Recommendation of best options for week long fishing excursion week of June 21

[Gregg Rockett]

Hey TPFR Fam.

I have bachelor status for the week of 21 June and plan on road tripping anywhere 6 hours or so from the DC area - far south as Cherokee National Forest or up into central NY.  But with this heat, I am sure the trout stream are two warm (I note the comments in the Rose River post recently).

So am I right to pass up trout fishing and instead put in my kayak in some salt water for stripers, blues, sea trout, etc?  I am looking for suggestions of where to camp/put in if that is the case.

Thanks to all of you for always being willing to put us readers straight!

Gregg Rockett

www.therockettman.com

[Rob]

Flies By Two Brothers told me about the ‘Bahamas of west Virginia’ 

Summersville Lake

https://goo.gl/maps/1PRbQivqrHFN6V8y9

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 6, 2021, at 12:46 PM, Gregg Rockett <grock...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey TPFR Fam.

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[Carl Z.]

I would consider the Erie PA region for Smallmouth.  Though they might not be in the rivers at that time. 
Plan to be flexible.  Temperature and Water levels are going to drive fishing choices.  There might be good trout fishing in North Central PA or the Catskills if there is a cool spell and some rain (we need rain).  Morning and evening fishing in the South Central PA region should be ok (they are spring fed),  But Smallmouth would be my preference if you want to plan ahead.  Even that is iffy due to potential heavy rain anywhere.  Welcome to fly fishing in the Mid-atlantic region.

New River?  Stay closer to home and upper Potomac?  Or hop on a plane, rent a cheap car (if you can find one) and camp out west.  

Carl

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[Kevin KB]

I have heard second hand that parts of the New River in south west Virginia is hot  for smallmouth right now.

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[Doug Graebner]

I will second-third the suggestions for south-central PA, Harrisburg, and the State College area's spring creeks. You could also check out the Shenandoah and upper Potomac, but the other respondents in here seem to have a better handle on the smallies (although I keep getting told that I should fish the James upstream of Lynchburg, never mind that I don't have any good rods for smallies down here). One other option I don't think that has been mentioned for trout is the Savage/North Branch of the Potomac system; they're both tailwaters so should stay good well into the summer (and only ~3 hours from DC!) But yes, a lot will depend on water level. Erie, PA seems like a good option as well for lake smallies based on some articles I read a while back about then, and that may be less sensitive to rainfall (although I don't know jack about lake fishing).

If you have your heart set on trout as an option, you could also do a combined trip-a few days on say the Susquehanna or Shenandoah and some time on spring creeks near where you go.

[Doug Graebner]

OH ALSO-I paid a visit to Mossy Creek last week and while I didn't really fish much the fish were pretty active on the surface late in the evening. I don't think that'll support an entire trip but maybe as a sideshow for a Shenandoah smallie float or pit stop en route to somewhere like the New River it could be good.

[Jamie Gold]

You might consider some bottom discharge tailwaters river such as:

Smith River - wild browns and stocked rainbows

S Fork of the Holston

Upper Delaware River in New York

If you are willing to drive further, the Upper Holston and Farmington Rivers in CT are pretty awesome. 

If you want a variety of fishing on one river, try the Juniata in PA.  From trout in the Little J and the Frankstown Branch, to freshwater stripers in Raystown Lake (formed by Army Corps of Engineers dam on the Juniata), to smallmouth fishing, especially from Lewistown down to the confluence with the Susquehanna.

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[Yambag Nelson]

I think the upper delaware would be a great choice.  Those rivers stay cold all summer with consistent sulfur hatches pretty much daily.  There are a couple other tailwaters in the catskills that would make for an diversion if you want to do something different for a day or two.  The beaverkill usually stops fishing around that time but rain and cool temperatures can keep that as an option as well.

[Jamie Gold]

Sorry, just noticed a typo in my post. The river in CT is the upper Housatonic.  Sorry for the confusion. 

