Trout in Unexpected Places: Fly Fishing Northern Delaware

Northern Delaware is a diverse and pretty region. Indeed, it boasts some of the finest museums in the country, beautiful parkland, stately colonial homes, and the DuPont industrial complex. It is known for many other reasons, too, and people have been enjoying its wild scenes since the native Algonquians hunted along the Delaware Bay and the Dutch, Swedish, and English colonists settled the area in the early 17th century. And, somewhat surprisingly, it contains miles of trout-stocked waterways.

The cool waters and clay-bound shorelines of the White Clay Creek, Wilson Run, Pike Creek, Mill Creek, Christiana Creek, and Beaver Run receive annual stocking regimens, and the season takes off in the month of April. Because these streams become quite warm in the summertime, the state only provides trout in the early spring, and it actively encourages participants to keep their catch. In addition, the state is not shy about stocking big fish, and many large rainbow, brown, and golden rainbow trout patrol the deep pockets of the aforementioned rivers.

Over the last few weeks, I've been driving south down Pennsylvania's New London Road (PA Route 896), turning left onto Chambers Rock Road, and parking along the banks of the pretty White Clay. The Pennsylvania-Delaware borderline is not far upstream from this spot, and it cuts somewhat perpendicularly across the creek. This geographical quirk is known as the Twelve-Mile Circle, a demarcation that takes New Castle as its center and extends outward 12 miles in all directions. Because of the difficulty of surveying this type of border, Delaware has had disputes with a number of states throughout history, including Pennsylvania (over an area known as the Wedge, where the Twelve-Mile Circle and Mason-Dixon Line overlap), New Jersey (a small part of the New Jerseyean peninsula is technically Delawarian land, and the two states have argued in court over this issue as recently as the late 2000s), and Maryland (where the Arc Line and North Line of the Mason-Dixon Line are not congruent). Because of these strange delimitations, the state border on the White Clay Creek is not confined to the shoreline, nor is it drawn down the middle of the stream. Instead it arcs, ever so slightly, across the river. Enterprising anglers can thus cast their fly lines over a state border (if you are a history/geography obsessed person like myself, you'll appreciate the novelty of this undertaking).

During my fly fishing expeditions, I've found that muddler minnow streamers and stonefly nymphs produce in many of these Delaware streams. For fishermen that prefer lures and spinning tackle, I'd suggest Rapalas fished deep down in the current. Always remember to fish underneath any clay cliffs and sycamore root systems you might see.

Although Delaware is not necessarily synonymous with excellent trout fly fishing (shad and saltwater options are other stories for other days), it nevertheless offers some pleasurable and eye-catching trout opportunities. If you live in Newark, Wilmington, or any other spot near New Castle County, I strongly encourage you to give the nearby rivers a try.

Image #1: The White Clay Creek near the Delaware-Pennsylvania border.
Image #2: The White Clay Creek south of Chambers Rock Rd.
Image #3: A field of lesser celandine in bloom at the White Clay Creek in Delaware.

Fly Fishing for Lake Erie Steelhead

In mid-March I drove out to visit my family in central Ohio. The week of my visit was marred by the massive flooding that inflicted havoc on the eastern part of the country. While my current town of Blackwood got about 8 inches of rain, the area of Ohio I was visiting caught the very edge of the system. Nevertheless, the rain threatened a planned trip to Lake Erie steelhead country.

Steelhead are rainbow trout that travel from the big lake into small tributary streams to reproduce. They are called steelhead because their color is more of a grey-silver (the color of steel, I suppose). As the big fish make their way into the small rivers, their progression upstream is often blocked by low water conditions. Consequently, you can often see numerous fish pressed up against one waterfall. Once it rains, the elevated waters allow the fish to continue up the river. There are two runs per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. As it was early-ish March, I was hoping to catch the very beginning of the Spring 2010 run.

Despite the rain, the Lake Erie tributary streams were fishable. The weather was decent, if not exactly warm, and the fishing itself was okay. On my first day, I drove from Columbus, OH to Sevenmile Creek (all of the streams to the east of Erie, PA are titled by their distance from town center, not by their length), a small tributary located near the grounds of a convent. This eastern stream is marked by beautiful cascading waterfalls, a shiny blue-green shale bottom, and slightly less fishing pressure. Although I didn't catch anything, I did notice one specific pool that was holding steelhead. As this is Lake Erie, though, there were 4 guys standing right on top of the fish.

