Letort Spring Run, Cumberland County, 1/22/12

[jay348]

With one last weekend before starting crazy hours at work, I needed to get out and fish. Iceyguides and myself decided to make the trip to the cumberland valley yesterday morning to fish the Letort.

Being my first time fishing any of PA's famous limestoners, I was pretty excited. This didn't help during the two hour drive. I think I was counting the mile markers out loud as I got close to my exit. Once I parked around 11:30, I was ready to hit the water.

I only walked a few hundred yards before noticing some risers in some of the slower bends. No doubt the overcast sky was on our side; and looking back, I consider the two of us pretty lucky. I picked up my first two letort browns a few casts apart on a griffith's gnat.

The fish sipped midges on top for the next couple hours, and icey caught his first fish from the stream as well.

We tried tossing sculpins and nymphing a bit, but nothing else produced any luck; and by 3 or so, the risers had gone deep and just about shut down. I already can't wait to get back, and a few more trips to the area are in order for the new year.

 

[Foxgap239]

Nice report and congrats!

 

[giantsjim]

Thanks for the report and pictures. Good shots and glad you got a few browns. I love the challenge of that stream and fishing the small dry stuff when it produces.

 

[wgmiller]

Nice work! By all means having risers changes the game significantly and ups your "chances" of hooking up. That is one tough stream to go sub-surface on with the heavy vegetation.

 

[klingy]

Nice! It's a treat to find those steady risers and be able to get a fly out there without spooking them. Winter fishing on the Letort also slightly reduces your chances of being swallowed by the God-forsaken holes to nowhere. Freezing temps help a lot. Be forwarned - if you go back in the spring/summer, she's a totally different monster! Anyways, sweet pics and fish!

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Ya I got reports of BWO's on the Letort. Very nice report and thank you.

 

[dryflyguy]

Dry flys out produced dredging on a pa stream in january? Even I wouldn't have bet on that one. The letort is my kinda stream for sure.
Nice going guys

This report - and the one by 3wght7x on spring creek - is really making me want to get my new license and get out there too

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Yes you should. These streams and especially the Letort, should be visited by fly-fisherman from all over and have been. They are fun.
I had my 20+ fish day when BWO's suddenly started hatching. I didnt have any but took a bunch of fish on a size 20 midge.

If I had the natural, I could of done better.

I like Beetle and hopper fishing in the summer. You catch some nice fish doing that.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Argg Sal we should have headed over there on Saturday. Rising fish-gotta love it!

 

[Foxgap239]

I think 2012 sounds like a good year to get my first Letort Brown. I mean just in case the Mayans are right, I should be prepared!

 

[jayL]

There's a strong chance that my career numbers for the letort are going to be 0 for 2. Well done.

 

[JackM]

I have found if fish are rising on Lee-tort, they are no harder to catch than elsewhere. It is the other 90% of the times I've fished it that I find it impossible. I also suspect that night fishing there would be awesome since nearly every time darkness chased me from the creek, I had to leave at least sporadic risers.