The Slippery Trout: A Fly Fishing Blog

The Ethics of Tailwater Streams: Fly Fishing the Upper Delaware River

2011-09-15T15:04:00.024-04:00

This past July, I traveled to New York's Catskills region, home to many of the East's most highly-regarded trout streams. You've probably heard of places like the Beaverkill, the Neversink, and the Willowemoc; in fact, many important moments in North America's fly fishing history occurred on these streams. Nevertheless, one Catskill river has captured the attention of the global fly fishing community above all others: the Upper Delaware River.

Many Americans know the Delaware. Some drive over it near Philadelphia and Wilmington, where it begins to transition into the brackish Delaware Bay. There, the river reaches over a half a mile in length, sluggishly churning toward the Atlantic Ocean. Others may be familiar with the Delaware Water Gap, a special geographical formation hundreds of millions of years old. Native Americans hunted and fished near the Gap hundreds of years before the arrival of Europeans, and countless New Yorkers and New Jerseyeans have driven through it en route to their Pocono tourist destinations. Other people may have seen the Delaware at Easton, Phillipsburg, Trenton, Milford, Camden, or Dingman's Ferry. And almost everyone is familiar with George Washington's crossing of the river on December 25th, 1776, an iconic American moment immortalized by the artwork of German-American painter Emanuel Leutze (this image graces the back of the New Jersey state quarter, among other things).

But fly fishermen know the Delaware because of its spectacular upper waters. Divided into two branches, the Upper Delaware River receives cold-water releases from the Cannonsville and Pepacton Reservoirs. These releases foster ideal living conditions for populations of wild brown and rainbow trout. The reservoirs, however, weren't constructed in order to bring salmonids to the Delaware's upper branches. Instead, Cannonsville and Pepacton provide drinking water to America's most populated metropolis: New York City.

This strange dichotomy has generated tension between sports groups and government officials. On one hand, Upper Delaware River fly fishing is a multi-million dollar industry, and many guides, fly-shop owners, and local businesspeople feel hand-cuffed, even held hostage, by the government and its cold-water release plans. If water temperatures rise too high and the reservoirs don't release enough cold water, the Upper Delaware's trout populations - and its fly fishing industry - will perish. Imagine having your livelihood threatened every time a heat wave rolls through town. It can't be easy. On the other hand, government officials have a responsibility to the people of New York City. They need to ensure that New Yorkers have enough water, and they must keep the reservoirs at certain levels in case of emergencies. Imagine being faced with a potential New York City water shortage. That can't be easy either.

Both sides agree that there is middle-ground between their respective positions, and the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) has recently modified its release plan. For now, the Upper Delaware fly fishing community and the DRBC have an uneasy but functional relationship. Which begs the question: how should fly fishers approach this problem? Should we support the Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR)? Should we attend meetings of the DRBC, offering the commission our support? What should we do? I, of course, cannot speak for you. What I can do, however, is offer my opinion.

I hate tailwater streams. There, I said it. I don't like how a tailwater will support trout when the river would otherwise be absent of salmonids. I don't like how the air can be blisteringly hot while the river registers a temperature of 52 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't like how reservoirs alter the basic ecology of their tailwaters. You may respond to these statements by suggesting I'm shooting myself in the proverbial foot. And you'd probably be right: essentially, I'm advocating for LESS trout streams and fewer wild trout populations. I see how many readers of this blog may find that problematic. Hell, I find it problematic. But during my time on the Upper Delaware, I couldn't help shake the notion that the trout shouldn't be there; that we've created an unsustainable situation that pits local environmental imperatives against the humanist concerns of our nation's greatest city; that I, too, was contributing to the problem by being there. But then I landed a number of wild brown trout, and that familiar feeling of excitement, love, and joy filled me. And I realized that the ethics of fly fishing the Upper Delaware River disappear when a strong, beautiful wild trout strikes your fly.

Image #1 - Emanuel Leutze's 1851 rendering of Washington's Crossing. It's in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), if you're interested in seeing it. It's much bigger than you'd expect.
Image #2 - The beautiful West Branch of the Delaware River.
Image #3 - An Upper Delaware brown trout. It was all about the BWOs that night.

The Challenge of Big Water: Fly Fishing Kentucky's Lake Cumberland

2011-07-08T17:33:00.022-04:00

For the second straight summer, my family spent part of July at Kentucky's Lake Cumberland. One of the largest lakes in the country, Cumberland contains over 1,000 miles of shoreline, beautifully cascading waterfalls, unlimited geological wonders, and state record catches of walleye, sturgeon, and striped bass (otherwise known as rockfish to my Chesapeake Bay-based readers). The lake's size and diverse fish species create a significant dilemma for fly fishers: how do you fish a body of water that big, with that many different kinds of fish, with the rod-and-fly?

As many of you know, I routinely seek out small, often unrecorded, wild trout fisheries. I'm a voracious reader of maps, an undeterred seeker of local knowledge, and a mildly-obsessed internet scavenger. Wherever wild trout live, I trek. Indeed, my love of wild trout extends back to my childhood, when I would ride my bike to a tiny Pennsylvanian trout stream, and fish for small native brookies. But I also cut my fishing teeth on lake water, taking in yellow perch, chain pickerel, largemouth bass, crappie, and bullhead catfish on worms, minnows, Rapalas, Jitterbugs, and plastics. In many ways, then, I'm a lake fisherman by birth (if not necessarily by creed or practice). Nevertheless, I always end up stymied by the immensity of lakes and their surprising (at least to me) diversity.

See, when I think about bodies of water, I usually employ an arbitrary - and admittedly false - binary. That is, I think of rivers/streams/creeks as dynamic, always-changing ecosystems, while at the same time consigning reservoirs/lakes/ponds to the realm of static, stagnant fisheries. Embedded in this binary is an inescapable, and unfortunate, bias. I confess, I enjoy rivers more than lakes; I'd rather fish a mountain trout stream than a massive Kentuckian reservoir. Lakes, however, are constantly in a state of flux: weather conditions, temperature, and moon phases wreak havoc on lake fishermen's best-laid plans, and they make lake fishing a fun and unpredictable enterprise. Because I prefer northeastern mountain streams, then, does not mean that these waterways are intrinsically better than big southern lakes; instead, my preferences are underscored by personal, empirical, experiential moments. They are not right, and they are not wrong. They merely are.

Leaving my fishing preferences aside, I exhaustively fished Lake Cumberland during the past week. Not all of this fishing included flies. In fact, my two sisters and I turned to nightcrawlers, red worms, and captured minnows for bait. I don't love plunking, but I do love catching big catfish and panfish (true to form, we pan-seared some white perch and bluegill in lime juice, butter, and red-pepper flakes).

I did, though, rig up my fly rod. My strategies included locating rises in enclosed, cove-like areas of the reservoir (lake fish eat as many, if not more, insects than their river counterparts), slowly-working large popper flies along the shoreline, and floating tandems of nymphs and dries. With the right equipment and knowledge, lake fishing can be a fly fisherman's paradise. I encourage you to head to your local lake, and see what kind of fish you can land on the fly. I promise it'll be worth it.

Image #1: A Lake Cumberland waterfall.
Image #2: One of my bigger catfish.

More to come soon

2011-07-08T09:50:00.002-04:00

I apologize (once again) for the large gap in between posts. Now that my summer schedule has freed up, I will be returning to (hopefully) a once-a-week posting schedule.

Narrative of a June Day: Frederick Douglass, Slavery, and Fly Fishing Maryland's Eastern Shore

2011-06-13T11:36:00.023-04:00

Seldom do I encounter a moment when my professional interests intersect with my outdoor recreational pursuits in a striking, drop-everything-I'm-doing kind of way. Such a moment occurred this past Saturday, when I spent a few hours roaming around Maryland's Eastern Shore. My wife recently received an internship at a former tobacco plantation, and while she worked at the museum, I explored the area. I ended up along the banks of the Sassafras River. While there, I took in the following scene (image #1).

As the image shows, I was gazing at a Chesapeake Bay-area vista. In the distance, a sailboat with a white sail bobbed in the current, moored fast to a marine structure. Rising above the water was an antebellum mansion, undoubtedly built, staffed, and run by slaves. It was easy to image this scene a scant 160 years ago, when chattel slavery drove the Eastern Shore's agricultural economy. In fact, the further you drive off the Eastern Shore beaten path (and by beaten I mean paved) the more you begin to feel like you've been sucked into a time portal. Indeed, miles upon miles of crop-laden fields stretch out in front of you, unbroken except for dirt pathways utilized by tractors and horses; "Big Houses" stand sentinel over the fields, stark reminders that this nation's slavery-legacy is always already visible; small outbuildings that once served as slave-houses still dot the landscape, some of which are now used by Latino immigrants (ah, historical symmetry, thou art heartless); and the recently-arrived Amish fill the roads and fields with buggies, horse-drawn open carriages, and delightfully rustic attire. Yeah, if you take a turn down a dirt road on the Eastern Shore, you end up in the 19th century (I'm deadly serious: if you take out the power lines and the pavement, some parts of the area are literally unchanged).

The totality of this experience, of being time-warped, of seeing the Big Houses still standing, made me think of Frederick Douglass, one of my favorite 19th century writers. A self-proclaimed "Eastern Shoreman," Douglass spent his childhood, adolescence, and parts of his adulthood enslaved on a number of Eastern Shore plantations. His homeland, though, was located about fifty miles south of where I was. The spirit of his humanity, his words, and his rememories (h/t T. Morrison), though, haunt the entirety of the Eastern Shore. For example, Douglass wrote the following in his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845):

Our house stood within a few rods of the Chesapeake Bay, whose broad bosom was ever white with sails from every quarter of the habitable globe. Those beautiful vessels, robed in purest white, so delightful to the eye of freemen, were to me so many shrouded ghosts, to terrify and torment me with thoughts of my wretched condition. I have often, in the deep stillness of a summer's Sabbath, stood all alone upon the lofty banks of that noble bay, and traced, with saddened heart and tearful eye, the countless number of sails moving off to the mighty ocean. The sight of these always affected me powerfully. My thoughts would compel utterance; and there, with no audience but the Almighty, I would pour out my soul's complaint, in my rude way, with an apostrophe to the moving multitude of ships.

Douglass's white-clad sailing vessels and his enslavement hit me hard as I stood looking at a sailboat and a Big House in 2011. I thought about the historical people who toiled their lives away; who looked out at passing ships and asked the question "Why am I a slave?"; who, like Douglass, ran away to the north, breathing a momentary sigh of relief when they crossed the Mason-Dixon line (a line that sits only 2 miles south of where I'm writing this post).

I also thought about the material conditions of Eastern Shore slavery. Why, you may ask, did I start ruminating on this topic? I confess that it was because of the fly fishing rod that I held in my right hand. See, I wasn't anticipating traveling back in time during my five hours on the Eastern Shore. I wasn't searching for antebellum mansions or former slave quarters or Amish buggies; no, I was looking for a place to fish. But sometimes history and rememories get in the way of outdoor leisure, especially if you are keyed in to them, like academics tend to be.

I couldn't help but wonder, then, about the history of slavery and fishing. I knew from my research that slaves augmented their food supply by tending their own gardens and hunting with makeshift weaponry (and with firearms, on occasion). But I seldom read passages about slaves turning to the waterways for food. I searched Douglass's narrative, though, and found the following passage: "Colonel Lloyd's slaves were in the habit of spending a part of their nights and Sundays in fishing for oysters, and in this way made up the deficiency of their scanty allowance." Now, oysters aren't necessary rockfish or bream, but Douglass nevertheless describes the process of using marine life to off-set starvation. Furthermore, a brief search of the 1930s Federal Writer's Project's compilation of slave narratives turns up over 100 mentions of the word "fishing." Clearly, American slaves turned to the water, to the fish, and to the land when their owners failed to provide them with adequate "allowance."

I think this helps explains Douglass's deep-seated attachment to Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay. For him, the Bay was a path to freedom (he traveled alongside it during his successful train-based escape), a provider of sustenance, a non-participator in the evil institution of slavery. Maryland, the Eastern Shore, and the Bay would always be his homeland, even as he built a life for himself in New York. It is not surprising, then, that Douglass issued the following statement in 1877: "I am an Eastern Shoreman, with all that name implies. Eastern Shore corn and Eastern Shore pork gave me my muscle. I love Maryland and the Eastern Shore."

He could have added Eastern Shore fish to his list, too.

A Good Day: Fly Fishing Southeast Pennsylvania's Letort Spring Run

2011-05-17T16:33:00.014-04:00

I start this week's post with a simple question: what is a "good day" of fishing? While an answer might seem simple, the process of deciding often requires deliberation and reflection.

When I depart a river, my mood is usually dependent on my rate of success. That is, how many fish did I catch? how many did I miss? what did the weather do? did I injure myself somehow? These questions, though, need to be put in the context of specific streams. For example, catching three wild brown trout, losing three of them, getting rained on, and getting sunburned constitutes a GREAT day on central Pennsylvania's Penns Creek; however, catching three wild brown trout, losing three of them, getting rained on, and getting sunburned is a BAD day on northeast Pennsylvania's Marshalls Creek.

For me, it's all about perspective, specificity, and relativity. Each river maintains its own set of unique problems and obstacles, so a good day on River X, then, is not necessarily a good day on River Y. I've long held this opinion, but I recently had a fly fishing experience that put the question of the "good day" back into focus.

Over the weekend, my wife and I traveled to the Pittsburgh area for a wedding. On the way back, we stopped in Carlisle, and I fly fished Letort Spring Run, a renowned wild trout fishery. Indeed, the Letort has a storied history. It was the home water of famous fly fisherman Charlie Fox, and many other fly fishing greats have fished it over the years. A flat, swampy, crystal-clear limestoner, Letort challenges anglers in every way. It is, in my opinion, the most difficult - and most rewarding - wild trout stream in Pennsylvania (and perhaps in the East).

My wife had never been to the Letort, and she was struck by its singularity. In fact, the river maintains a peculiar and enticing aesthetic: the water is crystalline, and it reflects an incredible array of surrounding greenery - willows, watercress, poplars, reeds, grasses -, while sinewy micro-currents twist across the stream's surface, and wild mint, dame's rocket, and a multitude of flowering trees perfume the air. Nothing looks (or even smells) quite like the Letort, but my wife mentioned its similarity to streams she's seen in the United Kingdom.

I struggled for nearly two hours on the Letort, before a driving rainstorm forced me back into the car. During that time, I hooked into two wild brown trout, losing both of them. I was frustrated and angry; my wife hadn't seen me exert that much fly fishing-related frustration since our college days in central Pennsylvania. There I was, at the famous Letort, a fly fishing destination for the best in the world, testing my skill at the highest level. And I overcame the challenges to fool two fish...that I proceeded to lose due to poor fight-technique. I was mad.

As I warmed up in the car after the rain, though, I began to feel my frustration fade; in its stead came satisfaction. I realized that the Letort, while challenging, is still conquerable. My two lost fish were a testament to that fact, and I therefore decided that my day on Letort Spring Run was certainly a good one.

Image #1 - Letort Spring Run
Image #2 - Sneaking up on those skittish Letort brown trout
Image #3 - A typical Letort setting

The Problem of High Water: Fly Fishing Pocono Wild Trout Streams in May

2011-05-09T18:47:00.019-04:00

It's early on a Saturday, and you've loaded up your car with your fly rods, your vest, your waders, and some newly-tied flies. You've worked all week, tended to your family, and dreamed of casting your fly-line in a trout stream; you stayed up late on Friday, tying flies while your wife slept, knowing the alarm clock will awake you in four hours; you're excited, you're amped up, you're ready to go. You drive your car to a far-away stream, opening the windows to let in the warm May morning air. Two hours later, you pull into a parking area, rig up your rod, and finally (finally!) walk down a well-known path. You're keenly aware that it's there waiting for you: that is, the river, the current, the hatch, and, most importantly, the trout, all located beyond the next bend, and over the next hill. And then you see it, and you yell in frustration: the stream is impossibly high, and overflowing its banks.

Every fly fishermen has been in this position. We all lead busy lives, and not all of us can spend 100+ days on the water. We carefully arrange our schedules, creating small pockets of fly-fishing only blocks of time. We prepare, we await, we execute....and then we stew in disappointment when river conditions threaten our special, sacred time on the water.

I was stuck with this situation last weekend when I traveled to the Poconos to attend my niece's first tee-ball game. I intentionally woke up early, drove the requisite three hours while it was still dark, and arrived at the Brodhead Creek before the sun made its way over the dissected plateau that masquerades as the Pocono Mountain range. When I glanced at the raging river, however, I knew I was in trouble.

Living south of the Poconos (but still in the unparalleled Keystone State), I didn't know how much rain my home region had received in the late weeks of April. Adequate research would have revealed this problem, but I was overwhelmed with dissertation revisions, approaching pedagogical duties, and family holiday obligations. You should have known better, I told myself. You should have checked the USGS's website for water levels of the Brodhead and Bushkill Creeks, I thought, as I angrily berated myself for my lack of foresight. Eventually, my self-anger died down and I began to plan. If you are ever find yourself in this situation, I recommend the following pieces of advice.

