Friday, October 29, 2010

Oct 29th last trip to camp for the year

Sad to say that the year is finished for camping.
I pulled the camper up the hill from where it stays all Spring, Summer and Fall down by the Pine creek. The winter weather is too wet/Snowy to leave your camper down for fear of flooding. so yet another year is over.

This Summer was very dry and I did not go to the camp much at all after the middle of June, and when the rain finally fell it was way into Sept already. Back in July three inches of rain fell and the fishing was good for about 3 days and that was all., other than that it was dry.

When they said rain was coming in the last week of Sept I went out and found fish then a near flood! rain total was 2.61 for the 29th. And it rained again Mon and Tues nights this week so the water was up and the fishing was spotty, but got a few and one at 18 1/2 inches about three pounds., all Browns, all in the camp.  These fish are spawning now like the the Brook trout and the Rainbows, and ALL should be returned to the creek so they can get on with the spawn!

I am looking forward to next year and hope that it will be more like last year 09,  the wettest in many years. The wettest month believe it or not was August 5.90 inches fell.The fish were able to stay put and that made it the best year Ive had yet on the Pine creek!   I hope it happens again!     

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

North central region trip oct 1st

I went out to the camp the last week of Sept and found the water VERY LOW as I had expected. Generally after the middle of June the water levels are low on the Pine creek, but this year its lower than Ive seen it in years.

The weather channel has said that rain is on its way, they were not kidding! Between weds and thurs the area got almost three inchs of rain according to the reports, but I think we got more as the creek came up almost to my camper. I had the truck backed right up to the trailer and was ready to pull out if the creek came up any more, but at 9 oclock thurs nite the creek crested and I could relax.

In the days prior to that I did fish the upper section of the Pine with a few fish here and there and one at 17 or so that shook off right at my feet,  the very next cast I was clobbered by a very heavy trout that bit right through 2x tippet swimming off with my Zonker and leaving me feeling like Chief Brody in Jaws when he saw the shark for the first time "I gotta get bigger tippet" at least fluorocarbon 2x anyway. I gave it 24 hours and went back the next evening but they were havin none of it. oh well I,ll get another chance at that fish as nobodys out fishing now that its bow season.

Now is the time for big trout and they want big stuff like size 4 zonkers,clousers mudlers and such.  An egg sucking leach is not at all a bad idea as these trout are spawning now.   You can bet I,ll be back at that pool next trip out, and I,ll be ready THIS TIME!       

Monday, October 4, 2010

Friday Sept 17th

I had a class to teach for four guys new to Fly Fishing.  When they scheduled it they asked if they could learn casting where they could catch a trout,

Usually I would bring beginners to a pond or a lake where it is wide open so they wont have any thing in their way while they learn casting but thought, I know a spot on the south branch of the raritan river they could cast from and that place has a lot of trout! and can be good fishing.

. They bought new stocking foot waders for this class and did not know that they needed boots as well, so when we met up at the river they had these waders on OVER THEIR  SHOES!   They looked like Dr Suess characters. I told them that by the time we get from the truck to the water they will have ruined the new gear but they did not worry much about it and who could blame them. whatareyagonnado?

It had rained the night before and the river was up a little and off color a bit, And thats great for fishing streamers so thats what they all got tied on their leaders. Olive zonkers size 6. I have to say they were casting pretty good out the gate and even got a bite or two here and there. When I would take a rod from someone to show a cast, I would then show how to strip the fly back towards you in a short quick manner and hooked three trout that way, then handing the rod back saying "Here quick, your hooked up!"
these were all 10 to 12 inch trout that are stocked over the spring. They all had a good time,  the class went easy and not one of my rods got broken., so I would say it was a success.   

Sunday june 6th trip

I took Adam W. over to the Pohopoco Creek in Parryville to fish the Damm. Here we found lots of fish working on what looked like 14 Cahills about 8:15 am and by 10:00 we caught many. then we went to a 16 tan body elk hair Caddis and caught more., just for fun i tied on a green body bead head caddis nymph and got a couple on that too., Then switched to a 16 sulfur and they took that for a while as well. Most of these Fish were Brook Trout that had been recently stocked one or two Rainbow Trout with a few Brown Trout that have been in a while and at least three of those Browns were native as we have lots of wild browns in this Creek As Adam was visiting Jim Thorpe with his wife that weekend, he said "Iv,e caught enough trout, lets stop now so I can get back sooner to be with my wife" He then said "This was the best day fly fishing Iv,e ever had in the East" That was at 2:30 pm. I wish more trips were like this one! We really hit em good!

Beach Trip, New Jersey shore, July 15th

I Have been in Manasquan NJ visiting friends this week. My best friend Carl Danish use to have a bait shop at the inlet called The Fisherman's Cove. it was the only building on the west side of third ave at the water and this was also his home.
It was so peaceful and quiet there that when I came to visit him for a few days, I never wanted to leave, and often did not! as Carl would say "stay another day whats your hurry?, STAY!" So like a good dog I would.

