Survey results of Black Creek aka Hayes Creek

afishinado

afishinado

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Below is a link to a recent survey of Black Creek / Hayes Creek in Carbon County. I've fished the stream quite a bit when I lived in the area and now only fish it occasionally. This is the first survey done in over ten years.

There has been quite a bit of discussion on here the past few years concerning the stream not fishing very well. Apparently the stream is alive and well with some big fish found especially in the more remote areas. The amount of < 7" is down, but overall there is a good supply of bigguns.

Great to see the stream seems to be doing just fine.

http://fishandboat.com/images/reports/2013bio/5x11_19black.pdf
 
blueheron wrote:
Good news, I think.
I had to think about this responce for a couple seconds, but I couldn't agree more after I took it a step further. It really is a beautiful creek.
 
Outside of high, off color water, big Brown Trout are hard to catch. And they will probably reduce the amount of smaller, more easily catchable fish, as the PFBC report alludes to. Explanation enough I think for the reported "decline" in the fishing?

Haven't fished the stream, but it was on the short list prior to seeing this report. Still is afterwards. Being a freestone with mostly Browns, I'll wait for the right conditions before making the drive though.
 
Thanks for posting. Last time I fished it I didn't catch anything, that was probably 5 years ago. The other times I've fished the catching wasn't good either.
 
Chaz wrote:
Thanks for posting. Last time I fished it I didn't catch anything, that was probably 5 years ago. The other times I've fished the catching wasn't good either.

Me too, caught very few or none the last few times I fished there.

I guess it proves Mike right.....a fishin' pole is a poor tool for surveying fish populations.
 
Great follow-up and nice to see that action was taken on angler feedback. I've fished Black/Hayes on a few occasions in the past and only found brook trout. This was the stretch from 534 upstream to where the stream splits. I'm assuming that the stream that goes to the left (north) is Hayes as Black Creek goes northeast?

I could only chuckle at the picture of the angler fishing one of the 'open' areas on Black Creek. Rhododendron choked, it is a tough stream to navigate and really tests your desire to catch trout and cover water. I always had an uneasy feeling when fishing the creek as I always felt the likelihood of running into a bear was high.

When I'm up there next summer, I may have to take a crack at it again based on the information in the report...
 




wgmiller wrote:
Great follow-up and nice to see that action was taken on angler feedback. I've fished Black/Hayes on a few occasions in the past and only found brook trout. This was the stretch from 534 upstream to where the stream splits. I'm assuming that the stream that goes to the left (north) is Hayes as Black Creek goes northeast?

I could only chuckle at the picture of the angler fishing one of the 'open' areas on Black Creek. Rhododendron choked, it is a tough stream to navigate and really tests your desire to catch trout and cover water. I always had an uneasy feeling when fishing the creek as I always felt the likelihood of running into a bear was high.

When I'm up there next summer, I may have to take a crack at it again based on the information in the report...

Yes, the stream splits three ways close together. Heading upstream (north) Shanty Run splits to the left (north), Fourth Run splits to the right (east) and Black/Hayes is the middle fork which runs northeast.

Check out the map below and zoom in on the eastern portion of the map to find the stream.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_004632.pdf
 
I do like stream fishing but when the Lehigh draws me like a magnet if I'm close to it. I've fished alot of the tribs and have found the eastern ones to be consistently less acidic than the western ones, none give it up easily but that's just fine with me. I know that map well Tom.
 
In the lower site they got 26.7 kg/ha, which is below the 40 kg/ha mark that defines Class A streams. That's pretty typical for a freestone stream.

At the upper site they got 167.59. That's a very high number. It's rare that freestone streams have that high of a population. There is probably some "special" situation there that is leading to such a high number.

They might be getting some trout from the river that move up there when the river gets warm.

They should do another survey site further up the creek to get a better idea of the population.
 
troutbert wrote:
In the lower site they got 26.7 kg/ha, which is below the 40 kg/ha mark that defines Class A streams. That's pretty typical for a freestone stream.

