SBecker
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- Jun 26, 2010
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Was thinking about fishing the Lehigh next Sunday in the morning, before football starts. I was wondering if anybody around the area would like to join me?
LRSABecker wrote:
Was thinking about fishing the Lehigh next Sunday in the morning, before football starts. I was wondering if anybody around the area would like to join me?
LehighRegular wrote:
Well...here's the thing. It sounds like some fish made it through the summer. There are so many spring seeps and cold tribs, its really not that surprising.
However, it does seems like less made it through the summer than compared to last year. Based on what VC and some others told me, the numbers of trout showing are not like last fall that I encountered at this time last year. Which is not that surprising either. Last year was great summer for trout survival (Cool/wet summer). This summer was a tough one for the trout.
That also could change and we maybe surprised - maybe the fish havent really redistributed through out the river yet? Water temps still on the warmish side, but should cool off fairly well now. Maybe we will start seeing more trout show up. However, sometimes the Lehigh's trout get in a funk after a warm hot summer. We might not really know how the trout made out until spring time. If we see plenty of wild looking trout or holdover trout next spring, then you know these fish "can handle almost anything".
I think last summer was a sign of how well the trout can survive in the if the river, or a significant portion of it, can remain below 68F all summer long (i.e. its "Potential" if we get changes at FEW). This year will tell the tale of how hardy and resilient the trout are in the Lehigh.
My question is how the fin clipped fingerlings made out? The ones that were caught this spring that grew to the 12-13" range and the fresh stockings from this May. How well did they survive??? The wild fish typically know where to go when the river warms, but can and do these fin clippie fish know too?
When will we be able to find out some info on the clipped trout? Can you get in contact with somebody about this info LR?
It’s my understanding the upper Lehigh (from FEW Dam downriver to about the confluence with Nesquehoning Creek) is classified as a HQ-CWF. I don’t argue FEW dam is affecting water temperatures in this stretch of the river, but if the river has a HQ-CWF designation over such a significant distance why is it assumed summer heat may have affected the trout populations at this time of year? I read about the cold tributary and spring seep influences, but, if these influences are as strong as people state, why is the river still getting warm even though it’s designated a HQ-CWF?
Of course they surviived, but it is more or less a sign of how well they can flourish in regards to numbers of trout.Last year we had over 6 inches of rain in June and the summer was not nearly as warm. This kept the Lehigh River water temps manageable for the trout. Trout will survive almost anything, but they were also given a break last year in the Lehigh so I am not sure it was a true sign as to how well they can survive
Last year and this year were both anomalies in my opinion, but, even if we have normal weather patterns from year to year, isn’t a good portion of the HQ-CWF section of the Lehigh a seasonal fishery based upon how warm the water temps get?
One last question – If FEW dam releases were ideal throughout a given summer, how far downriver can one expect to have quality trout fishing when summer temperatures reach 90 degrees?