It is with great pride and pleasure that I have the privilege of announcing here on Paflyfish that Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited is the 2011 recipient of the Gold Trout Award. The Gold Trout Award is a national recognition to only one of about 400 national TU chapters annually.

CVTU’s efforts across the Cumberland Valley are well known and include the Rivers Conservation and Youth Camp, restoration of Big Spring Creek, land preservation and sinkhole remediation along Letort, stream improvement work on The Run, removal of old dams on Yellow Breeches, and many more outstanding endeavors many of which you’ve probably heard about.

If you’re a member of CVTU (or any TU chapter) – kudos to you for fighting the good fight. If you’re not a member, your local chapter could use your help. If you, like me, love the unique streams of the Cumberland Valley, please consider joining or supporting CVTU. We have many hands-on work projects every year and conduct a first rate fundraising banquet and appreciate donations.

I’m also proud to announce that my friend and fellow forum member Justin Pittman (JPittman) is the new President of CVTU. We’ll be in good hands.

Further down, please take a look at the press release provided courtesy of CVTU Vice President John Leonard for more information. By all means, visit the chapter website for additional information. If you have questions, you’re also welcome to PM me as well.

Detailed information and photos of the Chapter’s activities leading to the Gold Trout Award can be found on our web site - http://cvtu.homestead.com

Dave Weaver (“Fishidiot”)

This past weeks flooding from Tropical Storm Lee left much of region devastated. The rains produced floods that rivaled the 1972 storm of storms Hurricane Agnes. Sadly, there are countless tales of significant property loss as result of flooded waterways from the Susquehanna in the Wyoming Valley to the Swatara in Lancaster County. Hoping everyone has a speedy recovery.

A lot of questions have been asked on the site as too what happens to the trout under such conditions?

The short answer is it depends, but for the most part fish and the aquatic life recovery reasonably well in these situations. That is not to say there won't be some short term issues. Trout and other fish instinctually know how to respond to these types of floods.

During high water fish will get into the safest flow of a a stream or river, which would typically be at the very bottom of a stream. This is where the velocity of the flow is the slowest. Rocks and other structure can provide some needed protection.

“The fish tend to hunker down,” said David Lemon, fisheries manager at the NY Department of Conservation’s Cortland office. “They get behind current breaks, in deep pools ... sit on the bottom.”

Certainly severe conditions can leave fish in some bad situations. Floods can deliver pollution and heavily silted water that can cause additional challenges. More problematic for trout is they can find themselves outside the banks of streams when the water retreats.

"Generally speaking the populations do quite well, bouncing back quickly, or never seeing a reduction. Occasionally seen, populations decline substantially and remain down for a number of years. This has usually been true only when the storm or flood has ravaged the habitat and for the long term left it much worse than before. In those cases, primarily brook trout streams, many to most of the pools were lost. The populations in those cases found a new and lower equilibrium," shares Mike Kaufmann, Fisheries Manager with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Probably the greatest threat to fish is the loss of habit during a significant flood event and not just for the fish, but the food chain as well.

While not as devastating in Pennsylvania, Hurricane Irene did pay a visit to New Jersey just before Tropical Storm Lee. Our friends over at TightLine Productions just produced a video showing how the fishing has bounced back after the hurricane and offering some hope for all us at Paflyfish. Thanks!

It has been a pretty crazy week already with a once in a century 5.9 magnitude earthquake jolting the east coast on Tuesday. Our new threat is with Hurricane Irene which is bearing down on us and expected to strike North Carolina within hours. Already a Cat 3, Irene is forecasted to grind away at the coastlines from North Carolina to Maine. Unfortunately, many of the most Eastern streams in the Northeastern states are already above average for this time of year. More rain and strong winds will make for some pretty challenging conditions over the weekend.

I hope everyone takes appropriate precautions and prepares for what will be a wet and windy weekend for many. Maybe this storm will take out the swarm of locusts stink bugs that is due to onset us next week.

Have a good weekend. I am off to get some gas for my generator!

