Special regs. vs. open water

V

Van_Cleaver

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While I am happy to see the increase in Special regs. areas, since they provide more protection for the trout; I wonder if a lot of fly fishermen are missing out on good fishing on the same streams. I grew up fishing Pickering, French, White Clay, the Brandywine, and more recently since I moved to Del Co., Ridley Creek. Despite the fact that all have AODH, or FFO sections, there is one striking similarity. They all offer good to excellent trout fishing in the open sections, as well. This time of year will mark a dramatic drop in pressure by the general public, while the regs areas will continue to concentrate the crowd in a small area. Often areas a short distance away, will afford excellent fishing for fish that are less conditioned by the daily showing of flies. These days I find myself doing more exploring, and spending less and less time in the Special Regs, areas. I think fishermen new to the fly fishing game, in particular would benefit by fishing over easier trout. They did manage to escape the meat hunters, so they have something going for them, after all. Anyhow, good fishing to all; hope you find some new and interesting spots.
 
I always find that there are less fish the further away from where the stocking truckes dumped them in, but it's way more rewarding to fish for them.

Only one or two fish per hole is more realistic to me than hundreds.
 
VC,
I agree with your post - it mirrors much of my experience on ATWs.
 
As an overall philosophy, I think special regs are good. But yes, you are right.

It is an absolute fact that a small percentage of our trout streams have special regs. If you only fish those that do, you're ignoring an awful lot of good streams. Don't tell me that they're the best streams. In some cases that may be true, the special regs were put in place to protect a particular stretch that is naturally better than other stretches (example Penns). But just as often they're put in just to have a special reg stream in a geographic area. Those streams become famous because of the special regs, despite plenty of equally good waters surrounding them.

There are also cases, where if the special regs cover a section of stream, I find the fishing better on the open sections of the same stream. This is seasonal, and for the most part its purely related to the increased pressure the special regs bring with them.

A few examples:

Oil Creek: It has 2 special reg sections. But frankly I think the best fishing is in the open water. They stock the whole thing, not just the access points, because the truck, unlike us, can drive along the bike trail. The catch and keep crowd generally sticks close to the access points and fishes them out. But there's plenty of areas in open water that were directly stocked and see few fishermen, and those they do see are the ones willing to walk. The ones willing to walk are more likely to be serious fishermen, they release more and kill less. There's plenty of fish in open water until the water gets too warm in July.

Tulpehocken: Ok, how many people don't realize the stretch from Red Bridge to the Schuylkill is all-season ATW? It's also fall stocked. It gets very little bait/catch and keep pressure in the fall through winter. There's some really nice water down there, I'm particularly fond of the stretch below Gring's Mill. I kind of stay away in the spring when the crowds are there, but its a great place in the fall, it fishes considerably better than the DHALO stretch because of less pressure.

Spring Creek. Yeah, its all special reg. But Paradise is special regs within different special regs. I fish upstream and downstream of Paradise, but rarely right at it, too many people for me and half the fish are stockies. There's just as many fish elsewhere, and more wild ones.
 
pcray1231 wrote:

If you only fish those that do, you're ignoring an awful lot of good streams.

They are not.

Don't tell me that they're the best streams.

But they are!

A few examples:

Oil Creek: It has 2 special reg sections. But frankly I think the best fishing is in the open water.

You are wrong. My first dog's name was Baron of Oil Creek, so I know what I am talking about!

What are you trying to do Pcray, chase people off the special regs areas so you can have them all to yourself? :-D
 
Farmer,

Yes, there are plenty of people who do 90% of their fishing in special reg water, and when they travel, they look for special reg water. They're missing a world of opportunity, open regs are not (or at least not always :)) the wastelands some people make them out to be. I'm not claiming YOU are one of these people, from previous conversations I can tell you know you're way around a bit.

Ok, sometimes they are the best streams, or at least unique to an area, W. Br. of Caldwell is one example of this. Not too many similar streams in the area with class A wild brown trout populations in a fair sized stream, and some big fish. I mentioned Penns as another example, the gorge stretch from Coburn to Weikert IS naturally better than other areas of the stream and needs protected. But often times they're just there to have a special reg section, and no different naturally than other sections of the stream or even other nearby streams. I consider Oil Creek to be an example of this (the open areas are naturally as good as the reg areas, the only difference is due to stocking and the effects of different types of fishing pressure). Another is Minister Creek (dozens of similar brookie streams within a half hour that don't get as much pressure).

I fish Oil a lot too, or at least I used to before I moved here, now I only get there once or twice a year. There are times of the year I focus on the special reg sections, other times I avoid them. There's more than enough fish outside of the reg sections to have 10-20 fish days through mid-July, sometimes without seeing another fisherman even on a weekend. To be sure, there's just as many fish in the reg sections, perhaps more, but because of the crowds you're mobility is reduced somewhat, and the fish have seen plenty of flies.
 
Some years back I was fishing the Fly Only area of Fishing Creek. I was casting to an undercut bank I knew held big trout. So the stocking truck pulls up and someone dumps a bucket load of trout right on top of my fly. Guess he thought he was doing me a favor.
 
The same thing applies to Penns creek , when i lived in Liverpool it was a short hop to where the Penns dumped into the Suskie at Sunbury, some very pleasant surprises , including late green drake hatches. Don't ignore that "open" water.
 
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