DIY Guide to Fly Fishing Little Lehigh Creek in Southeast Pennsylvania

The Little Lehigh Creek reportedly has more trout per mile than any other stream in Pennsylvania.

Known for its world-class trico hatch, this little limestone gem fishes well all summer thanks to a continuous supply of cool spring water.

Flowing through a beautiful park system in Lehigh County near Allentown, PA, the wild brown trout of the Little Lehigh are not easy to catch but definitely worth the effort.

Learn more about the secrets of Little Lehigh Creek with the help of our handy guide!

Little Lehigh Creek is a 24 mile long tributary of the Lehigh River. The stream is a limestone spring creek and flows through Lehigh Valley. Its source is located in Longswamp Township in Berks County, and it joins Lehigh River in Allentown. It is also fed by Jordan Creek.

There is a 1.5 mile (upper) Catch-and-Release - Fly Fishing Only (CRFFO) section that stretches from the T-508 bridge (Wild Cherry Lane) to the T-510 bridge (Millrace Road). A second (lower) CRFFO section (formerly known as the Heritage Section) runs from the Fish Hatchery Road Bridge to the 24th Street Bridge. 

At Little Lehigh Creek, you will see brown trout, brook trout, and rainbow trout. It’s important at Little Lehigh to match the insect hatch, so be sure to pack your best imitations.

The best fly fishing is in the lower CRFFO section, where a 27-inch nine-pound brown trout was caught in the early 1990s. This section, however, sees an extreme amount of pressure due to its' notoriety.

There are other options though, including some excellent water both up and downstream of the lower CRFFO section that receives little angling pressure after the first few weeks of the regular trout season opener. 

The section downstream of the lower CRFFO that run through the Allentown Park system is accessible by very well maintained trails, and there are plenty of trees to lend shade in the hotter summer months.

There are dedicated parking areas available at the Hatchery section and the regulated area near Wild Cherry Lane.  Other portions of the creek are easily accessible via roadside pulloffs (see map).

The season for Little Lehigh Creek is standard Pennsylvania trout fishing season. The catch-and-release fly-fishing only sections are open year round. Because the water stays cool throughout the year, you could actually tackle this stream at any time.

Little Black Winter Stoneflies hatch during February and March, while the Little Black and Little Brown Stoneflies hatch in March and April. Blue Winged Olives hatch from the beginning of April to October. Towards the middle of April, the Blue Quill Hatch occurs. In the middle of May, the Pale Evening Duns and Sulphurs emerge. 

In the slower pools, you will find Yellow Drakes and White Flies. Caddisflies are also abundant, with Little Black Caddis and Cinnamon Caddis hatching in April. Other important year round hatches include Midges, Scuds, Sowbugs, and Terrestrials.

Summer is the best time to visit due to the infamous Trico hatch that usually gets underway around the 4th of July (the holiday makes it easy to remember). Late spring is also a good time due to all the insect activity. You can also tackle the stream on warmer winter days, and fall can be the best time for catching large brown trout.

At Little Lehigh Creek, you should use long, light leaders and tippets. Regarding fly patterns, here is a list of some of the best flies for Little Lehigh Creek:

• Black Stonefly(#16)
• Blue Quill (#18)
• Orange Crane Fly (#18 - 20)
• Tan Caddis (#16)  
• Light Cahill (#14)
• Sulphur (#16)
• Trico (#22 - 26)
• Ants (#16 - 20)  
• Beetles (#12 - 18)  
• Caterpillars (#12)  
• Grasshoppers (#10)  
• Midges (various) (#20 - 24)

A 9-foot 4-wt fly rod with floating line is perfect for fishing dry flies and small nymphs on Little Lehigh Creek.  A tapered 12-foot leader, with tippet size 5X to 7X (and sometimes down to 8x) to match the flies you are throwing, is pretty standard.

The waters of the Little Lehigh run gin clear and the wild brown trout in the stream are highly educated and very wary. It is not recommended that you attempt to wade this Creek, as you will likely spook the trout. However, there are some areas of the Creek where you must wade to reach the trout, so just be careful to move slowly in these sections. 

Available Little Lehigh Creek fly fishing reports are listed below: