I just recieved this message, one of many over the last few years. It sickens me.
Rod- good to see you on here as my dad and I went to your shop for mant years and enjoyed you and the information u provided us. This past year- i went back to the LL and was shocked at how poor it fished both in the summer and late fall. Much fewer fish, bug life including tricos were far worse, and the brookies that i loved in the heritage stretch were gone. There were a few spots i caught wild ones or atleast damn good looking holdovers in the past. Is this all just good ole days thinking or do you think the stream has in fact suffered? Walking way down near the lower tribs in the park didnt change my mind as i saw mostly stocked fish and poor hatches there too relative to years past.
Hope all is well and thank u for any opinions u can offer
Recently I've been featuring Little Lehigh Flyfishers memorabilia on Facebook. It demonstrates how motivated, focused smart achievers accomplished a lot.
When I contracted with the Cty of Allentown to open the Little Fly Shop, Don Marushak loooked me square in the eye and said he expeccted me to do anything in my power to improve and promote the Little Lehigh. I took him very seriously. What was good for the fishery was good for the shop.
The fly fishing community was clamoring for a handicapped access ramp. The local fly fishing club spent years wading through the bureaucracy, doing feasibility studys and hosting focus groups. We built one in less than a month.
While the local clubs were begining a feasability study for a Leisenring Memorial, we did it. A wonderful memorial was created and inscribed by Ernest Schwiebert. The first of many Leisenring Memorial Days were held in places like Bogerts Bridge and hosted by people like Duckwall, Borger and Schwiebert.
While folks were agonizing over the eroding stream banks the Little Lehigh Flyfishers got the city to provide rock, lumber, work release prisoners and a back hoe. It took us two weeks to start it, two days to finish it.
We named the pools, defeated the states plan to allow artificial lures and prevailed when the bureaucrats wanted to allow wading.
I never dreamed a limestone spring creek with the highest population of wild trout in Pennsylvania (see The Pennsylvania Stream Survey BEST TROUT STREAMS IN PENNSYLVANIA 8//18/92) could be ruined as quickly as the Little Lehigh.
As shown above, motivated caring cerebral people can fix this through constructive dialog.
The Little Lehigh Flyfishers have a plan. I'll expand on it in the coming weeks.
I hope some of my flyfishing celebrity friends will join us for lunch. I'm sure these motivated high speed folks will be anxious to help.
Sign up for the April 14th lunch today. You can have anything from dinner to sandwiches to a beer or coffee. Hell, I'll buy the beer. (No trip to Allentown is complete without a Brass Rail Cheese Steak.
Before our brainstorming session I will present my original program FISHING THE LITTLE LEHIGH. It will illlustrate the quality of this stream prior to its demise.
WE CAN DO THIS!
www.flylehigh.com