IMMIDIATE HELP NEEDED TULLY FLOW TO BE CUT TO ZERO CFS

Really? Ive never caught a brown out of that thing.....then again ive hardly caught the brookies either. According to Chaz (through conversations he has had , i think with the PFBC) the fish leave the stream for a period of time.

I would tend to think that the 20 inch brown isnt helping things either.
 
Yeah, I've had trouble catching those brookies too. I usually end up getting 1 or 2, but thats it. I've seen more. The reliable spot to actually catch one for me is the pool below the little dam. Other than that, its real tough.

Do you know when they leave?

I need to go check on that brownie, I haven't been there since fall.

Another question, have you gotten permission to fish the rainbow stream? Where? I tried one section but was turned down, and have still yet to fish it. Any hints to actually getting on the thing?

You're missing a few limestoners, there's well more than 3. :)

I can think of another that holds brookies, and 2 more that hold browns, that are clearly limestoners, in addition to the 3 I think you're thinking about. Plus there's a number of "hybrids" with alkalinities somewhere between freestone and limestone.
 
sal,

can u elaborate on when/why the fish may be leaving the stream?
 
My guess is that they can. It's a very short stream. Nice depth, but very little structure other than the weeds, it really gets choked with weeds. A large body of water exists just below. Not that there's a lack of food in the stream itself, but for 75% of the year, the larger body of water below may make better habitat.

Of traditional brook trout populations, yearly migrations were common. To the bigger waters to feed and grow, and to the headwaters to oversummer and breed. Now about all thats left are the headwater permanent residents, but there are still a few pockets of the migratory fish.

This particular situation is unique enough that I don't know if it follows the "normal" patterns, though.
 
Yes, there is a very large and deep lake the stream flows into and they use the lake to feed.

That would be the thought process. Its confuses me though being that there is plenty of food in that stream in the way of scuds and cress bugs.

I can tell you what the limiting factors are in that stream. Poor substrate probably being the worst. Its appears to have a fine gravel bottom till you step in it. It immediately breaks away (only about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick) into silt below.

To make it worse elevated nitrate concentrations (greater than 5 mg/l) are present in that stream. I cant imagine thats good for the fish eggs.

Perhaps the worst is the fractured connection between the stream and its natural flood plain. Normally limestone spring creeks are meandering. This thing was channelized years and years ago and stormwater just rushes right into the stream and a straight shot down into the lake. No filtration of storm water taking place. No stream side vegetation either in the lower 3/4 of the stream.

Predators coming up into the stream from the lake dont help things either. I have seen bass as large as 10 pounds just into that stream a small distance. Also the competitive and aggressive nature of smaller warm water species coming up into the stream dont help the brookies.

The small "second spring source" up by the head is on the other side of the channelized rock wall. Behind that wall and in the spring source is a load of silt and it actually sits at a higher elevation than the main stem. If that thing ever breaks way.......watch out.

It would be awesome to see all things things addressed and fixed. Big Spring in Berks County. The potential is there!
 
I'm going there sunday. I have never fished it, but will be in the area. I'll let you guys know what I see.
 
you know i was just thinking pcray,

I would be willing to bet that brown is in the small wooded section. I remember about 4 years ago seeing a very large fish (i was guessing about 17 inches) run like hell from me in that stretch. At the time I thought....
"God thats a huge brookie!"
 
If you're there late in the day, I could possibly join, I'll be driving home from State College sometime Sunday, probably be home by late afternoon. It's a difficult stream to fish. The only easy hole is the little dam. The best water is probably the short forested stretch, but good luck with that.

The lake should be excellent for largemouth right about now. Looking at the lake from the mouth of this stream, there's always a line of guys waded out deep from the point on the right side, fishing where the main lake meets the bay. They do well. I sat and watched one day and they were catching some big ole bass. Been meaning to take the bass rod out there sometime. It's best in spring supposedly, right as the leaves get on the trees.
 
For instance, the Upper Hopewell parcel on Hammer Creek is closed to hunting and fishing
Click to expand...

Closed to hunting, open to fishing.
 
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