Looking for Help Fishing SEPA

[Skook]

Hello,

So, my son called today and said that he would like to get out and do some trout fishing this spring. He graduated from college in December, took a job in the Philly area and is living in Philadelphia. He says working in a cubicle all day pretty much stinks, and he needs to get out and do something. I say, welcome to the real world....

Anyway, I'm thrilled at the chance to get out and do some fishing with my son. He was very busy with school and working the past several years, and he and I haven't spent much time together in the outdoors. He recommended finding some locations about half way between us to fish this year. I think it might be a good idea if I can find some decent water closer to him. This way, if he decides to do more fishing on his own, he'll have some places closer to him to fish without having to do much traveling.

I live in Schuylkill County, and I'm not familiar with fishing SEPA. I fished the Little Lehigh and Tulpehocken many years ago, but I think I'm looking for waters closer to Philly. I own and rely on the excellent Keystone Fly Fishing book, and it has a good section covering the waters in the Philadelphia area, including Wissahickon, Pennypack, Neshaminy, Ridley, Valley and Perkiomen Creeks.

I am not asking for any specific locations, but I would truly appreciate general advice on things such as which streams have the better public access, which are most crowded (especially on weekends), whether a particular stream fishes into May or June safely for the fish (i.e., water temps), etc.

My son (and me, for that matter) isn't the greatest fly fisherman. I'll fly fish, but there is a good chance he might just opt for a spinning rod, especially because he hasn't fished much at all lately. With any luck, I'll get into a few fish on flies and use it as an opportunity to let him fish with my gear. With that said, I'm probably looking to avoid fly fishing only waters - at least for now.

I am grateful for any advice you might have.

Thank you.

 

[trout48]

Valley creek and Darby creek Chester creek all have both.

 

[Mike]

Philly is a big place. In what part of the city does he live? That might determine where he could most readily fish and in which direction it would be most efficient to drive to get to a stocked trout stream. With the exception of some Delaware County streams, such as Darby Ck, the stocked trout streams get pretty warm by the end of May or certainly by mid-June. If I lived in Philly I would largely be focused on warmwater, coolwater, and migratory fisheries in the rivers, but if I wanted to fish for trout locally I would head to the stream that was easiest to get to given the traffic situation. The two stocked streams in the city are the Wissahickon and Pennypack Cks. Both are fairly long sections and the Wissahickon is the most scenic. Parking near the Wissahickon is tough in many areas unless you get there quite early…. Lots of walkers, runners, bikers, strollers, etc. The Wissahickon is also stocked in Montgomery Co, as is a short extension of the Pennypack just across the county line. Not far from the Wissahickon in Mntg Co is Loch Alsh Res near Ambler…also stocked with trout. Bucks Co stocked trout streams are all pretty distant from Philly. The closest stocked trout waters in Bucks Co are the Delaware Canal and Levittown Lake.

 

[hooker-of-men]

I don't have much to add to Mike's post, but I will say that in my late 20s I got back into trout fishing while living in Philly after not having done it since I was a kid. The handful of streams close to the city make it an exceptionally good urban environment for fishing.

Hit Lorimer Park or Valley Green and have fun with some stockies.

 

[HopBack]

Chester creek in Delaware county could be an option. It’s a beautiful stream and very well stocked. It’s just likely going to be packed with people.

 

[Skook]

Thank you all for the replies, information and suggestions. It looks like we have several options, which is a good thing.

Maybe we can pick a stream to try and then try others over the next few months and figure out what we like best.

