Tulpehocken Creek

Tully Brown

Made a trip west to the Tulpehocken on Saturday.  It really is a beautiful and scenic stream.  The word itself is Native American and means "Land of the Turtles."

The delayed harvest section was recently stocked about a week ago.  The water is running a bit high and slightly off colored but the fish are certainly there. Several anglers were out and about but their nets seemed to remain holstered. I fished the "Road to No Where" stretch and  was fortunate to land this nice brown on a caddis larva nymph. As soon as I tied the right fly and got to the right depth, bingo.

 

Valley Creek



Valley Creek

Valley is becoming more and more active as the temperatures rise.  The stream is still running just a bit high and chocolate flavored but the fishing is good. I am seeing more and more fish rising in early to mid-afternoon. There is plenty of insect activity; Midges and small BWO's hatches are visible. 

 

This small but colorful brown was caught on a zebra midge dropped off of a caddis dry. The smaller the midge nymph the better. Sizes 20 to 22 are working well and be prepared for quick, distinct strikes. Quietly cover long stretches of the stream. Fish are holding in all areas and can be found in the shallowest of waters. 

Pickering Creek

Pickering Rainbow

The early Spring stock is in at Pickering's special regulation, artificial only section. The fishing to date has been a bit hit or miss, with spinners and lures seemingly having more luck than flies, due to the higher, off-colored water. With that said, this decent rainbow was caught on a caddis nymph, being bumped off the bottom of a deeper pool. It's advisable to use heavier tippet (4x) and multiple split shots if need be to get down into the strike zone.

Pickering is known for its shallow runs that lead into deeper waters. Fish the slower pools by the foot bridges or down trees. The trout are hunkered down but right sized nymphs (caddis or stones) will trigger some strikes.

French Creek

French Creek Brown

The special regulations section of French remains well stocked with plenty of rainbows and browns to go around.  I even spotted a decent sized Palomino sitting underneath the cover of the bridge. The large brown featured in the photo to the left took a San Juan worm dropped off a caddis nymph.  The fish was caught just before sundown in the Shedder Mill section of the stream. Several other fish were caught on caddis nymphs.  Slowing the fly down and dipping in and out of seams will produce good results.

French Creek







French Creek



The fishing at French Creek remains solid.  The water levels have been a bit higher than usual and the stream running a bit murky following the rains. Early spring, bright colors, are working.  Try red or pink san juan worms, green bellied caddis nymphs or white wooly buggers.

Valley Creek

Valley Creek

 

The trout are becoming active on Valley, with several hatches taking place, including Caddis and BWO's. In addition to dry flies, fishing a small (beaded) nymph dropped off a dry will be productive. The covered bridge is still under repair & the path running downstream from the bridge is closed. Anglers may find better luck heading upstream towards the Steel Bridge, or venturing into Chesterbrook.