First, give the river a try anyway. High water isn't necessarily a bad thing, and I've landed trout on the fly in genuine flood situations. When the water rages, work a big, flashy, colorful streamer along the riverbank, and drag it through any obvious trout lies. Fish are creatures of opportunity, and they will eat even in flood-stage conditions. If they see your presentation, and it's right near them, odds are high they will strike your fly. Heavy, large, bead-head nymphs also produce in high water. Two years ago, I caught a 15 inch stocked brown trout out of the Brodhead Creek during a significant high water episode. It took a size 8 bead-head stonefly nymph. The ensuing battle was one of the most memorable fights I've ever had: a decent trout, hooked in flooding water, battling me near a precariously-positioned rapids section. It worked out, and I'll always cherish that memory. If I would have walked back to the car without trying the rapidly-rising river, I would have missed out on a great moment.

Second, go to another river, preferably a smaller one. Smaller streams clear out faster than large ones; this occurs because they are less integral parts of the dominant watershed system, and they drain less overall acreage. This past weekend, I left the Brodhead and headed to a number of smaller wild trout streams. These creeks were high, but they were more fishable than their parent streams. I ended up landing a few wild trout, hardly something to complain about, even though my initial plans were dashed.

Always remember that time on the water is what you make of it. You cannot control horrendous conditions, and blown-out rivers are sometimes impossible to fly fish. But if you adhere to the two key strategies I've outlined in this post, you may catch a few trout anyway.

Image #1 - The Susquehanna River in flood stage.
Image #2 - Wild ginger in bloom.
Image #3 - A creek chub I caught in high water conditions.

The Irony of the "Home River": Fly Fishing Northeast Pennsylvania's Brodhead Creek

2011-05-03T16:56:00.026-04:00

Most fly fishermen have a "home river." That is, a place they know inside out, a waterway where they learned to fly fish, a stream they recognize as readily as a family member. Home rivers are locales that trigger special memories (a first fish, a unique moment, a missed opportunity), and they are often the metrics by which anglers measure every other river they fish. I consider three creeks my home rivers: Marshalls Creek, Bushkill Creek, and Brodhead Creek. All three are wonderful Pocono trout fisheries, and I could write countless words about each of them. The Brodhead Creek, though, possesses certain peculiarities that problematize my characterization of it as a "home river."

Over the weekend, I traveled to the Poconos to see family - human and river alike. Early Sunday, I decided to say hello to the Brodhead, a sinewy, watery friend I first fished as a child. This particular Pocono river has a storied history. Indeed, it was one of the first fly fishing destinations in the United States, and presidents, writers, and fly fishing legends have all cast their lines in its swift current.

In addition, and perhaps more importantly, the river caused the most severe disaster devastation the Pocono region has ever seen. In August of 1955, two hurricanes roared through northeast Pennsylvania (Connie and Diane), dropping over 20 inches of rain in a week's time. The Brodhead swelled, and it swept away a number of children from an Analomink-based Baptist camp. As the deluge reached East Stroudsburg, homes were obliterated in the low-lying downtown area, and tens of people drowned. Recalling images of the deadly Johnstown Flood, the 1955 disaster claimed over 100 Pocono lives. As a result of the flood, the local, state, and federal governments looked for ways to avoid similar disasters. One of the solutions was an elaborate levee system that shielded the downtowns of Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg from any further flood damage.

Today, my home river is channeled and leveed throughout much of its lower section; coincidentally, this comprises much of the Brodhead's publicly accessible water. Because of these two factors, I grew up with an ever-changing, constantly-fluid home waterway. The channeling and levee-ing create a violent and unpredictable flood environment, and the private land forces anglers like me into this ever-changing area. And what I've learned is this: when a river can't flood, it cuts instead. Every year, the Brodhead makes new paths, new beds, and new fishing conditions. It treats its leveed-in banks as pliable clay, wrenching them and contorting them, forever altering the scarred landscape. The Brodhead of 2011, then, is not the Brodhead of 2010, or the Brodhead of 1994. It is a new river. Every year.

Kind of ironic for a home water, right? Each year I must learn a new river, one that's completely changed from the version of the previous year. I have to seek out new trout lies, and think of new strategies of attack. It is quite the undertaking, one that is coterminously frustrating and confusing. It's nothing like my experiences at the Bushkill or Marshalls.

But each time I return to this home water, I'm faced with a delightful set of questions. I ask myself, what has the Brodhead done this year? how has it changed? what will it look like now? how do I address its intrinsic volatility? These questions are exciting, and they engender the outpouring of enthusiasm I have whenever I approach a new river. So I get both familiarity and difference; the comfort of the recognized concatenating with the thrill of the foreign.

So if you head out to the Brodhead sometime this spring, remember this: it may not look anything like the river you've come to know and love, but it will always retain that distinctive Brodhead-ness that separates it from every other American river.

Image #1: Catching a Brodhead trout in 2009.
Image #2: Round-loped hepatica growing along the Brodhead Creek.
Image #3: Canadian mayflower getting ready to bloom along the Brodhead.

Trout in the Old Dominion: Fly Fishing Northern Virginia's Accotink Creek

2011-04-25T16:46:00.011-04:00

Over the weekend, my wife and I traveled to northern Virginia to celebrate the Easter holiday with her family. Being who I am, I decided to look into that region's fly fishing options. A quick web-search revealed that a section of the Accotink Creek, from Little River Turnpike to Braddock Road, is a specially-regulated, artificials-only area. The state supports this stretch of water with spring and fall trout stocking, and enterprising fly fishers can land pretty rainbow trout right near the infamous Capital Beltway.

Before heading down to the river alone, however, I went on a walk with my wife and her parents. This perambulating trip took us along the celadine-covered banks of the Accotink. Along the way we spotted a red fox, some deer, a great blue heron, two snakes, and a host of wildflowers, including lesser celandine, Virginia bluebells (in Virginia, too!), mayapple, wild blue phlox, chickweed, and dwarf ginseng. I, of course, kept an eye on the water, and what I noticed helped me when I returned to the river, rod-in-hand, after the conclusion of our walk.

The Accotink is a typical east coast, piedmontian waterway. That is, its long, flat, and shallow pools are punctuated by gently cascading sections of rapids. It maintains a healthy riparian environment, replete with ground covering plants, towering sycamores, and hardy ironwoods. Mud predominates in many streamside parts of the river, but the riverbed features a mixture of silt and small rocks. The water temperature, as many readers probably guessed, becomes too warm for trout by June, and any holdover activity is extremely unlikely. At some point in the past, long before the time when parking lots, deforestation, highways, and strip malls came to dominate NoVa's landscape, the Accotink likely held wild trout. Those days are long gone, but the thrill of catching a salmonoid a few miles from Washington DC is still alive and well.

Using the scouting knowledge I had attained during the walk, I quickly zoned in on some spots I thought would hold fish. One such area was the top of a long pool, where the rapids began to diminish, and a large sycamore extended its roots into the water. I tied on a small wooly bugger streamer, and softly dead-drifted it to the root system. I then stopped the drift, and flicked the streamer in the current, quickly moving it across the thalweg and into an area of slack water. This technique worked like a charm, and I landed a number of Old Dominion rainbows.

My quick success was due, in part, to the streamside walk I had taken with the family. I was able to look for insect activity (there wasn't much), identify potential trout holds, and become familiar with the terrain, all before ever offering a cast. This kind of foreknowledge is useful, especially when the river is completely unknown to you. Without the temptation of the fly rod in your hand, you notice things that you might have otherwise overlooked.

The next time you head to a new river, consider spending an hour along its banks, sans fly rod. Take in the stream, observe it, learn something about it. Because a little bit of knowledge might be the difference between a great day on the water, and a frustrating, no-trout experience.

Image #1 - The Accotink Creek
Image #2 - An Accotink rainbow
Image #3 - Our friend, the northern watersnake.

(As always, thanks for reading, and be sure to check out my new guiding website at www.poconoflyfisher.com)

Knowing a New River: Fly Fishing Southeast Pennsylvania's White Clay Creek

2011-04-15T10:59:00.016-04:00

What does it mean to "know a trout stream"? Although this vague and strange grammatical construction is well known and often muttered, it nevertheless raises a set of epistemological problems: how can you really "know" anything?, can you even "know" a thing like a river? if you can, how long does it take? one trip, four trips, years? does it mean having success catching fish? does it mean you are no longer taken by surprise at any given moment on the water? do you have to know the entire layout of the waterway?

I don't have the answers to these questions. In fact, it seems that each person would define "knowing" a river in a different way. For me, it's about comfort: can I go to a river, with no planning, at any time of year, and still catch trout on the fly? If the answer to this question is yes, I probably "know" that river. It takes me quite a bit of time, though, to arrive at this state. I need to see the stream in low water, in flood stage; I need to see it on 90 degree days when the sun pounds down on the water; I need to see it when it snows, and when ice blocks out different sections; I need to be there when it rains and when it sleets; I need to have success and failure even out, creating the expectation of trout on the fly; and, finally, I need to write about it.

That being said, I'm "getting to know" southeast Pennsylvania's White Clay Creek. Three branches of this Delaware Bay watershed flow near my house, and over 10 miles of the stream are stocked by Pennsylvania and Delaware. Driving distance isn't a factor; indeed, a short half-mile walk brings me to the stream's un-stocked West Branch. And in the last few weeks, I've visited various stretches of the White Clay over 10 times.

On one of my trips, it was cold, wet, and dreary. Five minutes after I got there, it started to rain. I could literally watch the water getting muddier by the minute. So I got out my fly box, picked out a cone-head muddler minnow, and tied it on. The fly's gold wire, wrapped tightly around its mid-section, cut through the murky water, and trout after trout smacked it. It was a wonderful time (I've always loved fly fishing for trout in the rain). On another trip, however, the sun was bright and the temperature was nearing 70 degrees. A perfect day to head to the river, right? The trout, though, were not quite active, and they were skittish of any shadow I cast on the water. After nymphing for awhile, I ultimately tied on a light colored dry fly, and blindly drifted it down the current. I tend to fly fish underwater, so I was thrilled when a smallish brown trout rose from the bottom to strike the dun imitation. Immediately after catching that trout, I left the White Clay, content and satisfied.

Other trips to the White Clay featured Delawarian fly fishing, enticing trout with small wooly bugger streamers, and a few bald eagle sightings. Now, as I contemplate driving to the special regulation, delayed-harvest area near Landenberg, PA, the process of "knowing" the White Clay Creek is coming to an end. I've experienced the river in different conditions, gained familiarity with all of its various branches, and learned its hatch patterns for the summer, fall, winter, and, finally, spring. I think I can say, I know the White Clay Creek...at least a little bit.

Image #1: Catching a trout in Delaware
Image #2: Stonefly nymph!
Image #3: White Clay brown trout

(Remember to check out my new guiding website at www.poconoflyfisher.com and follow me on Twitter by clicking the following button: )

Now Officially Guiding Fly Fishing Trips in the Poconos and Northwest New Jersey

2011-04-14T20:29:00.008-04:00

For those of you who have loyally followed this blog, my decision to formally create a fly fishing guiding website likely comes as no surprise. It's something I've been doing for a number of years now, and I've decided to consolidate that part of my fly fishing life in a professional way. So please visit www.poconoflyfisher.com to learn more about my "new" guiding services.

This new website will in no way impede the nature writing that I do on this blog. Guiding and fly fishing blogging are two distinct aspects of one wonderful sport.

In addition, this blog now has a Twitter account. You can access it by clicking on the following button:

Trout in Unexpected Places: Fly Fishing Northern Delaware

2011-04-11T11:49:00.017-04:00

Northern Delaware is a diverse and pretty region. Indeed, it boasts some of the finest museums in the country, beautiful parkland, stately colonial homes, and the DuPont industrial complex. It is known for many other reasons, too, and people have been enjoying its wild scenes since the native Algonquians hunted along the Delaware Bay and the Dutch, Swedish, and English colonists settled the area in the early 17th century. And, somewhat surprisingly, it contains miles of trout-stocked waterways.

The cool waters and clay-bound shorelines of the White Clay Creek, Wilson Run, Pike Creek, Mill Creek, Christiana Creek, and Beaver Run receive annual stocking regimens, and the season takes off in the month of April. Because these streams become quite warm in the summertime, the state only provides trout in the early spring, and it actively encourages participants to keep their catch. In addition, the state is not shy about stocking big fish, and many large rainbow, brown, and golden rainbow trout patrol the deep pockets of the aforementioned rivers.

Over the last few weeks, I've been driving south down Pennsylvania's New London Road (PA Route 896), turning left onto Chambers Rock Road, and parking along the banks of the pretty White Clay. The Pennsylvania-Delaware borderline is not far upstream from this spot, and it cuts somewhat perpendicularly across the creek. This geographical quirk is known as the Twelve-Mile Circle, a demarcation that takes New Castle as its center and extends outward 12 miles in all directions. Because of the difficulty of surveying this type of border, Delaware has had disputes with a number of states throughout history, including Pennsylvania (over an area known as the Wedge, where the Twelve-Mile Circle and Mason-Dixon Line overlap), New Jersey (a small part of the New Jerseyean peninsula is technically Delawarian land, and the two states have argued in court over this issue as recently as the late 2000s), and Maryland (where the Arc Line and North Line of the Mason-Dixon Line are not congruent). Because of these strange delimitations, the state border on the White Clay Creek is not confined to the shoreline, nor is it drawn down the middle of the stream. Instead it arcs, ever so slightly, across the river. Enterprising anglers can thus cast their fly lines over a state border (if you are a history/geography obsessed person like myself, you'll appreciate the novelty of this undertaking).

During my fly fishing expeditions, I've found that muddler minnow streamers and stonefly nymphs produce in many of these Delaware streams. For fishermen that prefer lures and spinning tackle, I'd suggest Rapalas fished deep down in the current. Always remember to fish underneath any clay cliffs and sycamore root systems you might see.

Although Delaware is not necessarily synonymous with excellent trout fly fishing (shad and saltwater options are other stories for other days), it nevertheless offers some pleasurable and eye-catching trout opportunities. If you live in Newark, Wilmington, or any other spot near New Castle County, I strongly encourage you to give the nearby rivers a try.

Image #1: The White Clay Creek near the Delaware-Pennsylvania border.
Image #2: The White Clay Creek south of Chambers Rock Rd.
Image #3: A field of lesser celandine in bloom at the White Clay Creek in Delaware.

Fishing Book Excerpt: Fly Fishing for Lake Erie Steelhead

2011-03-25T14:56:00.007-04:00

Here's another excerpt from a long-form project I'm currently working on. Check back for more in the coming days and weeks.

I’m always struck by Pennsylvania’s fishing diversity. In the southeast, the state offers access to the Delaware Bay, where enterprising anglers can fish for massive striped bass. To the northeast, the Pocono Mountains provide excellent wild and stocked trout opportunities. Central Pennsylvania contains some of the best limestone, wild brown trout streams in the entire country. Slicing the state in half is the Susquehanna River, a large, relatively flat, body of water that possesses a renowned smallmouth bass fishery. Located nearby, Raystown Reservoir, the biggest lake circumscribed within the state, owns state records for striped bass and Atlantic salmon. And, finally, the far northwestern section of the Keystone State has over 40 miles of Lake Erie shoreline. The lake and its tributaries have combined for eight state records, including rock bass, yellow perch, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, pink salmon, brown trout, lake trout, and, of course, steelhead rainbow trout.

It was the steelhead that drew me to Erie County in March of 2010. This particular type of rainbow trout cast its spell on me about five years ago, when I visited my best friend during my college’s fall break. He went to Edinboro University, a school located about 20 miles from the Great Lake. I was anxious to see Lake Erie for the first time, so we decided to take a drive up to the lake the first day I arrived. On our ride along Pennsylvania’s gorgeous Route 5, I noticed cars lined up along every river that emptied into Erie. This piqued my interest, and subsequent research revealed that October is one of the hottest months for steelhead fishing. Having never heard of a steelhead, I did more investigating. What I learned changed my fly fishing life forever.

Steelhead are remarkable creatures, alien rainbow trout that dominate the natural Lake Erie setting. They are imports from the American West, anadromous visitors that tantalize anglers with their size, their determination, and their numbers. Born in the many tributaries of the big lake, steelhead venture into Erie after their smolt stage (around one year), where they live until they reach sexual maturity. They then return to the rivers of their birth in order to spawn; it is during this period that anglers most regularly target them. Once they leave the lake behind, and re-enter the tributary streams, they carry with them a tell-tale marker of their journey: a grayish, sometimes light green sheen, often compared to the color of steel, on the top of their skulls.

Because rainbow trout can live for many years, and do not die when they reproduce, Lake Erie steelhead can reach immense physical proportions. Six pound fish are common, and 10+ lbs fish are often catchable. They tend to travel in groups, sometimes with as many as 100 other fish. These packs are mesmerizing: on occasion, they are so populous that a person could walk across a stream on a “steelhead” bridge.

In addition, the sheer physical presence of steelhead produces a maniacal effect on anglers.

The First Wildflower of Spring: Skunk Cabbage and the Advent of Fly Fishing Season

2011-03-24T13:22:00.008-04:00

Just a brief note:
As a fly fisherman, I have the opportunity to see hundreds of different wildflowers each year. The blooming periods for specific flowers also mirror the hatching patterns of different water insects. For example, when trout lily blooms at Penns Creek in Centre County, Pennsylvania, it often means the grannom caddis hatch is underway.

