No Foolin’: Trout season opens on April 1
If last Saturday’s Mentored Youth Trout Day served as the sneak preview, this Saturday’s regional trout opener represents the main event. Angling aficionados here in the southeastern corner of the state long ago circled April Fool’s Day as the most important “save the date” on their fishing calendar. When the opening bell sounds at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, stocked trout streams throughout our 18 county Southeastern Region can expect an angling cast of thousands to be on hand for the event.
As per usual this time of year, I went straight to the source for a few trout tips for fishermen eager to wet their lines on Saturday. That source, of course, is old reliable Bob Bonney, Waterways Conservation Officer for Northern Chester County. “Each year I offer my insight on which baits, lures, and flies you might have the best luck using to hook (and hopefully land) that elusive trophy brown or rainbow trout,” Bonney remarked. “These are all just educated guesses on my part, of course. I know all anglers have their favorite bait, fly, or artificial lure to use, so my advice to anglers is to start the day with the bait, lure or fly you have the most confidence in.
“But should that fail you, then you’ll need a backup plan. When that happens, try something different; that means different from what other anglers are using. In other words show the trout something entirely different than what everyone else is using. Show them something they haven’t seen yet and you might just be surprised. ‘Different’ could mean switching from or to live bait, perhaps a different color lure or fly, or maybe a larger or smaller size lure. Remember that trout eat some of the tiniest bugs around (I’m talking about the gnat size category). So far this season the catch and release fly fishermen on our Special Regulations waters have been having the greatest success on small flies (sizes 18-24).
“Additionally, you also need to be aware of your surroundings, the environment you’re in. I’m speaking about the trout’s world with consideration of water temperature, water level, water clarity, crowded water, etc. By changing it up a bit or by simply moving to another area to fish could make all the difference in just how successful your day will turn out. And remember, my stocking team and I pride ourselves in spreading out the fish and we do that by float stocking. What is a float stock you ask? Well come on out to one of our stockings and find out, it’s the best way to learn all of the best fishing spots on the creek.”
“I also need to thank my stocking team,” Bonney added, “and also Dame Juliana League Fly Fishers Club, West Chester Fish, Game and Wildlife Club, East Brandywine Trout and Conservation, Coventryville Trout Club, Chester County Sportsmen’s Club and Ray Neirle’s South Jersey Chapter of Trout Unlimited Club for their roles in stocking additional trout for kids rodeos as well as habitat improvements and litter details during the year along the streams. And a special thank you to all of the property owners for graciously allowing fishermen to pursue their passion of fishing.”
When it comes to stocking West Valley Creek, the West Chester Fish, Game, and Wildlife Association also relies heavily on volunteer efforts. I stopped by their trout nursery on Saturday morning to observe their preseason trout stocking efforts and speak with Mike Colley who has managed the WCFG&W trout nursery for ten years. “We’re stocking 650 brown and rainbow trout today in preparation for opening day on April 1 and also for the Regional Mentored Youth Trout Day today,” Colley advised. “The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission still stocks the Delayed Harvest stretches on West Valley Creek, but because of a lack of contiguous properties open to fishing, the state no longer stocks West Valley downstream of Boot Road, so that’s up to us. Throughout the season we’ll release between 2,000 and 3,000 trout in stream stretches open to fishing below Boot Road.”
A small army of youngsters and their mentors showed up on West Valley Creek that morning for the chance to creel a couple of trout in celebration of our regional Mentored Youth Trout Day. Jake Allen, age 7, mentored by his father Scott of West Chester, was among the first to pull a freshly stocked trout from the water. With masterful net work, young Jake claimed a nice brown that fell for his garden worm bait. The younger Allen apparently loves to fish. “He’s caught lots of trout and sunfish,” said his father, “and last year he caught a good sized eel right here.”
Although each youngster was permitted to keep two fish apiece for the day, mentors who were also fishing were required to release any trout they hooked. That all changes here on Saturday, April 1, when licensed anglers of all ages will be allowed to creel their five trout daily limit (with a minimum length of seven inches) through the season’s close on Sept. 4. While our Southeastern Regional trout season opens this Saturday, the rest of the state will have to wait until April 15 to legally creel their trout.
Regulated Trout Waters where anglers can expect to find fresh trout stocked by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission here in our neck of Penn’s Woods include the following:
Allegheny Creek (inseason only), Antietam Creek, Antietam Reservoir, Furnace Creek (Robesonia), Hay Creek, Kistler Creek, Little Lehigh Creek, Little Swatara Creek, Maiden Creek (confluence with Kistler Creek in Kempton downstream to dam in Lenhartsville), Manatawny Creek Mill Creek (trib. to Sacony Creek), Mill Creek (trib. to Schuylkill River)Mill Creek (trib. to Tulpehocken Creek), Northkill Creek Ontelaunee Creek (Spring House Road Bridge (SR 4024) downstream to mouth), Perkiomen Creek Pine Creek (trib to Maiden Creek), Sacony Creek (Bowers Road (T616) downstream to SR 222 Kutztown By-pass) Scotts Run Lake, Spring Creek Swamp Creek (approximately 350 yards above powerline, downstream to mouth in Morgantown), Tulpehocken Creek (Marion Twp R&G Club downstream to vicinity of Charming Forge Rd.), Willow Creek, Wyomissing Creek (headwaters downstream to SR 0222).
Beaver Creek(at Downingtown), Big Elk Creek Buck Run (Compass Rd. downstream to SR 372), East Branch Brandywine Creek (SR 4031 in Glenmoore downstream to U S Business Route 30 in Downingtown), East Branch Elk Creek, East Branch White Clay Creek, French Creek, Middle Branch White Clay Creek, Pickering Creek, Pocopson Creek, West Branch Brandywine Creek (SR 4005 Cedar Knoll downstream to SR 0340), West Valley Creek, White Clay Creek.
Deep Creek Dam, East Branch Perkiomen Creek (from near Salfordville Rd. downstream to Bergey’s Mill Rd. (in-season only), Kepner Creek, Loch Alsh Reservoir, Manatawny Creek, Pennypack Creek (Lorimer Park), Perkiomen Creek (county line downstream to first unnamed trib downstream of Fruitville Road (T-414)), Skippack Creek, Stony Creek, Unami Creek, Wissahickon Creek (from Lafayette Ave. downstream to Stenton Ave.).
Wherever Saturday’s sunrise finds you, good luck and tight lines. Be sure to collect any litter you see and always respect the rights of those property owners who have generously allowed you the privilege of fishing on their land.
Tom Tatum is an outdoors writer for Digital First Media