Did you ever fish a stream that fished WAY above its pay grade?

[GANGGREEN]

I recently fished a local stream that I've fished before, but in a new location that I hadn't ever been to before. It's a reasonably well-known stream, so if I mentioned the name, nobody would be surprised (I won't mention the name because I simply avoid doing that on online forums or social media). This section of stream is and has presumably always been stocked, but it's also pretty far up the drainage and has fair numbers of wild trout in it too (one of the reasons that I picked it last week was because I HAVE caught good numbers of wild Browns in it before, albeit in a different section). It's what I'd call a medium to large stream, although in fairness, I don't have the opportunity to fish really large streams more than a couple times per year, so most would probably call this a medium-sized stream.

On the first day, I fished a dry-dropper with a Yellow sally on top and a non-descript grey nymph on a dropper. There weren't stoneflies coming off, but the Yellow sally also mimics a caddis pretty well and this particular tie floats very well. I probably caught equal numbers of wild and stocked trout, but overall I believe that I took around 30 in about 2 hours of fishing. If you consider that at least occasionally, I was wading upstream or fixing something on my line/tippet, the catch rate was really pretty remarkable (there weren't periods of more than a couple of minutes at any time when I wasn't hooked up). I think I took stocked Browns and Rainbows and one wild Brown and a dozen native Brookies on that day.

Because the stream fished so very well, I ended up going back a few days later, which is something that I almost never do (too many other nice places to check). Same flies as the last time and the same outcome, though I suspect I took more stockers (maybe 20) and fewer wild trout on this day. I also took one Palomino and missed another (hate those things, but they do offer variety and another mark on the species checklist (I guess).

Went back out a few days after that and when trying to decide where to go, I just couldn't help myself. That stretch of stream had fished so very well that I did it again, for the third time in a two-week period (again, something that I'd ordinarily NEVER do because I have many other options). This time I fished a size 12 Purple haze dry fly (I had caught a LOT of native Brookies on the last two trips and Brookies love the Purple haze) and a size 18 thread Frenchie on the drop. Damn near the same outcome as the previous trips, in two hours, I likely caught 30 or more trout, but this time it was lopsided towards the wild/natives and I caught fewer stockies (probably 10 stocked trout and 20 or more natives or wild Browns). This time I also played with 3 trout that most guys would have considered to be "big ones". One was a 17-18" Brown that rolled on my dropper 3 or 4 times but which I couldn't stick. One was a VERY nice holdover Rainbow, likely 20" and as pretty as Rainbows get in Pennsylvania that I ended up dropping after a 2-3 minute fight while I was trying to get my landing net off my back. Finally, I did land a 15-16" wild Brown that was also just about as pretty as trout get.

I suppose that I've had other outings over the years that were just as productive or enjoyable, but I have to admit to being blown away at how many stocked trout remained in this stream at least 4-5 weeks after it was last stocked and how very many wild/native trout were present. In fact, I WILL be talking with the regional fisheries chief about this stream and asking/demanding that they re-survey it if it's not on the schedule, because I'd bet a billion bucks that the density of wild Browns and Brookies in there would meet Class A distinction. I do understand that wild trout use different sections of streams at different times of year and that they may not always be in there in those numbers, but it's worth a look for them and I'd dearly love if they'd take it off the stocking list (though I don't wish to see more activity there should it go on the Class A list. You can't have it both ways though and what's right is right, the stream deserves some protection).

Anyone else stumble into a stream that ended up fishing much better than you had antipated? For what it's worth, I don't think this stream gets fished a ton, but I did run into a guy that I know at the end of my short trip on the third day, he was swinging wet flies in a downstream fashion and also catching a lot of fish, though he told me at the time I spoke to him that all of his fish to that point had been wild fish.

 

[TheDuke44]

These are the best kind of streams! I have a couple that come to mind as some of my absolute favorites that aren't exactly well-regarded, but they produce for me time after time.

It seems to me though that these opinions hinge on what exactly your anticipations were. For example, I've fished the famous and "hallowed" waters in the region, and for the most part, I don't much care for them. Granted, my expectations may have been unrealistic, but with how much and how highly they were talked about, it made me think that it would be tough to have a bad day on the water.

Managing expectations, and more importantly, re-evaluating what criteria makes a stream "good" isn't always easy.

That's the issue with constantly being on this site and reading through the reports though, I hear so much about how OTHERS regard a stream, but it isn't always the case that I get to explore, fish, and form my own organic opinion.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

For sure! I love creeks like the one you described. So many people flock to the destination creeks and creeks that should not be destinations (I am talking about you Tully 😉) and drive over gems.

