PA September fishing

[hambone111]

Due to life events its been probably 3 years since family and I have taken a proper vacation.

We are a fan of getting out to remote quiet locations. preferably around bodies of water. this was easy when we lived on the great lakes and could go up to the U.P. or Wisconsin but its a little harder being back on the east coast.

we moved back to MD and i was thinking PA would be a good opportunity to get some seclusion. ive always enjoyed the fishing there too.

Any recommendations for Wadeable rivers that will fish well in late august or early september? I fish the Potomac wading near packhorse forge and the washington county are my whole life so i dont mind large bodies of water as recommendations. I fished the Tygart in WV a couple years ago and its about like the size of the Delaware or Susquehanna probably.

also dont need to be bass or trout. just good fishing

thanks for recommendations

 

[Ard]

Hi,

Late August or September were never prime times for me on the larger streams. When I say larger I'm talking about Big Pine Creek as an example. The major hatch activity for may flies has ended and things get harder. Generally the water has also warmed by that time of year so I would be looking for camping or lodging that put me in close proximity to the tributary streams flowing into Big Pine or Kettle Creek. This would put you in either northwest Lycoming or Potter counties and maybe Clinton County. The Villages of Slate Run and Ceder Run are good base camp points for Pine Creek tribs and Cross Forks puts you close to Hammersly Fork Creek and others that flow into Kettle.

That's the freestone short list; for limestone creeks perhaps look to staying around Lemar PA. or out in Loganton which will have you near Fishing Creek. Bellefont or Milesburg area will have you near Spring and Bald Eagle creeks and they are both worth a look. There's also the Spring Mill's / Coburn area which will have you at Penn's Creek and Elk Creek.

I fished all of those places and more for many years and every one I named is a very good place to fish although things are a bit tougher at the end of August through September. You can still raise fish to dry flies on the small brooks throughout the late summer and fall but I always used streamers concentrating on the deeper troths on all of the larger streams that time of year. Having grown up in Pennsylvania I'm aware of almost limitless destinations but then spending 30 years fishing a state will do that for you. What I've listed is a fair starting point.

Ard

 

[smp005]

I would consider western Maryland - the savage river and surrounding brook Trout waters. Plenty of great camping spots if you want to pull a camper and since the savage is a tail water it fishes well in aug and sept. You can check with Mike at Savage River Outfitters for more info..


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[hambone111]

I would consider western Maryland - the savage river and surrounding brook Trout waters. Plenty of great camping spots if you want to pull a camper and since the savage is a tail water it fishes well in aug and sept. You can check with Mike at Savage River Outfitters for more info..


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yeah, im very familiar with western Maryland and it was my preferred choice until i did an internet search for housing.. I'm more of a fan of the Castleman than the Savage and Would spend the whole week on the north Branch of the Potomac to be honest over any of the other streams. many Many great days of fishing on that river in the summer in years past.
My issue is that Deep creek has really gotten built up since the 90"s when i used to fish it regularly and i dont know if we will get the seclusion we are looking for without spending a ton of money on a house. maybee i just need to keep hunting the web for better locations. we have a little one, not even 2yrs old next summer and the wife couldnt bear to not bring the dogs. im good but idk if i could pull off a camping trip with that deck!

 

[hambone111]

Hi,

Late August or September were never prime times for me on the larger streams. When I say larger I'm talking about Big Pine Creek as an example. The major hatch activity for may flies has ended and things get harder. Generally the water has also warmed by that time of year so I would be looking for camping or lodging that put me in close proximity to the tributary streams flowing into Big Pine or Kettle Creek. This would put you in either northwest Lycoming or Potter counties and maybe Clinton County. The Villages of Slate Run and Ceder Run are good base camp points for Pine Creek tribs and Cross Forks puts you close to Hammersly Fork Creek and others that flow into Kettle.

That's the freestone short list; for limestone creeks perhaps look to staying around Lemar PA. or out in Loganton which will have you near Fishing Creek. Bellefont or Milesburg area will have you near Spring and Bald Eagle creeks and they are both worth a look. There's also the Spring Mill's / Coburn area which will have you at Penn's Creek and Elk Creek.

I fished all of those places and more for many years and every one I named is a very good place to fish although things are a bit tougher at the end of August through September. You can still raise fish to dry flies on the small brooks throughout the late summer and fall but I always used streamers concentrating on the deeper troths on all of the larger streams that time of year. Having grown up in Pennsylvania I'm aware of almost limitless destinations but then spending 30 years fishing a state will do that for you. What I've listed is a fair starting point.

Ard

thanks a lot! ill check out those counties and see what comes up

i initially found some places in and around Bald eagle state park and then also State land park #89 i think. and they seemed pretty close to some good bodies of water.

how will the Susquehanna fish around that time? and how is the yough above the MD line ?

