Didymo in the Youghiogheny?

[Hades]

How is the Didymo situation in the Youghiogheny? When I was down for the May stocking around the outflow area it was a real mess. How far has that rock snot been spotted down stream? Is the entire river now considered to be contaminated?

 

[albatross]

Didymo is confirmed at Ohiopyle. Certainly the whole river in PA is contaminated.

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/newsreleases/2012press/yough-didymo.htm

 

[Fishidiot]

Hades,
The Stream Reports forum is for past tense fishing reports. There are currently several threads on the didymo in the Yough currently in the Conservation or Stream Location forums.

(This thread will be moved shortly)

Thanks,
Dave W

 

[ohiopylefisher]

WHoa slow down,.... There is incredibly bad information being thrown around in this forum. I am an outfitter based in Ohiopyle ( Wilderness Voyageurs) I fish extensively and kayak, thus have had my eyes on almost every mile of the Yough from Confluence to Bruner run and beyond

1) didymo at the outflow??? This is the first I have ever heard this and I am pretty sure this is false. Since all of the agencies involved in the Yough-- Army Corps of Engineers, DCNR have been in contact with us and are referring to this finding as the initial finding of it in the Yough.

2) The location of the didymo is along the right bank below the Loop take-out in Ohiopyle. At this moment it is a patch about the size of 2 softballs.

Obviously this is very bad news for the entire river community and the area. Please lets try and keep the information based in reality.

 

[GreenWeenie]

Please lets try and keep the information based in reality.

Say no more.

 

[jdaddy]

ohiopylefisher wrote:

2) The location of the didymo is along the right bank below the Loop take-out in Ohiopyle. At this moment it is a patch about the size of 2 softballs.

Well heck, bend over and pick it up then!

 

[Ramcatt]

ohiopylefisher wrote:


2) The location of the didymo is along the right bank below the Loop take-out in Ohiopyle. At this moment the entire river to McKeesport in contaminated.

fixed that for you

 

[afishinado]

Some info I found:


The Ohiopyle bloom is located in the pool below the falls, a spot that is difficult for wading anglers to access but a popular launching point for kayakers.

"That area gets very little fishing pressure," said Dale Kotowski, a fly-fishing guide for Wilderness Voyageurs, an Ohiopyle outfitter since 1964. "I can't imagine the thousands of paddlers who come to that area, so it doesn't surprise me that's where didymo showed up first."

It's too soon to tell how the presence of didymo will impact Youghiogheny trout stocking and native trout reproduction in the region. The waters downstream from Ohiopyle are clearly in jeopardy. Considering didymo's documented propensity to spread quickly, all of the popular trout waters of the Laurel Highlands are also at risk, including Meadow Run, the Casselman River and Laurel Hill, Dunbar, Dunlap, Jones Mill, Indian and Blue Hole creeks.

The falls area at Ohiopyle fished fine in late April, he said, and to date didymo has not been detected upstream on the 10-mile Middle Yough from Confluence to Ohiopyle.


Link to source: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/hunting-fishing/didymo-algae-is-poised-to-foul-southwest-pennsylvanias-trout-waters-640706/

 

[albatross]

I think assuming the middle Yough is not contaminated because there has been no official confirmation would be the height of irresponsibility. Everyone needs to treat the entire river in PA as if it were contaminated. This is our only hope of slowing the spread.

 

[JasonS]

[The Ohiopyle bloom is located in the pool below the falls, a spot that is difficult for wading anglers to access but a popular launching point for kayakers.

"That area gets very little fishing pressure," said Dale Kotowski, a fly-fishing guide for Wilderness Voyageurs, an Ohiopyle outfitter since 1964. "I can't imagine the thousands of paddlers who come to that area, so it doesn't surprise me that's where didymo showed up first."

So when are they gonna ban felt kayaks?

 

[DaveS]

Perhaps the thing to do is just clean your gear between each use.

 

[SBecker]

jdaddy wrote:

ohiopylefisher wrote:

2) The location of the didymo is along the right bank below the Loop take-out in Ohiopyle. At this moment it is a patch about the size of 2 softballs.

Well heck, bend over and pick it up then!

That literally made me LOL

 

[ohiopylefisher]

Checking in again from Ohiopyle.. There is NO bloom below the falls. That information is patently false, end of story. I agree we have to treat the entire river as if it is contaminated. However reports that it is bank to bank, Blooming, and at the outflow, are just wrong. Dale K, who is quoted int he article is a friend and employee, he is distraught over the use of the quote where it was in that article. As usual an out of context quote that is following absolutely incorrect information and being restated by those without any first hand knowledge.

 

[SBecker]

Have you picked it up yet?

 

[MHanes]

If its in the river its in the river if its not blooming there great but you can be pretty sure it is present in most of the river and not blooming we are talking a microscopic single cell alga. To say its not there simply because you cant see a major bloom is just as crazy if not more crazy than the reports you are saying are false. with good. Best to use be safe and clean and dry all gear after use.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didymosphenia_geminata

 

[hendeylathe]

Since Didymo is just below the falls, it might be interesting if this would or should have any effect on the "Over the Falls Race" on August 18. I'd hope there would be a way to clean the kayaks that run the falls and go back upstream for another run. Somehow I don't think we'd be that lucky.

 

[alloverohiopyle]

What should we do if we spot didymo in the Ohiopyle area?

 

[Stu]

Ban on felts? Guess I will have to buy new wading boots when I get home, and get used to falling on my a$$, the rocks around Ohiopyle are very slippery.

 

[flyfishermanj]

Here's a little more info on Rock Snot, Live2FlyFish, interesting that you can spray your wader and boots with salt water to treat and kill didymo.

JH