Where to start for bigger wild Browns/Brooks?

[Broodstock]

I’ve found a few things to be true regardless of geography. Low density streams tend to have larger fish. Marginal waters that might be bass fishing for most. Barriers to upstream migration- which could be a dam or otherwise.

More than the where- the how and the when also make a big difference. Bite windows are a thing for predatory fish. Fishing streamers is a low numbers high size strategy. Sure you could nymph and catch numbers and possibly get a 20” fish or larger but it’s just a different game at that point. Or just mouse at night.

Then there is head hunting a riser on the far bank that’s shown itself to be a very nice fish, and making the cast and getting the drift. That’s the best.

If you focus less on the where, more on the how and when - you’re going to start to move the needle.

 

[Oregon_OwlII]

I think enough big wild trout exist in the Yellow Breeches. I caught a decent sized brown in the post-spawning period last year in the special regs section. Other times when I’ve been there at night I’ve heard surface eats that practically make the trees shake.

A long time ago I and a buddy kicked up some large wild browns in the Yellow Breeches below the Special Regs area. I'm bet there a still wild ones like that in there. I would go after them at night with streamers if I were still in that area.

 

[Oregon_OwlII]

There is not really many wild trout streams between Lancaster and Exton let alone ones that produce large wild trout. Your best bet is to stick close to home and fish the letort and big spring. Those are both very extremely hard streams to fish but given enough time, you will probably catch a substantial sized brook trout or brown trout. I’ll PM you some Lancaster county streams that have the potential to produce 14+ in brown trout from time to time.

A little further east, in Valley Creek, closer to the Schuylkill, at certain times of the year, some big brown trout are present. There's also a smaller creek near Birdsboro that spills into the Schuk that has very decent size browns near the mouth of the river. I don't want to give away the location of sizable brookies in SEPA. Bottom line, explore and ye shall find. They are out there.

 

[Oregon_OwlII]

For long-time Breeches regulars: Has that always been the case? Or has the wild trout population changed a lot over the years?

Not an expert on how abundant the population is below the Spec Regs area, but I kicked up a few big wilds 50 years ago in that stream.

 

[PennKev]

Even with that tail? I can’t tell if it’s just being squished against his jacket but it looks like half of its tail is missing. Could that really just be from spawning?

Wild fish do get injured in various ways and survive.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

I would vote that fish is wild.
As far as the breeches, try going down river as the season begins to warm, venture up in increments as the season progresses. There will be an influx of large wild brown trout from the river.
It won't be many and you will have many fishless trips and even seasons, but when you do catch one, it could eat most of the wild browns you catch elsewhere, possibly even including that one you posted (hyperbole).

As far as brook trout, my lips are sealed other than look for low competition, medium to large watersheds, recovering from pollution but have many good brook trout tributaries.
And there is always Big Spring. Usually one or two brook trout in it in the 16"-17" range. Good luck catching it!

 

[jifigz]

I have fished Big Spring 3 or 4 times in my life, but I have never made a cast into the "ditch." I have also never caught a brookie out of Big Spring, only browns and rainbows.

I know the ditch contains large wild brookies, but are they pretty common throughout the rest of the stream, too? It seems like wild bows are what I have most commonly caught there.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

I have fished Big Spring 3 or 4 times in my life, but I have never made a cast into the "ditch." I have also never caught a brookie out of Big Spring, only browns and rainbows.

I know the ditch contains large wild brookies, but are they pretty common throughout the rest of the stream, too? It seems like wild bows are what I have most commonly caught there.

Since the TU project they have extended downstream.
Big Spring biologist report

I'd say they are common.

One issue I have seen noted, by anglers that I have found to be true is:
Big Spring brook trout feed heavily on sculpins.
Don't fish those and you will catch more rainbows.

 

[youngtroutbum]

Are you in the Grantham section of Mechanicsburg often? You're probably more familiar with that area than we are. I haven't fished along the campus stretch since our youngest graduated from the school.

