Dead Fish and Stressed Fish Valley Creek

[Wmass]

I fished VC today just above the bridge and was troubled to fin two dead fish in the span of 75 yards and another that was obviously dieing. I grabbed the two dead ones and checked them out. The fish were all between 6-8". They were strange looking browns or brookie trout, I honestly couldn't tell because they were so strange looking. The one that was alive I found after he beached himself on the rocks in front of me and then just flopped around. I tried to revive him but he just went limp and then when I let him go he started swimming in a whirling pattern on top of the water. I watched him just spin around and around.
The fish all had a cover of algea over their bodies and their fins were sort of eaten away.

I went up to the 76 overpass and the brownies there were also acting strange. All but two were sitting on the bottom and they were VERY DARK, the ones that were active were pale colored browns. These fish wouldn't move for anything and I was actually able to touch two of them and they didn't move.

I am very worried that due to the recent rain that maybe something got into the water. The color was a bit off, but still very cool.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[LouM]

Did you call the pfc.? sounds as though something may have entered the stream. I would give them a call with as much info as I could.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

oh man here we go again :roll: seems this stream has survived so much adversity just like the little j. i really hope this doesnt hurt it to bad. any of u guys see the same thing this weekend i would call the pfbc or maybe the dep. hope everything works out!

 

[Fredrick]

Where's Chaz at when you need him.. :-o :-(

 

[VTPAangler]

I was thinking of hitting the VC later sometime this week. I'll post a report if I get out. Sure hope this isn't a major problem.

 

[vcregular]

Wmass:

Tell me you took some pics? ?

I hope you do not mind, but I clipped your comments and sent them to a few contacts I have over at VFTU.

It is very disturbing to read something like this.

 

[Wmass]

VCREGULAR Nah, don't mind at all. I plan on heading back either tomorrow (monday) morning or Tuesday to check it out. I will try and get pictures next time. I usually don't bring a camera because my wife will only let me use the old one that is tough to use for those types of shots. I will try and get some pics when I head back.

 

[mute]

ill probably fish VC Monday around 1:30. Ill get some pics and video of the stream, hopefully of some nice catches too.

 

[mute]

Sorry for double post, but any suggestions what flies to use.

Also where is this part on valley creek?

http://www.paflyfish.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=230

 

[jayL]

Mute,

If you drive in from 23, you should see those falls on your right about halfway to the covered bridge... If I'm not mistaken, that is. For flies, terrestrials, generic nymphs, weenies, and scuds (thank cwwbell for the scud tip) should do ya fine. If it's bright out, be very careful along this stream... The fish are spooky.

I fished it today and saw what I think was one (only one) dead fish. It was at the bottom of one of the deeper pools above the covered bridge and I can't be sure if it was a fish or a piece of litter/white rock. I'm pretty sure it was a fish though. Other than that, the creek looked fine. I spooked a few nice fish which looked just fine. I went in the middle of the day and it was entirely too bright, but I did manage to quick release a nice one.

 

[thedude1534]

For any of you sending info to the pfc, I fished valley way upstream of where wmass fished and it looked perfect. If anything contaminated the water, it probably didn't happen in the uppermost sections of the class A boundary.

 

[Chaz]

You should have kept the fish and taken them to PFBC for analysis. It's probably nothing, but you never know. Fish laying on the bottom and ignoring flies is very common on a bright day in the summer.

 

[thedude1534]

Along with what Chaz said, there are a ton of suckers in valley. Sometimes these guys just sit on the rocks at the bottom. They also look dark if viewed from above. I'm not sure if they school, but I've seen several of them congrogating around one area before.

 

[cwwbell]

When I heard the word "whirling" I got scared. But there are so many weird things about what you said that I don't know where to start. I'll keep my eyes out when I'm there next week, nothing weird to report in the last few weeks.

 

[mute]

Fished Valley today from 3 to 4:15. Was my first time fishing this stream. I came off route 23 and pulled over in the 2nd pull over spot aside the road. I walked up a few minutes to where a Big wall was with a big deep pool. I watched tons of rises but couldnt really see the fish. they barely were sipping them. So i drifted in a beadhead pheasant tail and got about 20 strikes and 3 lands. But im not sure what i caught. They were only like 3 inches long. Silvery and blue tintish. Were they small trout? Chubs? Minnows? Ill get the video footage i took posted asap. Heres some pics.

 

[cwwbell]

There are many creek chubs in the lower reaches of valley. They tend to rise in that slow water and are hard to hook (because their mouths are so small?). I imagine that many trout fisherman are frustrated by them. That slow stretch also holds a lot of trout, though. I have found out by either spooking them out of the undercut bank or having them slash at my streamers. I never bother fishing for them in any other manner--water that slow makes fly fishing awfully hard.

 

[mute]

Cwwbell, where do you suggest fishing next time i go, which will probably be this week. I wanted to check out the dam but diidnt have mcuh time today.

 

[thedude1534]

I'm not too much of a fish expert, but the section of valley you fished has a lot of sunfish looking things (small, flattened, big dot right behind the eye), maybe they're bluegill, I don't know. Someone else can probably chime in here due to my lack of non-trout fish species knowledge. Chubs are also at valley, and they tend to gingerly take from the surface as you described.

I wouldn't reccomend fishing Valley from 23 to the white bridge on Yellow Springs Road.

If you turn onto the white bridge (yellow springs road) from 252 and take your first left (wilson) onto the dirt road, it will take you to a parking lot by a metal bridge. Go upstream and downstream of here and that is where most of the fish are.

 

[mute]

Alright thedude will do, thanks for the tips

 

[jayL]

That's where I go... The spot with the metal bridge.

There's a bridge with a highway a few hundred yards upstream of this spot. I'm assuming the turnpike...

How is fishing above this bridge? I might hike up there next time.