Quitty, Lebanon Co. 06/29/2013

[The_Sasquatch]

My pops and I planned on fishing a local small stream after all the rain this past week, but after getting a message from Sal that he was headed to that very stream more than an hour before we left, and was probably already there fishing it, we decided to change up our plans.

A friend suggested going to the Quitty, "in the park". I only fished the Quitty once before, in Feb. w/ Swattie. It was high, fast and cold that day, and it was a different stretch than the park, so I thought what the heck?

We got there, water looked good. A little stained, good flow. Ran into WGMiller and Nick (I forget your screen name here) as they were walking back up to their car. Geo said the stream seemed "off", but it was still cool at 68 degrees.

We walked down stream a bit and fished our way upstream to the foot bridge. Fished a white wulff with a small PT dropped. I managed one stocked brownie, about 16", and a stocker brookie around 13". Both of them came out of the same hole. Apart from that hole, we saw no other action. Dad picked up a sunny at the bottom of a run. That was it.

I should have taken a temp too (not that I don't trust Geo!), but the brownie I caught needed a little bit of coaching to get on his way, and he did not fight the way I expect a 16" brownie to fight. He definitely seemed stressed.

I'll probably fish this stream again, as it's pretty close to me, but not until the temps start dropping.

 

[wgmiller]

Nick managed a bow out of the run above the bridge and I landed a small, 3" brookie down below. Other than that, we cast a lot of line and came up empty handed. The stream looked good and "fishy", but we just didn't have much luck. I know the nature park is DHALO, so chances are it gets pretty cleaned out.

Nice running into you and your pops!

 

[McSneek]

I used to fish the DHALO all the time but not so much the last few years. Summer time fishing was usually really good with a foam beetle against the banks. Also smaller cdc caddis would work well. Although the stream banks haven't changed all that much it doesn't seem to be as deep as it used to be in certain areas. There used to always be several rising fish upstream of the foot bridge that could torment you all morning by refusing your offering. About 50 yards up from there was another good spot where there were always some risers. That stretch changed. I don't think the big storm a few years ago was very kind to the stream (or the people who used to live in the house at the upper end of the DHALO) One thing it never lacked was cool water.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Good to know. Gotta remember too, it's been an odd weather week, and the pounding of storm after storm may have put fish down. It's really not a far drive for me, so maybe I'll make another run of it soon. I liked the water. I'm usually a small stream type of guy, so I find "larger" water challenging and like to mix it up every now and again.

 

[Swattie87]

I’m kinda surprised by that stream temp to be honest. I fished the DHALO stretch during several heat waves (hotter than this past week) over the last couple of years and never took a temp over 66. Warm runoff from the concrete channel in Lebanon from the late day Tstorms maybe?

I’m also kind of surprised about that little Brookie…I’ve heard of guys catching small Browns and Bows (although I haven’t caught any) that appeared to be wild, but that’s the first I’ve heard of a little Brookie like that. There’s at least one stream in the Quittie watershed that has Brookies, so it could be a transplant from that stream, but who knows?

My experience with the DHALO stretch is that it holds over a good bit of stockers despite the pressure, and even in the Summer I don’t see a lot of guys taking fish from it. It’s mostly FFers C&Ring. It would be a decent stretch for a C&R FFO actually as there is plenty of open, unposted water just downstream of Annville that is heavily stocked and general ATW. I agree the fish in the DHALO are difficult to catch this time of year…I’ve had the best luck in the early mornings sight casting to risers. If they’re rising I’ve found them not to be overly picky and could usually catch them or at least get a take with a decent drift. Trico patterns mostly…if I found a picky one that kept rising and ignoring the Trico I’d throw on a Flying Ant and often get a take. If they’re not rising…good luck. I’d sometimes take a walk through the DHALO stretch and if I didn’t see any risers I’d get back in the car and head over to the Swatara for Smallies without even making a cast.

 

[wgmiller]

You bring up a good point about risers. That's something Nick and I saw nothing of the other day. I mean nothing. I worked an ECH and foam beetle pattern just to prospect and nadda. Zip. That 68 degree temp I took was only a foot down, so I'm comfortable saying the stream was relatively cold throughout.

I attempted to take a pic of the brookie, but before I could get my camera out, he hopped off my hand. Hard to hold onto such a small little guy and not suffocate him. He was hooked a few hundred yards downstream of the footbridge. In the area where a small footbridge crosses what appears to be a feeder stream (that was relatively dry).

