Under The Willow Tree.

The Willow Tree

The holidays are more than just a chance to catch up with family and friends, down a lot of food, and open lots of presents. They present the angler with a chance to rediscover the home water they frequented during their days as a young angler. During my holiday I took a short walk to the local "creek" to hopefully catch some wild browns. The thermometer didn't reach the 30s and snow littered the landscape. My first stop was under a willow tree. During my young days my brother and I would swing across the creek using its long slim limbs as ropes. Little did I know at the time but the tree created the perfect home for some eager wild browns.

A Look Down At the Hole.

Indian Trail Park.

Ice Droplets.

Icicles.

Holdover Brookie.

First Wild Brown.

Soft Hackle Hares Ear.

One Big Blue Dot.

Pushed the 4wt to the Max.

Joking.

Stuck.

Wild or Stocked? I Say Stocked.

Small Parr Marks.

Wild or Stocked. I Say Wild.

Caddis.

Small Mayfly.

Cressbugs Were Everywhere.

Indian Stonefly.

One Last Wild Brown Completes The Experience.

The Oak.

Part 3

Every weekday I wake up at 5:15 a.m. to go to work. After awhile, your body gets in a groove and your automatic alarm becomes set at that time. There is nothing worse than waking up at 5:14 and looking at your clock thinking you can go back to sleep, only to realize that an annoying alarm tone is about to piss you off. With that in mind, I woke up at 5:14 a.m. in the bed of my pickup truck. My shoulders ached from a night spent sleeping on my casting shoulder and I struggled to realize where I was. The desolate Albion Walmart Supercenter parking lot was deserted save for a few cars. My suspicious looking truck lingered near the end of the lot away from all the worker's cars. I had about thirty seconds before my alarm went off, so I fumbled around for my glasses. The alarm screeched its tune and I quickly turned it off. Adam came stumbling out of the front seat and let me out of my chamber. I rolled out of the back just as a new shift came rolling in. The person in the car gave me a nice look after glancing at my sleeping bag. Who knows what he was thinking when he saw us stumbling out of that truck. We didn't care, it was time to go fishing.

A Good Sign. 

You Would Think This Would Work...But It Didn't.

Adam Working His First Chrome of 09'

It was our second day fishing Oak Orchard river in western New York. On the previous day I hit everything just right and landed several of the largest brown trout I have ever caught and some nice steelhead to boot. Adam had a terrible day, failing to land a single fish. That being said, we still had high hopes for round two. This particular Sunday, the weather was extremely warm and this brought a lot more anglers out to the river. It only took half an hour before Adam and I were slowly squeezed out of our first spots by several anglers who kept getting closer and closer. Being polite, I just packed up and went to the next open area. This day was much slower. The water level dropped over a foot, there were more people, and every fish in the system was probably caught the day before. Before our half day was over, we each managed to land a few fish each. I was happy for Adam, who landed his first steelhead of the season. The two steelhead he caught were awesome fish that were in great shape. I managed one brown that closely resembled a mini-taimen and had a bulldog battle with a very thick steelhead. A little past noon, we packed it in and began the long journey home. Another successful round on the Great Lakes coming to a close.

Boo Ya.

Only Brown Landed on Sunday.

Hunchback.

Adam's First Steel.

The Pig, Close Up.

One Gorgeous Great Lakes Steelhead.

Best Fight 09'

One Thick Hen.

Adam's Scores Again.

November Steel.

The Way Home. 

Reflecting on the Past Two Days.

Planning The Next Trip.

The Oak.

