With a couple weeks still remaining before the start of trout season and a good looking nymph in my fly tying vice, the thought of waiting until the opening day of trout season was out of the question. I put the new nymph in a small fly box that contained strictly nymphs, grabbed my trusty old 5-weight, 8-foot 3-inch fly rod, waders and a fleece vest and jumped, well, ok, climbed, into my pick-up and headed for the special regulations section of Kinzua Creek.

A 2.3-mile section of Kinzua Creek, in McKean County, from Route 219 downstream to Camp Run is designated as Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only. Regulations there allow year-round trout fishing, but all trout must be released at that time. No problem since I release all of the trout I manage to catch.

The air temperature at Kinzua Creek seemed a few degrees cooler that it was at home, but still comfortable. The stream appeared to be in ideal condition, above summer flow, but clear and not too high. Cold yes, it would still be cold on opening day, so no big thing except that trout had not yet been stocked. Some trout hold over from one year to the next.

Of course the first fly at the end of my thin tippet was the new nymph. Inspired by a pattern Gary Kell, the Fly Fishing Coach, had used successfully at about the same time a year before, it has a flash of blue to attract the attention of trout in the cold water.

After parking the truck I walked upstream a few hundred yards, with the plan of fishing downstream to the deep pool near the truck.

For the first 20 minutes, or so, I attempted to set the hook each time the nymph stopped drifting. Each time it has just hung on bottom. Such is the nature of nymphing, especially in cold water when nymphs should be drifted very close to bottom. Slow and low, false hits come so often it becomes tedious.

Then one of the stops started thrashing, the rod bent, and it took too long to set the hook. But the trout had hooked itself. A few minutes later, longer than it need have taken so I could stretch the fun, the trout was close enough to reach, and I used forceps to remove the hook.

One more trout a half-hour later comprised my total catch for the morning. To Tack’s Inn for lunch, then home to get some work done. Work went much better that it would have, had I not gone fishing.

Only one time on a preseason fishing day did I catch trout on my favorite dry fly, a Royal Wulff. Otherwise, about 75 percent of the trout caught hit nymphs, and the rest hit streamers. Wet flies probably would work if I still used them.

My new fly, which has not caught a trout since that day, is like a black bead-head nymph, but with a shiny blue wing case. Probably the Prince Nymph has been my most productive cold water nymph, either that or a plain black nymph with a gold tungsten bead head. Next would be a brown bead-head nymph.

A few other area streams have special regulations sections where year-round trout fishing is allowed.

East Hickory Creek, in Forest County, is a Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only stream from the confluence of Queen Creek to a bridge at Otter Creek, a distance of 1.84 miles. This is a medium-size stream in the special regulations section. Before April 13, when it is first scheduled for stocking this year, you may be more likely to catch wild brook trout than stocked trout.

Catch and Release Artificial Lures Only special regulations apply to a 2.75-mile section of West Branch Caldwell Creek, in Warren County.

Also in Warren County, 1.49 miles of Caldwell Creek are classified as Catch and Release Fly-Fishing Only. This is one of only three stream sections in the state under these regulations.

Another is 1.3 miles of Little Sandy Creek, also in Venango County.

Oil Creek, in Venango County, has two sections with Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only special regulations totaling 2.6 miles. This larger creek is long, and flows through a lot of agricultural land. It tends to be high and muddy in late winter and early spring.

East Branch Tunungwant Creek has Trophy Trout, Artificial Lures Only special regulations from the Main Street Bridge at Lewis Run upstream 3.2 miles to an unnamed tributary. This smaller stream holds some very nice wild brown trout. However, fishing is difficult due to overhanging limbs and very wary fish.

For a special treat, try Neshannock Creek. A 2.67-mile section from an old mill dam at Voland to a covered bridge has Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only special regulations. This larger stream has excellent trout fishing. Access it at Volant.