Trout Update #7: Memorial Day

On Memorial Day, 2008 I visited a number of small creeks in the Poconos during the afternoon and fly fished Bushkill Creek in the evening. I had a memorable and magnificent day: I caught a number of trout in six different streams. I also saw an abundance of interesting wildlife, including a mink! I even brought my camera along so I could post images.

First Stop: Marshalls Creek (Image of northern water snake at Marshalls Creek)
Imagine me as a kid, not even ten years old. I'm riding a bike and carrying a fishing pole on the handlebars. I'm headed to Marshalls Creek in Wilderness Acres, a beautiful section of wild brook trout water complete with a stunning fifteen foot waterfall. As a kid, I gained an appreciation for the beauty of wild trout at this river; it is no surprise that they remain my passion. Like I did when I was young, I today used an ultra light rod with two pound test. My lure: a 1/32 size Panther Martin spinner. The result: sixteen wild brook trout in an hour of fishing. I also saw two northern water snakes, one of which I photographed sunning itself on the road.

It is important to note that this animal is not the similar-looking northern copperhead, a poisonous snake. A close up of this image reveals the northern water snake's round pupil, a sign of its non-poisonous nature. Indeed, poisonous Pennsylvania snakes will have a sliver of a pupil, much like a cat's eye. However, the differences between the two are minor and someone not experienced with snakes should consider avoiding them entirely. As a side note, I helped this silly animal off the road before someone ran it over.


Second Stop: Stony Run (Image of Snow Hill Dam)
Stony Run starts at Snow Hill Dam, a small lake that the state stocks with trout during the spring. Snow Hill is a beautiful picnic area nestled within the Delaware State Forest. Imagine me as a teenager, riding my bike with a fishing pole in a backpack (I'm learning to be more efficient at this stage in my life). I'm headed to Snow Hill Dam and I hope to catch a trout only a few miles from where I live. And, more often than not, I did. But on Memorial Day, 2008 I eschewed the lake itself and followed its tailwater. I caught one stocked brook trout that swam over the dam and one wild brook much further downstream.

Stop Three: Poplar Run (Image of Poplar Run)
When I first fished Poplar Run I hated the tiny creek. I barely caught one trout and it appeared rather unhealthy. Last year I returned to the stream and surprisingly found it productive. It doesn't have the quantity, quality, or size of wild trout that Marshalls Creek possesses (few streams do), but it does contain, interestingly, both wild brook and wild brown trout. I was amazed last year to discover wild brown trout within ten miles of where I grew up; I am ashamed that I was oblivious to their presence my whole life...

Today at Poplar I landed seven wild brook trout and two wild brown trout on the 1/32 spinner. I also got eaten alive by a variety of insects. Poplar Run has a lot of still water, an unusual occurrence for a mountain stream. This condition unfortunately breeds massive amounts of mosquitoes. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my hour climbing and falling over moss-covered rocks and catching nine wild trout.

Stop Four: Mill Creek (Image of waterfall at Mill Creek, tiger trout, and frog)
Mill Creek is located near Mountainhome, PA and winds its way through a section of state game lands en route to its confluence with the Brodhead Creek. It is a remarkably cold and clear mountain stream; it is also difficult to navigate. I fell a number of times, including into the river itself twice (leaving my quite refreshed). I didn't catch any trout on my way up the stream, but on my way down I did manage to catch three. I landed two wild brook trout and a wild tiger trout. Tiger trout are hybrids that are a mix of brown and brook trout. A female brown and a male brook trout must cross mate in order for a tiger trout to be formed. Some estimates put their numbers at 1 in 8000 trout. Some of you may remember that I caught a 19 inch tiger trout out of the Upper Delaware last year. This fish, however, was most likely not wild and bred in captivity. My trout today was therefore a true trophy, a one in a few thousand chance. Sadly, my photo of it didn't come out so the photo you see is from a website. I also encountered a number of frogs today and I paused to capture one in a photo.


Stop Five: Rattlesnake Creek (Image of wild brook trout)
Rattlesnake Creek is a small, small wild trout stream near Mill Creek. I wasn't able to catch any trout on the way up the creek, but I did catch four wild brook trout on my way back down. Notice the bright spots and bright fins on this wild brook trout. This six/seven incher was nearly the biggest wild trout I caught all day (an eight inch brown at Poplar was the largest). After fishing Rattlesnake, I made my way to the Bushkill Creek around 4:30 PM.