With regard to fishing the area rivers for species other than trout, would this typically entail finding a spot along the shore and fishing from the bank without much opportunity to move around? For some reason, I'm just imagining this as sitting on a five-gallon bucket for hours while soaking a chicken liver and hoping for a bite.😀

 

[JerryC]

It would depend on where he lives in Philly. I live up in the NW section. I can walk to the Schuylkill in 5 minutes. Valley Green(Wissahickon) is 15 minute drive from my house. The other major parking areas on the Henry Ave side of the creek, Bells Mill Rd and Northwestern Ave are another 10 to 15 minutes further. The Wissahickon can be a zoo, the first week of the season and anytime they stock it afterward. By the middle of May the pressure dies with most of those chasing stockies figure they've all been caught or the state didn't stock enough fish. You can actually have decent trout fishing into June and if you know where the springs that feed the creek in places are located through the summer. Usually by the end of May, I switch over to warm water fishing for smallmouth, largemouth and panfish.
Valley and Ridley are a 40 to 50 minute drive depending on traffic. Valley is good if you want wild fish, but it can definitely be frustrating trying to catch them.

 

[Skook]

Thanks. He lives in Manayunk. With me not knowing a whole lot about the city, I figured we'd be driving someplace regardless.

 

[JerryC]

With regard to fishing the area rivers for species other than trout, would this typically entail finding a spot along the shore and fishing from the bank without much opportunity to move around? For some reason, I'm just imagining this as sitting on a five-gallon bucket for hours while soaking a chicken liver and hoping for a bite

Any of the stocked creeks mentioned hold bass and panfish. I'm not familiar with the Pennypack but I'm pretty sure there's a trail along. Forbidden Drive(no motor vehicles)runs the length of the Wissahickon from Northwestern Ave to Lincoln Drive and there are plenty of places you can access the creek from it. You may have to walk a bit to get to them but it's nice walk. Some examples.

You're not going to catch monster fish. Average bass size for smallmouth and largemouth is 8 to 12 inches. There are larger bass in there, but it's hard to get to where they're at and often involves wading.
There bluegills, redbreast, pumpkinseed, green sunfish and rock bass. I don't think I've caught any over 7 inches. Plus there's carp, suckers, the occasional goldfish.
Ridley Creek, I believe has a path above the dam, which is at the head of the FFO stretch. Not sure what type of access there is to the creek. Chester Creek, I've fished a couple of times and have found pull-offs where you can walk down to the creek.
These are average fish for the Wissahickon

If he lives Manayunk, it's a no brainer. The Wissahickon. Maybe 10 minutes away. Of course, there's always the Manayunk Canal. Whatever is in the Schuylkill is probably in there. I would imagine most of the property on the other side of the canal that fronts the Schuylkill is private and access would be limited.

 

[Skook]

Great pics! Thank you. The scenery is very nice, and I wouldn't have thought those pics would've been possible in the second-largest city in the eastern U.S.

 

[Skook]

This might be a dumb question, but do people wear waders while fishing Wissahickon Creek?

I don't want to be "that guy" who shows up looking like I just stepped out of an Orvis store only to find that everyone else is wearing sneakers and Phillies t-shirts fishing along the bank.😄

 

[hooker-of-men]

Yup. Wade away!

Speaking from a good deal of experience, don't worry about decorum on Philly streams.

It takes all kinds, and they're all there...

 

[wgmiller]

While there aren't a ton of trout opportunities in Philly and the immediate area, there sure are warmwater options. If you can get him hooked (no pun intended) on warmwater species, he'll likely take to fly fishing quicker. Warmwater species are a bit easier to catch than trout and in many cases actually fight harder. A 12" smallmouth bass feels a lot larger than it is. For a noob, I'd recommend finding stocked trout water and going from there. Getting people into fly fishing involves reducing the learning curve and increasing the success rate. The easiest way to do that is with stocked trout and warmwater species. Wissahickon is literally a hop, skip, and a jump from Manayunk and is stocked with trout. And you almost don't feel like you're in Philly when you're there. It's going to be his closest bet to get on fish. Valley is a bit further, and the most popular in the region, but it can be challenging at times, which can frustrate newer anglers.

 

[Mike]

Plus snakeheads in Manayunk Canal!

 

[AndyP]

Don't forget Ridley or French Creek as places to start your son out on.

 

[Skook]

Plus snakeheads in Manayunk Canal!

Can we get a "dislike" button?😄