Middle and Hammer Creek

[JeffP]

Well the last 2 weeks have had a ton of fisherman. Based on what I have seen to and from work the last 2 weeks it was stocked both weeks as was Lititz Run. I took the dog out this evening for a walk. 4 cars and about 10 fisherman right at Lincoln Road. The sportmen's club only stocks from Lincoln Road down so I checked out the stretch above at Limerock and a bit below and along the road at the guardrail. I saw no risers at the guardrail which was surprising. At Limerock there were huge clouds of spinners and only a few risers which may or may not have been trout. Down a bit i saw some I am pretty sure were trout in an unstocked section. This hole always has risers and I have caught a few wilds here. When I drove back down to Lincoln Road, still tons of people with lights on. I did see a couple fly fisherman and I bet they did well there. One question I have is how pollution tolerant are sulphurs? While Middle has a lot of limestone influence lower Hammer is a craphole with only a bit of limestone influence. I have seen huge clouds of spinners on Hammer here as well.

 

[Swattie87]

As far as mayflies go, Sulphurs are on the more tolerant end in terms of lower water quality. They’re not really a bellwether of a healthy watershed. They’re often the first mayfly species to repopulate recovering streams.

That said, the thickest Sulphur spinner cloud I’ve ever seen was on Hammer. Maybe 10 years ago, Memorial Day weekend.

 

[JeffP]

As far as mayflies go, Sulphurs are on the more tolerant end in terms of lower water quality. They’re not really a bellwether of a healthy watershed. They’re often the first mayfly species to repopulate recovering streams.

That said, the thickest Sulphur spinner cloud I’ve ever seen was on Hammer. Maybe 10 years ago, Memorial Day weekend.

Above or below Speedwell. I've see some big ones on lower Hammer at Buch Mill Road on my runs.

 

[Mike]

Ephemerellids have a pollution tolerance index rating of 2 on a scale of 0-10 where 0 is very intolerant and 10 is very tolerant. This scale was put together by DER (now Pa DEP) and the PFBC Area 6 staff based on Pa field experience. The source that I checked said sulphurs were Ephemerellids.

Note, however, that within a given family there may be genera and species that are more or less tolerant, such as Epeorus within the Heptagenids. Heptageniidae has a pollution tolerance rating of 4 overall, but Epeorus (the two-tailed nymph within Heptageniidae) has a pollution tolerance rating of 0. Clear as mud???

As for the most pollution tolerant Pa mayflies with ratings of 7…Baetids, Caenids, and the family we used to call Siphlonuridae. I’m unsure if that is still the family name. Tricos (Trycorythidae) are no gems either with a rating of 6.

As for the 10’s, they are some Chironomids (midges-some), aquatic earthworms, leeches, some blackflies, and Planaria (flat worms that you might have seen in HS Biology or I hope you did. They were probably referred to as Dugesia).

 

[Swattie87]

Above or below Speedwell. I've see some big ones on lower Hammer at Buch Mill Road on my runs.

Above.

 

[Mike]

In #4 above, I forgot to mention that the PFBC staff came up with the pollution tolerance assignments/refinements through some reviews of written references as well, such as texts that included macroinvertebrate ecology.

Finally, SE Pa streams in which only or almost only 10’s were found were situations reaching extremes in chronic manure or sewage pollution.