 

[Ard]

The west branch of the Susquehanna extends from the forks down near Sunbury PA. all the way up to Sinnamahoning Creek and further north. I've never fished beyond Sinnamahoning myself. A favorite stretch in September was that which extends from the town of Jersey Shore upstream to Avis PA. This is where Antes Creek (limestoner) and Big Pine Creek meet the big river. There is a brown drake type may fly that comes off the river around September 20 that is pretty incredible. This is big water and the flies pretty much blanket the river from bank to bank. When I fished there the small mouth bass population was off the charts with the average being 14.5" and large ones in the 20" range with some larger ones thrown in for thrills. There are also Walleye and Channel cats with a few Pike and Muskie up around where Big Pine enters the river. Trout happen but the bass are the main species number wise.

As good as that all may sound I owned a small power drifter and fished this whole thing from the boat. It is big water and although you can find areas where you could wade it would involve miles of walking to find the best areas.

I would stick to the creeks mentioned in the earlier post unless I had a boat with a driver who knew where he was going. The Big Pine Creek and Little Pine (at Waterville) provide great bass fishing in their lower ends. There are caddis hatches on them pretty much year round unless it gets cold enough to slow things down. There is a fly shop at the Waterville General Store and unless things have changed they have a few guides. The Slate Run Orvis shop also has guides working out of there. This would be the best way to get on the sections of the creeks where the fishing is good.

There are also fly shops (now) at Coburn on Penn's Creek and they probably have guides also. Basically every area I've mentioned has a shop and someone guiding I believe. The river between Jersey Shore and Avis could be the one area where access and guidance could be a problem. A trip up the Pine Creek Valley on Rt.44 north to Rt. 414 and then on into Wellsboro PA. and then onto Rt. 6 (one of the top scenic highways of America) would give you a look at why the road has earned national acclaim. That road would lead you west toward Coudersport PA and from there into the Allegheny National Forest. The whole area is criss crossed with trout streams, hundreds of them. It's hard to drive anywhere across the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania without passing some well known or little known stream.

I've been a lot of places on the continent and seen some of what we come to know as the famous landscapes. Pennsylvania, I guess I know that place best. Things have changed I'm sure since I left in 2004 but I'm also sure some things remain unchanged. Good luck wherever you go.

 

[hambone111]

The west branch of the Susquehanna extends from the forks down near Sunbury PA. all the way up to Sinnamahoning Creek and further north. I've never fished beyond Sinnamahoning myself. A favorite stretch in September was that which extends from the town of Jersey Shore upstream to Avis PA. This is where Antes Creek (limestoner) and Big Pine Creek meet the big river. There is a brown drake type may fly that comes off the river around September 20 that is pretty incredible. This is big water and the flies pretty much blanket the river from bank to bank. When I fished there the small mouth bass population was off the charts with the average being 14.5" and large ones in the 20" range with some larger ones thrown in for thrills. There are also Walleye and Channel cats with a few Pike and Muskie up around where Big Pine enters the river. Trout happen but the bass are the main species number wise.

As good as that all may sound I owned a small power drifter and fished this whole thing from the boat. It is big water and although you can find areas where you could wade it would involve miles of walking to find the best areas.

I would stick to the creeks mentioned in the earlier post unless I had a boat with a driver who knew where he was going. The Big Pine Creek and Little Pine (at Waterville) provide great bass fishing in their lower ends. There are caddis hatches on them pretty much year round unless it gets cold enough to slow things down. There is a fly shop at the Waterville General Store and unless things have changed they have a few guides. The Slate Run Orvis shop also has guides working out of there. This would be the best way to get on the sections of the creeks where the fishing is good.

There are also fly shops (now) at Coburn on Penn's Creek and they probably have guides also. Basically every area I've mentioned has a shop and someone guiding I believe. The river between Jersey Shore and Avis could be the one area where access and guidance could be a problem. A trip up the Pine Creek Valley on Rt.44 north to Rt. 414 and then on into Wellsboro PA. and then onto Rt. 6 (one of the top scenic highways of America) would give you a look at why the road has earned national acclaim. That road would lead you west toward Coudersport PA and from there into the Allegheny National Forest. The whole area is criss crossed with trout streams, hundreds of them. It's hard to drive anywhere across the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania without passing some well known or little known stream.

I've been a lot of places on the continent and seen some of what we come to know as the famous landscapes. Pennsylvania, I guess I know that place best. Things have changed I'm sure since I left in 2004 but I'm also sure some things remain unchanged. Good luck wherever you go.

Awesome info!


I did find some good cabins in and around the mentioned pine creek sections. Around State game lands #89 seems to be turning up good housing along with Bald Eagle State park which is just south of #89. So it looks like im on the right tack. and the good section of the Susq you mentioned is also right there, although it doesn't sound wadeable, Maybee ill start squirreling away some cash and see if i can convince wifey to let me book a float day or half day on the susquehana since it would be so close.

thanks for all the info. !