Big Spring, Cumberland County, 11/5/2011

[willscreek]

Big Spring Rd follows the stream. The state and or land owners have provided all kinds of access. You will know you're there when you notice that every tree, telephone pole, fence post etc... has one of those special regs papers stapled to it. I was kinda taken back the first time I went there and seen that and figured that the state was saying WELCOME TO BIG SPRING!!!!! I'll bet they told some kid they would pay him 5 cents per paper or something.

 

[Nymph-O-Maniac]

Thanks man. I think i'm hitting it up on Monday morning.

 

[jdaddy]

shoot me a pm

 

[wbranch]

I'm curiuos about this creek - when the hatchery was in operation the flow was at least double, maybe triple, what it is now. Did PAF&B cap the springs at the hatcjery that added so much to the flow? In my opinion I think Big Spring would be much more attractive if there was a way to get those springs flowing again. I remember how the water used to gush out of the pipes at the top of the Ditch. I was there yesterday and while the stream improvements do seem to increse the flow the creek is still pathetically small, shallow, and narrow.

 

[Fishidiot]

wbranch wrote:
Did PAF&B cap the springs at the hatcjery that added so much to the flow?

No they didn't. What you recall from the hatchery days before 2001 was something of an illusion. The springs that form the source of BS run usually between about 15-20,000 GPM and the hatchery used roughly one third of that flow which was returned to the creek through the pipes at the upper end of the ditch. This return flow created a nice run and the appearance of more water. In actuality, the same amount of water is still flowing into BS and water levels are unchanged....it's just there's no flow at the pipes anymore since water doesn't flow through the hatchery.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

'm curiuos about this creek - when the hatchery was in operation the flow was at least double, maybe triple, what it is now. Did PAF&B cap the springs at the hatcjery that added so much to the flow? In my opinion I think Big Spring would be much more attractive if there was a way to get those springs flowing again. I remember how the water used to gush out of the pipes at the top of the Ditch. I was there yesterday and while the stream improvements do seem to increse the flow the creek is still pathetically small, shallow, and narrow.

To some or many of us, Big Spring is a very attractive stream. Technical fishing and picky fish. The stream is world renowned and is one of the last strong holds of wild brook trout in a classic limestone spring creek. The stream is small, it is shallow and it is narrow. I embrace all of this because if it was not, it wouldn't be Big Spring.

The stream will never be bigger maybe just deeper. I like the new restoration and would like to see more of it further downstream, however I am think long stretches of what is there now is needed to keep its "spring creek like appeal". Spring creeks generally are flat and with little gradient. I like the restoration for the cover, spawning habitat its creating and flushing out of silt. The stream needs a few more sections like this but I would like to keep some of sections that resemble the way Big Spring is supposed to look.

Pathetically small, shallow, and narrow with some huge fish ;-)

Dave,

I gotta ask, what do you charge for a painting like that?

 

[jpittman80]

Sal there are plans in the works for more work to be done on the Big Spring down stream of where the current work ended within the next year or so. If you would like more info please feel free to send me a PM
Justin P

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Certainly do!

 

[jpittman80]

Sal I think i sent you a PM I'm not sure if my PM sent or not
Justin

 

[wbranch]

I wrote;

"the flow the creek is still pathetically small, shallow, and narrow."

In retrospect my choice of words could of been better. Sorry for that insensitivity. Just like I like really big water with large rising fish others like the lesser flow waters of the CV.