PA Streams

There are tons of places to fly fish that truly are paradise but on Spring Creek there is a section designated ” Fishermans Paradise “. The no kill, no wading, Paradise is loaded with trout, I mean loaded. It is very tough to cast from the side of the stream with a fly rod but to me it is an extremely rewarding experience to catch these very picky trout . Spring Creek has been preserved to protect this watersheds natural population of trout and aquatic insect population, thank God. From the” Paradise ” downstream to where Spring enters Bald Eagle Creek  ( about 5 miles), is very good fishing and has great hatches. Tricos, Green Caddis, Sulfers, Blue Winged Olives, and Cahills are abundant . In Central Pa. the limestone streams have the best aquatic life therefore hatches that can be found in the state , the most fun for flyfishermen. Fishing is best between early April thru September. Last September my friend Bela and me had one of the best times we ever had  flyfishing with ants in the Paradise. The brown trout loved them on a direct upstream cast when we could’nt get them to take anything else in our fly box. What fun. It was a perfect day, sunny , warm and beautiful  surroundings .If you evr get a chance to go to State College make sure you hit Spring Creek, you wont regret it.

Look on the PA map and find Indiana , then follow Rt 119 N, look for Rochester Mills and you will see the Little Mahoning. The special regulation area starts there and goes upstream about four miles along a compact gravel road with state game lands all around it. This is a beautiful area to fish. The stream is about thirty to forty feet wide in most spots and is stocked by the state. Little BWO’S  hatch in April, Light Cahills, Gray Foxs, Sulfers and big Green Drakes hatch in May and June, and Slate Drakes are there in July thru September.This section of stream is delayed harvest fly fishing only.

Big Rainbows, Steelhead, that is what ElkCreek is all about. Alot of people, yes, get over it and go have fun, thats why we all go. I started fishing Elk in 1992 and have been hooked ever since. Some years are better than others for reasons I don’t know but it is always great fishing. Usually late October thru December is best before it ices over and you have to keep updated on stream conditions at all times because when it gets blown out from rain it is unfishable but it comes down fast also. The standard egg and sucker spawn patterns work always but I like muddler minnows and wooly buggers on a down and across retrieve. The steelhead are all between seven and ten pounds and alot of fish go eleven to fourteen. When I got my first fish in 1992 it was a ten pounder after losing eleven fish on a 5x tippet , not breaking them off but just doing something wrong. The stream is not your typical PA stream in color , it is gin clear when not off color from rain, and is usually low , so most of the time you fish dropoffs, shelfs, and canyon type holes in the shale bottom structure.The fish are always in these type of areas until the water comes up , then thy run upstream. Elk Creek is west of Erie PA and is fishable from the lake up past I-79

I created my favorite nymph pattern about twenty six years ago when I started tying flies and just for fun I put together a 2x streamer hook , size 10 or 8, with a rabbit fur tail about 3/8ths of an inch long, a body of dubbed grey rabbit underfur ribbed with fine gold wire, one grizzly and one brown hackle, wrapped over a very large thorax made from a mixture of the underfur and fur, picked out very ugly. It catches large rainbows every year for me in any PA stream I fish. What ever it represents , maybe a large stonefly or crayfish or maybe even a minnow it works . Try it!

When I talk about fly fishing in the summer and fall in PA, the first pattern I mention is always Ants. I have had more success using Ants for Brown Trout than any other fly in my box. I don’t exactly know why this is but I love it. There is something special about casting directly up stream to a rising solitary fish and seeing the take on the surface when there is no hatch, that is one of the most enjoyable experience in fly fishing. Size sixteen down to twenty fur ants with a slight hackle seems to work best for me. Also, ants that sink used in riffles work.

Bull Creek is the closest stream to me and it has a special regulation area (artificial only) ,in its upper reaches area which is approximately six miles from the Allegheny River in Tarentum Pa. A very small stream averaging from eight to fifteen feet wide is a stocked fishery by the state and the fish do get taken out about as fast as they get put in but after the season opens and most of the crowds go away , I can go over in the evening and find trout the whole way through the summer. Then the fall stocking takes place and there is no one to be found. I always try to make sure I fish it in November when we get nice Indian summer days and can fish in the afternoon. The hatches of Caddis and Mayflies do exist , but in small numbers. Tiny Midges work best along with Prince Nymphs and BWO’S. If you like tiny streams and no crowds after the opening day craziness , you can enjoy solitude in the special reg area in a stream that always has fish to find.

This stream is very popular in Western PA for fly-fishermen. It has very good hatches and a lot of fish-stocked by the state and other groups, especially in the Volant area in Lawrence County. There is an Orvis shop on the stream at the bridge in Volant and they are a great bunch of guys to talk to for info on hatches and stream conditions. This area is about one and a half hours from the Pittsburgh Int’l Airport. The Volant shops are popular to fishermans wifes or girlfreinds if you need to fish but for some reason cant get away for a whole day , everyone will be happy, if you know what I mean!.You can fish from march thru november typically.

The Yough is best known for white water rapids in the summertime but if you want to fish a large stream with virtually no fisherman in sight you have to fish this stream. The dam at the Yough Reservior is bottom release and very cold, needless to say great for trout. State stocked fish are in this area at Confluance PA. , as the stream begins its journey towards Ohiopyle eleven miles away. About a half mile downstream from the dam is the first put in area for the canoes , but this stretch to Ohiopyle is beginners water, and relatively calm. The river is very wide here, about fifty yards, and is so clear that it looks like its one foot deep but its up to your butt as soon as you get in. Fish can be found anywhere. This is another area that is stocked with fingerlings by the state , so there are big fish to be found and there is no pressure from fisherman. This area is very remote and extremely beautifull and is well worth the trip. There are Black, Olive, and grey Caddis in great numbers , but the Mayflies are sparse. Of course Crayfish and Minnows are everywhere.

The Little J. is the nicest water I have fished in Pa. The aquatic life is in my opinion a fly fishermans dream. Hatches are on from March thru October. In March, Little Black and Little Brown Stone-flies, April and May, Blue Quill, Hendricksons, and Black Caddis. In May, Sulfers, BWO’s, Green Caddis, Gray Fox, and Light Cahill’s. In June, July, and August the same flys as May with additional Slate Drakes, Tan Caddis, and Terrestrials. At the end of August thru September the White Fly. In October the Slates are still on. From what I understand, most of the fish stocked by the state are fingerling Browns in the area from above Spruce Creek downstream to Petersburg. There are big Browns everywhere and as you see they have tons of food to eat and I did’nt even mention the Crayfish and Minnows available . Great fishing!

Whenever I talk to freinds about fly fishing for trout in large streams in Western PA, number one on my list is Oil Creek in Venango County. The stream is ideal for making longer casts without getting caught in brush and trees, which for me makes my outing much more enjoyable. The artificial only water in Oil Creek State Park is very well stocked and the fly hatches are great. To me May is the month to be on the water, as with most streams, but when the caddis are on, all day dry fly fishing happens. Even when there are alot of people there , you usually can pick a spot to cast to risers.