At the upper site they got 167.59. That's a very high number. It's rare that freestone streams have that high of a population. There is probably some "special" situation there that is leading to such a high number.

They might be getting some trout from the river that move up there when the river gets warm.

They should do another survey site further up the creek to get a better idea of the population.

I thought the same thing. Some/many? of the trout may go back and forth to and from the River (Lehigh) depending upon conditions. Also, spawning season may precipitate migration. Interesting.
 
I guess it goes to show that just 'cause you ain't catching them doesn't mean they ain't there!

I had a VERY close encounter with a bear there - I was wading in the middle of the creek and bear popped out of the brush right at the bank directly across from me - 10', max. Fortunately he was just as shocked to see me as I was to see him and ran downstream and back into the woods.
 
The Lehigh River Coldwater Alliance had a nice write up in their most recent newsletter about the electroshocking that took place on Hayes Creek. From what I gather, the folks who tagged along were quite impressed with what they witnessed.
 
I think hayes/blk may be too steep for trout to move up a mile from the Lehigh? waterfall or something too high in there? I have caught a few trout there, it aint EZ... fish seem to be very spooky. I'd see them take off...

 
Dear Board,

The report mentions no trout other than brown trout. The last time I fished it, admittedly 15 years ago, I caught rainbow trout which no doubt escaped from the "club" waters up near 940. I quit fishing it then.

From 1987 to 1992 I probably fished it 3 times a season. I covered the whole stream from Rte 534 to Rte 940 in various stages.

If it fishes today like it fished back then I might give it another try with the following caveat. You can't be on it with other people unless they are in your party and you take turns fishing. I learned that the hard way after several long and fruitless walks.

The only way to fish it is to take turns. It's a three guy and one rod kind of stream. Walk in across from the golf course and fish upstream slowly. You'll catch plenty of fish and some nice ones too.

You probably don't want to go alone either. Not because it's an arduous hike, but because you are far enough off the road that should anything happen to you you might be SOL unless you get lucky.

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)

 
TimMurphy wrote:
You probably don't want to go alone either. Not because it's an arduous hike, but because you are far enough off the road that should anything happen to you you might be SOL unless you get lucky.

Good point. It feels very remote back in those woods...

This was a brookie I caught just above 534 a few years back:

Shantyrunbrookie1.jpg
 
wgmiller wrote:
Great follow-up and nice to see that action was taken on angler feedback. I've fished Black/Hayes on a few occasions in the past and only found brook trout. This was the stretch from 534 upstream to where the stream splits. I'm assuming that the stream that goes to the left (north) is Hayes as Black Creek goes northeast? ...
WG, the stream is listed as Hayes Creek on some maps and Black Creek on others. At the split Hayes/Black Creek goes to the left and Fourth Run to the right (northeast).
 
troutbert wrote:
In the lower site they got 26.7 kg/ha, which is below the 40 kg/ha mark that defines Class A streams. That's pretty typical for a freestone stream.

At the upper site they got 167.59. That's a very high number. It's rare that freestone streams have that high of a population. There is probably some "special" situation there that is leading to such a high number.

They might be getting some trout from the river that move up there when the river gets warm.

They should do another survey site further up the creek to get a better idea of the population.
I noticed that too and wondered if package plants are adding nutrients. Cause the streams in the park are pretty acidic in the headwaters. One of the culverts near the mouth is pretty inpassable during low water.
 
Like most small wild trout waters, u gotta be first through or your wasting your time. Anglers aren't the only creatures that spook fish. I've seen flocks of merganers there(they come up from the lehigh) more than once and they will send trout into hiding for hours. If your following up behind them, you won't see signs of any trout whatsoever.

I never doubted the number of fish because each spring u can see all the yoy trout in the shallows which gives u a good idea of whats in there. Its an "A" stream but it gets a "D" for consistency and a "C" for fishability. Nice-looking water but generally its minimal reward for max effort.

Fourth Run is acid-affected(pH around 4-4.2) so trout numbers there are minimal. Few large pools as well. If anything, it impairs the lower section of Hayes.
 
interesting and thanks nja... I have found very few trout on fourth
 
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