Stop Six: Bushkill Creek (Image of golden rainbow trout)
I learned how to fly fish on the Bushkill. Indeed, my ex-girlfriend's father took me to the Resica Falls Boy Scout Reservation, a fly fishing only, catch and release special regulation area, a number of times to show me how to operate a fly rod. Consequently, I now know the river extremely well. My first time there I caught nothing; tonight I caught seventeen. I used mostly nymphs in a wide area known as the Piano Pool. It worked quite well. I even landed my second lifetime golden rainbow trout. Goldens are being put into PA and NJ streams as a reward for anglers. They are placed in rivers at roughly a rate of nearly one or two for every day of stocking (at least in PA). Golden rainbow trout are from an isolated area of the Rockies and have been bred in hatcheries by a number of states. My trout wasn't nearly as large as this internet photo, but it was the exact same vibrant gold.


I caught fifty-one trout today: thirty-three were wild, one was a tiger, and another bright orange. Indeed, it was a golden day.



Overall Total: 104


River Breakdown:

Bushkill Creek - 17 (15 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Golden Rainbow)
Pequest River - 17 (9 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Marshalls Creek - 16 (16 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 16 (7 Stocked Brook, 7 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Poplar Run - 9 (7 Wild Brook, 2 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 7 (7 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 4 (3 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (4 Stocked Brown)
Rattlesnake Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brook)
Faulkner Brook - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Mill Creek - 3 (2 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Tiger)
Stony Run - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brook)
Lawrence Brook - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Musconetcong River - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 49
Wild - 34
Stocked - 15


Brown Trout - 42
Stocked - 39
Wild - 3


Rainbow Trout - 12
Stocked - 11
Wild - 0
Golden Rainbow - 1


Tiger Trout - 1
Wild - 1
Stocked - 0


Stocked Trout - 66
Wild Trout - 38


Trout 15+ Inches: 1


Angling Breakdown:

Spinning Rod - 58 (33 Wild Brook, 14 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Wild Brown, 1 Wild Tiger)

Fly Fishing Rod - 46 (25 Stocked Brown, 9 Stocked Brook, 9 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Golden Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)



State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 58
New Jersey - 46

Trout Update #6: Pequest, Paulinskill, Raritan

On Saturday I traveled to the river on which I learned trout fishing. The Paulinskill River in Blairstown, NJ is a narrow, deep, fast moving stream that the state stocks every week. Every Saturday during trout season my grandfather would bring me there. In the beginning, when I was under ten years old, he would hook trout and let me reel them in. In later years, he would watch me fly fish for trout - a type of fishing he always admired but never learned. It was my first time back since his death and I discovered, nostalgia aside, I don't like the river. I never liked it in the old days and I still find it to be tedious. However, I caught four brown trout on my grandfather's favorite lure: a golden rapala. No fish on flies.

I next went to the special regulation area on the Pequest, a strip of river that was stocked on Friday. I caught fourteen trout: six brook, six brown, two rainbows. Nine of those trout were caught on the rapala, and five on the fly (bead head nymphs). It was a very nice, very productive day.

On the way home, I stopped at the Raritan and enjoyed the evening at the Ken Lockwood Gorge. I caught four on bead head nymphs, including my first trout over fifteen inches. This big brown wasn't wild, but I could tell it had been in the water for more than a year because of its bright red spots. Trout receive their color from spending long periods of time eating insects and absorbing their pigments. Twenty-two trout yesterday - a very nice night.


Overall Total: 53


River Breakdown:

Pequest River - 17 (9 Stocked Brown, 6 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Raritan River, South Branch - 16 (7 Stocked Brook, 7 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 7 (7 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 4 (3 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (4 Stocked Brown)
Faulkner Brook - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Lawrence Brook - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Musconetcong River - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)


Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 25
Stocked - 24
Wild - 1


Brook Trout - 18
Stocked - 14
Wild - 4

Rainbow Trout - 10
Stocked - 10
Wild - 0


Stocked Trout - 48
Wild Trout - 5


Trout 15+ Inches: 1


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 29 (10 Stocked Brown, 9 Stocked Brook, 8 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)

Spinning Rod - 24 (14 Stocked Brown, 5 Stocked Brook, 3 Wild Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)


State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 46
Pennsylvania - 7

Trout Update #5: Stony Brook

So today I went to Stony Brook, which is in the town of Princeton. I had read that New Jersey stocked the stream a few times a year, so a few weeks back I decided to check it out. That day I missed one trout, but could tell the river had been fished quite heavily since opening day. In my return to this pleasant brook, I caught seven rainbow trout on bead head nymphs (pheasant tail and hare's ear). It was a delightful evening; in fact, it was everything yesterday at the Upper Delaware was supposed to be. However, Stony Brook is 9 miles from where I live; the Delaware is 190. I also caught several (maybe 20) other fish, including rock bass, bluegill, small mouth bass, large mouth bass, and sucker. Wow. I had a ton of fun. I'll be back for sure. I met a guy who told me it turns into a decent small mouth bass fishery in the heat of summer. 9 miles away. Wow.