There is a common view among old Letort regulars that the stream is considerably more thick with weeds than in the past. In recent years, it's not uncommon to see the entire stream channel choked to within a few inches of the surface with elodea and chara. With weeds this thick, holding habitat for trout is diminished and some folks feel that it's negatively impacting mayfly populations. Worse still, these heavy weed sections are displacing the water flow up out of the creek's banks and into nearby meadows. With a chronic sinkhole problem in the upper Letort, water pushing up into the meadows is worsening the situation. Obviously, weeds in a spring creek are a natural characteristic and beneficial. Too much of a good thing becomes problematic.

This week, CVTU members went to work on a continuing process of cutting back some of these weeds. Using a cutter called a "weedrazor," channels were cut into the weeds and the cuttings were pulled out with rakes. An 80 yard section of the middle heritage section now has a much better channel. Since this process started, water levels appear to have dropped as much as a few inches. This meadow is still weedy (as it should be) but much improved. Just upstream of where we were working, an 18" wild brown could be seen in a clear section between weedbeds.

If you're interested in supporting, joining, or learning more about Cumberland Valley TU, please visit: http://cvtu.homestead.com/

Thanks,
Dave W

Photos courtesy G Giza

It is hard to imagine that back in my early days of fly-fishing how easily I jumped into my truck armed with just a Delorme Atlas and didn't hesitate to run across the state to find some new untested waters. This was great fun to explore many parts of the state that I heard about and fortunately had plenty of time to make these treks. The good old days had a downside to taking off for a five hour drive on some Lewis and Clarke expedition into some uncharted lands for myself. I soon learned weather and water conditions in one area of the state can be drastically different 200 miles away.

In the early days of the Internet, one of the early website sites I found incredibly useful was the USGS implementation of the Real-time Water Data and Streamflow Conditions. This website provides detailed reporting of the most recent and historical water levels for hundreds of streams and rivers across the country.

In 1888 the US Geological Survey started the first of National Streamgaging Program with a gage on the Rio Grande River in New Mexico and have been rolling them out across the country to the delight of all those that enjoy those waterways and streams.

I utilize the USGS site time and time again before heading out on my excursions now. I have cancelled or changed my plans on many a trip due to the timely data found from these gaging stations. I huge time saver in at least knowing there is some decent waters levels to my soon be fantastic fishing trip.

With recent funding reductions many of the real-time streamgages in New York and Pennsylvania may be discontinued. In total for both states it seems there may be about 70 sreamgages effected. Gages at streams like Spring Creek, Pine Creek, the Little Juniata River in Pennsylvania and the Salmon River, the Ausable River in New York.

It appears that there are no changes are planned for New Jersey, Ohio and West Virginia. Maryland has only one stream being effected by these funding issues.

Currently both the New York and Pennsylvania USGS Real-Time Water Data sites are requesting users who are willing to help with funding to potentially keep these gages up and running. At the time of this post I had contacted and USGS for more details and had no response.

So my suggestion is for the USGS is let us anglers, boaters and conservationists, "Adopt a Streamgage". Let us know what it would take for us to put our name in support of our favorite threaten metal shed next to the stream. If we can support some asphalt, why not a section of pristine fly fishing waters?

Reach out to your local USGS contact ask how you can "Adopt a Streamgage."

New York - 27 Streamsgages listed
Contact Rob Breault or Ward Freeman of the USGS New York Water Science Center at 518-285-5658 or dc_ny@usgs.gov

Pennsylvania - 44 streams listed
Contact Bob Hainly, Assistant Director of the USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center, at 717-730-6971 or rahainly@usgs.gov

Maryland - One stream
Contact Jon Dillow of the USGS Maryland, Delaware, DC Water Science Center at 443-498-5524 or jjdillow@usgs.gov

The Pennsylvania Camo Coalition is new group dedicated to the preservation of our outdoors, but unlike many others they are uniquely focused on the interests of sportsmen/women in our region. I recently had a chance to catch up with Ed Boito, Special Campaign Director and learned a lot more about the group and the just what they are trying to accomplish in our region.

Dave Kile:  So tell us, who is the Pennsylvania Camo Coalition?
 
Ed Boito:  Conservation minded sportsmen/women and outdoor enthusiasts who want to learn more about conservation issues, be politically active on water and land issues, and defend our outdoor heritage in Pennsylvania.
 
