Update on Spruce Run

[KrsnaM]

Hi all!

As some of you may have remembered some months ago, I had posted a thread regarding possibly stocking a nearby creek, Spruce Run. Many of you gave great advice, and the main verdict I reached was to wait until the hottest months of the year to examine if the stream dried up to determine whether it was worth stocking. In short, after school let out, I took a trip to Houston, and from Houston went up to Washington State and British Columbia to see family. I was gone from home since mid June, and I've now returned.

I did some examining, and I'm relieved to say that, although undoubtedly smaller, the creek still flows and has life. Unfortunately, I did not get a temperature on the water, but it was surprisingly cool. In the creek there are still salamanders, crayfish, dace, creek chub, etc., so much has stayed the same. The dace populations specifically seem to be strong, given I found frequent schools. The creek chub also appear to be healthy in numbers, as well as size, dwelling around the deeper pools only. The water levels range from about 1.5 inches to a little over 3 feet, certainly not what it was back in spring but still decent. Lots of vegetation exists along the banks, shielding the creek from the sun and preventing it from drying up.

I am at the very least relieved to not find a completely dried up creek, and I'd love to hear advice regarding potentially still stocking the waters and any other advice in general.

Thanks!

 

[KrsnaM]

Also, does anyone know why I can't upload any media? I'm trying to upload the wild rainbows and glacier lakes from British Columbia but I can't

 

[wildtrout2]

Very surprised you didn't get a stream temp. I thought that was an important part of what you're doing, no?

 

[dryflyguy]

You really do need to check it with a thermometer.
With 90 degree air temps - which we've been getting a lot of lately - 75, and even 80 degree water temps, will feel "cool"

 

[troutbert]

You really do need to check it with a thermometer.
With 90 degree air temps - which we've been getting a lot of lately - 75, and even 80 degree water temps, will feel "cool"

Yes, check the water temperature. Today the forecast is for a high of 90F. Take water temperatures when they are near their maximum, which will typically be in late afternoon, around 4 pm or so.

 

[jifigz]

I can't remember the goal of this project. Is it to improve stream habitat to make it suitable for trout? You might have said some wild browns were already documented there.

Either way, definitely check the steam temp. General stream habitat improvements could benefit many species. If nothing else, fish for those chubs.

 

[JimKennedy]

At this point, pretty much every creek that can support brown trout has at least a small population of brown trout, at least along the eastern seaboard.

Since your creek seems to flow through a fairly urbanized area, pulse pollution, not temperature might wipe out any trout that do enter the stream. Pulse pollution is like when someone spills a bag of Sevin garden pest control on a parking lot and it gets washed into the creek by a thunderstorm, or when some putz empties a swimming pool full of warm water, or chlorinated water, into a storm drain.

Some fish are resilient against such habitat insults, but not trout.

You can also look for certain other creatures that require the same habitat as trout. My go to for this is the rosy side dace. If they are present, trout can live there too. Of course when I find rosy side dace, I usually also find trout are present.

 

[dryflyguy]

I ran an errand to Bellevue today, and was was less than a mile from this stream.
Grabbed my stream thermometer before I left, and made a stop there.
At Avalon community park.

The flow wasn't much more than a trickle.
But did find a large hole that was prolly 2 feet deep, right behind the borough salt storage tent.
Quite a few fish in it that ran up to about 6 inches long.
Guessing creek chubs

Checked water temp right at noon - 66.
With an air temp of 84, and a forecast high in the '90's
I expected to read about 10 degrees higher, given the conditions.
Of course, if I was back there later this afternoon, I'm sure water temp would be into the '70's.

But not too bad IMO

 

[KrsnaM]

I ran an errand to Bellevue today, and was was less than a mile from this stream.
Grabbed my stream thermometer before I left, and made a stop there.
At Avalon community park.

The flow wasn't much more than a trickle.
But did find a large hole that was prolly 2 feet deep, right behind the borough salt storage tent.
Quite a few fish in it that ran up to about 6 inches long.
Guessing creek chubs

Checked water temp right at noon - 66.
With an air temp of 84, and a forecast high in the '90's
I expected to read about 10 degrees higher, given the conditions.
Of course, if I was back there later this afternoon, I'm sure water temp would be into the '70's.

But not too bad IMO

Awesome to hear--

Yeah, so like I said, there are definitely points of very low water depth, but at the far end, there is an area where the depths go past 3ft, and I've been seeing pretty decent sized creek chub there and in other deeper pockets. I actually caught one of the bigger chubs in the spring, I have a picture but for whatever reason I can't upload it here. It was roughly 7 maybe 8 inches in length. I'm glad to hear you got some pretty decent temperature readings too.

 

[jifigz]

At the hottest time of the year a maximum daily temp in the low 70's is very survivable by brown trout.

 

[jifigz]

Awesome to hear--

Yeah, so like I said, there are definitely points of very low water depth, but at the far end, there is an area where the depths go past 3ft, and I've been seeing pretty decent sized creek chub there and in other deeper pockets. I actually caught one of the bigger chubs in the spring, I have a picture but for whatever reason I can't upload it here. It was roughly 7 maybe 8 inches in length. I'm glad to hear you got some pretty decent temperature readings too.

Surprisingly big fish can come from really small water. I am often amazed at how big brown trout can be in the tiniest pocket or trickle.

 

[dryflyguy]

Krsna -

Still a lot of summer weather left this year.
And if I recall correctly, I think you said that you were gonna be living right on this stream.
You should get a thermometer and keep track of the temps.

 

[Chaz]

There are several Spruce Runs in PA, what one are asking about?

 

[KrsnaM]

There are several Spruce Runs in PA, what one are asking about?

The one in Bellevue/Avalon PA

 

[KrsnaM]

Krsna -

Still a lot of summer weather left this year.
And if I recall correctly, I think you said that you were gonna be living right on this stream.
You should get a thermometer and keep track of the temps.

For sure, I am a 30 second walk down the hill from the stream, so I go down about everyday.. I definitely need to start recording temperatures again

 

[wildtrout2]

I am often amazed at how big brown trout can be in the tiniest pocket or trickle.

The biggest wild brown I've ever seen (22") was sitting in about 10" of water when I spooked him. I just wasn't expecting a trout to be positioned where he was, because the stream was quite low at the time. There was a somewhat deeper rootball undercut just upstream of him, which is where I "expected" a trout would be.

I know it was a 22" (give or take an inch) brown, because Salmonoid actually caught it not too long after I saw it. Maybe just a few days, or a week afterwards. It was a stunning wild brown.

 

[troutbert]

The biggest wild brown I've ever seen (22") was sitting in about 10" of water when I spooked him. I just wasn't expecting a trout to be positioned where he was, because the stream was quite low at the time. There was a somewhat deeper rootball undercut just upstream of him, which is where I "expected" a trout would be.

I know it was a 22" (give or take an inch) brown, because Salmonoid actually caught it not too long after I saw it. Maybe just a week or so afterwards. It was a stunning wild brown.

The deeper water with rootball undercut is its home. But it can go outside in the "yard" sometimes.

 

[wildtrout2]

The deeper water with rootball undercut is its home. But it can go outside in the "yard" sometimes.

Right, just wasn't expecting it to be where it was, let alone a trout of that size. And it was in the middle of the day, which kind of surprised me. This was waaay up on the HF in Potter.

In FF, there are times you'll never forget, this was one of those times.