Streamside on Line

In this issue:

  Articles, news and fly tying tips are gratefully accepted. Please e-mail them to Roy Cubbler. Thank you.

There is a popular misconception that brown trout now dominate many of our coldwater streams because they are able to live under degraded conditions intolerable to brook trout. In fact, there is probably not a square-foot of water inhabited by brown trout in Pennsylvania, today, that could not hold native brook trout, were the brown trout not there. Just as our European ancestors took over and dominated the land previously inhabited by Native American peoples, European brown trout have taken over and dominated many of the cold water streams once occupied by native brook trout. How did the brown trout accomplished this? 

History
Until the late 1800s the brook trout was the only salmonid living in the coldwater streams of Pennsylvania. According to old-time angling literature, freestone brookies once averaged about 9 inches in length and 12- to 14-inch fish were common. Brookies up to 20 inches in length and approaching 4 pounds in weight were taken in larger freestones. In limestone streams it is said that brook trout averaged about 2 pounds. In the 100 years since their introduction, brown trout have replaced brook trout in most of our limestone streams. Even many larger and more fertile freestone streams are dominated by browns. It is not well understood how brown trout were able to replace brook trout in streams; both evolved in similar environments and both have nearly identical physiological requirements. The lethal upper temperature limits are similar: 79.5°F for brown and 78.0°F for brook trout. But there are some slight differences in the behavior and biology of the two species which apparently lead to the brown’s take-over.

Resistance to Angling Pressure
Every skilled trout angler knows that brown trout are very selective feeders and for this reason are much more difficult to catch than brookies. Brown trout evolved in the fertile limestone streams of Europe where food was plentiful. The best strategy was to lay low until a heavy hatch, spinner fall or rainstorm brought an abundance of food and then feed heavily until gorged. This minimized exposure to predators and still allowed rapid growth. This strategy is not as successful in infertile freestone waters, however. In such places food is scarce and nothing edible can be allowed to slip by. These are the kind of places where most brook trout evolved, and that is why they are such "eager eaters." A study by Dr. Edwin Cooper showed that brook trout are three times more likely to be taken by anglers than browns, in a stream where they were living together in similar numbers. This difference in vulnerability to angling pressure can make a big difference in the age structure and therefore size of the two species in a given water. In his studies, Dr. Cooper found that although both brook and brown trout were growing at the same rate, most brookies never got much bigger than the minimum legal size limit of seven inches and few ever exceeded ten inches. This was because the brookies were being taken from the stream almost as fast as they became "keepers." On the other hand, many brown trout in this stream grew larger than ten inches, sometimes reaching sixteen inches. On very rare occasions a brookie of sixteen inches was taken by a fortunate ¾ and apparently very skilled ¾ angler proving that they were capable of reaching sizes similar to the browns. From the results of this study, Dr Cooper concludes that angling pressure is an important factor in determining which species is able to dominate a stream. 

Territoriality
Another factor influencing survival is the intolerance of one trout for another in its living space. Trout living in streams are very territorial. They occupy and hold positions in the stream according to size in what is called a dominance hierarchy. The bigger the fish, the better the position it is able to take and hold. It will hold that position until its biological requirements are no longer being met. When this occurs it must find a more suitable spot in order to continue to grow. Only when a larger fish leaves its chosen position can a smaller fish move up the ladder of dominance. Trout move up the ladder of dominance as they grow, occupying increasingly better stream positions. Those that cannot find a position where they can continue to grow, soon die. This is how nature sorts them out. Only the fastest growing, strongest and most aggressive trout survive to spawn future generations. 

Sexual Maturity
An important factor influencing growth rate and ultimate size of trout is the age at which they reach sexual maturity. Spawning requires a lot of energy and growth rate slows once trout start reproducing. Most brook trout reach sexual maturity by the age of two at a length of 5 to 7 inches. On average, brown trout mature about a year later than brook trout. This reduces their reproduction rate but, because of their ability to avoid capture, enough browns survive to maturity to maintain their numbers in many streams. By delaying maturity another year, brown trout gain a size advantage over brookies after the age of two and this seems to be very critical. This size advantage, although slight, enables them to displace smaller brook trout from the more favorable stream positions. Gaining more favorable stream positions allows them to maintain a higher growth rate than brookies which are now forced to occupy the more inferior positions. As the brown trout population increases in both average size and numbers, brook trout are forced ever downward in the struggle for dominance. Sometimes, as in most of our limestoners, to the point of total exclusion from the stream. 

