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41 . Big Fishing Creek

Location: Central Pennsylvania, about a ½-hour ride from State College, a 3-hour ride from Philadelphia or Pittsburgh; a 3½-hour ride from New York City; and a 4-hour ride from Washington, D.C. Full-service airports are available in all five cities.

There is probably a stream named “Fish” or “Fishing” in every county in Pennsylvania.

As a result, things can get really confusing when talking about either. The “Fishing Creek” covered in this chapter is locally known as Big Fishing Creek. It is located in Lamar, near the fly-fishing mecca of State College. This creek supports a healthy population of brown and brook trout, along with the occasional tiger trout—a brook-brown hybrid. There are good numbers of fish in the 14- to 16-inch range.

Having fished and guided in Pennsylvania, Montana, and Patagonia, I have had the opportunity to fish many remarkable rivers, streams, and lakes. Most of these support impressive populations of wild trout. While many of these yield greater numbers of fish, and some larger fish, to the average angler, few rival the natural beauty and overall productivity of Big Fishing Creek.

Big Fishing Creek shares the characteristics of both limestone and freestone streams. It harbors robust insect life and offers a diversity of angling that is second to none. Big Fishing Creek begins as a small freestone stream near the town of Carroll. It flows westward through Sugar Valley. From its headwaters to

the town of Eastville, it is what is called an intermittent stream. The creek disappears into sinkholes and limestone caverns. It mysteriously reappears farther downstream, forced to the surface by some unseen underground obstruction. Marginal habitat and inconsistent flows prevent the stream from supporting healthy populations of trout between Tylersville and the headwaters. As the stream enters an area known as The Narrows, it collects water from multiple springs near the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Fish Culture Station. These