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Caldwell Creek is located in the Western part of Northern
Pennsylvania. This medium-sized creek wanders through
a beautiful forested area, and offers an abundance of
holdover and wild browns. There are some good-sized browns
here, as well as a few native brook trout. Hatches also
are excellent on this creek and they provide great dry-fly
fishing in a relaxed, peaceful atmosphere. Caldwell Creek
begins as two rivers--Upper Caldwell Creek and the West
Branch of Caldwell Creek. These two creeks meet to form
the Main Caldwell Creek. The West Branch is notably larger
than the Upper Branch. It also has a much better population
of trout. For that reason, here we'll cover the West
Branch and the Main Caldwell Creek.
The West Branch begins its southward journey just
north of the town of Sanford Corners. It is a small-
to medium-sized creek with a good wooded canopy that
helps provide shade and a healthy stream bank. Deep
pools, fallen logs, and undercut banks provide cover
for the many large wild browns found in this creek.
Trout also are stocked in its headwaters above Sanford
Corners. Three Bridge Run and the Middle Branch are
two small tributaries that feed the West Branch. |
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Just below the catch-and-release area, the West Branch
meets Caldwell Creek. Here the river slightly gains in
size from the influence of the other branch.
From here, Caldwell Creek flows for ten miles before
it meets with Pine Creek. This section of river has
some undercut banks and deep pools, and harbors some
large wild browns and a few native brookies. The Main
Caldwell Creek is heavily stocked, and trout holdover
well in its cool shaded water. Starting at the Selkirk
Road (SR 3004) Bridge, there is a Delayed
Harvest Fly Fishing Only (DHFFO) section that extends
1.4 miles downstream to near the Doytville Bridge.
This section helps fish holdover throughout the summer
into the next year. This is one of the better quality
sections of Caldwell Creek. The stream can be accessed
from Doytville Road (T 304), and fishing is good all
the way down to Pine Creek.
Hatches on Caldwell Creek are impressive for a medium-sized
stream. Many different types of Mayflies hatch here
including Hendricksons, Blue
Quills, Gray
Fox, and Green
Drakes. Caddis also are dependable flies to fish
early in the year. Terrestrials make up much of the
summer fishing, and nymphs are always good.
Why not try Caldwell Creek sometime? It's an excellent
stream that's well worth exploring and learning; just
don't leave home without a 3- to 5-weight rod. |
