I decided to take a vacation day to get some much needed fishing in. I packed my gear in the truck and decided to head about an hour north to Bethlehem, PA. Bethlehem holds special meaning to me as this is where my parents grew up and where many of my relatives spent most of their lives. For those not familiar with Bethlehem, its best known for its steel industry many years ago and the same is true of nearby Allentown located about 20 minutes away (Billy Joel wrote a song called Allentown in the 80s). My grandfather spent his life working for Bethlehem Steel and well as some of my other relatives. Now the steel factories have long been closed and all the remains is an entertainment complex and a casino, I guess thats progress :(.

During my trip, I decided to try 2 different sections of the Monocacy Creek, which eventually exits into the larger Lehigh River and Saucon Creek.

This is the section of the Monocacy creek runs next to the city.

This was one of the larger size rainbows that I managed to get for the day.

Next up was Saucon Creek where I lost a nice size fish.

Last up, was a different section of the Monocacy Creek.

First snake of the season! Youll see him in the water between the roots.

Mill on Monocacy Creek

For those that know me, know that I am vegan (11 years vegetarian and last 3 years vegan). Vegan Treats is a famous vegan dessert shop that ships to restaurants in both Philly and NYC. Every time we are in town, my wife and I always stop by. Since, I was there, I decided to bring home some treats for my sweetie. While there, I treated myself to a vegan marshmallow/graham cracker ice cream.

Dinner on my way home, Smoked Seitan Tacos. Yes, they are wrapped in both hard and soft shells. 🙂

This is what the Bethlehem Steel Factory looks like today (photo taken last winter)

As discussed in a previous post, I pass through a couple different creeks daily on my commute to work. One of those creeks that I posted about is French Creek, which begins a few miles north of my home and empties into the Schuylkill River. A portion of French Creek is about a mile walk down the mountain from my home. Last Sunday, I took some time to fish the local section near my home in which I was able to get one during my short trip.

Local section

Fish photo

Saint Peters Village is a little bit upstream from where I was fishing. My wife, my baby (aka the dog) and I frequently walk to the village to get some locally baked bread at the Saint Peters Bakery.

In my opinion Maine has some of the most beautiful waters in the US, but I feel fortunate that I live in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has many diverse waterways throughout the state that contain both wild and stocked trout. For my drive to and from work, I get to drive over two different creeks. As I pass over those creeks, I always look at the water, wondering where the the fish are holed up at. Many days I just want to pull over and jump out and wade the creek to fish. The other morning, I decided to throw my gear in the truck just in case I had some extra time after work. Even though it was raining, I decided to pull over and took about an hour to get some casts in. After a much needed break, it was a relief to get the skunk off and get my first fish of 2014.

French Creek has many old iron and wooden covered bridges throughout.

First fish of 2014