johnstevens5462
Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2014
- Messages
- 85
Spur of the moment Saturday morning I decided to hop into my car and venture out to the State College area but was unsure of which stream or streams I would fish. Before departing I quickly noted directions to several options and ultimately decided on Big Fishing Creek in the section called The Narrows.
I am glad I did.
I started with a large olive matuka streamer and after several fishy looking holes with nothing I switched to a tandem of a Montana nymph as the trailing fly and a small Copper Johns as the lead fly. I continued fishing the deeper runs and pockets of water knowing that this creek must hold trout.
The first several drifts with the tandem continued to prove unproductive but finally in the least likely looking of runs a very nice twelve inch brown trout took the Montana nymph. Several drifts later and an eight inch brown took the Montana. I replaced the lead Copper Johns with a slightly smaller Montana nymph and within ten minutes hit upon my first double in quite some time. Both were browns one about ten inches and the other about twelve inches. The fishing then slowed again but that would change.
As noontime passed, adult black stoneflies started to appear above the creek and females started dropping and dancing on the creek's surface laying their eggs for next year's generation, suddenly catching the attention of the stream's resident trout. Switching to a large Renegade dry fly and skittering the fly on the surface resulted in several nice slashes. Unfortunately, the trout missed the fly on each attempt. Finally I changed to skittering the fly in short bursts and that led to a firm take by a very nice brown that went around seventeen inches. Over the next two hours I brought close to twenty trout to hand, mostly browns between ten to sixteen inches, but I also landed one lone brook trout about thirteen inches. I could not tell if this was a stream bred brook trout or a hatchery reared brook trout that has been in the water a while, Since I do not know enough about this stream and the management program.
Ultimately all good things must come to an end and the stoneflies slowly began to fade away and surface activity ceased. I switched back to a Montana tandem hoping to pick up a few more before calling it a day but nymphing efforts were to no avail.
With some daylight remaining I decided to check out Penns Creek but, once again, I got sidetracked when I spotted a much smaller feeder stream, Elk Creek. I stopped above the little town of Milheim and began fishing just above what looks like a large open athletic field. BWO were in abundance and the trout had taken notice. This is a very small, tight quarter stream that is challenging to fish but it does hold very nice fish. In the course of one hour I landed close to dozen browns up to fourteen inches and all brightly colored.
I did continue my trek to Penns Creek in Coburn but only made several casts from shore with a streamer, if nothing more than to be able to legitimately claiming fished Penns Creek. As expected, I landed nothing.
It was now time to call it a day and begin the four plus hour journey home. I plan on revisiting this area and specifically depend more time in Elk Creek.
I am glad I did.
I started with a large olive matuka streamer and after several fishy looking holes with nothing I switched to a tandem of a Montana nymph as the trailing fly and a small Copper Johns as the lead fly. I continued fishing the deeper runs and pockets of water knowing that this creek must hold trout.
The first several drifts with the tandem continued to prove unproductive but finally in the least likely looking of runs a very nice twelve inch brown trout took the Montana nymph. Several drifts later and an eight inch brown took the Montana. I replaced the lead Copper Johns with a slightly smaller Montana nymph and within ten minutes hit upon my first double in quite some time. Both were browns one about ten inches and the other about twelve inches. The fishing then slowed again but that would change.
As noontime passed, adult black stoneflies started to appear above the creek and females started dropping and dancing on the creek's surface laying their eggs for next year's generation, suddenly catching the attention of the stream's resident trout. Switching to a large Renegade dry fly and skittering the fly on the surface resulted in several nice slashes. Unfortunately, the trout missed the fly on each attempt. Finally I changed to skittering the fly in short bursts and that led to a firm take by a very nice brown that went around seventeen inches. Over the next two hours I brought close to twenty trout to hand, mostly browns between ten to sixteen inches, but I also landed one lone brook trout about thirteen inches. I could not tell if this was a stream bred brook trout or a hatchery reared brook trout that has been in the water a while, Since I do not know enough about this stream and the management program.
Ultimately all good things must come to an end and the stoneflies slowly began to fade away and surface activity ceased. I switched back to a Montana tandem hoping to pick up a few more before calling it a day but nymphing efforts were to no avail.
With some daylight remaining I decided to check out Penns Creek but, once again, I got sidetracked when I spotted a much smaller feeder stream, Elk Creek. I stopped above the little town of Milheim and began fishing just above what looks like a large open athletic field. BWO were in abundance and the trout had taken notice. This is a very small, tight quarter stream that is challenging to fish but it does hold very nice fish. In the course of one hour I landed close to dozen browns up to fourteen inches and all brightly colored.
I did continue my trek to Penns Creek in Coburn but only made several casts from shore with a streamer, if nothing more than to be able to legitimately claiming fished Penns Creek. As expected, I landed nothing.
It was now time to call it a day and begin the four plus hour journey home. I plan on revisiting this area and specifically depend more time in Elk Creek.
