Indian Creek DHALO westmoreland co, 4.23.2024

[td566]

My first ever visit to this stream.
Water was a bit low and clear, mid 50s
Occasional tan caddis, no risers
Sunny to partly cloudy air temp in low 60s

Fished 3+ hours in afternoon below Camp Run junction after a short hike down trail. Spooked 5 or so fish, a few strikes but no fish landed. Sunny conditions probably didn’t help.

Fished hares ear, prince and pheasant tail bead heads. Left my wooly buggers home in my steelhead fly box (oops) so didn’t use my go to fly when nymphs weren’t working.

I saw no DHALO signs at all on this stretch, which surprised me.

My net popped off my holder clip due to eye screw stripping. It’s likely along Camp Run when I walked out. Anyone is welcome to it. Cheap White River net, shudda glued in that eye screw.

 

[Broodstock]

This is a nice stretch of IC and gets hit pretty hard. I also noticed that the DHALO signs were removed, which makes me wonder if some locals pulled them down from the lot at 381. Walking up the trail to the upper section, this stretch gets better and better, but silty and lower gradient as you approach the farm. I suspect that runoff from the farm impacts this stream. Above the farm it is all class a water. Too bad about your net, I hope someone finds it for you. You are right, the fish in this stretch spook easily.

 

[td566]

Thanks for the reply Broodstock. Does the Blair Bros trail provide better access above Camp Run if I continue across the bridge? Between the brush/briars and the skunk cabbage areas I had some slow going, mostly just stayed in the creek. I would like to give it another try before “giving up” on it. It looks promising.
The signs at Indian Creek Farm are far from a warm welcome, but I get it these days. I had considered asking for permission to fish.

 

[albatross]

Pretty good access to the creek from the trail above Camp.

 

[td566]

Thanks, will look into that.

 

[Broodstock]

Yes. Good access. I try to avoid walking in the creek as much as possible but it is tempting as that area gets very overgrown. Walking up and stalking is hard to do in that stretch since it’s mostly slow and flat and if you’re not super slow you will spook the residents. The farm is owned by the family of a pretty big to do kinda guy, and I’ve never had luck with permission. My 2 cents but the best wild trout water on IC is in the farm section along that fence/tree line and just upstream. Too bad it’s posted.

 

[Arminacast]

For what it's worth, my favorite part is upstream and downstream of the walking bridge (maybe a 1/4 mile each way). When I fish the upper limit I try to pick a day when the water is a bit cloudy, I enter the stream at hunters bridge and fish a wooly bugger downstream in front of me.