Lehigh River (Carbon County, Tannery/Black Creek area) 3/10/18, 3/11/18

bradtheflyfisherman

bradtheflyfisherman

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Fished both yesterday and today - 3/10 and 3/11.

Started at the Lehigh Tannery on 3/10 around 11:30 AM till about 4 PM and fished downstream. One other angler showed up across from me around noon, didn't see him hook anything and looked like he was nymphing. Overcast and cloudy all day. Water was around 34-35 F both times I checked. Mostly fished nymphs - pheasant tails, rainbow warriors, and big brown and golden stones. Couldn't catch a thing. Lost something around 12 inches or so, think it was a rainbow but I did a poor job trying to keep it hooked on the barbless hook I was using.

3/11 - started at the Tannery again around 10:30 and went to about noon. Water was a little warmer. Around 37-40 F. Cloudy at first, but the sky cleared as the day went and it was clear. Switched it up and threw streamers almost the entire time. Black, brown, chartreuse, flash, no flash, etc. you name it, slow twitches, slow pulls, etc. and all I could get was one big hit. Moved to where Black Creek dumps in around 1:00 PM...fished the same streamers, and the same nymphs I did the day before but still nothing.

Was eager to get out...first time on the water this year. Disappointing as I've always done well on the Lehigh, especially around Rockport. Water looked beautiful, it was cold and a little windy here and there. Was trying to keep everything slow and deep, but not much luck. Also was fiddling around trying to teach myself to Euro nymph with my new rod half the time so may that may have been my downfall.
 
Reports such as this with poor fishing but good, concise info on water conditions (esp. water temps), fishing pressure, etc....are still highly valuable.
 
I'm sure this has been discussed on the forum but I thought Lehigh River was Closed for fishing 1 March through opening day from FEW to Sandy Run. Stocking is scheduled for this week I believe.

Disregard....I see it is listed as "Stocked Trout Waters open to Year-Round Fishing Program"
 
Sandy Run to the dam is open year round. Also plenty of signs posted around parking at the Tannery saying it is open year round. Park officers from Hickory Run must have driven past me 10 times and I sure they would have stopped me if I was doing something wrong!
 
bradtheflyfisherman wrote:
Fished both yesterday and today - 3/10 and 3/11.

Started at the Lehigh Tannery on 3/10 around 11:30 AM till about 4 PM and fished downstream. One other angler showed up across from me around noon, didn't see him hook anything and looked like he was nymphing. Overcast and cloudy all day. Water was around 34-35 F both times I checked. Mostly fished nymphs - pheasant tails, rainbow warriors, and big brown and golden stones. Couldn't catch a thing. Lost something around 12 inches or so, think it was a rainbow but I did a poor job trying to keep it hooked on the barbless hook I was using.

3/11 - started at the Tannery again around 10:30 and went to about noon. Water was a little warmer. Around 37-40 F. Cloudy at first, but the sky cleared as the day went and it was clear. Switched it up and threw streamers almost the entire time. Black, brown, chartreuse, flash, no flash, etc. you name it, slow twitches, slow pulls, etc. and all I could get was one big hit. Moved to where Black Creek dumps in around 1:00 PM...fished the same streamers, and the same nymphs I did the day before but still nothing.

Was eager to get out...first time on the water this year. Disappointing as I've always done well on the Lehigh, especially around Rockport. Water looked beautiful, it was cold and a little windy here and there. Was trying to keep everything slow and deep, but not much luck. Also was fiddling around trying to teach myself to Euro nymph with my new rod half the time so may that may have been my downfall.
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Thanks for the report. The Big River is often tough in the early season, I've been skunked many times, too.

If you're up that way again and the Lehigh is not treating you so kindly, maybe give the SR waters like Mud Run, Hickory Run or Black/Hayes Creek (a Class A) a try. They are all close to where you were fishing and are smaller waters that may give up a fish or two a little easier early on.

Thanks again for the report.
 
Yes, I give you credit. That river runs cold and hard this time of year.

