Penns Creek, Centre Co, 5-16-2024

Prospector

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Jul 7, 2015
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Butler Co home, Forest Co camp
Time Fished: 630pm - 830pm

Weather Condition: Overcast, 68 degrees

Water Conditions: Running high, 700 cfs, 3 foot visibility, 58 degrees

Insects: I saw mostly Caddis. Some small mayflies dancing along the shoreline brush

There wasn’t much rising at the start. I put on a streamer and had one trout splash at it. I was in a small hole that had one decent trout and 3 small ones (at least that is what rose). The nice fish rose once and later splashed at my fly. The small trout also splashed at the Caddis I showed them.

Later some holes opened up downstream so I walked down. At first it was just slightly better than where I left. I abandoned the dry fly when I twice broke off my fly in the shoreline vegetation. I worked a streamer through a stretch and never had a strike Then the trout began to rise much better and I caught a 7 inch brown that made 2 impressive jumps for its size. I’ve seen other wild browns get massively airborne but the stocked browns I usually catch don’t do it.

A better fish was rising below me but he snapped me off. I quickly tied on an another Caddis in the waning light but another trout busted me after a few casts. I suspect my hastily tied knot was not sound.

What I found interesting in this stretch was how quickly people gave up on their spots. Lots of cars coming and going. Where I fish people generally stay until dark.
 

Penns Creek, Centre Co, 5-17-2024​


Time Fished: 930am - 400pm

Weather Condition: Overcast, 68 degrees

Water Conditions: Running high, 650 cfs, 3 foot visibility, 57 degrees

Insects: most plentiful was the small black caterpillars 20 to 1 over any other insect, several different mayflies. See photos

I fished the tunnel area below Poe Paddy. The water here had more color than I had seen below Coburn last night. It seemed to be running heavier too. Due to the clarity I thought the only real option was to fish a streamer. Interestingly I got a brown on the first cast. Over the course of the day I landed 4 browns on the same streamer I started with. Had about 16 total strikes on it. I switched to a 2 fly rig for about 45 minutes with a March brown nymph and a Royal coachman wet. I got one on the March Brown nymph.

I found the crowd to be very business like. Very little chit-chat. No one seems to want to pass any information out.

Penns is very hard to maneuver in (as everyone knows) and to me that loses some of the appeal. I can’t really enjoy a day fishing there. You really need to be on high alert every second.
 

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Those spongy moth caterpillars are freaking everywhere, apparently they have a 4-5 year cycle and it's at its peak this year. Glad you got some fish, the evening was pretty good out there as well, at least where I was.
 

Penns Creek, Centre Co, 5-17-2024​


Time Fished: 930am - 400pm

Weather Condition: Overcast, 68 degrees

Water Conditions: Running high, 650 cfs, 3 foot visibility, 57 degrees

Insects: most plentiful was the small black caterpillars 20 to 1 over any other insect, several different mayflies. See photos

I fished the tunnel area below Poe Paddy. The water here had more color than I had seen below Coburn last night. It seemed to be running heavier too. Due to the clarity I thought the only real option was to fish a streamer. Interestingly I got a brown on the first cast. Over the course of the day I landed 4 browns on the same streamer I started with. Had about 16 total strikes on it. I switched to a 2 fly rig for about 45 minutes with a March brown nymph and a Royal coachman wet. I got one on the March Brown nymph.

I found the crowd to be very business like. Very little chit-chat. No one seems to want to pass any information out.

Penns is very hard to maneuver in (as everyone knows) and to me that loses some of the appeal. I can’t really enjoy a day fishing there. You really need to be on high alert every second.
Great pics. Would you label the flies?
 
Great pics. Would you label the flies?
I’ll try to do it when I get home. I have at least 3 more comprehensive books on identification (and I still get it wrong). I’m sleeping in a tent so I only have 3 pocket guides with me. Which are helpful but there are slight color changes by stream. Here is a tip if you have an iPhone. Take a picture of the insect. Press the button with the “I” in the circle. Sometimes it tells you the full Latin name and other times it just gives you the Genus name. This next part isn’t important to fishing but trying to nail down which insect it is…. Important things to note. In this order: Size, number of tails, color of eyes, shape of head. Complicating things is body color variations by stream.
 

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I’ll try to do it when I get home. I have at least 3 more comprehensive books on identification (and I still get it wrong). I’m sleeping in a tent so I only have 3 pocket guides with me. Which are helpful but there are slight color changes by stream. Here is a tip if you have an iPhone. Take a picture of the insect. Press the button with the “I” in the circle. Sometimes it tells you the full Latin name and other times it just gives you the Genus name. This next part isn’t important to fishing but trying to nail down which insect it is…. Important things to note. In this order: Size, number of tails, color of eyes, shape of head. Complicating things is body color variations by stream.
No big rush. I have a hard time identifying when I don't see them in person. Thanks for posting them.
 
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