Fishing Creek - Colombia County

[henrydavid]

Has anyone seen Fishing Creek in Colombia County lately. I was thinking of planning a trip out but most of my local creeks are still quite low, didn't want to make the trip and find no water to fish.

 

[troutbert]

It has a USGS gauge near the mouth at Bloomsburg, so you can check it online. It looks low.

 

[henrydavid]

Thanks troutbert, I have been checking that guage, don't have much to compare it to though, I assumed it would be low, think it's fishable?

 

[Rolf]

At 66 CFS I would say no. 300 to 400 CFS is ideal for both fishing and wading along much of the creek.

 

[troutbert]

Rolf probably has more experience on this stream than me, so go with his recommendation.

But here's something to consider when looking at the gauges, even if it's a stream you don't have much experience on.

The yellow triangle on the flow chart shows the median flow for today's date, over the years the gauge has been there. Flow at this time of year is generally pretty low, especially on freestone streams.

And the current flow, 66 cfs, is below that median flow. In summer and early fall, on freestone streams, anything near or below median flow is going to be low for fishing.

The ideal flows for fishing are going to be considerably higher than median flow.

Look for a good shot of rain to send the flow way up above median flow. As the streams are falling and clearing after a big rain, the fishing conditions are perfect.

Suppose you get there and the main creek is still a little too high. Just fish in the headwaters or one of the tributary streams.

 

[Chaz]

I agree with what Rolf and Troutbert have to say, but if you decide to goI'd go toward the headwaters, it's beautiful weather and the trees are starting to change. If you don't fish, the conditions will be perfect for exploring the stream. Then you can compare stream conditions later when flows are higher.

 

[HopBack]

I would stay away from the lower section of fishing creek this time of year. I went to college at Bloomsburg and I could never find optimal condition to explore the lower section closer to the mouth. It is very wide and low in those spots. I bet you can still find some great fishing upstream towards the Benton area or closer to the SGL's. If that doesn't work out you can always try little fishing creek or it's tributaries.

 

[henrydavid]

Thanks much for the replies