salvelinusfontinalis
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2006
- Messages
- 7,267
What a weekend of fishing it was. I started at The "open" wild trout section and fished downstream to the posted area. This water is very very cold and looks good after the recent rains we have had. Oddly enough... these headwaters dont get low ever and that thought croosed my mind more than a few times.
The trout were already rising by 11 am and to what was an easy answer. I had flying ants crawling on my hat, neck arms and legs. It looked like thousands and thousands of them washing downstream as the fish rose to them in the feeding channels. I didnt have any with me though 😳 Not all was lost as i tied on a small blacj elk hair caddis and it did the trick. The very first trout i caught was a nice plump 17 inch rainbow. He was very golden in clor and had a huge bright red stripe on his side. And some sharp teeth to boot. I caught another 10 wild rainbows all in the 6-8 inch range and a mix of wild browns in the 8 - 14 inch range. Unfortunately i broke my camera :-( so no pics.
After hitting the end of the wild trout section i went back upstream to the first 2 holes as i consider them the best. I caught a few more wild bows. As I caught them casting up stream i was releasing them in the head of the next hole beside me. One by one those fish would jump the small log barrier back upstream to were they were. At first I thought hmmmmm they most really like this hole. After the 3rd fish did it I looked back at the head of the hole i was standing next too and saw a very large...very dark shadow swim away. Apperantly a HUGE brown was claiming that hole as his own. I starting casting to him but he wanted no part of it. Then i tied on a large olive woolly bugger and wouldnt you know....he took it. That fish gave me quite a fight. He even leaped out of the water. He was running downstream and i had no choice but to let him. When the time came to make him turn his head i lightly pulled upward and sideways on my rod. The middle ferrul most have loosened and i heard a crack and pop. My rod (now in half and the fish still on. Amazingly i got it back together with the fish still on. Just as I did though.....the bugger left his mouth. I didnt break the rod yet but it is cracked and will need repaired. The brown was at least 26 inches long.
Then I went down to Riley Road below Myerstown. There are still a few fish in there believe it or not. Some right under the bridge. I even saw a 17-19 inch bow that wanted nothing to do with me.
After leaving there i stopped by my friends house in Myerstown. He got and invite from the Lebanon Valley Sportmans Club President that owns the fish hatchery above the wild trout section. He said if i go with him towmorrow i can watch. I was extremely excited because the stream looks beautiful through there and I always wondered what the fishing must be like.
Returning in the morning I watched as my friend and the President of the sportmans club fished. Fish were rising but he insisted that they should be using a tandem rig of a BH nymph and scud. He said, "if you feel like you got too much weight cause you snagging the bottom......add more weight." I can see why now! You gotta get it down fast and keep it down. I counted each and everyfish and between the two of them, they landed 82 trout and missed many more. Most were small but i saw at least 25 trout over 17 inches come to hand. A few in the 20 inch range. Appearently they have a fish hatchery that they grow and raise wild trout in. When they reach about 7 inches they release them into the stream. Natural Reporduction is taking place in the stream and between the stockings of wild fish, there is a crap ton of fish. They do supplement the trout with some pellet feedings and is one reason there are so many large fish. The good thing is.....they dont over feed them or feed them all the time. The fish are looking for natural and other food sources. I got my question answered about the constant cold water and regualr flows of the Tully in this section. On the fish hatchery property is a large pipe with a large amount of water dumping into the Tully. From this point the stream is about 60 foot wide and then narrows back down to about 20 feet or less. The water is coming from Pennsy Supply and the quarry they have. The water from the pipe is a cold 55 degrees. Right after it dumps in the stream takes on a new character and has aquatic vegataion. Everything a limestone spring creek should be. Now I know why it never gets too low. The fee for this fishing club is 1200 int fee and then 250 dollars a year. I bit to pricey for me.....but the fishing is nothing short of fantastic. Before we chastize these people for having a prvt club(very donny beaver like) consider this: They arent dumping stocked fish in the stream....the are raising wild trout and they are infesting the stream. They have also done a massive amount of restoration work....both on and off of thier property. With out this club....the open section would be nothing. So they arent all bad.
That said after watching this nymph (hares ear flashback) and scud tandem....i had to try it in the open section. While i did catch about 15 fish....my buddy caught 3 over 16-17 inches long. All rainbows. I also missed a really nice brown. Now im torn when i go downthere.......drys or tandem..*sigh* both work so well. All i can say is. This might be the best stream in southeast pa.
