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Mountain Creek
For many fly fishers, the East means freestone streams, and Pennsylvania certainly has its share. Three of these--Mountain, Stony, and Clarks creeks--near the Cumberland Valley offer a change of pace from the challenging spring creeks. They are classic Eastern freestone streams with free-flowing water, alternating pools and riffles, and traditional hatches. Mountain Creek begins in the Michaux State Forest south of Carlisle and flows into the Yellow Breeches at Mount Holly Springs. It's a typical Pennsylvania mountain stream, about 16 miles long, and is stocked with rainbows, browns, and brookies throughout its entire length. It has a good population of native brookies in its headwaters.

Mountain Creek can be crowded in spring after the mid-April Opening Day, but later it receives little fishing pressure, especially on weekdays. The headwaters flow fast and furious through beautiful mountain terrain. Although the trout there rarely see flies, they will take attractor and imitative patterns. Streamers, such as Muddler Minnows and Woolly Buggers, produce well, but a well-presented dry fly or nymph will take more trout. Fish the deeper pools, pockets, and bankside runs.

In the early season, Mountain Creek has good caddis hatches and fair mayfly hatches. In the fast water, various colors of Elk-hair Caddis patterns work well on top, while caddis pupa and small nymphs work well in the riffles and around log jams. A two-fly rig works well. Mayfly activity can be sparse, but Hendricksons and March Browns come off in April and early May, and Sulphurs and Light Cahills appear in May and early June. In summer, terrestrials can take a lot of fish because most of the stream is covered by the forest canopy and the trout are accustomed to eating ants, beetles, inchworms, and crickets.

Although in summer and fall Mountain Creek is small enough to cross in spots without wetting your feet, the trout can be surprisingly large. The stocked trout often survive for several years and can grow to 14 inches or more. A few years ago, I fished the upper water and caught many native brookies. They were feisty 7- to 10-inch trout that gave my 3-weight all it could handle as I pulled them from the many log jams and snags.

In one snag, my olive Woolly Bugger met with more than the usual tug. The fish practically ripped the rod from my hands, and I had to struggle to get it out of the log jam on my 4X tippet. When the battle was over a few minutes later, I admired a fine 19-inch holdover brookie in all of its splendor and released it back to the log jam.

To reach Mountain Creek, take Route 34 south from Carlisle. The road crosses the creek south of Mount Holly Springs. Bear right onto Hunters Run Road, which parallels the stream into the Michaux State Forest. A dam on Mountain Creek at Pine Grove Furnace State Park forms Laurel Lake, which offers good stillwater fishing for stocked trout. Canoe rentals are available there.