South Branch Tionesta, Warren Co, 5-8-2025

[Prospector]

Time Fished: 450pm - 645pm

Weather Conditions: 54 degrees, Cloudy

Water Conditions: 50 degrees, Water Level was very, very high, but it was a good green color. No doubt this is highest it’s ever been when I fished there.

Insects: None

I really didn’t have much faith, but I haven’t fished in 6 days, so I went. I used 3 streamers and made a “pass” with each. Each fly roughly performed the same. Although in the last 1/2 hour I was there, some locations that had been dead began to pick up. I used streamers that I tend to believe work better in cloudy water.

The water was raging so I started out making short casts working the inside of the bend (where some trout would be laying in the softer water). No cast was more than halfway across. That kept the fly at a good speed to let the fish see it. By the time I had my last streamer on, I opened up the casting distance to try to show that last fly to as many fish as I could. I’d say that came with marginal success.

As the evening ended, I had 41 strikes and I landed 11. The largest was about 15 inches but he was a true specimen of a stocked brown trout (Very heavy, hooked jaw) I’m not sure if it came from the state or another source. The flies were Yellow Maribou, Spruce Fly, and Black Matuka

 

[jrcll]

what section did you fish

 

[Prospector]

South Branch Tionesta, Warren Co, 5-9-2025​

Time Fished: 330pm - 645pm

Weather Conditions: 55 degrees, Mix of Clouds and Sun

Water Conditions: 48 degrees, Water Level still very high, but it was a good green color.

Insects: some midges flying around

I stopped at 2 locations. The first area was a bust. Never had a strike. There were a few people fishing but they also seemed to pack it in quickly.

Second location was better. There were some active trout there but with water temp being 48, those trout were sluggish. I worked through 3 different streamer patterns. The trout would show aggression by charging to the streamer but only 2 out of about 14 actually grabbed the fly.

At that point, I changed the setup to 3 wet flies. First pass I caught 2 and had a miss. Second pass I changed only the point fly and caught another trout. All browns.

I put the streamer back on and tried a hole downstream. I caught a rainbow on the first cast. After that the trout would flash at it. Temperature does matter. 48 degrees is just a little too cold. It’s surprising that 2 degrees makes a difference.

 

[troutbert]

The largest was about 15 inches but he was a true specimen of a stocked brown trout (Very heavy, hooked jaw) I’m not sure if it came from the state or another source.

Was it possibly a wild brown trout? I caught wild browns in South Branch Tionesta, many years ago.

 

[Prospector]

I guess it could have been. I’ve never caught any small wild browns there. It was a great looking fish.