afishinado
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P
PaScoGi
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- May 3, 2021
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Questions for experienced Lehigh River Fly Fishing guys:
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a typical stocked free stone stream that is cleaned out by May and too warm to fish, and 10 being the best trout stream ever (like Penns, etc), what number would you give the Lehigh? (based on your experience) be honest?
Is it even possible to nymph without saying goodbye to a dozen flys throughout the day? Seems like so many boulders and snag city. At least in some of the smaller streams in PA you can walk out to the middle and retrieve a few nymphs that got snagged.
How do the releases by the Army affect the trout behavior? Is it better to fish it when they dont do the release so it is somewhat wadable?
Thanks for any help. I have been so intrigued by this river I bike and run the D&L trail all the time and think this river could be so epic, yet it just seems so impossible to fish.
Mods, this might be a good power point presentation to do with some guest speaker like the summer and fall fishing presentations that were done over the past year.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a typical stocked free stone stream that is cleaned out by May and too warm to fish, and 10 being the best trout stream ever (like Penns, etc), what number would you give the Lehigh? (based on your experience) be honest?
Is it even possible to nymph without saying goodbye to a dozen flys throughout the day? Seems like so many boulders and snag city. At least in some of the smaller streams in PA you can walk out to the middle and retrieve a few nymphs that got snagged.
How do the releases by the Army affect the trout behavior? Is it better to fish it when they dont do the release so it is somewhat wadable?
Thanks for any help. I have been so intrigued by this river I bike and run the D&L trail all the time and think this river could be so epic, yet it just seems so impossible to fish.
Mods, this might be a good power point presentation to do with some guest speaker like the summer and fall fishing presentations that were done over the past year.
Tigereye
Well-known member
Well first, Merry Christmas!
How does the Lehigh rate? I'm sure that we will have as many views as you do anglers. It is all a matter of what your looking for. Here is my opinion which is worth as much as you paid for it.
When the river is "ON" fishing can be fantastic rivaling many blue ribbon streams east and west. Likewise there are days when you would doubt it held fish at all. Overall though, best fishing is March thru October. Fish can be caught year round, but winter is tough. TIGEREYE RATING: 7
As far as seclusion, access, scenery and overall experience, it is top 3 or 4 in the state. TIGEREYE RATING: 9
Ease of walking/fishing. TIGEREYE RATING: 3
Fish abundance/ quantity- stocked and wild: lots of stocked fish and a smattering of wild mixed in. Enough fish to keep interest high and maintain positive attitude.TIGEREYE RATING: 6
Fish quality. Majority of fish are stocked or holdovers.
Stocked fish average about 12 inches. 16+ not uncommon and a few slammers. Holdovers tend to be on the largerside too. Fish coloration is stunning in wild fish. TIGEREYE RATING: 7
Overall rating I would give it a 7.
As for nymph fishing, you need to pick your spots, timing and technique. When the river is high, it's tuff sledding. Pick shallower sections or fish close to banks and backwaters. Fishing is much better when flows at WH are
How does the Lehigh rate? I'm sure that we will have as many views as you do anglers. It is all a matter of what your looking for. Here is my opinion which is worth as much as you paid for it.
When the river is "ON" fishing can be fantastic rivaling many blue ribbon streams east and west. Likewise there are days when you would doubt it held fish at all. Overall though, best fishing is March thru October. Fish can be caught year round, but winter is tough. TIGEREYE RATING: 7
As far as seclusion, access, scenery and overall experience, it is top 3 or 4 in the state. TIGEREYE RATING: 9
Ease of walking/fishing. TIGEREYE RATING: 3
Fish abundance/ quantity- stocked and wild: lots of stocked fish and a smattering of wild mixed in. Enough fish to keep interest high and maintain positive attitude.TIGEREYE RATING: 6
Fish quality. Majority of fish are stocked or holdovers.
Stocked fish average about 12 inches. 16+ not uncommon and a few slammers. Holdovers tend to be on the largerside too. Fish coloration is stunning in wild fish. TIGEREYE RATING: 7
Overall rating I would give it a 7.
As for nymph fishing, you need to pick your spots, timing and technique. When the river is high, it's tuff sledding. Pick shallower sections or fish close to banks and backwaters. Fishing is much better when flows at WH are
P
PaScoGi
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tigereye - well said and thanks for your input. i will continue to try to learn this river. agree completely about seclusion and scenery, it is why I love it just wish i could fish it better but sounds like i just need to keep fishing it.
one thing I hate about PA is it is hard to find a place to fish without running into so many other anglers. the lehigh is the exception in my opinion - you could have a thousand anglers and there is so much of this river they would still have hundred yard sections to themselves.
my dream in life is to win the powerball and make this river the best in the world, i really think it has that potential, just the best PA has to offer as far as scenery.
thanks for the info!
one thing I hate about PA is it is hard to find a place to fish without running into so many other anglers. the lehigh is the exception in my opinion - you could have a thousand anglers and there is so much of this river they would still have hundred yard sections to themselves.
my dream in life is to win the powerball and make this river the best in the world, i really think it has that potential, just the best PA has to offer as far as scenery.
thanks for the info!
krayfish2
Well-known member
I don't run a ton of guide trips there but I do run some. On a 6 to 8 Mile float I rarely see more than a handful of wade anglers. When I say a handful, it could be one or it could be six but you don't see that many. Access isn't the problem it's the depth and waiting difficulty.
