I will be up near lehighton this weekend by the NE extension of the PA turnpike. I know the Pohopoco creek is there. Any tips for a real newbie to fish on this stream or any other local streams I could try to get my feet wet so to speak? Thanks guys/gals!
try right below Beltzville dam. Also about 400 ft downstream there is a low head dam. Try above and right below the dam they are both good spots. You are more than likely to come across few “locals” that know the creek much better than me. Just ask them…
BTW if the discharge from the dam is high stay away (ususally few days after rain).
The current in the Pohopoco is much stronger than it looks.
Thanks for the tips!
Hi Tom - This ought to help:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/uv/?site_no=01449800&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010
Up to 100 cfs: normal conditions.
100 to 200: still OK.
200 - 300: be careful
over 300: stay home
The bigger fish tend to hide under the laurel at the banks.
If you wet wade it, you will freeze - bottom discharge = very cold water.
Don’t expect big fish - 14" is a trophy there.
I fish this stream a lot, so if you want to include it in our “fish tour”, I’m sure I can point out lots of good spots.
HI TOM ; FISHED THE POHOPOCO FRI, MORNING THE 23rd. SMALL PMD’S 22-24’S AND OLIVE CADDIES 16 'S HATCHING. NOTHING RISING; I USED A BEADHEAD OLIVE PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH AND CAUGHT A FEW TROUT . MISSED 6 ON A SIZE 20 OLIVE SCUD?? GOOD LUCK.
>)))):>
Thanks for the tips…I was there this AM 8am…waded…cold…noting that was rising…like I said new to the fly fishing so I dont expect much when I go out right now…lol…got to wade for the first time…just trying things out …thanks again!
Tom
Hatches Start 0900 -0930, Last Until 1100 And Just Before Dark In The Evening.
>)))):>
Yellow Sallys right at dusk can get the fish looking up. Not a heavy “hatch”, but enough of the egg laying adults to make it fun. The bats usually put an end to my fishing up there - they can get intense! They’ll pick a parachute sulphur right off the water. Don’t want to hurt the little guys, so I just pack it in for the night. The last thing you want is a hooked bat in your net (don’t ask me how I know this). 
Here’s a great pattern for a Yellow Sally (little yellow stonefly) on the Po:
http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/details.cfm?parentID=111
The old timers call the Pohopoco “Big Creek”. A friend of mine had a cabin streamside before the lake was built, but it is now at the bottom of the lake. IMHO, this stream could benefit greatly from C&R regs - the “meat hunters” pummel it pretty hard.
Platz’s Restaurant is a great place for a burger and a beer at the end of the day…
Great info!!..Bats!!..hahahahah now that would be interesting!!..Thanks for the info guys and the link to the fly. Have to try tying that one.
When I got to the creek yesterday morn around 8:30 or so I seen light colored tan small fllies all over the surface. What type might these have been?
Probably midges. If they were dancing around just above the surface, that’s my guess. If the fish are feeding on them, you might try a zebra midge dropper off of a larger dry, like a caddis. Stealth is a good thing on the Po - those fish do get spooky. A San Juan worm works well there, but I almost never fish the bottom there. There’s always a few kamikazies that’ll hammer a dry fly even if there isn’t a lot of bugs on the water. My typical searching pattern is a size 16 cdc/elk caddis dry. Most of my time there is spent in the evenings, except when the big olives hatch (Cornutas). Sulphur duns also come off pretty heavily in the mornings at times, which isn’t the norm elsewhere. Because the water is so cold, there are sulphurs there sometimes into September!
Yes these were very small flies…on water and a foot or so off the top of it. Did not seem like there were may deep spots or holes where I was. Did not wade that far from dam.