I left Sevemile and drove to Twelvemile, where I fished with no success. I then moved on to Twentymile, which seemed fishable and likely to hold a few of the big rainbow trout. After watching a person lose a fish (a spot I would take care to remember), I decided to try Sevenmile Creek again. The hole with the steelhead in it was still covered by many of the same fishermen, so I fished the pool directly above it. I caught three small rainbow trout, each about 7-9 inches long. These fish are future steelhead. When they leave the creek in June or July, they will become fodder for the lake's huge walleye population. The few that survive will return to the creek of their birth in a few years, where they will procreate and leave behind the next generation. Although they were tiny, it was fun to catch some fish just beginning their entry into the reproductive cycle.

After catching the smallish fish, I decided to try the run located below the steelhead pool. I drifted a size 14 bead-head pheasant tail nymph through the fast water; the strike indicator stopped; surprised, I lifted my rod up, fully expecting it had fastened onto a rock; on the end of the line was a beautiful, 20+ inch, 6lbs-ish steelhead. Because I didn't pay the money for a more appropriate rod and reel combination, I was using my standard 9 foot, 5 wt pole. The rod couldn't really handle the weight of the fish, so much of the energy was transferred to my shoulder and biceps. I also didn't have the strength to pull the fish to shore in the flooding river. Luckily, I was only 50 feet from Sevemile Creek's confluence with Lake Erie. So I fought the fish downstream, carefully avoiding putting too much pressure on the end of the line, while not offering it too much slack. Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only 10 minutes, I made it to Lake Erie, where the lack of current allowed me to pull the fish to shore. It was a beauty, and my inappropriate equipment made for a hell of a fight. After taking the nymph out of its mouth, I let the big fish swim off into the lake.

I fished Sevenmile for a while after my catch, not catching anything else. In the twilight, I fished Fourmile Creek and didn't so much as see a fish. I then checked into my hotel and fell asleep, exhausted after hundreds of miles of driving, and hours of fishing.

The next day I returned to Sevenmile Creek at 6 AM, hoping to finally get a chance to fish the hole with the steelhead. Of course, the same two guys were already there, crowding the trout. At that point, I headed back to the car and drove to Twentymile Creek. I decided to check out its mouth: I was hoping that some fresh steelhead had entered the river the night before. As I was walking along the rocky beach, I saw three steelhead splashing in the water, about 100 feet upstream from the lake. To my surprise, I was the only angler around. I eagerly headed to the spot, and tied on a few different flies. The fish were actively feeding, but they didn't take my offerings. Finally, though, one of the steelhead hit a size 10 bead-head golden stonefly nymph. Just like the day before, I fought the fish down to Lake Erie. My muscles were aching from the last steelhead, and right before I was about to die/pass out from the exertion, the fish mercifully tired. I photographed it, and subsequently released it. Another amazing experience.

I fished Twentymile for a few more hours, hooking into two steelhead, but losing both of them. One hit the same stonefly; the other took a single orange egg-pattern. One of the fish I lost was nearly 10 lbs, and I stood no chance of landing it on my 5 wt. I spent the rest of the day fishing the western streams, many for the first time. I fished Raccoon Creek, Elk Creek, and the mouth of Trout Run. I found no fish in Raccoon, saw a few steelhead caught by a tour group on Elk, and couldn't stand the frigid water of Lake Erie at Trout Run. I did, however, get some ridiculously interesting pictures and video from Trout Run. Since it's a hatchery stream, hundreds of steelhead pack its small confines. Of course, it's rendered off limits to fishermen, but anglers can fish in Lake Erie at its mouth.

I had a blast during my two days in Erie. I caught two big steelhead, three small fingerlings, and one sucker. Although this total would be scoffed at by steelhead experts (something I most certainly am not), I wouldn't trade it for anything.


