Over the past month, I have probably visited the Letort about 10 times over the entire month of July, probably with 20 hours on the water. Water temps were 60* or below, which with the hot weather we had, was one of the reasons for my focus. I have lived within 10 minutes of sections of the Letort for 20 years, but only hit it on/off a few times. After 50 years of fly fishing, I decided to make a push on the Letort this summer.
I hit most sections of the stream and landed fish in the Heritage area as well as the open water. Caught them on the surface, but subsurface was more productive. I only saw three rise forms the entire month. Of course, I also saw no appreciable hatches. I still hope to hit early am to see if any tricos are out. I fished morning and late afternoon / evening mainly. Overcast and showery were most productive. Bright and sunny days just resulted in an improved tan.
At one point, I actually thought I had things figured out and was landing fish with enough frequency to make myself feel good. My hubris was rewarded by nary a take in the last two weeks. During the month, I have fallen through muskrat holes, been stuck in mud up to my knees (no, I was not wading), shared the water with muskrats and snapping turtles the size of pizza pans. I have cleaned enough vegetation off my hook to green up an acre of desert. I saw 18-20” brown finning in the current (with no way to get at him without lining him with the leader.) and scared enough 8-10” trout with clumsy approaches to make me question my sanity. Let alone the golden retreiver that wanted to see what I was doing and more ducks flushing out of prime water to make me want to take up waterfowl hunting.
What I came away with was a deeper sense of bonding with my fly fishing forefathers that came before me. I am guessing that they had days where they got skunked also. I am also very excited to explore the Letort through all the seasons and match wits with the streams best. Hopefully, i will win one or two of those matches.
I hit most sections of the stream and landed fish in the Heritage area as well as the open water. Caught them on the surface, but subsurface was more productive. I only saw three rise forms the entire month. Of course, I also saw no appreciable hatches. I still hope to hit early am to see if any tricos are out. I fished morning and late afternoon / evening mainly. Overcast and showery were most productive. Bright and sunny days just resulted in an improved tan.
At one point, I actually thought I had things figured out and was landing fish with enough frequency to make myself feel good. My hubris was rewarded by nary a take in the last two weeks. During the month, I have fallen through muskrat holes, been stuck in mud up to my knees (no, I was not wading), shared the water with muskrats and snapping turtles the size of pizza pans. I have cleaned enough vegetation off my hook to green up an acre of desert. I saw 18-20” brown finning in the current (with no way to get at him without lining him with the leader.) and scared enough 8-10” trout with clumsy approaches to make me question my sanity. Let alone the golden retreiver that wanted to see what I was doing and more ducks flushing out of prime water to make me want to take up waterfowl hunting.
What I came away with was a deeper sense of bonding with my fly fishing forefathers that came before me. I am guessing that they had days where they got skunked also. I am also very excited to explore the Letort through all the seasons and match wits with the streams best. Hopefully, i will win one or two of those matches.
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