 

[Sylvaneous]

The only streams I ever fished that clearly surprised me on the upside, that were better than I even expected were 1) the Susquehanna and 2) the Mossouri trout section around Craig. Cedar Creek and the Saucon were creeks I happened upon, being new to the region, that surprised me with the number of wild trout in them, but I wasn't , like, "WOW, amazing!".

 

[jifigz]

Yes, I've discovered many creeks that "fish way above their pay grade." Finding gems is the best part of fly fishing in my opinion.

 

[tjsingle]

Yeah, that's honestly the best surprise. I always like when old haunts fish well on days when the conditions are "bad" per others. Whether that be weather, water conditions etc.

Destinations are popular because they often times fish pretty consistently, most guys only get a day or two a week to fish between work and other responsibilities so sometimes going to the destination is a more reasonable gamble to them. Often times we overlook those streams we drive over on the way to another.

Or in the case of the Upper D when I fished a couple weeks ago, I caught a bunch of fish in a non-descript riffle directly behind other wading anglers.

 

[Bamboozle]

I used to fish a particular stream on the Natural Reproduction List in Tioga County that ISN'T on the Class A list.

For some reason I thought was Class B or C, which may have just been a guess. It is a small stream with not very many deep holes, but it's easily accessed for most of its length and for the most part is UN-posted.

The first time I fished it, it was like shooting fish in barrel. All brookies, all on top in just about any place I cast. Most fish were small with larger fish around 6" or in deeper pockets.

The fishing was so good & easy that I took one of my fish challenged friends there, figuring he couldn't miss; well I was wrong... That only goes to prove, if you are getting skunked before you blame the stream, rod, line, leader or fly...

Look in a mirror. 😉

I fished it a few other times with similar results and later found out from a local business person that it was a stream the "locals" knew about and fished, but not many others because of all of the better known places in the region.

Not that I needed an excuse to explore stuff off the Class A list, but this stream opened my eyes to a ton of other tributaries that I explored to get off the beaten track when a better known or higher rated option was crowded or not yielding the results I expected.

 

[bikerfish]

I think every stream I fish is way above MY pay grade!

 

[Swattie87]

I tend to stay away from the “pay to play” type deals.

 

[wildtrout2]

I tend to stay away from the “pay to play” type deals.

Wait, you've never fished at the Newlin Grist Mill in Glen Mills, Pa? 😀 I fished in the ponds they had there when I was a kid, don't know if they're still there. They do stock that little stream that runs through it.

 

[TimMurphy]

Wait, you've never fished at the Newlin Grist Mill in Glen Mills, Pa? 😀 I fished in the ponds they had there when I was a kid, don't know if they're still there. They do stock that little stream that runs through it.

Dear wildtrout2,

Back in the day, growing up in Lower Bucks County we fished wherever we could. Many trips with our dad were to a pond in Warrington owned by a teacher he taught with. It was just a small pond, maybe 3/4's of an acre, but it held bluegills from 3 to 14 inches and bass from yearlings to 6 plus pounds. Had I never fished it as kid, I doubt I would have really been interested in fishing. With Father's Day a couple of days away, I'll be sure to thank him for taking us out!

But every once in a while, we'd go to Lazy Day Lakes. It was either in Hatfield or Dublin, I'm going back over 50 years and my memory is hazy. It was a pay pit, but we caught lots of nice bluegills and a few bass. But the real stars of the lake were the bowfin.

Fishing for sunnies and all of a sudden, the bobber went under and the gears ground in the old Zebco 202 under the strain of a hefty bowfin is something that everyone should experience at least once.

It's probably a housing development now, but the memories remain.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[KELORGO]

Wait, you've never fished at the Newlin Grist Mill in Glen Mills, Pa? 😀 I fished in the ponds they had there when I was a kid, don't know if they're still there. They do stock that little stream that runs through it.

They had drained the ponds a year or two ago, but they are back now. I’m not sure if they are stocked, though. I think they still have the fishing club, but I never partook.

 

[wildtrout2]

Dear wildtrout2,

Back in the day, growing up in Lower Bucks County we fished wherever we could. Many trips with our dad were to a pond in Warrington owned by a teacher he taught with. It was just a small pond, maybe 3/4's of an acre, but it held bluegills from 3 to 14 inches and bass from yearlings to 6 plus pounds. Had I never fished it as kid, I doubt I would have really been interested in fishing. With Father's Day a couple of days away, I'll be sure to thank him for taking us out!

