Letort , Cumberland Co., 12/28/2022

[JeffP]

I fished from about 9-12 today. I started at Bonnybrook and went up a bit then fished down to the highway. It was a cold start but warmed up a bit. I probably should have started at 12 but I had to pick up my wife from work. I fished with a black bugger. I had about a 10-incher briefly hooked, but took the skunk. I saw maybe 10 trout. It was a nice day to get out and visit a stream I hadn't fished in a long time. I didn't see any surface activity and there were no other fisherman out. I was thinking about hitting the Breeches briefly at Mount Holly, but was to pressed for time. Hit the Fridge in Lancaster for pizza and a nice IPA on the way home.

 

[JeffP]

Here are a couple shots from today.

 

[Facemelted]

Not a bad way to spend a day! Thanks for sharing.

 

[krayfish2]

Skunk there beats a swift kick in the a** 😁. It's a brutal but beautiful stream.

 

[Dan_r]

Thx for sharing. Where is home?

 

[JeffP]

I live near Lititz but had to pick up my wife near LGH.

 

[Bamboozle]

Trego's Meadow was always a PIA for me to fish as I am right handed and fishing upstream from that side of the Letort without spooking a lot of fish was always a challenge.

For many years after the fish kill in 1981, that was just about the only section that held decent fish so I had to deal with it and the brush and tall grass that were always waiting for an errant backhanded back cast made from my knees...

However it is a bit easier these days as the weeds and tall grasses on the accessible side are pretty much non existent in the first 100 yards above Bonnybrook Road.

Nice pictures!!

 

[JeffP]

Is Trego's the meadow above Bonnybrook? The ducks were a pain there.
A couple other questions:
Where are the Fox and Marinaro monuments?
What is the midstream statue?
Is that the quarry outlow that comes gushing into the channel?
has the quarry had negative impacts on the stream?

The lower meadow seemed to have different vegetation. The stream was wider and a more constant carpet not like the elodea. There seemed to be very few fishable spots in the at area.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Never tried it but I'm told it's a tough try. My boy spotted one at least 30" long this past summer, under the I-81 overpass.

 

[Bamboozle]

"Trego's Meadow" is above Bonnybrook Rd.

The Fox & Marinaro monuments are further downstream below the quarry and "Otto's Meadow" in "Vince's Meadow" where there is a pull-off of Spring Garden Street.

I'm not sure what "midstream" statue you are referring to.

The quarry outflow is just above the "Quarry Meadow" which is above the old RR trestle that takes the Letort Trail over the main part of the stream just upstream of Otto's Meadow.

Many sinkholes have developed along and in the Letort in the vicinity of the quarry. Many folks believe that is because of the pumping of ground water.

I'm no expert but quarries & trout streams don't coexist very well.

You may find this interesting:

https://www.pacvtu.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Letort_History_Report_12_2018.pdf

 

[JeffP]

The statue is right next to the only house close to the stream. It looks like a women, but it was not an easy place to wade. Thanks for the link.

 

[Bamboozle]

Where is the "statue" in proximity to Bonnybrook Road?

Never tried it but I'm told it's a tough try. My boy spotted one at least 30" long this past summer, under the I-81 overpass.

Not trying to be a wise *** but there are some huge carp in the Letort, especially in that vicinity.

Again not disputing big fish as I once caught a beast under I-81 on a crayfish intimation, but is your son sure what he saw was a trout?

 

[JeffP]

The statue is right next to the only house close to the stream. It looks like a women, but it was not an easy place to wade. Thanks for the link.

Sorry! About halfway down the meadow.

 

[wgmiller]

Letort on a sunny day is about as tough as it gets!

 

[Bamboozle]

Sorry! About halfway down the meadow.

Which meadow?

And in regards to wading, there are only two spots on that stream where I would even attempt it.

If you get stuck in the muck in other places you might end up being the next statue... 😉

 

[JeffP]

When I say the meadow, I meant below the quarry. Does upper meadow refer to above Bonnybrook? When I meant wading, I meant getting around on shore.

 

[Bamboozle]

When I say the meadow, I meant below the quarry. Does upper meadow refer to above Bonnybrook? When I meant wading, I meant getting around on shore.

I haven't fished the Fly Fishing Only part of the Letort in probably close to 10 years because of how muddy is has got on the banks above Vince's Meadow, the stretch upstream of the "Rosebush" on Ed's Shenk's map which I posted below:

From the Rosebush to Otto's is where I always spent most of my time so I haven't seen the statue you are referring to as my most recent visits were confined to the "Barnyard."

To put things into perspective about 20 feet to the right of the Rosebush is a small wooden footbridge over the old millrace which leads up to the CVTU pavilion and the Fox & Marinaro monuments. The road paralleling the stream on the right is Spring Garden Street.

I-81 would be about where the "Thorntree Meadow" is on the map. Foxcrest Drive (not on the map) that intersects Spring Garden Street and leads down to the stream would be slightly north of Charlie Fox's old residence that is on the map.

In the old days folks referred to the upper Letort as the "branches" with the left branch being the one that went into the watercress farm. It was open to fishing before my time and after the cress farm closed but I've only fished about 40 or so yards up that branch.

In 1981 there was an insecticide accident there that wiped out all the fish down the left branch and into the main stem. The PFBC listened to anglers and didn't stock it with other strains to replace the lost fish so it took awhile for the wild fish to establish themselves.

This was also before the lower Letort was "cleaned up" so for the next several years the only place hard core folks like myself would fish the Letort was from "Bonnybrook" at the junction of the branches, up the right branch and into Trego's Meadow.

The left branch is now included on the Class A List and referred to by the PFBC as "UNT to Letort Spring Run (R.M. 6.51)". The property surrounding the old cress farms is owned & protected by the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy a very worthwhile organization. I'm proud to be a member.

 

[JeffP]

Cool map. I'm not sure now. Otto's too close to the bridge and Fox's too close to 81. Thanks for the explanation!

 

[skybay]

I love Letort but most of the time I nap , read book or watch it as it goes.

 

[Dan_r]

I live near Lititz but had to pick up my wife near LGH.

I am in Lanc, fairly new to the forum and the fly. Thanks for the report