Worthington State Forest

[chrishogs]

Hello guys,

The second week in August I am planning a camping trip up to Worthington State Forest. Has anyone camped here before, how is the fishing up there?
I saw that Sunfish Pond is not that far from the campsite and from reviews is an amazing hike, can you fish this?

[thmyorke1]

I camped there twice before I got into fishing. We never checked out sunfish pond, unfortunately.

If you park at the bottom of the hills, on old mine road, the Delaware is right there and I've seen someone fish there before. I met a man named Richard that camps there a ton and he stated that he'd fish the Delaware when he camped up there for a prolonged time.

If you're parking at around mt Tammany's base just of rt 80, then you have a trout stream right by. Dunnfield creek.

The trail that leads to the campsite by sunfish pond sort of runs parallel to the creek but mind the trail build elevation so it's a bit of a steep way down/up if you want to cross between the two. I don't remember any trail connecting the two.

The campsite itself also has a lil creek that flows out of the mountain your on. That's where I got my water. Which was stained even after filtering it. No sickness afterwards. Plenty of frogs in the creek. I'm not sure about fish since it was tiny + I wasnt a fish nut back then to figure out.

Good luck.

[Eskimo]

.


Sunfish Pond is an acidic lake. It basically only contains stunted sunfish.
If you fish it hard enough you may find stunted fish of different species like perch or pickerel, but in the end it's not really worth your time to fish. Just enjoy the hike and the scenery.

There are a few other acid ponds up there that don't contain any worthwhile fish like Crater Lake.

I recommend you stick with the river.

When you're fishing the river, you have to keep in mind that you're fishing a park that receives FIVE MILLION visitors annually, with most of them visiting the park now in the mid-to-late summer.

Fishing will be anything but serene with:
-raucous riverside picnics blasting salsa music
-a constant log jam of outfitter canoes and kayaks floating down river
-the bucket brigade on shore and in their stupid inflatable rafts
-bass boats blasting up river on full plane.
-picnickers loitering around the boats ramps taking up parking spaces and getting in the way
-the deep pools occupied by swimmers
-remote controlled airplanes and drones

If you can handle the 'atmosphere' the fishing can be okay up there.


.

[Gerry Zagorski]

I've camped there several times, very nice place.... You'll see signs warning of bears in the area and I can attest first hand that they are fairly frequent visitors. Coolers and food have to be left in the car and out of view.

As far as fishing, never had any success fishing the Delaware from shore in that area.

Flatbrook is a short ride from there if you want to trout fish lots of Brookies but you'll need to work for them this time of year....

Sunfish pond as mentioned above is not known for it's fishing. There is a trail head to it and the Appalachian Trail right out side the park entrance, but it's a tough climb unless you are in really great shape and used to climbing.

[FASTEDDIE29]

Your better off heading up or down river a bit. The fishing on the river this year is nothing short of spectacular. Stripers, Walleye, Smallies, you name it, it's waiting for you on the Bid Dizzle!!! Stay away from boat traffic and you can do very well!

[chrishogs]

Originally Posted by FASTEDDIE29

Your better off heading up or down river a bit. The fishing on the river this year is nothing short of spectacular. Stripers, Walleye, Smallies, you name it, it's waiting for you on the Bid Dizzle!!! Stay away from boat traffic and you can do very well!

Any suggestion on what to fish?

[Dave B.]

'FastEddie' has given you the best advice so far. The big 'D' is certainly an under appreciated fishery, but to really enjoy it you'll have to get away from the more popular locations. As Gerry said the Flatbrook is about 30 minutes north of there, but don't expect to find the brookies he referred to in any numbers. By far the greatest population of trout in the Flatbrook is holdover stocked rainbows. They comprise over 90% of the present trout population, particularly in the mid to lower stream sections. There are also a very few smallmouth bass in the same mid to lower sections.
Just to the south of Worthington is the Paulinskill. This stream has an abundant smallmouth population along with a fair number of holdover stocked rainbows. Not too very far south of there is the Pequest, about 30 minutes from Worthington's campground area.
The Dunnfield Creek that 'thmyorke' mentioned is a designated 'Wild Trout Stream' which means Artificials Only, 2 fish limit at 9" minimum size. No bait of any kind allowed to be in your possession while on a WTS.
Finally, the black bear warnings are as mentioned completely legimate. Having camped in the area for decades as well as hunting and fishing the region for even longer, I've personally had literally hundreds of encounters with them. Those that frequent the various campgrounds in the region quickly become accustomed to seeking out food from campers, and as such they also gradually lose their natural aversion to humans. Keeping your foodstuffs properly secured will save you some aggravation and possibly the loss of your meals.
All else aside, I hope you have a great time and successful fishing!

[FASTEDDIE29]

Originally Posted by chrishogs

Any suggestion on what to fish?

If you bring Sencos, tube baits, nite crawlers and some of those over priced Keitech baits you can have a field day with just about everything that swims in the river. I've been catching fish all over that river. Most fish have been found in some current in 7-12 feet of water. The slower pools hold Carp this time of year. That fishery has been doing good as well. Throw a couple spinners in the arsenal and your good to go! I bring everything I own when I hit the river, LOL!!!

[Fred E. Goose]

Beautiful area, enjoy the scenic views...if you catch a fish while doing so, that makes it even better. I'd hit the Delaware up old mine rd. North of the campground...and like the others said, any spot you can access as far from the crowds as possible.

[bulletbob]

When I lived in NJ I fished there at the park several times.. never caught much... Chubs, a stray eel, and saw a guy catch a channel cat one night.. I don't think the park section of the river has the life that much of the rest of the river has... bob