I agree with tiger that the scenery up in the gorge is stunning but once you get the the Po, you are bordering the highway and it's quite noisy at times. The scenery isn't that fantastic down there either.
I'd say that the stock to wild ratio is closing in on 50/50 if not a little bit better in some sections. I consider most of the dry fly fishing there fairly easy compared to where I do most of my fishing on the Delaware. It's possible to have them eat chernobyl's and other ridiculous flies but on some occasions, they do get selective.
Hatches can be good but they also seem to be very hit and miss compared to other streams. If there's enough bugs, the fish readily come to the surface but reaching them can be a problem depending on the section.... If you are on foot.
I'd say most of the fish we caught this year were between 14 and 18 inches. If you let them get out into the current in big water like that, you will have your hands full trying to get them into the net. We did have a couple of really nice fish blow up on streamers right before the river started heating up this summer. Recently, I know of a 25, 27 and 28-in fish that were landed from the river. Quite a few rumors of fish nearing the 30-in mark but they are few and far between. Lots of hours come in to finding a fish like that and a lot more hours come into actually landing that fish.
If you don't have much experience on that river, it's not a bad idea to hire a guide like Nick from wild East outfitters. You can get a little look at the river, the bottom structure in different sections, learn some different tactics and help improve your success rate.
I know Penns gets a high rating from most people, but I don't feel quite the same. Are you rating it on scenery, hatches, fish coloring, fish size, fish density or what? I think there's probably eight to to 10 other streams that exceed Penns and are less crowded.
The Lehigh is a strange critter for sure. Depending on the time of year, you can find trout for 60 miles below the dam. Some isn't pretty, some places have very low numbers but it can give up some true giants.
I agree with tiger that the scenery up in the gorge is stunning but once you get the the Po, you are bordering the highway and it's quite noisy at times. The scenery isn't that fantastic down there either.
I'd say that the stock to wild ratio is closing in on 50/50 if not a little bit better in some sections. I consider most of the dry fly fishing there fairly easy compared to where I do most of my fishing on the Delaware. It's possible to have them eat chernobyl's and other ridiculous flies but on some occasions, they do get selective.
Hatches can be good but they also seem to be very hit and miss compared to other streams. If there's enough bugs, the fish readily come to the surface but reaching them can be a problem depending on the section.... If you are on foot.
I'd say most of the fish we caught this year were between 14 and 18 inches. If you let them get out into the current in big water like that, you will have your hands full trying to get them into the net. We did have a couple of really nice fish blow up on streamers right before the river started heating up this summer. Recently, I know of a 25, 27 and 28-in fish that were landed from the river. Quite a few rumors of fish nearing the 30-in mark but they are few and far between. Lots of hours come in to finding a fish like that and a lot more hours come into actually landing that fish.
If you don't have much experience on that river, it's not a bad idea to hire a guide like Nick from wild East outfitters. You can get a little look at the river, the bottom structure in different sections, learn some different tactics and help improve your success rate.
I know Penns gets a high rating from most people, but I don't feel quite the same. Are you rating it on scenery, hatches, fish coloring, fish size, fish density or what? I think there's probably eight to to 10 other streams that exceed Penns and are less crowded.
The Lehigh is a strange critter for sure. Depending on the time of year, you can find trout for 60 miles below the dam. Some isn't pretty, some places have very low numbers but it can give up some true giants.
blueheron
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Just keep at it. Tigereye has it dialed in , the river can be broken down even further into scenic and urban sections. Either one fishes well under the right conditions, I preferred to explore all the areas by foot but have drifted a bit and it is easier below the Po to go this route.
I still prefer the solitude of the Gorge for the whole experience but you can fish it and think the numbers are low until you hit it right and realize just how many fish are there. I believe the main issue with the Lehigh has been and will always be the level of acidic water and whatever is deposited on the river rocks that keeps the insect life at less than optimal levels. Most of the other big water I’ve fished had beautiful clear river rocks as a substrate, the Lehigh has a coating that I think is prohibitive to a truly diverse insect population. I’m not an entomologist or a fisheries biologist but I know a clear river when I see one and the Lehigh is still struggling despite all the advancements of the past decades. Still my favorite place to wet a line.