Image #1 - Sevemile Creek
Image #2 - Shale run on Sevenmile where I hooked the first steelhead
Image #3 - Fingerling rainbow trout
Image #4 - The steelhead
Image #5 - Twentymile Creek
Image # 6 - Second steelhead
Image #7 - Trout Run ridiculousness
Video Link of Trout Run: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EW_h8KadQA


Overall Total: 5

River Breakdown:
Sevemile Creek - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow Trout, 1 Steelhead)
Twentymile Creek - 1 (1 Steelhead)


Species Breakdown:

Rainbow Trout - 5
Wild - 3
Steelhead - 2
Stocked - 0

Brook Trout - 0
Wild - 0
Stocked - 0

Brown Trout - 0
Wild - 0
Stocked - 0


Wild Trout - 3
Lake Erie Trout - 2
Stocked Trout - 0


Trout 15+ Inches: 2


Fly Breakdown:
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 4 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead)
Bead-head Golden Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 1 (1 Steelhead)


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 5 (3 Wild Rainbow, 2 Steelhead)
Spinning Rod - 0


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 5

Fly Fishing Philadelphia's Wissahickon Creek and Pennypack Creek

I was originally going to break these two trips into disparate blog entries, but the typical end-of-semester pressures are starting to wreak havoc on my free-time. So I'm going to write about fishing the Wissahickon and Pennypack in this single post.

The Wissahickon
I was ecstatic when I discovered that two fall-stocked trout streams were less than 30 miles away from my new South Jersey residence. Living down here amid the overcrowded suburban sprawl, the sandy soil, the muddy rivers, and the pine tree forests hasn't exactly filled my mind with images of beautiful wild trout. That being said, my access to the highway and relative proximity to Philadelphia allows me to be in Pennsylvania in under ten minutes (with no traffic). I researched online and found that both the Wissahickon Creek and the Pennypack Creek receive a dose of fresh trout from the state hatcheries in the fall. A few weeks ago, I decided to fish both of them.

On Tuesday I drove to the historic Wissahickon. Flowing on the periphery of Philadelphia, the river has been a site for artistic contemplation, literary recreation, and open-space reform. I fished the stream from Chesnut Hill College to the stone bridge. This small section of water features some decent tumbles, deep pools, and fast ripples. In a way, it reminded me of the Musconetcong River in northern Jersey. Because it is so far south, though, I doubt wild trout can reproduce in its warmer waters. Nevertheless, the state buoys trout fishing by consistently stocking the river in both the spring and fall.

I caught seven trout: six stocked rainbow, and one stocked brown. I caught five of them on the fly rod, using a mixture of streamers and nymphs. I caught the other two on my trusty Rapala. I let them all go and hope others do the same; this way, the fishing will remain decent until the spring.

I would certainly return to the Wissahickon. I like its flow, its pools, and its consistency as a stream (every part of it is fishable). In addition, its proximity to the college and its multiple walking trails give it a pastoral, bucolic feel while nonetheless instilling it with an atmosphere of community. You are never quite alone when you fish the Wissahickon, as students jog and people walk their dogs right along the river. And this is a good thing. I will definitely be back.

The Pennypack
I didn't enjoy the Pennypack nearly as much. It was a difficult drive, taking over 40 minutes despite being only 24 miles away from my apartment. Driving through northeast Philadelphia wasn't exactly pristine: it's not exactly ghetto-like, but it's not eye-appealing either. In the end, the journey to the river does count for something, and I therefore would rather pass historic homes, stone bridges, and deer (the Wissahickon) on my drive than a string of Dollar Trees and Wawas. The Pennypack Park, though, was beautiful. It's well maintained and located in an excellent area. I particularly loved the beautiful farm adjacent to the park grounds.

The river itself was nice and clean, but it lacked a steep gradient. Immediately downstream from the parking area, the stream becomes flat and sluggish. This type of slow moving, deep water isn't conducive to fly fishing (or trout fishing in general). I ended up catching four trout, all stocked rainbows. Three of the trout took nymphs or streamers and one took the Rapala. It was a fun trip, but it wasn't nearly as entertaining as my trip to the Wissahickon. I would go back because of its proximity to where I live, not because I really liked it.

