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Fly Fishing Pennsylvania

There are few places in the U.S. where you can find more fly fishing history and top of the line trout streams than Pennsylvania. The Keystone State has more river and stream miles than anywhere else in the lower forty eight, many of which offer truly exceptional trout fishing. From east to west it’s hard to drive half an hour in any direction without hitting some decent fishing, the center of the state has something special to offer to all anglers.

Fly Fishing Central Pennsylvania

 

When people talk about fly fishing Central Pennsylvania, they are usually referring to the water within about a 45-minute radius of State College, Pa. This area is situated on top of a large limestone deposit. Water seeps through the rock, emerging cold and mineral-rich, which balances pH and supports abundant aquatic insect life. The rivers these springs influence are locally known as “limestoners”. Though there are a number of limestoners, the main trout streams of Central Pennsylvania are Spring Creek, Fishing Creek, Penns Creek, and the Little Juniata River. 

 

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Spring Creek Fly Fishing

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Spring Creek is a 25-mile-long tributary of Bald Eagle Creek located entirely in Centre County. It starts as a tiny creek just east of Boalsburg, and gains significant volume from a few notable limestone tributaries, including Slab Cabin run, Buffalo run, and the Logan Branch. Wild brown trout thrive throughout the entire length of Spring Creek and its tributaries, with the population reaching between three and five thousand fish a mile. The average size isn’t large—about 10 inches—but you’ll catch plenty, and if you're lucky, you might even land one in the high teens!! 

Spring Creek is really two rivers in one. The section from the mouth to Tallyrand Park in Bellefonte constitutes Lower Spring, and from above the dam there and up is considered Upper Spring. The massive spring influx that happens in town makes the lower river around twice the volume, leading to very different fishing between the sections. There’s not many places as pleasant to fish as Spring Creek on a foggy morning. It’s a good time to cast around a terrestrial or wait for the Tricos to start falling. 

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Lower Spring Creek Fly Fishing

The entirety of Lower Spring is fishable public water, with relatively easy access. This section has the most limestone influence, and therefore the most stable water levels and temperatures. The river averages around fifty feet wide and three feet deep here, with some holes over eight. The pristine habitat makes for the best fishing on the river, with some of the nicest fish and hatches around. 

 

There is plenty of good access on lower Spring Creek. The town of Milesburg has a number of large grass parking areas right next to the creek. Not far up the road is the McCoy Dam Access, a PFBC parking lot specifically for fishermen. There’s another access at the sewage plant off Pleasantview Boulevard. At the end of the section, there’s ample parking in Tallyrand Park, along with a nice walkway with benches for the family to sit and watch you fish.

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Spring Creek is probably the easiest of the big four trout streams in Central PA to fish. The trout are plentiful and for the most part not incredibly selective. The population is large enough that, despite growing pressure, they are still fairly opportunistic. Any spot on this creek that looks like it might hold a fish more than likely does, so cast to as many as you can!

 

Spring Creek is set up perfectly for euro nymphing and tight line tactics. Anything in the range of a 10 or 10 ½  with 2 or 3 weight will do well here. There is no need for heavy tippets here, 6x is about perfect, but anything from 5-7x will work depending on the conditions. The flow is on the gentle side, so flies with beads from 2.0 to 3.0mm are the most useful, though 3.5mm bugs can come in handy. 

 

A standard indicator rig works fine for Spring Creek as well, but may limit the fishable water. Since these fish like to tuck into all sorts of places, especially shallow bank water, it’s not the most useful tactic. Spring Creek trout will also rise pretty readily when bugs are around. The early BWO’s, sulfurs, and tricos are consistently the best hatches, but terrestrials will raise a few fish as well in the warmer months. 

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Upper Spring Creek Fly Fishing

Upper Spring should really be divided into a few sections, but for the sake of time, it can be condensed into one. The water from the Bellefonte State Hatchery, known as Fisherman’s Paradise, is the most popular. At the hatchery, you can jump on the Spring Creek Canyon Trail to access the river. It runs for around four miles until it connects to the parking lot at the Benner Springs Hatchery, and then another one and a half until it ends at Rock Road. Some of the water near the hatchery is under special “No wade” restrictions, so pay attention to signage. 

 

Unlike some rivers, Spring Creek fishes well 365 days a year, even when snow is blanketing the rest of the world. 

