Aquashicola Creek Fishing Guides
A limestone-influenced Carbon County creek running the valley behind Blue Mountain into the Lehigh at Palmerton, with a stocked and wild trout fishery and a genuine environmental recovery story behind it.
Guides on the Aquashicola Creek
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About the Aquashicola Creek
Aquashicola Creek drains about seventy-seven square miles of Carbon and Northampton counties and runs west along the north face of Blue Mountain before entering the Lehigh River at Palmerton. The gauge sits in town near the mouth. The valley it follows is a classic Pennsylvania limestone-and-shale trough, and the creek picks up spring flow along the way that steadies it through the summer in a way the neighboring mountain freestone streams do not manage.
The creek is small, cobble-bottomed and quick, with short riffles and pools and a good deal of streamside cover where the corridor is wooded. Its history is unavoidable: Palmerton sat beneath zinc smelters for most of the twentieth century, and the resulting damage to the mountain and the water was severe enough to become one of the best known Superfund sites in the state. Remediation has run for decades, vegetation has returned to the mountain, and the creek fishes far better now than it did a generation ago.
Trout are the fishery. Pennsylvania stocks brown and rainbow trout here and there is wild reproduction in the cooler feeder water, with brook trout in the smallest headwater branches. The limestone contribution keeps temperatures workable into July in an average year. Toward the mouth at Palmerton the creek warms and smallmouth bass and rock bass come in from the Lehigh, along with fallfish, bluegill, white sucker and the occasional channel catfish.
Flows are flashy off the mountain and the creek colors quickly after storms, clearing again within a day. Wading is the only sensible way to fish it, and the creek is small enough that a careful angler can cover a useful amount of it on foot in an afternoon.
Palmerton is on the water and Lehighton and Jim Thorpe are close, with the Lehigh Gorge and its trail system immediately west.
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Access
Palmerton - the gauge location and the town at the creek mouth.
Lehigh River - the receiving river at Palmerton, with public access.
Lehigh Gorge State Park - public land and trail access on the river upstream.
Jim Thorpe - the nearest tourist base, with lodging, food and outfitters.
Lehighton - a neighboring town with fuel, tackle and services.
Blue Mountain - the ridge forming the south wall of the valley, with trail access.
Carbon County road crossings - bridge access at several points along the creek.
Seasons
Spring: stocking season and the highest water, with the best trout fishing once flows settle.
Summer: low and clear, with the limestone influence holding temperatures better than nearby freestone.
Fall: cool, stable and quiet, with wild browns active before the spawn.
Winter: cold and low, with fish holding deep and the creek largely to itself.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Aquashicola Creek?
As of Oct 18, 5:15 pm, the USGS gauge Aquashicola Creek at Palmerton, PA reads 57 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Aquashicola Creek?
Anglers target Bluegill, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Fallfish, Rainbow Trout, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker on the Aquashicola Creek in Pennsylvania.
Where can you access the Aquashicola Creek?
Palmerton - the gauge location and the town at the creek mouth. Lehigh River - the receiving river at Palmerton, with public access. Lehigh Gorge State Park - public land and trail access on the river upstream. Jim Thorpe - the nearest tourist base, with lodging, food and outfitters. Lehighton - a neighboring town with fuel, tackle and services. Blue Mountain - the ridge forming the south wall of the valley, with trail access. Carbon County road crossings - bridge access at several points along the creek.
When is the best time to fish the Aquashicola Creek?
Spring: stocking season and the highest water, with the best trout fishing once flows settle. Summer: low and clear, with the limestone influence holding temperatures better than nearby freestone. Fall: cool, stable and quiet, with wild browns active before the spawn. Winter: cold and low, with fish holding deep and the creek largely to itself.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Aquashicola Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Pennsylvania agency site: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat/fishing/regulations