In March, the bloom of skunk cabbage suggests that blue-winged olives are hatching. It also means that trout fishing is about to pick up in earnest.

Above is an image of the first skunk cabbage of the year. Northeast fly fishermen should be tying those baetis imitations!

Ice Fishing 2011 in Pictures

2011-03-21T11:43:00.026-04:00

Hello everyone. I apologize yet again for the big gap between posts. I've been busy writing my dissertation, and I haven't been able to devote much time to nature writing. As the wildflowers begin to bloom and the first mayflies start to hatch, I thought I'd wrap-up this year's ice fishing season through a pictorial montage. It was a great year on the ice, and I already miss standing on frozen lakes, pulling tip-ups out of the cold water, and catching fish in the most difficult of conditions.

Image #1: Early season fishing on Blue Mountain Lake
Image #2: A nice largemouth bass from Blue Mountain
Image #3: Blue Mountain Lake
Image #4: A yellow perch, one of my only catches during my first trip to Budd Lake
Image #5: Budd Lake
Image #6: Hemlock Pond
Image #7: A yellow perch, the only fish I caught at Hemlock Pond
Image #8: Mauch Chunk Lake
Image #9: A small chain pickerel from Mauch Chunk
Image #10: A largemouth bass from Mauch Chunk
Image #11: Sunset at Mauch Chunk
Image #12: Budd Lake on the second trip
Image #13: The first northern pike of the year
Image #14: Close-up of the pike
Image #15: The biggest pike
Image #16: My wife on Budd Lake
Image #17: A bass from Monroe Lake
Image #18: A fat chain pickerel from Monroe Lake
Image #19: Probably this ice fishing season's fish of the year, a 4-5 lbs largemouth bass from Monroe Lake

Ice Fishing New Jersey's Hemlock Pond

2011-01-18T13:10:00.004-05:00

A few days later, I returned to the Water Gap. This time, I had my mind set on a loftier goal: Hemlock Pond. Hemlock is located two miles north of Blue Mountain Lake, and is accessible via hiking/cross-country skiing trails. After thinking about my options, I decided to hike the two miles, carrying all of my equipment either on my back or in my hands. This is what I did to ease the burden: I emptied out my ski-boots bag, and filled it with my tip-ups, ice strainer, water, food, and extra clothing; I then loaded my bait bucket with bait and placed it in an empty, larger bucket that usually contains the bulk of my equipment; and, finally, I broke down my ice-cutting bar into a smaller 2-foot size piece. I placed the bag on my back, carried the bait in my left hand, and the bar in my right.

The only problem, though, was the 10 inches of snow that had fallen the night before. A two mile hike is simple enough, but when you combine ankle-deep snow with undulating elevation, it becomes slippery, difficult, back-breaking terrain. And yet, I remained undeterred. What awaited me at the end of the journey was the promise of a 13 acre pond, at 1200 feet, all to myself.
As I started my climb, I noticed how alive the woods seemed after the freshly-fallen snow. I saw the woodpeckers I heard the week before, their shiny red heads standing out like tiny beacons amid the white background; I noticed bright red holly berries glowing through the undergrowth; I heard the chirping of nuthatches, juncos, and cardinals; and I saw the yellow-green mountain laurel leaves desperately clinging to the mother-plant, attempting in vain to withstand the 15-mph wind gusts that lashed the top of the ridge-line. When I reached the apex of the ridge, I could see out into Pennsylvania, with the rolling hills of the Delaware Valley giving way to the strange flatness of the Pocono Plateau. In the distance, I noticed a few stray water towers and the lights from a nearby ski area.

Besides those interlopers, the landscape seemed devoid of human touch, covered under whiteness. At moments like this, it’s easy to think about things like peace, purity, virginity, and calm. It’s easy to come up with hollow lines about beauty, about place. It’s even easier to note a feeling of smallness in a massive universe. This is what whiteness does to us; it’s what hundreds of years of cultural symbolism have embedded into our collective consciousnesses. Our brides are bathed in white, our babies swaddled in its protective sheen. It is associated with privilege, and with progress. It is all encompassing, and it completely surrounded me as I stood alone, gazing upon the Keystone State from the top of a mountain.

It was then that I remembered the lessons of Moby-Dick, a foundational text in my graduate education. A victim and a victimizer, Herman Melville knew that whiteness had another side, a meaner side, even a darker side, that few of us ever notice. As he wrote over 150 years ago, “Or is it, that as in essence whiteness is not so much a color as the visible absence of color; and at the same time the concrete of all colors; is it for these reasons that there is such a dumb blankness, full of meaning, in a wide landscape of snows- a colorless, all-color of atheism from which we shrink?” At the top of a Kittattiny ridge, I thought of this passage, one I had memorized in college. The all-encompassing whiteness around me suddenly seemed terrifying: what if I broke my leg and I was stranded in the blinding cold, with nothing but the stark white snow to stare at? what does the white snow do to the birds that ostensibly seem so happy? does it cover their food supply up, so that their chirps are nothing more than hunger-shrieks? is it fair that the whiteness can transform an abusive home into a paintable winter landscape so beautiful it brings tears to your eyes? In the end, I thought, does whiteness like this make us all like Melville’s harlot, who paints her face to hide the “charnel-house within”? I wasn’t sure then, and I’m not sure now; but I did become frightened, as the trail extended forever onward, and I could never seem to reach the end of it.

But like all of our strange quests, mine eventually did end. Hemlock Pond was right where the maps said it would be, and I spent the next five hours ice fishing. I didn’t break my leg, get lost, or fall through the ice. I even caught a fish: a solitary yellow perch, about eight inches in length. I emerged from my journey with a sore back, sore feet, and a pound or two lighter. It was a pleasant day, replete with exercise, and I drove back home content with my first attempt at “extreme” ice fishing.

Ice Fishing New Jersey's Lower Blue Mountain Lake

2011-01-06T14:37:00.010-05:00

Yesterday, I traveled 150 miles to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, where I ice fished New Jersey's Lower Blue Mountain Lake. I had been dreaming of hard-water fishing ever since the cold spells of late November, but a recent warming trend in the northeast delayed my first trip until the beginning of January. I chose Lower Blue Mountain Lake because it sits above 1000 feet, and the extra elevation helps create a little more ice underfoot. Lower Blue Mountain, though, is an isolated public lake that requires deft navigation and a bit of hiking. To my surprise, I had the lake to myself. Think about that for a second: in the middle of ice fishing season, I was alone on a body of water in the nation's most densely-populated state.

While I sat on an island-based rock ledge overlooking my equipment, I attempted to come up with encomiums worthy of this place. And I kept failing. I tried to write in my head, which inevitably led me to start thinking about writing itself (such are the pitfalls of my profession). In particular, I thought about the act of writing about nature - perhaps the most basic of any type of writing. Words and concepts like inspiration, hermeneutics, beauty, alienation, and sublime floated through my head, while the birds sang above, and the fish swam below. I concluded that it is remarkably easy to write about the outside world, with its overwhelming combinations (a brightly-colored blue jay in a barren shagbark hickory tree), and otherworldly constructions (wind-swept wisps of snow blowing on the frozen lake like ghost-snakes). Just look at this blog and others like it: I write about nature and my participation within it, and people I've never met read the post, comment on my writing, and email me. In a sense, the moment I put these words on the page, I become united with readers who encounter or seek the same experiences. And no paragraph or sentence, no poem or novel, no blog-post or article, can convey the way I felt yesterday at Blue Mountain Lake. I'm simply not that good of a writer.

At one point, I focused on the silence surrounding me. I knew I was the only human within miles; I had no cell phone reception, and I didn't bring any other media with me. But then, an airplane would fly over-head, and I would hear its powerful engines echoing off the ridges. Or, I would hear the distant rumble of an ATV or the crack of a rifle, as hunters pursued their quarries. Man-made sounds like these pierced the quiet, and these eruptions showed me that the lake wasn't silent at all. In fact, it was a cacophony: roaring wind, singing jays/cardinals/juncos/flickers, hammering woodpeckers searching for food within the bark of wintered trees, and the thickening, expanding, and separating of the ice. And there I was, all alone at the top of the mountain. I may have caught six fish (three yellow perch, two largemouth bass, and one chain pickerel), but I still would have been endlessly happy if I had caught none.

Long-form Project Excerpt #2

2010-12-03T17:13:00.007-05:00

Here's another excerpt from the long-form project I've been doing:

Salmon are majestic fish with a long, storied history. Considered one of the prize catches of early modern English anglers, salmon have been praised, threatened, protected, and fetishized for hundreds of years. According to Isaak Walton’s iconic 17th-century treatise on fishing, The Compleat Angler, salmon were overfished as early as the 1200s:

"They be principally three, namely, March, April, and May: for these be the usual months that Salmon come out of the sea to spawn in most fresh rivers. And their fry would, about a certain time, return back to the salt water, if they were not hindered by weirs and unlawful gins, which the greedy fishermen set, and so destroy them by thousands; as they would, being so taught by nature, change the freshfor salt water. He that shall view the wise Statutes made in the 13th of Edward the First, and the like in Richard the Second, may see several provisions made against the destruction of fish: and though I profess no knowledge of the law, yet I am sure the regulation of these defects might be easily mended."

In my opinion, any fish that drew the protection of two English kings is worthy of any and all encomiums. It was also worthy of a little research.

Long-form Project Excerpt

2010-12-01T14:31:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone. During the colder winter months, I plan on writing a longer form piece on my 2010 fishing experiences. I will likely provide excerpts on the blog, so check back often to see some new writing about the year. Without further ado, here's a few words I wrote about my memories fishing Pennsylvania's Monroe Lake:

Sometimes, though, fishing is about the memories you create during the experience (to be completely honest, this is usually something fishermen say when they fail). And on that January day, family and friends had a chance to catch up, little kids got to run around on the frozen lake, and first-time ice fishermen took up a new challenge.

At one point during the festivities, my best friend and I talked about our favorite memories of the lake. We reminisced about rowing out in the middle of a hot summer day, with him stuck in a full blown leg cast. What would we have done if he had fallen in? We talked about how we once witnessed a real lake monster: a three-foot long snapping turtle swimming with an upside-down catfish in its mouth. From afar it looked like something out of a horror movie, but that didn’t stop us from rowing out and investigating it. We laughed about the time my fishing pole was literally ripped off of the dock, shooting out into the lake like a cannonball. I thought my rod was gone forever, the victim of a largemouth bass’s ferocity. Thirty minutes later, though, we saw the bobber pop up about one hundred yards away. We hopped in a row boat, paddled over to the bobber, and I grabbed the line. Out came a plump 4 pound, 20-inch bass. I tossed it in the boat and began carefully pulling the line with my hands, eventually retrieving my once-lost rod from the depths of the lake. We retold the story of my play-attack on a friend who refused to net a giant catfish for me. My mother heard us yelling from across the lake and thought we were hurt. Finally, I recited the best story of all: the legend of the phantom bass. The phantom was a monstrosity that mysteriously appeared on the end of a stringer hanging off the edge of a dock. A full 8 pounds in weight (enormous by our northern standards), the bass had eaten a 15 inch yellow perch I had placed on the stringer earlier in the day. It got a nasty surprise when it ended up “catching” itself. To this day, the phantom bass is still the biggest bass I’ve ever “caught.” And all I had to do was lift the stringer out of the water!

Fly Fishing Vermont's Northeast Kingdom

2010-09-30T12:46:00.014-04:00

First of all, I'd like to apologize for the long break between posts. That will be coming to an end. For those of you that have checked back with frequency hoping for something new, I am sincerely sorry. Now, on to the trout!

My wife and I vacationed in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom for our honeymoon. The region had everything we wanted: beautiful scenery, quiet towns, and, of course, Cabot Cheese. So we rented a house along the Black River (her idea, not mine), and spent the next week exploring rural Vermont. While my focus was ostensibly on my new bride, I somehow ended up catching over 40 trout. I'm not really sure how that happened....I suppose since she had been a devoted companion on numerous fly fishing excursions, spending her honeymoon along the banks of various rivers was somewhat apropos.

In all honesty, however, I did a majority of the fishing when my wife was still asleep, or wrapped up with a book. Having the house along the river made this type of fishing quite easy. I remember one night getting drunk on champagne, then heading out into the twilight to fish the Black while Jackie read. It was raining slightly, and the temperature was a cool 50. I thought to myself that this was as good as it was going to get, casting in the rain on a beautiful stream with my wife able to see me from the warmth of indoors. She always worries about me, even though the rivers I fish are, on average, less than three feet deep. But up there in Vermont, she could easily call me when she wanted to start dinner, or join me on the grassy bank as I attempted to land the river's beautiful rainbow trout.

I fished more rivers than the Black, though. Our rented house was a short drive from Newport, a town located on the immense Lake Memphremagog. The big lake shares territory with both the United States and Canada, and is the area's dominant watershed. I fished the three main US tributaries: the Black River, the Barton River, and the Clyde River. Interestingly, Vermont's fish and game folks have stocked the Clyde with land-locked Atlantic salmon. Having never caught one, these salmon were my primary target. Because of the time of the year, however, I was only able to catch small smolt that had not yet ventured into the deep Memphremagogian waters. But they were still salmon, and I was able to add another type of salmonoid to my personal list.

We also took a ride into the northern Green Mountains, stopping at Jay Peak. Jay is regarded by many (including myself) as one of the East's best ski locales. Leading the east in snowfall, Jay's melt ends up in a tributary stream entitled Jay Creek/Jay Branch. After taking the infamous tram to the summit (over 4,000 feet) and having a drink at the newly-renovated lodge, Jackie and I stopped at a pull-off along the smallish stream. I was able to catch 22 wild brook trout on small streamer flies in about 90 minutes. It was as if they had never seen anything like those small wooly buggers. And it's possible they haven't: we did not see another fly fisherman during our entire stay.

One of the last mini-trips we took was across the Canadian-US border into Quebec. I had seen a river on the map labeled the Riviere Tomifobia, and I was determined to catch an international trout. Despite not being able to read the posted signs (I believe they were just delineating regulations, my French isn't what it used to be), I parked along the river and began fishing. Not soon after, I landed a wild brook trout. It was the first trout I caught in a country other than the United States, and I was thrilled. But not knowing the precise rules of where I was fishing, Jackie and I hightailed it back to the US immediately following the catch.

It was a wonderful honeymoon: my first salmon, my first international trout, my first Vermont trout, and my first few days with the newly-minted wife.

Image #1 - Clyde River
Image #2 - The first Atlantic salmon, check out that tail!
Image #3 - Wild brook caught on a streamer at Jay Creek
Image #4 - Riviere Tomifobia

More to come shortly

2010-07-07T18:08:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone. I recently got married and have embarked on the beginning stages of dissertation work. I've managed to do quite a bit of fishing, however, so I will begin to write up some of my recent experiences in the coming weeks. Check back soon!

Photo: Riviere Tomifobia near Stanstead, Quebec.

Fly Fishing for Wild Brook Trout in the Poconos

2010-05-22T09:37:00.020-04:00

I drove to the Poconos on the last day of April, ready to catch some wild brook trout. There are a number of wild brook trout streams in the Poconos; a quick glance at the PA Fish and Boat Commission website will reveal a list of them, by county, if you're interested. Because I grew up there, I know of a few that are not marked by the state (the joys of local knowledge). When I fish the Poconos for wild trout, I typically employ a 15-mile loop that covers six streams (Marshalls Creek, Mud Run, Poplar Run, Mill Creek, Rattlesnake Creek, and Devils Hole Creek). On the aforementioned late April day, I hit up the middle four of that list.

Mud Run
Mud Run is the "tailwater" of Snow Hill Dam. If you hike down from the Dam, the stream will start to cascade down big sandstone outcroppings. At this point, wild brookies begin to populate the water. It's not really a technical run, and there isn't much riparian vegetation in the way. That being said, I caught three wild brook trout on a small wooly bugger streamer. I also found starflower, fringed polygala, miterwort, marsh marigold, and some late hepatica.

Poplar Run
One of my favorite Pennsylvania wild trout streams, Poplar Run is located a few miles away from Mud Run, and contains a mix of wild brown and wild brook trout. During my time there, however, I caught all brooks (six of them, to be exact). I'm not sure where the browns were hiding; wild trout streams are unpredictable like that. Anyone who ventures to Poplar should consider wearing formidable protective gear. Brambles cover the banks, and hiking the Run is quite difficult.

Mill Creek
Mill Creek meanders through the village of Mountainhome, and also maintains a mixed brown/brook population. In fact, the only wild tiger trout (brown-brook hybrid) I've ever caught came out of the Mill. I was running short on time and the clouds were beginning to look ominous, so I left after nabbing a wild brown near the State Gameland border. Even though these streams are so close together, I always seem to run out of time!

Rattlesnake Creek
This small wild creek is a short three mile drive from Mill Creek, and is surrounded by Gamelands. For safety reasons, wear an orange hat, at least, and be aware of the various hunting seasons. As the rain started to fall, I caught a gorgeous wild brook trout on a wooly bugger (I mean, look at the picture; it's perfect), tossed it back in the creek, and ran back to the car.

In the end, I landed 11 wild trout. Not exactly a great fishing day, but I managed to add four rivers to my list.

