North East PA - New to the area

[jcotrel1]

Hi folks,

I recently bought a place in Pocono Lake, PA in Monroe county. Can you guys recommend rivers, streams or creeks to check out? I see the Susquehanna River is about an hour away. I have only seen it on a map. Not sure how fishable it is.

Thanks in advance!

Jim

 

[Canoetripper]

Welcome to the board. A lot of water in the Poconos is owned by private Rod & Gun Clubs. You are blessed to have two local fly shops very close to Pocono Lake and you can easily access them from this board.

They are A&A Outfitters and the Evening Hatch. Just click on the the Fly Fishing Shops in the upper right hand corner and they will be glad to help you.

 

[jcotrel1]

Great! Thank you!

 

[Dave_W]

Welcome Jim. We're glad to have you join our online fly fishing (FF) community.

With respect to where to fish in your region, there are a lot of places for both trout and warm water species although, as mentioned, much of it is private. The Susquehanna that you mention is very good for smallmouth bass as is the Delaware River to your east. They can be fished by boat or wading. Wading is easiest in summer. Tobyhanna Creek is nearby.

As you might imagine, our readership can be tight lipped about where to fish (especially regarding small, relatively unknown streams) but there is a wealth of information on this site. I recommend searching the Reports forum by county. Use the advanced search function; please don't refresh the old pages, just read 'em. You should also hit the "Where to Fly Fish" link in the upper right side of this page.

 

[jcotrel1]

Good stuff! Thanks! I totally understand people being tight lipped Really just looking for direction on some waters with public access spots.

 

[salvelinus]

PM sent.

 

[afishinado]

Welcome to NEPA.

A great place to start is with the County Guide Map from PA Fish & Boat linked below.

Open the map and zoom into your area. The menu on the left allows you to find fishing streams and lakes along with boating areas in the area.

Good luck.

https://pfbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=3292981a1fcf415e9ce4a4a7a3ce98e2

 

[klingy]

Jim,
I highly recommend the PA Fish and Boat Commission online maps. The trout map is especially helpful to find class A, wild trout, and stocked waters.

As far as public access goes, look for state game lands, state parks, and state forests on the maps and then find the streams that run through them. I also find the online state forest maps from the DCNR site quite helpful as well. They offer more detail of the forest roads which helps in navigation.

Plenty of water in your neck of the woods, and within a couple hours drive.

Have fun exploring!

Klingy

 

[troutbert]

The Susquehanna is good for smallmouth bass.

For trout you have the Lehigh River. And there are many smaller streams on public lands.

It is true that much of the private land is posted in the Poconos.

But, there is quite a bit of public land with plenty of room to roam.

The scenery in the Lehigh Gorge is awesome. There is a bike trail that provides access.

 

[jcotrel1]

Thanks for all the great info guys! Really appreciate it!

 

[maxima12]

I was lucky fishing Tobyhanna Lake, met corky! Corky took time to show fishing spots.

Lucky twice to meet Dave at Game Commission building at entrance of 7 mile rd. Bear check station.

Lucky thrice to meet new warden in that area Abrahams, i believe.

Put it all together, they spent time, hours, helping the Maxima12. Never met such nice people.

Take a look around and ask for a little help! It is right there. I am glad i asked, i keep going back, not so much for advice, just to thank in the way i know beat!

Friend has a place on Eagle Lake. Lucky to meet the PERFECT PEOPLE! I am blessed!

Stop at 7 mile Rd. Gun range, you will meet the cool! Look for the 5 that shoot 500 rounds. The slim, the detailed and the man with a beard and tatto arms. I told them, how you shooting boys, they said ok, i said thank you. I know i will sleep better tonight.

Well, that was the right thing to say, conversation happened then!

The bulls they were. I was the lamb. How about those Bulls protecting the lamb! Yee-oh boy--ow, ah! I will never see the end, Bulls are here to protect me! That is true!

Maxima12

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear Jim,

In addition to various rivers and the trout streams if you enjoy warm water fly fishing for bass and panfish you hit the jackpot in NEPA.

There are literally dozens of lakes and ponds to fish within an hour or so. Quite a few of them are on State land or part of a State or County Park. As a general rule if you can drive to a boat launch on the lake you can access it to fish.

Most are smaller, say 200 acres or less. Many of them are HP restricted, or electric motors only so they are ideal for float tubing, or kayak fishing. Many are also wadeable but you need to watch the bottom. There is a lot of peaty muck in the Poconos, and wading that is tough!

Have fun exploring!

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[Millsertime]

I live in Blakeslee. Poconos have so much good fishing, I rarely leave Monroe County. Wild and stocked trout. Don't worry about the private fishing on Tobyhanna, Brodhead, Paradise, etc...You don't need to fish those waters. Not worth it, much better elsewhere.

I could give you all the hotspots but if you utilize the search function in paflyfish.com, you'll find it yourself. Enjoy!

Only advice I'll provide is that hatches on the Pocono Plateau are not near as good as down in the valleys. Follow the hatches for better all around fishing.

 

[Mike]

If you are into stocked trout fishing, you have hit the jackpot. Pre-Covid at least, the NE Region was one of the most heavily stocked regions in the state when one compared the numbers of trout stocked per trout stamp sold in the regions. Of course, a lot of trout go to the numerous lakes in the NE Region, but plenty go to streams as well. Have fun!

 

[Baron]

Welcome J.