What the...?

[Chaz]

I know what it is, but how the heck do they expect fish to move up through this? What are they thinking. And this isn't unique either.

 

[jayL]

Sandfly posted a video of brookies jumping something similar. And we all know that the steelhead make it through similar structures in erie.

I think it probably stops movement of a decent number of fish, but some do make it.

 

[Maurice]

I think trout would have no trouble moving over that, its only 6-8".

I have never seen one of those before, show me another.

Its not a jack dam, it appears to be a fish habitat structure designed to provide grade change and fish passage.

Where was the photo taken Chaz?

 

[tomgamber]

Is it new?

Do you know who made it?

Was this just an opportunity to show random outrage?

as you said...What the...?

 

[wgmiller]

Looks like an ADA fish ramp to me....

 

[troutslammer]

fish can certainly go up that ladder , looks good to me (the steps ) keep in mind by the looks of the pic , the water level in the creek is down , add some water and they are up over that very easy , even without more water

 

[wsender]

Steps aside, looks like there is a pretty big redd in the photo.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Chaz,

how did you do fishing that stream? It wasn't too bad a few weeks ago.

 

[sandfly]

The plan is OK , as long as they are low in the center and there is proper depth below for fish to launch themselves upwards. If there isn't enough then they will not make it over. Natural barriers of fallen trees always have a low area or a place under neath for fish to pass. humans need to copy this when [improving] a stream. Jack dams were originally used for logging and thus were to high for fish to pass. We [humans] need to look at how nature does it more and copy it.

 

[Maurice]

sandfly wrote:
The plan is OK , as long as they are low in the center and there is proper depth below for fish to launch themselves upwards. If there isn't enough then they will not make it over. Natural barriers of fallen trees always have a low area or a place under neath for fish to pass. humans need to copy this when [improving] a stream. Jack dams were originally used for logging and thus were to high for fish to pass. We [humans] need to look at how nature does it more and copy it.

We[humans] do, it is called Natural Stream Channel Design. The use of low flow, grade control/channel stabilization structures have been in vogue for the past ten or so years.

 

[Chaz]

Six inches? It's more like four feet above the stream bed bottom to top. And the part above the water is two telly polls high. Without getting in the water I could see any means of passage under it. Sure in high water fish can get over it, but at times when they may really need to get over it, low summer flows there's no way. The thing is this is a barrier about 1/4 mile above a major tributary to the Lackawanna River, the tributary gets too warm during the summer for the large brookies that live there to survive so they have to move, they probably moved during May this year because I was there twice during May and the second time the large trib had no fish. But they were really stacked up in the small tributary.
Sal, I didn't fish it yesterday. But when I fished it during the summer I think I caught about 50 brookies there. I saw only fingerlings yesterday and no spawning beds.

 

[sandfly]

Maurice, not enough is being done like that. we need to more..

 

[fishfuzz]

If anyone thinks migratory fishes cannot get up, over and beyond the structure in Chaz’ picture they are sadly mistaken.

I applaud those that developed and built the structure. I encourage PATU and other TU chapters to endorse such “straight shot” structures.

A trout can go from 0-30mph in a few short tail wags – that structure is a piece of cake for modest trout.

 

[troutslammer]

i have witnessed trout go up over falls bigger than that !!! a few wags of the tail will definitlely get em up over it

 

[JackM]

Easily doable as pictured for even the dumbest trout. They may knock there head once or twice trying to get the right path up and over, though.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

That pretty much what I experienced the past few times I fished it. It used to have some nice trout in it a few years back but not anymore. Im still curious about the pond at the headwaters though. Never fished it.

As far as Chaz's pic and trout not clearing that structure. I might agree with him. I have fished this stream many many times and its taller than you think. I do believe a 12+" trout could clear it but im not convinced a 4"-6" trout can. That is the main population of fish in that stream.

Surely the smaller the fish, the smaller the jump.

 

[osprey]

I have to agree with MO on this one , i don't think fish wou;d have any problem getting over that , there are several streams here in the Laurel Highlands that have dams like those and i've seen fish jump them with my own eyes. You want to see something even more extreme? Go to the parking lot of Fort Bedford in the town of Bedford and watch the sucker migration in the early spring , late winter , there is a 3' concrete dam the whole way accross the Raystown Branch and suckers jump it with no problem. If suckers can jump that structure , i'm sure trout do too and would have no trouble with the dam in the picture , the chromers will be doin it at ERIE this weekend.

 

[sandfly]

Did anyone watch my video. of the brookie not making it over one. They are stuck at it and can not go over and its only 12" high. this was installed in the late 20's.

 

[osprey]

sandfly...........Installed in the 20's , would that be a Civilian Conservation Corps project?

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Thats when you catch them and release them above it