But every once in a while, we'd go to Lazy Day Lakes. It was either in Hatfield or Dublin, I'm going back over 50 years and my memory is hazy. It was a pay pit, but we caught lots of nice bluegills and a few bass. But the real stars of the lake were the bowfin.

Fishing for sunnies and all of a sudden, the bobber went under and the gears ground in the old Zebco 202 under the strain of a hefty bowfin is something that everyone should experience at least once.

It's probably a housing development now, but the memories remain.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

Good stuff Tim! Back in the day, when I did fish the Grist Mill as a kid, you paid accordingly for the size of the trout you caught/harvested. It's what sparked my initial interest in trout fishing, Not much skill was required, since the pellet heads were ALWAYS very compliant! 🙂

 

[nd1001]

Dear wildtrout2,

Back in the day, growing up in Lower Bucks County we fished wherever we could. Many trips with our dad were to a pond in Warrington owned by a teacher he taught with. It was just a small pond, maybe 3/4's of an acre, but it held bluegills from 3 to 14 inches and bass from yearlings to 6 plus pounds. Had I never fished it as kid, I doubt I would have really been interested in fishing. With Father's Day a couple of days away, I'll be sure to thank him for taking us out!

But every once in a while, we'd go to Lazy Day Lakes. It was either in Hatfield or Dublin, I'm going back over 50 years and my memory is hazy. It was a pay pit, but we caught lots of nice bluegills and a few bass. But the real stars of the lake were the bowfin.

Fishing for sunnies and all of a sudden, the bobber went under and the gears ground in the old Zebco 202 under the strain of a hefty bowfin is something that everyone should experience at least once.

It's probably a housing development now, but the memories remain.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

A 14” bluegill sounds incredible!! I’ve always championed our panfish. Pound for pound, they put up a fight! And, they’re usually willing to eat. Plus they look cool.

 

[Millsertime]

The only streams I ever fished that clearly surprised me on the upside, that were better than I even expected were 1) the Susquehanna and 2) the Mossouri trout section around Craig. Cedar Creek and the Saucon were creeks I happened upon, being new to the region, that surprised me with the number of wild trout in them, but I wasn't , like, "WOW, amazing!".

I fished cedar years ago, only time i've ever fished it. For it being so small and through a major park system, I was very impressed with the amount of wild fish I caught, albeit it small.

 

[Bamboozle]

Wait, you've never fished at the Newlin Grist Mill in Glen Mills, Pa? 😀 I fished in the ponds they had there when I was a kid, don't know if they're still there. They do stock that little stream that runs through it.

Way back when, I used to fish the West Branch of Chester Creek regularly but downstream of the Newlin Grist Mill wire along Pole Cat Road (always liked that name). I used to love that creek back in the day...

Fast forward a few years and me and a buddy went to a bluegrass festival held behind the Newlin Grist Mill. As an unplanned and unprepared for activity, we decided to sneak into the grist mill property over that festival weekend and fish the ponds.

We waited until dark, but when we went to his car to get whatever gear he had stashed, it was all bass plugs and bass tackle. We crawled up on our hands and knees in the dark and from our bellies lobbed huge bass plugs in the ponds which caused quite a commotion amongst the pigs in the pools...

However we had no hook-ups...

Finally a duck in an adjacent pond started quacking incessantly like a makeshift "poacher alarm" so we hightailed it out of there fish-less and went back to the festival...

 

[wildtrout2]

Way back when, I used to fish the West Branch of Chester Creek regularly but downstream of the Newlin Grist Mill wire along Pole Cat Road (always liked that name). I used to love that creek back in the day...

Fast forward a few years and me and a buddy went to a bluegrass festival held behind the Newlin Grist Mill. As an unplanned and unprepared for activity, we decided to sneak into the grist mill property over that festival weekend and fish the ponds.

We waited until dark, but when we went to his car to get whatever gear he had stashed, it was all bass plugs and bass tackle. We crawled up on our hands and knees in the dark and from our bellies lobbed huge bass plugs in the ponds which caused quite a commotion amongst the pigs in the pools...

However we had no hook-ups...

Finally a duck in an adjacent pond started quacking incessantly like a makeshift "poacher alarm" so we hightailed it out of there fish-less and went back to the festival...

Was that an alcohol induced endeavor? 😆

 

[TimMurphy]

A 14” bluegill sounds incredible!! I’ve always championed our panfish. Pound for pound, they put up a fight! And, they’re usually willing to eat. Plus they look cool.

Dear nd1001,

I was bass fishing with live minnows in the deep end of the pond. I was about 12 or 13 and fishing the minnow under one of those old round clip-on bobbers that was about 2 1/2 inches in diameter using a 4-inch bass minnow.

