Oil Creek, Venango county, 05/16/2017

[Sylvaneous]

Not doing myself any favors here, but I'd want someone to post a report if they were on Oil Creek. Water in the upper 300's cfs. Perfect conditions. The sulfurs started to trickle off Sunday. Hatch level slowly increased, but the trout barely noticed till tonight. They still weren't rising well yet. Tonight it was better. Sulfur hatch was best right after 8:30. I'd expect both the bugs and rising activity to improve over the next days. It's going to get hot but will cool and become overcast towards the weekend. The fishing should be good. Caddis are around and, since the water came down from the past 2 weeks, are becoming more significant. I can't report much about the caddis as to time of emergence, but in my experience, 10:30 through the day or maybe later afternoon. Unless storms rile the creek, they should provide decent rising activity through the day.


Syl

 

[bumper7878]

I fished Columbia Farm last evening and I saw some sporadic rises. I should have stuck it out till later to get into the sulfurs but I had some prior commitments. I agree it could get good the next couple of days.

 

[dano]

Monday 5/15 at the canoe launch saw two rises. Fishing was decent to pheasant tail soft hackles.
Evening was a slightly better on the flat pool at p-ctr.
A few fish rising to tan caddis in the riffles and ended up with maybe another eight fish to a sulfur parachute in the flatter water.
No spinner fall.
Very little angling pressure so there was a lot of room to move around searching for rising fish.
Other bugs; few light cahills and other stenacrons, 24 BWO. 16 tan and olive caddis, 16 yellow craneflies. Not as many march browns and foxes as last week during the high water.

I think the trout will start rising better once we get a couple of good spinner falls.

 

[Sylvaneous]

Tonight, the 19th was warm and overcast. Sulfurs didn't show till late but the fish STILL didn't react to them. I didn't catch a fish.

Syl

 

[riser]

"tonight, the 19th" ? I think you mean the 17th -- unless you drive a tricked-out DeLorean.

I'm in Potter Co right now. Sulfurs are hatching but very few rises last evening (5/17).

 

[Sharknado5]

I was at the long riffle/pool below the outfitter's hole in petroleum center last night (5/17 !! ) from 7:30 till dark. Some sulfurs were hatching and some trout were rising close to the far bank. Would not take my sulfur dun, some rise forms appeared to be emerger-looking. A guy above me caught one on a dun near dark, a guy below caught a couple with a nymph rig. No visible spinners over the riffle or on the water.

 

[SmoothOperator]

Fished it last night from 5 PM. Till dark (8:30 or so) waters in good shape ....fished the flat water in the park at Petro. Center.... About four or five guys there so there was plenty of room...... 1 small rainbow (11"-12") swinging nymphs in the riffles and then a monster rainbow right before dark on a Sulfur Dun (#14) ......Rises were sporadic at best ...Not a lot of risers even though there were # 18 & #14 cream mayflies & some # 14 brown caddis around........ Don't know why it's fishing slow............

 

[Sylvaneous]

Continuing to report slow/poor fishing despite some fair sulfurs hatching. Saw a few chalk cahills Saturday. Moved to another section to better nymphing water. Nada. Saw a good spinner cloud. Went back to my original water that is better for rising. No spinner cloud. Caught 1 on a Jacklyn's para spinner sulfur. Maybe things will get better as the hatch thickens. It's early for Oil Creek sufurs. They should just start now, but they started a week ago.

Syl

 

[bumper7878]

Fished Blood Farm last night. Stream was running at 415. Some bug activity but only a few rises to some caddis. Picked up four nymphing but the dry fly activity is slooooww. However, I didnt stick around till dark because of the Cavs and Pens games. Maybe I missed some spinners

 

[Sharknado5]

Fished Petroleum Center 5/24 from 4:30 till dark. Air temp 64 water temp 64. Overcast, few sprinkles. Main problem was wind, very difficult to cast, tho it seemed to die down a little toward dark. Fairly constant sulfur hatch most of the time I was there. Initially not much response but a few scattered rises eventually became a lot of scattered rises. In the last 90 minutes landed 2 small ones on a sulfur dun, hooked a bruiser rainbow that got off with the first jump, intermixed with a lot of refusals. Missed a couple with a sulfur spinner the last 30 minutes. No spinners in the air or seen on the water, way too windy.

 

[prm]

Sylvaneous, thank you!!

 

[prm]

Sharknado, thank you!!