codorus trophy trout

[bushwacker]

Does any one fish the section between brown road and sawmill? seems like that stretch is lined by 5 feet of quicksand on each shore. looks like great water in center of stream. How the heck do you guys fish this area?

 

[laszlo]

Very difficult to fish, I don't even attempt to wade that stretch anymore. I've been stuck knee deep in mud with water chest high, very scary. You're right about fish being there, especially near the log jam.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

I didn't know any better, and I caught a few in that section the first time I fished the creek. Later I was told that everyone avoids it! I stayed on the bank and rolled casted to log jams, but basically kept moving looking for better water :lol:

 

[Dave_W]

That's a tough spot and I encourage folks who are going to the Codorus for the first time to be very careful there as you will really sink into that muck. It's tempting to try and wade it as tree cover makes casting difficult and fish are often visible....but I don't suggest trying it.

 

[fwh14]

I fish it alot being only a few minutes away , but never tried that particular section. Codorus is a great fishery.

 

[CodorusTUTom]

A couple of seasons of below-average precipitation and low flows without any major flood events have made this section even more difficult and treacherous. The stream hasn't been flushing silt like it used to, and the low clear water has really allowed the weed growth to flourish - not only in this section but all throughout the creek.

At least that weed growth provides a safe place for small fish to hide and grow. With the huge scud population in that creek, those weeds are likely stuffed with trout food too. While its not bad for the trout, it is a bear for fishing. I agree with everyone that extreme caution is needed and that the silt is dangerous.

Side note - if you ever hear anyone refer to a section of that creek as "the tank" that's the section they're talking about. Many of the regulars and old-timers use that nickname.

 

[Mike]

Glad to hear that the scuds have taken off. Here's hoping that the sculpin population has continued to grow as well despite its slow pace of longitudinal expansion.

 

[fritz]

It would be rare for me to lift rocks/muck around grass and not see scuds over there.

 

[trike23]

I fish codorus about 80% of my trout fishing its less than 10mins for me. That section is fishable its just tricky and I never get in the water. Ive caught a few nice fish out of there but honestly I just skip it most of the time. If you wanna see what that stream has to offer come down in another mth or two. IMHO the sulpher hatch can be second to none. I almost dont wanna post that cause I dont want all you animals down there! J/k but honestly Codorus deserves the love. It will always hold a special place in my heart cause its just my get away through all of lifes up and downs.

 

[Mike]

Yes, the first type of love it needs is major stream bank and drainage basin erosion control as well as stormwater runoff reductions. The second type is love for the landowners.

 

[Mike]

When does the stream see the pressure? Over the years I have usually been there on summer or fall weekdays and weekday evenings and have rarely seen an angler and when I did I only saw a single angler.

 

[trike23]

It really doesnt see much pressure. Thats what makes it so nice. Peaceful and productive.

 

[afishinado]

Mike wrote:
When does the stream see the pressure? Over the years I have usually been there on summer or fall weekdays and weekday evenings and have rarely seen an angler and when I did I only saw a single angler.

trike23 wrote:
It really doesnt see much pressure. Thats what makes it so nice. Peaceful and productive.

It all depends on one's perspective......

Some see a stream crowded with anglers and say "it's a success"

while others see the same stream and say "it's a shame"

:lol:

 

[Mike]

Afish,
You read me wrongly this time; the lack of observed pressure was not a concern. I was just curious. It is not a stocked trout section.

As a side bar, however, now that you mentioned it, the lack of pressure means that the TT regs probably are not serving any biological fish management purpose and may even be limiting the abundance of TT through competition.

The regs may be serving a socially oriented fisheries management purpose, however, if they are helping to keep that stretch open to public fishing. With the length of that stream that has been posted over the years despite the special regs, that social argument may be a a weak one.

 

[afishinado]

Mike wrote:
Afish,
You read me wrongly this time; the lack of observed pressure was not a concern. I was just curious. It is not a stocked trout section.

As a side bar, however, now that you mentioned it, the lack of pressure means that the TT regs probably are not serving any biological fish management purpose and may even be limiting the abundance of TT through competition.

The regs may be serving a socially oriented fisheries management purpose, however, if they are helping to keep that stretch open to public fishing. With the length of that stream that has been posted over the years despite the special regs, that social argument may be a a weak one.

