Leigh

Thursday night started with a torrential downpour as I ran across the parking lot and into my car.  Water dripped from my hair and drenched clothes as I searched for my keys.  Lucky for me, that would be the only real rain until we left Penns Creek on Sunday.

A few minutes later I picked up my friend and his gear. After a quick stop at my house we were on our way  to Coburn, PA, where we would stay at https://www.hemlockacrescampground.com/

The 5 plus hour trip was uneventful, transferring from I-84 to I-81 and then I-80, finally taking an exit that would lead to a string of state roads.  Along the way we listened to some fly fishing podcasts from askaboutflyfishing.com, itinerant angler, and Orvis, and spoke about places that we fished and where we wanted to go next.

We arrived late, stowed our gear, unrolled the sleeping bags and got ready for the next morning.

Friday morning, we fished a popular stretch of Penns Creek, catching only a few small browns. It had rained a couple of days before and the water was just gaining clarity.  This stretch of Penns was not very deep.  I rarely fished in water above my knees.  We had missed the famous green drake hatch, but there were fish to be had, or so we thought.

After a visit to the Feathered Hook fly shop and lunch at the Elk Creek Café in Mifflinburg, we headed back for what we hoped would be the evening hatch.  The fishing was tough. Only a few fish were rising and even fewer were taking any dry flies.  Anglers using nymphs were not doing any better.

We left the water at 9:30, but before we left, we spoke with a local homeowner who generously allowed us to fish on his property. He only fishes at night, and, according to him,” if he can see you it’s not dark enough.”  He fishes only brown and black flies, but said little about the patterns he uses.

Saturday we followed the same stretch of water, but the fishing was even tougher.  By lunch we were still fishless, and when we returned in the evening I practically threw the fly box at them, catching only one brown on a small BWO.  Once again we left in the dark after a brief conversation with the wife of the generous homeowner.

On Sunday the weather started to turn grey and dark, and we decided to head home. About half the time was spent driving in rain, but we finished the podcasts and encountered very little traffic.

Although the fishing was marginal, we had a good time.  This was in the heart of Amish and Mennonite country, so we had a chance to tour the countryside on the way to the stream. We ate a great breakfast at a Mennonite restautrant, tried fsome middleswarth potato chips and heard someone mention scrapple. Here are some pics from the trip.

A holiday weekend always offers the promise of long and uninterrupted fishing. But after the kids’ ballgames, picnics, home chores and other commitments, you find that there is not nearly as much time left as you had planned.

I was able to get out for a few hours this weekend because I am lucky on a few counts. First and foremost, I have a wife that supports my fishing habit.  As long as I don’t wake her up in the morning as I leave and I am back before lunch, we’re OK (no interrogations or accusations).

Second, I live less than 30 minutes away from a number of rivers, streams, lakes and ponds.  Depending on the weather, water levels and time of year, I may choose to throw on waders and go after trout, or load up the kayak and find some bass and panfish.

Memorial Day weekend provided the weather and the opportunity to both wade and kayak. I spent an hour wading on a nearby river, which produced one very fat and unyielding trout.

I also had some productive time kayak fishing in local lakes, finding some of the first bass of the season.  As the temperatures reach into the 70’s and 80’s the bass are becoming active and the ones that I’ve seen so far are chunky and have great color.

That said, here’s a short video featuring a couple of today’s catches.  Enjoy!