Got skunked at Ridley yesterday

The only dam I know of there is downstream of the covered bridge and about 300 yards upstream of 23, is that what your talking about? If so, I've fished around that area once and got several sunfish and one 8" trout. I think from the dam to 23 there aren't many fish, but there are some nice looking runs I've been meaning to check out downstream of 23.
 
I will be out ther tomorrow and I'm going to try some the stuff you guys talked about and let you guys know how I do.... :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer:
 
Wmass... thanks. I was trying that exact technique, but I think I had the wrong flies, plus a novice with me who chose to wear red and thump around like we were at a rock concert. have you fished the pool above the riffle section leading to the wall? last time I was there saw a guy take 3 out of there on CJ's before the alarm pheromone put the fish down.

Dude, below 23 there are some nice runs. An earlier post called this section junk. I dunno. Haven't fished that area enough to say. But, I can say that if I were a trout, I would hang out in the runs and pools on a couple of those bends.

Just below that dam, a buddy of mine caught a shad fry. I think. it sure looked like some sort of herring. Had a blue back, big scales, etc. Wish I had a picture.
 
i was at ridley today and didnt catch a damn thing, while the guy next to me tore it up (absolutely killing 'em). i tried nymphs upon nymphs, wets and dries, i missed a few that i should have had but in the end, nothing. all the while this guy next to me was one after another. i finally had an oppertunity to talk to him. midges, midges, midges,(tiny) ill never be without again.
 
Unless, I see some caddis hatching, I mainly fish midges, size 22-26 at Ridley. If I want to drive myself and the fish crazy, I'll drift and then strip baitfish patterns, caught a 12 inch largemouth last year by the bridge on one.
On Valley I stay within the park, fishing along 252. I usually pick up something, may not land them and but I'm getting some action. Biggest I've caught in that stretch is 16 inches on opening day two years ago. I've lost a couple that pushed 20 inches. Haven't fished the dam area but I keep hearing rumors of big browns coming up from the Schuylkill to spawn.
rckrego that could have been a shad. They've been stocking fingerlings in the river for the last several years in hopes of reviving the shad run once the fish ladders are built and working right and the other dams removed. I know they catch them below Flatrock. Someone told me that they counted 600 shad coming up the fish ladder at Fairmount Dam last year.
 
mnem.......

Do you constantly change your weight as well as your flies? Sometimes when the water is cold, trout will meander laterally quite a bit to pick up a nymph, but will not even look twice at one thats floating 3 inches above its head. I've had many instances when I'll throw almost 20 casts in one hole, constantly changing weight the whole time, and end up hooking 3 fish immediately once I get the weight exactly right, without changing nymphs at all.
 
I fished Valley on Wed and Thursday and did ok I guess .On Wed I seen alot of rises to midges at some of the bigger holes there was groups of ten or more fish rising so I tried every midge pattern I had with no luck .. After I was about to give up on the dry fly fishing my friends Lester and Tom showed up and Lester hooked up on his 4th cast on a griffiths knat size 24, but he was using a 8x tippet and I don't carry anything lower than 7x. I tried for about 15 more minutes after that with no success.So I tied on a beadhead pheasant tail size 16 wieghted it down with a bb size splitshot and stard fishing the riffels above the big tree before the turnpike and caught 2 fish in 10 minutes. I would of fished longer but I had a dinner date that I couldn't miss. On Thurs I fished the riffle bellow the big tree and caught one and lost 2 on a tungestun pheasant tail. I didn't see any rises but the wind was killing me with my dead drift , with pretty big gusts that were pulling my line off the water so I packed in after an hour.. :lol: 😛int: 😛int:
 
the dude,
ive heard that before and thats something i gotta start doing more of. thanks for the fead back.
 
frederick... swith to fluorocarbon. you never need anything less than 6x. 1x fluorocarbon is as visible as 5x mono, for nymphing this is awesome. Sucks for dry fly though cuz the fluoro sinks.
 
Its been a long time since I fished Valley Creek 12 + years. However there are scuds in Valley. About 1/3 of mile from the junction of Little Valley and Valley there was plenty of plant life. I remember rootin' some up and shakin' it out into the mud to show someone and the scuds would fill a dinner plate. I have only fished above the covered bridge once in my life time. But I do remember crawling through an old sewer pipe that ran below 202 to fish Valley Creek in Knickerbocker Landfill back in the day. That was of course before the two fish kills when I was in 5th grade. But I digress...there is a ton of fishable water from Rt 29 through the Valley Creek park to Church Rd. A ton. And every old sycamore root ball has a large 20 " brown. I also love the section where Little Valley joins Valley, from the spillway of the dam to the hard left that Valley takes. Also don't forget Pickering Creek. My dad's club stocks the crap out of it. I know on one creek entering pickering there are wild brookies and my dad may be pulling my leg but swears that the rainbows they stock run down into the resevoir and run back up in the fall to spawn. (Since the resevior is off limits since 9/11. ) Just remember its been 12+ years and Chester County ain't what she used to be.
 
rckrego,Thanks for the tip I was using Flurocarbon when fishing the drys and nymphs. I never knew that it sinks faster than mono.My new goal down there is to catch one a dry. I will probally be out there this Wendsday and Thursday if weather permits.Look for a silver Civic and a guy wearing green waders and a orvis hat or the guy that will be low crawling to the water.. :lol:
 
Hahaha. Good luck. If nymphing go with 5x fluoro. It should do the trick. Gotta get back down there. Stupid work! Always gets in the way of fishing.
 
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