about penns creek
Fly Fishing
About Penns Creek
Penns Creek is a limestone-rich stream with a “freestone” appearance. These qualities in combination with the variety of water flow provide an environment that produces an incredibly diverse aquatic life.
Green Drake Spinner
The Green Drake (Ephemera Guttalata) hatch on Penn’s is renown not only because of the large size of this mayfly, but also due to the overwhelming numbers of this particular species that hatch over a short window of time along with it’s representative nature of mayfly appearances. This hatch will bring the largest trout in the stream to the surface to take advantage of this abundant food source.
Other overlooked hatches and “spinners falls” will do the same but you need to know Penns. People travel from all over the world in hopes of fishing the Green Drake hatch. To witness this phenomena, especially the flight of the ova positing female “spinners” at dusk, is truly spectacular, even for those that do not fly fish.
Isonychia
Isonychia Yes, Penns is famous for the Green Drake and Grannom hatches, which are prolific; however, there are many other great hatches that occur on Penns throughout the year that get overlooked by many fly fishermen. This mayfly hatch on Penns is renown not only because of the large size of this mayfly, but also due to the overwhelming numbers of this particular species that hatch over a short window of time as well as its representative nature of mayfly appearances. This hatch will bring the largest trout in the stream to the surface to take advantage of this abundant food source.
Mr. & Mrs. Stonefly
Penns Creek is full of various types of mayflies, stoneflies and caddis, as well as dace, sculpins, darters, crayfish and other food sources.
Terrestrials pepper the water during the summer season.
If you are new to fishing on Penns Creek. Here is a link to a document that shows what flies work best during what months. Happy Fishing!
Other Streams
Want a big change of pace within a hundred yards? Try Cherry Run, another small “catch and release” freestone feeder of Penn’s full of Bookies and small Browns. Weikert Run is also very nearby and feeds into Penns Creek.
Within an hour’s drive of camp, you will find other notable waters including Spring Creek / Lower Bald Eagle, Elk Creek, Pine Creek, Spruce Creek and The Little Juniata as well as Mid and Upper Penn’s Creek.
Fly Fishing on Penns Creek
Penns Creek Cabin is located in the lower end of Section 4 of the “Catch & Release” Section of Penns Creek, protected well to provide a strictly “wild” trout habitat.
This scenic and secluded part of Penns Creek maintains its population of large wild trout by limiting fishing to the use of certain “artificials” only and also by requiring a strict “catch and release” policy. For several miles upstream, this uninhabited and remote valley is only accessible by foot or bicycle. Penns Creek is known for being a challenging, yet rewarding fly-fisherman’s paradise.
This isolated section of the “river” offers the largest population of big, wild trout in beautiful pools, riffles, pocket water and slicks that are at times diverted around islands. You will often find sections of the stream with grassy flat banks on one side and steep, sharp-cut, rocky banks on the other side, sometimes with over-hanging Hemlocks.
A wading staff is very helpful, moreover essential in higher water, while exploring this boulder-strewn stream.
Wild Browns are abundant and seem to be everywhere. You will also find big-shouldered Rainbows in certain areas and the occasional Brookie.
Brown and Bow average size range solidly from 14-18″ with a more than respectful population of 19-22″ fish. It takes some skill to catch and bring to hand the 20″ plus leviathans that are present and caught in these hallowed waters.
