Valley Creek Bank Stablization AND VC Chapter of TU

[Wmass]

I was wondering if anyone has noticed the recent stabilization materials that have been dumped a couple pools upstream of the metal bridge. I noticed them for the first time this weekend and they looked brand new. They are made of pine trees lashed together with wire and then have chunks of granite dumped on top. I was wondering if this was a Trout Unlimited project of perhaps just a project from the park dept.

 

[Wmass]

Anyone? Hello? Anyone there?

 

[Maurice]

WMass.

Did ya check with the park?

 

[mikephl]

Hi,
The stream stabilization was done Sept 28. It was a Boy Scout Eagle Project, done in cooperation/under the direction of VF TU, in conjunction the park and township. Erosion was threatening a sewer line.

Mike

 

[vcregular]

Here is a pic of the project. No fish were to be found in that stretch - - which has produced fish in the past. The work looks good and many thanks to those involved, but I wonder how long the rocks will stay.

 

[chstrcntyfish]

I was fishing that day. I was not having any luck so I started to walk up stream. Thats when I saw 10 people standing in the middle of the stream around the bend. When I got there I thought they might have been doing something with the screened in areas of brush.

 

[thedude1534]

That pic looks like the hole I used to refer to as "the hole where fly's go to die". It had that big overhanging tree downstream (the tree in the pic) and another large downed tree with all kinds of branches immediately upstream of it. You were also covered overhead by a canopy of branches. The hole was deep, so you had to use a lot of weight, but the downed trees on both sides, and the branches directly over your head made casting with that much weight difficult. All the branches around there had spider webs of fly line in them.

I caught many of my biggest fish at valley in that hole, in between the screams of profanity when casting there got frustrating.

This hole was right after the first bend in the creek upstream of the metal bridge, so am I talking about the same place?

 

[troutbert]

vcregular wrote:
Here is a pic of the project. No fish were to be found in that stretch - - which has produced fish in the past. The work looks good and many thanks to those involved, but I wonder how long the rocks will stay.

It held fish in the past, not it doesn't. It looks like the rocks may get blown out. But other than that, it looks good? If you were a teacher you would be an "easy grader."

Anybody have more details? What was the habitat like before? Or better still, does anyone have a "before" photo to compare with the fine "after" photo.

It's too bad there are so many sewage lines, power lines, roads ect. run right alongside our streams. This prevents streams from being able to move sideways, which they naturally do. Contrary to what most people think, streambanks are not naturally stable.

We had a program by a DEP lady at our TU chapter a little while back, in which she said near the begining:
1) Streams flood.
2) Streams move.

She's right on both counts.