Penns

[PennKev]

If you follow the Troutbitten site, which is based in Central PA, although they never mention the stream by name, the guys on there night fish quite a bit on Penns. They give some really good info on night fishing in general in articles and podcasts. Anyway, they catch 20"+ fish quite regularly at night and even land 24"+ fish on occasion. Penns is heavily fished, but if you know where, when and how to fish for big trout, they are there.

I could think of 3 other bigger trout streams off the top of my head that hold that caliber of trout that are not Penns and are plausible night fishing streams and are within easy striking dustance of central PA. I would also not put it past those guys to have figured out a few more under the radar spots to fish at night.

This is not a criticism of you afish, but I think too many guys are hung up on the big name streams hoping and wishing they are big fish factories when big fish are right under their noses in less sexy or less publicized streams. But then again a lot of people perform some serious logical and mental gymnastics when they see certain spin fisherman repeatedly find huge fish, trying their damndest to discredit or diminish the fact the fish are out their waiting to be caught somewhere off the beaten path. It comes down to guys not being able to disconnect high trout populations from trophy caliber fish. You don't need one to have the other.

This is not just a PA phenomenon. My experiences in Montana are similar. The biggest fish are often either in the weirdest, most gimmicky spots, or they are in the classic "marginal" water. Water that doesn't see many anglers either when compared to nearby world famous rivers. You might only catch 10 fish (or less) all day but two of them may very well be 22" or better.

Anglers just need to accept that finding big fish might often mean NOT fishing over hundreds of trout in pretty, stereotypical trout water. If you want to catch big trout you need quit caring about catching any other trout. You can't get dissapointed when you get blanked while one of your buddies goes and fishes Spring or LJR and catches 30.

 

[falcon]

I have Lodge and they are decent. I dont like the dimpled surface and prefer the smooth surface as on a Griswold.

 

[jifigz]

We solely cook on cast iron, and do not own a non stick. Our sauce pans and pots are stainless. The hardest thing on cast irons we have found is seafood or fish with citrus. Almost always have to fully reseason afterwards.

Cast iron and acidic foods don't go well together. That is one downfall of them.

 

[salmo]

My big pan with the lid is a Lodge. I use it often especially for steak. Also use it for my no knead Italian bread. The other 3 I bought from an antique shop on Long Beach Island in 77. They were old then and much older now. Took me weeks to clean out the rust and corrosion and then season them. Hopefully my children will use them for another 45-50 years.

 

[DomR]

Cast iron cookwares best ability is also the manufacturers' biggest curse. The stuff lasts so long that, once you have it, you should never have to buy it again.

It was one of the 1st things I bought when I got married, 30 years going strong! Only time I have to scrub and re-season is when the wife or son use it when I'm not around. They get it to hot and end up getting ground beef or ground turkey stuck to it. Then they always seem to soak it in dish soap. Then I have to deep clean and start over. Gives me a good excuse to fry up a pound of bacon! 🙂 I let the grease cool, rub it out, season it, give it some light heat then let it cool and rub out the excess bacon grease again.

 

[Prospector]

I could think of 3 other bigger trout streams off the top of my head that hold that caliber of trout that are not Penns and are plausible night fishing streams and are within easy striking dustance of central PA. I would also not put it past those guys to have figured out a few more under the radar spots to fish at night.

This is not a criticism of you afish, but I think too many guys are hung up on the big name streams hoping and wishing they are big fish factories when big fish are right under their noses in less sexy or less publicized streams. But then again a lot of people perform some serious logical and mental gymnastics when they see certain spin fisherman repeatedly find huge fish, trying their damndest to discredit or diminish the fact the fish are out their waiting to be caught somewhere off the beaten path. It comes down to guys not being able to disconnect high trout populations from trophy caliber fish. You don't need one to have the other.

This is not just a PA phenomenon. My experiences in Montana are similar. The biggest fish are often either in the weirdest, most gimmicky spots, or they are in the classic "marginal" water. Water that doesn't see many anglers either when compared to nearby world famous rivers. You might only catch 10 fish (or less) all day but two of them may very well be 22" or better.

Anglers just need to accept that finding big fish might often mean NOT fishing over hundreds of trout in pretty, stereotypical trout water. If you want to catch big trout you need quit caring about catching any other trout. You can't get dissapointed when you get blanked while one of your buddies goes and fishes Spring or LJR and catches 30.

A friend of mine (taxidermist) loved catching big trout. Had a camp near Marienville. Fished a lot of small streams up there and took note of the bigger holes with great cover. Especially if he rarely hooked a fish in that hole. When the heavy rains came he was walking into those awesome holes while other guys were headed home. His bait of choice was a nightcrawler and he must have had 15-20 trout over 20” in his freezer at any one time. He said it was all about timing. Not sure why he felt compelled to keep so many. I assumed he got requests for large trout to replace a fish his clients had thrown back at one time in their life.

 

[falcon]

I suppose a rusty or cruded up cast iron frying pan can be sand blasted and reseasoned.

I know of smaller streams that hold larger trout. They are tucked in debris in corner holes or in undercut banks. One of the best time to catch one is during rising water when they seem more secure feeding in more open water. The fish are rarely even seen in daytime with normal flows.

 

[jifigz]

A friend of mine (taxidermist) loved catching big trout. Had a camp near Marienville. Fished a lot of small streams up there and took note of the bigger holes with great cover. Especially if he rarely hooked a fish in that hole. When the heavy rains came he was walking into those awesome holes while other guys were headed home. His bait of choice was a nightcrawler and he must have had 15-20 trout over 20” in his freezer at any one time. He said it was all about timing. Not sure why he felt compelled to keep so many. I assumed he got requests for large trout to replace a fish his clients had thrown back at one time in their life.

