Handicap accessible fishing

[lonekimono]

I don't know why I didn't think of posting this before? I am looking for handicap accessible creeks or streams where I would be able to take my daughter fly fishing? Also where she would be catching fish she is only 7 yearsold. She absolutely loves spending time with her family and fishing. I know it isn't easy to come by these places unfortunately. Now the other thing is that we really don't like to travel to far. She has lots of seizures so to take a long trip can end really quick. So staying relatively close to home would be better. We live in pittston. Thanks.

 

[Bamboozle]

I might suggest you try and contact the WCO for that region. Unfortunately, the last time I tried to contact Law Enforcement for the PFBC, the offices were CLOSED due to the Pandemic.

NORTHEAST (Counties: Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming)

5566 Main Road
Sweet Valley, PA 18656

Law Enforcement
Telephone: (570) 477-5717
Fax: (570) 477-3221

Outreach & Education
Telephone: (570) 477-2206
Fax: (570) 477-3221

Outreach email is: ra-needureach@pa.gov

I none of these number gets you a live person:

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Executive Director, 717-705-7801

And be blunt about it, tell his staff you have a question for your area WCO. They can be EXTREMELY helpful with stuff like this.

Good luck!!

 

[troutbert]

I recommend finding a lake nearby with bluegills, and fishing with a push button spin-cast outfit, 4 pound test line, bobber and worms.

Some lakes have grassy areas where it is easy to fish from shore.

 

[troutbert]

The PFBC website has a Maps Section. On there you can click on Lakes, then look for lakes nearby.

Not far from Pittston is Frances Slocum State Park. On their website it says the lake is 165 acres and has bluegill, crappie, bass, stocked trout and others.

It says there is a handicapped accessible fishing pier.

I have never been there, but it sounds nice.

On a bright day like today the best fishing is not in the middle of the day. The fishing is better and it's more enjoyable being outside from late afternoon to dusk.

There is probably someplace there where you can have a picnic and build a fire, also.

You probably should check to see if there are any restrictions due to Covid before going.

 

[just_jon]

Link to disabled fishing accommodations:

https://pfbc.pa.gov/fishpub/summaryad/disabilities.htm

Link to list of waters available only to children under 15:

https://pfbc.pa.gov/fishpub/summaryad/children.html

 

[lonekimono]

Thanks I appreciate it. I will check into all of these things.

 

[mikephl]

Tobyhanna State Park has a fishing pier. Lots of grassy areas near the pier, and its all close to the parking lot.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

The Little J has a handicap ramp along barre road, across from the Dopp property. As part of an easement agreement, they built a handicap accessible ramp along the river. It's in a stretch that will fish well even in this low water.
its near teaberry hollow and downstream of the green hills campground.

 

[troutbert]

Spring Creek has 2 handicapped fishing platforms. One has been there for many years, the other is pretty new.

I have never seen a handicapped person use either one.

I've seen handicapped platforms on a few other streams, and none of them provided good fishing opportunities.

I think that it is mostly impractical on trout streams for various physical reasons.

On lakes, though, it can be very practical. I saw guys in wheelchairs fishing at the handicapped fishing facility at Sinnemahoning State Park, and with spin gear they were able to reach a great deal of water, and they were catching fish and having a good time.

 

[Dave_W]

troutbert wrote:
I've seen handicapped platforms on a few other streams, and none of them provided good fishing opportunities.

I think that it is mostly impractical on trout streams for various physical reasons.

On lakes, though, it can be very practical. I saw guys in wheelchairs fishing at the handicapped fishing facility at Sinnemahoning State Park, and with spin gear they were able to reach a great deal of water, and they were catching fish and having a good time.

I've seen the same thing. The handicap platforms at lakes get used and the ones on streams don't.

 

[Dave_W]

lonekimono,

There's a public boat ramp on the Susquehanna just up from you.

These ramps get a lot of use during the summer but sometimes have a length of public property that is fish-able from shore or by wading in inches of water. (Some have handicap ramps but I don't think this is true for the Apple access.) There are often a lot of small bass and sunfish around them that would be easy to catch. It wouldn't be a place to spend an entire day, but for a half-hour, close to home fishing trip, it might work.

 

[Bamboozle]

Lonekimono:

For some other sources of local information you could also try calling Nimrod Haven Bait Shop in Wilkes Barre (570) 824-3050 or Westside Bait in Wyoming (570) 693-0248 and try asking them. I've dealt with both shops in the past and can recommend them.

There is also Dallas Sporting Goods in Shavertown (570) 674-5813. I never traded with them, but they are in your neck of the woods.

