Overrated Trout Streams

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Fishidiot

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There have been some thought provoking threads recently about best or favorite trout waters. I've been on the record as being of the opinion that Spring Creek is the state's best trout water (and many of you agreed) or the one we'd most like to fish.
Blessed as we are with such world class trout fishing here in PA we have a (deserved) reputation as a great destination for trout enthusiasts. Nevertheless, I have decided over the years that some of our famous, destination waters don't quite live up to the hype. I'll bet you agree.
So: Which "famous" PA trout stream do you think is the most overrated? I'm inclined to believe that a big part of what makes a stream overrated is hype in fishing magazines over many years. Hype that promotes a view of the creek that a visitor will likely find far from the truth if they visit. By this criteria I think many would find Letort overrated but I think Letort is our state's great legacy trout stream and it certainly wouldn't make my list. After giving this some thought my vote for most overrated PA stream:
Spruce Creek.
Spruce has been the subject of so many glowing magazine articles for as long as I can remember talking about the fabulous fishing there with Jimmy Carter and others frequenting this "historic" stream. While I happen to really like the short Penn State section, we all know that almost all the stuff published about Spruce is based on fishing private water (esp with recent years -SRC et-al). I'm frankly getting tired of glowing articles about Spruce.
Honorable mention for runners up: Yellow Breeches, Kettle Cr, and Tulpehocken. I certainly don't mean to offend fans of these waters (I'm a Yellow B regular who fishes it almost weekly) but I think these streams often just don't live up to their hype.
So what stream gets your vote for this dubious distinction?
 
Letort
as someone mentioned the other day-approach can be tough[very] but the fish are easy risers or something to that effect.
That was certainly my experience during terr. time which is when I fished it.
It is also my favorite stream because in the early 60s it was a magic place to be-except when you backed into the electric fence just south of the interstate.
The wild rose hanging over the bank where a 5pd +- brown slashed over top weeds in inches of water to take a Letort hopper is my favorite memory in 65 years of fishing-I had her on for at least a second-lol
there were a few ornery fish that everybody tried for that wouldn't take,
I thought then an now it was over-rated because everyone said how hard it was to get takers-bullcrap
it was easy and full of fish.lolThats why we loved it.
The toughest bar none-Yellowstone river-below Yankee Jim Canyon-like many big rivers-when the bite was off-kitty bar the door.
oops-me and my big finger-didn't mean to step on your line Fish-Idiot-just saw the subject and went with what I remembered-a rookie[dumb one at that ]having multiple fish days[bigguns too]on a stream that was whispered about.I wasn't that good as I found out on Penns-
 
I remember people saying Silver creek was over rated when I lived in Idaho...those were the people who caught very little there. I, very possibly by a whole lot of good timing and dumb luck, did very well there and thought it was everything it was cracked up to be.

I hear this overrated stream talk every now and then and think it is for people who need something to talk about. But I have no problem with that.
 
Tully 4 sure. Don't agree that Kettle is on there.
 
Yeah, I'm in Reading and I think the Tully is overrated. Its a nice stream to have given the location of it, but if you put it next to "real" trout waters it pales in comparison.

I too always thought the Kettle, at least the stocked part, was overrated. Just your run of the mill big stocked trout stream with good hatches and scenery, but in an area of the state where that isn't uncommon (First Fork, upper Allegheny, etc.), and there's plenty of wild trout fishing around too. However, the upper end, and the rest of the drainage is very good.

Some streams, like Penns and the Letort (though for different reasons), gained their fame solely because they are tough. The fish are there, and in the right circumstances you can do very well but it can be tough to put yourself in those circumstances. As long as you don't have the idea that you're going to bop in and catch a ton of trout, I don't call that overrated, thats enjoyable water in my book.

In PA, Yellow Breeches would make the list. Its strength is length, its just so long and there's so much water. But by and large its just a decent stocked trout stream.

Out of state, I'd label the Beaverkill in there too. Maybe even the Ausable in NY state, but I perhaps didn't give it enough time to really make a judgement. I've fished several western rivers, but the only one I've been on enough to make a true judgement is Henry's Fork. The river itself is deserving of the fame. But the famous part of it (Last Chance and the railroad ranch) does not live up to the fame, its not even close to being the best area on that river.
 
