Little Lehigh Creek

[afishinado]

CLSports wrote:
The signs say it is a managed class A and stocked water. Harvest is allowed only during the regular trout season from opening day until Labor Day. During the extended season until February (when it closes again) it is managed as a catch and release fishery. I have pictures of the signs. These signs have appeared in other places on the stream too and well above the golf course.

It's good the signs are there, since the harvest regs change in every couple of miles of water

From the mouth at the Lehigh River and above to the Heritage section stocked water regs

Catch & Release Fly-fishing only in the Heritage section

Above the bridge (Fish Hatchery Road) Class A closed to harvest Labor Day to Opening day. I believe, since it's stocked it's closed to fishing in March until opening day.

And above the Class A open to stocked regs harvest Opening Day through the end of February with varying creel limits depending on the time of year, but closed to fishing in March.

And above that back to CR-FFO in Wild Cherry Lane SR area

Above that back to Class A Regs past Rt 100 and upstream

Finally it reverts back to Stocked water regs.

 

[PhilC]

Good to see the new regs above the hatchery...hopefully that helps the wild pops in a good way.

There's definitely much more vegetation around than I've seen as early as last year. I stop by the covered bridge off Ott st from time to time since I work near there. Last year it was more silt than plants and now it's mostly plants. Also last year had a thick trico hatch and that spot would have 50-60 risers during the hatch. I think it's a good sign. I wondering if there might be an upside to low water with plant life expanding with more sun...but just a guess.
If there's a comeback in the making I'd say the conditions are right this year...

 

[troutwilleatflies]

I stopped by the hatchery yesterday and the stream was high and MUDDY.It's been a while that the local streams have this flow in the middle of August,last year the LL dried up above cedar crest blvd.

 

[TYoung]

I Fish it today and managed to hook a few wild browns on scud patterns. This was the first time in the last four or five trips there that I managed to land a wild brown. When I fished it back in the spring, I only hooked a bunch a freshly stocked Rainbows.

 

[CLSports]

I went back last weekend and went to 4 separate locations that I usually see a lot of Tricos and plenty of wild fish rising to them. Bugs were minimal and I did not even see a fish. The water level was perfect and the temps were fine.

Last year was devastating with the low water, but the bugs and fish were still around. Last year I saw the thickest swarms of Tricos I had ever seen on the LL. This year is completely opposite. The Trico hatch is thinner and the fish are sparse. Maybe the low water took its toll on the wild fish.

Like I stated before, I only fish this stream during the summer mornings for the Trico hatch since this is really the only hatch worth chasing there anymore.

 

[jacob]

I've been crushing it on the LL the past few weekends- above the heritage section as well as through the park- an 18", 17", and 16" bow + a bunch of more average 12-15s the past three weekends. I'll only fish the heritage section early in the morning before the circus shows up or later when the last act leaves. I can't stand the etiquette on that stream. I get that it's popular and crowded but when guys get in 20' above you, that's not cool in any situation. Plenty of good water, I just go somewhere else.

Last weekend I had a big brown, 20+, break me off in the first run below the kiddie pool on a scud.

 

[Mike]

One reason to allow certain plants to grow six ft high is so they flower and produce next year's plants there or farther downstream when seeds, carried by water, settle in any areas laid barren by this year's high flows. From a visual standpoint, people may complain a lot less when they see tall riparian plants in bloom, for instance, Joe Pye Weed, which just started to bloom a couple of weeks ago.

 

[TYoung]

I definitely noticed the Joe Pye weed growing down stream of the covered bridge when I fished there Thursday.