Trout fishing this time of year

[JohnCSullivan]

I have off the entire week of Christmas and the entire week of New Year's. Is there any good trout fishing this time of year?

I don't mind traveling, and would actually be interested in a solo overnight trip to the western part of the state. I figure with the rain and recent snow, the water levels should be pretty good.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[chrisdetweiler]

From December through March, I concentrate on spring creeks or bottom release tailwaters. I stay away from the freestone streams until spring.

Since I live in Harrisburg, I'm much more familiar with PA Streams. For day trips, I recommend the Codorus (tailwater in adams county) or Yellow Breeches, LeTort or Big Spring (spring creeks in cumberland county). All fish well through the winter, but the LeTort can be really tricky. The breeches is the only stocked in the above three and may your best chance to catch a lot of fish. If you are willing to drive to State College/Altoona, Spring Creek and the Little Juniata are great options. Both are spring creeks that fish well all winter. I'm not as familiar with these streams, but they have a lot of fish! I've had success on both. You'll actually find decent dry fly fishing on the some of the springs creeks if you are willing to go down to 26 or 28 (or smaller!) midges and midge emergers. I'll spend quite a few winter afternoons catching rising trout on the yellow breeches in boiling springs when the temps are below freezing. Spring creek also has good midge activity all winter. If you are not familar with the stream, it is a completely wild trout stream with no harvest regs and lots of open water. It has a huge population of wild fish. One of the highest in the state. It runs right through state college, so there is plenty of lodging and fly shops.

Chris Detweiler
Harrisburg, PA

[Jeffrey Rasband]

What he said. This time of year spring creeks and tailwaters will have the most active fish. Never fished the Western MD tailwaters in winter but if you can stand the air temps the fishing should be great with water temps well into the 40s. Big Hunting Creek and the Gunpowder are closer to home options. Good luck.

[Salmo trutta]

Go to Erie pa and go steelhead fishing. IT's 340 miles from Rockville. If done at night or early early morning, the traffic is non existant and can be done in 5.5 hours. Don't come home on the Sunday after Thanksgiving... never never again. Sat in line for gas for 1.5 hours! Get off I 79 at McKean and start fishing under the bridge.

I've done very well fishing the youghiganey (also pronounced yock) right behind Wisp Ski resort in the winter. We'd usually combine ski trips and fishing trips. Same thing there, tons of midges in #22-28. Great action if you can go that small. Also regular nymphing like bead head flash back pheasant tails work well in #12-18. Also good old wooly buggers fished on a tight line or jigged back in while shaking the rod.

[Jeffrey Rasband]

Don't go steelhead fishing unless you want to be spoiled for the rest of your life

[longfin2]

Gunpowder all winter. All my big fish have come in the coldest possible weather in the coldest months. Fish below the catch and release section with big streamers, or small diving plugs on spinning gear. Caught a 22" brown last year on a brown trout pattern rapala in Late January. By the time I got the hooks out his eyes were glazed over and you could have driven a nail through a 2x4 with him, frozen solid! Got home an realized the high for the day was 17 degrees, I don't keep many but man was that fish tasty. And, if you get a day in the middle of the winter where it warms just enough to keep ice off the feeder creeks, you can do this

[Jeffrey Rasband]

You caught that thing in a feeder creek?

[longfin2]

Yup, that fish is as long as the creek is wide in most places and actually it doesn't even need to be a feeder to the gunpowder, just as long as its in that watershed, some big ole browns in the deer creek watershed feeders here in Harford County too. Coworker of mine got a big male with a huge kype about an inch longer than that one about a week prior.