Portland Met Ed Access on the Delaware?

[lehighdrifter]

Hello Everybody,
I tried to find this access last year but could not but I was on the PA side and now the PAFBC site has the launch listed on the NJ side, last year it was listed on the PA side. Does anybody know if this access was closed or if I was just on the wrong side of the river? Can't find anything on Google Earth, even the locals in Portland had no idea what I was talking about. Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[JeffK]

I don't know if the Portland Access is open anymore - the Martins Creek power plant downstream a ways has a ramp. Maybe the Delaware River Family Campground in Delaware, NJ has a ramp you can use to get to that pool, but you need to get up the riffles under the RR bridge. However, the river is low and the rapids are a little bony this year. Yesterday I was fishing by Doe Hollow and one guy got stuck trying to get up the rapids and I saw no other tries. Typically, I see plenty of guys motoring up those rapids.

For cartop boat launching there are a number of places to park and hump your boat down the hill.

 

[Stonefly]

There is a campground on the PA side just south of the power plant and a good distance above the NJ campground, not sure what the fee is to use the ramp, but it could hurt to ask, it the Driftstone on the Delaware 2731 River Road
Mount Bethel, PA 18343
(570) 897-6859 / (888) 355-6859

Per their website the rent boats.

 

[lehighdrifter]

Thanks guys, I've emailed Driftstone and tried to call them a few times but no answer or reply, I'll keep on that.

I've launched in Belvidere and floated through the "dreaded" Foul Rift a few times to Martins Creek and from there to Easton and Sandts Eddy. I'm using a drift boat or cataraft, prolly the cat for now, so flow is not a huge issue for me just need to find a launch. I've never been to Doe Hollow but I heard it was a mess and somebody else I talked to said that they thought it was closed. Maybe I'll have to look into that launch as well.

Thanks again, if I find anything out I'll post it for everyone's reference but I'm guessing Portland is no longer available.

 

[JeffK]

Doe Hollow is hand launch only and the floods a few years tore it up. However, I've seen worse places to launch. The Belvidere launch is on the same pool about a mile downstream.

FYI, I have been fishing smallies around Doe Hollow and have done OK. However, the big fish hunters have been doing well - I have seen pictures of a 53" muskie and a handful of flatheads that look to be between 4 feet and 5 feet long (guy claimed to largest one weighed 95 lbs). Throw in carp and stripers, and that section of river can produce 20 lbs + fish of 4 species - if you want to put in the time.

 

[The Royal Coachman]

I have to admit I haven't been doing as well as usual with the smallies this year. On the 4th I only caught one fish! and that was in the first few casts! I was going to try down river more towards Belvidere next time out. Above the Wallpack bend there was a lot of floating algae. It made the river unfishable.

 

[lehighdrifter]

Driftstone does not allow people to use their ramp if they're not camping there. Funny, the campgrounds on the Susquehanna and Juniata make a few bucks charging for boat launches which me and everybody else are happy to pay. Oh well.

 

[beeber]

There is a small boat launch above the Portland footbridge on the Jersey side and below the Portland footbridge on the PA side. I've launched my pontoon boat from both and prefer the Jersey launch, it is a steep walk on the PA side. I fished that section on Friday 7-2 from Kittany to Belvidere. There is a lot of salad in the water around Portland. We did well for smallies early and late, mid day was not very good at all. If you want to do a toon float sometime, I am game for that.

bill

 

[lehighdrifter]

Thanks Beeber, that's the best intel I've gotten in two years on access in that area. Is the launch on the Jersey side big enough for a small trailer? My boat is a little too big to not be on a trailer. Maybe you can hop in the boat with me sometime.

 

[Ryan R]

There is a small boat launch above the Portland footbridge on the Jersey side and below the Portland footbridge on the PA side. I've launched my pontoon boat from both and prefer the Jersey launch, it is a steep walk on the PA side. I fished that section on Friday 7-2 from Kittany to Belvidere. There is a lot of salad in the water around Portland. We did well for smallies early and late, mid day was not very good at all. If you want to do a toon float sometime, I am game for that.

bill

There is an actual launch? Good to know, I just thought the canoe livery's carried their kayaks or canoes down from the road there in Portland. I wasn't sure if the public could launch there. Is the Jersey one new? I think I know where you are talking about, looks new.

I know there used to be a boat launch below the Portland Bridge, within the Met Ed property but that was at one time quasi-public but you had to access it thru Met Ed and I think there were problems with the gate to the access road being closed. For a few years then it was basically private and it's now been closed for several years.

BTW Beeber, I've got a 2-man Scadden now as well my single.

 

[beeber]

lehighdrifter,

Glad I could help. The Jersey launch is primitive, the parking lot and ramp are unpaved packed dirt. You should be able to launch a toon on a trailer. Be careful if it's wet out. I don't think you can launch a full size boat there. Even if you could, you wouldn't be able to get very far. Go back in Google Earth, find the footbridge and follow that street north until you find a dirt turn off.

I don't know how new this is, I've been using it for a couple of years. It seems like it might be part of a small park, maybe not. I don't recall seeing the launch on the list of official launches. I think we floated to Portland one day, noticed this and investigated.

Ryan, congrats on the 2 man. Sounds nice. If you want to give it a work out sometime, let me know.

 

[lehighdrifter]

OK, thanks again. I'll take a look and if I can find it I'll try to post some pics on Google Earth for others. It's not clear where the dirt turn off is, there's about four houses upstream of the footbridge and then the road turns 90 degrees away from the river it looks like there might be a dirt turn off near the last house before the turn but I don't want to drive through someone's yard accidentally. I might try this friday with the "cool down".

Beeber, it's not near the remnants of the old train bridge is it?