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[Gregg Rockett]

Thanks to Rob, Carl Z, Doug G, Jamie G, Kevin KB and Nelson for all the suggestions.  I will report back to the group of my experience.  I appreciate this group's unwavering willingness to share on this forum.  Gregg Rockett

[Rob Shane]

If I had a week to myself I'd head up to Hancock, NY. You could pick apart brook trout streams during the day and fish the hatches on the delaware in the evenings. If you decided you wanted to kayak for smallmouth one day the Delaware has that too only a short drive down river this time of year. The NB susquehanna is also an easy drive away. Plenty of small, medium, and large lakes nearby too should that be your fancy. Camping is a little hard to come by but not impossible to find and enough motel rooms and lodges around that finding a place to stay shouldn't be that hard either. Or you can sleep in the back of your car at the boat ramp as long as you don't get caught. It doesn't get better than June on the Delaware anywhere in the east coast if trout is your thing. 

[Gregg Rockett]

Thank you, Rob Shane.  Looking increasingly like the Delaware is the option.  I appreciate all the guidance.  Gregg Rockett

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[Alec Hicks]

Gregg,

    Just to throw a curve ball out there.  It seems like you were kind of interested in trying to catch some fish in the salt water.  If I had a week to myself in the summer, I'd head to the Outerbanks.  If you want to kayak and fish, you can camp at the Oregon Inlet Camp Ground and hit the sound in your kayak by Bodie Island.  There are many other places in the OBX to fish in your kayak with a fly in the sound as well.  There are plenty of Puppy Drum & Speckled Trout to catch.  With that being said, there aren't any fly shops down there, so be sure to bring all your leader and flies if you go.  

Also, if you feel comfortable in your kayak you could go out front on the beach and get a chance at some Blues, Spanish Mackerel, and a chance at other bigger fish like cobia.  

Just saying...  I'd rather be fishing the salt, but I'm sure you'll have a blast wherever you end up!

Tight lines buddy!

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[Gregg Rockett]

I appreciate the guidance, Alec.  I will consider that option.  Gregg Rockett

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[Doug Graebner]

My dad used to LOVE the upper Delaware, although I struggled the one time I fished it, incompetent nincompoop that I am. Never fished the S. Fork Holston, although I did go on a trip to Damascus VA and very much liked spending time there. TBH if the fishing's an utter wash on the S. Fork Holston, the VA Creeper trail and AT in that area should make for a nice little excursion too.

*also there's Whitetop Laurel Creek near there, although that's a freestoner so I have grave doubts about how good the fishing will be in June. But we'd be talking well up in the mountains and it's a pretty large stream so there's an off chance it'll be good maybe? God I want to go back and give it a shot.

On Sunday, June 6, 2021 at 9:44:03 PM UTC-4 jkg...@gmail.com wrote:

[Misha Gill]

Just drive right on past the S. Fork of the Holston (in VA) and head to the South Holston River near Bristol, TN. That would be my destination if I had a 6 hour radius driving distance from DC trip to plan. I hear very good things about the Delaware though, Art can attest, and I imagine your wheels are already in motion, but if weather forces you to adjust.... Back to the South Holston for a moment, when there's no generation happening, you can wade clear across the stream (like 100+ ft in most places) and fish to rising fish all day. They munch sulfurs this time of year, but there are also midges and blue wing olives in other seasons. Fishing the South Holston, its very spring creek like in that the currents are a gentle meander (again, assuming no generation occurring), and the water is exceptionally clear, but the key difference is the bottom is firm and wadeable, albeit slippery from the didymo. You have a lot of options in the area; you could mix it up by heading to the Watauga River or checking out blue lines in the area, and I'm sure there's bass fishing around as well. 

Regarding the South Fork of the Holston, it's a much smaller stream with less open water. I checked it out one time, and did ok. It's primarily stocked rainbow water (Buller fish hatchery is situated on the stream), the fish naturalize really well, and get to be mega sized. But you gotta fish peanuts to them (by which I mean, midge larvae imitations). The fish I hooked into were like 16" but only after I fished through all the water once with typical setups and got zero looks. They're just on the midges alllll day. There are thirty inchers in there. But there's not a ton of water, and if you're going that far, keep on going to the South Holston, which is epic and worth the multiple day exploration trip.

I need to try the Delaware. Throw it on the pile.

[Owen Williams]

Thanks for the positive report on the South Holston, Misha. I'll be there and the Watauga in mid-July for three days of floating, targeting smallies and browns (and, possibly, stripers on the lake to try something entirely new). 

