Tailwater Fishing in December

[amoryblaine]

Hey guys, this is my first post, but seeing as how I'll be moving part-time to PA in two weeks it certainly won't be my last. I'm moving from the flats of Biscayne Bay to the Harrisburg area. Seeing as how I'm used to being able to fish 365 days a year, I'm wondering if any of you are familiar with fishing the tailwaters of any streams in central PA in December. More specifically, Tully Creek. Feasible? or should I just plan on tying flies for the winter. Thanks, I look forward to joining the community!

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Steelhead in Erie.As far as tailwaters the locals can advise on that.
Just dress warm.Welcome aboard.Lots of great fisherman reside here.GG

 

[joereese]

fish the limestone streams near you. No need for "tailwater".
check out the local shops.

 

[Alpabuck]

In central pa we have limestone spring cricks which can be fished year round. Look up Spring Creek, Letort, Falling Springs, etc. There is also the forgotten river was is the best tailwater east of mississippi and the best river in PA but I wont mention it's name.

 

[joereese]

I might start a fight on the board, but Tully creek is a mere shadow of the likes of Spring (center co), Penns, the little J, yellow breeches, big spring and cumberland valley streams. From harrisburg, you will be within 30 minutes of multiple limestone creeks that fish in the winter.

 

[Fishidiot]

Blaine,
Welcome to PA and welcome to the PAFF forum. Friendly and helpful crowd here - take some time to search through the site. There are a ton of fishing reports for well known waters like the Tully throughout the year. While it doesn't beat poling around Biscayne for winter fishing - - stream trout fishing is generally pretty good here in PA in winter and the Harrisburg area is a good location. As others have said, you can hit the Tully or head west to the Cumberland Valley and hit the famous limestoners - they're dependable with 50 degree water temps in all but the most extreme weather conditions. Periods of extreme cold or heavy rain (like we just had today) can shut down fishing for a few days but the famous limestoners remain reliable. Central PA in the vicinity of State College is considered by many as the best trout fishing area of the state and is under two hours drive time from the Harrisburg area.

Trout fishing in PA in the winter months is similar to bonefishing in the Keys in winter: It's not the ideal time but, weather permitting, you can catch fish somewhere if you're persistent and learn a few spots (streams) well. This is particularly true for wild trout. Streams that rely more on stocking can be much less dependable during the winter as sometimes they simply don't have any fish.

 

[jdaddy]

I might start a fight on the board, but Tully creek is a mere shadow of the likes of Spring (center co), Penns, the little J, yellow breeches, big spring and cumberland valley streams. From harrisburg, you will be within 30 minutes of multiple limestone creeks that fish in the winter.

Spring v. Tully - Spring wins. Spring beats about damn near anything.

Penns v. Tully - Penns has bugs and larger body of water. However, there is a fair amount of time that Penns is not fishable due to temps, blow out, etc.

Little J v Tully - Little J wins.

Yellow Breeches v Tully - tie. They are both stocked fisheries that gets a lot of pressure with similar bugs.

Big Spring v. Tully - depends. More water on Tully but the water gets warm a couple of months. Big Spring is just a completely different stream and has had major improvements in the holding water. If you want to make big casts and really stretch a line Tully is the way to go. If you want to fish more technical waters Big Spring is the way to go.

CV Streams v. Tully - depends. Pretty much see Big Spring above.

Point is that you have tons of varied fishing opportunities around the state to keep you engaged during the Summer.

 

[amoryblaine]

Wow thanks for all the quick responses. Sorry for any neophyte comments: stream fishing is a whole different ballgame from what I'm used to (and one that I can't wait to learn ) :-D

 

[jayL]

Spring v. Tully - Spring wins. Spring beats about damn near anything.

Correct

Penns v. Tully - Penns has bugs and larger body of water. However, there is a fair amount of time that Penns is not fishable due to temps, blow out, etc.

Penns 20 days a year > tully 250 days a year. The experience is that much better, IMO. But I love penns and the tully is my old stomping grounds, so it probably has something to do with that.

Little J v Tully - Little J wins.

LJ has the temp issues like penns. It's better, but still not always fishable late in the summer. Hell, spring creek wasn't fishable late in the summer.

Yellow Breeches v Tully - tie. They are both stocked fisheries that gets a lot of pressure with similar bugs.

I go with the tully on this one. Pure preference.


I don't know enough about the CV streams, but I would rather fish them than the tully any day. The tully is what it is. Big water with lots of hatch activity (albeit limited variety) and lots of stocked.

 

[joereese]

for more information about the little J see: http://www.littlejuniata.org/

If you fish the J and love it-and if you fish it, you will.
Consider joining the LJRA. Lifetime membership is only 100.00
You get a hat, shirt and a tour of the river by its president Bill Anderson. The tour is priceless as he can tell you things about the river that will greatly enhance your fishing experience.

 

[David]

Just glanced, but didn't see the Yough mentioned. It will be fishable, esp. up by the dam, all winter long.
For winter fishing, you will likely see little surface activity. When you do, it will probably be the small stuff. It will primarily consist of midges, little BWOs, and small black stonesflies (later in winter). Most of the action will be under the surface with stonefly nymphs (which stay relatively active during the cold months) and midge larva. Eggs, nymphs, and caddis larva also have their place.
On the spring creeks, make sure you have some cress bugs.
Fish slow and deep during the warmest part of the day to increase your odds.
Welcome and good luck!

 

[Chaz]

First of all you don't need to fish tailwaters in PA to catch fish during the winter. All the limestone streams fish well during the winter and many of the other wild trout streams fish well during the winter. You only have to figure out where you want tofish. Spring Creek near State College is a good place to start, as is either Big Spring or the Letort.
For me the Tully is a waist of time, I don't fish stocked streams.

 

[PaulG]

Hi Blaine
Having lived in the HBG area all my life, your coming to a great area. Plenty of fishing here and your close to many great streams you can do in a day trip.

If you need any help, please PM me be glad to help you out.

PaulG