Penns Creek 5/8/15 Centre County

[McSneek]

For everyone heading to the jam next weekend....stream level as of yesterday was fine. Still a tiny bit off color. I was counting on the partly to mostly cloudy skies that were forecast and it ended up being hot and sunny. ????????. Hendrickson spinners still hanging around in the morning. Sporadic duns coming off during the day. Caddis toward evening but the wind picked up and not much happened where I was. March Browns have come on since last week. As always nymphing with caddis, pheasant tail and stone fly patterns produced for me. Barring any significant rain fall things should be good next weekend. Enjoy.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

No bugs. And what few there are are not being eaten.

 

[Swattie87]

foxtrapper1972 wrote:
No bugs. And what few there are are not being eaten.

Judge's call on whether this post is a "ringer full of dirty whites" or legit.

 

[McSneek]

Swattie87 wrote:

foxtrapper1972 wrote:
No bugs. And what few there are are not being eaten.

Judge's call on whether this post is a "ringer full of dirty whites" or legit.

Judges call is it's a "Ringer full of dirty whites" No bugs on Penns Creek? Give me a break! (I think foxtrapper knows that too) On a miserable hot sunny day with a dreaded evening breeze I saw hendrickson spinners and duns, caddis, small stoneflies and March Browns. There weren't many rising fish but they still ate assorted nymphs throughout the day. I would guess sulphurs will start any day now too.

What's needed is a little rain, some cloud cover and cooler temps.

 

[Swattie87]

Was just lookin for a good way to incorporate Lebowski into that one.

I agree...ideally for Jam week I'd like to see a little rain to recharge the Brookie streams and dirty up the big streams a little (but not blow them out). I'd even take no rain over the risk of too much.

 

[McSneek]

I didn't even realize it was a reference to the Big Lebowski. I just saw that movie for the first time back in the winter and loved it.

As of Friday, Penns was far from "gin clear." It will be just fine this weekend without any rain. The tribs that I passed like Little Poe, Panther Run and Swift Run had ample water in them too. Kish was in good shape based on a quick glance as I drove up 322. Laurel Reservoir is as full as I've seen it in a couple of years.

 

[JackM]

 

[JackM]

OK, just for kicks:

 

[JackM]

Joe ****er earned $1,375 for his legendary performance, but Canned Heat earned $6,500 for theirs.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

Lebowski be damned.I would never pull your leg on this forum.Funny thing... I was there Thursday evening. Saw VERY LITTLE insect activity....a FEW caddis and a riser here and there. Managed one small one on a dry. Returned Saturday afternoon/ evening and similar results. Yes there are a few mayflies and a few caddis but nothing to write home about. And very few surface feeding fish. Same with Big Fishing Creek. The water was clear and on the low side there. On Penns the water was still on the high side and off color. I did not check the temp. Get out the bobbers and nymphs!

 

[pcray1231]

Relax, all. My sources tell me that good dry fly fishing on Penns is happening, including double digits a night or two. Somewhat spotty (Penns is always like that, they rise in one pool and not another).

With the warm sunny weather, it's also been happening late, though that will likely reverse with the forecasted cool down. Nuthin much happening till right at dusk. Caddis, craneflies, etc. and even remnant Hendricksons in places. The big push is coming from March Browns, which just this weekend really started hatching in considerable numbers. No real heavy MB spinnerfalls yet, but they're coming (it's typically 3 days after heavy hatching begins). So for the MB hatch itself, they come off in heavy riffs, so that's where you want to be. Dragging a bushy dry around the pockets is effective, as is nymphing. And it's low enough to do that.

Not much in the way of sulphers yet, on Penns nor Spring. A pioneer or two but that's it. I'd expect they're 1-2 weeks away. Early jammers might not see em, but jammers staying the week after might get into them.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

Stream report from Flyfishers is almost identical to what I reported. Of course TCO and Feathered hook are writing glowing reports. You be the judge.

 

[McSneek]

Not trying to argue with you Foxtrapper but this is TCO's report. Seems pretty accurate to me based on my last trip.

"Very fishable, action has been good this past week and fish are eating. Should start seeing March Brown's and sulphers any day. Specifics and Tips: Fish will be rising in the evenings. Larger nymphs such as stoneflies may produce some fish, as well as the standard walt's worms and pheasant tails during the day. Fish are spreading out and on the feed."

I do think of early May as sort of an in between time on Penns. Hendrickson is winding down. Sulphurs not on yet. I'm still convinced Penns trout have some kind of aversion to March Browns. This last week or so of unseasonably warm and sunny weather hasn't helped things either.

Bottom line - If you're someone that prefers dry fly fishing almost exclusively, Penns isn't for you most days unless you're satisfied with maybe 30 minutes of furious action right at dusk.

 

[mr7183]

McSneek wrote:
I'm still convinced Penns trout have some kind of aversion to March Browns. This last week or so of unseasonably warm and sunny weather hasn't helped things either.

Bottom line - If you're someone that prefers dry fly fishing almost exclusively, Penns isn't for you most days unless you're satisfied with maybe 30 minutes of furious action right at dusk.

My best day ever fishing dries was with March Brown parachutes on Penns

 

[Sylvaneous]

Yeah. That reviewer needs to have the confidence to fish the water with dries. My buddy John was kickin' my a$$ several years ago on a mostly sunny day in mid May fishing a sulfur comaradun dry. I had a really tough time working anything up on a nymph. That was when I saw the light. I suppose that is the other side of the swinging pendulum. It swings back the other way, but it happens and happens a good deal.
Problem with Penns is that it can just shut down hard and you don't know what to do to catch a fish. But more than any other large trout stream in the East that I've been on, you can have good fishing just fishing the water with dries. Or not...at all...

 

[pcray1231]

Fox, I love FFP but their last update was may 7. Almost a week ago. In the hatch world a lot changes in a week.

Plus, remember hatches move upstream. Weikert is about a week ahead of Coburn, for example.

Individual pools can be very different too.

I trust my source, but I trust you too, and both can be perfectly right. Thats just how it is in early May. Two people have verydifferent experiences.

 

[SteveG]

I was up last Wednesday, plenty of dry fly action, it picked up around 1700, and quieted down by 1930. Hendricksons, black caddis, midges, and I saw an occasional march brown.