of years ago I was wading across Penn's at the bottom of the Fish Comm. cabin Station #22 and notice a line of fish just rising like crazy, well to my delight it was a fall of caddis adults all of them had delta wings spent on the surface! I tried to line up the casts with an adult caddis and got zero interest from the fish! I worked on a design for a spent caddis and found after some tying that all I needed was a body (I used 4 colors) a Zelon wing and the same colored fur for the wing wrapping and head. What I did was tie the Zelon in spent winged style then jamb thread in front of them and figure eight the fun around the wings all the while making sure to add a bit more in front of the wings to make the delta style. I tie them in various sizes from #14 thru #20 Brown, Black, Tan and a few Dark Olive and keep them in a small box in my vest, this has saved my ass a few times and most especially on the Missouri River during their epic caddis mating falls!
  Yesterday I was getting ready to grill and noticed two adult midges mating on the side of the house and how the wings were swept back and the legs were very noticeable, I quickly made some notes and a drawing to keep for that night. Well here it is a delta winged midge adult. #22,24 & #26 ringed eye hooks Tiemco or Gama.8/0 black thread, some macramé yard (white/clear) and black Aust. Opp.( I used opp. because of the guard hairs). Tie a thin body of thread and tie in the macramé yarn (sparse) spinner style and tie the wings back a bit with the thread applying pressure to the front of the wings to begin to push them back, I stop now and add a touch of Loon thin UV resin and hit it with the torch then add the Aust Opp. around the wings in a figure eight motion but using more in front of the wings to get them swept back, then tie off and trim the wings to length just past the bend of the hook! This is just what we have been looking for, another midge pattern to fool the fussy fish in the winter. I have used just spent winged adults in the past with great success but some time they just want something different, well they have it now. Best part if it is no hackle was used on it.
  I remember many times on Big Fishing Creek in the winter the trout would just line up and sip midges all day long, hey I'm going Tuesday! It's better than fighting for crap paper in the store.
  I'll post a picture later. I also tie them in grey and light tan/yellow just to give them something different!
 

The Sparrow

While going thru my stock boxes I found 18 #12 Jack Gartside Sparrow's that I tied about 35-40 years ago! I have use something similar for Green Drakes and in the Fall & Winter for spay style fishing, just drifting the fly quarter downstream and thru the drift and at the end giving it a bit of a small wiggle or short strips- it works. The pattern uses one of the easiest materials to get , Pheasant cock back feathers (well we used to get them), a tail of pheasant shaft feathers, body of cream fur with a silver wire ribbing followed by a iridescent green/purple back feather larger than normal tied in wet fly style followed with a few turns of an after shaft plume at the head, easy to do. I have also done them in all black, these are good for the Winter. I use about 7 turns of .025" lead wire at the 1/3 portion of the shank. Give them a try during the Green Drake but give them some added action to mimic the fast rising nymph to dun hatching of the Drake.
   Speaking of tying we better get our early season boxes front and center, don't delay this year because it looks as if everything might be early or at least on time.

The Virus

Where do you go to find some space- GO Fishing!! Going to the stores only confirms that we as humans are pack rats, why else would anyone have to buy that much toilet paper, our local grocery store was sold out! What the hell, lets just walk into the woods and fish for trout not, avoid the crowds but stay away from Spring Creek because the lure and minnow guys are out in force now. Bald Eagle is off limits now ( or soon to be off) so our options are limited. Penn's is a great choice because we have so much water available to us. Olives and Brown Stone flies are coming off now and I'm sure the "Chimera" Little Black Caddis is not far away. Now would be a good time to fish brown stonefly nymphs and Chimera "orange & black" caddis worms. Orange Glo Brite thread hit with UV finish and then given a black fur or syn. dubbing head is a sure winner for this time of year. If your on Big Fishing Creek (NOT on Sunday) be on the look out for Blues Quills any time soon, in shit weather they come off in droves and the fish feed big time on them. I remember a few years ago my friend Paul and I spent most of the day in one pool catching a lot of fish on #18 Blue Quill emergers fished in the film, the outside world did not have any effect on us- so get out there and fish now.
  Use the drive thru and avoid the crowds if you need food or take your own along. When your home clean your lines and tie more flies!

Hook sense

During this very long Winter I have been filling my fly boxes up to the top of each section and while doing it have noticed some mistakes that I have made for over 60 years! I have been tying foam ants on Tiemco 100's some 14's but mostly 16's and up but I have never been a fan of how they looked, yes they catch fish but I think they just look odd. Well the other night I used a new Fulling Mill hook, FM 50 25 Grab Gape Sprout Bend 3x short and the #16 Cinn., Red & Black ants look really good, you can also use Tiemco 921's and get the same result. With the FM hooks, I like the black finish but they are a bit slippery so you will need ZapaGap on the threads and on the last few turns on the foam (just put the glue on the thread and wind a few times. Now the shank is not so apparent, just need a few good days this summer to test them out.
  It is also very apparent that we have way too many hooks available to us and size is a big mystery, nothing makes any sense a 16 is not a 16 from manufacture to manufacture! As Steve from Fly Fishers Paradise said the other evening, most of us old guys grew up with Mustad then Tiemco and know and understand their size, the moral is read the item description before you buy them and understand the size you want to imitate. All bets are off when it comes to big streamers Arex and Gamma. are hands down the best hooks for that.
  Next up on the tying bench is gorilla bodied terrestrials with "8" legs on them, can't wait to chuck them at the banks on a really hot and windy day this summer.
  Note the "Fly Out" is on the agenda on March 21 9:00 AM @ The Union County Sportsman's Club 50 Sportsman's Club Lane, Millmont, PA 17845, come and spent the morning tying flies, trading materials or just watching and learning something new, IT IS A BLAST.

