Need PA/NY/MA road trip advice

[Owen Williams]

Week after next I'll be visiting a couple of my skills-course programs on college campuses. I'll be at Penn State on Monday and UMass Amherst on Tuesday before having a day somewhere between Amherst and NoVa to do some DIY trout fishing. 

Should I return to State College in Central PA? Stay in NE for small stream brookies? Any advice would be much appreciated, especially on fly shops where I can get good advice and flies for local conditions.

Thanks in advance!

Best, 

Owen Williams

[Gregg Rockett]

Hi Owen.  Stay away from Penn's Creek as there is a serious deer tick problem in the vicinity there right now.

https://www.media.pa.gov/pages/DEP_details.aspx?newsid=1533

How about stopping at the Tulpehocken Creek in Reading, PA for rainbows and browns.  I am pretty sure it is a year-round fishery.  There are plenty of hotels right near the creek and a great fly shop in downtown Reading for advice - TCO Fly Shop.  I had to visit there a few times a year in the mid-2000s and had some really nice days of trout fishing there.  Plus, it may be a pretty direct stopover on your way back to DC from Amherst.

Gregg

[Misha Gill]

Hi Owen,

Up there in western Mass are the Deerfield and Swift rivers, each of which are tailwaters. I think the Swift might be the better wading stream, the Deerfield is bigger and might be better tackled from a boat (look up my buddy Jonathan Bunker if that is ever part of the picture). I have only fished the Deerfield but I've seen an angler on Reddit who cleans up on the Swift. 

Penns Creek or Spring Creek would be awesome to return to as well, of course. Sulphurs might be going strong or petering out a bit, BWOs might be starting. It's pretty far out of your way to return there, though. Would suggest getting in an evening of fishing while you're passing through. 

[Gregg Rockett]

I said stay away from Penn’s Creek but meant Spring Creek.Penn’s Creek near Coburn could be an option in Central Pa.  Another good fly shop there is Feathered Hook.

[Owen Williams]

Great idea about hitting the water in the evening as I'm passing through! Maybe I'll just have to get up to State College on Sunday afternoon to visit TCO and fish the evening hatch at Spring Creek and then decide from there about Penns Creek at Coburn / Feathered Hook on the way back.  😀

[Owen Williams]

Thanks for the heads-up about the ticks, Gregg. They're no joke after these mild winters. 

I'll look up Tulpehocken in Reading--didn't know about it before now. 

On Friday, May 13, 2022 at 10:41:11 AM UTC-4 grock...@gmail.com wrote:

[namfos]

You could check out Pine Creek, Slate Run or Cedar Run just a little ways from State College.   https://www.facebook.com/WolfesGeneralStore/

Mark

[Owen Williams]

Will do, Mark!

[Andrew Sarcinello]

Hi Owen,

Are you steering clear of the I-95 corridor on your way back to VA? Central PA is well out of your way if you were to take the most direct route from MA to VA, but I 100% understand steering clear of 95 for traffic reasons. If you were to go down 95, the Lehigh Valley of PA (the area near Allentown) is known to have some good trout fishing. I have no experience there myself but a good friend of mine guides there and I could pass on some recommendations if you are interested. You can find good trout fishing almost anywhere in PA, and the famous streams in PA like the ones mentioned above are truly fantastic.

Andrew

[Owen Williams]

Thanks, Andrew! I'm always happy to hear about guide recommendations, especially for waters I don't know. 

I've fantasized about floating the Lehigh for smallies. Someday!

Best, 

Owen

[Andrew Sarcinello]

Owen, my friend said the best options in the Lehigh Valley for a quick visit, should you decide to head that direction, are Saucon Creek, Monocacy Creek, and the Bushkill in Easton. He said not to bother with Little Lehigh despite its ease of access and historical appeal - the stream has sadly declined. The internet will tell you the Saucon has declined also but my friend says that isn't the case at all, it is just a typical brown trout stream where some days the fish are rising everywhere and other days you will swear they are gone.

Good luck wherever you end up!