Give us a try!
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Big Flat Brook
- Thread starter snjchef
- Start date
Should be worth it. The famed Werner's Hole/Hemlocks (or "turn by Rosies" for the old NJTROUT crew) holds fish all summer. Usually OK temps unless a real hot spell. Above 206 the Flat Brook can be awful low; the lower stretches can be warm. The few miles below 206 seem to be the sweet spot for summer fishing.
Now for the rub. Those fish are likely to be in low, clear water (unless this rainy spell holds up) and have been fished hard for months. My strategy is to either go tiny (the fish are sucking in microscopic stuff all day) or crazy. Sometimes a micro egg, chamois worm, Infamous Pink Worm (IPW), Red Hot (a red green weenie) or your favorite junk fly will work if nothing else does. Never know what those stocked rainbows will hit. However they have probably seen too many 16 pheasant tails or 14 hare's ears to work. You have to go outside the box in summer. Even if the fish are tough, it is a pretty spot with trout you can spot.
Another option is to find a spot on the Delaware and fish for smallies. The river is pretty up in that neck of the woods and the smallies are active. My general tastes run to buggers, crayfish, or some sort of natural colored pattern bounced at the bottom of riffles during the day or topwaters/pencil poppers fished early or late when fish are hunting the shallow for minnows. Chucking minnow patterns like chartreuse and white Clousers or Murdick minnows never hurts. I generally like spots from Poxono boat launch up all the way to NYS.
Now for the rub. Those fish are likely to be in low, clear water (unless this rainy spell holds up) and have been fished hard for months. My strategy is to either go tiny (the fish are sucking in microscopic stuff all day) or crazy. Sometimes a micro egg, chamois worm, Infamous Pink Worm (IPW), Red Hot (a red green weenie) or your favorite junk fly will work if nothing else does. Never know what those stocked rainbows will hit. However they have probably seen too many 16 pheasant tails or 14 hare's ears to work. You have to go outside the box in summer. Even if the fish are tough, it is a pretty spot with trout you can spot.
Another option is to find a spot on the Delaware and fish for smallies. The river is pretty up in that neck of the woods and the smallies are active. My general tastes run to buggers, crayfish, or some sort of natural colored pattern bounced at the bottom of riffles during the day or topwaters/pencil poppers fished early or late when fish are hunting the shallow for minnows. Chucking minnow patterns like chartreuse and white Clousers or Murdick minnows never hurts. I generally like spots from Poxono boat launch up all the way to NYS.
greg s
Fishizzle, I use worms but I'm looking to upgrade!
One other thought on the Flat Brook. You're at a higher elevation than most of NJ, keep an eye on your overnight air temps. If you get into the high 50's late night/early morning, you should have good water in the AM. Like Jeff said, the Delaware has great smallmouth fishing, and you should be able to find some.
