Tried the Tully for the 3rd time this season. Arrived Paper Mill at noon. Didn't fish, just drove around and parked at various points to look for rising fish. No bugs and no rising fish. Drove down below covered bridge and nymphed the water from that pavilion down stream about 100 yards. Was fishing two flies all the time, Hare's Ear, Peeking caddis, Lafontaine Deep Sparkle pupa, tries some wet flies, PT's, nothing. Never got a bump. Saw three rises in three hours. Left at 4:20. Batting 1000%, have gone fishless two days in a row after having fished three streams. Only saw two other guys fishing in four hours. Talked to one guy who also went fishless.
Tulpehocken Creek - Berks County - April 30, 2015
- Thread starter wbranch
- Start date
wbranch,
Tough nut swallow, but thanks for sharing. I've been there and darn frustrating. Better days ahead.
Tough nut swallow, but thanks for sharing. I've been there and darn frustrating. Better days ahead.
foxtrapper1972
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2012
- Messages
- 2,455
Where the heck are the caddis? Usually we are catching them on top on caddis by now. I guess the water is cold. Very strange this yr. on the Tulpehocken.
dc410
Well-known member
My thoughts, exactly. Normally by this time lots of fish are being caught and a dry/dropper caddis rig is very effective. I am having trouble finding an explanation for things on the Tully this year. To say that it has been challenging is an understatement.
My crew and/or I crossed the Tully on Rebers Bridge multiple times this week, including today. Never saw an angler when looking upstream or down. A complete count on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago was not great either (Rebers to the Covered Bridge). The count was much better in the "bait area" despite substantially fewer fish being stocked there.
Did not see anyone in the Paper Mill area either today.
Did not see anyone in the Paper Mill area either today.
dc410
Well-known member
Mike,
I feel that the obvious decrease in current angler usage is a direct result of a decrease in normal catch rates. I drive through the area fairly regularly and have noticed an abnormal lack of fishermen over the past 2-3 weeks. Last week one afternoon I walked about a quarter mile upstream from Rebers bridge and fished for an hour or so up towards the Pallisades (never saw another angler) and the only trout I saw the entire time was an 18" dead rainbow on the bottom in a bankside eddy area. Word gets around quick when the fishing is "off" and on a stream that normally sees the amount of pressure that the Tully does, I think it really magnifies the decrease in angler usage to the point where it just seems very abnormal.
I feel that the obvious decrease in current angler usage is a direct result of a decrease in normal catch rates. I drive through the area fairly regularly and have noticed an abnormal lack of fishermen over the past 2-3 weeks. Last week one afternoon I walked about a quarter mile upstream from Rebers bridge and fished for an hour or so up towards the Pallisades (never saw another angler) and the only trout I saw the entire time was an 18" dead rainbow on the bottom in a bankside eddy area. Word gets around quick when the fishing is "off" and on a stream that normally sees the amount of pressure that the Tully does, I think it really magnifies the decrease in angler usage to the point where it just seems very abnormal.
Luke
Member
- Joined
- May 18, 2010
- Messages
- 246
I skipped out of work early Wednesday, April 29th and fished the Tully from 4PM until 7:15PM. My son, Adam, is 12 and I am teaching him, so we only fished his rod with me occassionally showing him technique. The air temperature was 75 degrees and beautiful. I left work because I was convinced that caddis would be exploding off the creek and a rise would be on. I was excited about getting Adam to catch his first trout on a dry fly... tried last year at Penn's, but failed.
Flow was perfect. Water temperature good too at 56 degrees. Clarity was normal for the Tully, slightly off color, but fine visibility, usually an advantage.
Started fishing mid-way between dam and Rebers Bridge. No fish rising. Saw maybe two caddis in the air. Lots of midges hatching. Observed zero fish rising. No other fisherman to be seen. Did not cover huge amounts of water due to Adam, but nymphed very nice runs. Fished caddis pupae, sparkle caddis emergers, pheasant tails, wooly buggers, small picket pin, and more; mostly dead drifted. Caught nothing.
Moved down to under the 222 overpass. Saw about two fisherman at Rebers Bridge and several at the stream bend close to the road near the overpass. Was surprised when no other fisherman were parked under the overpass at 6:00. Again, no rising fish seen in this section. Nymph fished nice runs with no action. Finally, around 7:00, my father-in-law caught one 12" brown on a soft-hackle pheasant tail fished deep. It was in a run that Adam had just fished.
Was a great time on the water with my son and his grandfather, but did not hold the excitement of catching fish. Adam enjoyed it, but told me that he would have had more fun golfing with us.
As is our usual "jab", my father-in-law told us that "The good fisherman were catching fish". In this case, fish was not meant in the plural form.
Flow was perfect. Water temperature good too at 56 degrees. Clarity was normal for the Tully, slightly off color, but fine visibility, usually an advantage.
Started fishing mid-way between dam and Rebers Bridge. No fish rising. Saw maybe two caddis in the air. Lots of midges hatching. Observed zero fish rising. No other fisherman to be seen. Did not cover huge amounts of water due to Adam, but nymphed very nice runs. Fished caddis pupae, sparkle caddis emergers, pheasant tails, wooly buggers, small picket pin, and more; mostly dead drifted. Caught nothing.
Moved down to under the 222 overpass. Saw about two fisherman at Rebers Bridge and several at the stream bend close to the road near the overpass. Was surprised when no other fisherman were parked under the overpass at 6:00. Again, no rising fish seen in this section. Nymph fished nice runs with no action. Finally, around 7:00, my father-in-law caught one 12" brown on a soft-hackle pheasant tail fished deep. It was in a run that Adam had just fished.
Was a great time on the water with my son and his grandfather, but did not hold the excitement of catching fish. Adam enjoyed it, but told me that he would have had more fun golfing with us.
As is our usual "jab", my father-in-law told us that "The good fisherman were catching fish". In this case, fish was not meant in the plural form.
I fished the Tully at Reber's Bridge for about an hour late this afternoon. I saw 5 other people fishing there, including 2 young kids that were fishing with worms. A spin fisherman explained the regs to them and gave them each a spinner to fish with. They disposed of the worms. That spin fisherman caught 5 trout.
I caught a few, missed a few. Some tan caddis hatching.
I caught a few, missed a few. Some tan caddis hatching.