I live in upper Allen which is right next to Grantham. I've fished the breaches from children's lake all the way to the sus, I know the creek very well.

 

[youngtroutbum]

I have fished Big Spring 3 or 4 times in my life, but I have never made a cast into the "ditch." I have also never caught a brookie out of Big Spring, only browns and rainbows.

I know the ditch contains large wild brookies, but are they pretty common throughout the rest of the stream, too? It seems like wild bows are what I have most commonly caught there.

The last time I fished the Big Spring I caught 1 Brook and some smaller browns.

 

[5footfenwick]

Even with that tail? I can’t tell if it’s just being squished against his jacket but it looks like half of its tail is missing. Could that really just be from spawning?

Post spawn Native Brookie tail. They do some damage to the lower tail while spawning.

Sometimes the damage is from being a stocky, at other times could be from red building and other trout bites while getting lucky 🍀.
A tail can tell two tales.

~5footfenwick

 

[klingy]

There are some big browns in the Breeches. You’d have a better shot at BIGGER browns on its neighbor - the Letort.

 

[HopBack]

The last time I fished the Big Spring I caught 1 Brook and some smaller browns.View attachment 1641240499

Well that’s a PA trophy by freestone standards. There are some up to 18 inches in the ditch on big spring but this is likely the only place in PA you will find a native brook bigger than 12 inches. They do exist but as my father would say they are rare as hens teeth.

 

[Clarmy]

Yellow Breeches has some monsters. Biggest trout I ever caught, a 28" rainbow was from right at Allenberry. Go when water is high and off color. Use a large streamer and fish near the brush.

 

[MarkC]

The Lititz run just north of Lancaster has some very nice fish in it. Most are not wild but many are stream grown. Donagel TU chapter looks after it.

Mark C

 

[SmittyTheSquatch]

You know those fish that haunt you over the years?

One of mine was lower on the breeches during the last big cicada hatch a few years back. Was visiting my folks and decided to fish a section that I hadn't fished since I was a kid. Was walking around and was catching chubs about every other cast for a few hours. Then something large came up and smacked the crap out of my fly. Never saw it. No clue what it was. But it snapped 4x on the hook set. Made me believe there must be some really nice trout lower on the breeches, but maybe not a high number. Or I am just terrible at tying knots. But, I've been wanting to go back and hit that section again since then.

 

[Dave_W]

Okay now you guys have me thinking I caught this fish a good ways down stream form the water plant on the breaches. I just assumed because of how stocked the breaches there wouldnt be a wild population. View attachment 1641240483

There are wild BTs up and down the length of Yb and this could be one. One thing to note with YB is that it is also stocked by a private club and the quality of the fish they stock is much higher than typical PFBC fish - I've caught some that looked wild. . . like this one

 

[Dave_W]

For long-time Breeches regulars: Has that always been the case? Or has the wild trout population changed a lot over the years?

You'll get different opinions on this one, but I think there are a lot more wilds now than forty years ago when I started fished YB regularly.

 

[wildtrout2]

Well that’s a PA trophy by freestone standards. There are some up to 18 inches in the ditch on big spring but this is likely the only place in PA you will find a native brook bigger than 12 inches. They do exist but as my father would say they are rare as hens teeth.

Yes, they exist bigger than 12" in other streams. I've caught a 12", 12.5", and a 13.5", my PB, in the same Pocono stream in different years. A number of years ago, I saw a female native up close, in Potter, that no doubt was in the 16" range! Biggest I've ever seen. They are quite rare, but they do exist that big in other Pa streams.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

There are some big fish in small streams not far from Lancaster (not mentioned here) that come from bigger bodies of water at certain times of the year. Like these, for example:

From time to time one of those big fish are caught in a big body of water near Lancaster by a fisherman who is targeting another fish species.

With a little thought I’m sure you can find those streams, and put some time into tracking them down and you’ll have as good a shot at catching one as the next guy.