I still prefer the solitude of the Gorge for the whole experience but you can fish it and think the numbers are low until you hit it right and realize just how many fish are there. I believe the main issue with the Lehigh has been and will always be the level of acidic water and whatever is deposited on the river rocks that keeps the insect life at less than optimal levels. Most of the other big water I’ve fished had beautiful clear river rocks as a substrate, the Lehigh has a coating that I think is prohibitive to a truly diverse insect population. I’m not an entomologist or a fisheries biologist but I know a clear river when I see one and the Lehigh is still struggling despite all the advancements of the past decades. Still my favorite place to wet a line.
L
LehighRegular
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I would agree with what has been posted by Tigereye. Pretty much nailed it, IMO. Only exception is the ratio of wild vs stocked/holdover trout. I'd say its close to 50/50, give or take.
M
Mike
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Good review from Tigereye and krayfish. What is missing in the ratings presented is the avg catch rate, however, separately for drift boats and waders, which tells anglers what to expect with respect to action. As examples, are the averages one, two, or three trout per hour over a spring season?
Tigereye
Well-known member
Boy, average catch rate is tough to determine. If I'm fishing White Haven /Tannery area the fishing is predominantly over stocked fish and the rate is higher. Rockport to Penn Haven Junction abit lower.
I am strictly a wade fisherman and fish when water conditions are appropriate. That said, I would say that catch rate for WH/T is 2 to 3 per hour averaged over the course of the year. Rockport area significantly less. Probably </= 1.
Given all that, I have a question for you guys that fish the southern section of the river. JT and below. I have fished it successfully on occasions, but always wondered about the claim of all the wild trout.
With all due respect and I'm not trying to instigate anything as your experiences are your experiences and I am not questioning your integrity. But I have yet to catch a fish <10 inches in that stretch. That has been my experience. Where are the little guys? Especially in the prime of the year when fish are on dries and multiple risers can be reached. I would expect to catch a few dinks but seems like the size range is truncated at 10 inches.
Do you guys catch many small wild fish? If not where are they and why is the catch rate for smaller fish so low? At least for me. I have fished other streams with wild fish and my guess is always 2-3 juvies for every adult.
Thanks.
Joe
I am strictly a wade fisherman and fish when water conditions are appropriate. That said, I would say that catch rate for WH/T is 2 to 3 per hour averaged over the course of the year. Rockport area significantly less. Probably </= 1.
Given all that, I have a question for you guys that fish the southern section of the river. JT and below. I have fished it successfully on occasions, but always wondered about the claim of all the wild trout.
With all due respect and I'm not trying to instigate anything as your experiences are your experiences and I am not questioning your integrity. But I have yet to catch a fish <10 inches in that stretch. That has been my experience. Where are the little guys? Especially in the prime of the year when fish are on dries and multiple risers can be reached. I would expect to catch a few dinks but seems like the size range is truncated at 10 inches.
Do you guys catch many small wild fish? If not where are they and why is the catch rate for smaller fish so low? At least for me. I have fished other streams with wild fish and my guess is always 2-3 juvies for every adult.
Thanks.
Joe
krayfish
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- May 26, 2011
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I've caught numerous bows in the 5-8" range but they seem to be confined to a half dozen stretches. Also got browns from 3-7" on many occasions.
2 big differences between where you fish on foot and where I float.... clarity (less tanic stain) and being able to see /select the fish we cast to. If I see 5 feeding fish, we skip what we believe to be small and move on to a different one.
You definitely cover a stretch more thoroughly by being stationary but I cover a lot more water. It's basically like hunting down the most active or the bigger fish. Both work well.
In the lower sections, nymphing or streamer chucking are both effective. When there's a hatch, you get a chance to see how many fish are actually in the river.
If I'm not mistaken, the state stocks the first five miles below the dam and then there's nothing until the 5 mile high club which stocks a section from Jim Thorpe upriver 5 miles. The LRSA does from Jim Thorpe down to Northampton (I think). You are looking at 5000 fish in a river that size spread out over 30+ miles. That isn't very many when I compare it to a local creek that is <20' wide and it gets 7000+ fish in 20 miles. As you know or can imagine, water temps could exceed 80 before Walnutport by early- mid June which takes it's toll on stockies.
Either we have been misled andtrout can maintain an existence in water 85° or the stocked fish are temperature resistant. Oneida university's study on the Delaware indicated that the wild trout there moved as much as 75 miles during the season in search of cold water. You can find wild trout in the Lehigh pretty much all the way to the mouth. I'm sure there are spring seepages, thermal refuge areas and other factors that allow them to exist. I'm also quite sure that some of these fish are moving long distances when not blocked by a dam or impass.
