Big Fishing Creek, Clinton Co., 12/27-28/2022

[discomidge]

I hit the narrows yesterday and today and found some fish. BFC is high but fishable, unlike some other streams around these parts (cough cough Penns). I fished from about 1 to 4/5pm both days. Yesterday the air never got above 25 or so but today was much warmer, topping out around 38. I caught fish both days, but today was waaaay more comfortable. I didn't temp the water but it was real cold. Trout gotta eat tho.

BFC was nicely colored up, I always do best there when the water has some color. Seems like it's normally gin clear so I like to head there after storms. Makes it harder for me to spook those spooky fish. Wading was pretty dicey in some of my favorite spots with the high water but I still found plenty of wadeable water. Today was definitely clearer than yesterday.

I fished a mono rig with two super heavy eggs the whole time because it worked as soon as I hit the stream yesterday. I really meant to strip some streamers but the eggs were just too consistently effective for me to switch up.

I saw maybe 5 rises total and no bugs yesterday, though there were a few midges in the air today. It's so strange that I can go there in May and maybe catch a couple fish then go in December and do OK. I caught 6 yesterday and 8 today. I lost a bunch as well because I wasn't too motivated to get them in the net and then get my hands wet. Winter.

A PFBC guy checked on me yesterday. He said I was the only one out there and I think he was just looking for something to do. Nice dude and he turned me on to an easement they have but don't advertise on the BFC headwaters, west of the rest stop on 80 and near Eastville. News to me, definitely going to check it out. He said it's good.

 

[discomidge]

Pics. Epic sunset today

 

[DaveKile]

Thanks for sharing. Sounds pretty cold, but I nice couple of days. Good for you.

 

[Mike]

I hit the narrows yesterday and today and found some fish. BFC is high but fishable, unlike some other streams around these parts (cough cough Penns). I fished from about 1 to 4/5pm both days. Yesterday the air never got above 25 or so but today was much warmer, topping out around 38. I caught fish both days, but today was waaaay more comfortable. I didn't temp the water but it was real cold. Trout gotta eat tho.

BFC was nicely colored up, I always do best there when the water has some color. Seems like it's normally gin clear so I like to head there after storms. Makes it harder for me to spook those spooky fish. Wading was pretty dicey in some of my favorite spots with the high water but I still found plenty of wadeable water. Today was definitely clearer than yesterday.

I fished a mono rig with two super heavy eggs the whole time because it worked as soon as I hit the stream yesterday. I really meant to strip some streamers but the eggs were just too consistently effective for me to switch up.

I saw maybe 5 rises total and no bugs yesterday, though there were a few midges in the air today. It's so strange that I can go there in May and maybe catch a couple fish then go in December and do OK. I caught 6 yesterday and 8 today. I lost a bunch as well because I wasn't too motivated to get them in the net and then get my hands wet. Winter.

A PFBC guy checked on me yesterday. He said I was the only one out there and I think he was just looking for something to do. Nice dude and he turned me on to an easement they have but don't advertise on the BFC headwaters, west of the rest stop on 80 and near Eastville. News to me, definitely going to check it out. He said it's good.

There has always been a lot more to Fishing Ck to be discovered than just the stretch from Tylersville to Lamar to Mill Hall. In fact, I have marveled over the years how nobody other than fellow biologists ever mentioned anything that I have heard or seen about the stream upstream from Tylersville to the headwaters. I’ll leave it at that.😉

When I once surveyed many sites within the stretch from the headwaters to Mill Hall over a period of a couple of weeks the only places where I ran into anglers were in the general vicinity of “the Narrows,” Clintondale (local kids), and Mill Hall.

 

[discomidge]

I’ve been really curious about the stretch from Tylersville to the headwaters but it seems like it’s all private (thus my excitement about this easement). If anyone knows of and wants to share access points up from Tylersville I’m all ears.

 

[Fish Sticks]

There has always been a lot more to Fishing Ck to be discovered than just the stretch from Tylersville to Lamar to Mill Hall. In fact, I have marveled over the years how nobody other than fellow biologists ever mentioned anything that I have heard or seen about the stream upstream from Tylersville to the headwaters. I’ll leave it at that.😉

When I once surveyed many sites within the stretch from the headwaters to Mill Hall over a period of a couple of weeks the only places where I ran into anglers were in the general vicinity of “the Narrows,” Clintondale (local kids), and Mill Hall.

Are the brookies simply a narrows phenomenon mike? Due to cherry, spring and bear creek? Or are they found in the main-stem besides the class A’s up there above tylersville? I know some monsters have been caught near mouth of long run but unfortunately the skid mark in that areas underpants is the cedar run brook trout aquaculture operation so i have discounted most brookies lower in the watershed as not wild right or wrong.

 

[bigjohn358]

I’ve been really curious about the stretch from Tylersville to the headwaters but it seems like it’s all private (thus my excitement about this easement). If anyone knows of and wants to share access points up from Tylersville I’m all ears.

You have to kind of know where you are going outside of the narrows and Mill Hall. there are several sections that do go under ground in the summers. I have fished Fishing Creek from the head waters down to the mouth. My grand parents lived in Loganton (headwaters) and I grew up right outside Mill Hall and could ride my bike down close to where the mouth is as kids. The mouth of Fishing Creek has really changed over the years. Even the sections that go under ground will hold trout until they go dry. Some trout get stranded and die every year.

