JerryC
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2014
- Messages
- 525
Haven't seen too many, if any Dace, in the streams I fish in SE PA. Some chub and what I call Shinners, your basic minnow used for bait.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
I'd agree with Dace and Chubs being the most prevalent.
J
JeffK
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 1,312
One more agree. I used to snorkel my local trout streams and always saw black nosed dace right where the riffles shallow up at the head of a pool flitting around in the current. But longnose dace may be more common some places They have more of an olive back. I tie a craft fur streamer for them with olive over gray craft fur and a dark blue flash lateral line (spare lateral line) . Some guys I know (who catch more than their fair share of fish) like a wooly bugger with a brown tail and hackle, peacock herl body, and some red flash in the tail and claim it matches longnose dace.
Chubs spawn in late spring and build mounds of gravel to lay their eggs in. The males protect the nests and can be vulnerable to large brown trout. The male chubs take on rosy spawning colors and an old pattern for them is a black over red over white bucktail streamer. A good one to try if you see chub nests.
One more thing I go back and forth with are fry patterns; healthy streams have plenty of fry. My original used to be a 1/64 oz jig painted light pink with a very sparse light pink marabou tail. My kids called it our "Secret Fly." Oldtimers used to call the fry "pinheads" so a lot of patterns with a head with or without obvious eyes and a very thin tail are worth trying IMHO.
Chubs spawn in late spring and build mounds of gravel to lay their eggs in. The males protect the nests and can be vulnerable to large brown trout. The male chubs take on rosy spawning colors and an old pattern for them is a black over red over white bucktail streamer. A good one to try if you see chub nests.
One more thing I go back and forth with are fry patterns; healthy streams have plenty of fry. My original used to be a 1/64 oz jig painted light pink with a very sparse light pink marabou tail. My kids called it our "Secret Fly." Oldtimers used to call the fry "pinheads" so a lot of patterns with a head with or without obvious eyes and a very thin tail are worth trying IMHO.
Dave_W
Moderator
Staff member
In waters with marginal temps where trout are stocked for P&T and/or have seasonal trout populations, I'd guess creek chubs and common shiners are most prevalent. This seems to be the case in my neck of the woods. Fallfish are also very numerous (I think they are more numerous than in the past) and many are in the 4-6" range - ideal trout food. On limestone streams I think sculpins are the most prevalent. Also, don't rule out juvenile white suckers as trout food - they're very thick on some trout streams.
tomgamber
Well-known member
Dace, sculpins, couple of other actual minnows. I try to suggest rather than imitate. My 2cents.
L
lycoflyfisher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2014
- Messages
- 1,359
In limestone influenced streams, sculpin by far seem to be most prevalent. In freestoners around the state black nose dace, creek chub, white sucker, longnose dace, darters with varying density depending on drainage area, basin, water quality, etc.
