ryansheehan
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I read that post, saw it was their first and immediately thought Kray went trolling!!!!
Where to go for wild browns.
- Thread starter mdamm318
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sixfootfenwick
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Holy Tippet Batman, you got enough to make a throw net and catch all the fish.
Might even be able to round most the invasive species and feed all the homeless in Harrisburg.
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
you never know when your going to need enough 3-4-5x to encircle the world twice
Fish Sticks
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Not that time
caddisflyer
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I pulled into a parking spot right by where Spring Cr. goes into the river and there was a big fat Rainbow in there. I bet it was 19" or so. I assume it came out of the river?
And getting back to the topic. NO I do not suggest Spring Cr.
And getting back to the topic. NO I do not suggest Spring Cr.
No trolling. It is small, not a lot of fish, some good fish and a solid chance of being robbed (or worse). Pretty much a complete hell hole
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
I have never confirmed it myself but the conewago from gretna to old hershey road i have heard reports of the odd trout being caught suspected of being wild but its pretty rare from what i have heard. There is one natural repro stream coming into the conewago in colebrook. Its prob not what your looking for but if you live right there near the E town hershey border and cant drive far might be worth investigating in winter cause its right under your nose. Odds are good you won’t find trout though. Pretty sure gretna lake being flushed like toilet every winter is a big impairment for all aquatic life in that stream.
ryansheehan
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No, I meant the OP saying "native browns"
sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
It is small, but it has a pretty good population of fish, I certainly wouldn't call it a small one. Runoff and flooding hurts it, but most years it is a decent population. It's a very fertile creek and grows some decent fish for sure, as I have caught some very nice ones. It's a limestone spring that I catch a fair number of rising fish in fairly often, which is a nice change compared to most spring creeks.
It can be tight in the vegetation but there is plenty of places to cast easily. It certainly is easier to fish than most of Pennsylvania's small wild trout streams in the forests.
Ive fished it many times without incident but can certainly see it as being a dangerous place. I wouldn't fish it at dusk IMO, nor alone anymore or without protection, which is why I just don't bother with it anymore. Getting older and less daring I suppose.
Either way, the creek itself isn't a hellhole. It's pretty decent as far as small wild trout streams go and can be very beautiful considering it's location. The area around it, a completely different story.
I will say population wise, it's a better than most the trout streams suggested in this thread and it's only about 20 minutes from Etown.
Safe to fish? Probably not.
It can be tight in the vegetation but there is plenty of places to cast easily. It certainly is easier to fish than most of Pennsylvania's small wild trout streams in the forests.
Ive fished it many times without incident but can certainly see it as being a dangerous place. I wouldn't fish it at dusk IMO, nor alone anymore or without protection, which is why I just don't bother with it anymore. Getting older and less daring I suppose.
Either way, the creek itself isn't a hellhole. It's pretty decent as far as small wild trout streams go and can be very beautiful considering it's location. The area around it, a completely different story.
I will say population wise, it's a better than most the trout streams suggested in this thread and it's only about 20 minutes from Etown.
Safe to fish? Probably not.
sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
It likely came out of the river.
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
Someone from DFTU went there and saw a guy netting entire holes with lead lined sane nets lol! No idea how it keeps any fish in it but it does. They prob just go under those huge R4 bolders when the net comes scraping along
They said something to him and apparently it got REALLY hostile
sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
Lol don't be shy about it. I said you had enough tippet to make a throw net 😂
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
Lol this was more of the subsistence variety than the conservation variety. That creek ain’t the hill to die on unless used c****** and old submerged vacuum cleaners get an endangered species act listing.
sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
Did it filter condoms or did you? Guess I'll find out.
I totally agree with what you say. This creek certainly isn't a hill to die on, cause it could kill you as a very real possibility. But still when the OP asked a creek close to Etown that has wild browns, this creek came to my mind first, but I won't fish it anymore. Drive 25 more minutes on the TP and you can be in Carlisle near the Letort.
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
Yea also its been said to me by a very knowledgeable angler who is no longer around sadly that almost every stream in york county south of route 30 has wild brown trout in it. Problem in york county from what i have heard is access on some of those. But Tim Murphy named some with access i am assuming in his prior post. I have only been to codorus and that ones fun.
sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
I've fished almost all the trout streams on the Nat. reproduction list in York. All your statements are true. They do.
But I didn't even think of those because they aren't as close as you think.
Consider. If in Etown you are 45 minutes Carlisle.
Etown to Otter Creek in York County 48 minutes.
You can be on a superior trout stream compared to that one in the same amount of time. Same thing with the Codorus etc....
Of course this is a frustrating and different type of stream. If you are looking for easier fish, forest setting, go elsewhere. If you are looking for a good fish population with a possibility of larger specimens, go to Carlisle. Closest thing to that is Spring Creek in Harrisburg, it's why I thought of it. However in the Carlisle area, you are close to 3 very good trout streams.
From Elizabethtown to Pine Grove Furnace is 50 minutes. Mountain Creek is an interesting and beautiful stream and of course the Breeches isn't far from there, which is also superior to the York County Streams. Most of which, are about the same amount of time to get to or longer.
You can even be on Clark's Creek in 45 minutes.
Not that the York County ones are bad, it's just something to consider, they aren't as close to Etown as it may seem.
Elizabethtown is in the weird no man's land of being not far from many things while also not being close to many things at the same time. It's very hard to describe but having lived there I understand it. Some of it is the river. Not many bridges cross the river and going over and south into York takes a bit. Going north is highway traffic that can be a nightmare pending on the day and time. Going to the East to the interior of Lancaster County generally isn't worth the time to fish.
Etown to Brickerville (Hammer Creek) even takes 30 minutes, Best option besides Spring Creek within 40 minutes.
283 to the Turnpike going West gets you farther, quicker and on superior waters than it may seem compared to the other options.
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GeneBeam
Active member
Quittie Creek Nature Park, 536 Bachman Rd, Annville, PA 17003
Keystone Select Stocked Trout Stream
Quittapahilla Creek, Section # 4, Lebanon County Annville, PA From South White Oak St. to Spruce St.
28 min drive from Elizabethtown college
Keystone Select Stocked Trout Stream
Quittapahilla Creek, Section # 4, Lebanon County Annville, PA From South White Oak St. to Spruce St.
28 min drive from Elizabethtown college
Fish Sticks
Well-known member
The quittie is a fun stream to fish but there are not many wild fish in there. Alot of the Rainbows are fingerling stockies I believe. I have seen one wild brown caught out of the quttie in those areas. Snitz creek different story there are wildbrowns and I have caught wild native brook trout in there too. Bachman has a lot of wild trout above 322 but there is a sizeable hatchery on it up there too. Beck i am sure has some wild fish bit not alot on public land anyway.
Lower quittie and the swattie near the mouth has a few. Swattie near anneville has browns but you’ll get like 2 a year
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sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
They are in there but in such low numbers to nearly be nill.
The Quitte does not come to mind when I think of a wild brown trout stream.
Snitz is a good creek to get arrested on. Same with those areas of Bachman and Beck.
The Quitte does not come to mind when I think of a wild brown trout stream.
Snitz is a good creek to get arrested on. Same with those areas of Bachman and Beck.