There is some good fishing from Rock Road to the Route 99 highway bridge, but there is not much fishable water above the bridge, as most is private and posted. The best access above it is Spring Creek Park. The creek is smaller here, somewhere between twenty and thirty feet wide and the fish are a bit more opportunistic. â€‹â€‹

Big Fishing Creek Fly Fishing

 

Fishing Creek, or Big Fishing Creek is a local favorite. The stream flows for almost forty miles from Mt. Nittany to the point it meets Bald Eagle Creek outside of Mill Hall. Over its entire course, there is one productive stretch that has the best fly fishing opportunities- the Narrows. This section offers fun but challenging fishing for well-fed wild brown trout. 

Fishing Creek offers some of the most beautiful views in the state, especially when the leaves start to change. 

The Narrows is tucked away in a steep limestone canyon. The towering, densely forested hills on either side keep the creek shaded and cool in the summer, and maybe a little too cold in the winter. The water here is only around thirty feet wide, but the high gradient flow conceals a healthy population of fish with a solid average size. Not only that, but they’re some of the prettiest fish you’ll find in the state as well.

 

Fly Fishing the Narrows at Big Fishing Creek

Access doesn't get much easier than on Big Fishing Creek. Narrows Road follows the river through the entire narrows section. The fishing starts at the first Narrows Road bridge above the Lamar National Fish Hatchery. From here upstream, there are obvious pull-offs every two to three hundred yards. 

About two miles above the bridge is the beginning of a section called the Cabin Water. There are cabins up the bank from this point that allow access through their property, but ask for anglers to not fish there on Sundays. Please respect this request, as maintaining access and good relations here is important. To be on the safe side, if you’re there on a Sunday and see a cabin, you’re in the wrong spot. Above the cabin water, the last notable access is at the Tylersville Fish Hatchery. The big spring that gives the Narrows a lot of its water is just above the hatchery, so this is where the good water ends. 

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The fly fishing in the Fishing Creek Narrows can be some of the hardest in the state, and it is widely regarded as the toughest of the limestoners. The river has an extremely high biomass and a great biodiversity of insect life, which leads the fish to be more selective. On top of that, these fish love to hide under rocks and disappear when the water is in less than perfect condition. Despite what it may seem, Fishing Creek actually holds an incredibly high density trout population, so be rest assured some fish are seeing your fly!

Stealth is key to success on Fishing Creek. Staying low is the only way to get within casting distance of the fish when the flows are sub-optimal. Euro nymphing will usually be the best tactic. The river is fairly high gradient and hosts plenty of nice pockets and glides that are perfectly set up for tight line tactics. Thinner tippets in the 5-7x range tend to perform better, but be warned that these fish pull pretty hard! A ten foot rod with a  2 or 3 weight is perfect for this water, and will help protect the light lines. If euro nymphing isn’t your thing, there is some water to indicator fish but you will be pretty limited. The fish aren’t particularly picky to the pattern, but are very picky to size and profile. Having flies in a range of weights and sizes is key.

 

Fishing creek is well known for its blanket hatches and happily rising fish. It gets great BWO’s, Hendricksons, sulfurs, and probably the second most famous green drake hatch in the state. It also gets a good hatch of pretty much anything else you can think of though. The fish can be picky, but are often much less moody when they are eating on the surface. The will certainly spook to loud or sloppy presentations though, so a setup capable of more finesse can be helpful. There is a good bit of dry fly water on the river, but during the best hatches it fills up quickly. 

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Little Juniata River Fly Fishing

 

The Little Juniata River, locally known just as the Little J, is one of the most productive rivers in the state. It flows almost thirty five miles from Altoona to its confluence with the Frankstown Branch to create the main Juniata River, and the entire thing holds trout. Similar to Penns Creek, the upper section of the Little J above Tyrone is primarily a stocked fishery for most of the year. From there down, the river hosts an excellent population of wild brown trout with some nice sized fish mixed in. 

The Little Juniata features beautiful water, with large pools and scenic train trestles that crisscross the canyon. From Tyrone downstream, there are hundreds of spring seeps that stabilize the flow and temperature. This influx makes the water through the steep canyons down river flow cool and limestone tinted for most of the year. 

 

Little Juniata Trout Fishing Access

The Little Juniata has fairly good access, especially through the middle river. The upper sections below Tyrone can be accessed from pull-offs and side roads off of Route 453. Some of these parking areas are a bit removed from the river, and require some walking to get down to it. 

Union Furnace road takes you from Route 453 to the town of Spruce Creek, and has a few access points worth checking out. In the town of Spruce Creek, there is parking available at the white church right by the bridge. This is the last road access until the town of Barree a few miles downriver. The section of river between the towns is known as the Gorge, and is protected from some of the angling pressure by difficult walk-in only access. Past this, there are a number of parking areas in Barree and downstream to the river’s mouth. 

