My first day of trout fishing this season

What a day! I decided to start the season off on the Little Lehigh Creek near the fish hatchery in Allentown. I left for the stream around 7:30 AM and fished for about 2 hours. The fishing was horrible. I didn't get any bites and neither did the men around me. I didn't see anybody fighting a fish and nobody had a trout on their stringer. At this point, I decided to fish a section of the Little Lehigh where I grew up, right off of Spring Creek Road in Lower Macungie Township. I knew this creek always was great in the past but I haven't stepped foot next to this creek in a little over 10 years. I used to live right by the creek until my parents divorced. Ever since then, I have never returned to my favorite fishing holes on Spring Creek (Little Lehigh) until today. I made my first cast with Berkley Powerbait, sherbet color, and instantly had a fish on the line. I reeled the fish to the edge of the bank where he then jumped off the hook. I continued to get bites on every cast using this bait. I was witnessing a feeding frenzy with this sherbet Powerbait and it was such a pleasant change from the fishing I was experiencing earlier in the morning. About a half hour later fishing this hole, I casted my line and placed the rod down on a branch. I sat and watched my rod tip for any movement. About 30 seconds, my rod tip started to violently shake up and down. I grabbed my rod and started to reel in slowly. My rod tip continued to move and I knew I had a fish on the line. All of a sudden, this dark shadow came from the depths and to the surface and I couldn't believe my eyes. A very long Rainbow Trout was on the end of my line. The same size fish I would watch others catch year after year. I quickly yelled to the fisherman a little up the creek from me to help me land this whopper. I reeled the fish right to the bank and he was netted after 2 or 3 attempts. The trout measured 22" and is currently the largest trout I have ever caught! In Pennsylvania, these trout don't come very often. Ever since I started trout fishing, I have dreamed of having a trophy trout on my wall and I'm excited knowing this trout is currently at the taxidermist waiting to be mounted on a piece of drift wood. I will post some pictures once it is finished in a few months. The 2011 fishing season is off to a great start!

                                     My catch is featured on Berkley's "BigFish" website!