Best, 

Owen

[Gregg Rockett]

Misha.  Thanks for the guidance.  I booked a camp site on the Beaverkill for next week and will give a report back to the group on my experience of the Catskills.  Gregg

On Monday, June 7, 2021 at 6:31:04 PM UTC-4 Doug Graebner wrote:

[Misha Gill]

You're welcome Owen! Hope you have an epic trip, I'm very jealous of the extravaganza you have planned. Good luck on the Beaverkill Gregg, that oughta be amazing as well, looking forward to your report. 

[Misha Gill]

Owen, one other note for the Holston, here's a tip for fishing the sulfurs. They sell a lot of CDC comparaduns at the shops down there, and they work really well, just don't forget your silica dust of choice (the brush ones, like Frog's Fanny, work better for working the silica dust into CDC fibers). If you find yourself presenting the fly downstream, definitely let your fly swing after the dead drift presentation is complete. I had one day where the fish were porpoising out of the water for my fly when I did that. Super fun. Ugh another note just came to me. I used a 5' furled leader to get an extra long leader, and it helped. Those fish are spooky in the low water. You'll primarily fish 6x tippet, and may even need 7x flouro at times. Once you figure out the rig, it's stellar.

[Owen Williams]

Excellent advice again, MIsha. 7X will be a great challenge!

Many thanks for your generosity (a hallmark of this group). 

Best, 

Owen

[Doug Graebner]

Do you have advice on furled leaders in general? I've wanted to experiment with them for standard tackle now that I tried tenkara on Mossy and noticed how much less lining-sensitive the fish were with a tenkara leader.

On Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 4:03:48 PM UTC-4 mish...@gmail.com wrote:

[Misha Gill]

Well, "use them" in spooky fish scenarios, and don't make them yourself. The prefab options are superior to anything you will make because they will be tapered appropriately and won't come untwisted. 

I've attached some tasty pictures of the South Holston. The portrait of me is from 2010! I'm standing on the banks of the old campsite that was an "in the know" spot you could camp right on the river back when it was Judson Mottern's property. His two children inherited it, the son sold his piece upstream of the campsite and an old couple bought the property and put a cabin on it, if my memory from the last time I visited in 2016 serves. Then, the daughter wanted to establish a commercial interest called Pursuit Farms on the old campsite and formalize the thing, but it seems she was unable to change the zoning, and the campsite is defunct now. Which totally sucks cause that access spot was amazing.

[Gregg Rockett]

Hey TPFR Fam.

I just got back from my fishing adventure to the Catskills and I want to thank all of you for your suggestions for the excursion.  To Misha, Rob S, Kevin KB, Doug G, et al, the suggestions were all great.  But the suggestions from Nelson and Carl to try Catskills/Hancock area was a pretty compelling one - remote, pretty cheap campgrounds and lots of fishing options.  Not to mention, I was born in nearby Poughkeepsie and grew up camping in the area a few times.  So there was an emotional connection as well.

It was amazing fishing.  I decided to not get a guide, but did visit local fly shops for guidance, maps and to buy flies that would work locally.  I camped at the Beaverkill State Park on a site next to the Beaverkill river (which I fished each night before going to bed).  Fished a good part of the Beaverkill and Willowemoc and spend a few hours on the last day on the West Branch of the Delaware.  I did not catch fish in epic proportions, but I did catch each day and on each river, mostly browns and ranging from 6-8" wild browns to 18" whoppers.

If anyone wants specifics on where and how for the future, feel free to email me at grock...@gmail.com.  Keep an eye out for a blog post on the experience at www.therockettman.com/fishing.

Thanks to you all.  This is a very supportive group!  Gregg

[Doug Graebner]

aw dammit now I want to go up to the catskills and fish there. Maybe as a post-job-hunt, week or two before i start at wherever I wind up trip?

[Doug Graebner]

maybe give th upper delaware a shot again in the hope that I've improved enough at fishing for it to be worth it.

[Owen Williams]

Good news, Misha! We only needed to go to 6x tippet and size 20 midges. (NB, out of the water for < 30 seconds and swam away strongly thanks to before and after rejuvenating)

[Misha Gill]

Wow, what a hell of a fish!! Nicely done.

Did you give the stripers a shot?

[Owen Williams]

No, we targeted smallies on the third day. I didn't do much, but my dad got his PB, so it wasn't a complete wash.

I hear that George Layton at Orvis Tysons has spots for his fall trip if anyone is interested. I'll definitely be going back.