5 Best Flies for Trout in Pennsylvania

The Sulphur hatch is Pennsylvania's defining fly fishing event. On Penns Creek and the Little Lehigh, Sulphurs emerge in impressive numbers during evening hours from late May through July, bringing the stream's biggest, most selective brown trout to the surface for extended feeding sessions. A #16 Sulphur Parachute in light orange-yellow is the essential imitation.

The hatch varies in intensity night to night - calm, warm evenings with overcast skies tend to produce the densest emergences. When it's on, the river surface can become covered with drifting duns and the rises of feeding fish. Presenting the fly cleanly to specific risers is the skill that separates productive evenings from frustrating ones.

The Hendrickson hatch in April marks the true beginning of the Pennsylvania fly fishing season. On the Brodhead Creek and other Pocono streams, Hendricksons emerge on warm April afternoons to start the dry-fly season in earnest. The classic Catskill-style Hendrickson dressing - dark pink body, teal-gray wing - is an authentic imitation tied in the tradition of the region's fly tying heritage.

Hendricksons emerge during the warmest part of the afternoon, typically between 1 and 4 PM on sunny days. The hatch can be explosive in its first days on any given stretch of water, with fish that haven't seen a dry fly since October rising enthusiastically to well-presented imitations.

Caddisflies are a constant presence on Pennsylvania's limestone streams from late spring through early fall. On Penns Creek and Spring Creek, caddis complement the more famous mayfly hatches and provide consistent surface action throughout the day. Between hatches, the Elk Hair Caddis serves as an excellent searching dry that covers the caddis species that are always present.

On the Delaware River's wider, faster water, caddis hatches are particularly important and the Elk Hair Caddis is the go-to dry fly for Delaware River trout. Tan in #14 covers most caddis on Pennsylvania water.

Pennsylvania's technical spring creeks demand precision subsurface fishing between hatches, and the Pheasant Tail Nymph is the standard. On Spring Creek and the Little Lehigh, dense populations of Baetis and Sulphur nymphs sustain year-round trout feeding, and the PT Nymph imitates both convincingly in the right sizes.

On these heavily pressured waters, use a lightly weighted or unweighted PT Nymph on a long leader to avoid the unnatural behavior that split shot creates in slow, clear water. Pennsylvania spring creek fish have seen every variation of indicator nymphing rig and will refuse presentations that don't look completely natural.

Pennsylvania's BWO hatches bookend the season on the state's most productive spring creeks. In March and April, the first BWO emergences of the year bring fish to the surface before any other meaningful hatch. In September and October, fall BWOs on Penns Creek and Spring Creek provide excellent dry-fly fishing that extends the season well into autumn.

The best fall BWO days on Pennsylvania spring creeks come on overcast, drizzly afternoons when the fish feel secure enough to rise freely. A #20 Parachute BWO or CDC BWO presented on 6X tippet to specific rising fish is as rewarding as any trout fishing in the East.