Waters That Are Tough Wading

[PennKev]

Prospector wrote:
As NWPA streams go where a dunking is very possible, but being swept away, not so much...

Slippery Rock Creek
Brokenstraw Creek
Oil Creek

Slippery Rock kills plenty of people. Not so much fisherman, but it has happened.

 

[ebair25]

A bit of an oddball, but Codorus creek can get hairy in some areas.

Thick summer vegetation, lay downs, and sedimentation turns into a full blown workout.

 

[greenghost]

I'm surprised the Yough below the dam didn't get many mentions. It pushes a lot of water. There are rock fields made up of bowling balls. "Pocket water" that's 4 feet deep. Boulders the size of a house. It seems like fishermen die there every year.

 

[bradtheflyfisherman]

Ditto on the Lehigh, I fish the gorge area quite a bit. Have almost slid off the edge of boulders a couple of times now into some deep fast water. Usually stick to the easy to wade spots, or don't really venture out too far into the water much anymore. Just bought an 11 ft nymph stick for the Lehigh, to help get that little bit of extra reach.

Did see an old timer cross the section a mile or so above White Haven and proceeded to work his way downstream fishing every pocket and hole on the other side of the river...I was pretty impressed as I would've likely fallen multiple times given the water was moving pretty quickly.

I'd second the Brodhead though too...for some reason I just tend to slide around way too much. Just fell in about two weeks ago too while attempting to turn around and head back to the bank...

 

[Smike]

For those that know me, know I've crawled over every inch of the Lehigh Gorge, even been deep into the Neversink. No doubt both super tough and the top on many lists.

But the winner is lower Mud run in Hickory State Park. Its the only stream in my life I've turned around in defeat. Off the scale difficult wading with an impassable jungle on either side with shear cliffs. Brutal...

And I might put the lower Broadhead as #2. I've swam more in that stream then all others combined.

 

[SurfCowboyXX]

Smike, you can probably second the replies about the Neversink Gorge.

 

[just_jon]

I will not fish the Yough below the dam without my auto-inflate life vest. Two worst for me at Penns and LJ. I took a bad Smith in Penns a few years ago, I had to chase my hat downstream.

One no one mentioned is the Letort where you can find yourself up to you armpits in a sinkhole while walking the bank. The ATW on Big Spring is no joy either.

 

[Bopper]

The Yough below Ohiopyle is considered unwaddable. That's partly due to rapids. Even above is a bugger. An old fisherman told me the stream side rocks are all screwed up due to blasting for the railroad. Think about it. If there is a railroad alongside, the rocks may have been blasted there.

 

[just_jon]

During my kayaking days, I saw some monster trout on the lower. As big as those fish were, not once did I ever consider fishing it.

 

[bronzeback]

Another vote for the Yough below Ramcat after fishing it the Little J seems like standing on a sandy beach, worst fall I ever had was on upper First fork where Moores empties in, fell over face first jumped right back up and fell over backwards, years later my buddy brings it up at least once a year.

 

[k-bob]

forgot I had a photo of the area of mud run swattie mentioned, near where it exits public land and flows onto a private resort.

too rough for me to go back and didnt fish that well. low flow would have been better...

 

[wgmiller]

+1 for the Lehigh. You really have to know where, when, and how to wade that river!

 

[Hook_Jaw]

By far for me is Penns Creek

 

[edhank]

Stoneycreek River in Somerset County. Greased cannon balls. Fished it for an hour the other night and my back felt like I had been fishing for two weeks solid on any other river.

 

[scottrum]

Fishing the Bushkill Creek in Monroe County does it for me. Fast water and lots of big rocks. Can't go without a wading staff.

 

[Boatswain71]

I’ll have to ice my knees just for talking about it, but the Lehigh River through the gorge is a freakin’ nightmare...a real “Murderers Row” if you will. You really need to be carefull in some spots. I don’t fish that area much anymore but when I do, I always use my wading staff. I find wading the water below lehighton to be more enjoyable, and easier on the body.

The Lehigh River gets my vote

 

[avocet]

Little Juniata- first place I went swimming in chest waders
Lehigh-greased bowling balls
Susquehanna below a certain dam when they just lowered water and green slime is on rocks.-#censor# over teacups or whatever that saying is. Of course I have trouble walking down the street too.

 

[Smike]

k-bob wrote:
forgot I had a photo of the area of mud run swattie mentioned, near where it exits public land and flows onto a private resort.

too rough for me to go back and didnt fish that well. low flow would have been better...

Yup, for me, I find fishing the Lehigh gorge to be on the easy side (at least until I get old...er) but even in my best of prime years, Mud run kicked the living Sh#$ out of me.


The problem with Mud run is multiple issues

Slick rocks
Sharp drop off to deep water
High gradient
Car size boulders
Almost no room to walk along the stream bank due to extremely steep hillside and sheer cliffs. On top of that where you can stand on the side, it’s mostly a jungle of Rhododendrens.

 

[psychobeagle12]

I'll second the vote for the Stonycreek River in Somerset County. Every section except the ones right in Johnstown are incredibly challenging. IMO Penn's is a walk across the swimming pool compared to some of what the Stony has to offer. Near the T515 bridge, huge boulders, deceptively deep runs, and sweeping currents make it near impossible to cross the thing. Once you hit some of the lower areas the water deepens out and there is some kind of slippery algae on every surface underneath that water. But it's one of my favorite places to wade because the fishing is just that good!

 

[troutbert]

There are quite a few places on the Yough where isn't difficult, it's impossible.

If you step off the boulders and into the water, you'll be running a whitewater rapids in your fishing gear.