Fly Fishing the Poconos in September

My sister recently had a baby, so I've had a chance to spend some time in northeastern Pennsylvania. I was able to fly fish a few times in between visits with family. Fly fishing in the fall is always a pleasant undertaking. I love the crisp air, the smell of the decaying leaves, and the bright foliage that transforms the verdant landscape into a collage of color. The fishing is often superb: trout begin to emerge from the high heat of the summer, tiny blue-winged olive hatches can be as productive as any spring hatch, and streamer success rises considerably as the water cools down.

That being said, there are a few drawbacks to fall weather fly fishing. While ostensibly beautiful, falling leaves wreak havoc on dry fly drifts. I can't tell you how many times I've laid down a perfect cast only to have it disrupted by a red maple leaf. The cooler weather also presents its own challenges, and fly fishermen should dress appropriately for the colder temperatures. When the autumn sun sinks behind a central Pennsylvania ridge or a Pocono tree-line, the heat of the day dissipates with celerity. In addition, all anglers should note the arrival of hunting season and wear an orange hat (at least) if you venture onto state land. You certainly don't want your brown fishing vest and waders to be mistaken for deer fur.

I caught ten trout in the Poconos. Five were stocked brown trout from the Bushkill Creek. I caught all five on small light cahill dry fly patterns. I also caught five wild brook trout from Marshalls Creek. All five took a size 14 brown wooly bugger. Continue to check back for more fall updates; however, the blog won't be as frequently updated because of my teaching schedule and approaching doctoral examinations. Whenever I do get a chance to fly fish, I will make sure to post.

Image #1 - Wild brook trout from Marshalls Creek
Image #2 - Bushkill Creek at dusk
Image #3 - White snakeroot and woodland sunflower in bloom

Overall Total: 132

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Spring Creek - 16 (13 Wild Rainbow, 3 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 13 (13 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 8 (6 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Swift River - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Elk Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Elk River - 5 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Penns Creek - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Clear Fork of the Mohican River - 3 (3 Stocked Brown Trout)
Fishing Creek - 3 (3 Wild Brown)
Lost Cove Creek - 3 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook)
Old Town Run - 3 (2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Yellow Breeches Creek - 3 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brodhead Creek - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Hickory Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Little Brook - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Roaring Run - 2 (2 Wild Brook)
Big Gunpowder Falls River - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Little Glade Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Meadow Run - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Mill Creek - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Mud Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Poplar Run - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Schooley's Mountain Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
Trout Brook - 1 (1 Wild Brook)
White Deer Creek - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)


Species Breakdown:

Brook Trout - 50
Wild - 43
Stocked - 7

Brown Trout - 44
Wild - 25
Stocked - 19

Rainbow Trout - 38
Stocked - 23
Wild - 15


Wild Trout - 83
Stocked Trout - 49


Trout 15+ Inches: 11


Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 23 (22 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 8 (4 Wild Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 2 Wild Brown)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 6 (5 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 6 (5 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
San Juan Worm, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Pink Shrimp, size 14 - 4 (4 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 16 - 4 (2 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Copper John Nymph, size 16 - 3 (3 Wild Brook)
Black Caddis, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 3 (2 Wild Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Stonefly nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brook, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Ladybug, size 16 - 2 (2 Wild Rainbow)
Wet Ant, size 14 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Rainbow)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Blue Quill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Blue Winged Olive, size 18 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Golden Stonefly, size 8 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Walts Worm, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 103 (31 Wild Brook, 18 Stocked Rainbow, 17 Stocked Brown, 17 Wild Brown, 15 Wild Rainbow, 5 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 29 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 63
New Jersey - 48
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1