Wissahickon Creek 5/24, Philadelphia co.

[DrNymph]

Fished with my buddy Dylan. Water temps were low 60's, clear skies. Just after the scattered thunderstorms the previous day. Water levels were up a tad and water was just a smidge off color, but perfect in my opinion.

Dylan landed a few good sized rainbows in deeper slower water at a tailout from a riffle. He was swinging a tan wooly bugger. Landed a few decent pan fish as well.

I landed 6 rainbows and 2 browns on pheasant tail nymph variations without an indicator just a hundred yards or so downstream. Best about 16 inch brown out of the tail end of a fast riffle, hard fighter that took some line off the reel and gave me a good run down stream. Hit a size 14 rainbow warrior nymph.

 

[SNJChef]

Good to know! Penny still has been fishing well also i heard.

 

[LouM]

I wouldn't waste my time it's 90% partially treated sewer discharge. Wait till It gets hot and you can smell the crap or better yet take one home and cook it up.
I grew up fishing the wissy its not the same. What they have let the municipalities treatment plants do to that creek is criminal.

 

[PhilllyFlyGuy]

When you live in the city it's nice to have access to places close by to still catch some fish here and there after work. Definitely wouldn't say a waste of time, though I wouldn't be eating anything from either stream.

 

[geebee]

without an indicator - well played.

thats a skill that translates to skinny wild trout streams.

 

[DrNymph]

If you catch and release, it's definitely not a waste of time and it's not bad out there at all. The park is great too...very easy to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city...especially if you're willing to bushwhack and hike, you can find yourself in surprisingly isolated places.

I've fished it for the last 5 years and it's been a great escape for us city dwellers. Bait guys hit it hard so when you drift a fly in front of these always fiesty trout, it's always a good time. Double digit days in the spring and summer are common.

 

[DrNymph]

Haha, thanks.

I started out as dry fly only guy...

I've been working hard to perfect my european nymphing and using my fly line tip or a high viz monofilament as a sighter. It took awhile to learn but it is definitely paying off big time.

Was out at valley today for a short time and saw rising fish. Fished hoppers, caddis, caddis emergers and small parachute sulphers, and got a few splashy refusals despite sizing down. Started high sticking with sz 16 pheasant tail nymphs with biot bodies with an ant on top and hooked 4 in 15 min...including a double hook up with a 10 incher on the ant and a 6 incher on the nymph.

Learning to high stick and nymph without an indicator is a valuable skill when all other techniques just don't seem to work. Still love to catch fish on dries tho...

 

[JohnPowers]

Nice try Lou. The Wissi was a gem when I took the A Bus out of north Philly to catch my first trout in 1963 and it's a gem today. Smells like heaven.

 

[LouM]

A sewer is a sewer!