Back in 95 the State got control of this 90 acre piece of Heaven and turned it into a public use area for everyone. So as much as we miss the cove, at least its NOT CONDOS! Carl still lives in town and has a private slip he keeps a 13ft Boston whaler in. I keep my Johnson 25hp motor on it so I can run around in it chase Stripers all I want and not worry that I'm going to maybe have to fix his motor if something were to break. its my motor so I can beat it all I want,and nobody's worried about it. You know how borrowing things can be?, Murphy's law is STRICTLY ENFORCED!! The boat on the other hand is a TANK! So long as I keep it off the Jetties It will be fine!

From the slip its no more than a 5 min ride to the Manasquan Inlet. Unless its blowin!, I "Go outside" all the time. When you grow up "Down the Shore" as I did, you went out in the ocean with small boats as much as the Weather and your Parents would allow. Its like when people down here ask me about fishing in the Mountains, "Don,t you worry about Bears" I tell them NO! just like here you don,t worry about Sharks RIGHT?
then they gain Perspective. I can put this boat right in close to the beach and cast my 9wt all day.

Funny how The Who's Quadrophenia still makes the hairs on my arms stand up here at the beach! But at home in Jim Thorpe its not got the same affect.

I use a 350 grain sinking line and a saltwater leader and flies made with clear epoxy over them. these look like spearing, and lately I have been catching a lot of fluke off them bottom on them, but Clousers or any large Streamers will work. Just let the line sink to the bottom and slowly drag it across. ITS FUN!!

These fish are mostly "Shorts" but I release the keepers anyway. If you fish from the beach you can do just as well. However!, you MUST HAVE A STRIPPING BASKET!! otherwise the Waves take line back and forth up and down the sand at your feet, making it VERY hard to cast. Also I find it will ruin the line after some time.

These Fluke should be here for the rest of the Summer, so if you can, get to the beach and Fish, DO IT!! Its so HOT and the water is BEAUTIFUL!! Remember! SUMMER IS LIKE A FISTFUL OF SAND!

Monday the 22nd of March

Yesterday I went to the KEN LOCKWOOD GORGE in CALIFON NJ. Califon is short for California!
That is what they used to call this Town. I think because of how beautiful it is!

I heard from the guys that Fish there, that they just stocked a bunch of Brook Trout, So I Fished a big white Saltwater Clouser about 4 Inchs long. This thing belongs on a 4oz Hobkins ITS HUGE FOR FRESHWATER! But they catch trout in the Spring so I fish them. I,m using my 6wt sage sp with a rio 150 dc sink tip line leader down to 1x. this I call my Commercial rod. Water temp 49 degrees. I started catching these Brookies right away and caught 9 before the rain started to fall HEAVY! then they started to go nuts for it! I caught 3 more in the heavy downpour but have to quit cause of lightning,DAMM! I really wanted to stay but to much risk of a lightning strike hitting me. I really think that this part of the south branch of the Raritan River is the best, and should be fished by everyone at least once.

Saturday june 19th Trip

Took three guys out to the Lehigh River up in Whitehaven and Fished where the Haye's Creek comes into the river there. Dick, Stafford, Matt and I worked the river with small Caddis in the morning with little to no action. Only saw a couple of Fish rise. Water temp 69, air temp very high and sky clear. Then I made Sandwiches for lunch around 11:30.

After eating the fish started feeding off the surface on what looked like little Midge Pupa or something very small about a size 22. I put on what I thought should work a 22 spent wing Midge. These fish were picky to say the least. I hooked and dropped one fish while taking a knot out of Matt's Flyline. We Fished until about 2:00 then went to the Mud Run at Hawk Falls. On weekends this can be very crowded, not with Fishermen but with hikers,swimmers and the like. Lots of Bikini,s to add to the scenery! Here we saw no other Fishermen and had about the same action. But I did manage to miss one and catch another on a tiny Pheasant tail Beadhead Nymph.

As Dick was new to Fly Fishing I really wanted to get him hooked up so I took them all over to the Pohopoco Creek in Parryville. Here the story was the same, slow action. We fished hard and Dick did miss fish a number of times but no hookup. with more experience he will come along fine.

March 15th

7 Inchs of rain has fallen since Friday in some parts of New Jersey. Towns like Bound Brook, Manville and many other towns further to the north and east are flooded. This is BAD NEWS for all the People that live there. They have to clean up such a mess. Their Homes/Vehicles are under up to 15ft of water and the rivers are not going to crest for another few days. More heavy rain is coming this weekend! Until it happens to you, you will never understand how hard it is,not the work, but the loss! People will say "Its just stuff".

Photographs, Artwork, Antiques, Handwritten letters/articles and so on are not replaceable. Some will say "I would never live there" or "Why don't they just leave" These people own homes that are difficult if not impossible to sell given their location in such flood prone areas. So they have to "Tuff it out" but after a while its no life! However they keep on going, what else can they do? But when is enough, enough?

