Gage Height Help for East Branch Clarion River

[Streamhawk]

Hello All,
I am visiting family, and I am in close distance to East Branch Clarion River. Plan on going out since everything else for steel is blown out. The gage is at 3.78 feet. Would like to know what a safe range is to wade there. Not looking for holes, just a safe range to be able to wade in. I have fished there before, but has been some time. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[RLeep2]

I generally use current flows rather than gauge readings to check on fishability at any of the ACE outflows. Right now, the dam on the EB is releasing about 3 times its normal flow for this date. I would think that would be a pretty wild and wooly level to fish it at, but don't know that for a fact.

Of additional interest may be the ACE's projected releases over the next few days for all their impoundments in the Pittsburgh District. They have a forecast page with this info here:

http://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/WaterManagement/ReservoirForecast.aspx

Good Luck!

 

[Streamhawk]

Thanks for the info. Well, going to go for a ride, and if its crazy then I will be riding back. We will see.

 

[dryflyguy]

I don't fish the EB a lot. And can't really say for sure what a fishable level is there. There are 4 gauges on it, and they're rather confusing IMO - Weir 1 and Weir 6, etc
But I do know that if there is any stream in that area that is fishable, it will be the one.
It has saved some fishing trips for me, when all of the others were blown out.
And even though the flow is up right now, it might very well still be clear - since it is a bottom release tail water.
Good luck

 

[Streamhawk]

Thanks dryflyguy. That was what I was thinking also. Well, I guess I will see what 3.77 feet looks like.

 

[JackM]

Two things somewhat apropos:

Always check the gauge before you leave and when you return. Commit to memory and notes what the levels were where you fished and how you found it where you fished for future reference and comparisons; and

Use the "normal" historical averages and peaks, etc. to judge normalcy against what the gauges are showing now. Sometimes this will be a clue about fish-able levels. On streams that have height available, I become familiar with that measurement. I find the CFS less easy to use in comparison, even though usually the one is directly and predictably directly proportional to the other.

 

[Streamhawk]

Thanks JackM. Well that trip was not a total waste. Found out what 3.78 ft. on the gage is. I would say that it is the top of what I would fish comfortably wading. Spent a few hours at the dam swinging some clousers, had two takes but none to hand. Other than that it was just good to get out and into the water for a bit. The next day they did release more water and had the gage up to 4.18 ft which would not be fishable at all. So glad that I got out the day I did. Now just waiting for some steel water to come back down to fishable levels.

 

[dryflyguy]

Streamhawk wrote:
Thanks JackM. Well that trip was not a total waste. Found out what 3.78 ft. on the gage is. I would say that it is the top of what I would fish comfortably wading. Spent a few hours at the dam swinging some clousers, had two takes but none to hand. Other than that it was just good to get out and into the water for a bit. The next day they did release more water and had the gage up to 4.18 ft which would not be fishable at all. So glad that I got out the day I did. Now just waiting for some steel water to come back down to fishable levels.

Your timing wasn't very good for sure. We had a ton of rain.
It is now down about a foot.

But - as the old saying goes - a bad day fishing is still better than a good days work

 

[Streamhawk]

Agree dryflyguy.