I would have to say tully,it's a good trout stream don't get me wrong.I just haven't seen or caught many big trout in it.To me a big trout is 20",i'd rather fish a stream that i know has potential for a monster,or many monsters for that matter.Like spring, L.L and a few others,I'm talking streams not rivers.I'd rather catch one big trout than 10 small ones IMO.
 
I actually think it's the streams that don't get discussed much at all that are some of the very best in this state. ;-)
 
I think that streams should be rated about the number of fish that really are there that kick your butt with a big zero when fishing. I like Spring Creek for giving me everything I'm not prepared for. Penn's for just busting my butt wading the stupid boulders that live beneath. Where in the world did they get such a collectionof rocks. Heck fish the Paradise section pond water, no Paradise. I think ratings are over rated.
 
1. Lower Tully
2. Yellow Breeches
3. Green Spring Creek
 
1. tully
2. L.L.
3. Paradise
4. Kettle
 
I think all the streams in NWPA are overrated. All you guys should just go further east to fish. :-D
 
Tully
YB
Spruce
LL
Lehigh River (sorry LHregular)
Beaverkill (NY)
Ausable (NY)
 
Overrated based on what? Toughness? Hatches? Water-type? Wild trout? We should include the reasons WHY we think a stream is over-rated and our qualifications to say so. For example, I can't offer an opinion on the majority of Spruce Creek b/c I've only fished the PSU section (but I do suspect the trout are largely pellet-heads. .)

I've fished each of the following at least a dozen times:

Big Pine Creek (downstream from Blackwell) - I've fished Pine extensively for going on 20 years. Hatches are average, most trout are stocked due to high summer water temps. If it wasn't a favorite destination of my group of friends I probably wouldn't go back.
Little Lehigh - Crowded, average hatches, water-type is largely unappealing except for a few parts of the Heritage Section, Al's Rat is the "best" fly???
Yellow Breeches - "The Run" is the best water?? Yow.
Tully - Water type is best described as a slow-moving, glass-surfaced canal with almost no structure, it's crowded, what hatches?

EG
 
eroc144 said

"Little Lehigh - Crowded, average hatches, water-type is largely unappealing except for a few parts of the Heritage Section, Al's Rat is the "best" fly???"


Couldn't have summed it up better.
 
Big Pine, every time i go to fish it I end up in the tribs. If they ever turn BigPine in to a tail water it would be one of the best wild trout streams in the country
 
I consider most "famous" streams that are stocked with adult trout to be overrated. I know it's snobbish, but I'm just never that impressed with that scene.

In defense of big pine, of all the big name stocked waters, I enjoy it the most because of the scenery and holding water.
 
Did Pa ever rate their stream? I know NY did and the Ausable was #1 . I fished it in the 60's and it was reall good.As I recall West Canada was ,is #4 and it was pretty good when I fished it. i don't know the criteria they used .Wasn't it Wyoming where the blue ribbon designation started?
 
Sundrunk: You must have never hit big pine during a good hatch
I've seen blue quills and hendricksons just covering the water there in late april
I admit that the water temps do get too warm in summer for trout fishing there, but it's still a great place to fish in the spring IMO.
You know, I used to think that lots of streams were over rated. Then I came to find out that I just really didn't know when and where to fish them. As I learned that over the years, I've concluded that most of the well known streams, are definitely that way for a reason - they'll good.
I honestly can't think of a stream that I would call overated right now
I've only fished the yellow breeches and letort a few times, and have never done well on either. And I have a few buddies who live close to them, and say that they're definitely overated. But I'll bet that if I spent a lot of time on them - I would probably have a favorable opinion of both
 
dryflyguy,
it's true, I have never hit big Pine when it was just right. I've fished it about 5 times (April/May) and the conditions were always poor. Either water levels were to high for the kind of fishing I like to do, or the air temps to cold...plus lots of wind. I seldomly fish Pine because it's to far for me to travel to roll the dice on conditions. The scenery is spectacular though. Thats what drew to Pine in the first place. I don't doubt the hatchs on Pine. Unless you're a local it's tough to time this river right. And like I've mentioned before it's hard to drive past Penns...Love Slate and Cedar though...
 
Tully below Blue Marsh
 
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