Fall Fish, one of PA’s original native predators: Thread for techniques, reports, and Fisheries.

[rustbeltwilds]

Month of march on till early april water temps mid 40s on larger freestone streams. Jigs. Bead head buggers. They seem to pod up by size. So when you get on go right back to the well

 

[bigjohn358]

Month of march on till early april water temps mid 40s on larger freestone streams. Jigs. Bead head buggers. They seem to pod up by size. So when you get on go right back to the well

I remember one day on an opening day of trout (early/mid April) on Kettle where I got into a school of fall fish. Every one of them was like 18-22" Just monster fall fish. Must have caught 6 of them in that size range back to back to back all on pheasant tails. All bigger and put up more of a fight than the trout I caught all day.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Yea they tend to pod up in April thats the time of year they carry stones with their mouth to pile up and build Redds that can have been recorded as being up to 6 feet long and weigh several tons. They tend to spawn on the downstream “lip” of the mound and the redd associates(minows/shiners/chubs ect) use the outskirts of these nest as well for reproduction in a symbiotic mannor. Themis is thought to benefit fall fish because this provides buffer between them and egg predators. Also more of these “redd associates or cohabitators” enriches the ecosystem /prey base for our states predators(fall fish included)so I always try not to step on these redds in april.

 

[Captain Wader Farts]

We should stock Fall Fish

 

[Fish Sticks]

We should stock Fall Fish

Stocked fish are beautiful

 

[bigjohn358]

Stocked fish are beautiful

View attachment 1641230710

My brother caught a crappie like that once ice fishing that looked like that on Sayers Dam.

 

[jifigz]

Stocked fish are beautiful

View attachment 1641230710

That's from the being cut there. You stick your finger in there and pull you can gut and tear out the gills in one fell swoop. That's not a weird stockie syndrome like having no fins, etc, etc.

 

[Fish Sticks]

That's from the being cut there. You stick your finger in there and pull you can gut and tear out the gills in one fell swoop. That's not a weird stockie syndrome like having no fins, etc, etc.

I will have to give that a try next time I harvest a stocker.

 

[jifigz]

I will have to give that a try next time I harvest a stocker.

I don't really keep fish (like maybe a couple every 5 years) but it is a slick way to clean a trout. Cut that little flap of skin on the bottom jaw, stick your finger in, and pull. Out comes all organs, guts, and gills. Then use your thumbnail to push out the bloodline along the backbone. Choose a direction and just push and slide the goonk out. Then rinse. You have a whole trout, gut free and gill free, that I usually throw on the grill.

 

[troutbert]

Could anyone share their confidence patterns for fallfish?

I've caught a lot on sulphur patterns, during sulphur hatches.

I was fishing a stretch that seemed to hold about 50/50 wild browns and fallfish. During the sulphur hatch both were rising.

To me the rise forms look very similar. Chubs have splashy rise forms. But fallfish have rise forms very similar to trout. I can't tell the difference.

But, the trout were found where the current was faster, and the fallfish were in slow areas.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

But, the trout were found where the current was faster, and the fallfish were in slow areas.

That's pretty accurate. I've been told to find faster water if all you're catching are fallfish and chubs (if you want to catch trout).

 

[rancid waders]

I had never caught them in any great numbers as some guys have reported, but then I am still coming off a 6+ year streamer binge so not much is fresh in mind. I was thinking eggs

 

[Captain Wader Farts]

Stocked fish are beautiful

View attachment 1641230710

The way I see it: more chances for the fish to eat your fly

 

[Fish Sticks]

I've caught a lot on sulphur patterns, during sulphur hatches.

I was fishing a stretch that seemed to hold about 50/50 wild browns and fallfish. During the sulphur hatch both were rising.

To me the rise forms look very similar. Chubs have splashy rise forms. But fallfish have rise forms very similar to trout. I can't tell the difference.

But, the trout were found where the current was faster, and the fallfish were in slow areas.

Thats my experience on penns recently

 

[Fish Sticks]

I had never caught them in any great numbers as some guys have reported, but then I am still coming off a 6+ year streamer binge so not much is fresh in mind. I was thinking eggs

Streamers work great too in my experience but like wooly buggers clousers ect

 

[Fish Sticks]

The way I see it: more chances for the fish to eat your fly

This is true, i like to go straight to the raceway for this reason Specifically.

 

[Beweav]

These fallfish have made me feel better about myself as I learn to fly fish many times! I got this guy on a white wooly bugger this weekend. He was in a deeper fast moving riffle as well! You never know where you’ll find fallfish. Their scales are beautiful. He put up a pretty nice fight as well. I thought it was a SM at first. But they do seem to fizzle out pretty quick.

 

[Fish Sticks]

These fallfish have made me feel better about myself as I learn to fly fish many times! I got this guy on a white wooly bugger this weekend. He was in a deeper fast moving riffle as well! You never know where you’ll find fallfish. Their scales are beautiful. He put up a pretty nice fight as well. I thought it was a SM at first. But they do seem to fizzle out pretty quick. View attachment 1641230768

Beautiful fish, i can’t wait to get out and target em near home I’ve been tied down but soon will get out

 

[Fish Sticks]

Great morning fishing to individual fish rising. Caught almost all on top.

 

[Yoder]

I caught a pretty nice fallfish on Brodhead creek last week. I should have taken a picture. It was right around 14in. Caught it on a chartreuse mop fly.