West Branch Brandywine Creek - Chester County - 5/8/2023

[tjsingle]

Continuing on checking out local creeks that are close to home on busy days, fished Hibernia County Park yesterday from 1-430PM. I fished Hibernia Park working upstream from Wagontown Road.

Water Flow: Mid 70 CFS
Water temp: Mid 50s
Water Clarity: Mostly clear, a little tinge of color in the deeper pockets and holes
Hatches from what I observed: Occasional caddis and sulfurs, consistent BWO and midges.

Working upstream and dodging the spin fisherman, I found success casting BWO's and larger mayfly dry flies in order to figure out what they were eating. Once I figured out that dries were working steadily I committed to it for the most part, only nymphing really deep holes.

Flies that worked:
Size 16 and 18 BWO
Size 16 BWO Parachute
Size 14 March Brown just to see if they'd eat something a bit bigger

Went 10/14, catching all stocked browns which was somewhat surprising, all dries except two underneath on nymphs. I guess the rainbows didn't care for dry flies yesterday.

Fair amount of people out fishing from what I saw, but plenty of space and easy to find some solitude on a otherwise heavily fished stocked Chesco creek.

The dry fly eats made things fun, typically I don't enjoy stocked trout fishing (mostly because crowds).

 

[Mike]

You may have been catching a surprising number of browns because there were some RT production challenges again this year. They may have run out of RT by the time of the second inseason stocking or increased the proportion of BT in all inseason stockings. More BT stocked inseason was always my preference anyway because they were larger by that time (BT lag RT in growth until hatchery water warms a bit in spring). They also cooperate better for anglers as the water warms a bit, as in the early inseason period. Finally, their survival is better than RT for a longer period of time when stressful temps become chronic. The maximum temp that both species can handle is applicable in a number of Pa stocked streams and lakes, but it’s given much more credit for mortalities by Pa anglers than it deserves. Chronic and oscillating temps in or in and out, respectively, of the temperature stress zone over 68 deg F are major killers and this factor is grossly overlooked by anglers in my opinion based on experiences.