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Penns Creek

Question 
1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  jimmag 
#1 ·
Have an oppurtunity to get up there this weekend to Penns Creek. I know I should just go shad fishing but anyway, any advise from other who have fished that river/stream would be helpful.

Jim
 
#4 ·
I fished the stream on Saturday. We caught some nice fish actually but the bite was tough. We went to the Paddy Pan trophy area of the stream where the old railroad tunnel is. The weather up there was very cloudy and misty and cold (air temps lower 40s) So there was a very slight topwater hatch of smallish sulphers I think and we had a few takes but it was mostly a nymphing day.(Yes the black stonefly nymph did perform well) I landed 3 wild browns above 14" and a smaller one also. A lot of potential. I heard about the greed drake hatch in May and it may be worth going back for that. Apparently there are literally miles (25 or so) of wadeable/ floatable river to fish with wild browns some wild brookies from feeder streams and rainbows that come up from stockings lower down. Great stream/River (it is wide and big as the North Brach of the Potomac) I think we just picked the wrong day weather wise.

Jim
 
#5 ·
Jim --

Great river, and you picked one of the best spots in my experience.

I've camped and fished at Poe Paddy near the RR tunnel for over 15 years now in late May, and have only seen the Green Drakes in any density one time. For whatever reason, the fish didn't even key-in on them (go figure) that year.

I think that the Green Drakes are waaaay outshadowed by the simultaneous and consistent Sulphur and March Brown hatches at that time in May. I'd always target them over the drakes myself. Sulphurs will hatch all day long if it's cloudy or cool, and the March Brown spinner fall just at dark can be spectacular (usually like a size 10).

I recommend trying just before Memorial Day at the RR tunnel access. Come with Sulphur Comparaduns and hackled dries, Rusty Spinners, Grey Foxes (big), March Brown dries (size 10), and March Brown spinners (size 10).

There is a fly shop called the Feathered Hook in the town of Coburn (where Elk Creek meets Penns) that has decent flies for fishing Penns if you want to pick up flies tied to meet the local colors. The sulphurs there are a little different color than those at the Gunpowder here in MD for some reason.

PM me if you want to talk about Penns any more than that...

Jim
 
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