Penns Creek - Centre County - 4/20/18 through 4/24/18

[Luke]

Flow: 1,200 cfs (4/20) dropping to 750 cfs (4/24)
Water Temp: 47 deg increasing to 52 deg
Clarity: Somewhat off color (4/20) to almost perfect (4/24)

Camped at Poe Paddy and fished with family from Ingleby to Rainbow Riffle below Claybanks. Spent Friday and Saturday mentoring my son primarily, but did catch a couple on charteuse copper john nymphs. It was very tough fishing Friday and Saturday with high water and not much for rising fish. We found one rising fish and my son caught it on a Red Quill Hendrickson; I was super excited for him and he loved it. I wish I could have gotten him into more fish. He took the train home Sunday from Lewistown to Lancaster and I fished Sunday night through Tuesday leaving at 6:30 PM to beat the rain.

Grannoms were hatching and present in large numbers. Hendricksons also, but not as thick as the Grannoms. There were no spinnerfalls yet that I experienced. Caught a decent number of fish, mostly on Grannom patterns, but also some on Hendrickson and Blue Quill patterns. Some very nice fish were brought to hand in the 18 to 19 inch range.

 

[Maurice]

Nice report Luke. Congrats to your son, and you on his first dry fly fish.

 

[martin0206]

Great Report. I'll be out there on Monday for a few days. Doesn't get better than Penns this time of year.

 

[Luke]

Maurice wrote:
Nice report Luke. Congrats to your son, and you on his first dry fly fish.

Thanks Maurice. Actually it was not his first wild trout on a dry fly, but it was his second, and first this year! The cool thing was that I also captured the full moment on video so we can enjoy it years from now too.

It is amazing how I get 100x more pumped with adrenaline when my son catches a fish than when I do; even when I catch big fish.

 

[wbranch]

Luke,

It is amazing how I get 100x more pumped with adrenaline when my son catches a fish than when I do; even when I catch big fish.

Not at all amazing. You are just a good Dad that loves his son and wants him to share what you love to co.

 

[3wt7X]

A quick update on Penns. I fished down below the catch and release water Friday afternoon and Saturday until 0200 pm (April 27-28th).

Great water conditions with flows in the mid 600s. Steady Hendricksons hatching on Friday afternoon. It was not a huge hatch, but enough to have the fish interested and eating on top. I took about a dozen rotating between a red quill parachute and Hendrickson CDC emerger.

I have been dealing with some family medical issues, so I could not stay long on Saturday. I nymphed the morning close to where I was staying and caught a bunch of stocked trout on green weenies and pheasant tails nymphs. The hatch looked like it was going to be a little heavier, and bugs were coming off fairly steady when I left. Mostly female hendricksons with a few grannoms mixed in. It was bright sun, and I only saw one spotty riser on Saturday, and did not bother to throw at it.

I wish I could have stayed longer!!! I think Penns is going to be bug soup for the next month, with everything stacked on top of each other hatch wise. Should be both fun and frustrating, but that is why we love her!!!

 

[Jsnyder7]

Right after you left, the clouds moved in and the light rain started. The hendricksons started pouring off. Mostly female hendricksons. Lots of black quills also. The entire river shut down around 5. Decent spinner fall later but the fish didn't seem interested after that cold front moved in.