Overall Total: 31


River Breakdown:

Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (6 Stocked Brook, 4 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 7 (7 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 4 (3 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Faulkner Brook - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Pequest River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown)
Lawrence Brook - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Musconetcong River - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)


Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 12
Stocked - 11
Wild - 1


Brook Trout - 11
Stocked - 7
Wild - 4

Rainbow Trout - 8
Stocked - 8
Wild - 0


Stocked Trout - 26
Wild Trout - 5


Trout 15+ Inches: 0


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 20 (7 Stocked Brook, 7 Stocked Rainbow, 4 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)

Spinning Rod - 11 (7 Stocked Brown, 3 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)

Trout Update #4: Delaware and Raritan

Two nights ago I fished the Ken Lockwood Gorge and caught two stocked brown trout: one on a pheasant tail nymph and the other on a tad caddis. I found the stream to be somewhat more difficult than normal...the fish are getting smarter perhaps.

Yesterday I drove to the Upper Delaware. It was a beautiful ride up through the Catskills; NY Route 17 follows the Beaver Kill, then the East Branch of the Delaware, and finally it winds next to the West Branch of the Delaware after the town of Hancock. I crossed the NY/PA border south of Hancock and proceeded to spend five frustrating hours of trying to understand a difficult river. It was also cold and rainy. I did, however, manage to catch three wild brook trout on a small spinner in a tiny tributary of the West Branch named Faulkner Brook (I'm 99% sure). I hope to write up something more substantial essay-style post about yesterday in the coming days. Make sure to stop back soon.


Overall Total: 24


River Breakdown:

Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (6 Stocked Brook, 4 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Brodhead Creek - 4 (3 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Faulkner Brook - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Pequest River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown)
Lawrence Brook - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Musconetcong River - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)


Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 12
Stocked - 11
Wild - 1


Brook Trout - 11
Stocked - 7
Wild - 4

Rainbow Trout - 1
Stocked - 1
Wild - 0


Stocked Trout - 19
Wild Trout - 5


Trout 15+ Inches: 0


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 13 (7 Stocked Brook, 4 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)

Spinning Rod - 11 (7 Stocked Brown, 3 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)

Trout Update #3

Two weeks ago I caught 4 trout (3 brook, 1 brown, all stocked) at the Raritan - 3 on pheasant tail nypmhs and 1 on a tan caddis (my first dry fly catch of the year). Today, I braved the rain and fished 4 streams: the Brodhead, the Pequest, the Musconetcong, and Spruce Run Creek.

The Brodhead is home territory - I've fished the river for well over a decade. I decided to try Pine Brook Park, an easily accessible and generally productive stretch of the river. It wasn't the same as last year, however. The channeling of the river in the 70s has led to massive bank/bed erosion downstream from the channelized section. Every year, and every flood, the river changes course and depth. It seems like every spring, the Brodhead is a new river. Today I caught 4 trout (three brown, one rainbow) on a 1/16 Panther Martin spinner. The fly rod was next to useless all day in the high murky water; trout, however, swam to the flashing spoon of my spinners. It was nice to be home...

I've never fished the Pequest, despite driving by it for years. I imagine that the river fishes better in improved conditions. The lack of a path, the wide and shallow river, and the mud were annoying hazards. Unfortunately, the large flow and cloudy water precluded fly fishing. I was able to catch 3 brown trout and lose a couple. I'll be returning to the Pequest soon, maybe even in the next few days.

I've fished the Musconetcong before, but I have never caught a trout there. That changed today. Interestingly, the Fish and Game people have recently designated a section of the river near New Hampton as a trout conservation area. Hopefully this designation will allow good fly fishing throughout the summer. The river was the highest of any I fished today, which probably was due to the fact that I arrived there at 6:30 PM - after a full day of rain. I did manage to catch 1 brown and lose 1 in a whirlpool/eddy outside of the robust current. I'm looking forward to more time on the Musconetcong as the year progresses.

I stopped quickly as the sun was fading behind the hills at Spruce Run Creek - a small stream that is intermittently stocked. It was too dark to do much, but I believe that this little creek might be a nice place to spend an hour or two once in awhile.

A nice wildlife day (animals love the rain): mergansers, great blue heron, mallard, cardinal, swallow, sparrow, catbird, bluebird, piper (not sure what kind), deer, and cottontail.


Overall Total: 19


River Breakdown:

Raritan River, South Branch - 10 (6 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Brodhead Creek - 4 (3 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Pequest River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown)
Lawrence Brook - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Musconetcong River - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)


Species Breakdown:

Brown Trout - 10
Wild - 1
Stocked - 9

Brook Trout - 8
Stocked - 7
Wild - 1

Rainbow Trout - 1
Stocked - 1
Wild - 0


Stocked Trout - 17
Wild Trout - 2


Trout 15+ Inches: 0


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 11 (7 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)

Spinning Rod - 8 (7 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)