Penns

[jifigz]

If you plan on fishing, take your waders.

Why? Early September is just around the corner, and the weather in early September is often hot as can be. I was on a large trout stream today, and the water felt phenomenal. There was no way I would want to have worn waders today.

Yes, you should take your waders along because I believe in being prepared for any possible scenario while there, but if the weather is anything like today, I would recommend wet wading. Time for wet wading is running out for the year, and fishing is just so much more enjoyable when it is hot out if you aren't trapped in waders.

What you really should do is this, however: You should do whatever the hell you want because it is your trip and your life. We are all just here to offer you some suggestions and encouragement. My suggestion is embrace the cool waters of Penns Creek on your legs while you bask in that late summer sun, and just enjoy the beautiful area that we have here. We Pennsylvanians are mighty blessed to have such amazing trout fishing at our finger tips.

 

[wildtrout2]

I caught my biggest wild brown (18") in a small freestone brookie stream, a trib of the main creek that has wild browns too. He was where he was to escape the heavy flows on the main creek from several days of storms.

 

[5footfenwick]

Like I said I haven’t seen many big browns in tiny streams. 3 in 25 years or so. The images are burnt into my memory. Never caught them. But it sure got the adrenaline flowing and the ticker pumping. Felt like buck fever from when I was 12.
Anyone else ever see massive browns in tiny little brook trout streams?

 

[discomidge]

Caught this is in a very little stream this spring. I spend a ton of time on Penns but I rarely (almost never) catch bigger fish than this. Small stream weirdness, I'll take it.

 

[tpn]

finished a couple days on Penns and returned back home. Caught a few dozen over the course of 48 hours. One rainbow and the rest browns as you would know. The majority (90%) of the trout were in the 8-10 inch range. Grant it, with the kids we did fish more mid day than early or late.

 

[Swattie87]

Penns. So meh right now.

 

[discomidge]

No one go to Penns!

 

[tpn]

No one go to Penns!

As the kids say … that’s cap

 

[caddisflyer]

dink city

 

[Zipper]

As Yogi used to say, "no one goes to Penn's anymore, it's too crowded".

 

[Swattie87]

As Yogi used to say, "no one goes to Penn's anymore, it's too crowded".

Ha-Hey there Boo-Boo. There’s more pic-a-nic baskets on the Little J.

 

[Swattie87]

Deleted. Not sure how I managed to do it, but, double post.

 

[Prospector]

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?

That’s a great fish and very few browns reach that size in PA.

Speaking in general, with enough time (and lots of skunk days) a fly fisher could catch a 24” brown in these places but it might not be wild:
- right below Kinzua Dam
- on the Allegheny River somewhere between Tidioute and President
- Clarion River somewhere in the 6-8 miles downstream from Johnsonburg
- I’d imagine some exist in the Delaware system

With that being said, the easiest place to break 24” is on a Lake Ontario trib where I have seen a brown caught over 24” every year that I fished there.

 

[krayfish2]

That’s a great fish and very few browns reach that size in PA.

Speaking in general, with enough time (and lots of skunk days) a fly fisher could catch a 24” brown in these places but it might not be wild:
- right below Kinzua Dam
- on the Allegheny River somewhere between Tidioute and President
- Clarion River somewhere in the 6-8 miles downstream from Johnsonburg
- I’d imagine some exist in the Delaware system

With that being said, the easiest place to break 24” is on a Lake Ontario trib where I have seen a brown caught over 24” every year that I fished there.

If you imagine some exist in the Delaware system, you'd be wrong. It's a myth by the fishing propaganda machine. It's like spring creek but lower density and 90 minutes further away. Cookie cutter 10" fish all day. The dozen or so fish I've seen come to net that exceeded 26" we're anomalies. Granted, I'm not streamer fishing so I can't give you a good read on big fish densities.

 

[Prospector]

If you imagine some exist in the Delaware system, you'd be wrong. It's a myth by the fishing propaganda machine. It's like spring creek but lower density and 90 minutes further away. Cookie cutter 10" fish all day. The dozen or so fish I've seen come to net that exceeded 26" were anomalies. Granted, I'm not streamer fishing so I can't give you a good read on big fish densities.

I realize you know the rivers very well. I concede I know very little about Delaware system, but the rivers are so big I assume there are some real lunkers there. The bigger browns I catch are usually in stained or muddy water and I do catch most of them on streamers.

