As many of you already know, the “Little J” is one of the most well-known trout streams in North America. This high class trout water is loaded with thousands of native trout, making it a great environment for fly fishing.
I have been to the Little J twice in my life, and both times were great experiences. The first time I was spin fishing and the second time I tried fly fishing for the first time in my life. Both times I went exceeded my expectations of not only how great the water was, but the scenery as well.
Both times I went we rented a cabin right on the water which was extremely nice. We could fish until dark, and then get out of the river to be in our back yard. The cabin fit about ten people comfortably, so we rounded up several buddies to join us on our trips.
Spin fishing is a little tougher to pull in fish at the Little J because of the native trout so you have to work extra hard to make every detail on your lure perfect. I used mainly Joe’s Flies when I went, and pulled out only a couple trout (one really nice rainbow).
We weren’t very familiar with the area when we went so we were just driving around looking for places to fish along the river. When we saw a nice spot, we would get out and fish it for about an hour (depending on how nice the water was).
The second time I went to the Little J was my favorite because I got to try out fly fishing. We rented a guide to teach us the basics and guide us around to the hot spots for the day. It was very hot this day, so we didn’t get many hits until the hatch at nightfall.
We went to a spot in the evening and stayed there until dark. When the hatch started happening, it was unbelievable how many trout were surfacing to the top of the water. I got over 30 hits that evening which was a blast.
Both times I went to the Little J, I had great experiences. It is by far the nicest trout water that I have ever fished, and the amount of native trout that are in the water is unbelievable. I would recommend this river to anyone if they want a great experience fishing for smart, native trout.
PA Trout Fishing 