Wildlife Game Masters

has anyone ever fished leatherwood creek in s. clarion county? if so is it any good?

i do and it is getting worse every year.   last year was terrific compared to this year.  leatherwoood creek is supposed to get rainbows, brooks, browns, paliminos and breeders fish.  this year they only put in brooks and browns.  i was there when they stocked and they cut the amout of fish being stocked in half.  no fish were over 14 inches from what i noticed.  i think  the reason is because the trout used to come from bellfonte but now they are coming from Corry.  i think they messed up in their stocking.   they are going to stock again on may 4th.  i told the fish warden to make sure that the creek gets the right fish the next time but this fish warden doesnt seem to want to help much so i am not sure what the creek is going to get in the next stocking.    so overall i think the creek is overly fished and the trout are small,  that could all change in the next stocking though. 

I used to fish it a lot years ago. I believe it used to get 1000 to 1200 fish back in the '70's. Leatherwood correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they stock it below Route 861 anymore. That used to be a great part of the stream, thru Buttermilk Falls to where it empties into Redbank Creek. I have to wonder how many trout gets washed downstream when the water gets high. Leatherwood, your thought on that subject would be appreciated.

I do believe you are correct about the stocking below 861.  I think all the fish are put in up by leatherwood's now.  I think everyone knows of buttermilk falls, I know alot of people camped the night before along leatherwwod below 861 just to get a spot on opening morning.

yeah the creek is posted from 861 down.  and they also used to stock trout on the west branch of the leatherwood which is upstream from the iron bridge but not anymore.  They also used to stock the beaver dam on the main branch about 2-3 miles upstream from the iron bridge but not anymore.   and it also used to be float stocked.  the last time i heard of how many fish was stocked was just over 450 and it should have been 900 or a 1000.   only about 1 mile of the stream is stocked every year.   the guy that owns buttermilk falls stocks his own fish down there (from what i hear)  but no one is allowed to fish it.   If you want to possibley catch a big trout go to the st charles bridge and fish where the creek runs into the redbank.   lots of big holdovers have been caught down there.  and its not fished as much like it used to be since they stopped stocking that far downstream.

oh and yes lots of trout would get washed down stream before the season and hold up at the falls.  no any more though.  because the creek was always stocked in the first or second week of march but this year since the fish are coming from corry and its the hatcherys desicion when to stock the creek  they stock it 3 days before opening day which mean less trout going downstream due to high water.   Its a good thing but the creek need more attetion from the fish wardens to get more fish in the creek as to the amount of people that fish it.