Prospector
Well-known member
Time Fished: 1030am - 345pm
Weather Conditions: Sunny in the 60s
Water Conditions: 500cfs and falling consistently throughout the day (normal is 700); Slightly stained; Temp at 1030am was 48 degrees, it broke 50 at 130pm and topped out at 51 around 3pm
Insects: Sz 14 Stoneflies started coming back to lay eggs about 130pm and were at their peak around 315pm; no sign of any caddis
On 4-12, we knew Tionesta Creek was 48 degrees so we assumed Oil Creek would be similar and action would be best later on. Therefore we got to the creek in late morning. The stretch of Oil Creek we were on stayed at 48 degrees all the way past noon. The bright sun finally pushed temps into the 50s and the trout started to become active. I caught all of my 6 fish between 130pm and 245pm.
I used a small olive wooly bugger (a very effective fly on this stream) for 3 hours with no luck. So I switched to a large stonefly pattern that an Oil Creek regular had given me years ago (it’s his favorite fly and a personal pattern not one you’ll find online). It’s tied with Nutria so it has a mixture of grays, browns and tans to give it some contrast. I saved his original in my pattern collection and tied my own. My fly doesn’t look as nice as his but immediately I began picking up fish. The timing of my fly swap also coincided with water temps topping 50 so that was a factor too. I needed to use 4 sinkers to tick bottom and eventually I lost every Nutria stonefly I had in my box. I had quite a few strikes but only landed 3. It was by far my best fly of the day. I caught 2 more on a small black wooly bugger and 1 on a muskrat nymph. I tried a large golden stone but it had no strikes on it.
Although my group didn’t do well early I spoke with some spin fisherman that caught upwards of a dozen from 8-10am. They threw most of them back. I only saw a few fish on stringers.
Weather Conditions: Sunny in the 60s
Water Conditions: 500cfs and falling consistently throughout the day (normal is 700); Slightly stained; Temp at 1030am was 48 degrees, it broke 50 at 130pm and topped out at 51 around 3pm
Insects: Sz 14 Stoneflies started coming back to lay eggs about 130pm and were at their peak around 315pm; no sign of any caddis
On 4-12, we knew Tionesta Creek was 48 degrees so we assumed Oil Creek would be similar and action would be best later on. Therefore we got to the creek in late morning. The stretch of Oil Creek we were on stayed at 48 degrees all the way past noon. The bright sun finally pushed temps into the 50s and the trout started to become active. I caught all of my 6 fish between 130pm and 245pm.
I used a small olive wooly bugger (a very effective fly on this stream) for 3 hours with no luck. So I switched to a large stonefly pattern that an Oil Creek regular had given me years ago (it’s his favorite fly and a personal pattern not one you’ll find online). It’s tied with Nutria so it has a mixture of grays, browns and tans to give it some contrast. I saved his original in my pattern collection and tied my own. My fly doesn’t look as nice as his but immediately I began picking up fish. The timing of my fly swap also coincided with water temps topping 50 so that was a factor too. I needed to use 4 sinkers to tick bottom and eventually I lost every Nutria stonefly I had in my box. I had quite a few strikes but only landed 3. It was by far my best fly of the day. I caught 2 more on a small black wooly bugger and 1 on a muskrat nymph. I tried a large golden stone but it had no strikes on it.
Although my group didn’t do well early I spoke with some spin fisherman that caught upwards of a dozen from 8-10am. They threw most of them back. I only saw a few fish on stringers.