And regarding the 'year round' open season. That is 100% correct. In fact the PFBC and the Army Corps would not be advertising 'fisherman friendly' releases in all of March and all of April if that was not the case. Since the Lehigh flows through two season opener 'sections' it was just easier for the PFBC to eliminate confusion and make the river open year round to trout. Wise decision, but still quite a bit of confusion.

 
The short fishing releases really mess with the fish. . The constant zig zag in temperature and flows puts the already lethargic fish down. It would be nice if we could get 4 day fishing releases. The last two days would probably provide us with better fishing as trout feed more with constant flows/temps.
 
Thanks for the report. The Big River is often tough in the early season, I've been skunked many times, too. If you're up that way again and the Lehigh is not treating you so kindly, maybe give the SR waters like Mud Run, Hickory Run or Black/Hayes Creek (a Class A) a try. They are all close to where you were fishing and are smaller waters that may give up a fish or two a little easier early on. Thanks again for the report.
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I've fished Mud Run before - I think it was just stocked and I had seen a bunch of posts on the Facebook PA Fly fishing group that people were going to hit it this weekend so I avoided it. I actually fished Hickory Run on 3/10 from about 5 - 6 PM, I saw footprints in the snow that someone had been there before me (from the park office, going upstream) but I still managed to catch two small brown trout on a pheasant tail. I also hit Black Creek on my way out of the Lehigh on 3/11 since I was parked right next to it...but no luck - tried a BWO with a pheasant tail dropper, and a small wooly bugger. I had little patience left and called it quits about 3/4 a mile up the stream from 534 after no takes.
 
It's my understanding that Black Creek doesn't have much in the way of fish because of AMD or some other acid issue. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I remember thinking that creek looked awesome and then being told by someone in the know that it was toast. Gorgeous piece of water, though.
 
It's my understanding that Black Creek doesn't have much in the way of fish because of AMD or some other acid issue. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I remember thinking that creek looked awesome and then being told by someone in the know that it was toast. Gorgeous piece of water, though.
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'

Tom Gilmore wrote in his PA Fly Fishing book that Black Creek was one of his favorite hidden gems for wild browns...which likely led to a ton of people fishing it. Not sure about AMD or other acids, but the water looked pristine.
 
Black Creek near Hickory run is an excellent class A brown trout stream, There is another Black Creek that runs from near Hazleton through small towns of Fern Glen , Rock Glen and drains into the Susquehanna near Nescopeck. The latter one is damaged with AMD and other pollution .
 
Yeah, the Black Creek in Hickory Run SP is fine water quality wise. It often fishes tough (typical of smallish, predominantly wild Brown, freestoners), but the PFBC survey results support it being a high biomass Class A. It's been mentioned in plenty of other books before. If it was one Gilmore's true, personal "hidden gems", he wouldn't have mentioned it. ;-)

There's another Black Creek that's a Lehigh River trib further south. Comes in from the west around Weatherly about midway through the Gorge section. That's one's dead, and is often the one confused with the Black Creek in HRSP.
 
Swattie, the one further south from the West bank of the Lehigh is the one I'm thinking of. I didn't realize there was one up in HRSP.
 
Yeah, there's a ton of Black Creeks out there...Many of them in coal regions and appropriately named. Upper Swatara Creek has one too.

The upstream one in HRSP we're talking about here sometimes is locally called "Hayes Creek" as well. I think it's listed as Black Creek officially on maps and what not though. Just adds to the confusion.
 
The one that flows into the Lehigh where the old bridge abutments are right off of 940 i believe, is that the good or bad black creek?
 
I grew up in that area and my home fly shop was A&A when it was owned by Bob Sentiwany and located right around the corner from Hayes in Lehigh Tannery. I have always called the stream Hayes Creek, like most locals do, to avoid confusion with the other "Black Creeks" in the area.

Here are some past discussion on here with a lot of good info:

Black/Hayes Creek

Black/Hayes Creek 2
 
Brad, Cowboy, I am in Flourtown and fish the river a few times each year. Hit me with a PM if you need company on any of your trips.
 
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