The Lehigh as a trout mecca?

For the first time, state to stock browns and rainbows down river. Sportsmen's groups laud the move.
By Christian Berg Of The Morning Call
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will stock 50,000 juvenile trout in the Lehigh River this spring, part
of an ongoing effort to enhance the river's coldwater fishery.
The agency plans to release 30,000 brown trout and 20,000 rainbow trout throughout a 24-mile section of the river
from the confluence of Sandy Run in Luzerne County downstream to Palmerton in Carbon County.
The trout will be released as fingerlings — young fish that measure 3 to 4 inches long. Biologist Dave Arnold, the
commission's regional fisheries manager, said rainbow trout released this spring could reach the minimum, legal
harvest size of seven inches by the end of this summer, with brown trout reaching legal size by spring 2008.
The stockings, scheduled for May 17, represent a historic expansion of the state's trout-related efforts on the
Lehigh, which in recent years has earned a reputation as one of the region's top trout-fishing destinations.
News of the increased trout stocking is being hailed by local sportsmen's clubs and professional fishing guides,
who have long contended the river is more trout friendly than commission officials give it credit for.
''From our viewpoint, it appears the Fish Commission is finally looking at the Lehigh as a trout river,'' said Dean
Druckenmiller, a licensed fishing guide and president of the Lehigh Coldwater Fishery Alliance. ''... That's what
we're shooting for, and we need to have them on board.''
The commission has stocked adult and juvenile brown trout in a six-mile section of river from Frances E. Walter
Dam downstream to Sandy Run for decades. However, the agency has never stocked trout below Sandy Run
because lower portions of the river often become too warm to support them. Trout are coldwater fish that cannot
tolerate water temperatures in excess of 70 degrees for extended periods of time.
The commission is willing to expand its river trout stockings this year partly because of operational changes at
F.E. Walter Dam in Carbon County, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will release additional water from
May-October to create whitewater boating opportunities and improve trout fishing. Although the additional water
may not keep the river cold enough for trout all the way to Palmerton, commission officials believe enough cold
water will be available for the fish to survive.
''We do have [temperature] concerns during the summer period, but we're willing to give it a shot,'' Arnold said.
''[Trout] could go upstream or into a tributary for thermal refuge. I'm sure there are a lot of cold seeps in the Lehigh
itself.''
Bill Derhammer, president of the Lehigh River Stocking Association of Walnutport, said he is confident the trout
will do well in the river, because his group regularly releases brown trout fingerlings as far south as Northampton.
''We know for sure our program is working, because we've been adhering to it for several years, and a number of
large brown trout are being caught in excess of 16 inches,'' Derhammer said.

Leroy Young, the commission's fisheries management chief, said the agency will stock 50,000 additional trout
fingerlings in booth 2008 and 2009. The trout will come from the commission's Huntsdale State Fish Hatchery in
Cumberland County. Commission spokesman Dan Tredinnick said it costs the agency 20 cents to produce each
fingerling, putting the annual cost of the program at $10,000.
Fish stocked in the second and third years of the program will be marked, either by clipping a fin or administering
a chemical marker that can be detected under a microscope. The agency will be able to sample trout populations
in the river and determine the survival rate of the fingerlings it released.
''The locals have been requesting this, and we're going to give it a good faith effort,'' Young said. ''If it works, fine.
If it doesn't, we're not going to just keep pouring fish down a rat hole.''
Generally speaking, the commission estimates about 15 percent of stocked fingerlings survive their first year,
Tredinnick said.
The additional trout stockings by the commission will complement private efforts the LRSA and several other
organizations have been supporting for more than a decade. The LRSA alone has released nearly 300,000 trout
in the river between Bear Creek and Northampton since its inception in 1990.
With the combined efforts, the entire river from the base of F.E. Walter Dam all the way to Northampton will be
stocked with trout for at least the next three years.
''It's about 50 miles,'' Derhammer said. ''That's outstanding.''

