Sixteen Mile Creek
The slow-clearing east-side creek with a beach at its mouth - fish it on day three, not day one.
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Current conditions
Gauge: USGS 04213152 — Walnut Creek Upstream Pool (USGS 04213152) - shore-wide timing proxy Proxy gauge
Reading baked into this page when it was last updated at 2026-10-14 20:30 — checking the live USGS feed now…
| Window | Reading |
|---|---|
| Too low | Walnut gauge under 15 cfs; Sixteen Mile gin clear and skinny |
| Low and fishable | Walnut 15 - 50 cfs; fish in the deep lower pools |
| Prime | Walnut 50 - 150 and falling, PLUS 2-4 days for Sixteen Mile to green |
| High and fishable | Mouth and Freeport Beach edges while the creek is still up |
| Blown out | Walnut over 250, or Sixteen Mile still milky at the Route 5 crossing |
Check the color where the creek passes under Route 5 and at Freeport Beach. If it is still the color of coffee with cream, it is not ready - this creek lies to optimists.
2-4 days after rain - the slowest of the east-side tribs. Build your rotation: Walnut/Elk first, Twenty Mile next, Sixteen Mile (with Twelve) last.
How the bands were set: Sixteen Mile Creek has NO stream gauge (USGS ran stage/water-quality sites near North East only). The house reference classes it with the slow east-side creeks: PFBC Large runoff timing, 2-4 days after a rain event before it fishes. Windows are timed off the Walnut gauge with a 2-4 day lag - the latest window on the shore.
Gauge page: USGS monitoring location 04213152
Season playbook
Resolved from today's date — the current season is highlighted. On the live site this re-resolves in your browser.
Fall (Oct - Nov)This season
The water: Comes in last after rain; once green it stays fishable while flashier creeks drop out.
Fish present: Steelhead.
How to fish it: Day 3-4 of the cycle; pockets through the borough reach.
Winter (Dec - Feb)
The water: Cold, clear, skinny between thaws.
Fish present: Holdover steelhead.
How to fish it: Deepest town pools at midday.
Spring (Mar - Apr)
The water: Sucker run; last spring pulses of steelhead.
Fish present: Steelhead, suckers.
How to fish it: Sucker Spawn; fish behind the riffle schools.
Summer (May - Aug)
The water: Low and warm at the mouth; shaded up-creek.
Fish present: Resident creek fish.
How to fish it: Beach at dawn; leave the creek fish in warm water.
On now — hatch & forage for October
- Steelhead egg drift — Small Glo-Bugs, beads
- Emerald shiners (mouth) — Small shiner patterns
- Crayfish — Crayfish patterns, Woolly Buggers
Full calendar
| Item | Window | Size | Patterns | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelhead egg drift | Oct - Dec | eggs 6-8 mm | Small Glo-Bugs, beads | Downsized - small creek, educated fish. |
| Emerald shiners (mouth) | Sep - Apr | 2-3 in | Small shiner patterns | Freeport Beach and the first pools. |
| Little black stoneflies | Jan - Mar | #16-20 | Black stonefly nymph | Winter in the borough reach. |
| Midges | Nov - Mar | #20-26 | Zebra Midge | The clear-water default. |
| Sucker spawn | Mar - May | eggs 6-8 mm | Sucker Spawn | Spring riffles. |
| Crayfish | May - Oct | #6-10 | Crayfish patterns, Woolly Buggers | Resident forage in the lower creek; summer food around the mouth and Freeport Beach. |
Weather & conditions playbook
The row matching the live flow band is highlighted when the gauge answers.
| Condition | What changes | Tactics | Flies | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High and off-color | Milky for days - the PFBC Large class is real on this creek. | Freeport Beach at dawn or fish another creek. Put Sixteen Mile on day 3. | Beach shiners while you wait. | Stay home (from the creek) - beach only. |
| Prime green and falling (day 3-4 of the cycle) | The late green window: fish that entered on the rise are settled and eating. | Borough-reach pockets, one fish per spot, move quietly. | Small eggs and nymphs. | Go - your patience is the edge. |
| Low and clear | Skinny and spooky; fish hug the deepest town pools. | First light, long leaders, tiny patterns. | Single eggs, midges. | Marginal - dawn only. |
| Cold snap | Small water ices at the edges quickly. | Midday deep pools or skip. | Midges and small eggs. | Marginal. |
| Warm rain in fall | Fish enter on the rise; your day is the delayed drop. | Scout the color daily at Route 5; strike when green. | Eggs, small buggers. | Go - on the lag, not the spike. |
| Post-front bright | Bright on a small clear creek: fish in shade and depth. | Shade lines, undercuts, dawn. | Natural nymphs. | Fishable early. |
Access points
Freeport Beach (the mouth, North East Township) · Map pin
Parking: Township beach parking at Freeport Beach, North East.
The creek meets the lake at the beach. Dawn surf and mouth fishing when the creek is too high or too low; first pools just upstream.
North East borough reach (Route 5 / Route 20 corridor) · Map pin
Parking: In-town parking in North East; the creek threads the south side of the borough - access at bridge crossings where not posted.
Bridge-to-bridge pocket water through the borough reach. Much of the bank is private lawn and park edge - fish water you are sure is open, and be a good neighbor in town.
Access changes with postings and seasons — respect every sign, and confirm current PFBC regulations before fishing.
The full Sixteen Mile Creek deep dive — $9.99
The complete guide: access map with GPS pins, the full flow-band tactics, hatch calendar, weather playbook, regulations, and sources — a living guide, refreshed as conditions and data change, with refreshed editions free to buyers.
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