Fly-fishing trout waters in Central Pennsylvania
There is a plethora of remarkable trout waters in Central and South-Central Pennsylvania, but I have only experienced a handful of these gems, among them Penns Creek, Spring Creek and the Yellow Breeches. In fact, the State of Pennsylvania features prominently in Trout Unlimited’s Guide to America’s 100 Best Trout Streams, with 8 different waters highlighted – only Colorado has more destinations mentioned in this book.
As such, I have recently made it a priority to explore more trout water in Pennsylvania. So, when an angling companion invited me to join him on some private waters there, I was quick to accept. Our fishing destination involved small, sublime and private stretches of Yellow Creek and Spruce Creek in Central Pennsylvania.
Fly-fishing for trout on Yellow Creek
Our two days of fly-fishing for trout began on a private section of Yellow Creek, approximately 15 miles northwest of Breezewood, between Hopewell and Loysburg. Yellow Creek is a 21-mile tributary to the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River in Hopewell, emerging near the town of Woodbury and flowing southeast through Loysburg and the village of Yellow Creek before emptying into the aforementioned Raystown Branch of the Juniata River. Do not confuse this with the Little Yellow Creek near Indiana, Pennsylvania.
Like many waters in this area of Pennsylvania, Yellow Creek is a limestone stream and there are cold springs that feed the creek at various points. There is a cloudy hue to the water and an uneven bottom, so wading can be a challenge. We started at the upstream section of the creek, which was characterized by a series of runs and riffles, so we fished this section with a hopper / dropper tandem comprising a Chernobyl ant as the indicator fly trailing nymph pattern, such as a pheasant tail and a rainbow warrior, both of which were effective.
As the temperature warmed the fish became more active, so we switched to streamers to fish a large downstream pool that was holding a number of trout. A quick retrieval of a black streamer sparked vicious, predatory strikes, with the fish creating powerful wakes as they torpedoed toward the fly. It was quite the rush watching these fish attack the streamer, then turn and leap repeatedly to evade capture, which a few lucky fish were successful at doing.
Although we had access to a private stretch of Yellow Creek that extends between a quarter and half mile, there are great stretches of Yellow Creek that are accessible to public fishing in the village of Yellow Creek, Loysburg and Hopewell.
Fly-fishing for trout on Spruce Creek
Spruce Creek is emblematic of the fertile limestone streams of Central Pennsylvania and is considered one of the finest trout streams not only in Pennsylvania, but in the nation. The Creek begins at Pennsylvania Furnace and parallels PA 45 for about 13 miles to the town of Spruce Creek, where it feeds into the Little Juniata River. Unfortunately, most of the water is private, save for a half mile section of catch and release water managed by Penn State University. However, ‘private’ does not mean inaccessible as there are a few outfitters in the Spruce Creek Valley that will allow access for a fee.
The section of Spruce Creek that we fished was located in a sleepy residential enclave off Spruce Creek Road. The Creek was easy to wade and teeming with large brown and rainbow trout. We opted for a hopper / dropper tandem with either a terrestrial or stimulator pattern as the indicator fly trailing either a nymph or worm pattern – the latter was by far the most effective.
That day the water was gin clear and it was easy to see the fish eat the fly before the indicator popped. These trout were very active and rarely spooked, which made for a very enjoyable fishing outing. The reward was elevated by landing several trophy sized trout, including a 22” rainbow and a 27” brown, which battled for 20 minutes over a 100-yard stretch of water before it submitted to the net.
Tight Lines!