Lehigh River Stocking Association PO Box 54 Walnutport, PA 18088 Site Menu Stocked: 269,800 Trout Trout Money Raised: $490,310 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 sixteen 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. LRSA Officers: President: Bill Derhammer Vice President: Matt MacConnell, PE Secretary: Open Treasurer: Todd Woodring Chairman: Ted Miller Memberships: Colleen Miller 610-760-1367 Advertising Sales: Bill Derhammer 610-791-5215 Webmaster and 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 Email us your fishing photo's. Just attach your photo in any image format. This page was just updated. Send photos in any picture file format to: webmaster@lrsa.org Lehigh River Hatch Chart The Hatch	Air Products Donation - In September 2007, a grant of $2,500 was provided to LRSA in support of our water quality program. Specifically it is to be used to support our vision of bringing the water quality data on-line for real time viewing by the public. Thanks to Air Products!! Great News - Lausanne Tunnel Abandoned Mine Remediation Performance is Improving - see REPORT from Wildlands Conservancy LOCAL ADVOCATE TELLS CAPITOL HILL TO PROTECT OUR RIVERS PressRelease (date of visit September 24, 25, 2007) Thanks to Joe Vivenzio of River Run Troutfitters and Greg Boyd of Rivers Edge Guide Service for their generous donation of two Salmon River N.Y. Fishing Trips. Two lucky prize winners were drawn. Fall Stocking 2007 - Float Stocking Video; Bowmanstown to Walnutport FALL STOCKING Went Very Well- The LRSA stocked about 8000, 5-7 inch Brown trout fingerlings on Saturday November 3rd. Float stocking using 2 drift boats from Glen Onoko to Walnutport. The stocking locations are provided below. Thanks for your support. 9 AM - 1st truck met boat #1 at Glen Onoko next to parking lot at the river bank. Drift boat float stock to Jim Thorpe. 9:30 - 10:00 - 1st truck will meet boat #1 again at Jim Thorpe train station parking lot. Drift boat float stocked to Lehighton (at beach area behind Dunbar's Beverage distributor) 9 AM - 2nd truck met boat #2 at Bowmanstown (below 895 bridge). Float stocked to the the Wildlife Information Center (WIC) at the gap (just above the 873 bridge). ~11:00 - 1st truck refilled with trout and met boat #2 at the Wildlife Information Center (WIC) and float stocked down to Walnutport (main street bridge). Lehigh River Stocking Association News 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. Let Us Know if you think LRSA should run Another Tagging Contest Tagging Programs—The LRSA has done a number of stocking programs in the past. We have tagged 100 Steelhead (gray tag) to try and learn more about their migratory abilities, we have tagged 100 (green tag) Brown Trout fingerlings to see if we could document holdover, we conducted a contest with 100 tagged (blue tag) fish where dollar values were associated with each tag—22 of these fish were caught and prizes given (total of $2,000 in play). All tags used by LRSA over the last few years have been the plastic “spaghetti” type that attach just below the dorsal fin. People catching a tagged trout are directed to report it to Joe Mazurek at 610-360-2066. The most incredible catch was when a tagged Tiger (brook-brown) hybrid was caught in the Delaware about 1 month after stocking in the Bowmanstown area. The tag returns are fairly low percentage (< 30%) however and the data has not been very conclusive. The contest also did not appear to help with our sponsor sign up rate. So the board is leaning away from tagging programs at the moment. On the other hand, if LRSA sponsors would like LRSA to run another contest or to continue with trying to establish trout travel patterns then please let us know! Please contact Matt MacConnell at 610-657-2707 (or other board members) if you believe we should continue with tagging programs and what type of program you would like to see. Matt MacConnell WALLEYE AND MUSKIES IN THE LEHIGH The Pa Fish and Boat Commission held a fisheries management meeting August 31, 2006. The meeting was sponsored by Commissioner Fred Osifat. Presenters from the PFBC were Dave Arnold and Leroy Young. The LRSA was represented by Dean Druckenmiller and Bill Derhammer. Points of discussion were the FEW and how that is being managed for flood control, white water releases and fisheries management. The PFBC did ask for input from the LRSA. We reported on our stocking program, how long we have stocked trout, number of fish and how our tagging program has worked. We also reported on the ability of the trout to find thermal refuges during periods of low water and higher temperatures. We know that our fall brown fingerling program is working. The LRSA requested that the PFBC stop stocking walleye and muskies north of Northampton. The PFBC plans to continue to stock walleye from Sandy Run downstream to the confluence of the Delaware until 2009 in order to get measurable results. The PFBC wants to provide more fishing opportunities in the Lehigh with more species of fish. The LRSA suggested that rather than stock walleyes and muskies let the smallmouth bass that are becoming abundant continue to re-populate the Lehigh. We also asked that the PFBC stock fingerling trout from Sandy Run down to Palmerton. The section from FEW to Sandy Run is being stocked by the PFBC. The PFBC did listen to our concerns. Let’s hope they will take our concerns to heart and manage the Lehigh for what it could become, the premier fishing destination in the East. We know the potential of our lovely Lehigh. Stocking Strategy—Your Comments and Suggestions Welcomed The LRSA board works hard to spread the trout we stock in a fair and equitable way. Thanks to the volunteers who show up at the stocking locations, we have enough manpower to spread them out in each area pretty well. Here is an example of how we spread the fish on one stocking day this spring in Area 3. A total of 17 tubs of trout (approx 14 fish per tub) were spread out in Lehighton from below Dunbar’s to several locations below the Packerton dip access point. A total of 10 tubs were spread out in Jim Thorpe along the parking area above the train station up to the 933 bridge. Finally, 2 tubs were put in at Glen Onoko followed by 4 tubs about 1/2 mile up into the Gorge. We would like to please all the people but as you can imagine it is difficult. The board believes it is important to get the fish in at areas that have good access to our sponsors. It remains a mystery how far the fish move after being stocked, whether Rainbows travel more than Brownies or the other way around. There are a lot of theories on this but our tagging programs were largely inconclusive on this question. The board sincerely appreciates your sponsorship because this enables more fish for the river and more happy anglers all season long. Still we would like to hear from you and if you have comments or suggestions, please contact Matt MacConnell at 610-657-2707 or any other board member (names and numbers at the end of the newsletter). Matt MacConnell, LRSA   LRSA's, Datasonde 3 Hydroprobes at Northampton. We now have probes in the river 24/7 monitoring pH, Dissolved Oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, and level. Matt MacConnell removes the probe on right for data download. The clean probe on left will take it's place for a week of water quality monitoring. See more on our Watershed Information page. 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 | Fishing | Forum | Photos Watershed | Join | Sponsors | Links Or Print Application and Send U.S. Mail Click Here TOP of PAGE © Copyright all rights reserved 1999-2007 LRSA Lehigh River Stocking Association PO Box 54 Walnutport, PA 18088