Youghiogheny River, Fayette county 9/17/2017

[ryansheehan]

The river was in pretty good shape, with flows around 950 at confluence. I took a couple temps and they were between 65-67 degrees throughout the day. Quite a variety of insect life but nothing heavy enough to call a hatch. There were quite a few stonefly shells sitting on the rocks but only saw a few in the air. We saw Cahills, Iso's, Midges and Caddis at different points in the day. There was very little surface activity as we only saw one steady riser who was way out of range. We covered alot of water as we biked down from ramcat and the yough kicked our asses. We got two small wild trout and one smally between two anglers. We fished hard all day and made tons of adjustments with little reward. I haven't had a river beat me up that bad in a while, very humbling.

 

[BrookieChaser]

ryansheehan wrote:
I haven't had a river beat me up that bad in a while, very humbling.

Well the only logical remedy to that is to start a thread asking how to fish the river, then issue a throwdown on your home water in said thread.

Seriously, the bad days are usually when we learn the most.

 

[Dave_W]

Agree with Brookiechaser that the hard days are good taskmasters.^

Reports such as this are as valuable - in some ways more valuable - than reports with lots of catching.

The Yough is a tough and mysterious river.

 

[dryflyguy]

ryan -
Don't beat yourself up too badly about the yough - it is very fickle for sure. I've been fishing it for almost 30 years now. And still haven't got it figured out yet.

One good strategy that I do though, is to fish another (usually smaller) stream first. Then fish the yough the second half of the day - which usually works out quite well, because the evening is usually the best time to find risers there anyway.
And a morning on a brookie steam is almost always productive. Then, if the yough gives me a hard time - I at least had some good fishing somewhere else first that day.

 

[tomgamber]

sounds like a great day!

 

[just_jon]

I've been fishing the lector since is was 13-14 and found unhappiness if fishless days, but always learned a lessson or two either from my observations or from Charlie Fox watching silently from one of his observation posts. Still get skunked today, but fishless days are not a major ego hit as I age.

I was in the hospital 4 days last week with pneumonia and am just getting back to where I see some brooks rushing and upland bird hunting in my future. Still on oxygen and taking it easy for now. For the time being, I'm getting my fix through your posts and bad days on the water do not offend me.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

great perspective there just jon.

i tend to actually learn something when i figure out how to catch difficult fish in a given scenario. those days when i go without fish don't bother me at all. I know sooner or later it will happen. I just wait for the magic.

 

[3oh4]

I think the post would have been better if you started out you and your friend are great fly fishermen. A bad day just means the river owes you one.

 

[ryansheehan]

3oh4 wrote:
I think the post would have been better if you started out you and your friend are great fly fishermen.

I felt like that was already a given and didn't need to be stated 😛

 

[polskip]

Sounds like the Y. Gives and takes. Soon as one thinks they're on to it your humbled. Water temps are a problem this time of year. Running out of cold water. Plus hatches are weak. Hang in there.

 

[greenghost]

I hate the Yough.
I love the Yough.
I hate the Yough.
I love the Yough.
I hate the Yough.
I love the Yough.

The only thing that's consistent about that damned river is its inconsistency. Especially this time of year when they run out of cold water releases. Go back tomorrow. You never know.

 

[troutbert]

Do you "regulars" think there is a possible fix for them running out of cold water in late summer?

Do they have the capability of taking off from different levels and mixing it?

Couldn't they tweak things by taking less water off the bottom earlier in the summer, reserving it for this time of year?

 

[DaveS]

Ryan, the Yough is the most confounding river I have ever fished. Wish I could say do this, do that... I see your posts, I know you can fish, you just have to take some lumps with the rest of us.

TB, the lake has enough water. White water releases all summer deplete the cold water. It's not that it gets so warm every trout dies. It just get too warm to fish for a few weeks.

 

[ryansheehan]

Agreed, they release extra water all weekend long. I can't believe that the folks with property on the reservoir haven't tried to change this so their lake front isn't bone dry.

 

[dryflyguy]

It's my understanding that the dam has no gates to release water from various levels.
All discharge comes straight from the bottom

 

[greenghost]

troutbert wrote:
Do you "regulars" think there is a possible fix for them running out of cold water in late summer?

Do they have the capability of taking off from different levels and mixing it?

Couldn't they tweak things by taking less water off the bottom earlier in the summer, reserving it for this time of year?

Yes, troutbert! Of course there is a fix. However, it's run by a beaurocratic agency. I once wrote the USACE with the very notion of lowering levels SLIGHTLY through the year. Basically they wrote back to tell me that the formula used to withdrawal water was determined by two primary goals. First and foremost, flood prevention and protection for downriver communities. Second, was recreational activity support. (i.e. RAFTING industry.) Fishing isn't even a close second to the whitewater industry. Never was. There simply isn't enough money involved. Rafting is a HUGE boost to the economy. Fishing is a tertiary consideration at best. So they boost flows every weekend for the rafters and to meet specific, predetermined benchmark levels on Yough Reservoir.

My contention is that we can have our cake and eat it too. Lower levels just slightly less each week to still meet the rafters needs while keeping enough cold water in reserve to last into October. I think it can easly be achieved once we figure out how to break through the beaurocratic slab of granite known as USACE.

 

[3oh4]

How bout this one, why not lower the levels at night then? No one rafts at night, save about 56 hours worth of flow a week and by fall you would have saved a good chunk of water.

 

[LehighRegular]

Over on the Lehigh we have the same issues with running out of coldwater. However, to help make the coldwater last as long as possible, the Corps pulses whitewater releases. 12hrs on - 12hrs off during weekends in the summer. The rafters ride the "bubble" of water.

All dependent on where and when the rafters need the water down river.

 

[Isonychia724]

The lake has been above normal pool all summer. That is why the release flow has been strong. Typical years we are warmer temps with lower water for late August through mid October. This year its a little cooler, but still approaching 70 degrees closer to Ohiopyle. We have 2 months of bad fishing on the Yough every year, and that's not going to change anytime soon. And in the end, fishing is pretty far down the line for importance on that river (flood control, power, white water rafting, and coming in last fishing). I try to stop fishing it mid to late august and then wait till temps get back into the high 50's low 60's before I even think about it again... I completely understand the love/hate relationship with this river...