Devil’s Hole Creek

[salmo]

I bagged work on Thursday May 19. I live way down in South Jersey. Because of the heavy rain Wednesday night-Thursday morning I almost did not go. Got to the stream with a friend of mine from the Bethlemem area. It was still raining lightly when we arrived. Air temperature was around 56 with grey skies. The creek had a good flow and was not colored up to any noticeable degree. Water temperature was a cold 48. I started fishing nymphs. And hooked up in the first hole. I continued fishing upstream hitting all of the pockets and holes. As the skies cleared the bugs started to come off: tiny, tiny BWOs, several small caddis and a few spinners. The surface activity was minimal. I did really enjoy the Yellow Sallies as they hatched. Beautiful and bright yellow. The were a size 16. I never noticed before how segmented the flies are. Turning to a dry elk hair caddis earned me several strikes, but no takes. Air Temperatures remained in the 60s most of the day.

I fished my very old Sage 8’6” 4 weight. All fish taken on nymphs. I fished 2 in tandem. Most of the damage was done on a bead head sexy Walt’s size 16. Not a lot of fish but a beautiful experience especially watching the yellow stoneflies hatch. Nobody else on the stream. To cap the day, on my way back to my car a handsome black bear crossed my trail in front of me about the distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate (might be time for a new pair of Jockey shorts!).

I did notice that all of the fish I caught were much smaller than when I fished the creek 2 years ago using dry flies.

As I packed up and celebrated with a Cape May IPA I was a pretty happy city slicker.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Definitely in decline, and I am not sure I would be posting it's name, even in a members only thread! I guess the damage was done years ago, however....

Any brookies or just browns? I used to fish this one before the Commish maps and the Keystone book (not to mention YouTube's Wooly Bugged naming blue lines for three years or so!), and it was solid. New postings in the lower half as a result when more cars started showing in that lot. It was browns low, brookies high. Just too conveniently located and pressured, I guess, plus Ida and other previous storms moving the channel all over that little valley. I had the same experience with many dinkers about three years ago, and no brookies.

 

[salmo]

Definitely in decline, and I am not sure I would be posting it's name, even in a members only thread! I guess the damage was done years ago, however....

Any brookies or just browns? I used to fish this one before the Commish maps and the Keystone book (not to mention YouTube's Wooly Bugged naming blue lines for three years or so!), and it was solid. New postings in the lower half as a result when more cars started showing in that lot. It was browns low, brookies high. Just too conveniently located and pressured, I guess, plus Ida and other previous storms moving the channel all over that little valley. I had the same experience with many dinkers about three years ago, and no brookies.

I hope I did not spot burn. All of my fish were browns under 8 inches. I did not fish above the falls big falls.

 

[Mike]

You didn’t spot burn. The stream has been mentioned for years on this forum. I have often thought about going there only because of some waterfalls or difficult terrain in some portion that was once mentioned, but not because anyone said fishing was spectacular.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

I hope I did not spot burn. All of my fish were browns under 8 inches. I did not fish above the falls big falls.

Thanks for the reply, salmo. I am just cranky about little cricks that don't hold up well to pressure, so don't sweat it. It sounds like you had a cool time there, which is awesome. I never saw any non-humans things like bears that looked dangerous down there in many years of fishing it!

 

[Nymph-wristed]

You didn’t spot burn. The stream has been mentioned for years on this forum. I have often thought about going there only because of some waterfalls or difficult terrain in some portion that was once mentioned, but not because anyone said fishing was spectacular.

So you are the guy who spot burned it years ago! Like my post said, damage had been done a long time ago....

 

[Millsertime]

How far up did you fish? Did you get to the really big/deep plunge pools? What about that stacked rock mill wall? If you got that far, it should have been all brookies but then again, I haven't been there for 4-5 years.

 

[Mike]

Not I. I have never been there.

 

[salmo]

How far up did you fish? Did you get to the really big/deep plunge pools? What about that stacked rock mill wall? If you got that far, it should have been all brookies but then again, I haven't been there for 4-5 years.

I did fish up to the old mill pool. No brookies. About 1.6 miles up there are a series of falls. The the brookies begin above the third set of falls. It’s quite a hike.

 

[Swattie87]

A lot of misinformation here, aside from its popularity as a small, unstocked, Class A stream. It is that. I rarely expect other anglers on any of the small streams I fish, but I do here. I always plan to be the first guy there, arriving well before dawn, and gearing up and beginning my hike down the trail to the stream via headlamp.

