Southeast PA; another Spring, another drought.

F

Frederick V. C.

Active member
Joined
May 16, 2022
Messages
150
City
Coatesville
Here we go again. Seems like every year when trout season rolls around the rain stops; at least in the SE. Flows are abysmal on all my local streams though the local truck chasers are enjoying fishing in a barrel. I realize some of PA has decent flows but with the price of gas I'm more excited about catching local pan fish. Fingers crossed for some more rain in these parts!
 
The rain never came back to sepa, been very dry since last spring. Groundwater is depleted and will take an extended preiod of above avg rainfall to replenish.
 
I don't like how often this happens now, but I do try to take advantage of what different conditions present. For example, some years the water it too high fish the larger mayflies of April. Not this year....

If the rain doesn't come at all, I may be singing a different tune. Last year was not fun after a while.
 
Was last Spring dry in SE PA? I consider myself to be on the western edge of SE, verging on South Central. Last spring here was basically the same as Central PA. Everyone was crying for rain at this point in April. By the end of the month and throughout May and June they were regretting doing the rain dance.
 
Last May and June weren't enough to offset the long term dry pattern for SE PA and also northern MD where I usually fish. This winter was dry overall and in my location there is no rain in the 7 day forecast. Some of the brown trout streams here cannot afford another year as dry as the last several, populations are already down 50-70% in some streams. I've been focusing on brookie fishing mountain streams until conditions improve.

Editing to add a graph. This is one of my local streams with a modest population of wild browns in certain sections, it is also stocked. We were making progress on keeping flows near median last summer and then the faucet shut off again in the fall. And not recovering very well to start the spring.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20260408-102927.png
    Screenshot_20260408-102927.png
    230.6 KB · Views: 60
Last edited:
It'll come - Often times we wait for the "perfect" conditions whether its flow, clarity or temperature. When in all actuality the best conditions to fish are when you have the time. What I've learned over the years is that adapting to your conditions is how you find success, whether that's size of stream, species, etc.

Some of my best days last year were in less than ideal conditions flow wise, whether it was high or low.
 
^largely agree with that and it's also all the more reason to explore new streams. There's always something worth fishing on any given day. On some of my local streams with a small number of decent sized browns, though, I wait for the perfect amount of rain and leave them alone at all other times. But, I had to fish them in many other conditions to learn when my time would best be spent elsewhere.
 
I don’t recall a SEPA drought last April. I remember it being pretty decent well into summer. The year before that I think spring was a total washout but settled down for summer.
 
sarce said:
^largely agree with that and it's also all the more reason to explore new streams. There's always something worth fishing on any given day. On some of my local streams with a small number of decent sized browns, though, I wait for the perfect amount of rain and leave them alone at all other times. But, I had to fish them in many other conditions to learn when my time would best be spent elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Totally agree. I enjoy fishing creeks in different conditions. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Folks hate losing, I think. Not good for the socials 🙂 Or if you have limited time to fish, of course. They still have to eat. I go early when water is low....

Also, you have to lose sometimes to "crack the code" on a particular crick..... And, low water reveals stuff you don't see in high water, so you know the creek better when flows are high or normal.
 
tjsingle said:
It'll come - Often times we wait for the "perfect" conditions whether its flow, clarity or temperature.
Click to expand...
Or, all of the above, which is an extreme rarity. I have experienced perfect all around conditions, and had some steller days, but that's waaay more the exception than the rule. As mentioned, most of the time you just have to deal with what conditions exist on a given day. Fish when you can, life's too short to wait.
 
Last edited:
Can see how it extends into MD on this map which shows the conditions over the past few years. We can't all live among the class A limestoners of central PA 🙂 I'm at the southern fringe of where trout can survive summer heat at low elevations. The overall trend has been pretty brutal.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20260409-081324.png
    Screenshot_20260409-081324.png
    556.6 KB · Views: 41
I fish when I can but if you check the USGS for my local streams it's kind of bleak. French Creek is less than 30% of median flow. Brandywine is slightly better but there is no rain in the forecast. That said the coming warm weather should produce some excellent Crappie and Blue gill fishing. Tight lines to everyone!
 
Frederick V. C. said:
I fish when I can but if you check the USGS for my local streams it's kind of bleak. French Creek is less than 30% of median flow. Brandywine is slightly better but there is no rain in the forecast. That said the coming warm weather should produce some excellent Crappie and Blue gill fishing. Tight lines to everyone!
Click to expand...
Yes, I need to get my 4-weight out after those little panfish.
 
NW PA has been flooded opening weekend about 7 straight years. Come to think of it, ever since they moved opening weekend up from April 15th to April 1st my favorite stream has been blown out every single year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages

Share this page

Back
Top