Fort Washington State Park Smallies

[montcotrout]

I've been fishing the Wissahickon in Fort Washington State Park for stocked trout when I don't feel like trucking all the way up to Valley for browns. I've gotten a few smallies in the 3-6 inch range while nymphing. Is this section any good when the temps warm up? Haven't had any bigger bass hit when I've thrown wooly buggers in the fishier looking spots. I used to fish the Neshaminy for bass when I lived in Bucks but this is so much closer so hoping for some good local water.

 

[TimMurphy]

I've been fishing the Wissahickon in Fort Washington State Park for stocked trout when I don't feel like trucking all the way up to Valley for browns. I've gotten a few smallies in the 3-6 inch range while nymphing. Is this section any good when the temps warm up? Haven't had any bigger bass hit when I've thrown wooly buggers in the fishier looking spots. I used to fish the Neshaminy for bass when I lived in Bucks but this is so much closer so hoping for some good local water.

Dear Montco,

I'd suggest you check out the Perkiomen Creek, it has to be closer than Valley. It's a decent smallmouth creek.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[montcotrout]

Dear Montco,

I'd suggest you check out the Perkiomen Creek, it has to be closer than Valley. It's a decent smallmouth creek.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Actually roughly equal for me... or at least the parts I'm familiar with because I would fish the Perk in Collegeville when I was at Ursinus. Should probably check the map for closer parts.

 

[Shimedog]

Actually roughly equal for me... or at least the parts I'm familiar with because I would fish the Perk in Collegeville when I was at Ursinus. Should probably check the map for closer parts.

How was it back then? I am a current student and haven't had any luck on the perk.

 

[montcotrout]

How was it back then? I am a current student and haven't had any luck on the perk.

I graduated in '15 so it's been a while, but even then it was meh right behind campus. I'd walk to the area with a parking lot then wet wade up toward Trappe. Wasn't fly fishing back then but would get fingering bass and decent sunnies on small rooster tails and other spinneers. Occasionally huge creek chubs and hits from better bass too, but never landed anything better than 8 inches. Definitely spent more time at practice and Reimert though so I can't say I exactly had the creek figured out.

 

[herbalwizard]

My best smallie on that stretch of the Wiss was about 13". It was actually above FW park (Morris road area). I was sight fishing carp that day. Can't say I've ever seen many decent bass in that stretch. Better chances for decent smallmouth in the Philly section of the Wiss. I would never call the Philly section good for small mouth though. I've only fished it a couple times, but the section between the two counties stocking limits, has some intriguing bass water. Most of it is private, but you can access at Chestnut Hill College.

 

[Mike]

Investigate the lower end of the E Be Perkiomen Ck. That’s the best SMB water close to Ursinus, although I have to say that the habitat in the Perk up near, but below, Deep Ck Dam for at least a half mile looks rocky and interesting as if SMB should be there. The lower end of Unami from Rt 63 down should have SMB and lower end of Swamp Ck (does have or at least did have SMB yrs ago) would be worth exploring for SMB if access (posting situation?) is ok. I think recall some county owned land along Swamp.

 

[Shawn Joseph]

I used to spin fish the perky over 20 years ago before the PF&BC accidentally stocked the Schuylkill with flatheads(Perkiomen is a trib to the Skuke) still good fish to be had in both. But not the fishery it was in years past before the invasive flatheads.

 

[Shawn Joseph]

How was it back then? I am a current student and haven't had any luck on the perk.

Try Blackrock Damn on the Schuylkill. My buddy just caught a 20 incher the other night after work. Probably 10 minutes from Ursinus.

 

[JerryC]

I haven't fished the Wissahickon that far up. I usually fish it from Chestnut Hill College to maybe a mile below Valley Green. Best smallie I've caught out of that stretch was a little under 17". Average size 6 to 10 inches. There are also largemouth in that stretch. The trick to fishing those areas is to get away from the parking areas.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Biggest issue with the Perk and that section of the Wissy too is the loss of spawning habitat from siltation. It was not always that way. My brother rented a place on the Perk down the road from Ursinus in the 90s and we caught many bass with little effort all the way down to Zieglersville and beyond. That house he lived in washed away long ago or was deemed in a flood plain.

