LetortRun:

Like most places the Letort goes through its cycles. I've been fishing it regularly since the 70's and the fishing hasn't changed all that much. I?ve had great years and lousy years. In 2001 I had some of the best fishing of my life on the Letort catching several fish in the 18-20? range and one well over 20? on a Sulphur of all things. The last few years have been slower for me. The blame has been all over the place. A few years back everyone was saying that all the new housing was draining the aquifer and the stream levels were down as a result. The last three years there is water all over the place and the surrounding meadows are more flooded and filled with water than I have ever seen in my lifetime. One year I see weeds, the next I don?t; I can?t figure it out but I keep going back because the fish can?t either.

Mr. Fox himself told me that the construction of I-81 had some of the biggest impact on the stream and that was well before my time. Even the dreaded Home Depot hasn't had as big an effect as most people thought, myself included. The fish kill of many moons ago had the biggest impact but the fish hung in there. After that fish kill the only place to fish was the Tragas Meadow where there still are some really nice fish if you are game enough to go there.

I think the problem most people have with the Letort is it?s a tough place to fish because of the lay of the land and the difficult fish. After reading all that?s been written about the place some people EXPECT to catch monster browns. It just doesn?t happen with that much regularity; it never did according to Charlie. The hatches were better way back when but that is the story in most places.

The other problem is that it lost most of its stewardship and TLC that it had while Charle, Vince and some of the regulars were still alive. When I used to fish there as a kid there were benches along the creek, stone walkways through the mud, screens to hide behind and observe fish; even a bridge over a small feeder creek. In the years since no one has kept those thing up so the place just looks run down. It?s a shame really, even the CVTU doesn?t seem to care as much as they used to despite their monumental efforts on the Home Depot front.

But in a way I like the fact that like you I can enjoy people free days along the banks and maybe its inhospitable nature is the reason why. Maybe we?ll bump into each other there sometime.