Penns Creek / Lil J Float

M

midgeman

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I recently purchased a cataraft 13 x 7 and I'm looking forward to putting it to use on Penns and the Lil J. Can anyone recommend decent start and end locations for 4 hour and 8 hour drifts?

For penns I was thinking Coburn to Poe Paddy, but I've only fished both areas twice. I'm not sure how many river miles are between the 2.

I'm at a total loss for the Lil J.

 
Unless you are planning to go after high water, I don't recommend floating either of these streams. They tend to attract a lot of wading anglers and you will spend more time dodging them than you will fishing. You won't make many friends in the process.

If you're targeting high water, 600 cfs and up will chase most wading anglers of the LJR and around 800 cfs on Penns. You will have a fairly narrow window between when the wading anglers are off the streams and when the high flows will start to make things a bit interesting.
 
I agree with Midnightangler. But you wont see near as many anglers on the J from 400 cfs and up. I dont consider the J a river that you would want to float. I dont feel it is quite larger enough.
 
Get the book "Keystone Canoeing: A Guide to Canoeable Water of Eastern Pennsylvania". You should get plenty of ideas from there.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. The last thing I want to do is disturb someone else's fishing. Has anyone on here floated these rivers, not in a kayak?
 
In 1977, before I began flyfishing, I paddled Penns from Coburn to Weikert in mid-May. Disturbed a lot of fishermen and did a lot of canoe dragging.
 
midnightangler wrote:
Unless you are planning to go after high water, I don't recommend floating either of these streams. They tend to attract a lot of wading anglers and you will spend more time dodging them than you will fishing. You won't make many friends in the process.

If you're targeting high water, 600 cfs and up will chase most wading anglers of the LJR and around 800 cfs on Penns. You will have a fairly narrow window between when the wading anglers are off the streams and when the high flows will start to make things a bit interesting.
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I agree. These streams are really not very large. Such a craft would be better suited to substantial rivers such as the Susqy, Juniata, Yough, Delaware, etc.
 
The end of the road below Coburn (at the tressel bridge) to Poe is just under 2 stream miles. There's an access at Ingleby roughly half way.

From the end of that road UP to Coburn is another mile or so.

From Poe down to Cherry run is like 2 and a half miles. Though around 3/4 of a mile of that is around the big U, which you can cut off by going through the tunnel.

The whole distance is popular with fishermen. My standard day is to base at Poe. Either walk down to Cherry Run and fish back up, or fish up to the tressel and walk back down. I've seen people float it, but I don't see how it's an advantage. They spend most of their time dodging fishermen, and it's all pretty accessible by foot anyway.
 
I don't really like float fishing a whole lot, and would much prefer to wade in most circumstances. Since I don't float a lot I can't really speak about how well the Little J and Penns are suited for floating in terms of size or flow, or where the best access points are for a float the length the you're looking at.

That said though, if you want to float it, float it...don't let the fact that there are wade fisherman there stop you. You have every bit as much of a right to float through as they do to fish there. Sure, if they're already working a run or hole you should be courteous to them and not fish it and navigate through with as little disturbance as possible, but I wouldn't feel bad about it. It may be a boring float from a fishing perspective if a lot of the good runs are already being worked, but again, a wader has no right to get jacked by you politely floating through...all part of sharing and respecting the resource. My guess is outside of the peak hatch period from late April through mid June, you won't run into nearly as many anglers on those streams.

I've had plenty of kayaks/canoes/float tubes go by me on the Little J before...most are polite and just float (don't paddle) through and say hi and ask how the fishing is.
 
I sort of agree with Swattie on this. Wade anglers have no ownership of the Penns Creek or LJ experience and though they may dominate the rivers, they have to share them. However, you have to pick and choose when you float the rivers to avoid some of the percieved conflicts.
I'd float the rivers early in the season when the water is up, but not dangerous just to see how the float is, and try to float when the water is low. Only then will you know what is a practical float and how to appraoch the float. I for one don't think either of the rivers are best suited to be floated with a craft as big as yours, they are more suitable to canoes and kayaks. Even then probably only when the water is up a bit from mean flows. Always be watchful of other anglers, and plan your course through waders before you float passed them.
 
Prime Penns would be 1000cfs on the drop coming down from say 4000cfs. Limestone green, early in the season, otherwise it would be a miserable float.
 
Swattie87 wrote:

That said though, if you want to float it, float it...don't let the fact that there are wade fisherman there stop you. You have every bit as much of a right to float through as they do to fish there. Sure, if they're already working a run or hole you should be courteous to them and not fish it and navigate through with as little disturbance as possible, but I wouldn't feel bad about it. It may be a boring float from a fishing perspective if a lot of the good runs are already being worked, but again, a wader has no right to get jacked by you politely floating through...all part of sharing and respecting the resource. My guess is outside of the peak hatch period from late April through mid June, you won't run into nearly as many anglers on those streams.

I've had plenty of kayaks/canoes/float tubes go by me on the Little J before...most are polite and just float (don't paddle) through and say hi and ask how the fishing is.
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Big A+ on this one. Ditto.
 
I agree with the others, in that you'd only want to do this during high water - usually in the spring.

As for where to float - most of these stream sections are very accessable by road, and I don't really see any need for floating those parts.
The gorge area of the little j - from spruce creek to baree - is the one section of it with no roads nearby. And it's also the most scenic part of the river IMO, and would make a nice half day float.

Penns is very remote from coburn to cherry run, with only a couple roads touching it in that rather long stretch. And would make a nice whole day float
 
Midnight,

For some reason I can't respond back on the PM. Thanks much for the info!
 
I agree with swattie on floating being alright, when I said you shouldnt float it, I meant its pointless to float the J unless it is way above 400 cfs. (with the size raft you said you bought)
 
I don't see the point in floating an entirely wadable stream that's a few short miles long. I see floating as a way to access more remote or inaccessible runs where you would see few fishermen.
 
Blueheron,

Unfortunately, I have bad knees, a bummed right ankle that swells easily, and a huge bunion in my left foot. A personal water craft like this is ideal for a person who wants to cover long distances. I'm not interested in stubling around anymore. Also, I mainly bought the craft to target warmwater species. The idea of floating the two above streams came to mind and seems fun.
 
I'm always surprised at the lack of angler traffic on watercraft in PA. It seems like here people are either fishing or floating, but not both.

The float on the Little J from near Tyrone through Barree Gorge is a blast. It's a FULL day if you include shuttling, stopping to fish certain runs, etc. It's a lot of fun if whether you catch fish or not.

If you're looking for a lazy day and aren't physically fit, you might want to stick to the bass pond.
 
Mariner wrote:
I'm always surprised at the lack of angler traffic on watercraft in PA. It seems like here people are either fishing or floating, but not both.

The float on the Little J from near Tyrone through Barree Gorge is a blast. It's a FULL day if you include shuttling, stopping to fish certain runs, etc. It's a lot of fun if whether you catch fish or not.

If you're looking for a lazy day and aren't physically fit, you might want to stick to the bass pond.
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I would guess that would be a fun day. Floating would not be a good idea during a lower water period, but if the J (or any river or larger stream) is too high to wade but not blown out, a float would be a great way to enjoy a day on the river (if you're careful). There would be few, if any wading fisherman to maneuver around, and you would have the whole river to fish and explore.
 
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