Pocono Trout Fishing Guide

The Poconos get treated as a summer destination, which means the trout fishing runs against the tourist calendar in a useful way. Monroe, Pike, Carbon, and Wayne counties hold a Keystone Select stream, several Delayed Harvest sections, wild brook trout water, and a long list of stocked streams and lakes, and the best months are the ones when the rental cabins sit empty.

This guide covers the four core Pocono counties plus the Lehigh River corridor, organized by what you actually drive to.

Monroe County

McMichael Creek

The Keystone Select water. A 2.42 mile Delayed Harvest section running from just below the Turkey Hill Road bridge downstream to the Glenbrook Road bridge, near Stroudsburg.

Keystone Select sections receive large trout at 14 to 20 inches, stocked at 175 to 225 per mile during the spring stocking periods. Delayed Harvest rules apply: artificial lures, flies, and streamers only, harvest limited to June 15 through Labor Day at three fish and a nine inch minimum, and zero harvest the rest of the year. Open year-round.

McMichael is also stocked outside the special regulation section, from above the Strawberry Hill Road bridge downstream and again from the Glenbrook Road bridge to the mouth. Our Keystone Select guide covers the program.

Brodhead Creek

The historic center of American fly fishing, and still a good stream. Stocked from above North 5th Street down to the I-80 bridge east of Exit 309. The Brodhead runs through Stroudsburg, so access is easy and pressure is real. Upstream of the stocked section the water gets more interesting and less traveled.

Tobyhanna Creek

Stocked from Mill Pond #1 to Still Swamp Run, with a one mile Delayed Harvest section running from the Still Swamp Run confluence downstream to the PPL service bridge. Tobyhanna Lake sits at the top of the system and is stocked as well. Tannin-stained water, higher elevation, and it stays cold later into summer than the valley streams.

Bush Kill and Resica Falls

The Bush Kill is stocked from the lower Resica Falls Boy Scouts of America boundary to the mouth in Monroe County, and there is a 6.1 mile catch and release fly-fishing only stretch on the Resica Falls Scout Reservation property, excepting 200 yards on each side of the falls. Fly tackle only there. Spinning gear is not permitted.

Pocono Creek and McMichaels Tributaries

Pocono Creek is stocked from Flagler Run to the McMichaels confluence. Small water, good for an hour before dinner if you are staying in Stroudsburg. Hidden Lake in Monroe County is in the year-round fishing program, which makes it one of the few Pocono options open during the late-winter closure.

Pike County

The quietest of the four counties and the one with the most public land.

• Bush Kill upper sections, from Pickerel Lake to the Delaware State Forest boundary and again from the upper Resica Falls boundary to the mouth.
• Lackawaxen River from 0.6 mile above Middle Creek to the mouth. Big water. This is a tailwater influenced by releases from Lake Wallenpaupack, which means flows change fast and the water stays cold in summer.
• Shohola Creek from SR 739 down to the State Game Lands #180 boundary.
• Saw Creek from the Bushkill Falls Road bridge to the State Forest boundary.
• Little Bush Kill, Middle Branch Bush Kill, Decker Brook, and Masthope Creek for small-stream anglers willing to walk.
• Lakes. Fairview Lake, Lake Minisink, Lake Loch Lomond, and Lower Lake in Promised Land State Park. Lily Pond and Little Mud Pond are in the year-round program.

Toms Creek

A 2.17 mile catch and release artificial lures only section running from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area boundary downstream to the mouth. No harvest at any time, artificial lures, flies, and streamers only.

Carbon County

Mud Run

A 2.5 mile Delayed Harvest section inside Hickory Run State Park. The gorge is steep and the walk in is real, which keeps the numbers down. Cold, clean water and one of the better Delayed Harvest experiences in the region.

Hickory Run

A 3.12 mile catch and release artificial lures only section from the outlet of Saylorsville Dam downstream to the mouth. Hickory Run Lake and the stocked section from the lake to Saylorsville Dam sit above it.

The Lehigh River

The Lehigh is the anchor water of the region and it fishes differently than everything else here. Two stretches are in the year-round fishing program: from the Francis E. Walter Reservoir outlet downstream to Sandy Run on the Carbon and Luzerne county line, and from 0.33 mile above the railroad bridge at Glen Onoko downriver to Mauch Chunk Creek.

The Francis E. Walter Reservoir itself is also in the year-round program. Releases from the reservoir control the river, and whitewater release schedules can change the water dramatically in a matter of hours. Check the release schedule before you plan a day, not after.

Other Carbon Water

Aquashicola Creek, Lizard Creek, Mauch Chunk Creek, Nesquehoning Creek, and Pohopoco Creek below Beltzville Lake are all stocked. Pohopoco is a bottom-release tailwater below Beltzville and stays cold when the freestone streams do not.

Wayne County

• Dyberry Creek from headwaters to mouth, with a 0.87 mile catch and release fly-fishing only section on Dug Road above the mouth. The East Branch and West Branch Dyberry are both stocked as well.
• Lackawaxen River from the Dyberry and West Branch confluence downstream past Honesdale.
• West Branch Lackawaxen River from Prompton Reservoir to the mouth.
• West Branch Wallenpaupack Creek carries a 1.74 mile Delayed Harvest section.
• Equinunk Creek, Shehawken Creek, and Van Auken Creek for small water.
• Duck Harbor Pond and Upper Woods Pond are in the year-round program.

