Tale of a big trout caught in the LeTort

[JimKennedy]

A few weeks back, shortly after the fish kill on the LeTort, I was visiting with a group of fellow fly anglers at a spot on the Susquehanna near Halifax. The topic of the LeTort fish kill came up and someone mentioned that -- irrespective of the kill -- someone caught a big brown in the creek. And by big, according to the fish story, it was in the double digits for pounds, like 15 to 20 pounds. I've seen some nice trout in the LeTort, but never anything approaching that size. I expressed my doubts, but the guys spinning the tale assured me it was true.

It struck me as possible that a big fellow could move back and forth between the Conodoguinet and the lower LeTort (though that odd waterfalls might pose a navigation hazard). Also, it occurred to me an unusually large trout may have been killed in the poisoning.

Nothing on the PA Fish and Boat site so far.

Can anyone confirm this fish story? Is it circulating in the Harrisburg area anglers community? And, most importantly, if true, can someone find a picture to post?

Or is it just a fish story?

 

[Mdk2]

Sounds to me like a fish story exaggerated. I think there are some big browns in Letort but nothing 15-20lbs. That's unheard of for a small spring creek.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Highly doubtful.
While big browns move between those 2 bodies of water every year, nothing approaching the size you describe.

I do recall one year seeing a brown that i felt like it was approaching 10lbs, it likely wasnt. It gets hard to tell when they are in water. That said it was a really really big brown trout.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I used to fish the Letort extensively in the 90s and early 2000s. I've caught a bunch in the 4-7lb range...I know Nightstalker has caught some real hawgs in there too, but I have personally never seen anything larger than maybe 8lbs. The 8lb guy had me thinking he was a carp when I was walking the dog in Letort Park. Took a closer look and saw that the copper colored carp had that all too familiar sparse black spot pattern with a kype before it submarined for parts unknown. Trust me regarding the falls on the lower Letort- trout have no problem navigating them when they need/want to.

 

[greenghost]

It is true. A story about the fish and how it was caught appeared in PA Angler Magazine, either late 60s or early 70s. I think it was titled, "King of the LeTort" I had it in my files at one time but did a quick search just now and couldn't find it. I'll try again later when I have time. The fish was huge. Almost positive it was double digits.

 

[greenghost]

Got it. Nice fish, huh? It was 10 lbs. 4oz. brown caught by Terry Ward on June 26, 1969. The story is King of the LeTort, appearing in the Sept. 9, 1973 edition. It was written by none other than Ed Shenk. It's on the PBFC site if you search under archived PA Angler... Legacy Editions. Good story. (I tried linking directly to it. But it won't let me do it.)

 

[troutbert]

I remember reading about someone catching a 10 pounder back in the day. Which is huge, of course.

But that's a long way from 15 or 20 pounds.

Do yinz believe that the very big browns caught in the Letort over the years are "river fish," from the Susquehanna?

 

[Mike]

Some big lower Letort browns in late summer are plump or of normal body weight and some others are very thin, indicating that they are either about to die of old age or have come into the Letort after having gotten substantially stressed and stopped feeding in the warm water temps of the Conodoguinet.

 

[salvelinus]

I remember that article. Here's the issue if anyone is interested. Text starts on page 9 and continues on page 22.
PA Angler Sept. 1973

 

[maxima12]

Hey. Sonny boy, Talk Biggies, Walk the Ed Schenk walk!

Might take more steps than you have in a lifetime!

 

[Dave_W]

JimKennedy wrote:
Can anyone confirm this fish story? Is it circulating in the Harrisburg area anglers community? And, most importantly, if true, can someone find a picture to post?

Or is it just a fish story?

Was it implied that this fish was caught recently?

As far as I'm aware, the Terry Ward fish is the biggest caught from Letort. I've fished the stream since the early 1980s and have never seen or heard of a fish of the size you describe.

My guess is a fish story.

 

[greenghost]

Fish can reach tremendous size in the LeTort. It’s biomass is massive. Plenty of food for huge piscivorous leviathans. Plenty of cover in the weed beds. Constant temperatures all year long. I’ve seen some amazingly big fish, especially in the upper reaches in fall. I have no doubt there are fish over 10 pounds.

 

[Chaz]

I know I’m getting old when back in the day is 1969.

 

[DaveS]

I think Big Spring has produced larger fish and perhaps more large fish.

Ran into a guy down there and he had some eye popping fish pics. (hanging from a stringer on the back porch)

 

[JimKennedy]

DaveW, the guys telling the tale insisted it was mid to early August. I definitely have my doubts. That 10 pounder from back in the day looks like an upper limit brown for the letort. I’ve been fishing it since about 1977 and never saw anything in the 15 pound range aside from a carp. Still, the guys doing the talking are generally reliable sources. Possibly the fish grew substantially as the tale was passed around. After all, the best habitat for trout is the angler’s imagination, where a brown Trout can grow from 15 inches to 25 inches in a matter of a few days...
thx for all the comments. Now I’m itching to read about the King!

 

[greenghost]

Jim,
Funny thing is, the article mentions that if the trout was caught earlier, it's weight would've probably approached 14 lbs.! Although something to keep in mind are the stresses the stream has experienced in the last 50 years. Pollution events from a gas station leak, cress farm chemicals, general urban sprawl, the latest styrene pollution event and others may have taken a toll in the longevity of fish? But I have no problem in believing the stories of huge fish in that stream. None whatsoever.

btw... If you believe carp can reach that size, why not trout?

 

[salmonoid]

greenghost wrote:
Jim,
Funny thing is, the article mentions that if the trout was caught earlier, it's weight would've probably approached 14 lbs.! Although something to keep in mind are the stresses the stream has experienced in the last 50 years. Pollution events from a gas station leak, cress farm chemicals, general urban sprawl, the latest styrene pollution event and others may have taken a toll in the longevity of fish? But I have no problem in believing the stories of huge fish in that stream. None whatsoever.

btw... If you believe carp can reach that size, why not trout?

Common carp have a lifespan of twenty years. An exceptionally long-lived brown trout? Maybe ten? Growth is not anywhere near linear in latter years, but carp have 2-4 times longer to grow than browns.

 

[Jessed]

Biggest brown I’ve ever caught was in the skuke. Probably just under 5 pounds

 

[Jessed]

There are some big trout in the letort. Long fish but no where close to 15 pounds

 

[jifigz]

I've never have even laid eyes on the Letort, but a 15 lb brown from any stream in PA (other than lake run browns from the Great Lakes) is highly unlikely. I'm not saying it's impossible because Brown Trout can grow to be very, very heavy. But still 15 lb'ers are a rarity in any stream in any place in the state. Not saying it isn't possible but it also isn't all that likely.