Not a criticism just a sage observation

You often look to utilize the streams and offer opportunities for the most people. I understand that completely.

Sometimes it is useful to step back and evaluate things to get a different perspective.

While it would seem, if more people fish in a certain stream, river or lake it is always a good thing. But if you ask many people why they fish, the most common answer is to relax and get away from "it all". as well as to catch fish. If you bring "it all" to the stream with big crowds, many may get turned off from fishing all together because it doesn't deliver what they desire, a peaceful and relaxing day on the water. As Yogi Berra once said, "no one goes there anymore, it's too crowded!"

Take this from someone that has talked to thousands of fisherman in the shop. When someone asks me to recommend a spot fish, after the "how's the fishin'" question, the second question usually is "how crowded is it?"

While there are less people fishing (license sales are down), but more people seem to be crowded in fewer areas. If the prime objective was to deliver a quality fishing experience rather than to deliver a crowd, the number of anglers /customers will grow, because you are delivering what they really desire.

I applaud you when you encourage people to spread out and fish other places. I try to do the same thing. A good thing for all.

 

[Mike]

The irony in that is that getting them to try the new, lesser known or generally unknown places is difficult because they have not heard of these places. Why Codorus is so lightly fished though is beyond me as a fisheries manager and as an angler. I had a gentleman accompany us on two different electrofishing surveys there over the years and he kept saying "I don't know why I keep fishing the Yellow Breeches."

 

[CodorusTUTom]

While pressure may be light some of the time, there are plenty of other times when the stream is fully utilized (i.e. all parking full, etc.) It also tends to draw a lot of anglers up from Maryland - you see MD plates all the time.

As someone who fishes both in and out of the regs area, I don't really think the regs are doing that much, if anything, in terms of size and numbers. Things seem pretty consistent everywhere and seem to be driven by habitat.

Having regs in place though, does help drive home the point that this creek is unique and worthy of extra attention. That's helpful in educating everyone - anglers, landowners, and the general public.

One thing some folks (including me) aren't crazy about is the use of the word 'Trophy' in naming the regs. Especially since the cutoff for harvest is only 14" - hardly a trophy. The concern is that the name suggests an abundance of such fish and encourages their harvest. Their numbers are limited and we'd rather see the ones with the genes and smarts to grow that big get more chances to reproduce. In a stream that size, they're especially visible and vulnerable during spawning.

 

[Chutney]

This section of stream along with others along the Codorus need to be
cleared and cleaned of falling debris. It seems as though the leaders of the current TU have no organization as in past leader to do stream clean up. They would rather spend the monies raised to support there summer picnic then put it to use doing productive stream work. Instead of trying to be a politician the current President should work on collective efforts within his chapter to do stream work ! Past leader are what made the fishery what it is today and that needs to continue in order for the Codorus to remain a productive fisher.

 

[troutbert]

Chutney wrote:
This section of stream along with others along the Codorus need to be
cleared and cleaned of falling debris.

Downed trees in streams is referred to as large woody debris and is very beneficial in creating pools and cover for trout. And counter-acting channel incision.

There are many efforts underway throughout the US and other countries to restore the quantities of large woody debris in streams to closer to their natural, pre-disturbance levels.

In nearly all streams in PA the quantities of large woody debris are much less than they would have been historically.

During stream cleanups, people should remove trash, but not remove large woody debris.

Large woody debris should only be removed when absolutely necessary to prevent damage to infrastructure.

Looking at it from just a fishing perspective: the biggest trout in the creek are probably living under those downed trees.

 

[troutbert]

Mike wrote:

Why Codorus is so lightly fished though is beyond me as a fisheries manager and as an angler.

I think you already gave the reason in any earlier post:

"With the length of that stream that has been posted over the years..."

The reason more people don't fish it is probably mostly due to the access difficulties. Some sections are posted, others not.

It's all private land. It's hard to know where you can fish and where not. A where to park without making a landowner upset.

If the stream was flowing through public land, where people knew that access for parking and fishing was assured, the stream would be fished much more.

But, I was there one time on a weekend in the spring when there was a decent hatch and rising trout, and there were a fair number of anglers there.