Hammer Creek, Lancaster/Lebanon Cos., 9/23-27/13

[SmellyTroutHole]

From Speedwell Forge Rd up to Obie Rd bridge the water seems to be the best I've seen it in the last five years. Had the chance to fish it twice last week with much success. Started at Pumping Station and waded up stream both times. Hooked into everything I could have imagined being in there. Dozens of 3-9" brookie and brown fingerling, some definitely native others I assume are stream born. Biggest brook trout was just shy of 11", native. A good amount of stock rainbows still in this stretch too, managed a few from 10-16" all under the surface. Also caught some nice browns, the best two being 16 and 18" which fought like holdover fish. The browns were much more prevalent than the bows. Used some dry flies in the morning, mostly nymphs, ants, and bead heads in afternoon. My favorite catch was a beautiful little tiger trout. This to me is a sign of solid reproduction in the creek. I would really like to see this section of the creek become a class A wild trout water in the future because it definitely has the potential to be. Tons and tons of minnow sized brookies in there. Or if that is too much of a stretch at least have a TU project on it. I did notice that many of the structures in place in the creek were pretty badly damaged and no longer serving their purpose. Many of the deflectors were washed out. Aside of that, the water was very clear and there was little debris in the water. I would choose to fish this section of the Hammer over Donegal or the Quittie, just to name a few other locals, 8/10 times and that's just because I like a change of scenery. Not hating on those waters, i love em, just a local comparison! They definitely receive more funding and attention as well which is why they are more heavily fished



I tried to upload pictures but the files are too large. If there is a way I can compress the images someone let me know, I have some really great shots

 

[Ebrant10]

If you are using a cell phone just download an app like picsay pro (for free) and resize them with that. Computers usually have a basic photo editor also

 

[Swattie87]

SmellyTroutHole wrote:
I would really like to see this section of the creek become a class A wild trout water in the future because it definitely has the potential to be.

It probably already has Class A biomass, from 322 up anyway. I've never caught a Brown that size in there, but if those bigger ones are wild fish, then I can't see how it isn't Class A given the number of Brookies and the biomass that adds up quickly when you have Browns that size.

Despite being close, I don't fish it a ton, but always think I should be fishing it more after hearing stuff like this.

Mike - In the event you catch this thread. I really try not be critical of the PFBC, especially on this website. I think you'd agree with that, so if this seems out of character, I apologize. I'm not sure what the exact survey results were the last time it was shocked, but this is one to leave alone. The Bows need to stop upstream of the lake. I don't get why we're allowing Bows the opportunity to get a foothold against a strong Brookie population in a limestoner. The Browns are already there (and apparently doing pretty well)...if you shock it, I bet you'll find wild Bows too...

 

[DanVerona]

I found this post from Mike on May 25th of this year:

http://www.paflyfish.com/forums/open-forums/fly-fishing-locations/hammer-ck--section-02--above-rt-322-in-sgl--camp-/30,30721,450691.html#forumpost450691

"Regarding questions on this stocked stream section, no biomass estimate has ever been run on this stream, primarily because 1) the minimum standard of 30 wild trout per 300 meters was not met (mid-2000's) or 2) the survey purpose was solely to document stocked trout residency (March, 2012). The 2012 residency survey did reveal, however, a much better wild ST population than had been seen in the past, but still only about 30-35 sublegal trout and 5-6 legal trout in about 330 meters of electrofishing at each of two sites. It is unclear whether this was a seasonal improvement (stream had previously not been sampled in early spring) or a permanent improvement. It is also possible that the shift to 100 percent RT stocking produced the desired result....expansion of the wild ST population. Dam removal may have also benefited the lower end of the section. The numbers of wild trout were pleasing to see but, given the stream's approx 8 meter avg width, the population biomass would not have been high. Furthermore, the stream section has very limited habitat for stocked or wild trout in the summer due to low flow, limited depth on average, and poor substrate. These limiting factors would exist regardless of whether the stream section was stocked or not."

 

[Swattie87]

Thanks Dan...I thought I remembered a thread like that, but couldn't dig it up when searching earlier. I'm not sure where they shocked it, but there are sections with good, classic limestone spring like habitat on that stream. There are also sections of poor habitat, but there's still fish in them too.

I once got scolded by a Sasquatch for walking through the "poor habitat" on that stream and not fishing it. He promptly hooked up with a Brookie in a stretch that I was ready to walk right through. I've fished plenty of high biomass, and plenty of low biomass streams, and this one doesn't fish like a low biomass, poor Trout stream. It feels and fishes like a B or low A.

If those class Browns are wild and present in the stream, at that size, they'd quickly change the biomass numbers.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

The land upstream of the metal boyscout bridge is HEAVILY posted up to Obie Rd. I'm curious how you fished that stretch w/out getting the boot. I fished right at the bridge and downstream a bit at Obie Rd. The land at the bridge is not posted. As I was walking out, I met the land owners, two nice women. I apologized if I was tresspassing, as the land was not posted (the houses aren't really near the stream). They told me I was welcome. However, back at my car as I was taking my waders off, a guy in a truck stopped and told me I'd get "my *** kicked" if I went too far down stream.

