Aughwick Creek Fishing Guides

About the Aughwick Creek

Aughwick Creek drains a substantial slice of Huntingdon County before joining the Juniata River, running through the folded ridge-and-valley country that gives central Pennsylvania its character. The valleys here are floored with limestone and the ridges are capped with sandstone, and that geological arrangement is what produces the region’s famous spring creeks. Cold groundwater moving through limestone emerges at constant temperature and carries the dissolved minerals that drive heavy insect production, which is why this corner of Pennsylvania has a reputation out of all proportion to its size.

Aughwick itself is best understood as two waters. The upper creek and its tributaries carry the strongest spring influence, running cold and steady where the limestone feeds them, and that is where the trout fishing is. As the creek gathers volume and moves down the valley it warms through the summer, and below that transition it fishes as a genuine smallmouth stream rather than a trout stream. Anglers who drive to the wrong reach for the season they are in come away disappointed, and the split is worth understanding before choosing where to park.

The gauge near Three Springs reads discharge and stage, and the discharge record is the more useful of the two here. Flow tells you whether the creek is high and stained after a valley storm, when smallmouth fishing can actually improve while trout fishing suffers, and whether the low clear conditions of late summer have arrived, which demand a much finer approach.

Brown trout are the principal quarry and include wild fish in the better tributaries, with rainbow trout stocked and brook trout holding in the coldest headwater spring runs. Below the trout water, smallmouth bass and rock bass provide summer fishing that most visiting anglers overlook entirely. Fallfish, white sucker, bluegill and channel catfish fill out the warmer reaches. Public access is reasonable through state forest ground and road crossings, though a good deal of the valley is farmland and permission is worth seeking.

Access

Three Springs - the village at the gauge and the usual reference point for the middle creek.
Orbisonia and Rockhill Furnace - neighbouring villages with road access and local services.
Rothrock State Forest - extensive public land in the surrounding ridges with tributary access and camping.
Juniata River - the larger river this creek joins, with excellent smallmouth water and float access.
Huntingdon - the county seat, with tackle, lodging and guides.
Raystown Lake - the major regional reservoir a short drive west, a reliable alternative in high water.
Standing Stone Creek and Standing Stone area streams - nearby trout alternatives in the same limestone country.

Seasons

Spring: high water early gives way to the season's best trout fishing as hatches build through April and May.
Summer: the spring-fed upper reaches stay cool and fish on terrestrials while the main stem gives up smallmouth bass.
Fall: brown trout colour up and take streamers well, and smallmouth feed hard in the lower creek before cold sets in.
Winter: flows are steady and the spring-influenced water stays open, with small nymphs and midges the practical approach.