The bobber went down and I knew I had something nice when I set the hook, but I thought it would be a bass. It turned out to be the biggest live bluegill I have ever seen before or since. I'm a big dude now and I was a big kid then, but that bluegill was so big and thick I had to have a hand over his dorsal fin and one under his belly to handle it. If you remember those old 3-ringed loose-leafed binders that kids used for school in the early 1970's that pug-nosed 'gill was the size of the outside front cover of one!

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

I recently fished a local stream that I've fished before, but in a new location that I hadn't ever been to before. It's a reasonably well-known stream, so if I mentioned the name, nobody would be surprised (I won't mention the name because I simply avoid doing that on online forums or social media). This section of stream is and has presumably always been stocked, but it's also pretty far up the drainage and has fair numbers of wild trout in it too (one of the reasons that I picked it last week was because I HAVE caught good numbers of wild Browns in it before, albeit in a different section). It's what I'd call a medium to large stream, although in fairness, I don't have the opportunity to fish really large streams more than a couple times per year, so most would probably call this a medium-sized stream.

On the first day, I fished a dry-dropper with a Yellow sally on top and a non-descript grey nymph on a dropper. There weren't stoneflies coming off, but the Yellow sally also mimics a caddis pretty well and this particular tie floats very well. I probably caught equal numbers of wild and stocked trout, but overall I believe that I took around 30 in about 2 hours of fishing. If you consider that at least occasionally, I was wading upstream or fixing something on my line/tippet, the catch rate was really pretty remarkable (there weren't periods of more than a couple of minutes at any time when I wasn't hooked up). I think I took stocked Browns and Rainbows and one wild Brown and a dozen native Brookies on that day.

Because the stream fished so very well, I ended up going back a few days later, which is something that I almost never do (too many other nice places to check). Same flies as the last time and the same outcome, though I suspect I took more stockers (maybe 20) and fewer wild trout on this day. I also took one Palomino and missed another (hate those things, but they do offer variety and another mark on the species checklist (I guess).

Went back out a few days after that and when trying to decide where to go, I just couldn't help myself. That stretch of stream had fished so very well that I did it again, for the third time in a two-week period (again, something that I'd ordinarily NEVER do because I have many other options). This time I fished a size 12 Purple haze dry fly (I had caught a LOT of native Brookies on the last two trips and Brookies love the Purple haze) and a size 18 thread Frenchie on the drop. Damn near the same outcome as the previous trips, in two hours, I likely caught 30 or more trout, but this time it was lopsided towards the wild/natives and I caught fewer stockies (probably 10 stocked trout and 20 or more natives or wild Browns). This time I also played with 3 trout that most guys would have considered to be "big ones". One was a 17-18" Brown that rolled on my dropper 3 or 4 times but which I couldn't stick. One was a VERY nice holdover Rainbow, likely 20" and as pretty as Rainbows get in Pennsylvania that I ended up dropping after a 2-3 minute fight while I was trying to get my landing net off my back. Finally, I did land a 15-16" wild Brown that was also just about as pretty as trout get.

I suppose that I've had other outings over the years that were just as productive or enjoyable, but I have to admit to being blown away at how many stocked trout remained in this stream at least 4-5 weeks after it was last stocked and how very many wild/native trout were present. In fact, I WILL be talking with the regional fisheries chief about this stream and asking/demanding that they re-survey it if it's not on the schedule, because I'd bet a billion bucks that the density of wild Browns and Brookies in there would meet Class A distinction. I do understand that wild trout use different sections of streams at different times of year and that they may not always be in there in those numbers, but it's worth a look for them and I'd dearly love if they'd take it off the stocking list (though I don't wish to see more activity there should it go on the Class A list. You can't have it both ways though and what's right is right, the stream deserves some protection).

Anyone else stumble into a stream that ended up fishing much better than you had antipated? For what it's worth, I don't think this stream gets fished a ton, but I did run into a guy that I know at the end of my short trip on the third day, he was swinging wet flies in a downstream fashion and also catching a lot of fish, though he told me at the time I spoke to him that all of his fish to that point had been wild fish.

I like that you're calling the AFM and encourage others to do so. I've spoken to 2 PAFBC biologists over the last 5 or 6 years and both seemed appreciative of any information we can give them. Seems like they're easier to get a hold in winter time . Good luck.

 

[Bamboozle]

Was that an alcohol induced endeavor? 😆

Not that I need encouragement to do something stupid, but I'm sure I was in an altered state at the time...