Little Lehigh, Lehigh County, 7/14/2009

[JeffS]

Holy Hanna, this stream kicked my can this morning.

Last week I could do nothing wrong, but this week I could do nothing right.

Tricos were everywhere...fish were rising...and it was one of those days in which I could have cast onto a roof of a house and not hook a shingle.

Ironically, I was was having one of those days when my casting was better than normal (anyone else have these days?). I was putting the fly where I wanted it on first casts, I put it under trees when I wanted to, and I was playing the wind like a champ. All of this was for nothing! I didn't hook a fish on top throughout the morning. I tried female spinners, male spinners, Al's spinners, Al's female spinners, I clipped wings, and I even drifted a few ants by the wary specimens. It was just ones of those days...

I did go down underneath and nymph two rainbows up out of a deep run which saved the day, but the trico hatch got the best of me today.

Tomorrow is only a day away...

 

[Acristickid]

Jeff- I think this is funny.

"...fish were rising...and it was one of those days in which I could have cast onto a roof of a house and not hook a shingle."

Laughing with you not at you. Sounds like one of my outings. Love it.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Jeff - I feel your pain. I hammered 'em good this past Saturday. The Little Lehigh is God's way of teaching flyfishermen humility.

Sometimes, it makes you want to do this.

 

[JeffS]

I didn't resort to a rocket launcher today, but I wanted to whip a rock into the stream at times. I was way out of the fly stretch again and was fishing an area where few fishermen fish the trico hatch. Since few fishermen hit the stretch I was in I thought the fish would be easy pickins'. So much for that theory...

 

[albud1962]

Maybe not an RPG but I bet you he did think about slipping some power bait on that fly...

 

[JeffS]

That didn't come to mind, but do you think it would have worked?

I'll tell you another thing that was driving me nuts out there today. Have people heard that song by Beyonce Knowles - Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)? I heard it before I went down to the stream and had it stuck in my head as I am trying to fish. I am watching my fly drift over fish and singing "All the single ladies..." Like I said, it was a tough morning...

If you havent heard the song I will let you in on my pain by providing this link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVEGfH4s5g

 

[giantsjim]

Jeff,

I was on the LL yesterday 7/14 and did OK. Not quantity but quality. I targeted some of the larger fish where I could. Landed a couple 13"+ and a few smaller ones 7-10".

I tried multiple patterns before I hit on a good, consistent one. It wasn't really male/female/spinner/dun; it was size, I think. Man did I go small. Once I did though, fish hit. Size 26. Yikes! Thank God for the magnifiers.

Had my brother in from Oregon and he had a good time too once I gave him the 'small' fly and then he hit a couple of fish after the hatch/fall sinking an ant. The hatch/fall seemed like a lengthy one as well which made for a really fun morning.

I am really waiting for the Tully to stabilize and the fish to 'get on' the tricos.

 

[littlelehigh]

JeffS wrote:
That didn't come to mind, but do you think it would have worked?

I'll tell you another thing that was driving me nuts out there today. Have people heard that song by Beyonce Knowles - Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)? I heard it before I went down to the stream and had it stuck in my head as I am trying to fish. I am watching my fly drift over fish and singing "All the single ladies..." Like I said, it was a tough morning...

If you havent heard the song I will let you in on my pain by providing this link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVEGfH4s5g

Oh I know that song too well I have a 2 yr old daughter who LOVE'S that song thanks to mommy!


This is the one stuck in my head for a week now thanks to the Disney channel. Just have to share!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpM5LOYAimM

 

[JeffS]

How do you manage to fish with that junk in your head?

The "Single Lady" song is bad, but I 'll take it over that Miley Cyrus stuff. Great Caesar's ghost I already have a headache from the little bit I heard.

giantjim- the Tully has nothing on the Little Lehigh...you can compare trico hatches, wild trout, and scenery and I think the LL wins hands down. If you are trying to catch carp - then the Tully gets the nod.

 

[JeffS]

giantsjim -
Sorry. I know you were not comparing the streams. I saw the last line of your post and ran with it.