August 27, 2021 – A Hot One, So a Short One – Little Lehigh Creek

Spot the heron.

All the good flows kind of went to waste this week because they coincided with SEPA’s sixth heat wave of the summer.  Besides one class and the boy’s high school orientation, I didn’t have a lot to do, so I set the alarm for 4 AM twice this week, but after checking flows and water temps on a few creeks within an hour of home, I rolled over and went back to bed both times.  Last night, I did a little research before settling down for bed and set the alarm again.  It was either going to be the Lil’ Lehigh because it had decent temps for the last few mornings and normal flows, or it was going to be a Wissy trip.  Either way, it was going to be a rather quick one.  It was about as tough, maybe tougher than I thought it might be, especially since the tricos seem to be waning, and I only saw a few caddis.  Fish were caught, however, and wet wading in 64-degree limestone water was more comfortable and offered more relief from the heat than the 80-degree Wissy—though both are probably still flushing out a lot of pollution from the flooding rains (with more on the way).

Real purdy but not real big.

I walked to some pocket water during false dawn, having made better time on the roads than anticipated.  I started out tossing a perdigon with a size 18 caddis pupa on the dropper, and I actually jumped a decent brown before sunrise.  Small bugs, half-hearted hit, and the hookset of one not expecting a hit on his first cast, I guess.  After that, however, I had to work hard for a few YOY and a couple average rainbows.  They were pretty bows with white-tipped fins and great colors, but barely 11 inches, I estimate.  I worked a few high percentage spots really thoroughly, and I kept hoping that some bug life would wake them up, but I had a feeling it was going to be challenging.  There were guys in every hole on the walk back towards the ‘Ru, just prospecting for risers it appeared.  I saw only small fish making splashing rises very early, and only a few all morning, so those others probably did as badly as or possibly worse than me.

A piggy holdover, methinks.

In an effort to find some real estate and at least one last fish, I took a walk out of the FFO section and tried three holes that I have not fished in a few years.  I got sharp bumps in two of them, but they were probably YOY based on where the hits happened.  However, I did jump another decent brown (just another hit that barely registered and a meh hookset) before landing a bonus fish to end the morning.  Even though it was a really pretty fish, and even had the blue eye spot, my gut tells me holdover stocked fish.  That said, it was a healthy 18-incher on August 27, so I was content to mess with him, especially after such terrible fishing in the morning.  I wanted more, but I dropped my thermometer after landing this fish, and the water was climbing close to 67 already, so I called it good.  The heat and those warm water temps did not stop at least three dudes who arrived after 10:30 AM from walking down to give it a go!  No doubt, this place has been abused this summer, hell, this year, but I was happy I got out and bit my tongue.  No use ruining my already mediocre morning by getting into a potential dispute.  I had to chase two gear fishing parties out of the FFO last time I was here, so I try to do my part sometimes.  Today was not that day.