Tulpehocken and Schuylkill R fish and gulls now well fed

[Mike]

Freshly stocked trout, trout stocked last fall that may have survived the winter, and any holdovers that carried enough body fat to survive the winter have been well fed since Friday. Blue Marsh Dam is releasing substantial amts of water and as is typical for high releases from the dam when the lake it is iced over or it is close to that time, tens to hundreds of thousands of four to six inch alewife are being flushed out with the water. The smaller alewife are perfect forage. The last time that this happened to this extent dead alewife were accumulating in back eddies on the Schuylkbill as far as 35 miles or so downstream in Conshohocken and Norristown. Gulls are lined up over the water at the dam and at spots down the Schuylkill to at least Gibralter diving as if there is a Striper blitz along the coast.

 

[giantsjim]

Driving west on 422 today over the Betzwood Bridge near Valley Forge I looked to my right onto the Schulykill River and saw just a ton of gulls working over the water. I had never seen so many before in that area and found it curious. I guess you explained it.

 

[JerryC]

OK, That explains all the gulls I saw over the Schulykill when I crossed it yesterday going into Norristown. Way too early for a bluefish blitz.

 

[Fishidiot]

Interesting!
I've never heard of this on the Tulpehocken before, but it certainly happens at other tailraces.
Get out the big white streamers...

Mike,
Do you think any fish bigger than alewives may also have gone over into the Tully?

 

[brookieaddict]

It happens everytime they dump Blue Marsh impound, even in the summer after bad t-storms, you always check the water level before loading up the Camel. Nice report. We have caught stocked fingerlings in the SK at the 61/222 area in the early summer, dont know how long they will last, the Pike would probbaly make a nice meal of them quickly.

 

[geebee]

what usually feeds on those alewives in the lake ?

 

[brookieaddict]

Large mouth,small mouth,stripers,cat fish,croppie, and some say musikie, never saw one caught buhey ya never know.t

 

[SBecker]

I caught a muskie out of Blue Marsh.

 

[PASKIINGSUCKS]

Thanks a bunch, I was wondering what the hell was going on. I live right in gibraltar and saw the madness when we drove over the schuylkill a few days ago. Amazing how many seagulls were feeding.