Laurel run, Schaeffers creek, or Kansas valley

C_kreek17

C_kreek17

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Hello all,

I have some free time coming up and and was hoping to make a trip to some wild trout waters. I live about an hour away from Laurel, Schaffer, and Kansas valley and was wondering if it’s worth the drive? I’m not looking for any specific spots, but I’ve driven to my fair share class A and wilderness streams only to be disappointed. I really can’t seem to find much information on them (maybe that’s a good thing?) so any thoughts are appreciated.
 
C_kreek17 said:
Hello all,

I have some free time coming up and and was hoping to make a trip to some wild trout waters. I live about an hour away from Laurel, Schaffer, and Kansas valley and was wondering if it’s worth the drive? I’m not looking for any specific spots, but I’ve driven to my fair share class A and wilderness streams only to be disappointed. I really can’t seem to find much information on them (maybe that’s a good thing?) so any thoughts are appreciated.
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Only one way to find out. You got the time, check them out.

I’ve fished all three. They’re all small, but fishable…they aren’t rhodo fortresses or anything. All three have populations of wild fish. My read was that one was better than the other two from my small sampling. I’d fish that one again, but not the other two probably. Check them out then shoot me a PM and see if your findings were the same as mine.
 
An hour away, you should really fish all of the streams in the area but would personally wait until ideal conditions in may. You will have a blast with dry flies!
 
I surveyed Schaeffer decades ago. I’m thinking that it may have been stocked at that time and the survey resulted in it or a portion of it being removed from the stocking program. I’m a bit more uncertain on this than usual. Anyway, it was a nice stream and had a decent population of wild browns, but it was typical of wild trout streams of its size. Good stream but not particularly memorable. Worth trying though. Could be better by now. Laurel Rn looked more interesting to me, but I never surveyed or fished it. Generally, I like that region, however, so it’s worth exploring.
 
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Thanks for the input! I agree the only way to really know is to check them out. The biggest thing I was worried about was mine drainage or something (I read somewhere that Laurel had it, but I’m assuming it was a different Laurel run..).
Unfortunately Monday doesn’t look like great weather so maybe I’ll have to make multiple trips throughout the year!

At the end of the day, fishing for brookies sure beats sitting in the office.
 
Laurel is one of the most common stream names in PA. There isn’t any significant AMD in any of the streams in the area I can remember.
 
Got it, good to know about the amd. And yea Laurel and trout run seem to be common. I have about 3-4 trout runs within 30 minutes of me haha
 
Laurel Run isn't Class A, but it has a decent population of wild fish and Shaeffer Run used to be in the Wild Brook Trout Management program. I never caught anything but brook trout in either. I did catch a brownie or two in Kansas Valley Run.

All three have willing fish, however I can think of more than a few other Class A and Natural Reproduction streams where I catch more and bigger fish than those three.

As far as access goes, Kansas Valley Run is the smallest & tightest of three streams but it's manageable with a short rod. Laurel & Shaffer are a bit more open. While my choices don't have to be your choices, I usually fish all three with a 6'6" rod and I have used a 5'6" rod on the upper end of Kansas Valley Run.

Another option is the upper end (Section 1) of Sherman Creek which is Class A and bigger, however you might run into folks challenging you this time of year because the sections below are Stocked Trout Waters and closed until Opening Day.

One final thing, I've seen more bears in Perry County than anywhere else in PA including a closer than comfortable encounter on Shaeffer Run, so keep an eye out and have fun!
 
I yield to Bamboozle. Since he caught wild brooks, I was either farther downstream on the survey since I remember browns or else my memory has failed me with respect to the species collected. Maybe it was a mix of species and I forgot about that.
 
Brookies only for me in Sheaffer. Browns on lower KVR and mixed pops in middle transitioning to brookies in upper reaches. There are other streams not listed here that are well-worth your time. Perry County is VERY underrated for wild trout. Don't be afraid to explore. Study the maps and pick 2-3 streams in close proximity that you can easily fish in one outing. You'll begin to build a short list of gems this way. Tons of underfished/undiscovered water there. GL
 
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