Cumberland Valley: Update on Conditions

[Fishidiot]

There's been a good bit of discussion about CV streams lately since the storms started this month. I managed to get out and about today. . . and conditions are much improved in the CV.

Although they usually withstand storms with little or no effect, this time Letort and Big Spring were hit hard, relatively speaking. BS has cleared and is fine now, just a bit stained and not quite the gin clear one would normally expect. The big fallen tree at the bottom of the ditch is gone and some weed channels have shifted a bit. Ditto for upper Letort: slight stain but good to go (I did not check lower Letort).

Mountain Creek is still blown out and mud brown - give it at least a couple days. Middle Breeches is fishable (barely) but the reg water is still dirty and really pushing. It still needs a couple days. Upper Breeches above the confluence with Mountain is stained but in good fishing shape with a strong flow. A big bushy dry fly proved a good choice for me today. Often, dropping water levels can produce some good fishing.

Might be good to hold off a couple days for Boiling Springs, but upper Letort and Big Spring are fine now.

 

[Biggie]

Thanks Dave for the on the stream update. Much appreciated.

 

[wgmiller]

And the Connie has just gotten hammered. Gonna be a while til she's back down and fishable in the 300-400 CFS range...

 

[krayfish2]

Drove over the Connie just before lunch. Looks like a coffee with 2 creamers in it. About 20 minutes later.....poured, stopped, poured and poured again.

Looks to be a little while (10+ days) before that creek has any clear water.

 

[MattBoyer]

On Monday the lower Letort just above the mouth was slightly stained and raging pretty good. The Connie was a beast. Great streamer fishing on the Letort, probably the best I've ever seen. I was playing dry snob til I got one on top, then switched to a Wooley Bugger. I only had 5 minutes or so left when I switched, and wouldn't you know it, I was getting strikes on 9 out of every 10 casts. It was bizarre, like opening day in a hole where the buckets all landed. Got a 6-7 inch tiger, which, even more strangely, appeared to be stocked. Nightstalker was there and believes it may have come up from the Connie, as it was up over the falls two days before.

Boyer

 

[tomitrout]

That, or it washed down from the trout derby they have at the park every year.

 

[Fishidiot]

tomitrout wrote:
That, or it washed down from the trout derby they have at the park every year.

That was my guess too. I get a few hatchery rainbows from lower Letort every year. This guy may have found his way into that batch (although they're not supposed to stock browns in the derby, only STs and RTs).

There are some private stockings in the watershed, but I'm not sure if tigers are routinely stocked by private interests. Moreover, I'm not entirely convinced that that fish is a hatchery product - looks like it... but I'm not convinced. Might indeed be wild.

 

[MattBoyer]

I thought it might be wild, too Dave, knowing the color variance in tigers, but I got hit pretty hard with the "meh, stocked" comments on FB and didn't feel like being that guy on here. Glad someone thinks I might know stuff about things.

Boyer