Upper Bushkill

[gweisinger]

Searching new Brookie water and heard about the Upper Bushkill. Unfortunately, the person I got my information seemed less than reliable. So, I'd like some info. Not looking for the standard 'look at the maps' response...been there, done that. I'd like to know if the area off T531 is open to fishing and is there a good population of wild brook trout?

I'd like to drag the RV to somewhere like Timothy Lake Campground and spend a day or two exploring the Bushkill but I'd like to know if it's worth the effort.

Thanks

Gary

 

[Swattie87]

With very few exceptions the small headwater streams of the Poconos that are not on public land are posted by private landowners against trespassing. I'm not sure about the specific stream you referenced, but odds are it is. I'd focus my map research efforts on public land...plenty of good options to explore up there from the same basecamp.

 

[hooker-of-men]

At the point where T531 comes off Snow Hill Road it's actually marked as something like "Angler's Road" and, as far as I have been able to tell from just driving by exploring, the surrounding property is all posted. I've never gone up T531 to figure out specifics because the road itself is also marked with private drive/no trespassing signs at that turn. It's deceiving because that land is green and park-like on google maps, but I believe it's all closed to the public by whatever crappy hunting clubs, angling associations, etc. get to do such things.

 

[raftman]

I'd like to drag the RV to somewhere like Timothy Lake Campground and spend a day or two exploring the Bushkill but I'd like to know if it's worth the effort.

Holy moly. I was checking out their rates.... $69 per night? That's crazy. I wish there were more affordable options available that had RV hookups.

 

[bjb27_99]

raftman wrote:

I'd like to drag the RV to somewhere like Timothy Lake Campground and spend a day or two exploring the Bushkill but I'd like to know if it's worth the effort.

Holy moly. I was checking out their rates.... $69 per night? That's crazy. I wish there were more affordable options available that had RV hookups.

You think the $69 per night is bad, wait until you get there and realize that the entire place (both North and South) is completely run down. They are part of the Thousand Trails network, which makes it free for members (my family has a membership). The family and I stayed in our RV at Timothy Lake North a couple of times in 2014. Half of the water park was shut down by the state (it never opened at all in 2015 due to issues), the mini golf only had 12 or 13 holes open (serious), and the staff in general was pretty awful. People who invested in the Thousand Trails membership with the intention of making Timothy Lake their primary campground are pretty pissed and rightfully so.

 

[raftman]

You think the $69 per night is bad, wait until you get there and realize that the entire place (both North and South) is completely run down. They are part of the Thousand Trails network, which makes it free for members (my family has a membership). The family and I stayed in our RV at Timothy Lake North a couple of times in 2014. Half of the water park was shut down by the state (it never opened at all in 2015 due to issues), the mini golf only had 12 or 13 holes open (serious), and the staff in general was pretty awful. People who invested in the Thousand Trails membership with the intention of making Timothy Lake their primary campground are pretty pissed and rightfully so.

Wow. That's crazy. We generally don't stay at RV parks. Actually, we never have, but are planning a longer trip this summer so we're opening up our possibilities. We tend to stay in state parks and other public lands and generally enjoy them.

 

[Chaz]

There are at least 3 Bushkills, and 2 in the Poconos. All have brookies in them. The question is which one are you asking about?
If you are talking about the Bushkill that flows into the Delaware at Bushkill PA there is a KOA right down the road. Most of the brookies in that drainage are in the tributaries, but some are in the main creek.

 

[hooker-of-men]

It's also worth noting that the Bushkill (@Bushkill, PA) is stocked with brookies from Resica Falls down. I assumed this wasn't the info that OP was looking for.

 

[gweisinger]

Guys, thanks for the info. The private road info was exactly what I was looking for! Imagine my disgust after investing the money and time just to see more posted signs. Suspect I will look elsewhere for new brookie water. The Timothy Resort stuff is also discouraging. While I didn't plan to use any of the "resort" facilities if the location isn't nearby fishing of my liking its a bad deal. Perhaps I'll research a little further north and see what I can find.

Thanks again

Gary
www.flifish.com

 

[troutbert]

gweisinger wrote:


Imagine my disgust after investing the money and time just to see more posted signs.

As someone else said, in the Poconos most land that is privately owned is posted. It is the rule, not the exception.

And it's not at all uncommon in the rest of the state either.

There is a huge mileage of wild trout streams on public forest lands in PA. Get the maps and go!

 

[hooker-of-men]

troutbert wrote:

As someone else said, in the Poconos most land that is privately owned is posted. It is the rule, not the exception.

And it's not at all uncommon in the rest of the state either.

There is a huge mileage of wild trout streams on public forest lands in PA. Get the maps and go!

The issue here is that the spot in question looks to be public land/park from google maps. There's a lot of land in and around Delaware State Forest that appears to be public on many maps but in reality is managed and posted by various rod and gun clubs. This makes for some surprise "no trespassing" signs when you actually show up to hunt or fish.

 

[Chaz]

Access to Delaware State Forest is very tricky, the best thing is to find an access point along the road near a stream and work toward the stream. However, that doesn't mean when you reach the place you wish to fish isn't going to be posted. property boundaries are hard to determine from an online map. You can certainly find a township tax map though and check property boundaries on them. I suspect that some public land in the Poconos is posted illegal by land owners.