The Effects
Because of their ability to breed at an early age and small size, brook trout can, in many cases, maintain reproducing populations in streams inhabited by brown trout. But in streams were brown trout are present in significant numbers, brook trout are limited in average and ultimate size because they are forced to live in inferior positions by the larger browns. The genetics of our brook trout population have almost certainly been shifted toward early-maturing, short-lived, smaller fish in order to more effectively fill the niches left by brown trout. Brook trout are only able to dominate small, infertile streams and headwaters where growth is severely limited by the environment. In such streams brook trout may completely dominate or, as sometimes occurs, will be present in large numbers along with a very few, but much larger, piscivorous brown trout which derive most of their nourishment by feeding on small brook trout. 

The struggle for survival in a stream is one of life and death for each and every trout. In streams cohabited by brook and brown trout, the struggle is quite literally for survival of the species. Brook trout lost this struggle in our fertile limestone streams a long time ago. In most of our larger and more fertile freestones brook trout have been able to hang on and to varying degrees have been able to coexist with brown trout. But without better protection the brookies’ continued presence in big freestones will always be in jeopardy. Brook trout still dominate most headwaters and tributaries of the major freestone streams of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, these waters are too acidic, too cold and too infertile to grow trout, either brook or brown, much larger than about 10 inches. 

Seven of our members took the annual journey up to the Ausable River and the Hungry Trout in late May. The “Magnificent Seven” as I will call them were Joe King, Shel Toombs, Rich Wildermuth, Ted Danforth, Chuck Cutshall, Jeff Doutrich and I. Although we had high hopes for a great weekend on the Miracle Mile (MM), a one-mile stretch of leased water, and elsewhere, Mother Nature and other factors were not going to make it a great weekend for everyone. Nevertheless, the food, accommodations and camaradery were great as always.

Most of us fished the MM on Friday and it yielded a 20” brown trout for myself and a whopper 22” brownie to Joe King. The fish taken were all holdovers except for a bunch of 12” brookies that were stocked by the owner. It was the best day of the weekend on the MM for most of us. 

Saturday and Sunday were cold and rainy. Joe and Rich set off to bushwhack some brookies in other streams in the region. Their strategy worked the best and they took almost a hundred brookies and browns up to 14”. By all reports, Rich was a fishing machine. At 25 he should be, and he left Joe in his tracks (sorry Joe). The rest of us took on the MM and, except for an exceptional BWO hatch on Saturday afternoon, fishing and catching was pretty slow. This was also the report from all areas of the river, up and down.

The cold weather held water temperatures below 50 degrees all weekend and that didn’t help us in producing a viable Hendrickson hatch. Unlike last year, flow conditions this year were excellent. In fact, the operators of the Wilmington (NY) dam put up their boards to fill Wilmington’s reservoir on Friday night and the flows were unusually low. In addition, the MM didn’t receive its annual supplement of browns. The short and skinny of this is that the MM will be no more as of next year as the lease to the HT will expire. So it goes. All things will change. A DJL trip next year to the HT is definitely in question. It was a bittersweet trip back as I have fished this water almost every year since 1991.

In other news, GVA is still working on obtaining Exceptional Value status for the lower end of French Creek and for Pickering Creek. This is still going to take some more time as the agencies reviewing the data and applications are backed up, to say the least. For the Pickering, Uwchlan, Upper Uwchlan and West Pikeland Township Supervisors have retained a law firm to actively object to the EV petition. The big fight is yet to come. 

The Kimberton Fire Company is hosting their annual Fair from July 25-30. They again have asked our club to supply about four members each on the 25th, 26th and 27th to collect parking donations. It is only a few hours and they provide free dinner tickets. Our help offsets the cost of paying for a meeting room for the year and also helps a worthy cause…supporting the Fire Company. If you can donate your time on one or more nights please email me or call me at 610-524-1911. I would appreciate it.

