Beaver Creek Valeey State Park

[Big Hit]

I've got a couple days off early next week and was thinking about camping and fishing at Beaver Creek SP. I've never been and would like to explore it. Am I going to have to do alot of bush whacking there this time of year? Secondly, how will the casting be with a fly rod? Any help/thoughts would be great.

[mark p]

They usually have a mowed path that runs along the entire length of the East branch which runs through the park. The stream itself is small and usually extremely clear. It is lined with trees, bushs etc on each side so it is tight quarters. If you have a shorter fly rod like 7 ft it would probably work best along with being good at a roll cast (which I'm not).

The West branch and main branch have sections with more open space and typically aren't as clear since they run through the middle of fields of row crops.

[Scudly]

Big Hit I replied to you on MNTU. Lots of other great streams in the area. There is a reason we booked Beaver TWICE this summer...

Follow the ripples...

[Big Hit]

Yes, I saw that. Thanks. I might just have to give it a try.

[Zenit]

i went there for the first time this summer, and went back 2 more times. Wonderful streams, the first weekend I was there the campground was full but I didn't run into hardly anyone else fishing the stream. Most browns fall into the slot, but got a couple of bigger ones on a 4 weight that were fun as hell to catch.

[Scudly]

Quote:

Wonderful streams, the first weekend I was there the campground was full but I didn't run into hardly anyone else fishing the stream.

Zenit did you fish in the park or rather the main stem outside of the park downstream of the mill?

Within the park it is very technical, yet there are some very big fish if you know where to look. Tried for this guy twice this summer. No dice. Big trout can be very picky. They have been around the block. Both times I went after this guy one hour before sunrise. During the day he lives here and he is really not that skiddish either. I bet he is there next year and the year after.

[Zenit]

I never left the park itself, any of the weekends. No competition for space in the park itself, a welcome change from all the traffic at the Whitewater.

I saw some really big fish there - if you're walking away from the campgrounds,following the maintained path after passing the big group gatherings building but before the first walking bridge that crosses the stream, there is a big fallen tree that has dammed up a section of the stream, I'm guessing about 4-5 feet deep...the last time I was there, I saw this HUGE brown right on the bottom, with about 3-4 more slot fish above him, close to the surface. I mean, this guy is big, I'm guessing 26-28 inches. He was there all three days I passed by that spot - it is a sot that it is impossible to cast to, the only way is to sneak up on the other side of the log and literally drop a wet fly straight down - the slot fish would scatter, but that old bugger barely moved, was hardly bothered by my presence at all.

I will definitely be going back there multiple times next year. That's a great little park, and you can seen numerous examples of streamside habitat and structure work that has been carefully done, and created a very hospitable environment for those browns to breed wild and grow fat and sassy. I'll try to post some pictures this weekend from home - some of the colors on these fish were just stunning.

[Scudly]

Yes the photo of the fish is the fish you speak of.

We went twice this summer. I tried for the fish twice, only for 15 min each time. I hear it has some of the best water quality around. I have seen lunker structures too. One is close to the big spring, right behind the bathroom in the first campground loop. Never saw any fish come out of there.

I always fish Sheldon to Sheck's Mill, and easement sections of Crooked and Winnebago although I think the locals pound both pretty hard. This year I was dissapointed to catch so many stocker rainbows. Just thick in many areas. Oh next time you go have dinner at Little Miami in Freeburg. Best broasted chicken, also right on the river. There is a good pool just upstream, easement section. I like WW too but do my serious trout fishing outside of the park.