Inexplicable Spike in CFS

[jifigz]

I just checked the gauge of my favorite trout stream and I noticed that it was at about 400 cfs (fishable, but still honestly a little dangerous) and now today the gauge is reading 1,300 cfs. It hasn't rained that much so is this just a malfunction in the gauge? There was an old thread on here regarding the same scenario on the same stream (Kish) so it makes me wonder. I might be heading over it today at some point so I may get to lay eyes on the stream. It just seems so weird.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

how does Honey look? Strong flash storms around SC area (check spring creek and Penns gauges). They may have passed through the "upper" Honey creek area-before it sinks into the ground

 

[PennKev]

A lot of gauges are showing spikes in flow and we've had some storms in the last few days. If the creek is already on the high side, it might not take much to make it shoot up to 1300 cfs for a short period.

Kev

 

[MKern]

I peed upstream of the gauge, but not that much.

Reservoir release some water?

Side note I have seen Kish flowing high and muddy and unfishable. However, where I live (upstream) was perfect flows. I think the geography and how the streams in the area take sharp bends effects flow in different parts of the stream. My guess is Honey side of the county received a lot of rain, but Belleville side didn't.

I have noticed the same thing about another stream in the area being fishable while the other are not and it drains from a different part of the county.

 

[PALongbow]

Ground is beyond saturated in some areas. Any water that comes down from rains has no where to go and just adds to already high water.

Ron

 

[jifigz]

Penns jumped from 900 to about 1700. Okay, so yes that part of the county must have received significant rainfall. Honey and Penns are actually quite close to each other so that makes sense. It just had me shocked because it seemed like only a drizzle everywhere I was and didn't realize that the other part of the county must have gotten a pretty serious storm.

So, MKern, the West Branch looks good coming down into Lumber City? There is actually some really nice water in there although it can get a little skinny I'm summer. On a side note, I hate how people call that the West Branch of Kish. It is the ONLY BRANCH but if that is the West I guess that Honey is the East branch.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Penns is shot storms this weekend could put a hurting on the green drake.

 

[MKern]

I have never heard it called the West Branch, but I don't talk to many people so...

This was a couple weekends ago. My buddy fished below Kish park and he said he could barely wade, but up above flows were perfect or even a little low.
I think right now is pretty high.

 

[jifigz]

MKern wrote:
I have never heard it called the West Branch, but I don't talk to many people so...
.

I went to Indian Valley High School with lots of Belleville/Reedsville/Lumber City people there. Many of them called it the West Branch.....I never understood it but oh well. I should go up to Belleville and fish. There is also some nice water up there and the stream is often more like a straight limestoner.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

MKern what is the stream called runs by where they play baseball and soccer and that pool is there that park runs by there.

 

[MKern]

Hook_Jaw

If you mean the one right in Lewistown, that's Kish Creek. The lower end of it. That park is Rec Park.

There is a pool in Burnham that has a small stream by it, but the name of that stream escapes me right now.

 

[salmonoid]

Just had this exact discussion with a fellow board member via text earlier this morning. Did a little sleuthing and figured out why.

https://water.weather.gov/precip/

Zoom in to central PA, there is a narrow band of 2" rain on 5/22 that moved across some of the valleys that drain into Kish.

 

[Swattie87]

Yeah, funny how many of us saw that.

I saw that band of rain on radar last night, but didn't think much of it, in light of all the other rain the area's gotten recently. Kish and Penns apparently got dumped on though. Bummer. That'll add a few more days until they're fishable again. Kish was just starting to get close. Was thinking of there for a day trip this weekend to try to hit some Sulphurs and stay away from the holiday weekend crowds on Penns. Spring is gonna be a zoo. Need a solid week at this point with no rain to get them back to decent fishing levels. More in the long range forecast though.

Long term, this rain is good for them in terms of keeping them (especially Penns) healthy over the Summer, just kinda stinks when it wipes out the prime hatch window.

Edit: Little J was able to dodge most of that, much smaller spike on it, that it's really already processed. It's getting close and would probably be on the high end of fishable by this weekend.

 

[jifigz]

MKern wrote:
Hook_Jaw

If you mean the one right in Lewistown, that's Kish Creek. The lower end of it. That park is Rec Park.

There is a pool in Burnham that has a small stream by it, but the name of that stream escapes me right now.

That stream is Hungry Run. I grew up in Vira until I was in sixth grade amd that stream cut through our property. It was really a stream in bad shape but it does have some wild trout in it. It isn't tworth fishing in my opinion.

 

[jifigz]

Hook_Jaw wrote:

MKern what is the stream called runs by where they play baseball and soccer and that pool is there that park runs by there.

And Hook_Jaw, it is hard to decipher where you mean by you're description. I'm guessing that you mean Recreation Park as was suggested which would be lower Kish Creek but it could also be the park off of Honey Creek. There certainly aren't any soccer fields at Kish Park though. Kish at at Rec Park has no wild trout in it. In fact, no one should ever fish there again except for two weeks after the stockings or so.

 

[troutbert]

I saw Fishing Creek near Lamar around 5 pm today and it was high and the color of chocolate milk.

 

[jifigz]

Okay, now the stream is registering at 615 cfs. Now I'm REALLY questioning the accuracy of the gauge. There is no way that Kish Creek dropped 600+ cfs in one night. That just doesn't happen. Or I should say, I've never seen that happen but it certainly doesn't seem correct.

 

[MKern]

When I drove by last night it was gushing through Yeagertown/Reedsville. Fast flows and as muddy as it could ever get.

 

[TYoung]

There is nothing wrong with the gage. When you get a lot of rain in a short period of time, the water rises really quickly and then falls just as quickly. You have to remember the ground was already saturated. The rain water had no place to go except to run straight into the creek.

 

[jifigz]

TYoung wrote:
There is nothing wrong with the gage. When you get a lot of rain in a short period of time, the water rises really quickly and then falls just as quickly. You have to remember the ground was already saturated. The rain water had no place to go except to run straight into the creek.

My suspicious arose because I didn't realize or think we got much rain. Maybe a quarter of an inch. Point is it didn't rain in my end of the county and I didn't realize one part must have seriously gotten dumped on.