September 26, Penns Creek Report

The past few days were scheduled as a pre-fish for our Penns Package Weekend. It is a shame we've had to cancel the trip due to lack of interest...because Penns is prime right now!! Good rains kept the water up and flowing cool throughout the crucial periods of the year. In other words the Penns Creek brownies ate their way through the stress months. They are healthy, fat and working on the pre-spawn color. Conditions this weekend when on the water were overcast, cool and misty....perfect Penns weather. Flows were really nice as well...about 200cfs on the gage. Nitros tore it up!! Fished as a dropper pattern off the back end of a larger nymph - the nitro out produced all. Check it out on our PATTERNS PAGE. Look for Penns to continue to fish well. We won't be on it, but if I were you...hit it if you can. Hint Hint.

LEHIGH NEWS

Please be aware, the next three weekends are WHITEWATER RELEASES for the Lehigh. This is BS! There was originally two scheduled, and the third was just added in the last week or so. If you fish the river please voice your displeasure about this turn of events. There was no discussion. No press release. We are potentially looking at 1,000cfs for three weekends straight.

List below is who to contact at the Army Corps. Public input it vital to effective management of Francis E Walter. Let theCorps know exactly how you feel. Francis E Walter Public Input Page.

Email:
Austin Gerrard - austin.l.gerrard@usace.army.mil
Ed Voigt - edward.c.voigt@usace.army.mil

September 24, Lehigh Outing

Over the weekend we had out Sean for an afternoon/eve session. We worked the water between Lehighton and Bowmanstown. Temps were cool...62F at Lehighton...and tannic. Visibility was not more than 3'. Fishing overall was pretty slow. At the beginning of the float we worked a large bugger tight to the banks, and moved a few smallies. Visibility was good enough that you could see the follows. The fish just would not eat. Bugs were popping here and there throughout here and there, but as the sun moved lower in the horizon the hatching picked up. The summer sulphurs are still hanging around...we also had a few isos, and olives. Noticed a few stones as well. In the low light we did come across a small pod of rising trout. Managed to stick one - which was a nice fish. It made a decent run downstream...and got loose. Tough day on the water. Along the way we came across a few canoes and one other fisherman. Very peaceful.

September 19, Small Bluefin Tuna

The destination was Stellwagen Bank, and small bluefin tuna (SBFT) was the name of the game. These fish are flat-out awesome!! Bluefish on steroids! SBFT were propelling themselves out of the water with reckless abandon (eating halfbeaks). We were armed with a 14wt fly rod and heavy spin rods rigged with either metal or surface poppers. The plan was to find the fish on surface feeds and motor over slowly with hopes of getting off a few shots before they would sound. The tuna overall never really did stay on-top for very long - 30 seconds at the most, so accurate casts were very important. At times the chase seemed futile, but we stuck with it and were rewarded with 7 fish boated over three days...AND ONE ON THE FLY! L-Jacks, MegaBaits and Maria jigs were the metal that worked best. Topwater was just your standard striper popper. Now we only got one good shot to a pod with the flyrod - and did it ever payoff! We were motoring up to a surface feed when all of a sudden a few tuna boiled about 50' off the starboard side - one quick false cast, and the 600-grain layed out. Two strips and we were tight to SBFT!!! Insane!!! At first it was as if the tuna did not know what hit'em, then the line started to clear the deck. A solid hook-set was made, and we were singing drag!!! The fly line disappeared, and then the backing began to melt. Sick! That was not the end of it though. About 3/4s way thru the fight, when trying to lift the fish after one of its many runs, the rod EXPLODED! So here we are with a blown-up 14wt, about 4' left, and an angry bluefin at the other end. Thankfully, the fight was about over, and the fish was soon boated AND RELEASED!. We also came across whales and some enormous bluefish blitzes. Gators! This place is really incredible…what a resource. Awesome trip!

September 11, Update

This past weekend we hit the Lehigh. Flows were perfect - about 850ish cfs - on the Lehighton gage. 67F water temp in Lehighton at 4:30pm. Good trout temps. We found some trout feeding here and there, but not big numbers. Smallies were hitting well - they were feisty and tight to the banks. There were some sulphurs, isos, olives and even a few BIG stones hatching. The fishing was ok. Weather and scenery was fantastic. Actually we had the river to ourselves, as ALL the rafters were up in the gorge with the higher release from Francis E Walter. This year the flows have been great for the rafting companies...they must be making a killing!!! Actually all the target release dates appear that they will be met.