Penn's Creek Report Tempature Rising

[wildtrout2]

The irony in these threads is everyone continually talks up the area online, while complaining it is over run by those talking it up online.

It has been going on in this website alone for an entire month and I've seen trout with more self awareness than people in these threads complaining.

You make a valid point.

 

[BradFromPotter]

Then you work all week, go to get out there and the whole damn river is full anyway.

Well what do you expect when you live in Chester County! That's why I moved to Potter from Chester County.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I would imagine if one wanted to fish for smallies and avoid trout weikert and downstream would be a safe bet?

 

[discomidge]

I would imagine if one wanted to fish for smallies and avoid trout weikert and downstream would be a safe bet?

Yup, can confirm.

 

[Nocktavius]

 

[ROVERT]

That pretty much sums it up. It's been that way for years. The chain fly shop takes Penns temps for their reports in the cavern. I'm not sure what the excuse is for rest of the streams.

 

[TimMurphy]

I would imagine if one wanted to fish for smallies and avoid trout weikert and downstream would be a safe bet?

Dear Fish Sticks,

You don't even have to go to Weikert. Just start hunting around the Rte 104 bridge. You have a lot of up and down from there.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[Swattie87]

We were on Penns today. 63F at 12 noon when we got there, above Poe Paddy. I took a temp of 67F at 4 PM below the tunnel, and 68F at 7PM.

It was predictably slow. Our group of 4 caught 2 Trout, though both were mid teens Browns, on Slate Drakes. Not much of an emergence of any kind, looked to be a decent Sulphur spinnerfall shaping up, but we bailed at dark.

 

[Fish Sticks]

We were on Penns today. 63F at 12 noon when we got there, above Poe Paddy. I took a temp of 67F at 4 PM below the tunnel, and 68F at 7PM.

It was predictably slow. Our group of 4 caught 2 Trout, though both were mid teens Browns, on Slate Drakes. Not much of an emergence of any kind, looked to be a decent Sulphur spinnerfall shaping up, but we bailed at dark.

Slate drakes are all over my local stream, going to see if smallies want em on the swing tomorrow.

 

[caddisflyer]

Too warm to fish for trout guys. Time to switch over to bass.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

We were on Penns today. 63F at 12 noon when we got there, above Poe Paddy. I took a temp of 67F at 4 PM below the tunnel, and 68F at 7PM.

It was predictably slow. Our group of 4 caught 2 Trout, though both were mid teens Browns, on Slate Drakes. Not much of an emergence of any kind, looked to be a decent Sulphur spinnerfall shaping up, but we bailed at dark.

I wish to highlight something. We often read "fish in the evening". Years of watching the temperature readings on the upper J indicate that temps often peak around 7PM, sometimes 8PM on hot, humid summer days. The exposed rock (solar collectors) continue to give off heat. It takes until well after dark for temps to come down meaningfully. A trace from the last two days. And the the evenings have not been that humid so the stream is recovering faster than in would mid-summer

 

[sixfootfenwick]

Too warm to fish for trout guys. Time to switch over to bass.

For many streams I agree, but there are still some spring creeks and tailwaters that can provide a scratch for an itch if so desired in an ethical and safe way for the fish.

But people should temper their trips for trout down and focus on WW. Those spring creeks and tailwaters shouldn't be expected to handle all trout fishers all during the summer.

 

[Bamboozle]

I saved this old comment from Mike because it was an eye opener for me and addresses something most people ignore, that being chronically warm temperatures:

Allow me to quote Mike:

"Fish do not respond to thermal averages; they respond to thermal maxima and minima. They also respond to what are, in effect degree-days or other time-based thermal units. Warm temperature caused mortality can be chronic or acute and the chronic occurs at temperatures that are frequently viewed as being sub-lethal by laymen.

With respect to lethal water temperatures it is important to not focus on just one form of lethality, that being thermal maxima. There is a whole other form of lethal temperatures:

Chronically warm temperatures:

Ignoring Brook Trout, that problem begins around 68° F; 68.1 F° for hatchery Rainbow Trout (RT) and I expect probably a very similar number for Brown Trout. At that point, the percentage of the RT that die throughout a late spring and summer due to temperature stress alone is directly related to the number of 15-minute periods per month that the water temperature exceeds 68° F.

It does not matter if the temperature drops below 68° each night because the tally continues the next day once the temperature rises above 68 again. The 15 min periods above 68° accumulate daily through the end of the month.