A lot more is going on around our area. I hope that you will be able to participate in our stream improvement days this summer and I expect to see you soon at other club activities. Tight Lines! 

 

The hot buzz for this issue of Streamside is late word concerning the establishment of “official” horse and hiking trails designed to run from the Phoenixville area and taking a route which brings it past the DHFFO section of French Creek. John Hoekstra, of GVA, and Pam Brown, of French Creek and Pickering Conservation Trust recently contacted DJL President Bob Molzahn, asking him and/or other representatives of our organization to attend a meeting on May 20 so that our input could be heard and considered as plans went forward for this project. Bob arranged that DJL representatives were present at that meeting and provided our club’s point of view.

It is clear that the trails will be laid out in close proximity to the DHFFO section of French Creek, and because the horse trail (and perhaps the hiking trail) will cross the creek within that section, we are vitally interested in how the final plan will look. If the entire project comes to fruition, both trails would impact our sphere of interest in French Creek. We must determine which of the effects would enhance our goals, and, of course, which would be detrimental. An example of a positive effect would be if the horse crossing trail leading down to the stream were to be reinforced with gravel to prevent deterioration of the bank at those points. An example of negative impact might be the placement of a crossing which is not conducive to good stream maintenance or if the trail causes erosion problems. Members will be kept informed via e-mails, at future meetings, and of course in the next edition of Streamside. 

It rained, and then the sun shone. It poured, and then the sun shone. It thundered and lightning flashed, and then the sun shone. And through it all, our dauntless students and instructors managed to follow the schedule and conduct very effective Beginners’ Fly Fishing Course. Experienced DJL fly fishers provided their expertise and Mike Costello, an FFF certified casting instructor, brought his extensive understanding of the mechanics of casting. Overall, the novices enjoyed a day which featured theory, demonstrations, hands on experience, and observation as they soaked up (literally and figuratively) a vast compendium of information. 

Because of a report that there was a possibility of lightning at some point, instructors decided to move the schedule up a tad so that the casting instructions and practice could be completed before the rods could become lightning rods. In addition to expert instruction, each student was given a very nice, recently revised and restructured manual which covers many facets of the ancient art of fly fishing. Bob Molzahn, Joe King, and Bob Moser went into the nearby creek to demonstrate the proper approaches to nymph, streamer, and dry fly fishing. The students’ questions showed that they had gained much insight during the classroom “classroom phase” of the session. The very difficult and unenviable task of teaching the science of knot tying was given to Scott Ziegenfuss. Scott handles this job with skill and humor. Every one who has ever tried to explain a procedure knows that it is far more difficult to explain than it is to actually do the procedure. Kudos to Scott.

In reality, Mother Nature cooperated as much as could be expected. Lunch was delicious, and the coffee and donuts available during the program were quite popular. Students were interested, instructors knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and according to the evaluation sheets turned in, the entire day was a huge success.  

When my grandson was a toddler, he and I were real pals. When he saw me, he would smile and babble. We’d roll around on the floor, or knock over block towers and have all kinds of fun. When he was in elementary school, I went to watch him play T-ball or soccer. I’d take pictures of him, and tell him how well he played, and remind him about sportsmanship, and conditioning. I’d remind him that losing, though not as much fun as winning, was part of competition. After we came home, we’d have some hitting practice, or I would be the goalie so he could work on his “soccer style.” He’d often give me a hug, and it didn’t matter if his friends saw that or not. I was his pal. Even as a pre-teen, we were very close. We seemed to value each other’s company. 

I began to notice a bit of a change when he was 12 or 13 years old. When my wife and I would visit, he’d come in and say hello, but he wouldn’t hang around very long. He’d either be in another room playing video games or outside with his friends. When his family came to visit us, he seemed distant. We weren’t “pals” any more. We were grandfather and grandson. I noticed that he was always the first one in the car when it was time to leave. It even got to the point, when he was 14 or so, he’d ask his mom whether he could stay home instead of coming to visit mom mom and pop pop. Although I missed our old relationship, I understood his feelings. It just wasn’t cool to be hanging around with an old guy who was always talking about the past; always trying to teach a “life lesson.” I was still, “pop pop,” but I wasn’t that much fun any more, I guess. 

