Fishing Creek, Clinton County, 04/14/2022

[Sylvaneous]

After Spring's difficulties, I went to Fishing Creek for more of a thumping. I watched a pool for any Hendrickson spinners. None seen. Saw a few risers. Went after 1 with a CDC grannom and caught it.
The next day, grammons hatched a little around 1030 or 1100. Euronymphed a hendrickson with beadhead beatis trailer. Again, a tough day. Only brought 1 to hand on the beatis. No bug action seen besides those grannoms.

 

[Dave_W]

Fishing Creek usually just beats the crap out of me and sends me home a bit more humble.

(I guess we're gluttons for punishment and that's why we keep going back to Fishing Creek). 🙂

 

[Sylvaneous]

Yes, and literally. I tripped or tangled my feet with rocks: whatever, and I went down hard on both knees facing upstream into moderate current. Current made it hard for me to get up. Water never went over the top of my waders, but I smashed my right knee pretty good. It's going to be green and yellow for about a week. I still like that creek, a little lower, though, because it feels like there could be a trout behind about every rock.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Yes, and literally. I tripped or tangled my feet with rocks: whatever, and I went down hard on both knees facing upstream into moderate current. Current made it hard for me to get up. Water never went over the top of my waders, but I smashed my right knee pretty good. It's going to be green and yellow for about a week. I still like that creek, a little lower, though, because it feels like there could be a trout behind about every rock.

In the lower narrows there are so many pockets and holes in the stream bottom wading gets tough for me too, I have to go slower.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I bit the dust on Sat. Phone got completely submerged. Did the rice trick and brought it back from the dead. Didn't break anything but twisted my lower back pretty good. Caught an 11" brookie along with two dink browns in about 3hrs of fishing. I've never had a mind-blowing day on BFC. I take what it gives me and just enjoy the scenery.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I bit the dust on Sat. Phone got completely submerged. Did the rice trick and brought it back from the dead. Didn't break anything but twisted my lower back pretty good. Caught an 11" brookie along with two dink browns in about 3hrs of fishing. I've never had a mind-blowing day on BFC. I take what it gives me and just enjoy the scenery.

Dang 11” Brookie! That’s worth it.

 

[dudemanspecial]

I caught 2 at once Friday morning on BFC behind the cabins on the narrows. There were grannoms everywhere. Little guy took a grannom emerger, big guy took a walts worm. Fished for 3 hours this was only hit.

 

[wildtrout2]

Dang 11” Brookie! That’s worth it.

Yep, an 11" native would certainly make it worth while!

 

[Fish Sticks]

Yep, an 11" native would certainly make it worth while!

They do exist, there are places in this state where the brookies can get into the mid to early upper teens. Usually places no where near where PA fish and boat is taking the white trucks. Some are though sadly. My personal best wild native brook trout 12-13” was in a county that has no blue or green lines on the PAFB map and deff no stocking going on. Their out there.

 

[wildtrout2]

They do exist, there are places in this state where the brookies can get into the mid to early upper teens. Usually places no where near where PA fish and boat is taking the white trucks. Some are though sadly. My personal best wild native brook trout 12-13” was in a county that has no blue or green lines on the PAFB map and deff no stocking going on. Their out there.

In 40 years my best native is 13.5". Getting past 11" is really saying something. I especially love the pursuit though.

 

[Chaz]

I’ve had some very good days and evenings on Fishing Creek. I don’t know why except to say, I look at hatch charts and have studied rise forms and know what rise forms fit the stage of the hatches. Only then after using search patterns to figure things out. 2 flies always seem to work for me, my crane fly and my Baetis. Beyond that there are usually multiple hatches on Fishing Creek and that needs to be taken into account.

 

[Sylvaneous]

They do exist, there are places in this state where the brookies can get into the mid to early upper teens. Usually places no where near where PA fish and boat is taking the white trucks.

When I was in my early bait fishing years, I caught a 12" (honest, measured) brookie in a tributary to Sage Run that comes from Seneca , on a minnow. Being young, I killed it , of course, running back home to show 'mom'. But it was real and it was there. Sage Run still has a disproportionate population of wild browns below that trib, but I don't know the last time I caught a brookie out of it. Hard for brookies to make their way when they're surrounded by 12-14" brownies and some HOGS that swim up out of the Allegheny.