One time, a guy drove 2 hours from NJ (my drive is a similar distance from southern PA) only to have me beat him there by about 10 minutes. The first glow of daylight was just beginning and I was just about ready to lock my vehicle and start hiking. He got out of his car and said “well, I guess I shouldn’t have stopped for that coffee.” We had a nice conversation and landed on a plan to split the water up, him fishing below the falls, and me above.

The Brookies start above the first big waterfall (15-20ft steep glide style falls) working upstream. Below that, there are Brookies, but it’s 99%+ Browns. I’ve caught nothing but Browns below the falls. Above that barrier, it’s all Brookies. I’ve had days where I’ve fished the whole SGL section and didn’t catch a a single fish, until I got above the falls and started catching Brookies. I’ve had good days on the Browns too, but it’s conditions, conditions, conditions when it comes to Browns. You have to hit it right.

It’s been about 5 or 6 years since I’ve fished it, but your experience now, mirrors mine from back then. The Brookies are a hike to get to, a couple miles, but generally fish better and are definitely more reliable than the more easily accessed Brown Trout water.

I too am turned off by the pressure it gets, relatively speaking. It’s not Penns or Spring, or even Clarks or Valley as smaller examples, but it’s the kind of place where you want to be by yourself, and running into one other angler ahead of you can be cause for a pretty slow day. And for what it is, it’s popular. Probably top 5 in my book for most popular, non-stocked, freestone wild Trout streams I know.

Here’s my approach…If I’m not the only car in the lot when I get there, I punt and go elsewhere.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Pa sold record amount of fishing licenses I believe. More purple paint more yellow signs every year less water to fish as mentioned even in this thread, but its widespread. Meanwhile all we get is the deformed hatchery fish for 1month- 2months from the time of release in most waterways that no one on here wants anyway. Thats where the second biggest expense at PAFB is going……not the Access crisis. We will be fishing elbow to elbow in 2030 and thebplan will be the same, raise roughly 9 million commission /coop fish for less water. More will run on private property. Game comission did more for anglers with state game lands. That 12.4 million a year could have bought ALOT of access in the cheaply priced commmnities wild trout live in. Mean while our state is producing so many wild fish commissioner brock freaking out in potter because they are running out of places to stock these garbage fish.

Access is getting crowded and PAFB is not being good stewards of license funds or securing the people in this communities favorite pastime/way of life. This will only get worse on this path staying in the aquaculture business while access shrinks in this state. Theres a major housing shortage and PAFB needs to more heavily prioritize get the public more easements.

 

[Swattie87]

^Not really sure what this has to do with this thread. The vast majority of DHC is already on State Game Lands. The stretch below the SGL to its confluence with Paradise was already posted and has been for as long I’ve known about the creek. Typical Pocono landowner behavior and nothing new. Landowners in central, or north central PA behave much differently toward people accessing their land to hunt and fish, for the most part.

Anyway, it’s not that simple. Many landowners along stocked streams (many with wild fish in them) claim they will post if the stream is no longer stocked. While this is better for the wild fish, is it better for wild Trout angling in PA? Probably not. Not saying I have the right answer, I don’t, just that’s it’s more complicated than simply stopping stocking, on private, but currently open to fishing land.

I really like the sign at the cabin on the way into the tunnel at Poe Paddy…”If you post yours, stay off mine.”

A little research on Devils Hole will reveal why it is so popular among small stream anglers. Though, by now that popularity is based on very old data.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I like that sign too.

I meant that if there were more easements the guy from jersey would have had more places to stop at on the way to devils hole. Those people who post when stocking can be fickle bunch regardless, some times angler behavior and garbage can make the decision for them.

Pa fish and boat wouldn’t have to purchase big tracks of land could just be a 50-100ft buffer/easement on either side of stream. Their trying now but i think the offering for life time easement is tiny. No easy solutions but 12.4 million a year for decades since the whole stocking operation started could have positioned us alot better. Its not directly related to the situation you experienced on devils hole but opportunity cost of the past 50 years probably is.

 

[JeffP]

^Not really sure what this has to do with this thread. The vast majority of DHC is already on State Game Lands. The stretch below the SGL to its confluence with Paradise was already posted and has been for as long I’ve known about the creek. Typical Pocono landowner behavior and nothing new. Landowners in central, or north central PA behave much differently toward people accessing their land to hunt and fish, for the most part.

