Little Juniata River Fishing Report

Information
Fishing the Little Juanita River, or the “Little J” as locals like to call it, is another river story with a happy ending.  As late as the 1960’s, local mills were dumping raw sewage, chemicals and runoff from local mills into the river. In the early 70’s, Bill Anderson, retired from a career in industry and opened a fly shop near the river. As a man of vision, he started the Little Juanita River Association and the results have been nothing short of miraculous.



Today the river benefits from the Association’s conservation efforts that have cleansed the water, repaired erosion sites, acquired rights-of-way and land for public access, achieved enactment of a no kill policy, upgraded tributaries to Class A trout water, and after careful study, obtained 13 miles of Class A wild trout fishery designation, ending the hatchery stocking program on this section of river. Now, thanks to a favorable ruling by the Huntington County Court, anglers have gained the right to fish the river’s entire 32-mile length.

Initially, the river is little more than a marginal creek supported by a limited number of streams. Past Tyrone, near Grier School, it makes its way through limestone cliffs and is fed by cold limestone streams that form into a bona fide, limestone river. Referred to as the narrows, this section is not only scenic but also contains a high population of trout, estimated in 2010 by the State Fish and Boat Commission to have reached nearly 3,000 trout per mile. The 13-mile stretch between Tyrone to Little J’s confluence with the Franktown Branch River, is the longest continuous, designated catch-and-release-only water in the state.
 
Additional Information
Tributaries:
Spruce Creek, Franktown Branch
Source:
Allegheny Highlands
Mouth:
Juanita River
Length:
23 miles
Seasonal Conditions
Season
Hatches
SpringBrown & black stones, blue quill, hendrickson, black caddis, BWO
SummerBWO, sulphur, slate drake, tan caddis, terrestrials, trico, white fly
FallSlate drake, terrestrials, white fly, terrestrials, minnows
Game Fish Opportunities
Current Forecast
Water Flow
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Fishing Quality
Scenery
Access
Water quality

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