Fly Fishing "only" sections near Harrisburg?

[enolaeagle]

First off, I've always wondered if these areas are all around better... Quite a few years ago I hit one in Cameron County Pa with my uncle but conditions were horrible.

I've been fishing the Yellow Breeches with a friend of mine (Camp Hill Section) and on off time, I go around looking for better areas because now that its summer, we keep running into boaters, party'ers, fetch with dogs etc... Yesterday I was fishing at a dam and there was a Dub-Tee guy catching some fish on Power Bait... Most were not big enough for him so he was chucking them across the stream. I saw that and packed 'er in for the day...

I heard of the FF only section in Boiling Springs but never fished it and looking for any other remote areas to get away from the "power baiter's". Any suggestions?
Oh, and suggestions for lower populated snakes makes me feel much better (copperheads, rattlesnakes...)

 

[tbum2020]

Clarks Creeks seems to be the closest to you...

Clark's Creek - Catch & Release Fly-Fishing Only - 2.4 miles; PGC rifle range parking area on SR 325 downstream to PGC access road at the Iron Furnace.



Here is a complete list of PA's Delayed Harvest Fly Fishing only (DHFFO) sections:

ADAMS
Conewago Creek – 1.1 miles; from 0.1 mile downstream of T-340 (Russel Tavern Rd.) downstream to SR 34

BEDFORD
Yellow Creek – 0.9 miles; from mouth of Maple Run (Jacks Run) upstream to cable near Red Bank Hill

CAMERON
Driftwood Branch Sinnemahoning Creek – 1.4 miles; from the Shippen Township Building downstream to 330 yards upstream of the SR 0120 Bridge near Emporium

CENTRE
Spring Creek (Fisherman’s Paradise) – 0.8 miles; from a point adjacent to the Stackhouse School Pistol Range downstream to the lower boundary of Bellefonte State Fish Hatchery grounds

CHESTER
French Creek – 0.9 mile; from the dam at Camp Sleepy Hollow downstream to Hollow Road

CUMBERLAND
Big Spring Creek – 1.1 miles; from 100 feet below the source (Big Spring) downstream to the Nealy Road Bridge
Green Spring Creek – 1 mile; from mouth upstream to near confluence with Bulls Head Branch
Letort Spring Run – 1.7 miles; from 300 yards upstream of bridge on T-481 (Bonnybrook Road) downstream to the Reading Railroad Bridge at the southern edge of Letort Spring Park

DAUPHIN
Clark Creek – 2.4 miles; PGC rifle range parking area on SR 325 downstream to PGC access road at the Iron Furnace

DELAWARE
Ridley Creek – 0.6 mile; from the falls in Ridley Creek State Park downstream to the mouth of Dismal Run

ELK
West Branch Clarion River – 0.5 miles; from intersection of SR 219 and SR 4003 upstream to the former Texas Gulf Sulphur property line 0.6 miles upstream of SR 4003 bridge

FAYETTE
Dunbar Creek – 4.1 miles; from the confluence of Glade Run downstream to the stone quarry along SR 1055

FRANKLIN
East Branch Antietam Creek – 1 mile; from SR 16 downstream to T-365 (Welty Rd.)
Falling Spring Branch – 2.5 miles; from the first private lane located 672 feet upstream of Briar Lane Bridge downstream to a wire fence crossing the Thomas L. Geisel property

INDIANA
Little Mahoning Creek – 4.1 miles; from Oberlin Road Bridge abutments upstream of SR 1041 Bridge upstream to Cesna Run

JEFFERSON
North Fork Redbank Creek – 1.9 miles; from SR 322 in Brookville upstream 1.9 miles, except a 110-yard section from the Brookville Water Authority Dam downstream to the wire across the creek

LANCASTER
Donegal Creek – 2.4 miles; from 275 yards below SR 772 downstream to T-334
West Branch Octoraro Creek – 2.0 miles; from 30 yards downstream of the SR 0472 downstream to 230 yards upstream of the second unnamed tributary downstream of SR 2010 (Puseyville Road)

LAWRENCE
Slippery Rock Creek – 0.5 miles; from Heinz Camp property downstream to 0.25 miles below SR 2022 bridge

LEHIGH
Little Lehigh Creek – 1.8 miles; from the downstream face of the bridge on T-508 (Wild Cherry Lane) downstream to the upstream face of the bridge on T-510 (Millrace Road)
Little Lehigh Creek – 1 mile; from upstream face of Fish Hatchery Road bridge downstream to near the Oxford Dr. Bridge

LYCOMING / TIOGA
Slate Run – 7 miles; from the confluence of the Cushman and Francis branches downstream to the mouth

McKEAN
Marvin Creek – 0.9 miles; from vicinity of the high voltage line 3 miles south of Smethport downstream for a distance of 0.9 miles

MONROE
Bush Kill – 6.1 miles; on the Resica Falls Scout Reservation property except 200 yards on each side of the falls

