Big Pine and Kettle

[maxima12]

Packed throughout systems. Most fishermen and stream lovers I have ever seen.

 

[larkmark]

Thanks for report. I will stay home.

 

[Millsertime]

I fish the Pocono's 95% of the time. The amount of people in the parking lots is amazing this year....I camped Hickory Run State Park last weekend and it was nearly completely full. The parking lot to Hawk Falls is over flowing to along the road and under the Tpike.

Luckily, there are lots of "less popular" spots to fish/hike in the Pocono's but I have never seen crowds like this spring before.

 

[Mike]

You don’t have to go to the Poconos to find high angler use for 1. this time of the year and 2. this year in particular. On some streams there has been high use long after the stocking trucks have been parked. For example, I walked through Allentown’s Jordan Park last week (a weekday) at around 11 AM. It covers about a half mile of water. I counted thirteen anglers, including three fly anglers. The stream was last stocked on April 8.

The park falls within a stream section that is about 3.5 mi long and has been documented through an angler use and harvest survey
to support some of the highest if not the highest use in the state, yet there are still some trout remaining to be caught in isolated spots of good habitat, even in that exceptionally high use park stretch.

 

[madifly]

Millerstime-
I too witnessed the insanity at Hawk Falls Trail on Rt 534 both yesterday and on May 24th. Unsafe parking conditions for sure. I kept on driving and didn't bother to stop. Not a PPE mask in sight, either.

Peter

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear Board,

It's like people have suddenly discovered there are things to do besides go to restaurants, or the movies? I had no idea so many people actually go outside?

I just hope they loose interest quickly. It's one thing to have high amounts of activity when something like a major hatch is going on, but I found people along a warm water stream yesterday in numbers that I hadn't seen in 10 previous trips combined.

I live 8 miles from Memorial Lake State Park and I don't think I'll go near it this Summer on a weekend unless things loosen up? I'm not saying that because I think I own the place, but I'm used to going there and not having to wait for someone to leave so that I can park.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

This year has been crazy.
Still if you go into the deep woods of PA, i have found no one there.

 

[wildtrout2]

salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
This year has been crazy.
Still if you go into the deep woods of PA, i have found no one there.

That's encouraging to hear. I was concerned that I might actually see other anglers on streams I otherwise never see them on. It really does change the magic of an isolated wild stream.

Friday will be my first mountain trip of the year. Been dealing with service wire problems from the storms for the last week.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Good luck!
If you pick a place really in there you should be fine.
I didnt encounter other anglers in the Tioga SF the other week.
Surprisingly not even on Cedar and the tribs.
Though i think i just got lucky on that creek.

 

[maxima12]

Headed to Big Pine 6-9-20, couple days. Can't seem to get enough! Details when i get back!

Maxima12

 

[troutbert]

salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
This year has been crazy.
Still if you go into the deep woods of PA, i have found no one there.

Same here. A few weeks ago I fished a brookie stream in a SGL. There were no vehicles in the SGL parking lot, and I walked in about a mile, fished a long stretch of stream, then walked back out, and didn't see a single person. This was on the weekend.

I drove by a trailhead of a named trail with a sign, though, and there were 16 cars in the parking area.

And I went by a state park and it was very busy.

 

[reds]

I can assure you seeing no one on Cedar Run was luck. I work in Tioga state forest and drive along the stream regularly to get back to town and there have been fishermen about every day on cedar. Much more so than usual.

 

[Dave_W]

Public use of state parks and Michaux State Forest down here in SCPA is very heavy lately.

Fishing pressure is up too, although my unscientific observation is that fishing pressure is not up as much as other recreational uses. One thing I have noted this spring is the kayakers were out and about earlier than usual (this may have been due to weather trends as well).

An interesting year for sure...

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Im sure reds.
It was hot and raining when i was there which likely had some effect.
That and Im Irish :lol:

 

[lycoflyfisher]

I fished Cedar Run, the weekend before memorial day. Other than one younger kid in a beater subaru with a loud exhaust, stopping to tell us the fish weren't biting when we were gearing up, we did not see another angler either.

 

[Swattie87]

lycoflyfisher wrote:
I fished Cedar Run, the weekend before memorial day. Other than one younger kid in a beater subaru with a loud exhaust, stopping to tell us the fish weren't biting when we were gearing up, we did not see another angler either.

Was the kid right?

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Same weekend i was there.
I didnt see either of you but i might have been up a trib.

The kid was wrong. Way wrong. :lol:

 

[maxima12]

Big Pine-------Dusk to -----

dark and a little darker. Take a light. A cigar and have fun!

Not much on hot, full sunny days. Camal down. Could be a little different, Ansonia up!

 

[lycoflyfisher]

I was on the lower end and probably fished about a mile of the cedar run proper. We caught fish, but worked very hard for them. They would come up to look at dries but rarely touched it. I think I caught all but one of the 5-6 fish I caught on a bwo soft hackle trailing a ehc. We did see one exceptionally large brown in a large pool, but couldn't entice a bite.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

That explains it. I started way up where the bridge is out and fish down a very good ways and then up some tribs.

I love that creek.