Lehigh River Overview

Lehigh River

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lehigh River
Lehigh River near Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Counties	Wayne, Lackawanna, Monroe, Luzerne, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton
Major cities	Lehighton, Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton
Length	103 mi (166 km)
Watershed	1,345 sq mi (3,484 km²)
Discharge at	Glendon
- average	3,740 cu ft/s (106 m³/s)
- maximum	11,700 cu ft/s (331 m³/s)
- minimum	1,160 cu ft/s (33 m³/s)
Discharge elsewhere
- Stoddartsville	280 cu ft/s (8 m³/s)
Source	Pocono Peak Lake
- location	Lehigh Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, USA
- coordinates	41°16′42″N 75°24′22″W / 41.27833, -75.40611
- elevation	2,056 ft (627 m)
Mouth	Delaware River
- location	Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, USA
- coordinates	40°41′20″N 75°12′17″W / 40.68889, -75.20472
- elevation	160 ft (49 m)
Major tributaries
- left	Tobyhanna Creek, Pohopoco Creek, Aquashicola Creek, Hokendauqua Creek, Monocacy Creek
- right	North Bear Creek, Nesquehoning Creek, Mauch Chuck Creek, Mahoning Creek, Lizard Creek, Jordan Creek, Saucon Creek
Lehigh River watershed

The Lehigh River, a tributary of the Delaware River, is a 103 mile (166 km) long river located in eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. Part of the Lehigh, along with a number of its tributaries, is designated a Pennsylvania Scenic River by the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. "Lehigh" is an Anglicization of the Lenni Lenape name for the river, "Lechewuekink," meaning "where there are forks."

The river flows in a highly winding course through valleys between ridges of the Appalachian Mountains. Its upper course is characterized by numerous whitewater rapids and supports a broad range of recreational pursuits including whitewater rafting, kayaking and canoeing. Its lower course forms the heart of the Lehigh Valley, an historically important anthracite coal and steel-producing region of Pennsylvania.

The river rises in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, in several ponds in southwestern Wayne County, approximately 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Scranton. It flows initially southwest, through southern Lackawanna County, through Francis E. Walter Reservoir. Near White Haven, Middleburg, it turns south, following a zigzag whitewater course through Lehigh Gorge State Park to Jim Thorpe, then southeast, past Lehighton. Southeast of Lehighton, it passes through Blue Mountain in a narrow opening called the Lehigh Gap.

From the Lehigh Gap, the river flows southeast to Allentown, where it is joined by the Little Lehigh Creek, then northeast past Bethlehem, where it joins the Delaware River in Easton, along Pennsylvania's border with New Jersey.

Lehigh River Hatch Chart

Lehigh River Hatch Chart

Stoneflies - All year = Assorted Sizes, nymphs all year
Black Caddis - April = size #12 to 22
Blue Quill - April = size #18, 20
Quill Gordon - April, May = size #14, 16
Hendrickson - April, May = size #14
March Brown - May = size #10, 12
Brown Drakes - May, June = size #8, 10 to x long
Cream Midges - June = size #18 to 22
Other Midges - May through November = size #18 to 28
Sulphurs - May, June = size #16
Light Cahill - May, June = size #14, 16
Blue Winged Olives - April through December = size #18 to 24
Pale Evening Dun - May through July = sizes #14 to 22
Caddis - April through October = #12 to 22
Isonychia - May through October = size #12, 16

I80 to Rockport Drift and Access

Some of the Nicest water on the Lehigh River to fish is the section from interstate 80 to Rockport. This section is favored by kayakers and white water rafters do to its abundance of grade changes and natural structure.
For the float fisherman this section has it all, from deep pools to long sections of broke water. Most importantly it holds fish, small mouth, trout and the occasional musky are caught in this section. Because of its close proximity to the Francis Walter, the water temperature stay relatively cool and is safely fishable in all but the driest and hottest summers. In addition to the cooling effects of the Francis Walter, more the a half dozen cool water creeks add to the flow and help keep the temperature down.
Much of this section must be fished using a drift boat but several accesses can be found for wading float fisherman.
This section of river is often 50-100 ft wide making 11'6" to 13' rods a practical choice for this section. Often times heavy rapids develop in low or high water and require a good selection of floats including a few in the 6-8 gram range.
A wide assortment of flies, jigs and baits should be carried when fishing this section of river to match the wade range and size of insects present. This section of the Lehigh River has good numbers of large stone flies, which is excellent for those targeting trout and bass using jigs.

Given the time and water release the Lehigh River has the structure and flows to surpass the West Branch of the Delaware as the best trout fishing East of the Rockies. Currently it is far from that, but each year is looking better. Currently the Lehigh River is fishing better then it ever has before with good numbers of fish and some very large ones mixed in.

Underconstruction

Please check back in with us shortly as we will be adding new information about this river system shortly.

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