The trout were already rising by 11 am and to what was an easy answer. I had flying ants crawling on my hat, neck arms and legs. It looked like thousands and thousands of them washing downstream as the fish rose to them in the feeding channels. I didnt have any with me though 😳 Not all was lost as i tied on a small blacj elk hair caddis and it did the trick. The very first trout i caught was a nice plump 17 inch rainbow. He was very golden in clor and had a huge bright red stripe on his side. And some sharp teeth to boot. I caught another 10 wild rainbows all in the 6-8 inch range and a mix of wild browns in the 8 - 14 inch range. Unfortunately i broke my camera :-( so no pics.
After hitting the end of the wild trout section i went back upstream to the first 2 holes as i consider them the best. I caught a few more wild bows. As I caught them casting up stream i was releasing them in the head of the next hole beside me. One by one those fish would jump the small log barrier back upstream to were they were. At first I thought hmmmmm they most really like this hole. After the 3rd fish did it I looked back at the head of the hole i was standing next too and saw a very large...very dark shadow swim away. Apperantly a HUGE brown was claiming that hole as his own. I starting casting to him but he wanted no part of it. Then i tied on a large olive woolly bugger and wouldnt you know....he took it. That fish gave me quite a fight. He even leaped out of the water. He was running downstream and i had no choice but to let him. When the time came to make him turn his head i lightly pulled upward and sideways on my rod. The middle ferrul most have loosened and i heard a crack and pop. My rod (now in half and the fish still on. Amazingly i got it back together with the fish still on. Just as I did though.....the bugger left his mouth. I didnt break the rod yet but it is cracked and will need repaired. The brown was at least 26 inches long.
Then I went down to Riley Road below Myerstown. There are still a few fish in there believe it or not. Some right under the bridge. I even saw a 17-19 inch bow that wanted nothing to do with me.
After leaving there i stopped by my friends house in Myerstown. He got and invite from the Lebanon Valley Sportmans Club President that owns the fish hatchery above the wild trout section. He said if i go with him towmorrow i can watch. I was extremely excited because the stream looks beautiful through there and I always wondered what the fishing must be like.
Returning in the morning I watched as my friend and the President of the sportmans club fished. Fish were rising but he insisted that they should be using a tandem rig of a BH nymph and scud. He said, "if you feel like you got too much weight cause you snagging the bottom......add more weight." I can see why now! You gotta get it down fast and keep it down. I counted each and everyfish and between the two of them, they landed 82 trout and missed many more. Most were small but i saw at least 25 trout over 17 inches come to hand. A few in the 20 inch range. Appearently they have a fish hatchery that they grow and raise wild trout in. When they reach about 7 inches they release them into the stream. Natural Reporduction is taking place in the stream and between the stockings of wild fish, there is a crap ton of fish. They do supplement the trout with some pellet feedings and is one reason there are so many large fish. The good thing is.....they dont over feed them or feed them all the time. The fish are looking for natural and other food sources. I got my question answered about the constant cold water and regualr flows of the Tully in this section. On the fish hatchery property is a large pipe with a large amount of water dumping into the Tully. From this point the stream is about 60 foot wide and then narrows back down to about 20 feet or less. The water is coming from Pennsy Supply and the quarry they have. The water from the pipe is a cold 55 degrees. Right after it dumps in the stream takes on a new character and has aquatic vegataion. Everything a limestone spring creek should be. Now I know why it never gets too low. The fee for this fishing club is 1200 int fee and then 250 dollars a year. I bit to pricey for me.....but the fishing is nothing short of fantastic. Before we chastize these people for having a prvt club(very donny beaver like) consider this: They arent dumping stocked fish in the stream....the are raising wild trout and they are infesting the stream. They have also done a massive amount of restoration work....both on and off of thier property. With out this club....the open section would be nothing. So they arent all bad.
That said after watching this nymph (hares ear flashback) and scud tandem....i had to try it in the open section. While i did catch about 15 fish....my buddy caught 3 over 16-17 inches long. All rainbows. I also missed a really nice brown. Now im torn when i go downthere.......drys or tandem..*sigh* both work so well. All i can say is. This might be the best stream in southeast pa.
