Penns Creek, PA: Euro Nymphing Wild Brown Trout

Had a fantastic time euro nymphing and fly fishing on Penns Creek in Central PA in late May. Worked a shallow pocket water area for couple of hours and caught fish the entire time. Found success on a size 14 blue krystal flash perdigon, size 18 brown/olive france fly, and a size 18 olive quilldigon. I give you some tips and pointers along the way.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Tight lines!
-Cory
#pennscreek #euronymphing #flyfishing

[@garykolanda5208]

Another fine video providing exceptional insight & quality fishing. Concise & simple commentary is outstanding. Keep up the great work.

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Thanks so much Gary! Really appreciate the comment and the support!

[@user-tl9fs5yl4i]

Great video

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Thank you, Auguste!

[@richmcginn7001]

Great video and narration, phrase of the day "Tight to the sighter equals Great fish" would love to road trip it from CT to PA to fish the Penns

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Appreciate it Rich! Penns is a great destination for sure. Definitely one of my favs. Always remember the phrase of the day!

[@WildBlueDiscovery]

Penns is definitely a wonderful stream. A PA classic! Congratulations on a good outing! Tight Lines!

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

LOVE Penns...Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching! Tight lines!

[@pawoodsnwater7551]

Excellent work Corey! Love that middle section of Penns, always fun. Great narration and tips. Was up on Pine Creek and the West Branch of the Delaware the past week, great time to be out on the water. See those subscribers going up up up, great job! You deserve it. Thanks for sharing.

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Much appreciated Scott!! I love that section of Penns as well. Heck, I love all of Penns! I’ll be up in the Catskills next week on the Delaware. Can’t wait. Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching!

[@krisf3989]

Enjoyed this!!! Love penns

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Glad you enjoyed it, Kris. Penns is one of my favorite streams. Thanks for watching!

[@paulfusco9567]

Another great vid! Your set up suggestion helped me a ton recently! Keep em coming! Thanks!

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Appreciate it Paul! Glad I could help!

[@kellyhagan2631]

Awesome content as always. 💛

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Thank you ma’am and thanks for watching!!💚

[@chasinbowsnbrowns3657]

Man , you put on a clinic ! Couldn’t agree more that staying tight to your sighter and proper drift definitely ups your catch ratio ! Good job landing some gorgeous trout 👍As you know from my videos I occasionally use indicators , but even then I am always ready to pull the trigger on any deviation whatsoever! But I’d rather euro nymph because nothing beats that direct connection to your flies ! Great stuff and tight lines 👌

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Appreciate it Antonio! It definitely is key, that’s for sure! Thanks so much for watching and tight lines!

[@roberthouse2329]

Hi Old Dom Lovely video ,you are so right to explain the type of water your fishing.Its so important to break down the river and fish it all,changing bead weight as you go. Great info again thanks UK Rob

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Thanks so much for the comment and thanks for watching UK Rob! Cheers Mate!

[@bigo8524]

Great Video! Penns is also my favorite.

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Thanks Big O! Appreciate it!

[@camosurfer1]

Corey, another great video! I was up at Penn’s for the first time Memorial Day weekend, did a day trip, had a great day. Water wasn’t as clear as you had, more like Tully green from rain the day before. Nymphed in the morning, then had top water action with green drakes & sulphurs, what a blast. Really appreciate your videos, I learn something every time. Thanks

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Awesome! Glad you had such a great day at Penns. Sounds like a perfect way to end it with some top water action! Thanks for watching and I really appreciate the kind words!

[@robrapp5714]

I was there the same time you were. Penns fished really well and the water was a perfect cfs for me. Never thought to try a blue perdigon but did have good luck with an olive quilldigon. Great video!

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

It was a great time to be on Penns for sure! Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching, Rob!

[@finnmoonratzo8671]

Great video! Ive been fishing Penns creek for decades and cannot agree with you more on what a great stream it is. I spin fished it and caught so many incredible trout there. Just started fly fishing. I bought a rig from the Feathered Hook and then took a guided trip with Logan from there this past fall. Im hooked! Keep the videos coming. Very informative. Im starting with euro nymphing and my rig is a 10 ft 4 w Fenwick

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Appreciate you watching and commenting! LOVE Penns. The Feathered Hook is a great shop and I’m sure they hooked you up. Good luck with euro. Tight lines to you!

[@jeremyvelkoff1487]

Hi Corey, I find your analysis of the stream to be to particular value for me. I have found the techniques you are talking about to be similar to those used when I am Tenkara fishing. Thanks for sharing...

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Thank you, Jeremy! You're right, they are very similar techniques. Glad it helps. Tight lines to you!

[@russellogden8071]

You can catch fish walk penns creek and smoke a stoggie all at the same time....im impressed

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Haha! Thanks Russell. Appreciate you watching!

[@russellogden8071]

What color france flys do you like

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

My number one favorite is Olive-Brown with a silver bead. A little pine squirrel for the collar.