I believe the biomass on Hammer upstream of Pumping Station Rd, probably about 1/4 of a mile up from where Walnut flows in, is Class A. I fish from about 1/4 a mile up PSR up to the boy scout bridge. That whole stretch is less narrow and has better structure. I catch a lot of large brookies and the wild browns are much chunkier this year than in years past (caught several over 14" but never 16-18" this year). I also haven't found any of the stocked bows, but maybe they're downstream of where I usually start.

 

[wgmiller]

The_Sasquatch wrote:
However, back at my car as I was taking my waders off, a guy in a truck stopped and told me I'd get "my *** kicked" if I went too far down stream.

Doesn't he know who you are?!?!? The nerve of him to threaten Bigfoot...

 

[The_Sasquatch]

After threatening me, he told me that although the land owners don't post the land at Odie road, they may not want me fishing there. I told him I spoke w/ two women earlier and they were fine w/ it. He kind of grimaced. I had an okay exchange w/ him after that. I think he saw I wasn't some slob out there leaving bait containers and beer cans all over the place...but I never did have the guts to ask if I could fish on his land.

 

[dc410]

He probably has a flashback to one of those "messin' with Sasquatch" commercials. :-D

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Okay...I question what is going on here. I've seen several of these "stream reports" posted by people who never posted before (and haven't posted since). What's the deal with that? This particular one talks about fishing up through heavily posted land, boasting of remarkably sized trout, and then posts no further responses. Whatupwitdat?

 

[riverwhy]

Had to run into school today and put it in few hours to defy the Columbus Day holiday🙂 Hit the Hammer on the way home. Two small wild browns and broke off a third when he wrapped around a rock and was hanging in the current and I tried to move the rock. No brookies today surprisingly. Two other cars there by the time I left. One was a retired guy from Lititz who saw me land a small one at the bridge. Said he didn't fish but somehow I am not so sure. There was also a BMW there and I think it was a flyfisherman down from the bridge. Actually, surprised that someone would stop and fish at a place with two cars already there in the middle of October.

 

[dc410]

The_Sasquatch wrote:
Whatupwitdat?

I was kind of wondering the same thing, Squatch. I have definitely seen a bit more pressure on the section that I have been fishing than I saw during the summer. I stopped for about a half hour this afternoon and saw the vehicles mentioned above. I didn't talk to anybody but did manage to pick up a brookie and two brownies at one of my favorite "little" spots. It was still somewhat off color and running strong from last weeks storm.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

I always see cars there, but hardly ever run into other fishermen, especially for as high up as I start (not above the boyscout bridge though, as IT IS POSTED hard!)

It's a popular spot for hikers and bikers and smokers and dopers I think. Cars don't surprise me. I rarely am the only one parked there.

 

[riverwhy]

I was on the bridge below 322.

 

[Mike]

I looked at the most recent data from two sampling sites in spring, 2012. It wasn't even close to the equivalent of Class A, at least in spring when, as I have said before, biomass is low to begin with on many streams. However, I also checked data from summer, 2009 and biomass was low then as well.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Mike where do you guys survey? At 322 and Pumping Station Road, no doubt it is wide, but what about upstream? Have the stretches at the power lines up through to the boy scout bridge ever been surveyed, or even a little downstream of that? Just curious. The stream is not as wide up through there and my numbers have been very strong this summer through those stretches.

 

[Swattie87]

Mike - Are you able to disclose what the relative breakdown of Brookies and Browns was in those surveys. There definitely seems to be more Browns now than say 3 or 4 years ago and generally biomass adds up quicker with Browns than it does Brookies. If you didn't turn up many Browns in those surveys, it may be worth another look.

Edit: Plus what Squatch said...the stream is narrower up there so your denominator will be smaller for the same mass of Trout. Right around 322 is the junkiest water in the stretch we're discussing.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

The water between Speedwell Forge Rd and probably 1/4 of a mile upstream of PSR is pretty "junky". I still catch some nice brookies and brownies out of there, but "junky" is definitely the right word!

 

[riverwhy]

When you reference pumping station road do you mean where it crosses the creek well upstream of 322?
Speedwell Forge road crosses the creek twice below 322. It is a little confusing the way the roads are labled.
I still don't get the knocks on the stream being wide downstream of 322. There are some nice pools, riffles, chutes etc. down through there. Maybe I am really missing something upstream. Haven't fished it much up from 322 but my drives through there seemed to indicate slower water (it was narrower) but it really didn't look decent until I hit the posted water.

 

[Mike]

The recent sampling sites have been run at various locations from about where you can see the old deflectors from the dirt road upstream to the area behind the houses, all within the stocked trout section. Yes, there have been browns in the catches........from memory, perhaps a dozen in 300 m. of electrofishing.