JeffP
Well-known member
Does anyone have any thoughts on how Penns did this summer? I noticed it has mainly maintained slightly above average flows this summer but the heat has been brutal.
Penns
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drakeking412
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A buddy said it’s been pretty low and warm, I haven’t been there all year.
JeffP
Well-known member
I was thinking more about fish survival than actually fishing it. I'm sure the fish have been lined up at the tribs.
In that regard (warm temps) the special reg zone could probably use some population thinning in order to temporarily produce bigger fish on avg in the near future. There are a few limestone or limestone influenced special reg areas populations like that, but not all of them are subject to stressful temps.
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rustbeltwilds
Active member
Im sure the herons have been taking care of the thinning to a degree.
jifigz
Well-known member
I'm sure the survival on Penns is fine. I wouldn't bother being concerned.
nymphingmaniac
Well-known member
I walk along it in the summer frequently. It was like prior hot summers- temps and water levels.
The fish survived then too. I saw some guy fishing it last weekend at the trestle bridge, shame. Looked like he was finishing up until 2. I'm sure the thermometer was reading 69 at 7AM, so......
The fish survived then too. I saw some guy fishing it last weekend at the trestle bridge, shame. Looked like he was finishing up until 2. I'm sure the thermometer was reading 69 at 7AM, so......
JeffP
Well-known member
Personally, I never see or catch many smaller trout on Penns. If there ever was a stream that has more decent sized trout it is Penns. I would bet most of the trout move out of the catch and release water during hotter summers. Penns is a food factory. I have a hard time believing the number of trout in Penns causes smaller size structure. For example, look at the upper Tully. It is packed most years with huge escapees from hatcheries. They are fat as hell despite being packed in there like sardines.
Re: Your Tully comment: For how long are they “packed in there like sardines?”
As for Penns, instead of saying “probably” in “could probably use some population thinning,” I should have said “perhaps.”
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LehighRegular
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HUH??? I think the natural predators and other natural factors will handle that. There are plenty of big fish in Penns. Maybe your just not catching them?
caddisflyer
Well-known member
I am surprised at the small sizes of most of the trout from Penns. If you consider the size of the creek and the amount of food I would expect better fish. In all the years I fished it with some other fishermen I don't recall anyone getting a fish over 18". I think I caught bigger on average fish from Spring years ago (not anymore). The last time I fished Penns and Spring when a decent hatch was happening I got tired of catching cookie cutter fish in the 7-10" range.
Nocktavius
Well-known member
Most of the fish I catch on Penns are at least 12”-14”, with at least a few in the upper teens per trip. Could be operator error 🤣. Spring is a dink factory though, no question.
jifigz
Well-known member
Mike never said that there aren't plenty of big fish in Penns. His comment mentioned the average size of the fish. He implied that the average size might increase if the population is thinned. He might be right.
I agree Penns has a lot of nice fish, and they definitely run larger than some other streams, though. I catch way more large brown trout out of streams that are managed by the general regs, however.
Penns has the habitat and food base that it should be producing more really big fish. There is a limiting factor. What is it? I have a few ideas but...
lycoflyfisher
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Measured or fisherman estimate. I think most of our angler estimated upper teens fish are probably 14 to 15in. I don't think i have ever caught a single skinny, poor condition fish on penns. Most are plump and strong fighters. I can't say I have ever been disappointed in the size of fish I have caught on Penns.
Nocktavius
Well-known member
might just be the times and sections we fish but I consider a trip where we don’t land at least one 17” fish to be a real clunker. And I’ve got 15, 17.5, 20” and 24” marks scribed on the ole net. So, at least to that level of precision I can say for certain. But “upper teens” is 15+ right? Semantics
rustbeltwilds
Active member
I always called upper teens 17in up guess theres no standard lol
Very good attention to detail, jifigz.
Yes, going back to Wisconsin’s evaluation of all of its wild trout stream data, the higher the wild trout densities the smaller were the avg lengths. This was true for BT populations and ST populations.
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caddisflyer
Well-known member
I have not fished Penns in at least 6 years. I did fish it a lot for probably 20 yrs or so before that. During that time period the size of fish seemed to get smaller on average and the areas we fished changed quite a bit. One area we used to do well was right along the road upstream from Coburn. The last few years there we never saw fish rising in that section anymore. also the areas downstream from Coburn , below metal bridge seemed to get really pounded by fishermen day after day. I think pressure from guiding was part of what was happening there with all the people. Has anyone ever caught a 20" wild trout from Penns? I never did and never knew anyone who did.
