Got some pretty interesting news yesterday about the Little Conemaugh

[mike_richardson]

I am a big fan of this stream and recently have been catching wild browns and brookies on it. The stream used to be polluted with raw sewage, and dish water, washing machine drainage you name it.

My cousin is pretty high up in the Commission so I sent him the photos of the wild browns and a few hold overs I have been catching on this stream. I had asked him to forward them to the person in charge of stream surveys and such.

I got an email yesterday from the person in charge and was kept in the loop on the discussion. The last survey on that stream was done in 1999. The survey yielded only 3 trout from Lilly to Portage.
These were brook trout and were found down stream of the Benscreek and LC confluence. They were presumed to have come from Benscreek.

I think it is amazing how fast a stream can bounce back when the proper sewer systems are in stalled and such. The other evening I watched 4 different mayflies coming off. Every fish I caught had a bulging full belly. The trout hold over well in this stream as well.

I was told that it may be years before the next stream survey is done, but asked if I could be notified so I can help out. This is something I would gladly miss a day or two of work for. I love catching the big hold overs and stockies, but if there is a decent wild trout population I hope it would be taken into consideration.

There are a lot of good things going on to clean up the AMD in my area, and hopefully in another 15 years or so the LC will be clean all the way to Route 53 where the last bore hole comes in. Trout Run which flows from Martindale, through portage may also be clean in that time frame as well.

I could only imagine what the LC would be like if it was clean all the way down to South Fork. What a great opportunity to restore what could be the best stream in SWPA for trout fishing.

Just thought I would give you guys an update.

 

[pcray1231]

Thanks! Stories like this make me optimistic for the future of trout fishing in this state.

To be sure, we face challenges going forward. But from a big picture sort of view I think more streams are improving rather than the other way around.

 

[greenghost]

Thanks Mike. Hopefully, it will continue to improve without setbacks.
So apparently, the wild fish also indicate the temps of this watershed are good through the year?

 

[mike_richardson]

IMO yes. I have caught a lot of hold over trout in March and April this year. It is not an approved trout stream so technically you can fish it year round. I have caught a few fish that are two years old as well. I know this because the one had a big square chunk out of its tail. I believe brookies have the most demanding temperature thresh hold and I caught hold over brooks as well.

I did contact the local trout unlimited chapter about finding a decent number of wild trout in the stream but have never heard anything back from them at all. I figured they may want to look at doing some type of canopy, or shade work along the edges where the stream runs through town. When the stream is low I can see this area raising the water temp of the stream a bit until it gets back under the canopy. I am not a member of TU, not sure if that would make any difference or not.

All in all I think the future of that stream looks pretty darn good. It does get some decent catch and keep pressure but I think it is good to thin it out a bit.

If anyone wants any tips or places to park, shoot me a message, I don't mind spot burning this stream.

 

[Chaz]

Rivers and streams do bounce back very quickly, especially brookie streams in part because brookies are quite prolific. Browns not as much because they take longer to mature, but they still recover quickly, once a population is established.
The Ltl. Conemaugh River has been getting quite a bit of attention for several years I'm glad to hear it's getting better..

 

[dryflyguy]

Several years ago, I was crossing over the conemaugh river at saltsburg one morning - on my way to fish elsewhere.
And was quite surprised to see a large swarm of tricos in the air.
(although technically - according to DaveS - it becomes the kiski river right there)
Anyway, really nice to see a once dead stream coming back like that

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Amazing results considering that the Kiski was polluted when my Dad was a kid.He used to say that it would never be rid of the sulfur water. To bad he couldn't have lived to see it. GG

 

[JackM]

If we would have known before the 60s that with a lot of government and volunteer effort, we would be able to return to a state of habitable streams, we still would have done what we did to our flowing waters.

Thanks goodness this era of head-in-the-sand pollution is nearly over.

 

[PAgeologist]

I think the fish bounce back faster than the insects do. It takes a long time to flush the iron and aluminum sediment out of the substrate.

 

[BrookieChaser]

dryflyguy wrote:
Several years ago, I was crossing over the conemaugh river at saltsburg one morning - on my way to fish elsewhere.
And was quite surprised to see a large swarm of tricos in the air.
(although technically - according to DaveS - it becomes the kiski river right there)
Anyway, really nice to see a once dead stream coming back like that

It says "Kiski" on the sign on the bridge. And there's walleye in there. That's all I know.

 

[JackM]

Apparently from the confluence of the Conemaugh and Loyalhanna it becomes the Kiskiminetas. Google maps show the bridge just below the confluence.

 

[DaveS]

You couldn't take my word for it, you had to Google it. I'm devastated.