Codorus Creek TT Section York County Aug 16 2008

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Spectorfly and I fished the TT section from about 1 - 6pm. The water was a very very cold as always and the flow looked really good. We parked below the railroad croosing and fished up to the top of the TT section first.

Spectorfly and I had a good conversation about when you die and go to heaven and you met god......if you have on question to ask him what would it be. He told me after this trip and the day before when he was fishing this stream....hes going to ask, "why the heck did you make torn bushes?!" I have to agree. The codrous is very over grown this time of year and alot of torn bushes around the steam. I do think this helps keep alot of the trout in the stream. I have read on other reports how the poachers were killing this stream. I just dont see it. In the uppersection we each caught 3 or 4 fish and missed alot of strikes. Seemed to be a fair amount of fish in the stream to me.

We did fish some of the lower section and had a few strikes. I did see another flyfisherman with a wild brown trout on his line. I also spoked a few fish ...one of whcih could have been 17+ inches. I did also notice that the stream had changed drastically since the last time i was there. Its been a few years. The stream has gotten very weedy. This is a good thing because it adds cover and food to the stream. Do you guys think its possible that some of the trout are hiding in the weeds and waiting to feed at night? The smart wild browns on the Letort do this. It is very likely the larger browns and ones that have been caught many times are doing this.

Please becareful wading. This stream can be very dangerous and end your life if you step in the wrong place. Me and spectorfly were extra extra careful.

One final note. Does the white fly hatch on the Codorus? I did see some fish rising to looked to be midges or maybe small caddis but i did see at least 10 White Flies this sunny beautiful day flying around. Granted it wasent like they were emerging and the fish where taking them but there were some very large White Mayflies buzzing about. Anyways it was a good day of fishing. We had a blast....it was good to get back out to the codorus :-D

 

[Acristickid]

Is that like a jagger bush for the people in the west?


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jagger+bush

 

[jayL]

In the SE, we call em thorns. Basically the same thing, just with an H. I guess that means that the SC is on our side in the inevitable war. 🙂

 

[MattBoyer]

We got yous covered, butt! :lol:

Boyer

 

[volcanomil]

I live very close to the Codors TT section. I too have noticed this creek change over the years. To answer your question on the white fly - I have never seen or heard about this hatch on the creek. The most consistent, at least in my experience, has been the end May/June Sulpher hatch. This hatch seems to bring the most fish to the surface.

 

[sundrunk]

Maybe yellow drakes or cahill?

 

[jpavoncello]

The thorns are multi-flora rose and and are an invasive plant. My fishing partner has quick wearing breathable waders on the Codorus becase he's trashed a couple sets going through the rose.
I've never seen a white fly hatch on the Codorus, but have seen the bugs you're talking about. I've always thought they were a few remaining yellow drakes, the fish never seem to rise to them because there are never that many on the water.
Glad you're catching fish there, I haven't been at the Codorus since last month, and it was dismal fishing. I have a summer routine of getting really busy with vacations, work, home improvement projects, and yard work during the months of July and August so that I have September-November for fly fishing and goose hunting.
Thanks for the report!

 

[wgmiller]

Sal,

How deep are the wading pools you speak of? Would they swallow up chest waders on a 6' person? That could turn a good day fishing bad :-o

Not to get off-topic but have there ever been any fishing fatalities due to water filling hip waders and/or chest waders? I can see how quickly it could happen and if one gets caught in sand/silt how there would be no turning back.

I'd like to drop by the Codorus on the way home from work some day and see what kind of luck I'll have.

 

[Mariner]

WGMiller,

Heck yeah there have been fatalities from waders filling up, both chest and hip. There have even been wet wading fatalities. Do indeed watch your step out there. Wear at least a wading belt and maybe SOSpenders if you're in the swift and also carry a staff. I was about ready to take a whack at a snapping turtle tonight with mine!

 

[Maurice]

I have to admit, I've not heard of a single wading fatality in all the years I've been fishing. Certainly it is possible for all the reasons mentioned, water is dangerous.

The closest wading fatality was the guy that got his foot pinned out west and was found and rescued the next day. And another guy in my area that steped down off a rock (on shore) and compound fractured his shinbone. He was found by a hiker several hours later and airlifted out, only after crawling several hunderd yards with bone and muscle hanging out of his leg.

But not one single fatality.


Regarding the Codorus and deep wading. I am 5'11" and with chest waders I am restricted from only two areas on that creek (at least in the section open to fishing now). Under the ralroad bridge above the sawmille and the large tank hole below the RR trestle. I think more than drowning, Id fear more the possibilitry of getting my feet/boots stuck in the tremendous silt deposits.

I have found ways to wade through these areas by stepping on suubmerged logs. It can be a pretty tricky maneuver. Apologize to the fellow fishing below you as you will ruin the fishing by kicking up all that silt.

 

[fly_flinger]

I don't buy it that there have been fatalities due to waders filling up. How is having water on the inside of your waders any different than standing in the water that completely surrounds you? If you waders fill up with water, simply undo the straps and take the waders off. I can understand that water filled waders would make if difficult or impossible to get out of the water completely but not drag you under and drown you.

Didn't someone post an article or video about this a while back? Maybe I saw it on mythbusters but there is something out there that disproves this myth.

 

[afishinado]

Flyflinger is exactly right; you will not sink to the bottom when your waders fill up during a fall. The water outside the waders doesn’t weigh any more than the water inside you waders. As a matter of fact, wearing a wader belt tends to trap air inside your waders and helps with floatation.

With all that said, everyone should be very careful when wading. It is possible to drown, even if you are a good swimmer. Wearing waders and boots certainly will not help you swim, and in cold water, there is always the danger of hypothermia.

The last wading fatality I recall was last year at the Salmon River in Pulaski.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYwG52p4yjs

 

[wgmiller]

I suppose the biggest risk with filled waders would be if you were sucked or swept into a deeper hole that hindered your ability to breathe. I've been cutting my wading teeth on the Donegal Creek and there is one area under the 772 that has some pretty heavy silt. That's a strange and eerie feeling when you're standing in water and sinking as if in quicksand.

Thanks for the heads up on the deep pools in the TT section of the Codorus!

 

[wgmiller]

I stopped by the Codorus TT section on the way home from work this morning, mostly to do a "recon" on it. My fly rod arrives next week, so I wanted to check things out and see it for myself.

Having "cut my teeth" on the Donegal Creek, I found this creek to have a much stronger flow than the Donegal. Obviously so, it's fed by the lake instead of springs, but for the end of summer, it had a decent flow. I parked at the pull off by the railroad tracks and dropped down in. I waded roughly 1/4 mile each direction just to get a feel for things. Many sections were only a foot or so deep, but there were some nice deep pockets where I'm sure trout had to be hiding. Alot of the wading was across rocks, but there were some silt pools that, as mentioned, you have to pay attention for.

I was fishing with my spin rod and a number of different artificial lures and didn't have any luck. I tossed a spinner or two along with some crankbaits, but it was an "oh fer" day. It was nice to wade the creek though as it I found to be very picturesque and peaceful (except for the dogs barking at the kennel). I didn't see any fish rising or any surface insect activity FWIW. Perhaps this picks up later in the day as I was there around 08:00.

This water was by far the coldest water I've been in yet. It amazed me how cold it was for the end of summer. Thank god for my neoprene chest waders! I would not recommend regular wading gear unless you are well insulated beneath it.

Finally, I realized how much I don't know about finding fish in waterway structures. There are a lot of different man made and natural structures that I'm sure were holding fish, but ya' gotta know where to look for em'! From fallen trees to bank undercuts and man made deflectors, it's all an education.