Penns Creek Angler
Bruce Fisher
Article June 2008
Low water high water when will it end? Last year we saw the lowest water in may years on Penns Creek. This year we’ve had one of the longest high spring water conditions I can remember. It was great to fill the underground aquifers and soak the land with much needed water but enough is enough. The Grannoms came off as expected with great water levels and then the Hendrickson’s came and brought the high water with them. Much of the March Brown hatch was not fishable due to the water raging over 1500 cubic feet per second. About the only good things to come out of all the rain is Penns should remain fishable until July 4th if we just get small amounts of rain periodically. Another positive effect the high water had was the feeder streams had great fishing and some people got the chance to get out to creeks that are usually too low to fish in late May. So here we are at the beginning of June and the Green Drake has not started yet. I think is because of the unusually cold night we have had during the latter part of May. But it’s only a matter of days and the hatch will make its annual visit to Penns Valley. Each year this hatch is met by hundreds of fishermen form around the United States. Even for those folks that don’t fish, the drake hatch is a spectacular event just to see. Another unusual event this year will be the hatching of the seventeen-year Cicada. It has just started to hatch and in a few weeks the valley will be full of these critters. Many will find their way to the water and provide great fishing to luck angler that are in the right spot at the right time. Some of the biggest fish of the year will be caught during their brief stay in the area. In places you will not be able to hear the person next to you talking because the sound they will make will be so loud. I’ve seen hundreds of shucks attached to the trees around the creek and wooded areas. I can hardly wait to see how good the fishing will get. It would be nice to see the Green Drake and the Cicada on the water at the same time. I wonder what fly the fish will choose to eat. I guess the Cicada will fish better during the day and the Drake will fish better in the evening. After the Drake is over we should see a large Blue Winged Olives in size 14 and after that we will see the start of the Slate Drake hatch near the middle of June. The fishing I like the best will happen during late June and early July with the smaller Blue Winged Olives in sizes 22-16. This is the time when the water has less pressure and summer is in full swing. If you can fish on a day that has some rain and wind it would be a great time to fish this hatch. The fragile BWO’s will be stunned and will not be able to get off the water. The wind will blow them all to one side of the creek and the fish will stack up on that side of the creek. If we are lucky small amounts of rain will fall periodically and the fishing will remain good in to the middle of July. Lets all hope of good fishing and a good crops this year!
“Catch you Later”
Bruce Fisher
© 2008 Bruce Fisher