# clarion river, PA?



## WINative (Sep 15, 2004)

Hi all,

I'm spending a weekend near Cook Forest State Park in PA in mid-October. I plan to fish the Clarion River in the parks and perhaps upstream at some of the public access areas. I will probably also try Clear Creek and Tom's Run, perhaps with my fly rod. Any tips?

Thanks,
JM


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## atrkyhntr (May 31, 2004)

Been 20 some years since I've been up that way... Check out he Pa website for fish the stocking schedules...


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

you might want to try for some smallies. In near clarion, where the lake is located there are also other species such as cats, eyes and maybe muskie, but not sure about them.


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## ski (May 13, 2004)

I just checked to PA fish commission website and they are stocking branches of the clarion river and also one of the other streams you have mentioned with trout during the first week of Oct. Also, I would definately fish for smallmouth. I usually go the the Allegheny river in Sept/Oct and get some big fish.
good luck,
Ski


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## worminator (Aug 20, 2004)

hey JM, I'll be over there next weekend myself. I've been wanting to take my boat over and put in on the Clarion but it just hasn't worked out yet. I'll be camping at Cook forest and will check out the fishing while there. I've seen a few guys fishing in the river but not more than 5 or six guys in a 5 mile stretch. I'll post any info that I get next weekend.


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

good luck to you guys, there is alot of nice looking water.


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## WINative (Sep 15, 2004)

Thanks for info. I've read that the Clarion is rather cold in its upper reaches and holds some trout. Closer to the parks, the water is warmer and holds some smallies and perhaps northerns and perch (even farther downstream). Also, the tribs that feed the river are stocked with trout that can be caught near the mouths According to the PFBC website, Clear Creek is scheduled for a stocking on the 11th of October.

Have a good trip -- I look forward to reading your posts when you return.

Best,
JM


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## worminator (Aug 20, 2004)

Hey JM, got back from Cooksburg Sunday evening but I didn't get too much info for you. We spent the whole weekend hanging by the camp fire. We were tent camping and it was a little chillly ( 42 Sunday morn). My brother-in-law was up there just a week before we went and had zero luck in the Clarion. He fished it pretty hard for three days. I think the state was gonna release some fish in October but not sure of the exact dates. The river looked low in the state park but I know there are some deep spots that would hold fish if you know the area at all. You could ask questions at McBeths. They are on 36 just south of the river. Nice folks in there. Good luck budd. You could always fish the kiddie pond after dark.   They release trout in there every weekend in the summer. I usually stop in there and watch for a while when we are in the area. They really go for the grasshoppers on a small hook. The kids all enjoy the pond.


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## WINative (Sep 15, 2004)

Hi

Thanks for the info. I hope we have better luck, but hanging around the campfire is always fun, too. I'll let you know what when we return.

Best,
JM


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## WINative (Sep 15, 2004)

Hi,

I fished the Clarion and a couple of small streams over the weekend. The fishing conidtions were really tough, e.g. low, clear water, frequent downpours, hail storms, and some lightning. The fall colors were beautiful, but in all I had only two hookups and a few spottings.

In the portion of the Clarion within the state park, there are at least two pools that hold fish, maybe half a mile upstream from the park office. Both are located closer to the bank of the river opposite the access areas, so wading through some relatively treacherous water is necessary, e.g. lots of slimy rocks and scattered deep holes. In short, there's a lot of good structure but the wading can be tough at times.

We basically threw the whole arsenal at them, e.g. terrestrials, streamers, small spinners and spoons, crawlers, jigs tipped with maggots. I finally resorted to drifting a small hook with a nightcrawler, which produced a couple of strikes. Also, one relatively big brown trout followed a jig and a maggot right up to within four feet of me while I was wading, but lost interest and swam away after hanging in the current for about twenty seconds. This, combined with the weather and several equipment malfunctions, made for some frustrating fishing.

In short, the river holds SM bass and brown trout, but the fishing at the moment is slow. Other anglers on the river reported the same.

JM


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