One Saturday he came to visit with his mom and dad. After a few cursory “Hello’s,” he plopped down in front of the television. It had become part of his “escape” as he waited for the visit to be over so that he could get home and back to his own, more enjoyable, routine. I had planned on going fishing that day, but their arrival sort of scuttled that venture, I thought. My wife asked me if I still planned to go, and, of course, I answered in the negative, saying I didn’t want to leave when “the kids were here.” Well, of course, my son and daughter-in-law gave me the old, “Don’t be silly. We’ll still be here when you get back. Go ahead, go fishing,” routine. I’ll admit, it didn’t take much to convince me, and as I was loading my gear in the car, I heard our daughter-in-law ask my grandson, “Why don’t you go along with pop pop?” He gave her a pained, “Oh, great, mom, thanks a lot,” look. I repeated her suggestion, “Come on. I won’t be out long, and maybe we’ll catch a trout or two,” Well, after a little more coaxing from his mother, he reluctantly got up and muttered, “OK.” Almost as an afterthought, I threw a second pair of boots in the car just so he could do a little wading if he wanted to. Our trip to the stream was pretty much a silent one. A few, “How’s school?” type questions and, “OK” type answers convinced me that he didn’t think my idea of small talk was all that cool either.

We spent three hours on the stream. I lucked out with a few fly selections and landed a couple of nice trout. He sat on the bank and watched for a while, but after a bit, I noticed that he was standing up watching closely. He even asked me a few questions. Next, without saying anything, I watched as he walked back to the car and donned the boots, which were a little big, and waded out to stand beside me. Our last hour was spent with me letting him try a few casts, showing him a hatch, and pointing out rises. I opened my fly box and allowed him to pick one of the imitations. I showed him how to tie it on, and after a few casts, I hooked one. He manned the net for me and we landed it. Together, we admired the beauty of the brookie, and then slid it back in the stream. Too soon, for me, it was time to head home. On the way, we talked about some of the catches, and he asked me some more questions.

Yesterday, my son called and said they were coming to Pottstown. He wanted to borrow my hedge trimmer, so he thought they’d come for the day. As he was talking to me on the ‘phone, I heard my grandson say something to him. I couldn’t make out what was said, but the next thing I knew, my grandson was on the line. “Pop pop,” he said. “When we get there, will you take me up to Wal-Mart for a fishing rod? Then maybe we can go fishing together again.” My answer came pretty quick: “You bet we can, old Pal. You bet we can.”  

According to the Lancaster, PA Sunday News, no one has caught a trout this year (or any other fish) which pushes a current state record holder into second place. Pennsylvania fish records (for fish which are kept) are determined by weight, not length and must be certified by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Existing records include a 19 pound, 10 ounce brown trout, taken from Walnut Creek in Erie County. The state’s largest rainbow was caught in Jordan Creek, Lehigh County, and tipped the scales at 15 pounds, 6.5 ounces. The record holder for brook trout came from Fishing Creek in Clinton County and weighed in at 7 pounds even. 

If you feel that a record trout is beyond your reach, never fear, there are categories for everyone. Very few fishers with whom I am acquainted, fish for the purpose of putting an award certificate on the wall, but it is nice to know that the recognition is available. If you land a fish that qualifies, you might as well apply for a certificate. It impresses the grand children, and it lets your spouse know that you aren’t just wasting time. 

Beginning anglers can secure a “First Fish” certificate, and if you happen to lock on to one of our state’s largest game fish, you can reel in recognition with the title, “Husky Musky.” If you are a “catch and release” fisher, which is what most real fishers recommend, the situation changes. Length of fish is the determiner for those fish which are caught and released. Awards here are earned for a brook trout at least 15 inches long. Rainbow and golden trout must be a minimum of 20 inches. Brown trout must be at least 21 inches to qualify, and steelhead award goes to those who catch and return one which is 24 inches or more.