DK:  What is it that the Pennsylvania Camo Coalition is trying to accomplish? 
 
EB:  We are a free service for sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts.  Our goal is to unite sportsmen and other outdoor enthusiasts (hikers, cyclists, kayakers, birders, etc)  through our common interests of resource conservation in an effort to influence the decision making in Harrisburg.  We will be organizing the members to contact their legislators when issues affecting our natural resources or outdoor heritage are on the front burner.  In addition, I will personally be advocating in the State Capitol on issues that affect sportsmen and natural resource issues.
 
DK:  When was the Pennsylvania Camo Coalition established? 
 
EB:  In November of 2009, PennFuture became the state affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation (NFW).  We learned from the NWF that other state affiliates had created successful Camo Coalitions which were active and successful in shaping the political debate on resource conservation in their respective states.  We started the PA Camo Coalition in late October of 2010.
 
DK:  Who are the major supporters of the organization?  
 
EB:  Other than ourselves, we don’t have any major supporters of the organization.  The costs to maintain the site are minimal.  However, we are hoping that other sporting organizations will support what we are doing and encourage their membership to join.

As mentioned earlier this month, Paflyfish is recognizing it's 15th year on the Internet. A look back comes up with many exciting accomplishments and activities for fly fishing in our region. A look forward shows an even greater promise to what what our fly fishing collective can become. The site has grown beyond just a stop along of the Internet with few static static maps. It is now a very diverse and dynamic fly fishing community. The conversations, events, information and sharing extend well beyond the borders of the state.

With such a rewarding sport as fly fishing I am always surprised at the diversity of ideas and issues that can be discussed on the site. Conservation efforts, while not immune from the controversy, is the one topic we most often find agreement. Interestingly it is a topic not only we mostly easily agree, but has held such importance longer than all others.

As a boy I enjoyed many summers jumping around the waters below Resica Falls at the Boy Scout camp of the same name in the Pocono Mountains. A splendid stream and one I still treasure. Growing up I understood there were water pollution issues, but thought of them as being isolated to the urban waters like the Schuylkill near where I lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Not big fishing waters back in the day.

It was not until I moved to Indiana, Pennsylvania did I understand that the pollution issues extend well beyond the cities. I saw the devastation that the acid mine water drainage had done to so much of waterways in western coal regions in streams like Little Mahoning Creek and Bear Creek.

For those not aware of this legislation, the PA House of Representatives has passed a severance tax on the Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction. The importance of this tax is to build a fund to help protect the environment form past, current and future impacts of this activity. Currently the PA Senate has just two days to pass this legislation or it will die and the areas of the state impacted by Marcellus Shale will be unprotected.

It is easy to help pass the tax, just click the link below and fill in the form, the text of your email is provided and you can edit it to your specifics if you wish. It only takes a few minutes.

The Penn Future direct link to email your Pennsylvania State Senators.

Although the Marcellus Shale gas extraction may not directly affect your home watershed, it does affect many of our treasured trout streams and forested areas upstate and to the west. This is an important piece of legislation to protect our states natural resources. Every other state that has MSGE has levied an extraction tax except Pennsylvania and the senate is stalled wishing not to pass it. They need to hear from every constituent.

Pennsylvania Trout Unlimited is encouraging the passage of this legislation with an appropriation of 2%-4% going to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Among other conservation agencies. It may be helpful to include this in your text.

Thank you for helping to keep Pennsylvania's natural resources protected.

Valley Forge National Historical Park got pounded by the rains of last Thursday and Friday. 9.5 inches of rain in a 24 hour period wreaked havoc on the riparian buffer fences. Most of them are down. Some can be pulled up again but many will need new posts. The Park is calling for volunteers for this week. If you can volunteer time during the week, that would be great. If not we will hold a workday in conjunction with the Park this Saturday, October 9, 2010 – meeting at the Wilson Road iron bridge at 8:30 AM and working until 1:00PM (or whatever part of the day you can spare). Many of you have worked on the deer fences before either installing them or restoring them after past hurricanes. We have an ownership in these riparian areas and they need their protection. Please give us a hand on Saturday.

Thank you in advance,
Pete Goodman
President
Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited
http://www.valleyforgetu.org/