As far as Wissy in Montgo, now you can pick 4 or 5 spots in a 2 mile stretch that might have smallies holding on: rocks and clean rubble. I even see a few spawning in better conditions in Ambler, but then it gets muddy above there again and full of stuff from Upper Gwynedd lawns. Sadly, it is no coincidence that the term "spring" is included in so many place names on the Wissy watershed in Montgo, but folks have lived here as long as they have in Philly proper. My town was purchased from Bill Penn....

It is counterintuitive, maybe, but the bug life, forage like minnows and crayfish, and presence of plenty of smallmouth is much higher in Philadelphia. And it is much more beautiful a place. You college boys might meet a lovely jogger who likes dudes in waders too.

Wissy in Montgo is a storm drain....

 

[montcotrout]

Biggest issue with the Perk and that section of the Wissy too is the loss of spawning habitat from siltation. It was not always that way. My brother rented a place on the Perk down the road from Ursinus in the 90s and we caught many bass with little effort all the way down to Zieglersville and beyond. That house he lived in washed away long ago or was deemed in a flood plain.

As far as Wissy in Montgo, now you can pick 4 or 5 spots in a 2 mile stretch that might have smallies holding on: rocks and clean rubble. I even see a few spawning in better conditions in Ambler, but then it gets muddy above there again and full of stuff from Upper Gwynedd lawns. Sadly, it is no coincidence that the term "spring" is included in so many place names on the Wissy watershed in Montgo, but folks have lived here as long as they have in Philly proper. My town was purchased from Bill Penn....

It is counterintuitive, maybe, but the bug life, forage like minnows and crayfish, and presence of plenty of smallmouth is much higher in Philadelphia. And it is much more beautiful a place. You college boys might meet a lovely jogger who likes dudes in waders too.

Wissy in Montgo is a storm drain....

Did notice very poor riparian buffer from Skippack pike up stream. A lot of the creeks around here are pretty silty. Hopefully they can start addressing this because I did catch a spawning common shiner last time I was nymphing. If they can get the silt reduced I'm sure the game fish would follow.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

I like your optimism. We can't even get the county to plant trees along the creek across from the state park. That parcel of land belongs to the county as part of Mather's Mill. They took down a bunch of dangerous trees after the tornado in the county property opposite Magerks. It appears that the plan is just to let the invasives take over for some free greenery. That EF2 was Sept 2021, I believe. Nothing, no work done since the massive tree removal. I am surprised the Commish stocked there, as it just bakes in the sun.

 

[montcotrout]

I like your optimism. We can't even get the county to plant trees along the creek across from the state park. That parcel of land belongs to the county as part of Mather's Mill. They took down a bunch of dangerous trees after the tornado in the county property opposite Magerks. It appears that the plan is just to let the invasives take over for some free greenery. That EF2 was Sept 2021, I believe. Nothing, no work done since the massive tree removal. I am surprised the Commish stocked there, as it just bakes in the sun.

Montco doesn't seem to have the best stream management. Sandy run in my neighborhood is all concrete until it hits a park then gets shade to "cool down the water and improve insect diversity" according to a sign. Can't see if making much difference after the creek hits 85+ thanks to super heated cement.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Montco doesn't seem to have the best stream management. Sandy run in my neighborhood is all concrete until it hits a park then gets shade to "cool down the water and improve insect diversity" according to a sign. Can't see if making much difference after the creek hits 85+ thanks to super heated cement.

I agree that they probably manage only for runoff, and that is not always done wisely either. You may remember they built a massive mixed-use development near the Blue Rt on-ramp in Plymouth. The whole thing is built on limestone with Plymouth Creek running through it. There was a massive sinkhole that took months to fix, and I am sure it will happen again... The development along the Skuke in Conshy is hardly a model of storm water management or environmental impact. Talk about smallies once upon a time! They are holding on around Flat Rock, as someone mentioned above, but they were everywhere not that long ago.

 

[widowmaker121]

I haven't fished the Perky since I moved out to York in 2014, but throughout the late 90's and early 00's we used to park in the Gypsy Rose parking lot in Skippack and hike back to an old train trestle and slam smallies there. Also, where the Skippack meets the Perky used to catch lots of SMB around there too.