 

[The_Sasquatch]

I saw 2 rising trout, Geo. Ironically, if I did not see the first riser, I would have waded right through that hole. That is where I caught both my fish. I had a white wulff (stocked rainbow slayer) and a PT dropped. They took the PT, but they nailed it almost immediately after it hit the water. Should have tried a soft hackle.

 

[Shock]

I was at the Park on Sunday morning also. I went downstream to the 934 bridge that marks the start of the delayed harvest section and only fished from 7 to 9 a.m. Maybe that was you that I saw driving in when I was packing up.

The water seemed much muddier downstream than when I checked the stream near the parking lot. I started with a dry-dropper but switched to a streamer before quitting early.

I was not in the mood to tough it out. You should come back another day. The Quitty can be tough when it is gin clear but it should be colder and you should be able to at least read the water as well as see fish rising.

I do think the hatches are better downstream. I have seen Little Black Stoneflies, Grannoms, and Sulphurs below 422. I have not fished the Trico hatch yet, though.

At my house in Palmyra, I do see a lot of different flies on the window screens including a size 16 Yellow Sally this weekend.

The stream has great potential but lack of good structure in may stretches combined with the legacy of the steel mill that was in Lebanon seem to hold it back.

Shock

 

[jkilroy]

Caught 7 there last sat eneving, all on nymphs. Some tight line nymphing and a couple under a Indi. I thought that was pretty good for this time of the year. All healthy fish and I think 2 were wild bows.

 

[Shock]

Conditions were conducive to nymphing, but I had my heart set on fishing dries as I am stuck fishing nymphs for 2/3 of the year.

I probably would have switched after seeing how muddy the water was but I left my spare spool that I keep set up for nymphing, back at the car.

Were you fishing in the Delayed Harvest section or downstream?

 

[jkilroy]

The park. That's the section I normally fish. I rarely put dries on there, it's a nymph game.

 

[wgmiller]

Good to hear there are still fish in there. The few times I have fished this stream, it has never treated me well. Perhaps one of these days I'll unlock her "secret" and do well. In the meantime, I'll just curse it!

 

[truecrimson]

I was fishing the Quittie at the Cleona park on 6/26 in the evening and caught this rainbow

It swam away briskly when released.

 

[brain]

i like fishing the park, but the amount of blatant poaching that i routinely see often ruins the outing for me.

 

[Swattie87]

brain wrote:
i like fishing the park, but the amount of blatant poaching that i routinely see often ruins the outing for me.

I hear this often, but I have never seen a trout on a stringer in the DHALO section of the Quittie. Or anyone fishing with anything other than flies or spinners. I wouldn't say I fish it often...maybe 3-4 times a year, but still. Timing I guess.

 

[wgmiller]

There could be quite a bit of validity to it based on the trash seen along the banks at times, and the accessibility of the stream. Agreed that I have always seen fly guys when I'm there as well.

 

[McSneek]

Several years ago I encountered some renegades with fish on a stringer during a non-harvest period. They played dumb when I told them they couldn't keep fish. Not sure I've ever seen someone bait fishing. Lots of spin fishing which is allowed of course.

Trash has actually been better in recent years although much of what you see must wash down from Lebanon. Usually it's household waster like empty laundry detergent bottles.

I'm not sure they stock as many browns in there as they used to. When the summer time terrestrial fishing was very good it was always brown trout. As I think about it, I had really good dry fly fishing in early fall too with beetles, ants and smaller caddis. Recall one afternoon when I could hear the AC high school football game going on while I was fishing.

 

[brain]

as far the trash, the "creek" runs right through some of the very best neighborhoods in town, and is nothing more than a concrete lined canal.

 

[jkilroy]

The fish that hold over fair well they are always strong and healthy. You just have to know where they are.

 

[truecrimson]

I was at Cleona park, not the DHALO area.

Friday I was there again. I think I caught the same trout again too 😉

There were some kids bait fishing, and I saw one other guy with spinning gear on my way out, but he was done for the day. Earlier in the day I had seen another car in the lot, but I guess they went upstream. I was headed down stream.

Water temp was 72F between the bridge and the reported spring, and 70F after the spring (just got a thermometer earlier that day). I should clarify that I have been told there is a spring feeding the pool where the big tree out in the water is.

I accidently waded past the posted area downstream because you can't see the sign from in the creek. The brush is very overgrown in front of it. There are some deep holes back there. I saw the back of the sign on the way out so I won't be going that far again.

There are several holesbetween the bridge and the posted area holding trout. Convincing them to bite is another issue.