Oil Creek, Venango County - 4/12/2026

[TheDuke44]

Beautiful 70 degrees with some wind and cloud cover. Good/Above average flow, water had great color - clear and cold with a greenish tinge in the deeper holes.

Didn't make it onto the water until around 11:00 a.m. but caught the tail end of the morning's grannom hatch. Didn't manage to catch any throwing an elk hair but did watch a couple of risers eating.

Picked up a few in the afternoon on standard nymphs just to get a couple to the net, but after seeing a couple of size 14ish stoneflies buzzing around I decided to swing and miss trying to catch one on top.

 

[bikerfish]

My GF and I were there sunday as well. spent maybe an hour and a half at Petroleum center, nothing hatching, nothing rising, drove up and fished the rest of the afternoon behind the museum, quite a few grannoms in the air and on the water. Also saw some of the small black stoneflies.

 

[TheDuke44]

My GF and I were there sunday as well. spent maybe an hour and a half at Petroleum center, nothing hatching, nothing rising, drove up and fished the rest of the afternoon behind the museum, quite a few grannoms in the air and on the water. Also saw some of the small black stoneflies.

Probably saw you out on the water - I was down at Petroleum center! Any particular patterns you had luck with? I threw stimmys since they were the only thing I had on me that could possibly pass for a stonefly, but the fish didn't agree.

 

[dano]

The hatch didn't start till noon on Sunday. A bit later came the brownstones.
For the brownstones, I grease my leader so I could skate and twitch a 14 brown elk hair caddis.
I'll target a fish and as soon as the fly lands, I move it a few inches. That's what worked for me on Sunday.

 

[bikerfish]

Probably saw you out on the water - I was down at Petroleum center! Any particular patterns you had luck with? I threw stimmys since they were the only thing I had on me that could possibly pass for a stonefly, but the fish didn't agree.

we both used dark elk hair caddis. we had various droppers on for a while, but no takes on those at all, so we ditched those and just use the dry fly. I had a few takes by letting the fly sit at the end of the drift and skating it upstream a bit. I need to get to OIl creek more ofter, explore some of the water that is harder to reach by using a bicycle.

 

[bingsbaits]

Was there yesterday at Drake Well. Some good grannom flights coming off. A couple pretty good swarms came up stream. Couldn't by a bite, but I was trying out some new Streamers and they were not interested. And one reminder , don't forget your wading boots. Had to fish close to shore with Air Grip lacrosses and did the Oil Creek Shuffle for an hour. Man is that creek slippery.