Lehigh River Stocking Association PO Box 54 Walnutport, PA 18088 Site Menu Mission Statement The Lehigh River Stocking Association is a nonprofit, 501C-3 public organization dedicated to the restoration, revitalization and restocking of the Lehigh River. Our goal is the continuous improvement of this waterway and its tributaries. Our objectives are to insure clean water, a healthy and balanced ecosystem, an abundant fishery and access points for all citizens to enjoy. This will be to the benefit of all interests; including the businesses located throughout this region, the sportsmen and the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This project has been ongoing for the last thirteen years with ever-increasing success. We need and ask for your support for this outstanding program to continue. MEETING SCHEDULE 2006 We encourage all sponsors to attend the stated meeting of the LRSA. Meetings are held the last Tuesday of the month at the Walnutport VFW on Cherry Street in Walnutport at 8:00 PM. Stocked: 281,300 Trout Trout Money Raised: $527,000 LRSA Officers: President: Bill Derhammer Vice President: Matt MacConnell Secretary: Open Treasurer: Todd Woodring Chairman: Ted Miller Memberships: Colleen Miller 610-760-1367 Advertising Sales: Bill Derhammer 610-967-3092 Webmaster: Matt MacConnell Newsletter Editor: Matt MacConnell LRSA Board of Directors: Irv Conway Bill Derhammer Tom Gyory Fred Foster Matt MacConnell Bob Metz Colleen Miller Ted Miller Todd Woodring Lehigh River Hatch Chart The Hatch

Lehigh River Stocking Association - Fishing AND Stocking Photo below: Ken Mack with a 21" Rainbow trout (Tag #078) Stocked by the 24" club on May 1st 2007 under the Treichlers bridge. And cought right after the last island coming out of Palmerton on July 4th 2007. Fish was cought and released healthy to be cought another day!!! (Photography By Ben Haftal) 2008 Trout Fishing Contest The LRSA will hold a trout contest in 2008.  LRSA will use tags that will attach to the dorsal fin which can be harmlessly pulled off the fish to allow catch and release.  The tagged fish will be released along with the other trout during LRSA stockingin April.  Each of the four stocking locations (see page 4) will receive the same number of tagged trout .  The total number of tagged trout will be between 40 and 100 fish. The rules and contest prizes are as follows: Contest to start the first day of the 2008 early trout season, and ends the last Tuesday of May 8 P.M. at the LRSA monthly meeting held at the VFW, Cherry Street, Walnutport, PA. Tagged trout will be stocked in the Lehigh River between Glen Onoko State Park, Jim Thorpe PA and just below the Cementon Falls in Northampton, PA.  Numbered tags marked with lrsa.org wil be attached to the dorsal fin which can be removed to allow the option of catch and release. Tags must be submitted to the LRSA by either mailing them with your name, address, phone number and other optional information such as the location caught, lure used and if released, etc. to Lehigh River Stocking Association PO Box 54, Walnutport, PA 18088 or present them in person at the LRSA May meeting. Ten (10) $100 top prizes will be awarded along with several other prizes including fishing equipment. Prizes will be awarded by a random drawing. Tags will be drawn and awards will be presented at the May LRSA meeting. Anyone not present will be contacted and arrangements will be made to collect prize. Winners will be listed in the Summer newsletter. Only members of the LRSA are eligible for prizes. Visit LRSA.org for more information and contest updates. HELP make the LRSA Tagged Trout Fishing Contest a success. JOIN, RENEW and RECRUIT friends EARLY because MORE MEMBERS = MORE FISH!!!     ANGLING FOOTAGE - TAKEN BETWEEN BOWMANSTOWN BRIDGE and PALMERTON on JULY 4th 2007 Two trout caught just below Bowmanstown 895 bridge. 2nd fish looks like one of our spring 14" rainbows - headed for the frying pan in this case Another 17" rainbow is taken just below this set of riffles. Angling with worms was working the magic ... another for the fying pan... (although we encourage sponsors to catch and release!) A small rainbow takes the Panther Martin and a fly fisherman shows his wading and roll cast technique in swift water Fry are abundant, thanks in large part to PFBC stocking hundreds of thousands Walleye fry A rock bass is caught along the bank Heading down the riffles above the old dam location leads into a great pool. The first cast landed this nice small mouth bass Ken Mack went on to catch a 21 inch rainbow trout that was tagged by LRSA in March 2007 as part of the 24 Inch Club. The fish traveled from Triechlers to the Palmerton horseshoe! Link to June 2nd, 2007 Fishing Clips from Glen Onoko Angling clips in stretch between Bowmanstown and Palmerton on May 12, 2007 Stocking video clips from Walnutport and