Clarks Creek, Dauphin Co., 8-27-18

[JFZ]

Fished Clarks about a mile above the camp. The creek was in good shape with just little tannin color. I caught two trout and about a dozen chubs, all on green weenies. I didn't see as many trout as I usually do.

There were a lot of trees that had fallen across the creek.

One spot I used to be able to wade was now too deep. The high
water washed out some silt and rearranged some. Also the mosquitos were abundant.

It sure was a nice day to be out, a few more fish would have been nice but that's fishing.

 

[Angled]

Must have been a big flood as the creek center is cleaner now than in a long time as most of the silt was dumped off to the sides especially on the bank.

I did not see any stocked fish but there were small wild fish. I think you would do better with something other than a weenie which certainly works well in earlier in the year on that stream.

Beware if water still coming over the dam (probably not any longer) then take a water temp since it can get be too hot for trout. In a normal summer its a cold bottom release but not this summer. Last week it was still over the top but weather was cloudy and cool, so I hope its all bottom release now that its another heat wave.

 

[riverwhy]

I have done very well on the Weenie since the floods and all have been wild fish except a rainbow I got that chose a peeking caddis over the GW. In two trips I caught the most and then the largest I have ever gotten on Clarks. Beautiful wild brown that looked like and fought like your typical Penn's Creek trout. Very well fed and hooked in shallow riffle that was no more than a foot deep. I did notice that the water was slightly warmer than usual and the last morning I was there the air temperature was in the upper 50's.

 

[DEPete53]

I took a scouting trip up to Clark last Monday (Aug 20) to see what the high water may have done. WOW! I am not too familiar with the FFO section but stopped at what I was told is called the lower lot where I have fished once earlier this year. A little ways downstream from where you walk in was where quite a number of big trees had fallen into the stream years ago. I wasn't quite prepared for how all the downfall had been washed together. All the debris and downed trees were packed in tight for at least 50 yards along the stream! I had never been downstream further than that so I figured I would venture down past the next hard left that the stream took. More packed in downed trees and debris but this time it was about 70 yards deep along the stream with only 2 spots each about 20 feet wide that you could wet a line in! All along the water was stained (tannic) but relatively clear. I would attach photos but they don't give a good representation of what it really looked like as you couldn't see 50 yards along the creek, much less 70.

Next I went up to the parking lot at the Appalachian Trail to assess the damage. Water was just as stained and high for this time of year, of course. You could see where the water had been high enough to completely wash over that high point in the middle that the creek meanders around. Sand was deposited all over the place (same with my previous stop). I measured the water temp on the downstream side of the culvert and was surprised that it was 71+ degrees. I have never seen it that warm there because of letting the water from the bottom of the dam. Makes sense now if the water was coming over the top of the dam, as an earlier post stated. Hope the temps drop significantly soon so I can explore some more sections on Clark and fish at the same time.

 

[Dave_W]

DEPete53 wrote:
A little ways downstream from where you walk in was where quite a number of big trees had fallen into the stream years ago. I wasn't quite prepared for how all the downfall had been washed together. All the debris and downed trees were packed in tight for at least 50 yards along the stream! I had never been downstream further than that so I figured I would venture down past the next hard left that the stream took. More packed in downed trees and debris but this time it was about 70 yards deep along the stream with only 2 spots each about 20 feet wide that you could wet a line in!

This has been a problem in the FFO section for years and just seems to keep getting worse - so much so that many old time Clarks regulars don't fish there anymore. It's a topic that has been much discussed here on PAFF. I'm in the camp that favors an effort to clear much of the timber.

 

[DEPete53]

I would definitely be in favor of trying to clear some of that out as it is waaay, waaay worse than it was earlier this year. I don't know how you could get the heavy equipment needed to the site. As it is now, any and all debris going downstream will get caught up in those pile ups and only continue to make them grow. Short of the storm and washout of a lifetime they will be there for many decades if left to nature.

 

[IdratherbePhishing]

This debris needed cleared over 5 years ago. I remember all the people constantly saying the opposite. We needed the Woody debris for fish habitat. Now look where it’s gone. The ffo section is the worst section on the creek. And it’s not gonna get better. Unfortunate

 

[JFZ]

As far as fish habitat is concerned the downed trees are probably not a bad thing.

It would make float stocking really difficult!

 

[riverwhy]

I honestly did not think it was that much of a problem and if anything it provided plenty of cover for the fish. I caught wild fish in the more open area.

The valley there is already wide and I already see sediment building that will eventually form new banks. Yes this is somewhat of an unnatural occurrence but streams change and those stretches will recover maybe not to the level of the "good ole days" in my lifetime but I am OK with that.


I would much rather see effort and money geared toward:

1. A plan to reforest the stream bottom.
2. Land conservation and preservation in Clarks Valley.

We need to be more attentive to the real issues that threaten the quality of our aquatic resources!

 

[krayfish2]

Ok, several inches of rain has fallen over the last 24 hours. Anyone who has been out to see the stream over the last month has seen the massive log jams. If Florence hits us with a ton of rain, we will likely see those jams cause flooding in places where it typically doesn't happen. In addition, the log jams my end up causing some major bank erosion and may possibly relocate the stream channel in a few areas. Fingers crossed that we don't have loss of property or life.