Bushkill Creek Northampton County 10/27/20

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Wanted to checkout this creek again on my way to another stream, the sinkholes etc and see if there was any fish left in the creek. Ended up spending most of my time here and never made it to my intended stream.

It is good to see that the lower Bushkill had a good head of rising fish to what appeared to be olives from Walters downstream to the mouth. Was able to take a handful this way. Mostly smaller fish (wild browns).
Best fish (around 15") was on a white zonker. Took a few stocker rainbows on the same fly. Did not see activity of spawning here.

Some of the sinkholes above are scary impressive for sure. I really hope it gets worked out. Was glad to see a few redds here and there below the plant to Walters didnt fish once i saw that.

IMO it will certainly repair itself as there are still fish.
Hopefully quickly too and hopefully Hercules gets its crap together.

Amazing how resilient trout can be.

 

[Dave_W]

Good report and thanks for the timely update on a creek we're rooting for.

 

[Sylvaneous]

The Easton Bushkill (as I called it) had the best fish of the region. For whatever reason (I left S.E. PA 20 years ago) I didn't fish it much besides early season when sucker spawn, pheasant tails and sz. 18 BWO's were de rigueur. That creek would be much better without the ancient dams if, for nothing else, to give people and fish much more normally-flowing stream-footage (Is that a word?). I don't know if it's still there, but the big dam in the middle of the C&R water removes some otherwise awesome, rocky gorge-like water from fish and fishermen. Man, I saw some tremendous mid-day March BWO hatches! They'd burst for about 20 minuets and I would try to make as many casts as I could while the getting was good. CDC Olive comparaduns don't need to float to work, and you don't want to waste the time to change flies.

It's a looooong drive and I have to pass all of Centre County streams to get there, but I would still like to fish the Lehigh Valley streams again.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Some really good fish in that creek for sure.
Ive been hitting it here and there when i go up to fish the Lackawanna.

 

[CLSports]

The LV streams are probably not as good as you remember. They go through good and bad years. I have not bothered going to Bushkill in a few years now. I also liked that stream. For being in an Urban environment it was decent fishing for wild browns in certain sections. I agree with the dams. It would be good to see them go.

 

[Vaughn]

Removal of several of the lower dams on the Bushkill is in the works.

 

[CLSports]

Bushkill Creek article