I haven’t fished the Schuylkill since early August. On my last trip, I was fishing just above the Pawlings Road bridge, and I was working my way upstream towards the mouth of the Perky. The further I got upstream, the more I noticed a foul odor, like a sewer smell. Just above the island I saw a geyser of water streaming up near the bank. It seemed to be the source of the foul smell. I reported it the PDEP. They said that they were aware of the problem; it was from a malfunctioning pump at the Oaks water treatment plant. A few days later, I read about a warning to restrict recreational activities on the Schuylkill because of the problem at the water treatment plant creating high bacteria count.
When I go fishing, I usually take a lunch break along the stream and eat a Wawa shortie and a Tastykake – it’s a Philly thing. Not that day, my hoagie went uneaten. I haven’t fished there since. I always wear waders, even during the heat of the summer, because trust me, wet wading is NOT an option on the Skukie (or any other major river in PA). I washed my waders as soon as I got home – twice! .
I have only had marginal success on the Schuylkill for SMs, with respect for both size and numbers. I’ve had some good days, but most of the time the fishing has been marginal for me. Attached is the PFBC biologist report on the exact area I mentioned above. BTW, our friend and fairly frequent poster Mike Kaufmann is pictured in the report.
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/fisheries/afm/2005/6x11_07schu.htm
Fishing for me is not just catching fish, it’s also enjoying your surroundings. Lately, I’ve been driving a little further to fish for smallmouths at the Delaware River in Upper Bucks area. The Upper Delaware is more scenic, probably a little cleaner, and I seem to catch more and larger fish.
One comment about the PFBC biologist reports. Has anyone else noticed that when a report is unfavorable about the fish population of a waterway, future reports about that waterway or section of the waterway either are not published, or perhaps surveys of the section are halted by the PFBC. I would like to know how the SMs are doing on the Schuylkill in ’06 – ’07. How about the Susky adult and YOY SM populations?