Penns Creek/Centre and Union Countie

[RonB]

Want to get up there fishing over the weekend I just been wandering if anyones been there recently and how you made out. Will most likely go to the lower end of the fish for fun section.

 

[Wetfly01]

I'll be heading up to the Wierkert area tomorrow. Looks like were going to get some rain through here today and this evening and they can use a little rain up there. Hoping the rain doesn't blow it out. Probably going to have to deal with lots of leaves in the water too. But that's fall fishing it'll be a good day to be out. Just watch the weather and the USGS site for Penns. Sorry won't be back home in time to post a report for you. I am thinking it should fish pretty good.

 

[McSneek]

I was there last Sunday, 10/14 in the C&R section. Water is VERY low. The stream could really use some rain. Many spots I would have normally fished were so low they weren't worth focusing on. Leaves were not a problem but that could change by this weekend. Certainly if any rain brings the water up it is going to put a lot of leaves in the stream. Caught fish on small nymphs and a few on top with a cdc caddis.

 

[RonB]

Thanks for the info guys......Looking forward to getting after finally recovering from pnemonia.

 

[mutzinbaugh]

when in doubt stop in and talk to the "egg boss". at least if nothing else you will get a laugh. i have been up at the penns for the last 4 weekends, each day it has been low but there are some small browns there. where did all of the big ones go?

3 weeks ago my buddy landed (casting a new furled leader on my rod) a 6ish inch rainbow as silver as a nickle with amazing color. definitely not a whitefish/fall fish. that was the first one we caught like that in the penns over 10 years of fishing it...has anyone else ever caught anything like this, i think it had to be wild.

2 years ago hunting up in the havice valley in mid archery season we stoped at the corner of hoofnagle and longwell draft hollow road at the bridge and saw a wild brown...i can't say how far that is from weikert but it has to be at least 2 miles up weikert run. do the brownies leave the penns to spawn?

 

[NickR]

I have been catching bows in streams that I would normally catch browns. I caught a bow that looked wild on Penns in the catch and release area this year.

Some pretty marginal streams support small populations of wild bows so a high quality stream like Penns in my opinion should support them as well.

I would imagine some browns do leave Penns to spawn. There are a lot of important tribs that provide prime spawning habitat along Penns.

 

[vcregular]

Yes, they run the tribs to spawn. In fact I doubt too many spawn the river down in the C&R area.

 

[troutbert]

Weikert Run, like many freestone streams, supports both brook and brown trout. There are wild brown trout in there year around, and far upstream.

 

[pcray1231]

Yeah, lots of explanations for lack of big fish at this time of year.

1. I hope not, but they may have died over summer. Summer hits big fish harder than little fish. And even if conditions ain't that bad, the old fish have to die sometime, and it's usually summer. By next spring a lot of the average fish will be bigger, just the natural cycle.

2. Big fish could be in the tribs breeding.

3. Even if not in the tribs, they are breeding, and less likely to be caught.

The smaller average fish size in fall is very common and is likely a combination of the above 3, we hope 2 and 3 more than 1.

 

[mutzinbaugh]

pcray, that would explain why i remember seeing a couple of dead 14 inchers floating down the penns in the summer when we used to float down in our innertubes.

nick, that is awesome that you also caught a bow. if it was a bigger one it probably came from the union county sportsmans club as they stock up above weikert. we had 2 bows this year between cherry run and ingleby other that that possible wild one.

does anyone do well with streamers in the penns creek?

 

[McSneek]

Trying to post a photo on the forum once and for all. Penns from a couple weeks ago. May look a little different after the Frankenstorm.

 

[RonB]

Forgot to post how my friend and I did last Saturday. We arrived at the creek around 11am. Only seen a few small caddis flies here and there. we were in the open water above Weikert and below Cherry Run. It was a rough day for me with just getting over pnemonia. I only fished about 15 minutes with no hits on an October Caddis wet. I forgot to take my wading stick along and I was pretty unsteady wading so I sat onshore watching my buddy fish. he did not catch anything either.

Guess I need to recuperate a lot more yet before I will be ready to fish.

 

[midnightangler]

Yeah, lots of explanations for lack of big fish at this time of year.

1. I hope not, but they may have died over summer. Summer hits big fish harder than little fish. And even if conditions ain't that bad, the old fish have to die sometime, and it's usually summer. By next spring a lot of the average fish will be bigger, just the natural cycle.

2. Big fish could be in the tribs breeding.

3. Even if not in the tribs, they are breeding, and less likely to be caught.

The smaller average fish size in fall is very common and is likely a combination of the above 3, we hope 2 and 3 more than 1.

There is no truth to any rumors of a loss of big fish in penns.

 

[hammertime]

Days I had tuesday and thursday showed the big fish still in the c&r section. Where they always are.

 

[barbless]

The water was low and clear on Penns about three weeks ago. I was out twice, same conditions each time. Water temps around 64-65 degrees F. No big hatches- so-so spinner dance over the riffles at times by some sort of blue quill, a few small light cahills, an occasional isonychia, and some pretty decent small brown caddis emergences. None of which added up to many rising fish, although there were a few. The ospreys and kingfishers were doing heavy surveillance, fwiw.

But I had plenty plenty decent fish going after my streamer down below the C&R section. For whatever reason- short-striking fish, rusty reflexes, poor line handling- I only hooked about one out of every five, and most of the others shook off, two of them right within reach of my arm. But I did get a couple-three browns to hand, and a nice highly colored 13" rainbow, also a bass and a chub. Too bad the rainbow wouldn't stick around for a photo op. She vanished after I counted coup, I didn't want to squeeze. Took one pic, of the first nice fish- thought I'd get some better ones, so I simply released the others (about the same size) asap.

I did not notice any fish over 17"-18". But there were plenty of 12"-14" trout around.

The fish in the photo was caught below here

and above here (downstream view)

 

[Wetfly01]

Fished Penns on the 19th and found the big fish still eating pretty good. Tan caddi's and BWO's on the water to keep the fish intrested. Not many risers all day. Seen no spawning activity anywhere yet, still a little early. Water low and clear. As far as taking big fish at this time of the year. I think it's your best chance to land one or a few.

 

[hammertime]

Nice fish wetfly!

Fish spawning as of 10/23 throughout c&r section.

 

[LehighRegular]

Sweet fish. My bet is spawning will be in full swing now with this high water event.

 

[McSneek]

LR - What is the connection between a high water event and spawning?

 

[LehighRegular]

The trout will scoot up the tribs. A lot of the spawning on Penns is done in the tribs. Not all of it. A lot in the TT section too. In my experience, the trout will wait until we get a good rain event in late Oct or Nov...once the high water comes they go do their thing. The majority of the spawn could all be over in a week or less.