trout fishing on the bushkill river in pennsylvania's pocono mountains by colin kearns

Pocono Mountain Trout Adventure: The Big Bushkill

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:00:00 -0400

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Before Joe Cermele and I joined the staff at F&S, we worked together at Salt Water Sportsman magazine. A few times a year, during the striped bass migration in the spring and fall, we'd duck out of the office to cast plugs in the Jersey Shore surf. Our boss didn't mind because he loved stripers. But he had no love for trout...he hated them. But now that Cermele and I work where being a trout bum is PC, we made plans to fish the Big Bushkill River at Resica Falls Boy Scout Reservation in Pennsylvania on Memorial Day weekend.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:00:00 -0400

The Bushkill holds browns and rainbows. The 'bows are all stocked, as are some of the browns. But there is also a healthy spawning population of stream-bred brownies.

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Cermele, who has fished the Bushkill for years, told me beforehand that browns outnumber rainbows by a big margin. That definitely turned out to the case on this trip. Here, I'm cradling one of the few 'bows we caught.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:00:00 -0400

This spot turned out to be my favorite of the day. I didn't catch as many as I did at the morning spot, but everything I did catch came on top. Switching to a nymph never crossed my mind. I tried a few options: a single Adams parachute, a PMD parachute paired with a rusty spinner, and some emergers. The most productive combo was an Adams-elk hair caddis duo.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:00:00 -0400