Trying to get out

Was in State College last week for a few days helping out with the granddaughter, did not get a chance to fish either Thursday or Friday (this was miserable). I did stop in to TCO and of course had to get a few more tying supplies as usual and of course take a ride along Spring and Bald Eagle. Spring was at a really fine level for this time of year but Bald Eagle was just running to high, there are a few spots where you could fish but the bigger browns that are there are spaced far apart and it's just to hard to get to them now. Spring had a few guys fishing from Paradise downstream and it looked as if all of them were nymphing, did not see anyone catching. Look for a window to get out a fish a few hours to take the dust of your casting.
  Still tying a ton of flies for this year and going thru all my boxes and cleaning out crap that I though would be the wonder fly-NOT! Rearranging my small boxes to reflect the season and specific hatchs and stages of them and applying labels to them so I can be more organized than ever. I have been carrying a back pack along to have some additional patterns so I can feel more secure. Our need to carry more crap than we need must be a carry over from our need to have a blanky when we were young. Have completed 50 new Trico spinners using a short shank hook with a large gap, I gave them a really good test to make sure they do not open up when a good fish pulls, never us Vavris hooks in small sizes because they are just to soft. Partridge hooks also have the same problem.This tendency seems to come to our attention with the use of newer tippet material, the stuff is just stronger than ever. Beetles are done and boxes are full of #12 & 14's , there is no need for smaller sizes unless your fishing to really picky fish in smaller waters then a #16 might be a wise choice to have but my choice would be a ant. Speaking of ants they are next on the list for drys, Black #16 & 18, Red (cinnamon) #16,18,20 & 22 will get the job done. I use the foam cylinders and the same colored hackle, two turns and trimmed flat on the bottom.
Happy tying or fishing!

2019 Redd Count Final Numbers

Just received the final count numbers for 2019's Spring Creek red count. The total was 1652 counted, up from 2017's number of 1235 but lower than 2015's 1945 count.  Some of the areas that saw outstanding numbers were our section from Rock Road parking lot downstream to Shilo Road "blue" bridge with 137 counted. The walking bridge upstream from Pistol Range was 192, this is above Paradise. The area above Hartle Bridge (concrete bridge below Paradise) had 196 in the area. The area around the 550 Bridge had 141 redd's and the area around the confluence of Spring and Bald Eagle Creeks had 142.
The overall health of the watershed is holding steady with some yearly variations.
   I know the fish commission is crowing about the count of 4000 per mile but they fail to mention that if there was not a large chemical spill years ago that caused the stream to become a no eat steam, the chemicals were determined to be retained in the fish and higher food chain animals and fish. If it had not happened the stream would have been nothing more than a put and take stream as it was. Enough of the PFBC crowing about something that they did not create!
   Get out and fish, the midges are on as are the olives, just about every day.

Epic Christmas Midge Hatch

Our family spent the Christmas vacation in State College this year and the day before we were looking for an adventure with our granddaughter, OK let's take the dog for a walk at Paradise on Spring Creek and visit the hatchery. Dec. 24 turned out to be a very nice day and of course we had to check out the hatchery runs with all the trout in them, we all had a great time just looking at the fish and watching the dog want to jump in. A very nice young man from the Fish Comm. offered a 3/4 filled bucket of feed to our granddaughter so she could really get the trout going, the big golden trout just went wild. The entire time I kept seeing midges flying all around, not just a few but a lot of them, they live and hatch off the empty (of fish) raceways and are a welcomed sight in the winter. Well it turned out they also made their way to Spring Creek to mate and lay eggs, as you can imagine it resulted in a great midge feeding event, trout we everywhere! The same guys that are there every day were in their positions and casting to feeding fish! What a wonderful Christmas present for us and the guys that were fishing. Oh by the way the hatch was on again Christmas Day! The midges were #22 black bodies, quite large for the early season, expect them to be in their normal size range during the Winter season. You really don't need much for them, down winged patterns of black mole fur bodies and spent poly wings or even a Grif's Gnat will do the trick, expect to use 6, 6.5 or 7x tippet to fool the trout, it would also be wise to carry some BWO patterns in size #18, 20 & 22's mostly emergers or pheasant tail nymphs with a post of poly to grease it to float. Not much to carry at all and easy to get around. As a side note it's not a bad idea to get your self a pair of Patagonia neoprene gloves, nothing will keep your hands as warm as these will and at $48.00 a bargain compared to some of the steelhead Kast gloves!
  Celebrate the New Year with a Winter fishing trip and don't forget to be careful, wade with caution.