Explore Outdoors: Fly fishing in Letort Spring Run in Cumberland County
The Susquehanna Valley is home to natural features known well beyond our borders, and a stream in Cumberland County has admirers around the world.
WGAL News 8's Matt Barcaro found out why in our latest "Explore Outdoors" report.
Herb Weigle has taken his fly fishing rods across the United States, but the most challenging stream he's ever cast is in his backyard.
"It's wonderful. We bought the property primarily for that reason," Weigle said.
Weigle's backyard in Middlesex Township ends at the Letort Spring Run, one of the finest limestone trout streams in the country.
The stream is a beauty, and the allure of catching a fish here has lured in fly fishermen and women from around the world.
The slow current is one of the reasons it's so hard to catch a fish.
The other reason is the trout themselves. The wild brown trout that call the run home are particularly sensitive to movement, famously frustrating those fishing for them.
"It is a heck of a lot smarter about the way we go about things than our western fish are," Weigle said.
In fact, in the 30 years Weigle has been fly fishing from his backyard bank, he has only caught three trout.
Even if you don't fish, the Letort is worth a visit to see the internationally renowned run and all the wildlife that flocks to it.
"It's just an incredibly great little stream," Weigle said.
Send us your suggestions
If there's a place in the Susquehanna Valley that Matt should check out or an activity he should try, email us at news8@wgal.com.
