First Visit to Clark's Creek- Observations and Questions

[MD_Gene]

First, I will say that over the years reading this board as well as books and magazines about the beauty of the place has not been overstated! It's incredible. I found myself hiking it more than fishing it to see WHAT'S AROUND THE BEND. I parked and went in at the first major parking area for the FFO area. A rifle range I believe. I fished on-and-off upstream. Within the first 10 minutes I got a 9" brookie. Beautiful. On a SJW.

But then I continued to fish and got nothing and saw nothing. In some incredible runs and pools I walked in expecting to spook trout but nothing. Over the entire 3/4 of a mile I fished/hiked I saw one other trout (plus the brookie). I met two other fisherman who had had similar experiences.

Now I don't expect to see wild trout while walking the bank but I did expect to see stocked trout milling about. I also expected to spook some wild trout but only one?! When I fish Spring Creek near State College for example I am always spooking fish.

People who are more familiar with the stream, I would appreciate your thoughts and insights. Look forward to learning more about this beautiful stream.

Thanks in advance.

 

[albud1962]

You fished one of the most pressured streams in Dauphin County. While Clark's get a sizeable number of fish (about 10,000 during the entire season), there is an army of anglers climbing its banks after opening day.

A lot depends where you fished. The lower sections don't hold fish as the water tends to warm later in the season. Clark's doesn't have a high density of wild fish but they are there. Also just because you can't see them doesn't mean the section is devoid of trout. The fish blend very well with the stream bottom and many people walk by pods of fish without even seeing them. The fly area has mostly stocked fish. Over the last several years woody debris has created log jams which impedes float stocking. The fish may be concentrated in a few select pools where they were dumped. We had bad weather for the scheduled stocking date and some people have claimed not many fish were stocked this year because of it. And lastly Clark Creek is a tough stream to fly fish. The trout spook easily, overhead trees, snags, no current and crystal clear water make fishing there challenging to say the least. The water temperature is still on the cold side. I measured it on Saturday and it was in the mid 40's. You will need to make several trips before you can begin to figure it out.

 

[MD_Gene]

Thanks. That makes sense. You're right, I measured 46 degrees late morning. An interesting note. I saw tons of midges flying about some caddis and even a March Brown (I think). I would have expected to see a dimple or 2. The fish were stocked a month ago (exactly) so the fish know what a bug ism by now.

Another question: what organization float stocks it?

 

[krayfish2]

If you started at the gun range and went up, you fished the open water section which gets POUNDED opening weekend. Going downriver would have put you in the FFO section. If you had beautiful riffs and pools....again, open water. If you fished deep, slow pools filled with log jams and virtually no moving water.....FFO section. I live 5 minutes from there and can help you if you come up this way again. Don't fish it but have a lot over the years.

There are wild fish and stocked fish. You probably only saw a fraction of the fish. Between the bottom coloration and lighting, they are tough to see. Many hide under the banks too. The fish become very skittish once the waster drops. The bug you saw should have been a Hendrickson based on calendar and water temps. That insect is different than ones you see on most other creeks. Give it 4-5 more degrees in water temp and the fish will rise to them.

 

[laurelrun]

Fished Clarks yesterday above and below the reservoir. Heavy stocking in the open water. Yielded dozens of willing Brookies. Above the reservoir I did not see any stocked fish. But I managed a few wild browns on what I believe was a Hendrickson hatch. Midges were swarming the top water. Few risers. A great and fun day!

 

[Paflyfishaholic]

Clarks is my go to stream when I wanna go fishing. I fish mostly close to the bridge in FFO section. 2nd weekend and 3rd weekend of April I was there and they were taking quill gordons in the afternoon. Clarks Creek will remind you that you have to sneak up to the banks to fish. They are easily spooked and can be very selective at times and water can be ginger clear most of the time. I find myself using 6x and 7x most of the time but taking my time observing before I rush into the stream. I've seen bait fisherman get shutdown in open area when caterpillars were falling from the trees, you would think it was raining how many fish were rising to take the caterpillars off the surface. All in all Clarks Creek fishery seems to keep my fly fishing skills in check lol