Slatington on April 21st, 2007     Four Days in May This could be another fish story that ran amuck, however, every word is true…the names have been changed to protect the innocent! I know many of you complain about the state trout stockings and the small trout stocked. I really beg to differ. My four days in May started when the state stocked the Little Lehigh on May 16th. I didn’t have an opportunity to fish that day and didn’t have a chance to fish the Little Lehigh until Thursday the 18th. That evening was perfect, and the areas I fished were just great. Within two hours I had caught and released about fifteen trout. All were of decent size but no large trout, but great action, plus missed another dozen. Decided to move onto another good producing area I’ve enjoyed in the past. I hit another dozen, with a 14’’ rainbow, and a 16’’ brown, plus missing another dozen or so. Not a bad evening, but it gets much better. I fished this one area hard and was getting a lot of hits, when suddenly I got another nice hit and set the hook. All H E double hockey sticks broke out! This horse of a rainbow leaped clear out of the water, jumping upstream. It was a one fine looking rainbow. The other fishermen thought is was a Steelhead! It proceeded to jump three or four more times, don’t remember just how many, but it flew up stream from the fast water about 25’ and held up. I started to walk upstream when one of the other fishermen saw it coming downstream. When it saw me, it reeled off approximately 100 feet of line before it stopped. All this time I had my drag set real loose, I had tightened it one time and decided against it. The drag stayed loose, and I could not budge the trout. I started to walk downstream and by this time I had three or four followers. I slowly approached but as I got within 25 feet, it made another run. It went across the stream to the other bank. I slowly crept up to it, but when I got within 5 feet, it made another run further downstream and back to the other side of the stream. I got over and started to approach it again (no net), and borrowed a net from one of the followers. I got up to it, but the big rainbow rolled over a sunken tree branch and went deep, plus it started another run. Now I have my line under the branch and it’s moving across the stream to the other bank. I reached in and pulled up the branch (about 5’ in length and dropped it to the side, unfortunately my line went with the branch. Had to pick up the branch again and take my line off……how the rainbow stayed on I’ll never know (had 2 lb test leader). It finally went back to the other side of the stream and I went for it. It rolled out of the net; made another jab and got it! Went to the other bank and lifted it out of the water. I hastily measured it at 21 inches and it was a great weight and a fine specimen of a rainbow. I later went to a local sporting goods stores and verified the Rainbow at 21 1/4’’ and weighed 3.62 lbs. I normally catch and release over 400 trout a year (when I’m lucky), but I don’t catch a lot of large trout….this was the heaviest and fought the best in my 42+ years of fishing. And this is only the first day of four!! I proceeded to fish the following Friday, Saturday and Sunday and caught and released over 100 trout…several in the 16’’ to 18’’ range. One was a male brown over 18’’. Plus I missed another 30+ trout. I’ve never experienced four straight days of excellent fishing and quality trout……and this was state stocked trout! If you’re fishing the Big Lehigh or the Little Lehigh, the trout are there for the catching. You just got to work at it. Hope you have some great days on the stream and don’t forget to pick up that litter! Tight Lines, Bob Metz Videos Available! LRSA Access Points, Directions and Good Trout Stocking Footage Sales have been brisk with all proceeds going to support the fishery. Please purchase your copy and get a tour of the LRSA stocking locations and hot fishing locations. The LRSA has produced a video that provides footage of the stocking locations and river access points. We have included footage of the drive from the main road to the area, the walk down to the river and a panoramic view of the fishing area. Stocking points in all four areas from Northampton Canal Park all the way to Glen Onoko State Park in the greater Jim Thorpe area. To order a video please contact Matt at 610-657-2707. LRSA Feedback: Send your comments and suggestions. Email Name Add Your Feedback We do not receive email from lycos, hotmail and yahoo accounts. These email accounts contribute spam on the internet. Please use your ISP email address. Site Menu Home | News | Forum | Photos Watershed | Join | Sponsors | Links Or Print Application and Send U.S. Mail Click Here TOP of PAGE © copyright all rights reserved 2007 LRSA Lehigh River Stocking Association PO Box 54 Walnutport, PA 18088