With the WB release being scaled back to five hundred cfs by tomorrow
and the EB already down to one hundred forty cfs, the amount of
fishable water in the big river is about to be significantly
downsized. The factor determining how far downstream you can fish is
of course water temperature. Trying to figure water temp in advance is
about like predicting the weather. No one does very well more than
about three days in advance. Air temperature, amount of sunshine and
the amount of warm water coming down the EB all factor into the big
river water temp.
With a release of five hundred from Cannonsville the river is usually
fishable down to about Stockport. Unfortunately there is no
temperature gage there (Lordville being the nearest), so you have to
check the temp before fishing. For the long term good of the fishery
everyone is urged not to fish when the water temp exceeds seventy
degrees.
Fishermen should, of course, also avoid fishing in thermal refuges
during the hot summer months as the fish are concentrated into small
areas where cooler water holds enough oxygen for them to survive.
In anticipation of the warming water temps I decided to fish
downstream on the big river today for perhaps the last time before
the cool fall rains (or increased releases to meet minimum flow
requirements) again create good habitat for the trout. It was partly
cloudy (actually sprinkled once), windy during the afternoon and
warmer than I expected. There were enough bugs to get an occasional
fish to rise but not enough to get them up and feeding steadily. They
were careful about what they ate and refusals outnumbered takes. The
big release of cold water has been good for the fish as the ones I
managed to land were quite heavy.
and the EB already down to one hundred forty cfs, the amount of
fishable water in the big river is about to be significantly
downsized. The factor determining how far downstream you can fish is
of course water temperature. Trying to figure water temp in advance is
about like predicting the weather. No one does very well more than
about three days in advance. Air temperature, amount of sunshine and
the amount of warm water coming down the EB all factor into the big
river water temp.
With a release of five hundred from Cannonsville the river is usually
fishable down to about Stockport. Unfortunately there is no
temperature gage there (Lordville being the nearest), so you have to
check the temp before fishing. For the long term good of the fishery
everyone is urged not to fish when the water temp exceeds seventy
degrees.
Fishermen should, of course, also avoid fishing in thermal refuges
during the hot summer months as the fish are concentrated into small
areas where cooler water holds enough oxygen for them to survive.
In anticipation of the warming water temps I decided to fish
downstream on the big river today for perhaps the last time before
the cool fall rains (or increased releases to meet minimum flow
requirements) again create good habitat for the trout. It was partly
cloudy (actually sprinkled once), windy during the afternoon and
warmer than I expected. There were enough bugs to get an occasional
fish to rise but not enough to get them up and feeding steadily. They
were careful about what they ate and refusals outnumbered takes. The
big release of cold water has been good for the fish as the ones I
managed to land were quite heavy.
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