Cooks Forest

[Hammerhead81]

I will be heading up to Cooks Forest this weekend. Anyone care to share a nice spot with me to wet a line? Brookies, Trophy Trout, Smallies, anything. I just want to get in the water somewhere and I've never flyfished around there before.

Feel free to PM me... I was hoping to stay within 30-40 minutes of Cooks.

Thanks.

 

[pcray1231]

I know some areas up that way pretty well, but all of them are pushing your 30-40 minute requirement. Well, ok, beyond it. (the area I know well starts at about 30 minutes from there, but the vast majority is 45-60+). Those would be the Tionesta drainage to your North, as well as the Oil drainage and direct Allegheny tribs to the W/NW. There is also good trout area to the East, the upper Clarion system, but I don't know it quite as well as some others do, so go to them for answers. If your willing to go that far, PM me.

For trout, I think Cooks Forest kind of falls in a no-trout arch, with good fishing to the W, N, and E, lol. You can thank coal mining for that. Clarion County is not a great wild trout county overall, the saving grace is that Venango, Forest, and Elk County's are good. That said, have a look at the natural repro list, I think there's a dozen or so in Clarion. I'm betting 1 or 2 of those actually fish pretty well.

I think I remember when I was a kid, my grandfather used to take me to a stream right in the park. Tom's Run? It was a very small stocked stream, overpressured due to the tourist thing, and there was a couple of smallish natives. No idea if it's still the same.

That said, the Clarion River itself in that area is a fine coolwater fishery. SM bass is the headliner. Can't pick a bad area, it's fine in the park...

 

[Bruno]

Stop at the store in cooks forest right by the river and get yourself a cornplanters kingdom map. every stream in the area is on it. best two bucks you can spend up there.


Tom's run is the kids fishing area and it is stocked weekly. You can fish up stream of that area and find fish. you have to be under 12 to cast a line there. I take my kids there often.

I would head to the east branch of the clarion

 

[greenghost]

I used to spend summers at Cook Forest. Here are a few streams within 20 minutes of Cooksburg I used to frequent:

Tom's Run -- right in the park (fish upstream from kid's pond). Some years the brookie fishing is quite good. Other years, it's non-existant.

Cather's Run -- Rt 36 (either south or east) to Iron Bridge Road. Fish from bridge down to mouth. Used to be an amazing little stream but has suffered from acid rain over the last couple of decades.

Maple Creek and Coleman Run -- google for directions

 

[MHanes]

There are a few very underrated streams in that are the have good native fishing. It it really one of the only small areas that has some wild trout in the county. In general Clarion county sucks for trout but Toms and a couple of close by streams are decent. Toms does get some pressure but if you are willing to walk away from the main park area you can find some decent trout fishing.

Clear Creek State Park is good area to explore. Check the PA fish comission wild trout list for that area and most of the streams are worth exploring with a few suprises of better then average fishing thrown in the mix.

Cathers is worth a look and Mill Creek in Clarion County is making a good comeback from all the mine reclemation work. Its by no means an area blessed with wild trout but you can have a decent day if you are willing to walk and put in some work.

 

[troutbert]

There are canoe rental places around there. You could canoe the river and fish for smallmouth. Not a bad way to spend a day.

 

[turkey]

troutbert wrote:
There are canoe rental places around there. You could canoe the river and fish for smallmouth. Not a bad way to spend a day.

Ive done this at Cooksburg in summer and the water was quite low. The canoe would scrape bottom from time to time. There are some deep slots and holes too and dragging a bunny leech around was pretty fun. I would check to see how late in the season the canoe livery's are open...they might be done for the season.

 

[FarmerDave]

Tom's run used to get stocked real heavy through most of it's length (from Brown's Run down). It also used to get a fall stocking. I'd bet neither has changed. it also has a little bit of reproduction, but honestly I never caught a native in there AFTER they started stocking it.

Greenghost mentioned Coleman Run. Not a bad little native stream for the area, but it was all posted back in the day. I'd bet it still is, but it didn't stop me back then. I was just careful where I parked.

Cathers is stocked.

The river is pretty good for smallmouth, and you may even catch the occasional trout, especially near the mouth of Tom's Run. Same with the mouth of Maple Creek, but it is a fair distance upstream. Also, Gravel Lick bridge area always produced some smallmouth and the occasional trout for me.i believe the mouth of Cathers Run is not far upstream from there.

Other access to Maple Creek. If you drive to Pinegrove and make a right, that will also take you to maple creek. It gets stocked, but I don't think it gets a fall stocking. You could check the lists on the PF&BC website.

as far as unstocked native streams, pretty much all of them up around there have "some." Some more than others.

The upper end of Tom's run never was much good (AMD), but you might find a few. This probably explains why it isn't stocked until below Browns Run. And yes, there is a not so subtle hint in that. I feel generous today.

I always liked fishing the river. there are some big trout in there, but they are few and far between.

Ddisclaimer: I haven't been there in years, but hopefully the info is still valid.