November 8, 2021 – A Fool’s Errand in 1100 CFS – Lehigh River

Pretty big water...

I could not confirm with the Army Corp of Engineers website, but based on the shape of the gage, it looks like there must of have been a bottom release from the dam a few days ago.  It may have been unplanned in order to let some rainwater go.  I can confirm that the only fish I caught in four hours of fishing at two spots, another hour of walking and driving in between, felt like it had been on ice.  I was in long johns and a base layer all day, even though the air got to the mid-60’s by quitting time, so the water was certainly cold.  I guess I wanted a change of pace after three trips in a row on creeks I can jump across, and I have seen plenty of the Brodhead this fall thus far, so I headed up the Northeast Extension to the Lehigh.  The gage at Lehighton was close to 1100 CFS, but coming down.  Flows like this push fish to the sides, and I had some spots in mind where I wanted to hunt for a piggy with a jigged streamer or big bugs. 

A lot of driving, hiking, casting for one average fish on ice.

I stuck with the plan at the first spot, which was too high to wade out much over my knees even in spikes and felt, for a good 2 hours.  Not a touch, even when I went smaller and fished soft edges with a bobber.  The only highlight besides big sky and water shots was an encounter with a mink carrying a fresh kill, likely a mole or vole.  No fish for him either today.  The wind pretty much sucked too.  I thought the pattern was changing today, and it did after 1 PM, but the morning was still breezy enough to make casting and mending a chore.  After lunch, I debated just going to the Po, but I drove upstream about 40 minutes and fished another section of the river and finally stuck a wild brown on a caddis larva with an added tungsten bead to get down to them.  I know I missed two others fishing with a bobber big enough to float a lot of weight, and on a mono rig!  The plan was to hunt for a big fish, so I did not pack another rod with me.  Had I done that, I may have fished a couple tribs instead.  A lot of driving, walking, and casting for one fish, but I had (perhaps foolishly) committed to this path today.