Anyway, it’s not that simple. Many landowners along stocked streams (many with wild fish in them) claim they will post if the stream is no longer stocked. While this is better for the wild fish, is it better for wild Trout angling in PA? Probably not. Not saying I have the right answer, I don’t, just that’s it’s more complicated than simply stopping stocking, on private, but currently open to fishing land.

I really like the sign at the cabin on the way into the tunnel at Poe Paddy…”If you post yours, stay off mine.”

A little research on Devils Hole will reveal why it is so popular among small stream anglers. Though, by now that popularity is based on very old data.

I love that sign! Still there from when I was 12! I hardly ever see anyone there though.

 

[wgmiller]

I fished it at the end of June two years ago and had similar results as others. Plenty of good info in the posts above and as mentioned, in the year 2022, there are few secrets anymore with respect to trout streams. This is one stream I really felt "tucked in the woods" on. The further up you push, the darker it seems to get. I can totally see this being bear country and that thought certainly was on my mind. For as remote as you feel on this stream, there is literally a housing development not too far away as well as the town of Mt. Pocono. Neat stream and I'm glad I fished it. Don't know that I feel that need to make a special trip anytime soon, although if I happen to be in the area I might pop in.

My best brown of the trip

Nice freestone water

Freestone browns can be dark!

 

[Millsertime]

Freestone browns can be dark!

Tannic water freestone SMB are dark too!

 

[pcray1231]

Nothing I can say that Swattie hasn't already. I like DH. Lots of fish and generally wide open, easy casting as mountain streams go, long but easy/level hiking, cool ruins all over the place. It's crowded though. That's part of the expectation there. Get there early, or you're fishing behind someone. And if you're fishing behind someone, the fishing is eh.

The one thing that always gets me there is it's a lesson in sharp divisions. Absolutes. In the lower section, you either get a brown on every cast, or they don't freakin exist. Depending on conditions. There are no in betweens. Then the very sharp division at the falls, 100% browns and a lot of them, and go up this little slope, and it's 100% brookies and a lot of them, in sight of where it was just 100% browns. No mix section in between. And nowhere is "fishing behind someone" more apparant than there.

It's all the normal stuff. Browns are finicky about conditions, as you go upstream there are more brookies, and don't fish behind someone on small streams. But, it's just all magnified. Sharp boundaries.

 

[Prospector]

Pa sold record amount of fishing licenses I believe. More purple paint more yellow signs every year less water to fish as mentioned even in this thread, but its widespread. Meanwhile all we get is the deformed hatchery fish for 1month- 2months from the time of release in most waterways that no one on here wants anyway. Thats where the second biggest expense at PAFB is going……not the Access crisis. We will be fishing elbow to elbow in 2030 and thebplan will be the same, raise roughly 9 million commission /coop fish for less water. More will run on private property. Game comission did more for anglers with state game lands. That 12.4 million a year could have bought ALOT of access in the cheaply priced commmnities wild trout live in. Mean while our state is producing so many wild fish commissioner brock freaking out in potter because they are running out of places to stock these garbage fish.

Access is getting crowded and PAFB is not being good stewards of license funds or securing the people in this communities favorite pastime/way of life. This will only get worse on this path staying in the aquaculture business while access shrinks in this state. Theres a major housing shortage and PAFB needs to more heavily prioritize get the public more easements.

Thanks for bringing up the access issues that some folks are experiencing. I’ve been very insulated from that in the main regions I fish. My camp is in Forest Co where the Allegheny National Forest is vast and most of the adjoining property is owned by Collins Pine who allows total access to their land including camping. Nothing is posted.

Combine that with my other annual trips to Kettle where access from top to bottom including miles and miles of tribs is also wide open.

A 24 year old “kid” who attended high school with my son asked my opinion about buying a camp to use temporarily as house. I told him buying one about 15 minutes further away from where his fiancé currently works would put him in the heart of that “total access” area. The short term commute would be further but longer term he wouldn’t have land access issues near his camp.

It really is a shame if access to nice water gets shutoff.

 

[wildtrout2]

How far up did you fish? Did you get to the really big/deep plunge pools? What about that stacked rock mill wall? If you got that far, it should have been all brookies but then again, I haven't been there for 4-5 years.

I remember that large rock mill wall now that you mention it. I think I even took a pic of it at the time (early 2000's). I've heard differing stories as to what the ruins with the fireplaces used to be. It's very cool though.

Only fished DH two times. Didn't go above the large falls either time.

 

[pcray1231]

The ruins are an old ski lodge. I know the legend is speakeasy. But you can see the wheels on trees for the lift wire. And internet sleuthing I saw an old ad for it.