Newbie with question...

[pete.gramp]

Hi everyone, this comes from a NEWBIE to the site-
I found these posts through a Google search and had to sign up! So... I'm Pete Gramp from the Southeastern PA area. I've fished Spey for a few (3 or 4?) years for Lehigh River steelhead, and tied since age 14 (so 13 years on monday). Yep, I'm one of the few oddballs who started out tying flies before even owning a rod, let alone knowing how to use it!
Enough introduction - I have a question that I haven't been able to find the answer to... Does anyone have the pattern recipe for the "Oxbow Spey"? It is referenced in John Shewey's book (Spey flies and dee flies: their history and construction) on page 97, when discussing the merging of the 'traditional' spey and dee styles. Also, I've been most interested in any recipes for Tay patterns, and would love for you to send me any you may have. I'm still getting used to the message board set-up, and frankly I'm not sure what the limits to relevancy are, so feel free to send things to my e-mail listed in my profile. Again, many thanks and tight lines,
Pete Gramp

[flytyer]

Lehigh River steelhead! Hmmmm.... I fished the Lehigh a lot when growing up and in my early adult years prior to moving west in 1979 and until very recently, the Lehigh was so polluted by acid mine, zinc mining, and zinc smelting from just above Jim Thorpe down to Palmerton that it was biologically dead from about 3 miles above Jim Thorpe to its confluence with the Delaware in Easton.

I used to get smallmouth, browns, rainbows, the odd brookie near creek mouths or in the upper river above Francis Walter Dam, and some of those weird test tube creations known as palomino rainbow, along with large chub and the occasional sunfish in mid-summer.

Last I heard, PA Fish Commission was going to start re-introducing shad to the river. But I never knew steelhead had been introduced.

My father and brothers who live in the Hazleton and Allentown areas will be glad to hear that they have been missing out on steelhead in their backyard. Dad and my brother John (the one in the Allentown area) will be overjoyed to hear they don't have to come all the way out to WA state to visit me and fish for steelhead.

I don't mean to come off sounding like an ass to a newcomer; but I also don't want to see misleading information posted herein about the Lehigh River, which is a very fine trout stream.