Image #1 - Mud Run waterfall
Image #2 - Mud Run wild brook trout
Image #3 - Mill Creek wild brown trout
Image #4 - Rattlesnake Creek wild brook trout
Video Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH2bu_CsQUY

Overall Total: 59

River Breakdown:
McMichaels Creek - 10 (5 Stocked Brook, 5 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Poplar Run - 6 (6 Wild Brook)
Rockaway Creek - 6 (5 Wild Brown, 1 Wild Brook)
Teetertown Brook - 5 (5 Wild Brook)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Sevenmile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead)
Mud Run - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bushkill Creek (Pike County) - 2 (2 Stocked Brown)
Musconetcong River - 2 (2 Stocked Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 2 (2 Stocked Brown)
Bushkill Creek (Northampton County) - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Little Brook -1 (1 Wild Brook)
Marshalls Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Rattlesnake Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)

Species Breakdown:
Brook Trout - 32
Wild - 18
Stocked - 14

Brown Trout - 14
Wild - 10
Stocked - 4

Rainbow Trout - 13
Stocked - 8
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2

Wild Trout - 31
Stocked Trout - 26
Lake Erie Trout - 2

Trout 15+ inches - 3

Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Black Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 11 (11 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 8 (5 Wild Brown, 3 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Black Wooly Bugger, size 10 - 7 (4 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 5 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Red Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Black Wooly Bugger, size 8 - 2 (2 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)
Bead-head Green Wooly Bugger, size 10 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)
Black Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Tan Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)

Angling Breakdown:
Fly Fishing Rod - 40 (17 Wild Brook, 6 Wild Brown, 4 Stocked Brook, 4 Stocked Brown, 4 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead Rainbow)
Spinning Rod - 19 (10 Stocked Brook, 4 Stocked Rainbow, 4 Wild Brown, 1 Wild Brook)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 36
New Jersey - 23

Fly Fishing for Wild Trout in New Jersey

2010-05-12T10:27:00.010-04:00

For those of you unfamiliar with the Garden State, you should know that it maintains incredible geological diversity. In the south, the acidic Pine Barrens are home to rare species of fish, flowers, animals, and Devils. The east coast of the state forms part of the Atlantic seaboard, and boasts beautiful beaches, wonderful bird migrations (especially at Cape May), and Snooki's hair. The western part of the state, however, is part of the Delaware River/Delaware Bay watershed, and features plenty of bald eagles, osprey, and peregrine falcon. But the part of the state I most like to fly fish is located north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287. This section of New Jersey is situated in the foothills and mountains of the Appalachians, and contains enough elevation and cooler temperatures to keep wild trout alive year-round.

A few weeks ago, I fished a number of these wild trout streams, as well as the special regulation area of the Musconetcong at Point Mountain. I first went to Rockaway Creek, one of the few wild brown trout streams in NJ. It was a beautiful April day, I caught 6 wild trout on a small wooly bugger streamer, and Jackie found some jack-in-the-pulpit flowers. We next moved on to Teetertown Brook, a wild brook trout stream located a few miles away. It began to rain, so Jackie stayed in the car while I landed 5 more wild fish. At the end of the ride, I stopped briefly at Hickory Run and Little Brook, catching one wild brook out of the latter stream. A few days later, we drove to the Musconetcong. I caught two stocked brook trout in about 45 minutes before it started down-pouring.

It was nice to catch some wild trout on the fly so early in the season.

Image #1 - Jack-in-the-pulpit
Image #2 - Wild brown from Rockaway Creek

Overall Total: 48

River Breakdown:
McMichaels Creek - 10 (5 Stocked Brook, 5 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Rockaway Creek - 6 (5 Wild Brown, 1 Wild Brook)
Teetertown Brook - (5 Wild Brook)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Sevenmile Creek -4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bushkill Creek (Pike County) - 2 (2 Stocked Brown)
Musconetcong River - 2 (2 Stocked Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 2 (2 Stocked Brown)
Bushkill Creek (Northampton County) - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Little Brook -1 (1 Wild Brook)
Marshalls Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)

Species Breakdown:
Brook Trout - 22
Stocked - 14
Wild - 8

Rainbow Trout - 13
Stocked - 8
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2

Brown Trout - 13
Wild - 9
Stocked - 4

Stocked Trout - 26
Wild Trout - 20
Lake Erie Trout - 2

Trout 15+ inches - 3

Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Black Wooly Bugger, size 10 - 7 (4 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 7 (5 Wild Brown, 2 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 5 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Black Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Red Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Black Wooly Bugger, size 8 - 2 (2 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)
Bead-head Green Wooly Bugger, size 10 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)
Black Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Tan Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)

Angling Breakdown:
Fly Fishing Rod - 31 (8 Wild Brook, 6 Wild Brown, 4 Stocked Brook, 4 Stocked Brown, 4 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead Rainbow)
Spinning Rod - 17 (10 Stocked Brook, 4 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Wild Brown)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 25
New Jersey - 23

Fly Fishing the Poconos on Pennsylvania's Opening Day

2010-05-08T10:26:00.011-04:00

Despite the annoyances that accompany it, I couldn't resist joining the masses for the official beginning of Pennsylvania's stocked trout season. Like I mentioned in my post about New Jersey's Opening Day, there's something to the festivity, to the aggravation, and to the spectacle that surrounds the annual nascence of trout "season." Most fly fishermen know why I placed quotation marks around "season" - trout, especially wild trout, can be caught by enterprising anglers year round. But there's only one Opening Day, and I was going to be there.

Appropriately enough, I started on one of my home streams, the Brodhead Creek. Stroud Township's Brodhead Greenway Project has made great strides toward opening up most of the Brodhead's public waters, and I began around 8 AM at one of the town's parks. It had rained a lot the night before (the tornado-like winds I faced at Penns Creek whipped over the entire state) and the water was running high. A lot of the fishermen and fisherwomen I saw were struggling to deal with the rising current. I threw on a big bead-head wooly bugger streamer and cast it directly into a raging rapids section. By swinging the fly back and forth through the fast water, I eventually convinced a solid rainbow trout to strike. A solid battle ensued, and I was "on the board" early in the day. I caught one more fish at the Brodhead, and I changed rivers.

I drove into the town of Stroudsburg, and parked along Lower Main Street. I walked back over the levee and fished the McMichaels Creek. The spot was loaded with people, as the adjacent image makes clear, but I found some room and took in 10 trout. It was wonderfully fun, even if it was like taking candy from a baby. It had been a few years since I caught a fish out of the McMichaels, so I was glad to have spent a few minutes there. Had I stayed longer, I have no doubt I would have caught over two dozen fish.

The Bushkill Creek was my next stop. The Resica Falls Boy Scout Reservation is fly fishing only, catch-and-release. This means the river is open all year, but I decided to hit it up on Opening Day anyway. It's truly a beautiful place: towering hemlocks, a random waterfall, fast rapids, long pools, a bald eagle, and late flowering skunk cabbage were some of the highlights. I only caught two fish, both stocked browns, but I also found sessile-leaved bellwort and some other interesting flowers. And, because of the rain, a small tributary turned into a spectacular waterfall.

On my way back to South Jersey, I stopped briefly in Stockertown and fished the "other" Bushkill Creek. I was exhausted, but I managed to pull out one little stocked rainbow that had survived the day's onslaught. That brought the total for the day up to 15, in 4 rivers. I made it back to Blackwood late, but I was quite content. I had survived another Opening Day marathon.

Image #1 - Stocked rainbow from the Brodhead Creek
Image #2 - Flowering skunk cabbage, such a strange plant
Image #3 - Twelve guys fishing one hole...ahh Opening Day madness
Image #4 - Only a trickle in the summertime, this tributary turned into a beautiful waterfall

Overall Total: 34

River Breakdown:

McMichaels Creek – 10 (5 Stocked Brook, 5 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Sevenmile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead)

Brodhead Creek – 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)

Bushkill Creek (Pike County) – 2 (2 Stocked Brown)
Raritan River, South Branch - 2 (2 Stocked Browns)

Bushkill Creek (Northampton County) – 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Marshalls Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)

Species Breakdown:
Brook Trout - 13
Stocked - 12
Wild – 1

Rainbow Trout – 13

Stocked - 8
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2

Brown Trout – 8

Stocked – 4
Wild - 4

Stocked Trout - 24
Wild Trout - 8
Lake Erie Trout - 2

Trout 15+ Inches: 3

Fly Breakdown:

Bead-head Black Wooly Bugger, size 10 – 7 (4 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 5 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)

Bead-head Green Wooly Bugger, size 10 – 1 (1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Tan Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)

Angling Breakdown:
Spinning Rod - 17 (10 Stocked Brook, 4 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Wild Brown)
Fly Fishing Rod - 17 (4 Stocked Brown, 4 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania – 25
New Jersey – 9

Fly Fishing Penns Creek in April

2010-04-29T20:29:00.015-04:00

Almost two weeks ago (I'm so behind on the blog-writing), I drove to Penns Creek for some mid-April fly fishing. It took almost 3 hours and 15 minutes to get to my favorite river from south Jersey. It was a nice ride, though, once the interstate gave way to winding central Pennsylvania roads. I had all day to fish, so I decided to walk two miles upstream and then fish back down to the car. It had been years since I went up that far (May of 2007, actually), so I was excited to see that part of the creek again. On the hike, I stopped and photographed a showy purple flower called fringed polygana, or gaywings. It was a remarkable looking plant, and signaled an auspicious start to the day.

My chosen starting spot was a braided section of the stream. Divided into three main threads, this part of Penns Creek is easier to fish. I missed a few trout on streamers and nymphs, including one 15+ inch wild brown. I quickly grew frustrated with my non-success, and had been at the river for over three hours before I caught my first trout. And the first fish didn't even take a fly; instead, it hit a barbless spinner on my spin-casting rod.

Despite my lack of fly fishing success, a robust grannom caddis hatch was ongoing. I figured that the fish would start rising to the grannoms after the sun went down over the ridges, and I was proven correct. I landed a 17.5 inch wild brown on a size 16 dry black caddis. It was probably the biggest Penns Creek fish I've caught on the fly rod. And although it came almost 6 hours after I arrived, it was worth every minute of it.

Other trout were rising so I thought I'd be able to catch a few more. Strangely, though, the fish stopped coming to the surface. The caddis were still coming off the water in droves, so I was a bit confused. A few minutes later, however, a fast moving thunderstorm rolled into the gorge. Facing a 1.5 mile hike back to the car, I decided to take shelter in a rhododendron grove. The evergreen shrub provided significant cover as the rain came pounding down. While I was cowering in the grove, I heard a building roar approaching. I kept telling myself, you're in Pennsylvania, there's no tornado coming, but the deafening roar seemed to suggest otherwise. The high ridges had formed a wind tunnel, and the rushing air blasted through the gorge, taking down tree limbs and dead plants. A huge limb fell about twenty feet away from me, and I decided I'd take my chances in the river, even with the lightening. Luckily, the storm died down, but not before I was soaked and somewhat rattled by the fallen tree branch.

Always remember that remote, beautiful places like Penns Creek can present danger at any time. Rely on your instincts and knowledge, and you'll more than likely end up fine.

Image #1 - Fringed polygana
Image #2 - Wild brown trout
Image #3 - Grannom Caddis
Youtube Caddis Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_qu6nlp3P4

Overall Total: 19

River Breakdown:
Paulinskill River - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Sevemile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead)
Raritan River, South Branch - 2 (2 Stocked Browns)
Marshalls Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)

Species Breakdown:
Brook Trout - 8
Stocked - 7
Wild - 1

Brown Trout - 6
Wild - 4
Stocked - 2

Rainbow Trout - 5
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2
Stocked - 0

Stocked Trout - 9
Wild Trout - 8
Lake Erie Trout - 2

Trout 15+ Inches: 3

Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 5 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)
Bead-head Olive Wooly Bugger Streamer, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Tan Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)

Angling Breakdown:
Spinning Rod - 10 (7 Stocked Brook, 3 Wild Brown)
Fly Fishing Rod - 9 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 10
New Jersey - 9

Fly Fishing the South Branch of the Raritan River

2010-04-22T11:10:00.005-04:00

One week ago, I drove 90 miles north to the Ken Lockwood Gorge. The South Branch of the Raritan River flows through the gorge, and this section of the river is considered one of the best trout fishing locales in New Jersey. Although it is stocked with hatchery fish, some wild browns reproduce and can be caught by knowledgeable anglers. Furthermore, the river is under strict regulation, an occurrence that limits the put-and-take mentality of many Garden State trout fishermen.

The goal for me was to catch fish, obviously, but it was also a chance to try out my new fly rod. I bought a Temple Fork 9ft 5 wt, and it had just been delivered. Rather than use it on South Jersey slow water, I took it to the Raritan for its maiden voyage. The river looked nice, and there was a decent caddis hatch. I ended up landing two stocked brown trout, one on a bead-head pheasant tail nymph, and one on a dry tan caddis. Both fish were small and didn't provide much fight, but it was nice to land something on the new rod.

Before closing this post, I'd like to offer a brief soapbox-like commentary. Now that the trail that runs through the gorge has been paved, fly fishermen should seriously consider not driving on it. When the road was closed, the river had a feeling of privacy, and you could walk at your leisure. Now, nosy fishermen patrol the river from their vehicles, driving slowly, often stopping and observing you cast. This type of voyeurism rubs me the wrong way, and it seems antithetical to the quiet nature of the sport. The last thing I want to see or hear at the gorge is somebody's idling Ford F-150 as I prepare to lay down a cast. If you read this, fish the Ken Lockwood Gorge, and are able to walk in, please consider doing so. Thanks.

Soon, I'll post about a trip to Penns Creek and Opening Day in Pennsylvania.

Image #1 - The Raritan
Image #2 - Stocked brown trout with coloration

Overall Total: 15

River Breakdown:
Paulinskill River - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Sevemile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead)
Raritan River, South Branch - 2 (2 Stocked Browns)
Marshalls Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)

Species Breakdown:
Brook Trout - 8
Stocked - 7
Wild - 1

Rainbow Trout - 5
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2
Stocked - 0

Brown Trout - 2
Stocked - 2
Wild - 0

Stocked Trout - 9
Wild Trout - 4
Lake Erie Trout - 2

Trout 15+ Inches: 2

Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 5 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)
Bead-head Olive Wooly Bugger Streamer, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)

Angling Breakdown:
Fly Fishing Rod - 8 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook)
Spinning Rod - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)

State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 9
Pennsylvania - 6

Fishing for Trout on Opening Day in NJ

2010-04-15T13:35:00.015-04:00

When I was a little kid, my grandfather used to take me trout fishing from the beginning of April until the end of May. For him, Opening Day marked the nascence of the trout season, and Memorial Day signified its conclusion. As a child, this was okay with me: I'd turn to fishing in nearby lakes for bass, pickerel, and catfish in the summertime and ice fish in the winter. But as I grew older, and wild trout became my passion, I sought out year-round, catch-and-release only types of trout water. And although I currently fish for trout 12 months a year, the festive allure of Opening Day is still strongly implanted in my consciousness. I was therefore thrilled when my best friend Will suggested we fish on New Jersey's official trout opener this past Saturday.

Where to go was easy: as a kid, I was always brought to Warren County's Paulinskill River. The state stocks the warm-water stream with tens of thousands of trout in the spring. And since we were bringing along Frank, a friend unfamiliar with trout fishing, we figured the Paulinskill would be the perfect place. When we arrived around 9 AM last Saturday, the river was running quite high. It was, however, quite fishable. We started downstream from the Blairstown park, where we found some breathing room from the crowds. Because of the high water conditions, I immediately began nymphing. After about ten minutes, I walked out of the river to help Frank. When I next picked up my fly rod, it literally snapped between my fingers (it's highly likely that the strain from the steelhead weakened the infrastructure of the rod, rendering it fragile and breakable).

I was, of course, mortified. Despite my skill as a fly fisherman, I am nonetheless a poor Ph.D. candidate that owns only two fly rods: a 9 ft 5 wt that can be used on a wide variety of streams, and a 6 foot "flea rod" for tiny wild trout waters. So by breaking my rod, I was literally left without a legitimate fly-fishing option right at the outset of our day. Luckily, though, my best friend Will had brought along two extra spin casting rods. I had grown up fishing for trout with spinners and Rapalas, and I still use this technique as a back-up or a change of pace. For instance, last year I caught 80% of my trout on the fly rod, and 20% on the spinning rod. Opening Day 2010 was therefore all about the golden Rapala.

I caught 7 stocked brook trout and lost about 15. The fish were striking very slowly, probably a condition caused by a combination of high water and confused, instinct-stunted hatchery fish. Will landed 3 after some initial trouble, and Frank didn't catch any, but nevertheless enjoyed himself. It was an excellent Opening Day, and the broken fly rod lended a fun throwback feel to it.

As soon as I got home, though, I ordered a new rod. I hope to test it out tonight.

(For the record, I caught a wild brook trout in Marshalls Creek back in March. I landed it on a small wooly bugger streamer in very high water.)

