Nescopeck Creek(dhalo), Luzerne Co, 3-20-11

[jrflyfish]

Fished the state park area today. The water is just right too bad the fishing wasn't good. For some reason I never do any good on this stream. I guess this is why I haven't fished it in 5 years and I only live 15 min. from the stream. If any one has any luck elswear on the steam let me know.

always c&r
jr

 

[kentwetz]

Glad to see a post on this stream my family lives in the Wilkes Barre area so I was planning on checking it out the next time i visit but it sounds like I should look elsewhere this spring when I visit. I have fished a few places in the area but would like to explore more if you have any suggestions on places i would love to hear your opinion.

 

[Angled]

That section (and below) does not have many wild fish so depends on stocking which unfortunately often just dumps fish in 1 or 2 holes and not a whole lot of fish at that. And after awhile those fish seem to disappear. The result is sub-par fishing. There are tribs that have more wild fish but are small and hard to cast.

The main stream seems ideal section for a float stock but it does not happen, either not enuf helpers or no easy way to get in to start a float (or even spread out buckets).

At 1 point I hoped the lack of stocking would result in a decent wild fish section but that did not happen. Not sure why. I used to go there more but not much lately since have found much better streams elsewhere. Nice scenery and water though.

 

[jrflyfish]

kentwetz, try the lehigh river in white haven or even up stream by bear creek. harveys creek and bowmans but i havent fished them in 6 or 7 years. I dont know how far you want to travel from W.B. area but take Rt. 118 west from dallas to red rock and head south on rt. 487 and youll hit the fishing creek. this is my favorite stream with heavy caddis and march brown hatches with surprisingly large trout for the size of the stream. good luck jr

 

[kentwetz]

Thanks for input, I have fished Bowmans but flows were high and its a small section of stream that was FFO. I had planned to hit Harveys this summer as I am staying at Harveys Lake for a few nights. Is one section of the creek better than another? As for fishing creek that should be pretty convenient to try as well from Harveys Lake area. I might try some of hose Nescopeck Creek tribs someday, can't resist a small trib, that's mostly what I fish here in Maryland.

 

[Fishidiot]

JR,
Which county is Nesocpeck Creek where you fished. Here in the Stream Reports forum we include the county and date in the title line. While it might be obvious to local folks where the DHALO section is, for us folks who live elsewhere in the state it helps keep things clear (in addition to aiding with search function).

Thanks,
Dave W

 

[kentwetz]

Luzerne County it is a state park which provides access from what I know.

 

[Fishidiot]

Thanks.

 

[jrflyfish]

sorry about that dave. yes it is in lower luzerne county. the dhalo section is completly in the nescopeck state park. the lower section of the creek suffers from acid mine drainage. there is a active group called "the friends of the nescopeck" that are trying to clean up the creek. There are some tributarys that hold some nice native fish. but havent fished them in a while. The section that runs through the park is nice water, below the park it flatens out and has a sandy bottom with little to no rocks. As the stream flow west and flows under the bridge at Rt. 309 it becomes a trout stream again for about 5 mi. until it reaches the village of saint johns. From here on the stream picks up acid mine and for the next 20 some odd miles it is dead water where it flows into the susquehanna river at the town of nescopeck. Hope this clears up some questions any one has. thanks Jr.

 

[trout48]

From what I can see they dont stock the Nescopek until April 1st so that might have some affect on the fishing.

 

[henrydavid]

I was on the Nescopeck yesterday and saw only 2 trout, spots that I normally find fish seemed vacant. I blame it on the weather. If it wasn't stocked at all and the insects started popping then we could get a true evaluation of the holdover and native population. It just seems too easy to write it off as no fish around.

I've caught native brookies in the park section and lots more in the upper reaches, as well as small pickerel in the creek. There are dozens of tribs throughout that stretch, some are class A waters.

As far as stocking is concerned, it's very difficult to navigate the stream. I would think a float stocking would be great but some sections have a soft silty bottom that will suck you down like quicksand. I guess the whole float stocking idea would just represent too much work for the PFBC. The stream is about 1/2 mile from the road and the paths/roads back to the stream are not in the best of shape, especially now.

 

[Chaz]

It has a good stone fly hatch this time of the year and can fish well in early spring on warm days. It is a very slow moving stream in the SP, but other sections hold fish all year. When hot weather arrives so do the mosquitos, so make sure you've got bug dope.