Part 3

Every weekday I wake up at 5:15 a.m. to go to work. After awhile, your body gets in a groove and your automatic alarm becomes set at that time. There is nothing worse than waking up at 5:14 and looking at your clock thinking you can go back to sleep, only to realize that an annoying alarm tone is about to piss you off. With that in mind, I woke up at 5:14 a.m. in the bed of my pickup truck. My shoulders ached from a night spent sleeping on my casting shoulder and I struggled to realize where I was. The desolate Albion Walmart Supercenter parking lot was deserted save for a few cars. My suspicious looking truck lingered near the end of the lot away from all the worker's cars. I had about thirty seconds before my alarm went off, so I fumbled around for my glasses. The alarm screeched its tune and I quickly turned it off. Adam came stumbling out of the front seat and let me out of my chamber. I rolled out of the back just as a new shift came rolling in. The person in the car gave me a nice look after glancing at my sleeping bag. Who knows what he was thinking when he saw us stumbling out of that truck. We didn't care, it was time to go fishing.

A Good Sign. 

You Would Think This Would Work...But It Didn't.

Adam Working His First Chrome of 09'

It was our second day fishing Oak Orchard river in western New York. On the previous day I hit everything just right and landed several of the largest brown trout I have ever caught and some nice steelhead to boot. Adam had a terrible day, failing to land a single fish. That being said, we still had high hopes for round two. This particular Sunday, the weather was extremely warm and this brought a lot more anglers out to the river. It only took half an hour before Adam and I were slowly squeezed out of our first spots by several anglers who kept getting closer and closer. Being polite, I just packed up and went to the next open area. This day was much slower. The water level dropped over a foot, there were more people, and every fish in the system was probably caught the day before. Before our half day was over, we each managed to land a few fish each. I was happy for Adam, who landed his first steelhead of the season. The two steelhead he caught were awesome fish that were in great shape. I managed one brown that closely resembled a mini-taimen and had a bulldog battle with a very thick steelhead. A little past noon, we packed it in and began the long journey home. Another successful round on the Great Lakes coming to a close.

Boo Ya.

Only Brown Landed on Sunday.

Hunchback.

Adam's First Steel.

The Pig, Close Up.

One Gorgeous Great Lakes Steelhead.

Best Fight 09'

One Thick Hen.

Adam's Scores Again.

November Steel.

The Way Home. 

Reflecting on the Past Two Days.

Planning The Next Trip.

The Madison of the East.

The Lehigh River's rebirth as a trout fishery has not gone unnoticed over the years. Many local anglers who have fished extensively in the West, have stated that the Lehigh River is the Madison of the East. Quite a bold statement, considering the Madison is one of the premier trout fisheries in the world. All it takes is to get out wading in the river, and you can picture yourself in the middle of Montana. However, the fishing is still no where near the quality of the Madison. With 10-20 more years of protection, fingerling stocking, and cold water the Lehigh could very well live up to it's great expectations. 

A Look Downstream.

Mountain Biking The Gorge.

Prolific Insect Life.

Stones Are Everywhere.

Mayflies.

Caddis.

The river is pretty wild, especially above Jim Thorpe. Here it snakes its way through the Lehigh gorge that provides some of the best white-water opportunities in eastern Pennsylvania. Along with this perfect pocket water, long deep runs and pools below Jim Thorpe produce ideal habitat for fish. The only problem is, a consistent supply of cold water. This past summer has been extremely wet, with long periods of rain that have kept flows much higher than normal. This led to the temperatures of the Lehigh to really never reach a level that would result in massive fish kills. The browns and rainbows have had a good summer and many of them will be surviving until next year to prowl the deep pools and prey on a vast amount of aquatic life. 

Double Fisting.

This Little Guy Fought Hard In The Fast Current.

Nice Female Brown After Losing A Huge One.

A Slab Rainbow on the Woolly Bugger.

A recent outing to the Lehigh produced some quality fish, insects, and scenery. Browns & bows upwards of 16 inches were caught on dries, nymphs, and streamers. This was accomplished by wading a small stretch of river. These are great signs for it's future. Hopefully, it will one day truly rival the Madison.

Another Quality Bow.

Released To Fight Another Day.

One of the Prettiest Lehigh Brown's I've Caught.

Mini Hook Jawed Male.

Propulsion.

Lunch: Pierogies, Bacons, Onions &...

Kielbasa.