Image #1 - Paulinskill River
Image #2 - Ugly stocked brook trout
Image #3 - Muscovy ducks
Image #4 - Lesser celandine in bloom

Overall Total: 13

River Breakdown:
Paulinskill River - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Sevemile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 1 Steelhead)
Marshalls Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)

Species Breakdown:
Brook Trout - 8
Stocked - 7
Wild - 1

Rainbow Trout - 5
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2
Stocked - 0

Brown Trout - 0
Wild - 0
Stocked - 0

Stocked Trout - 7
Wild Trout - 4
Lake Erie Trout - 2

Trout 15+ Inches: 2

Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)
Bead-head Olive Wooly Bugger Streamer, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brook)

Angling Breakdown:
Spinning Rod - 7 (7 Stocked Brook)
Fly Fishing Rod - 6 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead, 1 Wild Brook)

State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 7
Pennsylvania - 6

Fly Fishing for Lake Erie Steelhead

2010-04-12T12:06:00.026-04:00

In mid-March I drove out to visit my family in central Ohio. The week of my visit was marred by the massive flooding that inflicted havoc on the eastern part of the country. While my current town of Blackwood got about 8 inches of rain, the area of Ohio I was visiting caught the very edge of the system. Nevertheless, the rain threatened a planned trip to Lake Erie steelhead country.

Steelhead are rainbow trout that travel from the big lake into small tributary streams to reproduce. They are called steelhead because their color is more of a grey-silver (the color of steel, I suppose). As the big fish make their way into the small rivers, their progression upstream is often blocked by low water conditions. Consequently, you can often see numerous fish pressed up against one waterfall. Once it rains, the elevated waters allow the fish to continue up the river. There are two runs per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. As it was early-ish March, I was hoping to catch the very beginning of the Spring 2010 run.

Despite the rain, the Lake Erie tributary streams were fishable. The weather was decent, if not exactly warm, and the fishing itself was okay. On my first day, I drove from Columbus, OH to Sevenmile Creek (all of the streams to the east of Erie, PA are titled by their distance from town center, not by their length), a small tributary located near the grounds of a convent. This eastern stream is marked by beautiful cascading waterfalls, a shiny blue-green shale bottom, and slightly less fishing pressure. Although I didn't catch anything, I did notice one specific pool that was holding steelhead. As this is Lake Erie, though, there were 4 guys standing right on top of the fish.

I left Sevemile and drove to Twelvemile, where I fished with no success. I then moved on to Twentymile, which seemed fishable and likely to hold a few of the big rainbow trout. After watching a person lose a fish (a spot I would take care to remember), I decided to try Sevenmile Creek again. The hole with the steelhead in it was still covered by many of the same fishermen, so I fished the pool directly above it. I caught three small rainbow trout, each about 7-9 inches long. These fish are future steelhead. When they leave the creek in June or July, they will become fodder for the lake's huge walleye population. The few that survive will return to the creek of their birth in a few years, where they will procreate and leave behind the next generation. Although they were tiny, it was fun to catch some fish just beginning their entry into the reproductive cycle.

After catching the smallish fish, I decided to try the run located below the steelhead pool. I drifted a size 14 bead-head pheasant tail nymph through the fast water; the strike indicator stopped; surprised, I lifted my rod up, fully expecting it had fastened onto a rock; on the end of the line was a beautiful, 20+ inch, 6lbs-ish steelhead. Because I didn't pay the money for a more appropriate rod and reel combination, I was using my standard 9 foot, 5 wt pole. The rod couldn't really handle the weight of the fish, so much of the energy was transferred to my shoulder and biceps. I also didn't have the strength to pull the fish to shore in the flooding river. Luckily, I was only 50 feet from Sevemile Creek's confluence with Lake Erie. So I fought the fish downstream, carefully avoiding putting too much pressure on the end of the line, while not offering it too much slack. Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only 10 minutes, I made it to Lake Erie, where the lack of current allowed me to pull the fish to shore. It was a beauty, and my inappropriate equipment made for a hell of a fight. After taking the nymph out of its mouth, I let the big fish swim off into the lake.

I fished Sevenmile for a while after my catch, not catching anything else. In the twilight, I fished Fourmile Creek and didn't so much as see a fish. I then checked into my hotel and fell asleep, exhausted after hundreds of miles of driving, and hours of fishing.

The next day I returned to Sevenmile Creek at 6 AM, hoping to finally get a chance to fish the hole with the steelhead. Of course, the same two guys were already there, crowding the trout. At that point, I headed back to the car and drove to Twentymile Creek. I decided to check out its mouth: I was hoping that some fresh steelhead had entered the river the night before. As I was walking along the rocky beach, I saw three steelhead splashing in the water, about 100 feet upstream from the lake. To my surprise, I was the only angler around. I eagerly headed to the spot, and tied on a few different flies. The fish were actively feeding, but they didn't take my offerings. Finally, though, one of the steelhead hit a size 10 bead-head golden stonefly nymph. Just like the day before, I fought the fish down to Lake Erie. My muscles were aching from the last steelhead, and right before I was about to die/pass out from the exertion, the fish mercifully tired. I photographed it, and subsequently released it. Another amazing experience.

I fished Twentymile for a few more hours, hooking into two steelhead, but losing both of them. One hit the same stonefly; the other took a single orange egg-pattern. One of the fish I lost was nearly 10 lbs, and I stood no chance of landing it on my 5 wt. I spent the rest of the day fishing the western streams, many for the first time. I fished Raccoon Creek, Elk Creek, and the mouth of Trout Run. I found no fish in Raccoon, saw a few steelhead caught by a tour group on Elk, and couldn't stand the frigid water of Lake Erie at Trout Run. I did, however, get some ridiculously interesting pictures and video from Trout Run. Since it's a hatchery stream, hundreds of steelhead pack its small confines. Of course, it's rendered off limits to fishermen, but anglers can fish in Lake Erie at its mouth.

I had a blast during my two days in Erie. I caught two big steelhead, three small fingerlings, and one sucker. Although this total would be scoffed at by steelhead experts (something I most certainly am not), I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Image #1 - Sevemile Creek
Image #2 - Shale run on Sevenmile where I hooked the first steelhead
Image #3 - Fingerling rainbow trout
Image #4 - The steelhead
Image #5 - Twentymile Creek
Image # 6 - Second steelhead
Image #7 - Trout Run ridiculousness
Video Link of Trout Run: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EW_h8KadQA

Overall Total: 5

River Breakdown:
Sevemile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow Trout, 1 Steelhead)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)

Species Breakdown:

Rainbow Trout - 5
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2
Stocked - 0

Brook Trout - 0
Wild - 0
Stocked - 0

Brown Trout - 0
Wild - 0
Stocked - 0

Wild Trout - 3
Lake Erie Trout - 2
Stocked Trout - 0

Trout 15+ Inches: 2

Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 5 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead)
Spinning Rod - 0

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 5

Ice Fishing Wrap-up: Lake Aeroflex, Lake Hopatcong, and Lake Musconetcong

2010-03-11T22:06:00.010-05:00

Over the last month, I've ice fished in northern New Jersey three times. Each experience was unique, but there was one common thread: NJ ice fishing is, and will continue to be, absolutely superb.

Lake Aeroflex
My trip to Lake Aeroflex took a little over two hours. Located outside of Andover, NJ, Aeroflex was dug out by the Army Corps of Engineers a few decades ago. Because of its man-made origins, the lake takes on an industrial look. Indeed, it looks like an old quarry: there aren't many inlets, no islands, and it is very, very deep. I struggled with the depth, and didn't catch any fish. My time wasn't completely wasted, though, since it was a beautiful February day. One of the nicest parts of the lake is the adjacent regional airport. I enjoyed watching the planes take off and land. Without any flags flipping, I certainly had the time to watch.

If you decide to go to Lake Aeroflex this summer, or even next winter, prepare to deal with the lake's depth. 100 foot-deep lakes aren't too common in New Jersey, so be ready to face this obstacle. If you get lucky, though, you may hook into a land-locked salmon. Aeroflex is one of the only lakes in the state that maintains this specific fishery.

Lake Hopatcong
The largest lake by area in the state, Lake Hopatcong also maintains the most diverse fishery in New Jersey. In the lake, you may encounter walleye, muskellunge, chain pickerel, yellow perch, largemouth bass, etc. I had hoped to catch a walleye or musky, but I ended up landing 9 pickerel. All of the fish were relatively small, but it was quite a pleasurable fishing day. The area I fished was shallow and weedy, which is essentially a pickerel paradise. It's my belief that a world record pickerel swims in Lake Hopatcong. As it stands, the lake's biggest pickerel is a state record - a record that is only 3 ounces behind the world record fish.

If you go to Lake Hopatcong to ice fish, you must pay careful attention to the integrity of the ice. Various hot water spots exist, and the lake's shoreline can also become quite thin. But you may walk out with a musky!

Lake Musconetcong
The last ice fishing experience of the year was at Lake Musconetcong. I went with my Uncle Howie. We had a great day, catching over 30 fish between the two of us. We lost about a dozen more. Most of the fish were pickerel, with a few scattered bass. Because of Musconetcong's weedy nature, it wasn't surprising that we caught so many pickerel. The lake, though, is robustly fecund and has a bait shop right on the shoreline.

It was a great day. I encourage all of you to give the lake a try this coming summer. You are all but guaranteed to catch a few pickerel.

Image #1 - Lake Aeroflex
Image #2 - Lake Hopatcong pickerel
Image #3 - Nice 24 inch pickerel from Lake Musconetcong

Ice Fishing New Jersey's Budd Lake

2010-02-03T13:08:00.010-05:00

About a week and a half ago, I ice fished New Jersey's Budd Lake. One of the Garden State's largest glacial lakes, Budd Lake offers New Jersey anglers the unique opportunity to catch northern pike. Indeed, the state has established a healthy population of pike through an aggressive and effective stocking program. Because of this effort, Budd Lake is now one of the top producers of northern pike in the state.

I drove north early on a weekday morning, stopping only for bait and a sandwich. Although the trip took almost two hours, I was able to get through the eight inches of ice rather quickly. I was fully set up by 10:45, and I didn't pull off the lake until 5:30. In the end, I caught two northern pike, and a white crappie. Three fish over seven hours isn't exactly a lot, but I was excited to have caught my first pike.

Budd is a wonderful place to spend a few hours: its location off of Route 46 makes accessibility quite simple, its boggy/swampy atmosphere facilitates an atmosphere of wildness, its robust pike are a pleasure to catch, and its status as the head-water of one of my favorite New Jersey trout streams (the Raritan's South Branch) engenders warmth in my fly-fisherman's heart. However, Budd Lake may not be the right location for those ice fishermen who seek quiet. Its proximity to the highway makes it all but impossible to drown out the noise of passing cars. In addition, it has a lot of snowmobile and ATV traffic in the wintertime. But if northern pike and an easily accessible glacial lake turn you on, Budd Lake is the place to go.

Image #1 - Budd Lake
Image #2 - Northern pike
Image #3 - Budd Lake at sunset.

Ice Fishing Pennsylvania's Monroe Lake

2010-01-19T22:44:00.008-05:00

This past Saturday I ice fished for the first time in 2010. I went to Monroe Lake, a private lake in northeastern Pennsylvania. We had a large group, around 20 people at one point, and everyone had a great time. My Uncle Howie and I did most of the hard work, while my friends and other family members enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. My best friend Will started a fire, cooked hamburgers/hot dogs and brewed up some hot cocoa.

Fishing-wise, it was a slow day. My uncle and I had a number of weak hits; it seemed undersized yellow perch were grabbing our oversized minnows and then having trouble eating them. In the end, we caught 4 perch and 1 chain pickerel. There were many false alarms, a missed fish or two, and lots of slush. One of the best parts of ice fishing, however, is the fun time you have with your friends and family. And we certainly had that.

On Thursday I plan on heading to North Jersey in search of northern pike. I'll check back then.

Image #1 - The pickerel, the biggest fish of the day
Image #2 - Ice fishing on Monroe Lake

Ice Fishing this Weekend

2010-01-15T10:08:00.002-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posts. As most fly fishermen know, however, the sport tends to slow down during a month long deep freeze. This weekend I'm heading up to the Poconos to do some ice fishing. I will post pictures and a write-up by early next week.

Keep your spirits up until the spring!

Fly Fishing Pennsylvania's Valley Creek

2009-11-25T16:09:00.007-05:00

A small limestone spring-fed creek flows through the Valley Forge National Historical Park. While Americans generally head to the park to learn about General Washington and the winter of 1777-1778, I went for the wild brown trout that live in Valley Creek. I fished upstream of the dam/waterfall and caught three wild browns, two on a spinner and one on a wooly bugger streamer. I lost a decent-sized fish just upstream of the covered bridge. It wasn't an easy day, however.

When I first arrived in the park, I drove along as much of the river as I could. I do this in order to scout out potential fishing spots. I saw a few nice runs, and decided to try downstream of the covered bridge. I had a tough time, although I saw a few nice fish. This middle section of the river is dotted with long, glassy pools. I could move the trout, but I couldn't make them take the fly in the cold November water. In the summer, terrestrial patterns will probably be effective in that type of water. I caught my three fish once I moved to the area above the covered bridge. All three were under six inches, but they were all beautiful wild browns. In the end, it was a nice day on a new wild trout stream.

If you are interested in heading to Valley Creek keep a few things in mind. The river is catch-and-release because of historical pollution problems. It also gets very mucky/muddy in the lower stretches, so make sure you wear proper foot-wear. Valley Creek isn't a river you want to go to if you're seeking isolation. Its proximity to Philadelphia (its the finest wild trout stream in that part of Pennsylvania) makes it heavily populated with other anglers. In addition, many other types of people use the river. For example, I ran into a wildlife photographer who was photographing warblers. She was so quiet and blended into the surroundings that I didn't see her until it was too late. Now she has photos of warblers...and one fly fisherman. Oh well.

Image #1 - Valley Creek and the covered bridge
Image #2 - Wild brown trout (I specialize in catching the smallest trout in the river, apparently)
Image #3 - Covered bridge from below

Overall Total: 147

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Spring Creek - 16 (13 Wild Rainbow, 3 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 14 (14 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 8 (6 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Wissahickon Creek - 7 (6 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Pennypack Creek - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Clear Fork of the Mohican River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown Trout)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 3 (2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Valley Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Yellow Breeches Creek - 3 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Big Gunpowder Falls River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Meadow Run - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Schooley's Mountain Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 51
Wild - 44
Stocked - 7

Brown Trout - 48
Wild - 28
Stocked - 20

Rainbow Trout - 48
Stocked - 33
Wild - 15

Wild Trout - 87
Stocked Trout - 60

Trout 15+ Inches: 11

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 25 (23 Wild Brook, 2 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 9 (7 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 8 (4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 2 Wild Brown)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 6 (5 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 6 (5 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
San Juan Worm, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Pink Shrimp, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Black Streamer, size 10 - 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Ladybug, size 16 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Wet Ant, size 14 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Walts Worm, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 115 (32 Wild Brook, 26 Stocked Rainbow, 17 Stocked Brown, 17 Wild Brown, 15 Wild Rainbow, 5 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 32 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 7 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Brook)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 78
New Jersey - 48
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1

Fly Fishing Philadelphia's Wissahickon Creek and Pennypack Creek

2009-11-12T10:14:00.020-05:00

I was originally going to break these two trips into disparate blog entries, but the typical end-of-semester pressures are starting to wreak havoc on my free-time. So I'm going to write about fishing the Wissahickon and Pennypack in this single post.

The Wissahickon
I was ecstatic when I discovered that two fall-stocked trout streams were less than 30 miles away from my new South Jersey residence. Living down here amid the overcrowded suburban sprawl, the sandy soil, the muddy rivers, and the pine tree forests hasn't exactly filled my mind with images of beautiful wild trout. That being said, my access to the highway and relative proximity to Philadelphia allows me to be in Pennsylvania in under ten minutes (with no traffic). I researched online and found that both the Wissahickon Creek and the Pennypack Creek receive a dose of fresh trout from the state hatcheries in the fall. A few weeks ago, I decided to fish both of them.

On Tuesday I drove to the historic Wissahickon. Flowing on the periphery of Philadelphia, the river has been a site for artistic contemplation, literary recreation, and open-space reform. I fished the stream from Chesnut Hill College to the stone bridge. This small section of water features some decent tumbles, deep pools, and fast ripples. In a way, it reminded me of the Musconetcong River in northern Jersey. Because it is so far south, though, I doubt wild trout can reproduce in its warmer waters. Nevertheless, the state buoys trout fishing by consistently stocking the river in both the spring and fall.

I caught seven trout: six stocked rainbow, and one stocked brown. I caught five of them on the fly rod, using a mixture of streamers and nymphs. I caught the other two on my trusty Rapala. I let them all go and hope others do the same; this way, the fishing will remain decent until the spring.

I would certainly return to the Wissahickon. I like its flow, its pools, and its consistency as a stream (every part of it is fishable). In addition, its proximity to the college and its multiple walking trails give it a pastoral, bucolic feel while nonetheless instilling it with an atmosphere of community. You are never quite alone when you fish the Wissahickon, as students jog and people walk their dogs right along the river. And this is a good thing. I will definitely be back.

The Pennypack
I didn't enjoy the Pennypack nearly as much. It was a difficult drive, taking over 40 minutes despite being only 24 miles away from my apartment. Driving through northeast Philadelphia wasn't exactly pristine: it's not exactly ghetto-like, but it's not eye-appealing either. In the end, the journey to the river does count for something, and I therefore would rather pass historic homes, stone bridges, and deer (the Wissahickon) on my drive than a string of Dollar Trees and Wawas. The Pennypack Park, though, was beautiful. It's well maintained and located in an excellent area. I particularly loved the beautiful farm adjacent to the park grounds.

