PFBC Commissioners and Tailwater Wild Trout-Article

I've been emailing PFC. They tell me that I'll get a response in 48-72 hours. They were only off on the estimated response time by 3 months on average. LOL. Before Jack jumps on me for being a selfish flyfisher, boaters can boat just as well in 55 degree eater as they can in 70 water. Let's get this project rolling. I'm tired of driving to NY.
 
No you are not.
 
Yes I am. Haven't fished there since we last floated. No interest in going with low flows and warm water. Praying for rain and for October to get here.
 
Two-tier fisheries. Some lakes have them. And I'd venture to guess most of the reservoirs in this state that are big enough to sustain coldwater releases to support a trout fishery have them as well. I am sure this issue will rear its head as the PFBC pursues its tailwater policy. And I would not be surprised to see it as a reason to not make any changes to release management. It has come up on one reservoir here in eastern PA. I'd imagine though that with a selective withdrawl capability the issue of depleting the lower tier can be avoided. To me though to use it as an excuse is somewhat of a red-herring.
 
Bump.

Any more news on tailwater developments? Would love to see something like this introduced in PA.
 
I bumped this last year and I'm going to do it again.

Has there been any more talk of tailwater development in PA? Curious of any progress since all the talk in 2012.
 
I've emailed pfbc....nothing in response. Any of you Lehigh guys have any updates?
 
Becker, I read that and the results seem positive (unsurprisingly), but it is still unclear to me if there's any chance of action.

I left a note in the email section on the PFBC website and will update this to let you guys know if they get back to me. Does anybody have a listing of the commissioner emails so I can reach out directly?

Thanks!
 
As for the Lehigh.....

The short version of the results of the study demonstrate that if the ACOE raises the lake elevation and constructs a new tower with selective withdrawal capabilities, river temps below 68F can be maintained down to the town of Lehighton. That is approximately 30 miles (+/-) of river that will stay below 68F all summer long.

As for the commissioners - Norm Gavlick is the regional commissioner for the Lehigh. norm@gavlick.biz
Warren Elliott is the current president.

Email Commissioner Gavlick with any questions or concerns and copy Warrant Elliott email - wdelliott@comcast.net

There are a few more Studies and hurdles to jump before the Corps goes to construction. All of which wont happen overnight. The next study is underway that looks at the economics of what is going on now and if FEW was operated differently as the Water Quality Model indicates. After that, it will get political and angler input will be essential.

The ACOE is pushing for this and wants to follow this project through. However, the ACOE will need support and backing to get the money to do it. Support needs to come from anglers, fishing organizations, the PFBC (who is pushing this too), local businesses, local boroughs and municipalities and our State elected officials. This all has to be coordinated through our Federal Senators and Representatives.

If there is no support or interest, this will die. Money won't be the issue, it will be the support.
 
I just saw and read through all of the many prior posts on this topic with interest.

I am certainly not a proponent of dams, but I do understand why a number of them have been built, and both their historical and present importance in a number of these instances.

As a youngster, I was born and raised in Warren, PA at the confluence of the Allegheny and Connewango rivers. I was there and experienced devastating floods in the mid-1950's. Although my family moved away in 1960, I married and returned to live in Warren briefly in the mid-1960's, worked for the US Forest Service and helped survey and build a number of the recreational facilities and roads around the Kinzua Reservoir.

I have long since moved from that area, and now reside in SE PA during the winter, and SW MT during the summer. I am now what some of you would call an Oldtimer, but during that lifetime I have fished most of the rivers extensively that have been mentioned in this thread, and while I am now mostly a devoted trout fisherman, I have also fished for many other species with a number of other means, so I by no means would label myself as a purist only fly fisherman of trout.

However, having now seen and experienced a number of the issues and arguments' sides in this regard, and from different geographic, economic, social, etc. perspectives, I would say from my perspective that once we have justified putting these dams in place, and there is no compelling reason to remove them, then we should take those steps that are practical to receive the most overall benefits from them. If that overall benefit is to turn them into a better managed cold water fishery, then I believe it should be done.

Now, I tell you, I'm leaving PA behind until next Fall, and will soon (I hope) be fishing below one of the several dams on the Missouri...or I might just have to fish below or between one of the several dams on the Madison. Or maybe, just maybe...

John
 
after rain events like yesterday, only tailwaters would be fishable today, tomorrow and probably saturday.

they'd probably be very very busy too !

I fished the Swift Tailwater in MA and it was fishable year round, technical but always an available option.

The Savage in MD sounds like a wonderful fishery from the reports on here - i'd definitely drive the 2 hours to the Lehigh or Pohopoco mid summer or mid winter.
 
My impression is that potential PA tailwaters would have many of the same characteristics as PA spring creeks. Consistent flows, lower temps, fishable all year through the summer, and have the potential for larger fish.

I've read numerous articles that suggest the Lehigh could be as good as the Delaware if managed correctly. What a dream that would be! Two world class fisheries near NEPA that could rival some rivers out west. One can dream....
 
LehighRegular,
Thanks for keeping us updated on this - much appreciated.
 
Enough with the studies, part of the mission of ACE is to restore habitat for fisheries. They built the damn dam they have to fix the habitat.
 
Chaz

The Corps follows a process.....its the military for cryin out loud!!

One good thing that came from a recent meeting with the Corps is that the Corps reps emphatically stated that they need more projects like this...environmental, habitat restoration stuff.

This would be good press for them and they know it.

Hang in there and stay the course. The snowball is rolling down hill.
 
mr7183 wrote:
My impression is that potential PA tailwaters would have many of the same characteristics as PA spring creeks. Consistent flows, lower temps, fishable all year through the summer, and have the potential for larger fish.

I've read numerous articles that suggest the Lehigh could be as good as the Delaware if managed correctly. What a dream that would be! Two world class fisheries near NEPA that could rival some rivers out west. One can dream....
Click to expand...

Well it depends, because the tail-waters are on very diverse rivers there will be very diverse results, i.e., if the water quality going in is good then the water quality coming out will be good. The mine drainage issue is present on a couple of the rivers, and while it is mitigated on these rivers by dams to a degree, some like the Lehigh have AMD outflows below the dams.
Tail-waters tend to have less diverse hatches, so they may indeed be like true spring creeks, not so many hatches, but a lot of what hatches there are.
 
Lehigh has every major eastern mayfly hatch except the Green Drake. Caddis are ridiculously abundant. Then there a little black/brown stone flies and the bigger ones too.

Since the inception of these Flow Plans which prevent the lowest summer time flows in the river, water quality has improved and the AMD water that flows into the river is being diluted and not impacting the river to the degree it did in the past.
 
LehighRegular wrote:
Lehigh has every major eastern mayfly hatch except the Green Drake. Caddis are ridiculously abundant. Then there a little black/brown stone flies and the bigger ones too.
Click to expand...

as chaz said, those hatches will likely disappear if the water remains cold - though green drakes actually hatch on a lot of tailwaters - tailwater hatches tend to be midges, bwo's, caddis, and drakes.

the caddis and drakes tend to come off in the afternoons when sunlight warms the water.

the tailwaters i've fished have really been more midge, scud, bwo waters with the occasional terrestrial thrown in - ants, crane flies etc.

ie loads of aquatic bugs but all small due to the cold water.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top