Timing a Pocono Trip

Mid-February to opening day. Standard stocked waters close. Open options are the Delayed Harvest sections on McMichael, Tobyhanna, Mud Run, and West Branch Wallenpaupack, the catch and release sections on Hickory Run and Toms Creek, and the year-round waters including Hidden Lake, the Lehigh stretches, and Francis E. Walter Reservoir.

April and May. Peak stocking, peak fishing, and the tourist season has not started. This is the best combination of the year in the Poconos.

June through August. Elevation is your friend. Tobyhanna Creek, the upper Bush Kill, Mud Run in Hickory Run State Park, and the tailwater stretches on the Lackawaxen and Pohopoco hold temperature when the lower valleys do not. Fish at first light and get off the water by ten.

October through mid-December. Fall stocking hits selected waters, foliage peaks, and the summer crowd is gone. Our fall stocking guide covers the program.

What to Throw

Pocono water runs tannin-stained on the plateau streams and clear on the limestone-influenced valley water. Match accordingly.

On stained plateau water, go brighter and bigger. Gold-blade inline spinners in size 1 and 2, chartreuse marabou jigs, and black woolly buggers in size 8.

On clear valley water, downsize. Size 0 and 1 silver spinners, 4 pound fluorocarbon, and on fly gear a four weight with size 16 to 20 nymphs.

On the Delayed Harvest and catch and release sections, bait is illegal. So are molded worm, insect, and egg imitations. Legal options include marabou jigs, spinners, small spoons, countdown minnow baits, and any fly.

On the Lehigh, fish big. It is a large river with heavy flows. Streamers on a six weight, 1/4 ounce spoons, and three inch swimbaits. Wade conservatively and know the release schedule.

Access Notes

Private posting is common in the Poconos, more so than in the state forest counties to the west. A large share of the land around Stroudsburg and the Lake Wallenpaupack corridor is private or association-owned.

Public options are strong where they exist. Hickory Run State Park, Promised Land State Park, Delaware State Forest, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and the State Game Lands parcels along Shohola and Masthope all provide reliable access.

The Wild Brook Trout Bonus

The Poconos hold more wild brook trout water than any other region within easy reach of the eastern cities, and it sits alongside the stocked program rather than competing with it.

The small headwater tributaries feeding the Bush Kill, the Lackawaxen, Tobyhanna Creek, and the streams draining the Delaware State Forest carry naturally reproducing brook trout. These are not stocked fish and they are not large. A seven inch native brookie in a plunge pool under hemlocks is the point, not a disappointment.

Wild trout streams carry their own designations and regulations, which differ from stocked trout rules. Check the classification before you fish and before you keep anything. Many of these waters also run on state forest and game lands, so access is fully public.

The practical play is to fish the stocked water in the morning when the fish are active and spend the afternoon walking a headwater with a three weight and a box of dry flies.

Fishing Around the Tourist Calendar

The Poconos run on a vacation economy, and that shapes the fishing more than most anglers account for.

Memorial Day through Labor Day is peak tourism. Lodging is expensive, the lakes are full of boats and swimmers, and the popular access points are crowded with people who are not fishing. Fish early or fish the walk-in water.

April and May are the sweet spot. Stocking is at its peak, lodging is cheap, and the summer crowd has not arrived. This is the best combination of the year.

October and November are the second best window. Foliage brings a different crowd that mostly stays in cars, fall stocking hits selected waters, and temperatures are ideal.

January through March is empty. The Delayed Harvest and year-round waters stay open, ski traffic keeps the roads plowed, and you will not see another angler.

Flows and the Two Dams

Two impoundments control a large share of the fishable water in this region, and both publish release information worth checking.

Francis E. Walter Reservoir controls the upper Lehigh. Whitewater releases turn a wadeable river into a raft run, and the schedule is published in advance. Fishing the Lehigh below the dam without checking is a good way to waste a drive or worse.

Lake Wallenpaupack controls the Lackawaxen through hydroelectric releases. Flows swing on a generation schedule rather than a recreation schedule, which means the river can come up fast with no rain. The upside is cold water through summer.

Beltzville Lake feeds Pohopoco Creek through a bottom release, which keeps that stretch cold when everything else in Carbon County is too warm. It is the most reliable summer trout water in the region for that reason.

Quick Reference

• Best big fish. McMichael Creek Keystone Select section, Monroe County.
• Best walk-in solitude. Mud Run in Hickory Run State Park.
• Best summer water. Tobyhanna Creek, upper Bush Kill, Pohopoco below Beltzville, Lackawaxen below Wallenpaupack.
• Best big-river fishing. The Lehigh, with the release schedule checked first.
• Fly-only sections. Bush Kill at Resica Falls, Dyberry Creek on Dug Road.
• Open in late winter. Delayed Harvest sections, the catch and release sections, and the year-round waters.

Section boundaries and stocking lists are revised annually. Verify your water against the current PFBC regulations summary before the drive.