Finally, it may be further than you wish to travel, but I can recommend the pond at McDade Park which is on the Taylor/Scranton border.

It obviously isn't a stream like you asked for, but the access is good and if the Wyoming Valley PA Turnpike Interchange (A115) is close to you, McDade Park is 2 miles north on Keyser Avenue from the Keyser Avenue PA Turnpike Interchange (A122).

Good luck!

 

[afishinado]

The Francis Slocum State Park in a good suggestion. It's close to home for you, has a handicapped fishing dock as well as plenty of open shoreline to fish. Access the lake using the Park entrance, the Carverton Road access is not as user friendly. Good luck.

 

[PennKev]

nymphingmaniac wrote:
The Little J has a handicap ramp along barre road, across from the Dopp property. As part of an easement agreement, they built a handicap accessible ramp along the river. It's in a stretch that will fish well even in this low water.
its near teaberry hollow and downstream of the green hills campground.

This is probably one of, if not the best handicap access spot I've seen on any PA trout stream. It is actually in a spot you would want to fish and expect to catch fish. Wild fish to boot.

 

[dryflyguy]

Both of the handicapped platforms on spring creek are actually in pretty good spots IMO.
You would likely have shots at rising fish right in front of either of them

 

[maxima12]

This is what i hope and require from T. U. So busy into law, rules, regs,
that you seemed to forget the handicap. May i remind you, Cold Water Fisheries! Have you forgotten the "goal". Handicap access, we tried once, i suggested Bowman Field, Wmspt. Rest said, fishing creek, Lamar. I asked, " How are the handicap getting there".

I look forward to a t. u. reform. A new idea for a new future!

Education, Policy, Understanding, Involvement. A new horizon is upon us. How do you see it. Clear or Cloudy!

Maxima12

 

[troutbert]

The handicapped platforms on Spring Creek are at decent locations. But still I have never seen a handicapped person use either one of them, and I live near there and go by them almost daily.

It's not the fault of the people who built the platforms. It's just the nature of trout streams and how you fish them that makes handicapped platforms on trout streams impractical for good fishing. A person would make a few casts, then the fish there would be spooked, and then it's over.

A handicapped platform on a lake though is a totally different situation. I saw people fishing from a handicapped platform at the lake at Sinnemahoning State Park. They were using spin gear with small bobbers and bait. They could cast over nearly a 180 degree radius, starting with short casts near the platform, and working their way out, until they were making really long casts, and all those casts were to places with enough depth to be productive, fish-holding spots.

So they have a lot of area they can cover, and a lot of depth, i.e. they could rig up to fish near the surface, or deeper. So they have a lot of water to cover, and could fish there for hours and the fish wouldn't be spooked up.

If people really want to do something to provide good fishing for handicapped people, lakes are the place to build handicapped fishing facilities, not streams.

Another limitation with these structures on streams is that floods can blow them out. On lakes you don't have that problem.

 

[Dave_W]

troutbert wrote:
The handicapped platforms on Spring Creek are at decent locations. But still I have never seen a handicapped person use either one of them, and I live near there and go by them almost daily.

It's not the fault of the people who built the platforms. It's just the nature of trout streams and how you fish them that makes handicapped platforms on trout streams impractical for good fishing. A person would make a few casts, then the fish there would be spooked, and then it's over.

A handicapped platform on a lake though is a totally different situation. I saw people fishing from a handicapped platform at the lake at Sinnemahoning State Park. They were using spin gear with small bobbers and bait. They could cast over nearly a 180 degree radius, starting with short casts near the platform, and working their way out, until they were making really long casts, and all those casts were to places with enough depth to be productive, fish-holding spots.

So they have a lot of area they can cover, and a lot of depth, i.e. they could rig up to fish near the surface, or deeper. So they have a lot of water to cover, and could fish there for hours and the fish wouldn't be spooked up.

If people really want to do something to provide good fishing for handicapped people, lakes are the place to build handicapped fishing facilities, not streams.

Another limitation with these structures on streams is that floods can blow them out. On lakes you don't have that problem.

Many of the ramps at lakes also have fish habitat structures built near them that furthers the advantage to fishing them.

 

[lonekimono]

Thanks everyone for the info. Some of the places are just a little to far to travel. traveling that far could end quickly if my daughter has a seizure or isn't feeling well. So we could be there for a few minutes and we could be packing up and heading home. So I would rather stay closer to home. we do fish some of the lakes. She enjoys it. But sometimes she would like to catch some bigger fish. Especially some beautiful rainbows!