Manada Creek, Dauphin County, 9/24/22-9/25/22

6xAdams(Jones)

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Took a walk in very shallow water in the DHALO just upstream of the Furnace Road bridge.
Air temps were 50s (night) to 60s/70s (day) so I'll take a guess that water was 55-65. I didn't check with a thermometer.
Not much bug activity and none of the holes were more than waist-deep. There was a small gray fly hatching and we also saw a couple yellow flies - very sporadic though.
First evening, I was able to get a small-mouth and brown trout (both 6-7") on a tiny yellow emerger, out of the same hole. (I had the fly in my box for so long, I can't remember what the pattern is.) Second evening, I got a 8-9" brown on a #18 Lt. Cahill. Other than that, it was just chubs. I had two of my boys with me the first evening and neither of them caught more than chubs. Second evening, I only had one of the boys with me and he got a little wild brown - can't recall what fly he was using. I try to get out every time I'm up here from MD so I considered them as successful outings considering the thin water and lack of consistently rising fish.
So for the safety message... I tripped over a shin-high rock, in knee-deep water, while walking downstream, when it was just getting dark. I tend to fall in more when the water is shallow and slow than when it is high and moving - probably because I'm more aware and cautious for the latter. On the second night, my son tried to walk out in the dark through the woods instead of along the creek - even though I walked up the creek and talked to him, within sight of the bridge! Instead of walking the creek - like his dad told him to - he turned back into the woods and tried to find the trail. 30 minutes later, after walking in circles, he found his way back to the creek and waded back to the car - like his dad told him to.
Regards, Glenn
 
Yo 6X - actually, wading in shallow water (with rocks) can be more hazardous than doing so in deeper water. The late great author C. Datus Proper died that way near Bozeman: he tripped and hit his head on a rock, and drowned. You can drown in only a couple of inches of water if you fall face down.
 
Thanks Les,
Thankfully, the only damage was a bruised shin and knee, as well as scraped knuckles and a bruised pinky. Breaking the fall with my arms protected my noggin, but I acknowledge it could have been worse. I also consider the situation that, while I don't usually go fishing alone, we're not always within sight of one-another the entire time.
The most recent fall-in before this was just embarrassing. I didn't hurt myself, but I fell from shallow to deeper water and immediately filled the backside of my waders with air - which of course held my feet off the bottom until I could hand-crawl back to the shore.
 
Oh, I just remembered. The first evening (Saturday) my boys and I saw a UFO... actually it was a SpaceX rocket taking satellites into orbit, but it was something we never saw before. We even fit the stereotype of being out on a country road in the dark, with nobody else around, wondering if what we saw was what we thought we saw. WGAL news later confirmed what it was - with pictures.
 
Yo 6X - actually, wading in shallow water (with rocks) can be more hazardous than doing so in deeper water. The late great author C. Datus Proper died that way near Bozeman: he tripped and hit his head on a rock, and drowned. You can drown in only a couple of inches of water if you fall face down.
Wow, I did not know that about Datus Proper. Really liked his books.
 
For 2023 I plan on wearing one of those PFD's that self inflate when they get wet. My advanced age and poor balance necessitates I do this.
 
For 2023 I plan on wearing one of those PFD's that self inflate when they get wet. My advanced age and poor balance necessitates I do this.
I plan on doing this myself one day. I'm trying to find something that will replace or integrate with the suspenders on my waders.
 
Manada used to be a solid producer for me. Wild browns, rainbows, and brookies along with stockers (not all on the same day). The past several years I've fished there it just hasn't been the same. It's one stream that gets hammered by flooding events (and the harvest crowd). It is a pretty stream (particularly below 443) and makes you really feel like you're much further from population centers than you are.
 
Manada used to be a solid producer for me. Wild browns, rainbows, and brookies along with stockers (not all on the same day). The past several years I've fished there it just hasn't been the same. It's one stream that gets hammered by flooding events (and the harvest crowd). It is a pretty stream (particularly below 443) and makes you really feel like you're much further from population centers than you are.
Possibly the greatest benefit of this creek is its proximity to my son's place just south of I-81. We can get there and set up in a matter of minutes. The wooded setting and occasional wild trout is definitely a plus. Spring flooding redistributes snags to the extent that the personality is different every year.
 
For 2023 I plan on wearing one of those PFD's that self inflate when they get wet. My advanced age and poor balance necessitates I do this.
I have a Mustang Survival MIT 100 that I wear while boating.

This sounds like a commercial, but it is so comfortable I don't even know I have it on and that includes really hot & humid weather sitting in the sun in a boat all day.

However, IF you wear a fishing vest it might be a little tricky getting that comfort level because of the yoke on the PFD which is essential to get & keep your head above water. In addition, wearing a fishing vest over the PFD may make it less effective, possibly necessitating wearing it OVER a vest which could be awkward.

All of these types of PFD's have manual inflation tubes so IF you wear a vest and IF you know someone who owns this type of PFD, even if it isn't an automatic version, ask to borrow it and blow it up by mouth and see what it would be like inflated over or under a fishing vest. I'd also call the manufacturer and inquire as to their recommendations in this situation.

In other words, IF you wear a vest think it through before buying an automatic PFD or just buy one of the many combination PFD's/fishing vests out there and pass on the automatic idea...

...or lose the vest. 😉

Good luck!
 
One time while having lunch on the Missouri I had gotten into shallow water against some stream side reeds. I had taken the self inflating horse collar PFD off and laid in on the back storage area with my cooler. As I reached around to open the cooler I crunched my heels into the shallow water to get a some traction and as I turned back to face forward I heard this very loud BANG or BOOM! The rear deck of the pontoon boat got wet and that PFD instantly inflated right behind me and scared the heck out of me. Now when I go out west I have two extra CO2 cartridges with me just in case there is an accidental inflation.
















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