 

[Fish Sticks]

When I was in my early bait fishing years, I caught a 12" (honest, measured) brookie in a tributary to Sage Run that comes from Seneca , on a minnow. Being young, I killed it , of course, running back home to show 'mom'. But it was real and it was there. Sage Run still has a disproportionate population of wild browns below that trib, but I don't know the last time I caught a brookie out of it. Hard for brookies to make their way when they're surrounded by 12-14" brownies and some HOGS that swim up out of the Allegheny.

Lol yes it is, don’t want to derail this post so if you want to see how truly substantial that effect is see the post and video I just put up in the native brook trout reintroduction conservation thread. I will say no more on this thread.

I still catch some donkey brook trout in Big fishing in Clinton it’s a real fun stream to fish.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I’ve had some very good days and evenings on Fishing Creek. I don’t know why except to say, I look at hatch charts and have studied rise forms and know what rise forms fit the stage of the hatches. Only then after using search patterns to figure things out. 2 flies always seem to work for me, my crane fly and my Baetis. Beyond that there are usually multiple hatches on Fishing Creek and that needs to be taken into account.

I love fishing big fishing creek in high water with jig streamers on the banks, lots of fun.

 

[bigjohn358]

My biggest native brookie is probably around 15 inches from Fishing Creek. I've caught a lot in the 10-12 inch range out of Fishing Creek.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

My biggest native brookie is probably around 15 inches from Fishing Creek. I've caught a lot in the 10-12 inch range out of Fishing Creek.

You sure the 15incher wasn't from cedar springs?

 

[bigjohn358]

You sure the 15incher wasn't from cedar springs?

No...this was actually in the narrows. I rarely fish the narrows but I have hit some good BWO hatches a couple times fishing it. The one day alone I got into a bunch of brookies probably about a dozein in that 10-12" range all on BWOs with that one big one mixed in. That was 15 or more years ago though.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I've been fishing BFC off/on since around '96/'97. I definitely caught more and larger native brook trout back in the day below Tylersville Hatchery, though I wonder if the hatchery effluent (increased nutrients like Big Spring) had something to do that? I know there was some escapism back then as I've caught rainbows and obvious stocker browns in the hatchery vicinity to go with the wild browns. Fast forward to today, and I there are definite stream sections that are strongly favored by the brookies and if I turn up one- there are generally more, though catching them can be another matter. Then there are other stream sections where it is completely dominated by browns. The one thing in common though is that the stream can appear to be completely barren if nothing is hatching and leave you wondering why you even bother with it. My best days on BFC have been during Sulphur hatches, Tricos, and if it is Summer- then terrestrials. What I lack in numbers, I do make up for in quality every year.

 

[Fish Sticks]

You sure the 15incher wasn't from cedar springs?

Yea I know they wash down

 

[bigjohn358]

I've been fishing BFC off/on since around '96/'97. I definitely caught more and larger native brook trout back in the day below Tylersville Hatchery, though I wonder if the hatchery effluent (increased nutrients like Big Spring) had something to do that? I know there was some escapism back then as I've caught rainbows and obvious stocker browns in the hatchery vicinity to go with the wild browns. Fast forward to today, and I there are definite stream sections that are strongly favored by the brookies and if I turn up one- there are generally more, though catching them can be another matter. Then there are other stream sections where it is completely dominated by browns. The one thing in common though is that the stream can appear to be completely barren if nothing is hatching and leave you wondering why you even bother with it. My best days on BFC have been during Sulphur hatches, Tricos, and if it is Summer- then terrestrials. What I lack in numbers, I do make up for in quality every year.

I remember the days of the hatchery escapies behind the Tylersville hatchery and all the snot waste from the hatchery discharge. Got some big rainbows there as a teen. My best days in the narrows happened in March when I have encountered blue wing olive hatches. Usually that first warm splell you have in March really gets the BWOs and fish active!