wgmiller
Well-known member
I had some business to tend to in New Jersey Friday afternoon, so I decided to make a stop at Valley during my travels east along the PA Turnpike. I had never fished Valley before, bur have read much about it. I knew it was a highly pressured stream, due to its proximity to population centers. Given the heavy rain we had last weekend, I had been following the USGS gauge and saw it dropping like a rock. It was in prime shape by the time I got on the water on Friday. I didn't have high expectations with Valley, given the pressure it sees, but more than anything was curious to fish in a national park. Admittedly, I had never been to Valley Forge NP before, so it was neat to take in a few sights and envision what it must have been like a few hundred years ago when troops holed up in the region.
As far as fishing goes, I started around 8:30 and fished from just below the Knox covered bridge up to Bradford Road. I didn't see another angler until I reached the area around Lafayette's quarters. There I ran into two other fly anglers, so I moved past them and continued fishing upstream. The ambient temperature never really warmed up and it remained in the low to mid-30s the entire time. The sun never came out and I didn't see any airborne bug activity. I ended with a dozen fish or so of varying sizes, with a 9"(ish) fish being the biggest. I fished a point/dropper rig with a #14 metallic pink bead heat Walt's Worm as the point and a #20 red jig midge as the dropper. Almost all fish were taken on the Walt's Worm.
I did explore the area below Valley Forge Road and found some interesting water, but no fish. Access was a bit trickier in this area and you can really see how floods have ravaged the lower portion of the stream. I wrapped up my fishing around 1:30 with some sightseeing around Washington's headquarters, etc. I think Valley is a stream every angler should fish at least once, for no other reason than its location. I can easily see why it sees the pressure it does and can only envision what it looks like on a nice spring or summer day. While I was able to fish it at 43 CFS, I know it goes a lot lower than that and can only image how skinny it gets.
Knox Covered Bridge
Stream conditions via the USGS gauge just south of the turnpike.
Dressed for the weather - overall not a bad day to be out, as temps were at least above freezing.
Valley Creek brown
The nicest fish of the day.
Life in these huts must have been brutal
As far as fishing goes, I started around 8:30 and fished from just below the Knox covered bridge up to Bradford Road. I didn't see another angler until I reached the area around Lafayette's quarters. There I ran into two other fly anglers, so I moved past them and continued fishing upstream. The ambient temperature never really warmed up and it remained in the low to mid-30s the entire time. The sun never came out and I didn't see any airborne bug activity. I ended with a dozen fish or so of varying sizes, with a 9"(ish) fish being the biggest. I fished a point/dropper rig with a #14 metallic pink bead heat Walt's Worm as the point and a #20 red jig midge as the dropper. Almost all fish were taken on the Walt's Worm.
I did explore the area below Valley Forge Road and found some interesting water, but no fish. Access was a bit trickier in this area and you can really see how floods have ravaged the lower portion of the stream. I wrapped up my fishing around 1:30 with some sightseeing around Washington's headquarters, etc. I think Valley is a stream every angler should fish at least once, for no other reason than its location. I can easily see why it sees the pressure it does and can only envision what it looks like on a nice spring or summer day. While I was able to fish it at 43 CFS, I know it goes a lot lower than that and can only image how skinny it gets.
Knox Covered Bridge
Stream conditions via the USGS gauge just south of the turnpike.
Dressed for the weather - overall not a bad day to be out, as temps were at least above freezing.
Valley Creek brown
The nicest fish of the day.
Life in these huts must have been brutal