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Trout Fishing the Little Juniata 

The J has had its ups and downs over the last few years, but has slowly become one of the more reliable rivers in the state. Its brown trout population has increased (at a small detriment to the average size) to a point where you’d be hard pressed to leave the river without encountering at least a few fish. In this river, anywhere that looks like it should hold a fish almost certainly does, and the areas you would normally walk past probably do as well. 

 

Just because there’s a lot of fish doesn’t mean they come all that easy. Juniata trout can be temperamental, especially in low, clear water. One important aspect of success here is finding the right water type. On this river more than most, the fish will end up sitting in a specific water type for the day. Some days they are spread throughout the thinnest riffles, others they are podded up in the pools and flat water. More often than not there's a half decent reason, but some days it does seem truly random. 

The river lends itself to just about any tactic you prefer, but nymphing is usually the most effective .The slower runs, long flats, and large, deep pools make it well suited for indicator fishing. It actually has more of this indicator water than the other three limestoners mentioned, so if that’s what you prefer, this is the river for you. It offers plenty for tight line fisherman as well though, with good runs and plunges that aren't spaced too far apart. 

 

The Juniata also gets some pretty famous bug activity. The Grannoms and Sulfurs are the big draws, with hundreds of anglers flocking to the sulfur hatch every year. There is also a notable hatch of BWO’s, hendricksons, tan caddis, slate drakes, and even some green drakes in the lower sections. The fish are not super picky when feeding on top, but by the end of the sulfur hatch they do tend to be a bit pressured, especially around the main accesses. 

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Penns Creek Fly Fishing

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Penns Creek is Pennsylvania’s self proclaimed “bug factory”. The river boasts incredible invertebrate biomass, producing some of the best hatches in the state—and some of the finest rising fish. The creek originates in Penns Cave, a large cavern containing a subterranean lake large enough for boat tours to run. There’s some big fish in the lake too, but good luck sneaking a rod in! There is decent fishing from where the river exits the cave all the way to the town of Weikert around fifteen river miles away. 

The best portion of Penns, however, is the section from Coburn to Weikert. In Coburn, the tributaries Elk and Pine creek meet the main river, doubling the flow. The cold, limestone water makes for excellent habitat and amazing bug life. Virtually every aquatic insect on the east coast is represented somewhere in this section of Penns, and the fish take full advantage of it! It also has the best scenery, with most of it being surrounded by the beautiful Bald Eagle State Forest. 

 

Penns Creek Trout Fishing Access

Penns Creek luckily has good access throughout the good trout water, however, it may require a bit of walking or biking to get to the best spots. The river above Coburn can be accessed almost entirely by Penn’s Creek Road, with the exception of the mainly private reaches near the top. At Coburn, you can jump on Tunnel road to follow the river downstream a few miles. This is one of the more popular stretches because of its easy access and great water. 

At the end of Tunnel road, you can access the Penns Creek trail, which follows the river all the way to Cherry Tree, just upstream of Weikert. Between Coburn and Cherry Tree, you can also pick up the trail in Ingleby and Poe Paddy. Penns Creek Trail is a nicely manicured rail trail, perfect for walking or biking. Outside of the two parking areas, the trail is the only way to access the river in this entire section, which gives it a nice, wilderness feel. 

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Trout Fishing Penns Creek

Penns Creek isn’t the hardest of the limestone streams in PA, but it’s certainly not the easiest. Upstream of Coburn the fishing tends to be easier due to the large amount of fish stocked by the state during the regular season. There are wild fish upstream, but stocked rainbows overshadow them for most of the year. From Coburn down, the wild brown trout take over. They’re more wary, but a good presentation will always bring some success here.

Penns Creek has a wide variety of water types, suited to just about whatever type of presentation you can think of. Tight line tactics work well, especially in the spring and early summer. You’ll find a ton of great runs and glides perfect for euro style presentations. There’s also plenty of deeper runs and pools for indicator presentations though, so you can take your pick of tactics. However you fish, this is a river for heavier tippets, both because of the larger fish and the rocky, snag filled bottom.

 

The hatches are the real draw of Penns Creek. It produces some of the most textbook, blanket hatches you’ll find on the east coast. There’s probably a few fish rising on Penns every day of the year, but try fishing it between April and July if you want to hedge your bets. The Hendricksons, BWO’s, Grannoms, Sulphurs, and of course Green Drakes are the most prolific, but just like Fishing Creek it gets a fishable hatch of almost anything else there is. The river does get a lot of anglers during hatch time, but there’s enough water that you can usually find some open water and even some solitude if you do a bit of walking. 