 

[Fish Sticks]

You have to kind of know where you are going outside of the narrows and Mill Hall. there are several sections that do go under ground in the summers. I have fished Fishing Creek from the head waters down to the mouth. My grand parents lived in Loganton (headwaters) and I grew up right outside Mill Hall and could ride my bike down close to where the mouth is as kids. The mouth of Fishing Creek has really changed over the years. Even the sections that go under ground will hold trout until they go dry. Some trout get stranded and die every year.

And are any of those brookies up there above where it goes dry in the mainstem or mostly browns. I always imagined it was full of brown trout but never went up there

 

[bigjohn358]

And are any of those brookies up there above where it goes dry in the mainstem or mostly browns. I always imagined it was full of brown trout but never went up there

Its still dominated by brown trout. The feeder streams though have brookies in them. My grandfather's old barn has one of the small feeder streams behind it and it always had tiny brookies.

 

[IrishFan]

Nice pics and post! Glad you got out. I’ve never fished it, hit Spring a million times but never made it. I’ve always heard it difficult and fish are finicky.

 

[troutbert]

When I once surveyed many sites within the stretch from the headwaters to Mill Hall over a period of a couple of weeks the only places where I ran into anglers were in the general vicinity of “the Narrows,” Clintondale (local kids), and Mill Hall.

The stretch from Cedar Run up to Mackeyville is over-harvested IMHO. In the first few years after they quit stocking, few people fished it and the fishing was very good. But then people began hitting it again, and the fishing went downhill.

I went to the area around Belles Springs one opening day and it was crowded. People fishing in every good spot. On an unstocked section of stream.

 

[bigjohn358]

The stretch from Cedar Run up to Mackeyville is over-harvested IMHO. In the first few years after they quit stocking, few people fished it and the fishing was very good. But then people began hitting it again, and the fishing went downhill.

I went to the area around Belles Springs one opening day and it was crowded. People fishing in every good spot. On an unstocked section of stream.

A few years ago one angler went into Uncle Joes bragging about keeping over 150 trout from that area. Certain stretches were literally wiped out.

 

[troutbert]

A few years ago one angler went into Uncle Joes bragging about keeping over 150 trout from that area. Certain stretches were literally wiped out.

Sheesh. What a hero.

 

[bigjohn358]

Sheesh. What a hero.

One person can ruin a fishery. A lot won't believe that but it does happen. He was unemployed for at least a year and literally fished just about every day keeping every trout he caught. He would go into Uncle Joe's Woodshed and show off some of the larger ones. That was several years ago and certain stretches are still nothing like they used to be on Fishing Creek in the non stocked no special regulations area.

 

[rustbeltwilds]

yeah for sure i beleive it, on my fav stream near my home it never used to hardly get fished this time of the year. then those few who did starting to brag and with the invention of social media really put a hurtin on it. , mostly one guy who keeps everything so yes i does happen

 

[Mike]

The stretch from Cedar Run up to Mackeyville is over-harvested IMHO. In the first few years after they quit stocking, few people fished it and the fishing was very good. But then people began hitting it again, and the fishing went downhill.

I went to the area around Belles Springs one opening day and it was crowded. People fishing in every good spot. On an unstocked section of stream.

May not be overharvested. There is a sink immediately above Mackeyville proper. That stretch can suffer from low flows and maybe even isolated warm temps in dryer summers. That could limit population abundance frequently or at least periodically the following spring when most anglers are out and about.

 

[troutbert]

May not be overharvested. There is a sink immediately above Mackeyville proper. That stretch can suffer from low flows and maybe even isolated warm temps in dryer summers. That could limit population abundance frequently or at least periodically the following spring when most anglers are out and about.

I know which sections sink, and I'm sure Big John does too. We're not talking about there. We're talking about sections that never go dry, and have good base flow from limestone springs.

And as I said, the fishing had been quite good there, for several years after stocking ended. Then people began hitting it hard, and the trout population went down.

 

[IrishFan]

Would be nice for a waterway like that be special regs the entire way. There are plenty of stocked streams in this state for people to keep fish. Not trying to be arrogant, just saying that a place like Fishing Creek should be catch and release especially if it’s not stocked.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I fished lower BFC in 2021 last and I actually haven’t gone back despite heading to the narrows multiple times since then. Reason being I could not get away from stocked rainbows sure there were some browns

but i just kept hitting stocked rainbow after stocked rainbow and I couldn’t get away from them so I didn’t go back. Someone seems to be stocking the ever loving crap out of it at least back then.

 

[Mike]

I know which sections sink, and I'm sure Big John does too. We're not talking about there. We're talking about sections that never go dry, and have good base flow from limestone springs.

And as I said, the fishing had been quite good there, for several years after stocking ended. Then people began hitting it hard, and the trout population went down.

Or the learning ability (negative stimulus avoidance) of the trout kicked in.

Or there were some weak year classes passing through the population.

Overharvest can occur in wild brown trout populations, but it is rare. Saw it twice in my career…once in an isolated, stocked, long pool location where “everyone” thought Joe Humphries had caught his record fish and once in a stocked trout stream situation in SE Pa. The population had grown from a class D or C wild brown trout population to a Class A despite stocking, but numbers rose substantially after stocking was stopped, doubling the Class A biomass in short order.

The most naive wild Browns that I have heard of have been those that have been exposed to very little fishing pressure. An example would be from a stream that is recovering from 100 yrs of pollution where a “new” trout population has developed. A temporary overharvest of large fish would not be a big surprise, but as in the case of the Lackawanna, the fish would catch on.