West Branch Perkiomen Creek, Berks Co, 11/19/2012

Chaz

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Monday November 19, 2012 Clear Cloudless day, water temp 46, air temp 50.
After spending the weekend at Foxgap's Camp, George and I decided to fish on the way home. On the way I took him to Nescopeck Creek just to show him where it was so he could find it later. There were a lot of hunters out so we didn't want to fish there. We move on to our original destination, West Branch Perkiomen Creek.

We arrived at about 1:30 and I poked around at the bridge looking for redds while my friend George fished the first run above the bridge. He was using a streamer and didn't pickup any trout. Meanwhile, my inspection of the water beneath the rt. 100 bridge revealed a few redds. I joined George and found more redds as I walked up from the bridge. I also cast several times into the water he just fished and caught a nice 9-inch trout in the head of the first pool under the willows.

At the tail out of the next pool there were at least 12 redds. We fished up from there, George on the left and I on the right. I caught a 7 inch fish, George caught none, but we both had rises. The log deflectors are doing what they are meant to do, deepen the water and protecting the bank. There are plenty of trees growing all along the banks on both sides. The banks seem in pretty good shape, in spite of several high water events.
That's not to say there's no impact, but the impact wasn't dire.

Back to fishing. The big sycamore pool yielded 4 trout, all between 7 and 9 inches. I cast a royal wulff into the tongue of the run flowing into the pool and immediately hooked and LDR'd an 11-inch trout. We move up passed the Brooklyn Bridge and I noticed that the erosion at the cattle crossing has stopped and in fact a gravel bar had formed there on the left side. The owner was concerned about the eroded bank at the crossing, again I think our worked passed muster. Further up, at the first series of log deflectors we installed, there was a deepening of the channel and the banks had widened. All along the way we saw more spawning beds.

The water was deepened under the logs at all locations. But the creek yielded no trout there. At the next two series of logs the banks had widened and the water deepened. All along the way there was spawning activity. Under the first grove of big trees there were a couple of trout rising, we stung one and spooked the other. The trout seemed to quit taking flies by around 3:00. There were no more rises and no more were caught. However, we did fish up to above the end of the property and I was shocked at the flood damage there. I don't think I want to do anything except fix the fences where the rest of the damage is, but I'll talk to Longacre and see what he thinks.
All out work has held up to significant storms. That pleases me.

Foxgap on West Branch Perkiomen

West Branch Perkiomen Brown
 
Nice report and glad to see those improvements have held up to the pounding over the last several months. The trout will def benefit over the years to come. Al's Rat always produces there for me.
 
It's Berks County.
 
Nice report. That can be a fun little stream. I am going to PM you Chaz.
 
I'm pretty sure that there is a parking area near where the stream crosses under rt. 100. It's a pull off on the farm property.
 
^^^
Always a good idea to suggest somebody park on a farmers property.
 
Perhaps the farmer does not reserve his pull-off only for guides, but for whomever gets there first.
 
I'm pretty sure the pull off is a designated fishing parking area. I think that there is a sign that says parking for fishing is allowed.
 
I never noticed a designated area where you said. I will keep an eye out for it... I pass it frequently. If there is a designated parking area there certainly does make life easier I suppose.
 
It is the Longace farm, I was married by the owner in 1981, still close to the family. They sell corn during the summer and have a parking area to purchase corn. You can park there to fish when they are not selling corn and also south of their driveway you can park at the galvanized fence. There is no guide parking only. Tell them you know me if you have any problems. Rick Nyles

 
The owner allows fishing and parking along the stream, on the west side of Rt. 100. If you go by it too fast, you will miss it. The TU chapters (Perkiomen and Tulpehocken) have done work there. Good landowner relations. Keep it clean. Fish upstream from the parking area. at least 1/2 mile of access. There was signage in the past about voluntary C&R.
 
That section is one of the most prolific chub habitats I know of in SE PA. And I am not being sarcastic either. Loads of them in there. It gets annoying at times.
 
There are a couple of chub chasers around here...now the cats out of the bag. Where the heck am I going to park now?
 
Yes, we do. Chubs are prime ice fishing bait for channel cats. But I have my own Limestoner source for those. A little piece of garden hackle is all it takes.
 
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