Image #1 - Rolling hills of southeastern Pennsylvania
Image #2 - Wissahickon Creek
Image #3 - Stocked rainbow from the Pennypack Creek
Image #4 - Pennypack Creek


Overall Total: 144

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Spring Creek - 16 (13 Wild Rainbow, 3 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 14 (14 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)
Wissahickon Creek - 7 (6 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brown)
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)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Pennypack Creek - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
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 - 51
Wild - 44
Stocked - 7

Rainbow Trout - 48
Stocked - 33
Wild - 15

Brown Trout - 45
Wild - 25
Stocked - 20


Wild Trout - 84
Stocked Trout - 60


Trout 15+ Inches: 11


Fly Breakdown:
Olive Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 24 (23 Wild Brook, 1 Wild Brown)
Bead-head Pheasant Tail Nymph, size 14 - 10 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown)
Gummy Stonefly, size 14 - 9 (7 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Wild 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)
Bead-head Black Stonefly Nymph, size 10 - 2 (1 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Rainbow)
Black Streamer, size 10 - 2 (2 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 - 112 (32 Wild Brook, 26 Stocked Rainbow, 17 Stocked Brown, 17 Wild Brown, 15 Wild Rainbow, 5 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 32 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 7 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Brook)


State Breakdown:
Pennsylvania - 75
New Jersey - 48
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1

Fly Fishing Central PA's Yellow Breeches Creek and Old Town Run

Last year I fly fished the Yellow Breeches for the first time. The spot was recommended by a Maryland fly fisherman who attends my fiancee's church. I instantly loved it. While the numerous trout, catch and release restrictions, and beautiful town are all lovely, it is the cold, clear spring water that won me over. Ever since I first fished Penns Creek, I've been fascinated by limestone spring streams. And although I understand the geology responsible for their existence, I am still taken aback by their consistent temperature and their unique color.

The area around Boiling Springs is especially interesting. The Yellow Breeches Creek receives cold water from Old Town Run, a spring-fed tributary that delivers icy 50 degree water to the main river. In addition, this network of catch-and-release waterways is supported by the Yellow Breeches Anglers & Conservation Association. All of this combines to form a superior trout fishery that stays productive year-round.

On my way back from Ohio, I exited off of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and drove to Boiling Springs. I started at the Old Town Run. Throwing inch-worm patterns under the trees enticed a few looks, but not many hits. A few more fish seemed interested in an ant pattern, but, again, none took. Finally, I switched to a san juan worm. The fish went crazy. I took three in the Run, and three in the Yellow Breeches before losing the fly. I caught six trout in the 90 minutes I spent on the water: three browns, two rainbows, and one brook (all were likely stocked, although the brookie was a beautiful fish).


Image #1 - Old Town Run and Yellow Breeches Confluence
Image #2 - Rainbow trout from the Run
Image #3 - Looking upstream


Overall Total: 110

River Breakdown:

Teetertown Brook - 18 (18 Wild Brook)
Raritan River, South Branch - 12 (8 Stocked Rainbow, 3 Stocked Brown, 1 Wild Brown)
Marshalls Creek - 8 (8 Wild Brook)
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)
Spring Creek - 5 (4 Wild Rainbow, 1 Wild Brown)
Stony Brook - 4 (4 Stocked Rainbow)
Paulinskill River - 4 (2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Rainbow)
Rockaway Creek - 4 (4 Wild Brown)
Bushkill Creek - 3 (2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked 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)
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 - 44
Wild - 38
Stocked - 6

Brown Trout - 37
Wild - 23
Stocked - 14

Rainbow Trout - 29
Stocked - 23
Wild - 6


Wild Trout - 67
Stocked Trout - 43


Trout 15+ Inches: 10


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 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brown, 1 Stocked Brook)
San Juan Worm, size 12 - 6 (3 Stocked Brown, 2 Stocked Rainbow, 1 Stocked Brook)
Tan Caddis, size 14 - 5 (5 Wild Brown)
Green Weenie, size 14 - 4 (2 Stocked Brown, 2 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)
Bead-head Green Weenie, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brook)
Bead-head Hare's Ear Nymph, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Rainbow)
Brown Wooly Bugger, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
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)
Light Cahill, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Scud, size 16 - 1 (1 Wild Rainbow)
Sulphur dun, size 14 - 1 (1 Wild Brown)
Wet Ant, size 14 - 1 (1 Stocked Brown)


Angling Breakdown:

Fly Fishing Rod - 81 (26 Wild Brook, 18 Stocked Rainbow, 15 Wild Brown, 12 Stocked Brown, 6 Wild Rainbow, 4 Stocked Brook)
Spinning Rod - 29 (12 Wild Brook, 8 Wild Brown, 5 Stocked Rainbow, 2 Stocked Brook, 2 Stocked Brown)


State Breakdown:
New Jersey - 48
Pennsylvania - 41
North Carolina - 9
Massachusetts - 6
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 2
Maryland - 1