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Little Juniata
- PA (Page 3 of 4)
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Continued (from Charles R. Meck - Pennsylvania Trout Streams and Thier Hatches - 2nd Edition):
You'll encounter great hatches throughout the year on the river. Caddis flies appear from April until late September in colors ranging from green to tan to brown. Within the past few years a Grannom has reappeared on the river in April.
Little Blue-Winged Olives emerge in the Little Juniata River in March, April and May and again in September and October. Light and Cream Cahills appear in May, June and July on the river. One of the last hatches to appear, the White Mayfly, fills the surface in late August. The best area to fish this hatch is from Petersburg to Barree.
The river is still in a state of flux and hatches change from year to year. In the past 10 years the river has added a good Gray Fox, Blue-Winged Olive Dun, White Mayfly, Green Drake and Grannom, Additional hatches will probably appear in the future.
The Little Juniata River flows south from Tyrone to Petersburg in central Pennsylvania. Upriver from Tyrone the main river is marginal at best, except in sections where the main steam picks up productive tributaries like Bells Gap and Tipton runs, and a large tributary, the Bald Eagle. Downriver a few hundred yarts from the town the river enters a narrows with high limestone cliffs. At this point, the Juniata becomes a limestone river. For the next 10 miles, to the town of Spruce Creek, the river adds at least 10 limestone springs of various sizes; these aid in keeping summer temperatures low and providing moderate flow all season.
The Little Juniata is easily reached from Tyrone south for six miles via PA 453. From that point paved secondary roads parallel most of the stream to Spruce Creek. From Spruce Creek to Barree the only access is by foot. This latter section, about four miles long, contains some 15-foot-deep pools, productive riffles, heavy hatches, and plenty of wild trout. From Barree to Petersburg, about five miles, a paved secondary road again parallels the river. In this section, the river expands and contains fewer smaller trout, but it has some lunkers over 20 inches. Pools are deep and wading is dangerous in this lower end. PA 305 crosses teh river near Petersburg, and 300 yards below, the Little Juniata joins with the Frankstown Branch to form the Juniata River. Here the two rivers form the upper end of Warriors Ridge Dam, a hydro electric project. Trout fishing on the upper river is open year-round with a three-trout limit in effect from Labor Day until the opening of the season in April.
The river is a sizable one, ranging from 30 to 60 feet wide with a moderate drop of 15 feet per mile. It contains many good-sized pools, some of them 100 yards or more long. Riffles and moderate water abound, and these sections teem with trout. Wading in the river is treacherous, and it's not uncommon to fall at least once every season. The water hides countless medium-sized boulders covered with a slippery film. Some fast-water sections are impossible to cross or wade.
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