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Pine Creek, in North Central Pennsylvania, is one of
the finest and most substantial trout streams in the
State. It is a large river that runs through deep canyon
slopes, has excellent quality consistent hatches, with
beautiful wild and stocked trout. It begins as a small
creek above Brookland and eventually grows to 200-plus
feet in stretches below Blackwell, where it flows into
the West Branch of the Susquehanna. Pine Creek is fairly
easy to wade in most spots, and is a great place to begin
fly fishing and bring the kids along, too.
From Brookland, Pine Creek follows From Brookland,
Pine Creek follows Route 449 to Walton, where Route
449 picks up Route 6, and flows for another couple
of miles to West Pike. This section of river is small
and holds both wild brown and brook trout. It is fairly
swift, and pockets of water followed by short runs
help make this five-mile stretch a good place to hold
fish, and also drift a nymph. As it nears West Pike,
Pine Creek grows in size with the help of a couple
of cool feeders. |
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At West Pike, Genesee Forks meets Pine Creek, once again
strengthening its flow. This stretch of river, all the
way to Galeton, is fairly accessible from Route 6. It
is stocked by the State, and you'll also find some wild
browns throughout this section. The last couple of miles
before Galeton are a little deeper, with some nice pools;
it's a good area to fish if you have trouble finding
good holding water upriver. However, don't be intimidated
by the lack of depth in this stretch, because browns
will hold as long as there is enough oxygen and some
nearby shade. |
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The West Branch of Pine Creek meets Pine Creek at Galeton.
Here both rivers are backed up by a dam, that unfortunately
slows down water flows, and helps warm the water during
the summer months. Trout fishing below the dam is for
stocked trout, and is best early in the year. By the
end of June, most trout have migrated closer to the mouths
of feeder streams, so fishing may be frustrating at that
time. Make sure you bring along a stream thermometer
and check water tepms. before fishing. Once again, this
section of river is fed by more feeder creeks, creating
a fairly large volume of water before it reaches Ansonia.
Below Ansonia, the river is called "The Canyon." This
piece of water is commonly known as Pine Creek Gorge,
which is lined with 700-foot high walls. It is a spectacular
valley, mostly visited by tourists and fishermen. Access
is somewhat difficult, although there are a few simple
ways to get to the river(ask for this information at
a local sport shop). One good way to access the creek
is by canoe. Here, the current can be very swift and
dangerous, so be careful. Large sets of rapids break
up the pools throughout this stretch.
At Blackville, Route 414 crosses the river, and from
here, Pine Creek flows south along this road to the
West Branch of the Susquehanna. Cedar Run and Slate
Run both enter Pine Creek at this spot and also have
reputations as great trout streams. This lower stretch
of Pine Creek is not as fertile, and hatches are lacking
here. Overall, Pine Creek has miles of good-quality
trout fishing.
The hatches on the river are very strong, and you
can find almost every eastern bug here. Most of the
common bugs, such as Hendricksons, Gray
Fox, March
Browns, Green
Drakes, and Cahills are
here in large numbers. Almost all of the other hatches
are here too, and provide excellent fill-ins when the
other more common bugs are not on the water. Pine Creek
in North Central Pennsylvania is a sleeper, and one
to keep in mind. |
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