Penns Creek Angler
Bruce Fisher
Article Oct 2007
Well I was wrong this summer was very hard on the native trout of Penns Creek. The fish had to deal will low water from mid-June until the present day. I’ve seen so many Osprey hit the water and come up with fish it’s truly amazed me. I’ve seen two Bald Eagles and scores of Herons sitting in their favorite fishing spots all year. I know they are happy with this low clear water, they can see everything. But this is nature’s way of working on a stream. The water level is currently 48 CFS the lowest I’ve ever seen. I cant imagine what the low of 1962 looked like at 33 CFS. In conjunction with the low is the highest recorded water flow in 1975 of 7210 CFS.
I think the only thing that saved some of the fish was the low night air temperature and the lack of consecutive hot days. September seems committed to summer and doesn’t want to follow its natural course to fall. But it will happen in time and this will complete the cycle of another year. I’ve noticed the ponds and lakes are giving off fog in the morning so they must be cooling down considerably. The Crappie and Bass fishermen will be happy once again as the air turns crisp and cool. It’s all said and done now, we must look toward winter. I’ve included in this months article an excerpt from my fishing diary from Oct 2004. This was the year I made the decision to move to this part of the state and start a tackle shop and new life. I hope you enjoy the story.
10.30.2004 - The Passing of a Season.
This morning at the Tunnel Hole a sudden cold front blew through the gap and I witnessed the summer disappear. It’s with a stubborn sadness that I’ll loosen my grip on the season and turn toward winter. The valley has fulfilled me this year and has given me the peace that can only come from nature. Beyond any doubt I know I belong to the riffles and runs that flow through Penn’s Valley, I am haunted by my days on the creek. I can’t say that I’m not tired because deep inside I’m ready to rest, but I already know I’ll miss the smell of the woods and my quiet days on the creek. I’ve reached a point in my life where I can walk a little slower and serenity sometime comes. The mountains, creek and the canyon section of Penns have played a role in this. Everything seems to find its proper place when I spend more time outdoors. At the end of the day I walked down to the Wire Hole, I already knew I wouldn’t see any fish rise. But I didn’t care because the maples looked so nice and the pines were as green as they were going to get making a striking contrast. When I arrived at the top of the hole the trailing edge of the front was directly on top of me and the wind came up strong and blew all the leaves it could off the trees. It looked like a huge spinner fall and different color leaves covered the water like a blanket. I sat for a while leaning against a perfect rock and thought about the year and all the wonderful fish I caught. This was a magical year that I’ll remember for many years. Lately I have been taking stock of my life and thinking about my next direction. I’m still young and I can cross the river to fish the pockets and runs, God I’ve never had it so good. After some time I walked back to the truck knowing this was the time I would fish this section of creek for quite some time. (I have not been back there since, Sept 2007)
“Catch you later”
Bruce Fisher
© 2008