Penns Creek Angling During Our Recent Cold Spell

With the recent cold temperatures that we've experienced around Central PA, I've made trips to fish Penns Creek after taking water temperature readings of 62 and 64 degrees.  The fishing has been great in the early morning when I fished with Patrick Williams and then Jeff Scipione later in the week.  

Both days were productive and the main fly patterns were green weenies, stoneflies, hellgrammites and a variety of meaty streamer patterns.  Below are a few pictures from some of the fish that we caught, missing in the photographs are the two fish that tore me off while fishing 3x tippet.  The first time it happened, I thought was the bottom and then it took off downstream and the other was around eleven o'clock when a trout took my mouse pattern and its splash sounded like a bear chasing sockeye salmon in Alaska.  

The opportunities to fish Penns Creek under ideal water temperatures during the summer are few and far between but if you do make the trip to fish Penns Creek make sure you take a stream temperature to not put excess stress on the trout during the summer months. 

All in all, it was two great days fishing Penns Creek.  We had the opportunity to see a lot of trout, bass, a bald eagle, a dobsonfly attack Patrick, whitetail fawns, what a bat sounds like when it gets hooked and on top of it all, Central PA will miss Patrick Williams as he leaves to teach in North Carolina.  I know that a lot of anglers will miss talking to you in the fly shop but I can't say the same as the trout will not miss you Patrick, good luck!

Enjoy!

The fattest 6 inch trout I've ever caught. 

Nice brown trout caught by Jeff Scipione on a slumpbuster

Patrick Williams throwing some fly line.

Spring Creek (08/12/2012)

Spring Creek has continued to fish very well in the early morning hours between 6:00AM - 11:00AM.  I've been having a lot of success using Elk-Hair Ants, Inch Worms, Olive Scuds and a variety of other terrestrial patterns.  The key spots to fish have been shaded areas and deep cuts along riffles or a combination of the two.  Setting the hook has been extremely easy because the trout will go out of their way to destroy any of the patterns listed above.  

If you are going to go out, make sure to set the alarm early or find a fishing buddy and do some night fishing after dark!  I have a most wanted trout that I'm going after this morning (probably as you're reading this post)!  Hopefully it agrees again today as I had a mishap the first time I had it on the line, but that's another story for a later post!

Enjoy!