In addition, when fish are in thermally stressful conditions or in thermal refuge, they are more vulnerable to predation such as by great blue herons, which are effective predators in daylight and at night."

 

[PennKev]

I wish to highlight something. We often read "fish in the evening". Years of watching the temperature readings on the upper J indicate that temps often peak around 7PM, sometimes 8PM on hot, humid summer days.

This should be common sense, but one thing I've learned is that hear-say folksy old timey knowledge (and usually utter bullshit) is deeply ingrained in the PA sporting community.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

I saved this old comment from Mike because it was an eye opener for me and addresses something most people ignore, that being chronically warm temperatures:

Allow me to quote Mike:

"Fish do not respond to thermal averages; they respond to thermal maxima and minima. They also respond to what are, in effect degree-days or other time-based thermal units. Warm temperature caused mortality can be chronic or acute and the chronic occurs at temperatures that are frequently viewed as being sub-lethal by laymen.

With respect to lethal water temperatures it is important to not focus on just one form of lethality, that being thermal maxima. There is a whole other form of lethal temperatures:

Chronically warm temperatures:

Ignoring Brook Trout, that problem begins around 68° F; 68.1 F° for hatchery Rainbow Trout (RT) and I expect probably a very similar number for Brown Trout. At that point, the percentage of the RT that die throughout a late spring and summer due to temperature stress alone is directly related to the number of 15-minute periods per month that the water temperature exceeds 68° F.

It does not matter if the temperature drops below 68° each night because the tally continues the next day once the temperature rises above 68 again. The 15 min periods above 68° accumulate daily through the end of the month.

In addition, when fish are in thermally stressful conditions or in thermal refuge, they are more vulnerable to predation such as by great blue herons, which are effective predators in daylight and at night."

This is a great post with a wealth of information

 

[Fish Sticks]

This should be common sense, but one thing I've learned is that hear-say folksy old timey knowledge (and usually utter bullshit) is deeply ingrained in the PA sporting community.

Yea the big BS i hear passed along is that you can fish for brook trout up to 67 degrees without having excessive mortality. Studies ahow their serum stress hormone(cortisol) starts to rise at 64 degrees. I suspect alot of people fishing the famous limestone streams till noon and hitting brookie streams in the afternoon dip the thermometer and keep fishing over 64-65 degrees.

 

[PennKev]

Yea the big BS i hear passed along is that you can fish for brook trout up to 67 degrees without having excessive mortality. Studies ahow their serum stress hormone(cortisol) starts to rise at 64 degrees. I suspect alot of people fishing the famous limestone streams till noon and hitting brookie streams in the afternoon dip the thermometer and keep fishing over 64-65 degrees.

Lol. You think they actually check temps. I think I mentioned this elsewhere but way too many guys think they can determine temps just by feel. I've seen people state, on this board, that is their method for determining stream temps. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "It was hot but the water felt pretty cool."

When it's 85+ degrees air temps, 70 degree water feels pretty cool.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Lol. You think they actually check temps. I think I mentioned this elsewhere but way too many guys think they can determine temps just by feel. I've seen people state, on this board, that is their method for determining stream temps. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "It was hot but the water felt pretty cool."

When it's 85+ degrees air temps, 70 degree water feels pretty cool.

Yea probably, but I bet there are some people that temp a stream with brook trout in it at 65-66 and proceed to fish and have a banner day and think its no different from may when the temps were high 50’s low 60’s.

 

[Bamboozle]

Another benefit of wet wading...

One particular outing when I realized the benefits was when I went to fish a Schuylkill County Class A. After chatting it up and sharing my beer with a landowner who I asked about access, I walked down to the stream and waded into the water.

Immediately I could tell the water was WAY warmer than desired and my thermometer confirmed it so I walked off, had another beer with the landowner (who was surprised I was back) and headed elsewhere.

BTW - Appropriately the beer was Yuengling... 🍺

Another time I was fishing the Susquehanna for smallmouth and every time I got up and out the water I felt cooler which was strange. So I plopped my thermometer in the water and checked the water temp THREE TIMES because I couldn't believe what I was seeing...

My thermometer was reading 93 degrees!!

As I care about the warmwater fishies too, I also got off the water...

 

[troutbert]

Another time I was fishing the Susquehanna for smallmouth and every time I got up and out the water I felt cooler which was strange. So I plopped my thermometer in the water and checked the water temp THREE TIMES because I couldn't believe what I was seeing...

My thermometer was reading 93 degrees!!

As I care about the warmwater fishies too, I also got off the water...

What is the cutoff temperature for bass?