Monroe County, PA

[paparise]

I'm trying to get out for a day in the next two weekends and I'm thinking of making the trip to Monroe County for some brook trout. I'll take any advice you can give from:

1. Winter Brookie Fishing: What do I need to know? Should I expect any top water aciton or will it all be nymphing? Are there any specific flies I should be looking for other than the run of the mill, pheasants, hares ears, midges...

2. Location: I'm using the PAFB lists to choose a stream so I'm not looking for any secret spots but from that list if you could give me a heads up on the high lights or low lights I'd appreciate it, PM is fine.

3. Partner: It'll be me and my brother. If anyone want's to join us let me know.

Thanks

 

[JackM]

I would recommend a bouyant dry with a short (12-15 inch) dropper of a nymph. A generic hares ear or pheasant tail should be sufficient. If the trout are taking the dry, cut the dropper off. Also, small (#14) streamers on a tight line is another strong option. Good luck; I cannnot offer any advice on streams.

 

[Swattie87]

Good advice from Jack on techniques/flies. I'll second the small streamer approach from a subsurface perspective...keep it small though, size 14 or smaller. A buddy of mine was up that way recently and still caught them on dries though, FWIW.

As far as streams, if you're using the PFBC lists for Monroe you'll probably do pretty well. The big issue up there is access, not necessarily lack of fish. Just check the streams that catch your eye with some maps and a little Googling to make sure you'll have access, and have a backup plan or two if you try one and find it posted.

 

[pcray1231]

1. Winter brookies - generally action is slower, fish aren't as agressive in cold water. While in summer, you never really need a subsurface fly, winter is different. I usually start off armed with a dry dropper rig. On some days they'll get aggressive enough by midday for dries, and if you start getting more hits on the dry, lose the dropper. Fishing is much easier, you can cast from further away, and get into tighter spots with only the dry.

Forget midges. They are NEVER needed for brookie fishing, in my experiences. Whether dry or subsurface, you're looking at size 12-16 mostly. For nymphs, I do like using beadheads on brookie waters (not so much on more fertile streams). I think the flash helps.

Winter vs. summer. Adjust numbers expectations. I'd say by about a factor of 5. If you expect 50 in summer, expect 10 in winter. Can still be a very enjoyable day, any day you can put on a good hike and catch a few beauties is a good day.

2. Monroe Cty has a lot of good brookie streams, though I only know a few of them. Gradient is your friend.

Good luck!

 

[troutbert]

Swattie87 wrote:

As far as streams, if you're using the PFBC lists for Monroe you'll probably do pretty well. The big issue up there is access, not necessarily lack of fish. Just check the streams that catch your eye with some maps and a little Googling to make sure you'll have access, and have a backup plan or two if you try one and find it posted.

Just to add to that. Mostly privately owned land in the Poconos is posted. So, check your maps for streams that are on public land, such as the Delaware State Forest, state gamelands, or Delaware Water Gap Natural Recreation Area.

Wear orange so the hunters can see you.

 

[paparise]

great stuff guys, thanks.

 

[JeffK]

Wear an orange cap and/or fish on Sundays. Most public fishing areas also have plenty of hunters.

 

[Swattie87]

+1 on the orange. I still hear plenty of gun shots on SGL on Sundays.

 

[paparise]

Proabably heading up on a SAT. Will wear orange. Thanks.

 

[Chaz]

Being that it's not winter yet, even in the Poconos, the water we fished yesterday was 51, the water we fished on Sunday was 46, I'd say make sure you have a thermometer and take the water temperature before starting. Then you'll know what approach will work.
We saw little stone flies yesterday, and some small mayflies, probably baetis, so I'd start with one of those or simply an attractor pattern if the water is over 40 degrees. If it's not over 40, then go deep and fish the heads of pools. What we found yesterday was the brookies were lying in the tails of pools and in the calm of the water on the sides of the flow going into the deepest areas of the pools when we arrived.
Later the brookies moved to the heads of the pools where the main flow came in.
The one caveat to that is I always scope out the pools and runs looking for big fish lies, when I see one, that's where my first cast goes. These places would be undercut banks and roots, woody debris piles both below and above the woody debris, then if I don't get take I move on to another spot or cast to other lies within the pools and runs.

 

[paparise]

So we're heading up on Saturday and I'm super excited.