Some day we will see legislation that will put a stop to this Madness! Building Homes in low lying areas along rivers or on the Ocean front at the Jersey Shore will come to a stop! Also the enforcement of Eminent Domain on homes that are in flood zones, they will be razed and removed from these areas so Nature can then reclaim them. If we want to look to the future and say we're ready, this is one of the many steps we have to take. As Fishermen this is something we have to watch VERY closely since it will EFFECT ALL OF US!

march 1st trip to mud run

On monday March 1st I took two new friends to the Mud Run in the Hickory Run State Park and we hiked down to Hawk Falls through about a foot of snow! It looked as if someone had snowshoed in a day or two before. We found the creek very clear and at a nice level, not as high as you would think with all the snow. the air temp at 39 or so.water temp was 37. We each fished our own nymphs here. I was useing my size 18 beadhead pheasant tail with some split shot and an indicator. the fish were not very impressed! After some time I got one strike that I missed and so I switched to a black wooly bugger with no better luck. My friends did not do any better either, but youve got to be in it to win it,and the scenery cant be beat! we then took turns fishing the pool at the Hawk Falls where it drops into the Mud Run this is got to be one of the most picture perfect places in the park. Here we got two looks but no takers. But if it wasent for the sound of the traffic on the Turnpike just overhead you would think you might be in Idaho or Wyoming! I kept looking for the ghost of John Denver to ride through the trees, or maybe Jeremiah Johnson packing through with his Beaver pelts! This is such beautiful country up here, I cant wrap my mind around how just two exits down is Allentown.

latest trip

Its now the 25th of Feb, snowing hard all day 34f. I went to the Parryville Damm MON TUES WEN This week around 1.00pm most days I,ve been fishing two WD40 flies size 18 beadhead and have been getting browns. All browns. beetween 12 to 16 1/2 inches. On sunday I fished the Beltzville Damm and caught 4 browns to 15 inches. These fish are holding over very well and have the silvery color they get this time of the year. It seems we are past the coldest part of winter now so I can give these reports more often. The water has been around 37f and flows have been moderate out of the Damm. This weekend they are calling for more snow but 41f mon and tues. Fishing should be good on those days! So check your gear,clean your lines,tie your flies. and GET READY FOR SPRING!!

New article for new year!

As everyone knows the weather has been very cold the last month of 09 and the first two weeks of 2010. So when it warmed just a little I went right to my favorite tailwater The Pohopoco creek. I fished for about fifteen mins and hooked a 19 inch brown on a 18 beadhead phesant tail! it happened right away, and I thought, Alright!! This is gonna be a big day! after a good look at him he went back in. Well I fished for five more hours and turned only two more that I missed anyway. But had I not gone out that morning I would never have gotten that big fish! That was on sat the 16th of Jan., A TIME OF YEAR WHEN EVEN SOME FLYSHOP GUYS WILL TELL YOU YOUR WASTING YOUR TIME! And they want your buisness. this fish was skinny,WINTER SKINNY! there is very little food around when its very cold and whats hatching is very small. but just like us, THEY HAVE TO EAT EVERY DAY! So dont think you cant catch fish now. and dont listen to those who say so THEY ARE WRONG! And its nice to be on the creek anyway, it keeps me from climbing the walls! I go out anytime the temp is 39 or higher for the day. that way my guides dont freeze. April is still a long way out.,so go fish now! you may be surprised at how nice it is on the creek and With any luck you too can catch a big fish

First Article of 2007

84 Degrees in Williamsport PA on Tuesday March 27th. HHHMMM I wonder if theres something going on with our weather? Maybe there is something to this "Global Warming"!

Time for a Hike!
I load my gear in the truck and take that familiar Cruise to one of my favorite spots. The Mud Run in Hickory Run State Park.

The Mud Run is OPEN TO FISHING ALL YEAR!
NO CLOSED SEASON!!

I hike down in to the Creek to find it running clear, a little high and cold 44 Degrees.

I tie on a #8 green beadhead Wooly bugger. I'm casting a Teeny T-130 line, this line has a 24' sinking front section that sinks to about 4 to 6' now on sale for 35.00 normally 82.00 at jimteeny.com click this link then go to closeouts.

The leader is short 4' tied down to 4x. The rod is a Sage SP 9' 5wt.

Then I find a nice Riffle and cast across and down letting the fly just swing through, a few more casts and I take one step downstream. I do this until I feel a bump, I lift and I'm on my first Trout since January!

Its like a Great big Aspirin, or that first long gulp of beer after finishing a tough job!
I ask myself, how cool is my backyard??

Its a male brown 12" I release it after sharing a moment when I say,
Go tell Grandpa Paul Healy says "HES CHICKEN" Figuring he might come straighten Me and my line out!

I cast a while longer, Grandpa doesn't show!

So I
hike back up to the truck and drive down to another spot to find someone there already Do I know that truck? Looks familiar.

I hike down to find Jim and Mark from Quakertown, "Jim just released a 16" Rainbow" Mark tells me,
I ask, "Shouldn't you guys be working?"

My New Web Site

Hello everyone! My name is Paul Healy. This web site will bring you news and reports about the Lehigh River as well as other streams and creeks in the Jim Thorpe area for the coming weeks. News such as water temps,flow rates,hatches,etc.will be posted here. You can use this site to check these and other conditions and activities as well. I hope this site serves you well, and Good luck to everyone this fishing season!

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