POTTER
Kettle Creek – 1.7 miles; from a sign located 500 feet downstream of the SR 0144 bridge to a sign located 1.7 miles upstream of the lower boundary

SOMERSET
Clear Shade Creek – 1 mile; from the cable at Windber Water Dam upstream

TIOGA
Francis Branch (tributary to Slate Run) – 1.7 miles; from mouth upstream to Kramer Hollow

TIOGA / LYCOMING
Slate Run – 7 miles; from the confluence of the Cushman and Francis branches downstream to the mouth

UNION
White Deer Creek – 3.1 miles; from Cooper Mill Road upstream to Union/Centre County line

VENANGO
Little Sandy Creek – 1.3 miles; from the old bridge at Polk Center Pump House downstream to the bridge on Savannah Road (SR 3024)

WARREN
Caldwell Creek – 1.4 miles; from Selkirk highway bridge downstream to approximately 0.5 miles upstream of the Dotyville Bridge

WAYNE
Dyberry Creek – 0.8 miles; from 300m (0.19 mile) downstream from the third bridge on Dug Rd. (SR 4009) upstream of the mouth, downstream to the second bridge on Dug Rd. (SR 4009) upstream from the mouth

WYOMING
Bowman Creek – 0.8 miles; from SR 0292 downstream to Marsh Creek

YORK
Muddy Creek – 1.6 miles; from 300 yards downstream of Bruce Road Bridge (T-628) in Bruce downstream to 300 yards upstream of Bridgeton Road (SR 2032) Bridge in Bridgeton

 

[williamhj]

First off, I've always wondered if these areas are all around better...

They can be if the regs mean they are being managed well. They can also be the spots everyone goes to because they are well known. So even if there are a lot of fish they might be spooky or better 'educated' having seen so many flies and been caught and released so often or it might just be that it is hard to find a nice place to fish without bumping into other people. It can be good to explore. Either explore some completely different place or see if you can get in the water a bit above or below the fly only areas. Look for another access point or walk further than most people walk. I think a lot of folks stay pretty close to the parking lots and a surprisingly short hike can yield solitude and less pressured fish.

 

[enolaeagle]

Great list tbum!!!

I've always strayed away from both Clarks and Stoney Creek in Dauphin because there's a nasty array of snakes...

I just got back from the Boiling Springs branch of the Yellow Breeches and had some fun catching this little bugger.

I lost one and had quite a few strikes on a black gnat. At first I was nymphing with a woolly bugger tandem rig (with prince nymph). They would come right to it but not take it.
Later on, I switched to an Adams and that's what they hit.

 

[tbum2020]

What part of yellow breeches did you fish? I try to stray away from the run which is where a lot of people new to the area get "stuck". Next time your there try heading down to the Allenberry Resort dam waters. Above the dam you'll find some nice dry fly action and directly below has some nice streamer opps. along with nymphing waters as you work your way downstream.

I know you asked about delayed harvest fly-fishing only but really any of the special regulations areas will help you separate yourself from the "sinkers". I'm not sure if your aware or not but PA has another section called delayed harvest artificial lures only which basically the same, in 2003 PA eliminated the DH fly-fishing only regulation. There are 26 delayed harvest fly-fishing only (DHFFO) waters and 51 delayed harvest artificial lures only (DHALO) projects.
Below are links to an amazing interactive map which mark all the special regulation waters by regions:

Southcentral Pennsylvania Special Regulation Trout Streams -
Pennsylvania Fly Fishing - Southcentral Streams - PaFlyFish.com - Blog
OR
Entire State (You have to click on a region (text) below the colored map to view the special reg waters) -
Pennsylvania Fly Fishing - Pennsylvania Trout Streams - PaFlyFish.com - Blog

 

[enolaeagle]

I was at the Allenberry section where the damn is and ventured downstream, closer to the public waters. I saw there's a section right off the fly shop and a drag where you walk a trail with multiple access points but I wasn't very intersted in that area.

I thought the Allenberry section was decent. Next time, I will wade further to the public area. That run is all covered by private property so there's no access in except the stream from the resort. I'm thinking that may be a prime area.

 

[tbum2020]

The water known as "The Run" is a small stream that feeds the Yellow Breeches with cold water year round and is 100% open to the public (Catch and Release only). To get there you would make a left out of the Allenberry Inn onto Boiling Springs Road then make a left onto Bucher Hill Road and follow the road for a short distance until you see a parking lot on your left. This is a PA Fish commission parking lot and is physically located on "The Run" where it flows out of the Boiling Springs lake. At the end of the parking lot is a bridge which takes you to a trail that parallels "the run" until it flows into the Yellow Breeches. The run has trout stacked on top of trout and usually fisherman on top on fisherman, very high fishing pressure. A little hint for the run: high stick the fast flowing water with a red midge larvae on 5x tippet and you'll put on a show for everyone! FYI the entire length of the run is about 300 yards.