Paint Creek

[tjw37909]

I planned on doing Raven Fork tomorrow, but 441 is still closed. I have heard there are some good sized fish in Paint Creek. I think I will go give it a try tomorrow. Most of the posts on Paint Creek are a couple years old. Does anyone have any updated reports or advice. I plan to start out with the old trusty pheasant tail behind a tungsten prince.

[Hugh Hartsell]

TJW,
They are there and some are very nice sized. Sometimes it can be combat fishing. Good luck.
Hugh

[tjw37909]

Thank you Hugh. Hopefully being a weekday will help me out. I plan to fish some stretches that are harder to access for baitfishermen if there are any. I will post some pics if there are any.

[BlueRaiderFan]

There are no trout in that creek.

[tjw37909]

Well, I caught 9 fish from 9 to 14 inches. I had heard of much larger fish in there, but never even got a glimpse of one. The stream was much smaller than I was expecting. It is a beautiful stream, very shallow in most places. I did not expect it to be 10 degrees colder and still have 6 solid inches of snow there either. Made for a slow and cold start. A local guide still swears there are BIG fish in there. Maybe I did not go up far enough or something. I came in from HWY107 via gravel road then went upstream. Fished different stretches from the fishing pond all the way to a big intersection where the stream split. Not what I expected, but I caught some good looking fish and was not at work. Hard to beat that. If anyone knows I went the wrong way or wrong place let me know.

[Hugh Hartsell]

tjw,
Did you follow the turnoff from the road thru Houston Valley (hwy 107) to the campground? Did you go downstream from there? That road is actually paved. I'm wondering if you crossed Paint Mountain on a gravel road and came in on the lower end of the creek, and then fished upstream? I'm not sure where you are talking about when you say that the stream split.
It is always cold down in that deep gorge and if you found any fish feeding with snow on the ground you are lucky. Congratulations on a decent day.
Hugh

[Grannyknot]

Sounds like you fished a similar area to where I have been on a couple of occasions. I too have heard about, and one time saw a few big fish. My boss used to fish there back in the mid 90s and said that it used to be a good place to take some good "fish ****" pictures (huge stockers).

I have also heard from several different people that paint creek is ravaged by poachers during the stocking months and that it isn't uncommon to see people with gill nets standing on the road above big pools.