I’m wondering if folks might not venture on the Delaware during periods of stained water (for safety reasons) when the real big ones are most active and hunting? Could that be a reason not many are caught? Just a thought.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

I realize you know the rivers very well. I concede I know very little about Delaware system, but the rivers are so big I assume there are some real lunkers there. The bigger browns I catch are usually in stained or muddy water and I do catch most of them on streamers.

I’m wondering if folks might not venture on the Delaware during periods of stained water (for safety reasons) when the real big ones are most active and hunting? Could that be a reason not many are caught? Just a thought.

Some of the bigger ones in the Delaware can get caught on a krayfish too. 😉

Here’s a 29” that was caught there several years ago on a #20 BWO dry.

 

[krayfish2]

For the record, I believe that fish was caught with a 10-in brown. According to information from a witness, that young man caught a 10-in brown on a size 20 olive. The fish that he's holding decided to eat the 10 in brown and in the process barrel rolled getting his leader and fly line tangled around its pectoral fins and midsection which was the only reason he was able to land it.

Prospector,
A river system that large isn't really similar to a smaller stream where big fish hide under the banks or in dead falls and come out and feed in high water. They're the dominant fish and on big water, they feed when they feel like feeding. It's usually during low light. If a good flow on the West Branch is 600 CFS and high water is considered to be 1,500 CFS, we have floated it at over 7,000. Not saying it wasn't dangerous but you weren't stopping the boat. One would think that fish that size are only coming on seven or eight inch long streamers. 50% of the really big fish hooked where I've been a part of the situation that developed came on nymphs and 50% on streamers. I think there was a 34-inch Brown taken right under the 191 bridge on a golden Stone nymph back around 1990. I also remember going to Al's wild trout shop over on the upper east to pick up some tippet material and there was a Polaroid hanging at the register. I asked where that fish was caught... he told me it was caught by a nine year old on a nightcrawler. Weighed right around 13 lb. Big water and a diverse ecosystem lends itself to producing big fish. If you go to spring creek and there's a 24-in brown in the pool, it's spooked when you move. It retreats to it's hiding spot. On big water such as the Lehigh, below Kinzua, the Yough or the Delaware, a big fish that you spook is simply moves 50 or 100 yards away and continues to feed. Making your way around on foot in these larger Rivers is usually somewhere between brutal and dangerous at times.

 

[krayfish2]

To get back on topic, Penns is a good stream. I think there were enough storms over the summer and it should be fine for fall

 

[discomidge]

Can confirm. I was out there backpacking for 3 nights over the weekend. A very good stream. I never cracked the evening hatch though. Every fish ate something different. Classic.

 

[Mashbill]

late May -- im on Penns fishing the GD. it was really hot with high intense sunshine. , I park at Cherry Run mid day, nymph a bit - had fun. back to parking lot for a sit and some bourbon on ice, some chips, read the Centre Gazette ... basically loaf around ( my specialty ). around 6pm, i re-gear for the evening, spray up, fill the water bottle - then hike upstream about 2 miles up the hike & bike trail to fish that stretch. had a wonderful evening -- coffin flies, duns, spinners, sulphers, fish rising everywhere - i'm all by my self - got a couple - missed many.

i quit at about 12:30am / 12:45am - ish, then start the long hot hike back. when you turn the headlamp off --- its just incredible how dark it is in there. so i finally get to to the parking lot --- and i see 1 light by a old small sedan -- like a mercury Topaz. young guy standing next to it. i walk by and he says " hey sir - you have a good night?" i reply " yes - very nice, got a few, it was beautiful --- how about you?" he says " i only got a smallmouth .... but i did get one of these .... "

.... he's holding his arm up - and i shine my light ... he's got a snapping turtle the size of a
manhole cover - by the tail. turtle is just hanging there, slowly spinning - 4 legs clawing at the air. i said where the hell did you get that?? .... " i was walking out and saw him in my light in one of those swamps --- so i went in there and snatched 'em up !! i'm making turtle soup out of him!" he tossed his prize into the trunk of the car, slammed it shut. i said " you go first and have a safe trip out" ... he wished me well too.

all by myself now. i unrig, get out of the waders, crack a ice cold moosehead and start the drive out on Cherry Run road. a preacher on the crackling AM radio is telling me how to live a better life ...

i took a long cold sip ... and disagreed.