Special Reg Areas in March

[Foxgap239]

Not sure how to say this without sounding like a "stream snob" but that is not my intention and if it comes across that way, let me apologize up front.

Do you guys find your favorite special reg area to be overly crowded during March? This is one of my favorite times of the year to fish but one of my least favorite times as well. Just seems like too many people and not enough water for about a month here in the SE.

 

[dryflyguy]

Fishing mostly on weekdays, I don't think that the special regs sections that I fish are much more crowded now than they are after opening day.

 

[henrydavid]

I don't usually see other guys on my stretch until the weather really starts to warm up, I'll let you know what I see this week.

 

[Squaretail]

Usually when they start stocking but its still before first day,I tend to see every person that has a flyrod show up on the stream, not necessarily every flyfisherman.

 

[sandfly]

nope usaully maybe one other person...

 

[mshsoulfish]

Went last Thur. to help stock and fish a DHALO stream in SW PA. Pulled in the lot and was surprised to see how many guys showed up to help stock. Well two hours later the fish were all stocked by no other then myself and three buddies. Not one other person carried a single bucket, yet they all wanted to know where we put the fish if they weren't already standing streamside with rod in hand when we were dumping buckets. That really burned my you know what. The only thing that kept me from totally flipping out was the fact that it is catch and release right now. So there's somewhat of a chance we can enjoy the stream for a little while. I'll be fishing again on Wen. and am curious to see what kind of turn out is on the water.

 

[bikerfish]

yes.
I think it's a combination of the first nice days after winter, people being cooped up for months, more fish being in the streams after stocking, and people getting out to brush up on their skills and get ready for the season.
once the season starts, the spec reg areas around me are much less crowded. I usually find a way around it though, I'll get up early and be first there, or I'll go during the week, or sometimes late on a sunday when most folks are back home.

 

[albatross]

My favorite Fayette County DH section was a circus Saturday. Lots of anglers despite the high water and marginal conditions. First weekend day after the recent stocking. I'm not complaining though, I caught a brown and a rainbow.

 

[Fishidiot]

Fox,
For as long as I can remember, March has always been the most crowded month on special reg trout waters where I hang out in the south central. As soon as opening day hits, the pressure drops way down on the reg sections. By summer, many of the reg waters are hardly fished at all even though they were crawling in March/early April.

 

[afishinado]

Fishidiot wrote:
Fox,
For as long as I can remember, March has always been the most crowded month on special reg trout waters where I hang out in the south central. As soon as opening day hits, the pressure drops way down on the reg sections. By summer, many of the reg waters are hardly fished at all even though they were crawling in March/early April.

+1 - SR areas are most crowded in March.

Remember that all ATW's are closed to fishing. Only the Special Reg areas and WT streams are open (C&R only), so every angler out is crowded into a mile or so section of SR stream rather than being spread out into many thousands of miles of open streams.

 

[Foxgap239]

Thanks Guys. So it isn't just down here in the SE part then. Well, everyone I've seen out recently has been friendly, so that's a plus.

 

[Chaz]

They can be crowded, but the Bushkill(Easton) seldom is, and it's got a pretty good population of wild trout. IT's also a very tough early season stream. But if you use Don's weenie worm you'l catch fish.

 

[Foxgap239]

Chaz wrote:
They can be crowded, but the Bushkill(Easton) seldom is, and it's got a pretty good population of wild trout. IT's also a very tough early season stream. But if you use Don's weenie worm you'l catch fish.

Chaz, my biggest trout in PA was caught there (many years back)and on said greenie worm!

 

[djs12354]

My bet is that, as it was back in the days where I was a spin-fisher and bait chucker *, any area that you need to exert yourself to get to (think walking more than 200 or 300 yards from the parking areas will be uncrowded. There are a lot of lazy people out there.

Dave

*(we will refer tho those times as the "Dark Ages" or "Pre-Enlightenment" from this point forward)

 

[Foxgap239]

djs12354 wrote:
Dave

*(we will refer tho those times as the "Dark Ages" or "Pre-Enlightenment" from this point forward)

LMAO, another convert!

 

[dubthethorax]

The Little Lehigh Heritage stretch was absolutely mobbed yesterday. Fish was really pressured and still rising like hell.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

djs12354 wrote:
My bet is that, as it was back in the days where I was a spin-fisher and bait chucker *, any area that you need to exert yourself to get to (think walking more than 200 or 300 yards from the parking areas will be uncrowded. There are a lot of lazy people out there.

Dave

*(we will refer tho those times as the "Dark Ages" or "Pre-Enlightenment" from this point forward)

You have seen the light!

 

[Mike]

Excuse my harping, but if you are in SE Pa and feel the special reg areas are too crowded, try the streams that are listed as being open to year around trout fishing. Most anglers forget about those.............S Br Codorus, York Co and the Tulpehocken in Berks Co.....the stretch from the lower end of the DH Area to the mouth. I can say for certain that there are trout in the Tully stretch and I would add that there have been so many high water days since last fall that most of the fish stocked back then probably never saw a hook.

 

[Foxgap239]

Mike wrote:
Excuse my harping, but if you are in SE Pa and feel the special reg areas are too crowded, try the streams that are listed as being open to year around trout fishing. Most anglers forget about those.............S Br Codorus, York Co and the Tulpehocken in Berks Co.....the stretch from the lower end of the DH Area to the mouth. I can say for certain that there are trout in the Tully stretch and I would add that there have been so many high water days since last fall that most of the fish stocked back then probably never saw a hook.

Mike, no harping inferred and thanks for the advice. My post was more of just a curiousity thing to see if other parts of the state see the same thing.

 

[IdratherbePhishing]

I'm with square tail here. They stocked Clark's on the 3rd. Im telling you there was more than three cars in each lot Saturday. I watched my buddy fish becuz I was sick and it was elbow to elbow. It looked like some people went and bought fly rods that day. Also it's pathetic the etiquette people have for one another. They were literally walking right up on my buddy and casting in the same hole. I was pretty pissed off. So that being said if you wanna be alone avoid Clark's Ffo section for now cuz it's stupid packed. It's a shame to I fish that stretch a lot and never saw any of these people.