The river itself was nice and clean, but it lacked a steep gradient. Immediately downstream from the parking area, the stream becomes flat and sluggish. This type of slow moving, deep water isn't conducive to fly fishing (or trout fishing in general). I ended up catching four trout, all stocked rainbows. Three of the trout took nymphs or streamers and one took the Rapala. It was a fun trip, but it wasn't nearly as entertaining as my trip to the Wissahickon. I would go back because of its proximity to where I live, not because I really liked it.

Image #1 - Rolling hills of southeastern Pennsylvania
Image #2 - Wissahickon Creek
Image #3 - Stocked rainbow from the Pennypack Creek
Image #4 - Pennypack Creek

Overall Total: 144

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Spring Creek - 16 (13 Wild Rainbow, 3 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 14 (14 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 8 (6 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Wissahickon Creek - 7 (6 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Pennypack Creek - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Clear Fork of the Mohican River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown Trout)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 3 (2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Yellow Breeches Creek - 3 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Big Gunpowder Falls River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Meadow Run - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Schooley's Mountain Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 51
Wild - 44
Stocked - 7

Rainbow Trout - 48
Stocked - 33
Wild - 15

Brown Trout - 45
Wild - 25
Stocked - 20

Wild Trout - 84
Stocked Trout - 60

Trout 15+ Inches: 11

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 24 (23 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 9 (7 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 8 (4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 2 Wild Brown)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 6 (5 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 6 (5 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
San Juan Worm, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Pink Shrimp, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Black Streamer, size 10 - 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Ladybug, size 16 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Wet Ant, size 14 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Walts Worm, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 112 (32 Wild Brook, 26 Stocked Rainbow, 17 Stocked Brown, 17 Wild Brown, 15 Wild Rainbow, 5 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 32 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 7 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Brook)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 75
New Jersey - 48
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1

Fly Fishing the Brodhead Creek in October

2009-11-09T18:20:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Will and I drove to the Poconos to fish Marshalls Creek and the Brodhead. Both of our families hail from New Jersey, but the two of us grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania. In a strange inversion, we've since relocated back to our ancestral state of New Jersey - him to the Princeton area, myself to southern NJ (recently). It was therefore nice to spend a few hours fishing two rivers we know exceedingly well.

The day was cold, and it snowed. Fishing in the high thirties and low forties isn't exactly ideal, but trout generally don't mind. We wore warm clothes and stayed dry, and by the end of the afternoon the sun started heating up the chilly mountain air. We started at Marshalls Creek, near Will's house. Normally, the wild brook trout of this tiny mountain stream are relatively easy to catch. But it wasn't normal: an amalgamation of abnormal temperature, heavy rain, and decreased sunlight likely created adverse fishing conditions. I ended up catching only one wild brook on a size 14 wooly bugger streamer.

We then drove to the town of East Stroudsburg, where we fished the Brodhead Creek from the high school to the Interstate 80 bridge. This stretch of river receives fall stocking from the state, and Will caught three stocked trout. I got none. This wasn't the first time the Brodhead has treated me poorly. And despite all of my knowledge, all of my experience, and all of my ardent efforts, I ended up with nothing. It was a reminder that this sport is often brutal and excoriating. At least my friend caught a few fish; but whatever I did failed. The only consolation prize for me was watching a beautiful bald eagle fly along the creek.

Image #1 - My only trout, a 3.5 inch wild brook.
Image #2 - Poconos in fall.

Overall Total: 133

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Spring Creek - 16 (13 Wild Rainbow, 3 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 14 (14 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 8 (6 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Clear Fork of the Mohican River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown Trout)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 3 (2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Yellow Breeches Creek - 3 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Big Gunpowder Falls River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Meadow Run - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Schooley's Mountain Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 51
Wild - 44
Stocked - 7

Brown Trout - 44
Wild - 25
Stocked - 19

Rainbow Trout - 38
Stocked - 23
Wild - 15

Wild Trout - 84
Stocked Trout - 49

Trout 15+ Inches: 11

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 24 (23 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 8 (4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 2 Wild Brown)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 6 (5 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 6 (5 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
San Juan Worm, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Pink Shrimp, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Ladybug, size 16 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Wet Ant, size 14 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Walts Worm, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 104 (32 Wild Brook, 18 Stocked Rainbow, 17 Stocked Brown, 17 Wild Brown, 15 Wild Rainbow, 5 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 29 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 64
New Jersey - 48
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1

Fly Fishing the Poconos in September

2009-09-24T11:29:00.012-04:00

My sister recently had a baby, so I've had a chance to spend some time in northeastern Pennsylvania. I was able to fly fish a few times in between visits with family. Fly fishing in the fall is always a pleasant undertaking. I love the crisp air, the smell of the decaying leaves, and the bright foliage that transforms the verdant landscape into a collage of color. The fishing is often superb: trout begin to emerge from the high heat of the summer, tiny blue-winged olive hatches can be as productive as any spring hatch, and streamer success rises considerably as the water cools down.

That being said, there are a few drawbacks to fall weather fly fishing. While ostensibly beautiful, falling leaves wreak havoc on dry fly drifts. I can't tell you how many times I've laid down a perfect cast only to have it disrupted by a red maple leaf. The cooler weather also presents its own challenges, and fly fishermen should dress appropriately for the colder temperatures. When the autumn sun sinks behind a central Pennsylvania ridge or a Pocono tree-line, the heat of the day dissipates with celerity. In addition, all anglers should note the arrival of hunting season and wear an orange hat (at least) if you venture onto state land. You certainly don't want your brown fishing vest and waders to be mistaken for deer fur.

I caught ten trout in the Poconos. Five were stocked brown trout from the Bushkill Creek. I caught all five on small light cahill dry fly patterns. I also caught five wild brook trout from Marshalls Creek. All five took a size 14 brown wooly bugger. Continue to check back for more fall updates; however, the blog won't be as frequently updated because of my teaching schedule and approaching doctoral examinations. Whenever I do get a chance to fly fish, I will make sure to post.

Image #1 - Wild brook trout from Marshalls Creek
Image #2 - Bushkill Creek at dusk
Image #3 - White snakeroot and woodland sunflower in bloom

Overall Total: 132

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Spring Creek - 16 (13 Wild Rainbow, 3 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 13 (13 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 8 (6 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Clear Fork of the Mohican River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown Trout)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 3 (2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Yellow Breeches Creek - 3 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Big Gunpowder Falls River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Meadow Run - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Schooley's Mountain Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 50
Wild - 43
Stocked - 7

Brown Trout - 44
Wild - 25
Stocked - 19

Rainbow Trout - 38
Stocked - 23
Wild - 15

Wild Trout - 83
Stocked Trout - 49

Trout 15+ Inches: 11

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 23 (22 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 8 (4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 2 Wild Brown)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 6 (5 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 6 (5 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
San Juan Worm, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Pink Shrimp, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Ladybug, size 16 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Wet Ant, size 14 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Walts Worm, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 103 (31 Wild Brook, 18 Stocked Rainbow, 17 Stocked Brown, 17 Wild Brown, 15 Wild Rainbow, 5 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 29 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 63
New Jersey - 48
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1

Surf Fishing the Outer Banks in mid-August

2009-09-07T16:51:00.017-04:00

Surf fishing and fly fishing are fundamentally dissimilar. In fact, these activities are on opposite ends of the fishing spectrum. Fly fishing is (often) about precision and timing; surf fishing, on the other hand, is (often) about strength and power. While a fly fisherman uses bird feathers, deer hair, and rabbit fur to craft an imitation worthy of fooling a wary trout, a surf fisherman cuts up squid, bloodworms, or fresh fish to land his quarry. Fly rods are long and slender, a fine-tuned blend of force and yield. Surf fishing rods are long and thick, a testament to the power of the ocean and its fish. These inherent differences are unavoidable and striking. The similarity between the two forms is less apparent, but no less interesting.

To be a successful surf fisherman or fly fisherman, a person must have a deep understanding of ocean and river environments. For surf fishing, this means a knowledge of currents and sandbars; tides and temperatures; and, weather conditions and calendar quirks. For fly fishing, this means a comprehension of mayfly hatches and cubic flow; trout behavior and casting technique; and, (again) weather conditions and calendar quirks. A surf fisherman or a fly fisherman can spend a lifetime gaining environmental knowledge. For those who don't possess this type of acumen, the internet and bookshelves are loaded with important and necessary information.

There are other similarities between the two fishing forms. For example, the way that a fisherman approaches a fight remains relatively constant. If a fly angler lets a trout flee into a fast rapid section, she risks losing the fish; if a surfisher allows a large ray to bury itself in the sand, he will likely end the battle exhausted and defeated (more on this specific scenario later). Both sports enable a human to engage with the natural world and emerge better for the experience. And, finally, both produce feelings of euphoria following a successful catch. In the end, a landed fish is a landed fish, and the difference between dainty wild brook trout and powerful bluefish melds away amid celebratory shouts and photographs.

I caught over 40 fish from the surf during my week at the Outer Banks. Ostensibly on a relaxing beach vacation with my fiancee's family, I spent hours upon hours catching croaker, spot, whiting, northern kingfish, and even a skate. It wasn't the first time I've surf fished, and I believe that my previous experiences have made me into a competent practitioner of the craft. I catch a lot of smaller fish, but the novelty of landing unfamiliar species generates excitement about even the tiniest ocean fish. The highlight of the week came when I caught a small skate (a ray) in the frothy wash of the shore. With its tail, the fish was nearly two feet long. The other memorable moment happened when I hooked a bigger ray, only to have it bury itself in the sand. Some teenage boys helped me force the fish to the surface, but it snapped off as I tried to pull it out of the water. A good time was had by all, and the ray taught me that I can't always expect to take on a fish and win.

While I would rarely choose surf fishing over fly fishing, I find both to be highly entertaining enterprises. If you have never taken up a surf rod, I recommend giving it a try.

Fly Fishing Western Pennsylvania's Youghiogheny River and Meadow Run

2009-08-24T16:53:00.010-04:00

A few weekends ago I went white-water rafting on the Youghiogheny River with my fiancee's family. While we primarily drove to Ohiopyle, PA to celebrate her father's 50th birthday, I was nonetheless able to sneak a few casts into this well-regarded river and one of its many tributaries. After our white-water adventure, Jackie and I briefly fished upstream of the Ohiopyle Falls in the "Middle Yough" section of the big river. I caught a nice smallmouth using a big wooly bugger streamer, but the famous Youghiogheny brown trout were nowhere to be found. At this point, I will spare readers of this blog another rant about big tailwater streams; however, the size and flow of the river make fishing the Yough next to impossible without flotation.

Before driving back to the DC metropolitan area, Jackie and I hiked up Meadow Run, one of the big river's tributaries. Aside from the throngs of people swimming in it, Meadow Run was a pleasant and picturesque place to fly fish. Augmented by a plentiful stocking regimen, the small stream boasts a decent population of trout. I was lucky enough to land one stocked brook trout on a Walts Worm pattern. Because we had to drive nearly 3.5 hours back to Washington, we left immediately following this success.

Please check back soon for an update about my time surf fishing the Outer Banks. It was an excellent experience, and I look forward to posting pictures of some of my saltwater catches.

Image #1 - The brook trout
Image #2 - Fly fishing Meadow Run

Overall Total: 122

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Spring Creek - 16 (13 Wild Rainbow, 3 Wild Brown)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Clear Fork of the Mohican River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown Trout)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 3 (2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Yellow Breeches Creek - 3 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Big Gunpowder Falls River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Meadow Run - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Schooley's Mountain Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 45
Wild - 38
Stocked - 7

Brown Trout - 39
Wild - 25
Stocked - 14

Rainbow Trout - 38
Stocked - 23
Wild - 15

Wild Trout - 78
Stocked Trout - 44

Trout 15+ Inches: 11

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 23 (22 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 8 (4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
San Juan Worm, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Pink Shrimp, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Ladybug, size 16 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Wet Ant, size 14 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Walts Worm, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 93 (26 Wild Brook, 18 Stocked Rainbow, 17 Wild Brown, 15 Wild Rainbow, 12 Stocked Brown, 5 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 29 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 53
New Jersey - 48
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1

Fly Fishing Central Pennsylvania's Spring Creek in Late July

2009-08-04T12:45:00.010-04:00

Two weeks ago, my fiancee and I spent a few days camping in central Pennsylvania. While we were ostensibly there to work on wedding stuff, I still found some time to fly fish. We first tried Penns Creek. Despite the cool water temperature, the trout were quiet. It had rained earlier in the day, and I think that the thunder/downpour had put the trout down for the evening. Instead, I caught a few smallmouth bass on a big black marabou streamer. We stopped and photographed some Indian Pipe - a parasitic white plant devoid of chlorophyll - on our hike along the river. It was the first time Jackie and I had encountered this strange flower.

The next night we drove to the Fisherman's Paradise section of Spring Creek. I caught 11 fish - 9 wild rainbows and 2 wild brown. All of the fish fell for either a terrestrial or a shrimp pattern (4 on an inch worm, 4 on a pink shrimp, 2 on a ladybug (!), and 1 on an ant). It was a pleasant central Pennsylvania night, and the fish were willing. I'm convinced there's nothing better. Our time at Spring Creek was marred, however, by one annoying fly fisherman. While I thought fly fishing was known as the "quiet sport," a know-it-all angler spent nearly twenty minutes watching my every move. He kept telling me where to cast, what I was doing wrong, and how to land fish. At first I was polite, and answered his questions. Then as time went by, he became more and more annoying. After I landed a fish, he said "Now you can go back to Hoboken and tell everyone you caught a fish." His condescension and his patronizing attitude were extremely aggravating. I don't know if this guy was trying to impress his friend and young son, but just because my car has a New Jersey license plate doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing. Oh, and I don't live in fucking Hoboken.

I got my revenge, though, by catching four fish in a row while this guy struggled to catch one. To which my new friend responded by asking, "Are you still using that terrestrial pattern?" Of course I was - it's summer in the northeast, what else would I use?

Image #1 - Indian pipe
Image #2 - 15 inch wild brown
Image #3 - My first fish caught on a ladybug pattern! It can be done.

Overall Total: 121

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Spring Creek - 16 (13 Wild Rainbow, 3 Wild Brown)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Clear Fork of the Mohican River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown Trout)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 3 (2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Yellow Breeches Creek - 3 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Big Gunpowder Falls River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Schooley's Mountain Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 44
Wild - 38
Stocked - 6

Brown Trout - 39
Wild - 25
Stocked - 14

Rainbow Trout - 38
Stocked - 23
Wild - 15

Wild Trout - 78
Stocked Trout - 43

Trout 15+ Inches: 11

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 23 (22 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 8 (4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
San Juan Worm, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Pink Shrimp, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Ladybug, size 16 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Wet Ant, size 14 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 92 (26 Wild Brook, 18 Stocked Rainbow, 17 Wild Brown, 15 Wild Rainbow, 12 Stocked Brown, 4 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 29 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 52
New Jersey - 48
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1

Fly Fishing Central PA's Yellow Breeches Creek and Old Town Run

2009-07-23T18:11:00.009-04:00

Last year I fly fished the Yellow Breeches for the first time. The spot was recommended by a Maryland fly fisherman who attends my fiancee's church. I instantly loved it. While the numerous trout, catch and release restrictions, and beautiful town are all lovely, it is the cold, clear spring water that won me over. Ever since I first fished Penns Creek, I've been fascinated by limestone spring streams. And although I understand the geology responsible for their existence, I am still taken aback by their consistent temperature and their unique color.

The area around Boiling Springs is especially interesting. The Yellow Breeches Creek receives cold water from Old Town Run, a spring-fed tributary that delivers icy 50 degree water to the main river. In addition, this network of catch-and-release waterways is supported by the Yellow Breeches Anglers & Conservation Association. All of this combines to form a superior trout fishery that stays productive year-round.

On my way back from Ohio, I exited off of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and drove to Boiling Springs. I started at the Old Town Run. Throwing inch-worm patterns under the trees enticed a few looks, but not many hits. A few more fish seemed interested in an ant pattern, but, again, none took. Finally, I switched to a san juan worm. The fish went crazy. I took three in the Run, and three in the Yellow Breeches before losing the fly. I caught six trout in the 90 minutes I spent on the water: three browns, two rainbows, and one brook (all were likely stocked, although the brookie was a beautiful fish).

Image #1 - Old Town Run and Yellow Breeches Confluence
Image #2 - Rainbow trout from the Run
Image #3 - Looking upstream

Overall Total: 110

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Clear Fork of the Mohican River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown Trout)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 3 (2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Yellow Breeches Creek - 3 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Big Gunpowder Falls River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Schooley's Mountain Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 44
Wild - 38
Stocked - 6

Brown Trout - 37
Wild - 23
Stocked - 14

Rainbow Trout - 29
Stocked - 23
Wild - 6

Wild Trout - 67
Stocked Trout - 43

Trout 15+ Inches: 10

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 23 (22 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
San Juan Worm, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 4 (2 Stocked Brown, 2 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Wet Ant, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 81 (26 Wild Brook, 18 Stocked Rainbow, 15 Wild Brown, 12 Stocked Brown, 6 Wild Rainbow, 4 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 29 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 48
Pennsylvania - 41
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1

Fly Fishing Ohio's Clear Fork of the Mohican River

2009-07-16T21:49:00.009-04:00

The state of Ohio has only two major trout-rich watersheds. Some of you may be familiar with the Mad River, a well-regarded tailwater stream located in the center-west of the state. I, however, chose to fish the Clear Fork of the Mohican River during my time out in the land of the Buckeyes. My family relocated to Ohio a few years ago, leaving the rolling mountains of eastern Pennsylvania for the flat farmland of south-central Ohio. Luckily, the Clear Fork maintains a decent trout fishery. So I took advantage of the proximity, and drove the 8o miles with my sister Jenna.

