MAY 2011 STREAM REPORT

Pocono Mountain Streams

The Pocono Mountain streams are abuzz with insect activity,as Hendricksons, March Browns & Caddis are hatching. Mornings & late afternoons are best times for hitting the water.

The Tobyhanna offered up this fine brookie to the right & others last Saturday. Best hits came on Flashback Pheasant tails & GR Hare's Ear nymphs, sizes 12 thru 16. Black Buggers with green pearlescent flashabou or mirror flash in sizes 4 thru 10 are always a productive pattern on the Toby. Caddis larvae & pupae sizes 14-16 in green, tan & olive are a good choice as well.

Try dries later in the day. Caddis, Hendricksons & March Brown dry patterns will fill the bill. Try a tandem dry/nymph rig at the beginning of a hatch, or a dry/emerger combo (dry/pupa pattern for caddis).

Fished a private part of the Swiftwater last week. Got this beautiful tiny brookie to the right. He nailed a size 14 Adams. Don't be afraid to improvise & try some attractor patterns on the less frequented streams, as well as the old tried & true flies.

SE PA Limestoners

Hit Valley Creek in Chester County with an old friend on Monday. First time I'd been there in quite a while. Stream looked to be in fine shape. Fish were rising to caddis, sometimes very enthusiastically, around mid-morning. Saw yellow craneflies, as well as a BWO, here & there. Got a few hits, didn't stick any, though. My friend Mike is a newbie to the fly-fishing madness. Got a few hits himself. Best times to hit are mornings by 8 AM and later afternoons. The Sulphurs will rule the stream come dusk any day now (if they haven't already)-hope to do some early evening fishing there real soon. Remember that in the beginning days of the Sulphur hatch to hit the stream around 4 or 5 PM. As the hatch progresses, they'll make their appearance at dusk (around 8 or 8:30PM). Riffly areas are where you want to be. Size 16's in a pale yellow are the order of the day. After a few weeks, try a size 18 or 20, with an orange-yellow (sometimes with a little olive thrown in) color. This is a smaller species of the sulphur that pretty much will last into the latter half of June. Tight Lines!