E Br Brandywine Best Spot Period

[PSUFishMenace]

For you Chester County guys who like smallies, I highly recommend the Stroud Preserve on the E BR Brandywine.

Not only is it just a beautiful setting, but the fishing is the best I have encountered on the E branch. There are plenty of 8-14" smallmouths and quite a few larger ones. The sunnies and rock bass are aggressive and can get pretty large. Fallfish up to 14" in the deepest riffles, occasional yellow perch, a few largemouths, and even a few small catfish can also be found here. There are some nice carp here as well, for those who are interested in that. Occasionally holdover trout are caught here in the early spring. Fishing in the Brandywine within the preserve is catch and release only. The preserve is huge and it's a great place just to go for a walk when the rivers are blown.

The other day I FFed it with a bugger from 4-7 p.m. and had a typical day: 8 smallmouths (2 over 10", biggest 12", lost two others in the 10" range), about 5 sunnies, 2 rock bass, and at least a dozen fallfish with the biggest being 14". Mostly from a single long deep pool.

The variety and especially size of fish here is as good as anywhere else in the county. The owners of the Preserve have done a great job not only setting aside this beautiful area for the public but also establishing a wide riparian buffer on both sides of the stream. Chester county needs more areas like this one.

 

[Fredrick]

Thxs for the info sounds like you had a good time :-D

 

[PSUFishMenace]

yeah except for the chub poop!

the best part was, walking back to the car at sunset, in the middle of a field, the clouds were all pink and orange to the east and just under the clouds there was a huge full moon. one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

my shift key is not working grr...

fished upstream from the preserve today, didn't do too well but I almost stepped on an eel- add that to the list of species in the area. First time I saw one up close in the water-they are cool to watch.

I did not get pooped on today🙂

I just figured out I just gotta use the other shift key

 

[Berks]

I was driving through the area there and stopped by for the first time 2 weeks ago just to have a look. Didn't do any fishing but saw some decent smallies from the bridge near the parking lot. It looked a little weedy in spots but that's to be expected this time of year. I'll definitely be back. Is the fishing better up or downstream from the bridge? Didn't see much access looking downstream? Watch for the horse poop too.

 

[PSUFishMenace]

Upstream is better you can go for miles upstream before you get to a stretch that isn't any good. There are two or three very good pools downstream from the bridge but after that it turns into a long, shallow, chub-infested riffle. You probably want to wade upstream from the bridge, if you try to take the path you will find it very difficult, if not impossible, to reach the stream. wade only during low flows as that stretch at some points the shallowest water is almost waist deep and when the water is up even a little the current is strong.

It probably looks weedy from the bridge but it is really only on the one half of the creek in the slower shallow water where there are weeds.

If you head north on creek rd to strasburg rd, make a left onto strasburg then the first right back onto creek rd, just before 322 on the left there is a parking lot for Ingram's Mill Nature Area. You can park here and wade downstream to reach some of the best water If you go far enough you will reach the upstream edge of the preserve. it's a good distance from here to the preserve but it may be easier than wading upstream from the bridge at Stroud.

Maybe a mile downstream on creek rd there is a pulloff for the Harry something nature area where you can access the creek, I haven't really had much luck here.

At the confluence of the E and W branches there is a good-sized park, the east branch in this park is pretty good and the main branch has a few very nice largemouths. Some people even fish here from motorboats, the creek is very large and deep.

I believe the East Branch is navigable so you can wade and fish anywhere. There is one stretch that goes through a farm with bulls so you probably don't want to go there but anywhere else I believe is basically open.

 

[Berks]

Thanks a ton for the info. I didn't realize there was access on the north side of Strasburg Rd. Hopefully I'll get down there in the next week or so. I'm itchin' for some smallmouth action. I grew up fishing the North Branch Susquehanna river so I got spoiled with the smallmouth fishing.

 

[afishinado]

Berks wrote:
I grew up fishing the North Branch Susquehanna river so I got spoiled with the smallmouth fishing.

Me too Berks!! "Good" SMB fishing is a relative term. The SM fishing in SE PA is poor to fair on "our" scale.

 

[Berks]

I'm just holding on to the thought that I'm not fishing in the right place... and I'll find them eventually.

You know you had a great day SM fishing when the skin on your thumb is rubbed raw by lipping so many to get the hook out.

 

[afishinado]

Berks wrote:
I'm just holding on to the thought that I'm not fishing in the right place... and I'll find them eventually.

You know you had a great day SM fishing when the skin on your thumb is rubbed raw by lipping so many to get the hook out.

My thumbs are still like a baby's behind. When you find them please PM me, and I'll do the same. Although I have to warn you that I've lived in SE PA for 15 years now, and I'm still looking.

 

[PSUFishMenace]

Man brandywine smallie population is not even close to NB if that's your standards don't even bother lol.

Although you can get your thumb torn up a little🙂