[@russellogden8071]

Is there a specific blue you use on your blue perdi

[@uni_shadow164]

Nice Video Corey! Great Instruction on approach to the runs! I like that you work bigger fish from the reel! You gotta love a good drag system and let the fatties run when they need to! Awesome!!

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Thank you Uni! Appreciate your comments. I love a sweet sounding drag….Music to my ears!

[@dalesheehan9404]

Great video thanks! I’ll be up on Penn’s next week and also love the blue perdigon! Thanks for the great detail,I’ll make sure I pay close attention to those shallow runs. You have a new subscriber.

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Really appreciate it and thanks for the sub Dale! That blue perdigon is a good one!Good luck at a Penns. Just love it there. Enjoy it and tight lines!

[@natekellett4589]

Great video! A few weeks ago I fished Penn's and watched a very old gentleman fighting (and landing) an 18+ in that exact spot. I only got one fish that day, but it was a great one. Can't wait to get back out that way! I watched your Spring Creek vid a few weeks ago while I was staying about 100 feet from where you were fishing. The run river left on Spring next to the cherry tree that you fished, I pulled about an 8 pound sucker out of it on my 10'9" 3wt contact II. Thing was a lunk!

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Appreciate it! That area of Penns has some big boys in it for sure. Funny you stayed right where I was fishing on Spring. What’s wild is the biggest sucker I have ever caught has come out of that area in Spring Creek. Just love Central PA. The 10’9” T&T is what I was fishing w on Penns. Such a great stick. Tight lines!

[@briancramer6250]

Fantastic! Looks like a perfect river with all that structure to pick apart. Do you ever get snagged with the sighter straight up and down? I get that would be another sign of too much weight - like you mentioned. Keep 'em coming, great stuff!

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Brian, Penns creek is full of structure. So many places for trout to hide. You can snagged if your sighter is straight up and down if there is a larger rock or limb that is jutting up from the normal level of the bottom. That’s just going to happen every now and then. But when you are bouncing along the bottom constantly that is definitely a sign of too much weight. Appreciate your comment and thanks for watching!

[@kyleessler6317]

Love the videos new to euronymphing Could u possibly do a small segment and walk us through how your casting

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Thanks Kyle! I am going to do a video on casting soon. Appreciate you watching!

[@kyleessler6317]

@@OldDominionTroutBum awsome looking forward to it

[@gregh9675]

nice work cory. looks like great water, streams here in VA are way too low. can’t agree more with not bouncing the bottom, don’t know why so many people say that. i always start as light as i can get away with and go progressively heavier if I’m not getting into fish or not getting into the bottom cushion....easy to tell when that happens as the sighter comes under tension and the drift slows slightly

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Thanks for watching and commenting Greg! Penns was in great shape, but PA needs water as well. Learning how to read the sighter is definitely the key for good drifts. Tight lines!

[@dalesheehan9404]

I fished the stretch in the beginning of the video yesterday and did great ,perdigon and Walt’s

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Always a great stretch and always a great fly combo👊

[@eric44707]

Great stuff! I love the narration. I’m camping in belfonte this weekend. Trying to decide between here, spring or fishing. I’ve only fished fishing out of the 3. If you had one morning to fish which would you choose this time of year? Also I picked up some sempe off your recommendations. I’m using a orvis Clearwater nymph rod 3wt. Does the wt of the rod determine how thin you can go with that stuff and be able to cast? I’m loving the sensitivity but it can be tricky. I’m trying to cast and not lob.

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Appreciate it! This time of year, I would probably hit Fishing Creek near the Narrows area. It should have cool temps in the morning. The weight of the rod doesn’t matter. Just wait a little longer on your backcast before you go forward. I tell people to wait until it’s almost uncomfortable before you start your forward cast. The reason is it takes longer for those light bugs to get fully loaded. Good luck to you this weekend!

[@richardmcnair5243]

Nice job on your videos. Read the river, take your time on casting. Me I'm not big on wts. yes, I may miss a lot of fish. I just let them go naturally. But I always think a fish on every cast. Keep up the good work....

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Thank you, Richard. Appreciate you watching. ALWAYS have to think there will be a fish every time. Tight lines to you!

[@berks8260]

Beautiful fish! I ran into the Tully King yesterday (Scott) on the Tully , he was dropping the hammer on them …he saved a couple for me though!

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Ha! Scott is the Tully King…Glad you banged out a couple! Appreciate you watching!

[@dylanagli1577]

Hey Cory I’ve been studying your videos and observing your technique, you are very successful and I think there is something to learn from that. I noticed in this video and others, you have different line setup than your most recent video. I’m curious what your line/leader setup is here, and why you changed to something different? Thanks again for sharing and taking the time to respond.