Jenna and I spent a considerable amount of time searching for a spot not overrun with people. These visitors weren't fishermen, however. Instead, they were tourists from Cleveland and Columbus (Mohican State Park sits conveniently between the two cities). In almost every river pool, children splashed and dogs swam. Because the river is overrun with campgrounds, canoes, tubes, and kayaks drifted by at a constant pace. Eventually, we ended up at a stretch of the river dotted with tall sycamore trees and teasel flowers. At this spot, a tributary stream dumped cool water into the main river. Situated at the confluence of the tributary was a small whirlpool. It took a few minutes, but I noticed a number of trout feeding in this pool. I drifted them some inch worms and wet ants. Three stocked browns pounced on the terrestrials. Two of them were around 15 inches. Solid fish. These Ohio fish brought my yearly state total up to 7.

Both my sister and I forgot our digital cameras. We had to use my BlackBerry, but I think the images Jenna took came out relatively well.

Image #1 - Clear Fork of the Mohican River
Image #2 - Nice brown trout

Overall Total: 104

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Clear Fork of the Mohican River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown Trout)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Big Gunpowder Falls River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Schooley's Mountain Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 43
Wild - 38
Stocked - 5

Brown Trout - 34
Wild - 23
Stocked - 11

Rainbow Trout - 27
Stocked - 21
Wild - 6

Wild Trout - 67
Stocked Trout - 37

Trout 15+ Inches: 10

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 23 (22 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 4 (2 Stocked Brown, 2 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Wet Ant, size 14 - 1 (1 Stockes Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 75 (26 Wild Brook, 16 Stocked Rainbow, 15 Wild Brown, 9 Stocked Brown, 6 Wild Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 29 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 48
Pennsylvania - 35
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1

Fly Fishing Maryland's Big Gunpowder Falls

2009-07-15T13:26:00.014-04:00

I spent the July 4th weekend in Washington DC. Jackie and I watched the fireworks over the nation's capitol with her family. On my way down from Jersey, I stopped at Maryland's Gunpowder Falls. Receiving consistent cold water deposits from the beautiful Prettyboy Reservoir, the Gunpowder maintains a decent wild brown trout population. I had fished there two years ago, catching nothing. This time my luck was slightly better: I caught one wild brown trout on a size 16 light cahill dry fly.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am not enamored with tailwater fisheries. Nevertheless, the Gunpowder is a nice place to spend a few hours. The towering pine trees, sandstone outcroppings, and ample wildlife create a pleasant fishing atmosphere. In addition, any stream that fosters a resident wild trout population only a few miles from the densely-populated northeast metropolitan corridor should be treasured. Furthermore, it will be one of the closest wild trout streams to where I'll be relocating in the coming months.

It should be noted that I caught one wild brook trout on a wooly bugger in Schooley's Mountain Brook. I stopped briefly on my way to visit family in Hackettstown. It was nice to add another two streams and one state to the list.

Image #1 - Gunpowder Falls
Image #2 - Wild brown from Gunpowder Falls
Image #3 - Schooley's Mountain Brook

Overall Total: 101

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Big Gunpowder Falls River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Schooley's Mountain Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 43
Wild - 38
Stocked - 5

Brown Trout - 31
Wild - 23
Stocked - 8

Rainbow Trout - 27
Stocked - 21
Wild - 6

Wild Trout - 67
Stocked Trout - 34

Trout 15+ Inches: 8

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 23 (22 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 72 (26 Wild Brook, 16 Stocked Rainbow, 15 Wild Brown, 6 Wild Rainbow, 6 Stocked Brown, 3 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 29 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 48
Pennsylvania - 35
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1

Fly Fishing New Jersey's Rockaway Creek, Hickory Run, and Little Brook

2009-07-08T18:23:00.011-04:00

Last Monday I decided I needed to catch a few wild trout after hooking into all those stocked Massachusetts fish. The Rockaway brown I caught earlier in the year was perhaps the most beautiful fish I've landed in a long time. A reprise seemed appropriate, so I drove north. The river, however, is somewhat tricky to fly fish. Indeed, its big boulders create deep, short holes that prohibit great presentation. These spots also provide trout with ample hiding space. In addition, the Rockaway's clear water enables fish to detect predators (including me) with relative ease. I've had success standing on top of the river's large mid-stream rocks. This allows me to penetrate the aforementioned holes without invading the trout lies. In the end, I caught three more wild brown trout (one on a brown bead-head wooly bugger, one on an olive wooly bugger, and one on a lure).

After my time at Rockaway, I headed to Hickory Run. As I've mentioned in previous posts, Hickory Run is a tributary of the South Branch of the Raritan River. You can access this small wild brook trout fishery by parking near/along Route 513 near Califon. I would, however, advise any enterprising anglers to wait until some of the riparian vegetation will begin to disappear this fall as the stream was overgrown and practically impenetrable. Nevertheless, I caught one wild brook trout on the wooly bugger. After catching that small trout, I followed the stream to its confluence with the South Branch. I then noticed a nearby stream that emptied into the Raritan. I walked over and fished it. Although the streamside conditions were extremely tight, I caught two wild brook trout on a Panther Martin spinner. I later found out that the run is called Little Brook. Feeling content with six wild New Jersey trout, I drove back home and prepared for a busy work week.

Image #1 - Wild brown from the Rockaway
Image #2 - Milkweed in bloom
Image #3 - Overgrown Little Brook

Overall Total: 99

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 42
Wild - 37
Stocked - 5

Brown Trout - 30
Wild - 22
Stocked - 8

Rainbow Trout - 27
Stocked - 21
Wild - 6

Wild Trout - 65
Stocked Trout - 34

Trout 15+ Inches: 8

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 22 (21 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 70 (25 Wild Brook, 16 Stocked Rainbow, 14 Wild Brown, 6 Wild Rainbow, 6 Stocked Brown, 3 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 29 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 47
Pennsylvania - 35
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Virginia - 2

Fly Fishing Massachusetts' Swift River

2009-07-02T00:21:00.002-04:00

Jackie and I headed up to New England this past weekend. A friend from NYU was getting married in south-central Massachusetts, so I took the opportunity to fish the Swift River. The Swift is a cold tailwater stream that receives the cool discharge from the Quabbin Reservoir. Surrounding the flat, clear river are towering pine trees, grassy fields, wild turkey, and pretty wildflowers. If any of the fly fishermen who read this blog are Bostonians, chances are they've fished the Swift.

To be truthful, I have a love/hate relationship with tailwater streams. On one hand, I can't stand them; indeed, I dislike their freezing cold waters, their unnatural environments, their often non-fertile insect activity, their flatness, and their large size. I prefer my rivers to be undammed and naturally-reproductive; small and fertile; temperate and cascading. The tailwater streams I know are none of the above. On the other hand, though, I recognize that tailwaters provide fly fishing where it would not normally exist (the Swift would be a smallmouth river if not for the Quabbin). They also offer unique challenges, while their (mostly) consistent temperatures render them fishable year round.

My first day at the Swift followed a lengthy car ride from central Jersey. A cold tailwater seemed like a welcome change after hours of traffic and no air conditioning. As soon as we got there, however, the skies opened up. I toughed it out, not knowing if I would be able to return. I was surprised to see trout rise in the pouring rain and I quickly tied on a size 20 cream midge to match the microscopic hatch. Sure enough, a trout went for my fly. It missed. As it turned downstream and chased after my imitation, I caught a fleeting glimpse of its rainbow body. It, however, missed again. Defeated, I left the Swift soaked and shivering.

Lucky for me, I got to return on Sunday. With the wedding a rousing success (congratulations again to Katie and Marc!), another try at one of Massachusetts' most well-known trout streams seemed appropriate. This time, Jackie and I parked next to the reservoir and walked downstream. We thus followed one of two discharges and found ourselves at the river's famous Y Pool. Lurking in this deep, clear, and cold pool were a number of large trout. I landed six, all on an inch worm pattern. Four of the six were 15 inches or longer. In addition, I lost at least a 20 inch brook trout (7x tippet for the clear water ended any chance of catching that behemoth). Three were rainbows, two were browns, and one was a brook. I assume all were stocked. It was a beautiful day, but we needed to get back to Jersey. So after catching my sixth trout, Jackie and I walked back to the car, drove back over the George Washington Bridge, and collapsed after a long weekend.

Image #1 - Mist rising off the Swift
Image #2 - Beautiful rainbow trout
Image #3 - Catching a fish in the Y Pool
Image #4 - Pulling in a nice brown trout
(All photos taken by Jackie)

Overall Total: 93

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Hickory Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Rockaway Creek - (1 Wild Brown)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 39
Wild - 34
Stocked - 5

Brown Trout - 27
Wild - 19
Stocked - 8

Rainbow Trout - 27
Stocked - 21
Wild - 6

Wild Trout - 59
Stocked Trout - 34

Trout 15+ Inches: 8

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 20 (20 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 67 (24 Wild Brook, 16 Stocked Rainbow, 12 Wild Brown, 6 Wild Rainbow, 6 Stocked Brown, 3 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 26 (10 Wild Brook, 7 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 41
Pennsylvania - 35
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Virginia - 2

Five Tips for Fly Fishing the Brodhead Creek in the Summer

2009-07-01T12:42:00.011-04:00

I recently sent an email out to a reader who had requested information about summer fishing on the Brodhead. Once I read the email, I realized I had a nice post embedded in it. So here you go, five tips to catching trout in one of the Poconos most well-known trout streams during the summertime.

1. Fish the northern most limit of the public waters. This area can be found in Analomink. It's relatively easy to get to. If you're coming from Jersey, you'll go through the Delaware Water Gap. Take the Marshalls Creek exit, (309) and make an immediate left onto PA 447. Continue to follow signs for 447, as the road turns a few times, and you'll be in Analomink 10 minutes after getting off Interstate 80. Or just Google Maps it. A bit of local knowledge: you can park in the bar parking lot (next to Rose's deli), by where Cherry Road meets 447. You can walk behind the bar and you'll notice that the river is narrower, faster, and more braided. This spot isn't fished as hard, possesses some wild trout, and likely holds some leftover stocked fish from the spring.

2. Use bead-headed nymphs and keep them all the way on the river bottom. You'll hit rocks, but you'll also hit some fish.

3. Stonefly, stonefly, stonefly. Pick up some bead-head stonefly nypmhs and float them in the fastest water you can find. At the end of a dead drift, swing the stonefly back and forth through the current before starting a new cast. This allows fish an extra chance to take the fly in fast water.

4. Forget dry flies. As some of you may have noticed, there hasn't been much insect activity at the Brodhead lately; therefore, you might as well forego dries unless you see something hatching.

5. Terrestrials. Most people forget about these. Trout in the Poconos go crazy for ants, inch-worms, crickets, beetles, and other terrestrials in the summer time. These types of patterns work really well in slower, flat stretches of the river. They are also deadly if you can actually see the trout. If you spot a fish, try floating an inch worm to it, and then gently pull the fly back and forth in front of its face. Chances are, the trout will nail the imitation.

Fly Fishing Hacklebarney State Park: Trout Brook and Rinehart Brook

2009-06-26T00:06:00.013-04:00

After a day of shopping for an upcoming wedding, Jackie and I headed to Hacklebarney State Park. Two wild trout streams run through the park on their way to the Black River. The first, Trout Brook, features long stretches of calm water punctuated by a number of waterfalls at its more precipitous drop-points. On the other hand, Rinehart Brook cascades violently through the steep gorge its periodic floods have carved into the forest floor. Because time was short, I caught only one wild brook trout out of Trout Brook. Our lack of time was unfortunate, but I hope to go back sometime soon.

On our way to my father's house, we stopped at Teetertown. I caught one wild brook during my attempts to land a river chub for my dad's fresh water fish-tank. I'm off to Massachusetts tomorrow and hope to fish the Swift River. Check back in a few days!

Image #1 - The wild brook from Trout Brook
Image #2 - Rhinehart Brook

Overall Total: 87

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Hickory Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Rockaway Creek - (1 Wild Brown)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 38
Wild - 34
Stocked - 4

Brown Trout - 25
Wild - 19
Stocked - 6

Rainbow Trout - 24
Stocked - 18
Wild - 6

Wild Trout - 59
Stocked Trout - 28

Trout 15+ Inches: 4

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 20 (20 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 61 (24 Wild Brook, 13 Stocked Rainbow, 12 Wild Brown, 6 Wild Rainbow, 4 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 26 (10 Wild Brook, 7 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 41
Pennsylvania - 35
North Carolina - 9
Virginia - 2

Fly Fishing Rockaway Creek

2009-06-22T22:35:00.007-04:00

Today, Jackie and I stopped at Rockaway Creek on our way to see my family in Hackettstown. Last week I had zero success fishing this cold and clear mountain stream. Today, however, I caught a 12 inch wild brown trout on a size 14 gummy stonefly nymph. It was a beautiful fish and was easily one of the largest wild trout I've caught in New Jersey. Rockaway is a wonderful stream; the spot, though, will remain a relative secret.

I am always struck by the level of achievement I feel after catching only one wild trout. There's something entrancing about landing a wily native, or a smart wild fish. It's not that these types of trout are necessarily better than their stocked counterparts; instead, catching a wild trout in New Jersey encourages fantasies about what eastern trout fishing was like before the advent of highway systems, the implementation of planned suburbs, and the popularity of detrimental stocking programs. For me, catching one 12 inch wild brown means more than landing a dozen 15 inch stocked fish.

Image #1 - Rockaway Creek
Image #2 - Wild brown trout from Rockaway Creek

Overall Total: 85

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 17 (17 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Hickory Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Rockaway Creek - (1 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 36
Wild - 32
Stocked - 4

Brown Trout - 25
Wild - 19
Stocked - 6

Rainbow Trout - 24
Stocked - 18
Wild - 6

Wild Trout - 57
Stocked Trout - 28

Trout 15+ Inches: 4

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 19 (19 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 60 (23 Wild Brook, 13 Stocked Rainbow, 12 Wild Brown, 6 Wild Rainbow, 4 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 25 (9 Wild Brook, 7 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 39
Pennsylvania - 35
North Carolina - 9
Virginia - 2

Fly Fishing the South Branch of the Raritan River and Teetertown Brook

2009-06-22T14:04:00.016-04:00

Last week I dodged the rain and fished both the Ken Lockwood Gorge and Teetertown Brook. My second trip to Teetertown wasn't as productive as the first; indeed, I only caught five wild brook trout. In addition, the trout were less willing to hit the small wooly bugger that was so effective the last time I drove up to Califon (I only caught two on the fly rod; the other three took my small spinner). Before heading to the Raritan, I stopped at Hickory Run. The state owns land along this wild brook trout tributary near Route 513. I added one wild brook to my total.

The Gorge was running high, but I managed to land three trout on the fly. Two took a "gummy" stonefly and one took a bead-head hare's ear nymph. Interestingly, one of the stonefly trout was a wild brown. I've found that the Raritan's wild trout hide out in the fast runs; apparently, the stocked fish find this type of terrain somewhat undesirable.

I also fished a section of the Rockaway Creek near Mountainville. The river was running high and clear, and I didn't catch anything. I hope to try again sometime soon. My time at Teetertown, Hickory Run, and Rockaway is part of my effort to catch more wild trout in the state of New Jersey. If any readers know of any good wild trout spots (in addition to these and Van Campens/Dunnfield Creek) please let me know!

Image #1: Teetertown Brook
Image #2: Wild brook trout from Teetertown Brook
Image #3: Purple Flowering Raspberry

Overall Total: 84

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 17 (17 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Hickory Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 36
Wild - 32
Stocked - 4

Brown Trout - 24
Wild - 18
Stocked - 6

Rainbow Trout - 24
Stocked - 18
Wild - 6

Wild Trout - 56
Stocked Trout - 28

Trout 15+ Inches: 4

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 19 (19 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 2 (1 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 59 (23 Wild Brook, 13 Stocked Rainbow, 11 Wild Brown, 6 Wild Rainbow, 4 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 25 (9 Wild Brook, 7 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 38
Pennsylvania - 35
North Carolina - 9
Virginia - 2

Fly Fishing Northeast Pennsylvania's Brodhead Creek and Bushkill Creek

2009-06-14T11:43:00.010-04:00

Yesterday I headed to the Poconos with my best friend Will. The plan was to catch trout in two of my favorite rivers: the Brodhead and the Bushkill. I consider the Brodhead one of my home streams; indeed, Will and I have fished the river since we were kids. In addition, the Bushkill was where I learned to fly fish, rendering it a different type of home water.

