Fishing The Little Juniata River

By: Les Ober

The first time that I laid eyes on the Little Juniata River in Central Pennsylvania the afternoon temperature was a balmy 85 degrees. It was mid august and the dog days of summer were in full swing. My initial reaction was that the time I had chosen for my first visit was better suited for smallmouth fishing than for trout. This observation was further reinforced when I looked at the water. It was so clear that you could count every pebble on the bottom. However, my next observation gave me hope. In the deep pool that lies next to the Rivers Edge Bed and Breakfast were trout. Not trout hunkered to the bottom suffering from heat exhaustion and oxygen deprivation, as you would expect at this time of the year. These were active trout that occasionally made a lazy trip to the surface to intercept a passing morsel of food. After all the Little J is no ordinary trout stream it is one of the many limestone streams that abound in central and southeastern PA.

The limestone stream is a miracle of nature. Their points of origin are giant springs that form aquifers that rise to the surface forming creeks and rivers often referred too as spring creeks. The Little J is unique in that it resembles a freestone stream yet is spring fed. It is fed from internal springs and from Spruce Creek a true limestone spring creek. The stretch of the Little J that I had chosen to fish has no less than 9 springs feeding it. It is considered by many to be one of the finest trout streams in the Eastern United States. Much of the river falls under the special regulation of Trophy Trout Water. Forty percent of the trout population is wild. The rest of the trout are stocked annually as fingerlings.

The trout live in an environment where the water temperature varies from 50 to 65 degrees F year round. Even during the winter when most freestone streams are frozen the limestone streams remain open and fishable. During the summer the water temperature can rise into the sixties during the day but will drop into the mid fifties at night. This explains the level of activity of those trout on that August afternoon. The trout will hide from the light and the rising water temperature during the day. Some will move under the banks or into deep cuts but most will move up into the deeper riffle water. This cascading water not only provides cover from above but increased oxygen levels. As late afternoon turns into evening the trout return to their traditional feeding lanes. Often using the shadows of late day to disguise their presence. When they move into feeding position it is business as usual. They are looking for a meal. At this time of year the menu has changed. Gone are the prolific mayfly hatches of spring. Only the Trico and a few BWOs remain. These occur mostly in the morning hours and then only briefly. So what’s a hungry trout going to do when he wants a late afternoon snack? There are of course minnows, but one of their mainstays is the terrestrial. These are land- based insects. They are the bugs of insect world consisting beetles, ants, hoppers, crickets and other assorted bugs.

This is not your dainty mayfly rising gracefully from the waters film. They enter the stream unceremoniously from the trees above, falling victim to their own clumsy nature. Out of the trees they come, dislodged by wind. Entering the water with a splat not unlike a diver doing a belly slam off a high board. Triggering an instant response from the trout swimming below. After all this is a macho trout’s meal. This is meat and potatoes for a hungry trout. This offering looks super sized compared to those size 22 Tricos that they dined on earlier in the day. After watching this activity it became clear to me that this would be the proper approach to take if I was going to fool these weary trout.

I had tied up some Steeves Fireflies and some ants and had bought the pattern D-Jour from Allen down at Spring Creek Outfitters. As it turned out that pattern would become my go to bug for years to come. All it is a Crowe bug with a Hi-Vis post. Simple but deadly. It is generic in style because there are well over 200 beetle and bugs and it would be impossible to match them all. The best thing about the pattern is that you can see it. This is important if your half bind like yours truly. The most important thing about fishing bugs and beetles is presentation. Make you cast near or under the brush and drop the fly onto the water with authority. In other words put it down with a splat. With this dry fly you want to see a circular wake moving away from the fly when it lands. The trout’s response is often instantaneous and violent. If not, allow it drift near the bank with an occasional twitch. The best time to fish is in late afternoon after a windy day. This puts a good number of unfortunate bugs in the water. The trout will respond as if there were a mayfly hatch coming off. The Hi-Vis beetle has worked well for me but so have ants, hoppers and yellow jacket imitations.

The best part of terrestrial fishing during the dog days of summer is the solitude. You will see very few anglers on the river at this time of year. No one believes that you can catch a dozen trout in a day in the middle of August, but you can on this Central Pa stream. All you have to do is fish the hatch from above.

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