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Hey Dylan. Appreciate the comment. In this Penns creek video my sighter is a 5x bi-color Hanak (orange/chartreuse) and in my most recent it is 16mm (5x) Pezon & Michel (pink/white). My main leader of 18mm Pezon & Michel mono is the same. I like Hanak sighter material, but it tends to fade out really quick after a couple of sunny days. Pezon really holds its color for a long time. My sighter tends to be longer than most (approx 4-5ft). I like it that way because you can pick up it up quicker, especially on those days where you have glare. And it really responds nicely to those subtle pickups. You can only get Pezon & Michel form overseas, but Sempe (which is a great substitute) can be found on Tactical Fly Fisher. Hope this helps.

[@chrischapman2056]

What color thread do you like to use for the underbody on your perdigons like the blue krystal flash one you were fishing here or the hends 233 krystal flash perdigon you referenced in a previous video? Thanks for the tips and keep putting out great video content! I love the quality of your videos and the insightful commentary. It really puts me on the water when I can't got out to the river myself.

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Chris, I use dark gray UTC 70 for my blue perdigon. For the Hends 233 I use black UTC 70. Really appreciate the awesome comment. Thanks so much and tight lines!!

[@mikerapeer4848]

Do you put a hot spot on the blue perdigon?

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

@@mikerapeer4848 I put a red collar on. It’s a little more subtle. Goes well with the UV blue. You don’t have to do it because it works well without it, but I do like the look of it.

[@mikerapeer4848]

Thank you for the info and everything you do

[@johnmadia5229]

How do you run your setup? I use a Rio Shorty to an 11’ Rio euro leader, then 3.5” of 5x to 4” of 6x. What can I use in place of the shorty to avoid the loop to loop banging through my guides?

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

John, I use a Cortland euro line to 13-14ft of 18mm Sempe mono then 4ft of 5x Hanak bi-color sighter to my tippet ring. Depending on the depth I run 3-5 feet of tippet. But 4ft is a nice amount. I cut the loop off because they are a pain. I strip the coating off the euro line and whip finish a micro loop in the end, then tie my leader to the loop using a 16-20 knot. Slips through easily.

[@scottnock5241]

Cory, what section were you on? Where do you stay up there? I’ve never been on that water but I want to go this year I’m starting to get my trips all planned up nursing my shoulder here, two weeks into the recovery and going out of my mind! Thanks

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Scott, I was in Poe Paddy State Park, but the whole stream is great from Coburn down to Weikert. We get an Airbnb. The Feathered Hook has rooms you can rent in Coburn right near Penns. Good luck with your recovery!

[@scottnock5241]

@@OldDominionTroutBum I was looking at that area my buddy fishes that area I was on the Airbnb’s looking at them last night thanks for the recommendation brother!

[@russellogden8071]

Is it important to get tight to your so you feel the strike or see a hesitation in the sighter

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Russell, it’s important to get tight so you can see your strikes register on your sighter. In shallower, faster currents you sometimes feel and see at the same time because trout are typically a little more aggressive there. That’s why if you are tight right away…you won’t miss anything and have nice, longer drifts. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!

[@russellogden8071]

What bugs would you carry on penns in mid October

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Russell, you will see caddis (even large Oct caddis) , bwos, perhaps even some late hatching Slates and Cahills. Walt’s worms in 18-14s. France flies 18-16s and PTs and perdigons in 16-14s. Have some pats rubber legs as well in 12-10s. You will catch them on the same things you do in the spring. Good luck to you!

[@russellogden8071]

Do you have a limit on distance of casting

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Russell I feel like I can effectively cast and fish shallow water up to 30 feet away. Usually I can position myself so I don’t have to throw farther.

[@russellogden8071]

Are you adding weight to your set up

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

My flies have tungsten beads. I had a 2.8 bead on the bottom fly and a 2.3 on the dropper. In the real shallow water I had 2 2.3 beaded flies on.

[@flycast4224]

How do you tie the Blue Perdigon? Materials?

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

I use a silver bead, medium gray thread, and UV blue Krystal Flash. Thanks so much for watching.

[@flycast4224]

@@OldDominionTroutBum is it a light blue or navy? What brand and do you use a collar/hot spot? Wing case?

[@russellogden8071]

And what exactly is your set up

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

I’m using a Thomas and Thomas Contact ll, 10ft 9in 3wt. I have a cortland euro fly line. My leader is 14ft of 18mm Sempe to 4ft of 5x Hanak bi-color sighter to a tippet ring. I had approx 4ft of 6x tippet to my bottom fly. My dropper was 2ft from the tippet ring.

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

HAHA! All of them can catch fish!

[@russellogden8071]

You gonna do a Visio on you simple pt

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

I will. But in the mean time....It’s bleached PT with a copper bead and small copper wire. CDL tail. Brown thread. I use 2 strands and take the PT right up and tie off behind the bead. No thread color. Super simple.

[@joenolan9602]

Didn’t see any setup ?

[@OldDominionTroutBum]

Joe, it’s a T&T Contact ll 10ft 9in 3wt, Ross Evo LTX and a micro leader.