PA Stream Flow Rate Guide

[chief17]

What do folks think about starting a thread or sub forum on here where you can list what you consider safe wading/floating levels for streams across PA? Maybe a sub forum broken down by region, with threads for each specific stream would help keep it organized instead one massive thread? Mods can determine the best way to go about that.

It would be handy to reference when someone is looking to try out new water. Would be pretty simple to include the gauge you reference and the associated flows. I always like the guide that the LJRA has for the Little J:

http://www.littlejuniata.net/flow-rates-on-the-j/

To kick things off, two that I can think off of the top of my head:

Youghiogheny River below Confluence, PA
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?03081000
For wading purposes, I like to see it below 1000 cfs. Certain areas are a little sketchy in the 900-1000 range in my opinion. If it's much over 1000 I wait for it to drop.

East Branch of the Clarion River
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?03027500
Pretty swift in the 250-300 cfs range. Pick your spots accordingly in that range.

I have notes somewhere on the Loyalhanna and some others around Elk, Cameron and Potter county that I'd have to go dig up.

 

[PaScoGi]

I would love to see this for all of PA. But especially for the Lehigh River. Not the best trout stream but I like fishing there just for the scenery but wading can be brutal. A flow safety chart would be helpful to all!

 

[Tigereye]

For lehigh river white Haven area I base wading conditions on guage below FEW Dam above White Haven.

< 400 cfs. Superior Fishing can reach most waters.
500 to 750 cfs. Good fishing in most spots
750 to 1000 cfs fishable but difficult wading and fishing.
1000 to 1500 cfs. Very limited fishing and that is restricted to certain sections
1500 to 2000 cfs. Use bait
>2000 cfs. Good luck

Even at lower flows do not try to cross river. There are only a handful of places that are cross able. A wading staff is highly recommended. For the most part you are walking on greased bowling balls.

 

[ROVERT]

This is tricky. You really need some sort of wader handicap to go along with the guide. The comfort level and ability of fisherman varies greatly when it comes to wading. Some won't step in the water at a certain flow while others will cross with relative ease.

 

[Bamboozle]

In this litigious society we live in, I'd be REAL reluctant to put to paper what was MY opinion on safe wading levels, especially in the form a written guide...

 

[evw659]

Another element that I feel makes this tricky is that wade-ability can vary significantly b/w stream segments. On the Little J for example, some sections are treacherous at say 400 cfs, while others not far away are wadeable at much higher flows.

 

[chief17]

I think overall it would be good. But people will just have to not be morons (I know that's asking a lot). If you get somewhere and you aren't comfortable wading it, then don't. I guess it's kinda like those people that tried to drive through flooded roads because their GPS told them to. Maybe put a big disclaimer at the top of the thread/forum.

For me I'd use it more for figuring out if it is worth driving to a new place when I don't know if it's blown out.

 

[poopdeck]

I check the gauges every time I go fishing. I check them before I go and when I leave the water so I am intimately aware of wading/boating conditions. I am a gauge junkie and determine if I'm fishing or cutting the grass solely on gauge data and personal knowledge.

You can check the gauges and see if they are blown out. The gauges show a weeks worth of data on one page so if it's hovering around 1' and then abruptly shots up to 4' one could surmise the creek is blown out.

Simply by keeping an eye on the gauges for the creeks you may want to fish you can make a very educated guess as to fishability without ever seeing it or getting someone else's definition of wadeability.

 

[Bamboozle]

I have my own spreadsheet with all of the streams & rivers I frequent listed. If the stream I fish doesn't have a gauge, I use the closest nearby stream as a reference, if it has similar characteristics.

On the spreadsheet I record the USGS readings for height & flow on days I have fished and notes about those water levels such as, "perfect, a tad high, off color, too high, etc." Once I establish a benchmark for that stream, I don't bother collecting additional data on days I fished.

To check my regular places, all I need do is look at the current USGS data and compare it to my spreadsheet. If it is unfamiliar water, I do what Poopdeck suggests and look over a longer time period.

Pretty simple and easy to do.

 

[Mike]

ROVERT is absolutely right. Wading abilities vary greatly among anglers and professionals in fisheries. Even with great experience, some are prone to falling and others seem to never fall.

 

[CRB]

would be nice but m2c i could see a lability issue arising from it.