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Guided Fly Fishing in Central Pennsylvania

Mike Komara, author and owner of Innovative Angling, and one of the best fly fishing guides in Pennsylvania runs guided fly fishing trips on all of the famous limestone rivers of Central Pennsylvania. He offers full and half day excursions, with everything you need to have a great day on the water. These trips prioritize fun but focus on education, so you’ll come away with the skills to go back out and have a successful day any time you want.

Elk Creek Fly Fishing

Elk Creek is one of the most popular streams of Northwest Pennsylvania. The creek is a well known tributary of Lake Erie that sees annual runs of Steelhead, Coho (Silver) Salmon, and Chinook (King) Salmon. Kings will begin their runs on the Elk in early fall. Cool rains toward mid to late fall see Coho enter the system. By early winter, Steelhead will begin to filter in Elk Creek and hang around until the Spring months. Crowds tend to flood Elk Creek during these larger runs in the fall and early winter. These anglers dwindle off around mid winter when only the most dedicated anglers remain to target the hard fighting steelhead. Swinging flies and dragging heavy nymphs are the most productive tactics on Elk Creek. 

Big Pine Creek Fly Fishing

Pine Creek is one of the larger trout streams in Pennsylvania. Wide and shallow, it traverses Northern Pennsylvania to its confluence with the Susquehanna. The section designated as Delayed Harvest is the most popular location for fly anglers. The the occasional crowds make the fishing a touch more difficult, there are plenty of trout to be found. Pressured fish still fall for well presented flies. Drakes, Quills, Sulphurs, Cahills, and BWOs comprise the mayfly hatches during the spring and early summer months. Once the water warms by July, heading to the smaller tributaries such as the West Branch is an excellent option for wild trout. 

Lehigh River Fly Fishing

The Lehigh River meanders through the hills of eastern PA. Whether visiting anglers choose to target the larger tailwater section or the colder headwater tributaries, there are plenty of fish to be found. Wild brown trout are the main target for visitors of the Lehigh. Whether drifting nymphs, or stripping big streamers, trophy sized browns could be lurking in any fishy looking holes in the river. Be sure to brush up on the individual sections of the Lehigh as they are managed significantly differently as the river crosses the Pocono Plateau. Tributaries of the Lehigh River such as Stony Creek, Pohopoko (Po) Creek, and the Little Lehigh are home to some incredible fishing for wild trout in the area. Hatches on the Lehigh are similar to many of the other PA trout streams. 

Letort Spring Run Fly Fishing

One of Pennsyvania's most unique trout streams, the Letort is home to some of the most technical fishing in the state. Finicky wild brown trout are the bounty of most visiting fly anglers on the Letort. The stream has faced an incredible amount of adversity in its history. Though it hasnt been stocked by the state for decades, the wild brown trout have successfully distributed themselves throughout the creek. For anglers looking for a worthy challenge, the Letort is the place to visit. 

Neshannock Creek Fly Fishing

Beginning below the Volant Dam, Neshannock Creek offers visitors a variety of fishing throughout the year. While stocked trout are the most abundant trout in the creek, anglers can challenge themselves in the seperately managed sections of the trout stream. The Delayed Harvest section occupies nearly 3 of the 26 miles of fishable waters on Neshannock. A variety of hatches pop off throughout the year and include BWOs, Cahills, Sulphurs, Grannom Caddis, March Browns, Drakes, and a handful of lesser common bugs. In the lower sections of the creek anglers can find trophy sized brown trout, smallmouth bass, and northern pike roaming the larger holes. Streamers are a great way to target these predators on Neshannock. 

Best Flies for Pennsyvania Fly Fishing

 

​Anglers in Pennsylvania are known for fishing the most simplistic flies there are. The fish here are not particularly picky, and are much more concerned with a proper drift. As long as you can match the size and profile they want to see, you will do just fine. Some of the more popular and effective patterns for the area are: 

 

  • Walt’s Worm, #14-18, natural squirrel

  • Simple Pheasant Tail, #12-20, natural pheasant

  • Zebra midge, #18-22, black

  • Tag nymphs, #16-18, black w/ orange tag

  • France Flies, #14-20, black, brown, & olive

  • Mop flies, #12, chartreuse & cream

  • Squirmy Worms, #12, red

  • Parachute Adams, #12-16, classic grey

  • Shuttlecock, #14-22, black, brown, sulfur yellow

  • CDC and Elk Caddis, #12-18, tan, black, & green

  • CDC Ant, #16-18, black

  • EP Coffin Fly Spinners & Paradrakes (May Only), #8-12

  • Wooly Buggers & Jig Buggers, #8-12, black, brown, white, & olive

  • Headbanger Sculpin, #6-12, olive, brown

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