Pickerel in Tuscarora Creek

[jifigz]

Can anyone clue me in as to whether there are chain pickerel in Tuscarora Creek in Juniata County? One person I know told me that there are but I don't necessarily trust them. The PFBC used to manage their website listing waters as whether they held the species or not (which I much preferred over their current system of listing the "best" places to find a species in the state) and Tuscarora was not on that list. From driving over the stream on the few locations where roads cross it it appears as if it could hold chain pickerel. I am interested in fly fishing for some pickerel but other than Colyer Lake (which soon will be drained for repairs if it isn't already) and Poe Lake I am unaware of any other places in my area that hold them. Thanks for any information anyone may provide.

 

[Fishidiot]

jifigz wrote:
Can anyone clue me in as to whether there are chain pickerel in Tuscarora Creek in Juniata County?

Probably.
Chain pickerel exist in small numbers across the central and southeast parts of the state and turn up from time to time in spots where you wouldn't expect to catch them, including some limestone trout streams. I have caught pickerel in the Juniata River in that area, but I don't consider them numerous enough to target.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

I've caught a few Chain Pickerel in Black Moshannon. Also have caught some in Tuscarora well upstream of Juniata. There are a few in Mountain Creek below Laurel Lake which probably came out of lake.

 

[jifigz]

foxtrapper1972 wrote:
I've caught a few Chain Pickerel in Black Moshannon.

Yeah I forgot about Black Mo...
I've caught a ton from there. I fish the Juniata a lot from Mount Union to Mexico and I've never encountered one in the Juniata. I was thinking a few miles upstream in Tuscarora might have a good population. I have also heard that there is a decent population in the Aughwick.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

There is a quarry near Myerstown PA that used to be open to public swimming and is now only for divers I believe and it had some very large pickerel. I caught them there on big shiny spinners and Rapalas...

That section of Juniata you mention should have some musky if you like fish with big teeth.

 

[Fishidiot]

foxtrapper1972 wrote:
That section of Juniata you mention should have some musky if you like fish with big teeth.

While that section used to be a first class muskie area, unfortunately, the PFBC has not stocked muskie fingerlings in that section of river for nearly a decade. Many of us would like to see it returned to the stocking schedule. Although there are still likely some muskies in that area (old fish or swim downs from other areas)....if it were me, I'd focus on other sections or rivers if you're seeking muskies.

The lower section of the river below Newport is still heavily stocked with fingerlings.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

Fishidiot- Thanks for the info. Most of my info on the Juniata is probably out of date!!Damn!! Well I know I caught and saw some whoppers there and also in the area below Thompsontown (probably over ten yrs ago come to think of it). Never took one on a fly but had follows a few times. That lower end always had musky----below Newport. There are also some very nice big pools in the areas upstream from the confluence with Susquehanna that look like they should have some musky if they are around.

 

[Swattie87]

My experience with Chain Pickerel in bigger WW streams and rivers is that even when there’s a healthy, stable population of them they’re not a very common fish to catch. They’re present in the Upper Swatara watershed, say upstream of Jonestown or so. I maybe catch one per year and I fish that area a good bit in the Summer. There more common to catch than say Muskie, but not really a fish you can specifically target. They’re smaller than Muskies so you can’t throw massive streamers that nothing else in the river would be able to eat, like you do for Muskies. It’s more like you’re basically fishing for Smallies and once in a while you pull in a Pickerel.

That being said, there are lakes in the Poconos that are literally full of them. They seem to be relatively acid tolerant, as I’ve also found them in small, usually tannic and acidic Trout streams. They run smaller in these streams…12” is a dandy, but they can become very locally abundant. I know of one Brookie stream where it’s hard to keep the little Pickerel away from the fly long enough to let the Brookies get to it.

 

[jifigz]

foxtrapper1972 wrote:
That section of Juniata you mention should have some musky if you like fish with big teeth.

It does indeed have Musky and a fair number of them....I've caught a few while smallmouth fishing. None too big, however, with the largest coming in around 35". Actually the last time I caught one of those was December 31st, 2012 in Newton Hamilton...so it's been a while.

Pickerel are great though. They are so easy to catch and hit viciously at times. Plus they are absolutely delicious if one should decide to keep one or two. A fantastic fish that for some reason doesn't get much love.

 

[Fishidiot]

Swattie87 wrote:
My experience with Chain Pickerel in bigger WW streams and rivers is that even when there’s a healthy, stable population of them they’re not a very common fish to catch. . It’s more like you’re basically fishing for Smallies and once in a while you pull in a Pickerel.

Agree.

 

[Fishidiot]

jifigz wrote:
It does indeed have Musky and a fair number of them....I've caught a few while smallmouth fishing. None too big, however, with the largest coming in around 35". Actually the last time I caught one of those was December 31st, 2012 in Newton Hamilton...so it's been a while.
.

The area of the river that no longer receives muskie fingerlings is between Lewistown and Newport. It still gets fingerlings above Lewistown, although fairly small numbers of them. Check the PFBC website under WW stockings, historical, and you can see the different management sections of the river and how many fingerlings they rec'd.

Again, you could certainly see a muskie at Tuscarora Creek - don't get me wrong. However, I fish that section of the J pretty frequently and I see muskies in that area much less frequently than I did a few years ago. The answer is because it isn't stocked. I wish the PFBC would reverse this decision and resume fingerling stockings in that section as it is a beautiful and popular section of river.

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

Fish' we were talking about the "J" the last muskies inc meeting as a possible place we could stock with club raised fish. We are still early
In the process of having our holding pond tested by PAFBC.

 

[jifigz]

Fishidiot wrote:

The area of the river that no longer receives muskie fingerlings is between Lewistown and Newport. It still gets fingerlings above Lewistown, although fairly small numbers of them. Check the PFBC website under WW stockings, historical, and you can see the different management sections of the river and how many fingerlings they rec'd.

Again, you could certainly see a muskie at Tuscarora Creek - don't get me wrong. However, I fish that section of the J pretty frequently and I see muskies in that area much less frequently than I did a few years ago. The answer is because it isn't stocked. I wish the PFBC would reverse this decision and resume fingerling stockings in that section as it is a beautiful and popular section of river.

I've read over the WW stockings on the PFBC many times...I didn't really notice that section doesn't get stocked any longer. I still imagine that there are a fair number of them dispersed throughout the river in its entirety. I live directly on the Juniata and fish it almost daily and I encounter what I would consider a lot of Musky when I have the stealth of my fishing kayak to aid me.

 

[SteveG]

Does Poe Lake even have a decent population anymore? I've camped there every year since I was born in 83' haha. Me and my cousins used to love catching them.

I'm not a fan of their lake management. For some reason they now cut all the brush right down to the water, and cut back trees where Big Poe Creek enters the lake. Its sterile compared to what it was years ago. Its a shame watching something that holds such a special place in your heart deteriorate.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear jifigz,

Give Lake Perez/Stone Valley a couple of years to stabilize once it is refilled and if it returns to form it will be loaded with pickerel. It was supposed to have been refilled this Spring but I do not know if it was?

If you really want to catch pickerel you will probably have to drive a bit though. There simply aren't many lakes in Central Pa that have them. I've caught a few in Walker Lake and Faylor Lake over in Snyder County but compared to the Poconos pickerel fishing in Central PA is non-existent.

Regards,

Tim Murphy