Biggest trout of my life ate a nightcrawler when I was 15 or 16. It was a wild brown trout. I didn't know that then, but I know it now. It's still hanging on my bedroom wall at my parents'. Unfortunately, I busted a pectoral fin off at one point in time.

When I caught it, I had a broken collar bone and my left arm was in a sling. It took me a while to get it in on my light spinning rod, and when I got it in my buddy and I were shocked. I stuck my finger underneath its gill slit, and we walked to the nearest convenience store to use the payphone. We called for a ride, and the rest is history. That's a fantastic childhood memory of mine. I have still never caught a larger wild brown trout.

 

[PatchezMDM]

So if I'm going up to Poe Paddy and staying for a week in early September should I take my fly rod with me or would it be a waste of time?

 

[jifigz]

So if I'm going up to Poe Paddy and staying for a week in early September should I take my fly rod with me or would it be a waste of time?

Of course you should take your fly rod. Why would it be a waste of time? Penns will be plenty cool in September. At least, Penns should be plenty cool in September without any weird heat waves and severe droughts occurring. Also, if Penns isn't cold enough, there is water nearby that will definitely be cold enough.

 

[PatchezMDM]

It's the "should" part that worried me. We don't have a lot of extra space in the RV for fishing gear. Probably because we have too much camping gear. I will make space in the shower if I have to so I can take my gear.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

If you have an rv and you cant find a spot for flyrod, waders, and boots you have packed way too much. Every family camping trip we go on, I ask myself why we pack so much when it comes time to pack up. So I am in the same boat.

 

[jifigz]

I agree. You can fit a rod, fly box, boots, and any other odds and ends.

No way in hell I'd wear waders in September there. You can leave those at home.

 

[PatchezMDM]

If you have an rv and you cant find a spot for flyrod, waders, and boots you have packed way too much. Every family camping trip we go on, I ask myself why we pack so much when it comes time to pack up. So I am in the same boat.

You Sir are correct. We take way too much stuff. This is a new rig for us. An upgrade. We have only had it out maybe 10 times. After the first 5 or 6 we started to pare down what we haven't used on any trips. Some things still seem like we may need at one time or another. However at the end of this season if we haven't used it we are gonna lose it.

I had planned on taking waders but if they aren't necessary that time of year I'll leave then behind.

 

[jifigz]

I had planned on taking waders but if they aren't necessary that time of year I'll leave then behind.

The water will be chilly, but it should feel good still in September. I only wear waders when they are really necessary. So, basically from May until early October, I am wader free.

 

[tpn]

So if I'm going up to Poe Paddy and staying for a week in early September should I take my fly rod with me or would it be a waste of time?

take your small stream rod as well and explore. plenty of good places if* the water temps are still up. just depends if you want to get in your vehicle at all

 

[troutbert]

I had planned on taking waders but if they aren't necessary that time of year I'll leave then behind.

If you plan on fishing, take your waders.

 

[Prospector]

Biggest trout of my life ate a nightcrawler when I was 15 or 16. It was a wild brown trout. I didn't know that then, but I know it now. It's still hanging on my bedroom wall at my parents'. Unfortunately, I busted a pectoral fin off at one point in time.

When I caught it, I had a broken collar bone and my left arm was in a sling. It took me a while to get it in on my light spinning rod, and when I got it in my buddy and I were shocked. I stuck my finger underneath its gill slit, and we walked to the nearest convenience store to use the payphone. We called for a ride, and the rest is history. That's a fantastic childhood memory of mine. I have still never caught a larger wild brown trout.

How big was it? My biggest brown came from a very small, unstocked stream on the first day of trout season circa 1990. I was scouting for turkey from daylight until 8am but I toted a rod in with me just to see what the stream held. I caught about 5 brookies through the woods then I popped out into an abandoned beaver dam with a deep undercut bank. First cast I had my hands full. I released it as quick as I could since it was such a dandy. I never expected to catch such a fish and had no camera or tape. A few weeks later I heard that another guy caught a 22” brown on that same stream. But I’ll never know how big mine was.

 

[5footfenwick]

How big was it? My biggest brown came from a very small, unstocked stream on the first day of trout season circa 1990. I was scouting for turkey from daylight until 8am but I toted a rod in with me just to see what the stream held. I caught about 5 brookies through the woods then I popped out into an abandoned beaver dam with a deep undercut bank. First cast I had my hands full. I released it as quick as I could since it was such a dandy. I never expected to catch such a fish and had no camera or tape. A few weeks later I heard that another guy caught a 22” brown on that same stream. But I’ll never know how big mine was.

There are some really big freak browns in little brookie streams. They are vary rare and elusive. I think they get on a brookie diet. The three biggest browns I have ever seen were in three different tiny freestone brookie streams. They couldn’t even hide anywhere. I wonder if they don’t live far downstream most of the year and make a brookie buffet run upstream once a year eating everything in sight.

 

[jifigz]

How big was it? My biggest brown came from a very small, unstocked stream on the first day of trout season circa 1990. I was scouting for turkey from daylight until 8am but I toted a rod in with me just to see what the stream held. I caught about 5 brookies through the woods then I popped out into an abandoned beaver dam with a deep undercut bank. First cast I had my hands full. I released it as quick as I could since it was such a dandy. I never expected to catch such a fish and had no camera or tape. A few weeks later I heard that another guy caught a 22” brown on that same stream. But I’ll never know how big mine was.

It was a very fat 24" fish. I am going to guess that it weighed 5.5 lbs. As I said, I still have the actual fish mounted and on my wall. I hate that the mount got beat up and lost a fin, but dang, that fish was beautiful. I don't recall the time of year that I caught it, but I know it was warm. Maybe it was June?