October 2007 Report

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October 29, 2007 - Valley Creek, PA

The charts below show the water flow at Valley this weekend compared to last weekend along with the turbidity. Higher water and less turbid this weekend. That was not the case a week ago. Maybe TU was on the case and something got addressed.


October 28, 2007 - Big Browns & Random Salmon


Check out this brute!!!!

 


October 21, 2007 - Valley Creek, PA

A very quick stint over to VC was able to be worked into the weekend schedule. Surprisingly the water was quite a bit more off-colored than expected. We all know VC suffers from severe storm water run-off issues, but this seemed a bit more turbid than normal. Little Valley was clean. I think drive-by past a few of the more recent earth-moving projects downstream of Little Valley, is in order.

As for the fishing...a bit slow. Besides the dirty water, there were a ton of leaves. With these conditions - a wooly bugger was the fly of choice. Over the course of the next hour or - a handful of fish were moved, and one was landed. The key today was cutting back the length of the tail. Prior to cutting back, all the hits were short.

Looks like more summer-like weather is on the way. Get out and enjoy it - - in due time you know it will be payback time.


The quick spike was created by more than an 1" of rain.

Notice the chopped marabou tail.


Recent stream work done in VFNHP to protect a sewer line. The green stakes mark the location. Those are pines,
lashed together and anchored, with rip-rap placed on top. The rocks don't look big enough if you ask me.


October 20, 2007 - NY Salmon

A quick run to NY state produced a few salmon and that was about it. Pictured to the right is one of a handful that that came to the beach. The low water throughout the Lake Ontario watershed has lead to some very leader and line shy fishing. Stealthy-stalking and a delicate presentation is a neccessity if you want to hook up.

An upcoming trip will put a halt to the reports for the next week or so - unless there is a quick Valley Creek outing. Please check back on the flipside.


Male king


October 18, 2007 - Update - Tully

The Tully should be at great fly fishing levels through the weekend. The release is currently about 160cfs - and for this time of year - you can't beat that. A recent stocking has also added some fish to the mix - but from what I hear the fish are not all that pretty. No doubt though, that if you put in your time you'll come across some of the holdovers that have made it through the summer. Chances are you'll be able to tell the difference very quickly.


October 9, 2007 - Update

The drumbeat of summer goes on - as records from more than 100 years ago have fallen victim to this onslaught of heat here in SE PA. However, it does look like there is a light at the end of tunnel - with a cold front mid-week, and then potentially a nor'easter and some much needed rain in the extended forecast. Time will tell just how much of a rain-shield develops. It is a safe guess that most everyone will be looking forward to the change - - enough is enough with this borderline AC-warranted-weather.

On the local stream-tip...a quick drive-by of Valley Creek revealed a low, stagnant, gin-clear look to the water. 13cfs will do that. What was also quite evident is the number of dead leaves drifting throughout the water column. I guess this is Mother Nature's way of dropping excess weight.

The Tully has water. The Corps has been releasing as a result of a request from the DRBC. How long this occurs is anyone's guess, but the Corps does intend to drop Blue Marsh to its 'winter pool' level of 285' over the next 20 days or so - until they get there you can expect some extra water - and most likely some decent fishing. If you plan on fishing, go with a subsurface caddis pattern - nitro, shop-vac, pupas, or emergers. No doubt you will hit some fish.

There continues to be bait along the beachfront - mullet mainly. Fishing is hit and miss. Finding the bait is a necessity for any sort of predator fish - otherwise you will be pulling in sea robins. Right place, right time is the name of the game. Actually, this is usually the case when it comes to the salt - but there are some finer points to saltwater fly fishing can make or break your day. Subtle things like knowing how to read beach structure, using the wind to your casting and bait finding advantage, and what certain species of birds can tell you. If you want to learn about all of these and more in one of the best classrooms around - then be sure to check out our salt trip!


October 5, 2007 - Abnormally Dry!

Here we are - - about a week into October and it feels more like late August! This just ain't right, is it? ?!?! Well...actually it is. This trend of high air temps relative to average over the course of October has been the friend the last few years. This year though the ongoing warmth has been accompanied by a serious lack of rain - - more so than previous years. Mother Nature seems to have forgotten about us here along the mid-atlantic coast as of late. No disrepect at all to the interior SE / TVA region of the US and the extreme drought they are experiencing. It is safe to say we all need some liquid.


The Lehigh Gorge


October 3, 2007 - Update - Salt Trip & Lehigh

Due to scheduling issues, we've had to move the date of our fall salt trip. The dates now fall the first weekend of December. Some may ask if December is too late to pursue our salty friends..and with that we will say No! The trend of the last few years - with warm inshore waters and air temps lasting well into December only has acted to delay and prolong the migration, and we feel this year will be no different. Shoot us an email if you are interested.



The Lehigh...whitewater releases as well as low-flow augmentation is over for the year. For the most part the 2007 Plan (right click, save target as) was a successful one for the rafting enthusiants, with all of the scheduled whitewater weekends having some sort of release. But, now that the 'season' is over, we are back to a pass-inflow type of operation - - with all focus of Walter being directed toward flood control.

As for the fishing...one is going to have to put in their time. The few short visits we've had to the Gorge area have produced some trout, but you really had to work for them. With overall cooler water temps, the action may have picked up some. Now is really the time to explore for next season, as you can not beat the scenery...not to mention the relative ease of wading, with the water being so low.