The day was full of rain, and we dodged the bands of thunderstorms from the moment we left central New Jersey. Both the Brodhead and the Bushkill were full to the brim, with each boasting nearly 90% flow. Nevertheless, we started in Analomink at the very northern limit of the river's public trout waters. Because of the high water, I turned to a reliable standard: a size 10 bead-head black stonefly nymph. After letting the fly drift naturally through the racing water, I suspended it at the end of my slack. This method of nymph-suspending abeyance allows trout a few extra seconds to strike the fly in fast water. Sure enough, a 15 inch stocked brown trout hit the stonefly. Because of the fast water, the rising flow, and the size of the fish, the fight took nearly 15 minutes. There were several moments when I thought the trout would race into the thalweg (the fastest part of the stream at any given point) and be carried down into a violent rapids section. If that had happened, I would have lost any chance to land it (although I probably would have SWAM after that trout and tried to catch it with my bare-hands). Eventually, I worked the fish to the river's bank, where it became tangled around a log. I freed the line from the fallen tree, but the trout retook its position in the center of the creek. Finally, the fish tired out and I pulled it to shore. I owe many thanks to Will's play-by-play analysis and his insights about the best way to land the fish. In image #2 you can see how much tension was on the fly rod. Catching a big fish during a flood is quite the experience. Before we left we took a picture of a decapitated deer head. Kind of gross, but kind of interesting as well.

After our time in Analomink, we drove to Stroudsburg's Glen Park. The Brodhead picks up quite a bit of water at this point in its journey to the Delaware. About a mile into the "gorge" lies a favorite spot: an old, broken-apart concrete dam. Although the river was raging at this point, I caught a wild brown trout in the water right above the dam. I was surprised to catch a wild fish that far downstream; most of the wild trout in the public waters of the Brodhead are confined to the northern sections of the stream. In any case, evidence of wild trout reproduction in the Brodhead is always a welcome occurrence. The river could be truly wonderful if the state didn't stock it and put-and-take fishermen didn't destroy its natural ecosystem.

We ended our day by fishing the roaring waters of the Bushkill Creek. The river was close to overflowing its banks, but I managed to catch one stocked rainbow on the stonefly and two stocked browns on the Panther Martin spinner. The total for the day was 5: 3 stocked browns, 1 stocked rainbow, and 1 wild brown. Not bad for a day full of thunder, lightning, and flooding.

Image #1: The big brown
Image #2: Fighting the big fish
Image #3: Deer head

Overall Total: 75

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 12 (12 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 9 (6 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 31
Wild - 27
Stocked - 4

Brown Trout - 22
Wild - 16
Stocked - 6

Rainbow Trout - 22
Stocked - 16
Wild - 6

Wild Trout - 49
Stocked Trout - 26

Trout 15+ Inches: 4

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 17 (17 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 54 (21 Wild Brook, 11 Stocked Rainbow, 10 Wild Brown, 6 Wild Rainbow, 4 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 21 (7 Wild Brown, 5 Wild Brook, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 35
New Jersey - 29
North Carolina - 9
Virginia - 2

Fly Fishing Teetertown Brook and the South Branch of the Raritan River

2009-06-13T00:34:00.010-04:00

Today I waited out the early morning rain and drove to Teetertown Ravine (near Califon, NJ) around 4 PM. The Teetertown Brook is one of only a few wild brook trout streams in New Jersey. Tetertown is teeming with insect activity; it is full of beautiful runs and mini-waterfalls; and, most importantly, it is loaded with fish. In the end, I caught 12 wild brooks - all on small olive wooly bugger streamers.

I stopped at the Ken Lockwood Gorge on my way back home. The Raritan was high and discolored, but I decided to give it a try anyway. To my surprise, the fish were feeding quite voraciously. I caught 9 trout - 6 stocked rainbows and 3 stocked browns. I landed all but one on size 14 bead-head pheasant's tail nymphs (the other took a size 16 black caddis).

21 trout in 4 hours, all on the fly rod, all in New Jersey. My best day of the year.

Image #1 - Wild brook trout from Teetertown Brook
Image #2 - Tetertown Brook
Image #3 - Wild brook trout from Teetertown Brook

Overall Total: 70

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 12 (12 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 9 (6 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 31
Wild - 27
Stocked - 4

Rainbow Trout - 21
Stocked - 15
Wild - 6

Brown Trout - 18
Wild - 15
Stocked - 3

Wild Trout - 48
Stocked Trout - 22

Trout 15+ Inches: 3

Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 17 (17 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 52 (21 Wild Brook, 10 Wild Brown, 10 Stocked Rainbow, 6 Wild Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 18 (6 Wild Brown, 5 Wild Brook, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 30
New Jersey - 29
North Carolina - 9
Virginia - 2

Fly Fishing North Carolina's Blue Ridge

2009-06-12T00:06:00.018-04:00

I admit I'm lucky. Being a doctoral student and a part-time archival processor allows me to set my own schedule, work my preferred hours, and produce my writing from home. For the first week of June, it also enabled me to volunteer for the Avery County Habitat for Humanity organization. Avery County is a rural area situated in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains; it is thus paradoxically beautiful and poor. The region's high elevation, coupled with its ample annual rainfall, fosters wild trout waters that surpass any located in the southern United States. However, Avery County's isolation and its high land prices (driven up by gated communities, ski resorts, and golf courses that cater to the central NC elite) generate high levels of impoverishment. The Habitat project builds homes for qualified families that participate in their house's construction via pecuniary and labor equity.

I fished three rivers during my five days in North Carolina. One night after our work ended, Jackie and I drove an hour to the east to fish Lost Cove Creek. Lost Cove is one of the most beautiful streams I've ever fished. I appreciate its atmosphere so much that I will not divulge the specific area we enjoy (which readers of this blog will recognize is a rare occurrence). Surrounded by flowering mountain laurel, exposed sandstone bedrock and four waterfalls (yes, four, all viewable at once), I caught two wild rainbow trout and one wild brook trout. All three took size 16 sulphur duns. The wild rainbow population is a vestige from a time when Lost Cove was stocked. And although these vibrantly colored foreigners crowd out the native brook trout, their presence is a welcome change from the wild brown trout waters of central Pennsylvania.

Elk River is Avery County's major watershed. The Elk Falls also boast a kick-ass swimming hole. When I wasn't jumping off a ledge 10 feet up a 50 foot waterfall, I was hooking into fish. Three of my trout were stocked rainbows, one was a stocked brook, and one was a wild brown (two rainbows and the wild brown were caught on a Rapala; the others were taken on size 10 stonefly nymphs). My fellow Habitat volunteers helped me land a few of the fish. This was the first fly fishing experience for some of them (nothing beats catching your first rainbow trout in front of a towering waterfall). Do any of the fly fishermen out there remember catching their first trout on the fly?

On the way home, Jackie and I stopped at Little Glade Creek. This tiny stream meanders across the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Virginia border. I caught one wild brook on a Panther Martin spinner. After my stop at Little Glade, I decided to head to Roaring Run. Roaring is one of Virginia's top wild trout fisheries. After following some sketchy directions in a guide book, we pulled into a park operated by the state. We walked upstream (during the walk I got stung by a f*&^ing bee!) to the special regulation area. I preceded to catch two wild brook trout - one on a Panther Martin (with one hook, per Virginia law) and one on a size 18 bead-head copper john nymph. Both fish were about four inches long. Despite their small size, I was thrilled to land my first Virginia trout.

Overall, our North Carolina Habitat for Humanity trip was a success. The trout are a mere side note to the work we accomplished. Enjoy the pictures and check back soon, as I plan to fish the Poconos and perhaps the Catskills this coming weekend.

Image #1 - Mountain Laurel in bloom
Image #2 - Butterfly at Lost Cove Creek
Image #3 - Water snake at Lost Cove Creek
Image #4 - Elk River falls
Image #5 - Investigating our trout
Image #6 - Fly fishing Roaring Run
(Except for #5, all images taken by Jackie)

Overall Total: 49

River Breakdown:

Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 19
Wild - 15
Stocked - 4

Brown Trout - 15
Wild - 15
Stocked - 0

Rainbow Trout - 15
Stocked - 9
Wild - 6

Wild Trout - 36
Stocked Trout - 13

Trout 15+ Inches: 3

Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 6 (6 Wild Brook)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 31 (10 Wild Brown, 9 Wild Brook, 6 Wild Rainbow, 4 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 18 (6 Wild Brown, 5 Wild Brook, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 30
North Carolina - 9
New Jersey - 8
Virginia - 2

Fly Fishing the Pocono Mountains

2009-06-01T16:49:00.012-04:00

Two weekends ago my best friend Will and I drove from our current apartment in New Jersey to our homeland in the Poconos. We fished a variety of different waters - streams, lakes, and small tributaries. We ended up catching thirteen trout and a number of warm water fish, including largemouth bass, bluegill, and yellow perch. Will took advantage of his new camera, snapping some great shots of the trip. All photographs are attributed to him. In the space below, I will write a few words about each small creek we fished.

Marshalls Creek:
My favorite tiny stream. We fished Marshalls near Will's house. I caught four wild brook trout and Will caught five. I used small wooly buggers beneath a waterfall to land two of my fish; I hooked the other two with the small Panther Martin spinners Will and I have always used in Marshalls Creek. Marshalls is a lovely place to fish: it is close to home (or what used to be home), it is reasonably accessible, and it is loaded with vibrantly colored wild brook trout. In addition, Marshalls Creek is responsible for my love of small native brook streams. These tiny fish mean a lot to me.

Mud Run:
This tiny tailwater stream has its source at Snow Hill Dam, a manmade lake stocked with trout. Will and I spent only a few minutes fishing Mud: Will landed one wild brook trout on his spinner, and I caught one wild brook trout on the same lure. Mud Run is conveniently located on the wild trout stream loop I take through the Poconos.

Poplar Run:
This small run meanders through the Delaware State Forest en route to its confluence with the Brodhead. Will and I stayed at Poplar for quite awhile; however, the wild brook and wild brown trout that populate it were relatively skittish. I had several misses, but did manage to catch one wild brook trout on a small copper john nymph. Of all the tributaries I fish in the Poconos, Poplar is the most affected by the weather: the high sun and rising temparature slowed down the fishing. Still, Poplar is one of my favorite streams to fish.

Mill Creek:
Located just outside of Mountainhome, Mill Creek is surrounded by posted land. Fortunately for those of us who cannot afford to own large stretches of pristine native brook trout water, the state owns land on the upper third of the creek. Despite a passing shower, I caught one wild brook trout on the spinner. This brought my total to seven - four on the regular spinning rod, three on the fly rod, all wild brook trout.

I had hoped to catch more than seven fish, but the weather prevented that from happening. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my trip home.

Image #1 - Pinxter flower
Image #2 - Catching a wild brook trout at Marshalls Creek
Image #3 - Mud Run
Image #4 - Poplar Run
Image #5 - Wild brook trout

Overall Total: 38

River Breakdown:

Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 14
Wild - 11
Stocked - 3

Brown Trout - 14
Wild - 14
Stocked - 0

Rainbow Trout - 10
Stocked - 6
Wild - 4

Wild Trout - 29
Stocked Trout - 9

Trout 15+ Inches: 2

Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 6 (6 Wild Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 2 (1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Sulphur, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 25 (10 Wild Brown, 7 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 13 (4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Brown, 3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 30
New Jersey - 8

Fly Fishing Central Pennsylvania's Elk Creek and Penns Creek in mid-May

2009-05-22T13:50:00.006-04:00

After spending a week in the Outer Banks, I returned to central Pennsylvania for my fiancee's graduation. Because of all the weekend festivities, I was only able to fish for a few hours. I nevertheless caught five fish: four at Elk Creek (three on a Panther Martin spinner, one on a copper john nymph) and one at Penns Creek (on a sulphur dun). Both fly-rod landed fish were beauties, and all were wild brown trout.

On my return to New Jersey, I stopped at the Brodhead Creek in the waning daylight. I didn't see any fish rise, nor any sign of trout. Fishing pressure really gets to the Brodhead. In addition, I fished Stony Brook here in Princeton on Wednesday night. The slow moving water was not conducive to fly fishing, and, because I only had an hour, I fished with my late grandfather's favorite style lure - a golden Rapala. I caught two sickly stocked rainbow trout.

I saw a number of wildflowers, including early dames rocket, soapwort, wild geranium, wild columbines, mayapple, pinxter flower, and plenty of tree flowers.

Image #1 - Stony Brook rainbow
Image #2 - Mayapple flower

Overall Total: 31

River Breakdown:

Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 14
Wild - 14
Stocked - 0

Rainbow Trout - 10
Stocked - 6
Wild - 4

Brook Trout - 7
Wild - 4
Stocked - 3

Wild Trout - 22
Stocked Trout - 9

Trout 15+ Inches: 2

Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Sulphur, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 22 (10 Wild Brown, 4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 9 (4 Wild Brown, 2 Stocked Brook, 3 Stocked Rainbow)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 23
New Jersey - 8
New York - 0

Fly Fishing New Jersey's Paulinskill and Stony Brook in Early May

2009-05-04T09:13:00.008-04:00

This past weekend, I drove up to northern New Jersey to fly fish one of my childhood streams. I spent countless hours at the Paulinskill River as a child, throwing Rapalas to willing stocked trout. It was my late grandfather's favorite stream, and it was there that I learned the basics of trout fishing. As much as I don't like the river for technical reasons - it's slow, it's muddy, it's too warm, and it's full of stocked fish - I nevertheless enjoy stopping by once a year. I'm sure any fly fisherman reading this has a similar stream in mind. You know, a place where you learned the ropes, a place where you caught your first trout, a place where the outdoors became home.

After eating lunch with my sister and two best friends in the Poconos, Jackie and I briefly stopped at the Brodhead. We found more flowers than fish, including purple trillium, large toothwort, wood poppy, golden alexanders, chickweed, and Japanese baneberry. We then decided to head to the Paulinskill. In the overgrown horse pasture that's adjacent to the stream, we found a number of wildflowers: lesser celandine, spring beauty, and dog violets. As for the fishing, I caught two stocked rainbow trout on a size 14 bead-head pheasant-tail nymph and two stocked brook trout on a Rapala (nostalgia, nostalgia, nostalgia).

On our way home, we stopped at Stony Brook in Princeton. Stony Brook is a lot like the Paulinskill: muddy, slow, and full of stocked rainbow trout. In the waning sunlight, I caught one rainbow on a size 16 sulphur dun and another on the Rapala. We also photographed some yellow violets, ragwort, wintercress, thyme-leaved speedwell, and lesser celandine.

Image #1 - Catching the first fish at the Paulinskill
Image #2 - Purple Trillium
Image #3 - Second rainbow trout at the Paulinskill
Image #4 - Wintercress

Overall Total: 24

River Breakdown:

Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Elk Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 9
Wild - 9
Stocked - 0

Rainbow Trout - 8
Wild - 4
Stocked - 4

Brook Trout - 7
Wild - 4
Stocked - 3

Wild Trout - 17
Stocked Trout - 7

Trout 15+ Inches: 2

Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 2 (2 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur, size 16 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 20 (8 Wild Brown, 4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 18
New Jersey - 6
New York - 0

Fly Fishing the Grannom Caddis Hatch at Penns Creek

2009-05-03T23:48:00.012-04:00

Two weekends ago I fished a number of central Pennsylvania trout streams; indeed, I was lucky enough to fish Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I will thus recount these three days in three separate posts.

After two fruitless attempts to catch trout at Penns Creek in the past few weeks, I decided to try a third time. On the night of April 25th, I headed back out to the big limestone spring-fed stream. As the sun sank back behind the ridges of the gorge, the wild brown trout began rising to grannom caddis flies, black quills, and a few stray blue-winged olives. I missed my first two fish, before landing two in a row. Both of these wild browns were over 15 inches long. Despite the impending darkness, I continued to fish. I ultimately caught two more wild browns. All four fish took a size 14 tan caddis (my two grannom caddis patterns were lost to the wild browns of Fishing Creek the day before).

The grannom caddis hatch is frustrating: while thousands of these speckled insects may line the riparian vegetation and erratically dart above the water, the trout often pay them little attention. I've found that waiting until dusk helps, as the trout sup on the dying adult caddis. During the daytime, I've been successful fishing caddis nymphs in fast runs. Dry flies occassionally produce during the day, but they aren't as successful as underwater options.

Penns Creek is an engimatic, lovely river. While its terrain is often harsh, its fish often fickle, and its water often discolored, the stream will reward a patient angler with a fly fishing experience on par with any offered by an eastern wild trout river. It is big; it is fast; it is tough; and it is my favorite river.

I took the following video of the hatch at about 2 PM. Enjoy!

Image #1 - My first brown
Image #2 - My second brown
Image #3 - Grannom Caddis
Video #1 - A view of the hatch

Overall Total: 18

River Breakdown:

Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Penns Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Elk Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)

Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 9
Wild - 9
Stocked - 0

Brook Trout - 5
Wild - 4
Stocked - 1

Rainbow Trout - 4
Wild - 4
Stocked - 0

Wild Trout - 17
Stocked Trout - 1

Trout 15+ Inches: 2

Fly Breakdown:
Olive wooly bugger, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)

Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 17 (8 Wild Brown, 4 Wild Brook, 4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 1 (1 Wild Brown)

State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 18
New Jersey - 0
New York - 0