What Creek gave YOU the best Stocked Trout Experience?

[TimMurphy]

If it’s a trib, I can certainly imagine you having a very Pleasant time fishing there.

That could have been a gray area 20 years ago. 😉

 

[Swattie87]

That could have been a gray area 20 years ago. 😉

I’m glad it’s a little less gray now.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

We have talked about some of these streams, but you are barking up the right tree for the big stocked trout watershed.

Lycoming Creek has provided some exceptional fishing days for me and portions of the delayed harvest/ Keystone section have some of the best habitat around of stocked special regs IMO.

 

[tomgamber]

Dear jifigz,

I didn't think you were talking about me, but you know I'm never short on words either! 😉

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[tjsingle]

I only really fish the stocked water near my house in SEPA. I enjoy fishing the branches of the Brandywine once the trout start eating on top. Driving 10 minutes and being able to fish for some stockies right on the E. Branch is usually what I'll do this time of year when I can't make it out somewhere further. Ridley Creek is also a fun one.

I've fished Kettle as well and that was a lot of fun.

 

[wildtrout2]

Ridley Creek is also a fun one.

That's where I do all my deer hunting. I love that park.

 

[Trapshooter]

Kettle creek is a favorite since the early 1980's. Lehigh River. Spruce creek.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

Is that Spruce Creek in the private stretches?
😆

 

[td566]

My early flyfishing days started on Big Bushkill. We mainly fished the water above the Ressica falls where we parked.
I wish bead head nymphs and strike indicators were in my arsenal back then. Good memories but haven’t fished it in a good long time.

 

[Nocktavius]

The best "stocked trout experience" IMO would be catching an 18"-20" fallfish or white sucker.

 

[jifigz]

My early flyfishing days started on Big Bushkill. We mainly fished the water above the Ressica falls where we parked.
I wish bead head nymphs and strike indicators were in my arsenal back then. Good memories but haven’t fished it in a good long time.

It is weird how long it took bobbers to catch on in the fly fishing world. Is that because fly fishers of days-gone-by were all that dumb, or was it because they thought they were better than that?

 

[Tabasco-Joe]

I put Jordan at my top. If I travel further, it's to a stream supporting wild trout. I had one of my best days ever on the creek catching over 25 trout in one afternoon. All but two went back.

I would have put the Neshaminy at the top, but it's no longer stocked due to contamination.
I liked the Neshaminy because I could fish it most evenings until the water warmed. (We are talking trout.)

My current number 2 would be White Deer Creek because it was a short trip from my mother's place and held both stocked and wild trout year round.

 

[Mike]

I put Jordan at my top. If I travel further, it's to a stream supporting wild trout. I had one of my best days ever on the creek catching over 25 trout in one afternoon. All but two went back.

I would have put the Neshaminy at the top, but it's no longer stocked due to contamination.
I liked the Neshaminy because I could fish it most evenings until the water warmed. (We are talking trout.)

My current number 2 would be White Deer Creek because it was a short trip from my mother's place and held both stocked and wild trout year round.

Since you listed Neshaminy, have you tried Tohickon between Ralph Stover State Park and Bucks County’s Tohickon Valley Park? Quite scenic. Looks like a northcentral Pa stream, but gets warm by mid-May. Some of the Neshaminy allocation was shifted to the already well-stocked Tohickon when Neshaminy was discontinued.

 

[Bamboozle]

My early flyfishing days started on Big Bushkill. We mainly fished the water above the Ressica falls where we parked.
I wish bead head nymphs and strike indicators were in my arsenal back then. Good memories but haven’t fished it in a good long time.

Dumb luck also comes into play at the Big Bushkill...

Many moons ago, a buddy of mine who was down and out after breaking up with a GF needed a distraction so I got him into fly fishing. For his first time out, we went to the FFO Section at Resica one Opening Day weekend...

We got there the night before and camped in the back of his pick-up below the Resica Falls in the Boy Scout Camp. The wait for the 8:00 am opening bell about killed him, but while waiting we used the time to make breakfast and afterwards scouted for somewhere to fish on a high and somewhat raging Bushkill.

Somehow, I found an unoccupied spot with some slower current in amongst everyone else lined up that morning. We both carefully waded over, I handed my buddy a Grey Ghost streamer (that was in my arsenal in those days) which I figured was as good as anything...

I was given a gift from the Gods that morning for all of the lousy Opening Days in my lifetime. Without ever changing patterns or moving very much, between the two us we caught & released over 75 trout in a few hours. I did have to threaten a potential interloper with bodily harm for literally trying to stand right in our spot, but that was the only interruption in the action...

So much for classy fly fishermen... 😡

Because of the swift current, after hooking the fish it was necessary to hold our rods as high as possible to keep the fish's heads up so we could land them quickly. So after 75 fish we packed it in because are arms were tired.

After that experience, my buddy figured me for a fly-fishing genius, not just some lucky bastard... 😉

In more recent history, I used to book a cabin for a long weekend and fish the Bushkill and other non-stocked streams in the Poconos during the Regional Opening Day weekend when I knew everyone would be fishing in the lower counties.

Great & fun times on that creek but like you, it has been awhile...

 

[Tabasco-Joe]

Since you listed Neshaminy, have you tried Tohickon between Ralph Stover State Park and Bucks County’s Tohickon Valley Park? Quite scenic. Looks like a northcentral Pa stream, but gets warm by mid-May. Some of the Neshaminy allocation was shifted to the already well-stocked Tohickon when Neshaminy was discontinued.

Thanks Mike. Yes. First trip to Stover was last year a few days after the opener. No luck casting dries to the few rising fish. I put on a wooly bugger and got smashed by a nice smallie. Probably pound and a half. That was a nice surprise and a fight on 4 weight with 5x tippet.

Last week I drove up to the old mill section and checked that out. Also nice water. That may be my first stop next week.

I went over to the Perkiomen in Perkasie and wasn't impressed. I'll leave that to the bait fishermen and the kids who can fish from the park.

I'm also going to range out and give Evansburg a visit. I've never been there.

 

[dudemanspecial]

It is weird how long it took bobbers to catch on in the fly fishing world. Is that because fly fishers of days-gone-by were all that dumb, or was it because they thought they were better than that?

It used to be looked down on to nymph and streamer fish with a fly rod. That is what spin gear was for.

 

[jifigz]

It used to be looked down on to nymph and streamer fish with a fly rod. That is what spin gear was for.

True. We've always been holier than thou.

 

[CodorusTUTom]

The Little Lehigh, as a teen in the late 70's and early 80's - summer mornings biking down to fish blizzards of tricos, long after the crowds were gone. Learned a lot during those years. Too bad those dense hatches don't happen anymore.

 

[shortrod]

1. Little Sewickley Creek (First trout caught on a fly, First fish caught on a fly I tied)
2. Wills Creek (Dad had a camp near by, rugged scenery, holdovers)
3. Yellow Creek in Indiana County (IUP instead of PSU, bummer)

 

[dudemanspecial]

True. We've always been holier than thou.

Id say we've gotten over it. Now you are considered a weirdo if you are fishing dries without anything rising, and nymphing with flyline is an old man's game.