Awards are also given for notable fish caught by individuals who fall into the “junior” or “senior” category. Fishers who are under 16 years of age may qualify for a Junior Award for a brownie weighing in at 1 pound, 8 ounces; anglers 16 and over may qualify for a Senior Award with a 2 pound brookie. Four pounds is the minimum for a brook trout Junior Award; 5 pounds, 8 ounces is the standard for Senior Award brownies. Rainbow and golden trout must be at least 3 pounds, 8 ounces for juniors and 5 pounds for seniors.

If you or one of your fishing partners is in line for one of these awards, rules and application forms can be found in the “Fishing” section of the commission’s Web sight at www.Fish.state.pa.us or by calling the Harrisburg headquarters. 

From the April, 1987 Dame Juliana League Newsletter comes the following memory:

"At the March meeting, PA Fish Commission Warden Ray Bednarchik presented a delightful and diversified program with topics ranging from “The Best of the Worst Excuses” encountered while writing citations for violations; the recent stocking of French Creek; stream improvement tips. (Those tips sure would have come in handy about three years ago when both the Brandywine and Beaver Creeks decided to merge in our basement—about 5’ worth! At least I knew where Joe was all Spring—talk about waterfront/back property).

Ray also indicated that the proposed PA Trout Stamp could be a possibility within the next two years; but an actual bill has to run through our legislature. I am sure a brief letter to your congressman would be of help".

Fishers can argue about anything. They become particularly contentious when it comes to defending their favorite knots. Which knot is stronger? Which knot is easier to tie on the stream? Which knot can be tied in the dark (by old people like me whose eyesight is fading faster than the evening sun).

At a recent board meeting, that old knot discussion broke out, beginning as a genial conversation between two individuals who were going to instruct at the DJL Fly Fishing Course. The situation escalated almost at once. It took three seconds for that quiet exchange of ideas to burst into some serious cacophony. Soon several groups of three or four normally placid DJL members were squared off, jaw to jaw, in verbal combat. Individuals within each group began shouting names of favorite knots, with others in that same group making derisive comments about those same ties. Just when it appeared that Joe Vasile and Sheldon Toombs were about to engage in fisticuffs, a gruff but calming voice of reason rose above the din. 

“Members, members, let’s come to order. Let us not forget that we are all friends here.” 

The voice was that of our esteemed President, Bob Molzahn. He had found a safe corner, away from the fray, and, standing on a chair, he held out both hands and called for attention. At this exact point, he discovered that he was standing on a slice of mushroom pizza, but he was not about to be deterred by such a minor annoyance. His words were pacifying, but conveyed a tone of empathy for each member’s point of view. When he had gained everyone’s attention, Bob continued:

“It is not that these knots are not good knots.”

What insight. How enlightened. Take a minute here to analyze the wisdom contained in those ten meaningful words: “It is not that these knots are not good knots.” It just takes your breath away. The wisdom of our leader’s comment was obvious to all, and members gave him their ears. They were quite surprised as well, for they realized at once that Bob, in speaking those words, had not verbally misspelled “knot” or “not” a single time, which was unusual because on his “not” board, he had “knot” spelled those words correctly very often. He went on: 

“There is a new knot out there which has become the favorite among the experts. Perhaps this knot will please each of you. It is known as the ‘turd knot.’ It is simple to tie, and it is very strong indeed.” 

Bob then grabbed the prepared blue and white ropes that Scott Ziegenfuss had been playing with, and began to tie a sample turd knot. In a flash (fifteen minutes) he had tied a perfect turd knot. The applause was deafening. 

“Hooray,” yelled the combined membership. “Forget the surgeon’s knot, and the nail knot. From now on it’s the turd knot for us.” 

Bob was hoisted on the members’ shoulders and paraded around the room. Cheers rang out for a full five minutes. The only one who did not join in the festive rejoicing was Troy Dunn and that was because, as usual, he knew he could not tie the turd knot, or any other kind of knot for that matter. Suddenly it was noticed that Joe Vasile was lying on his back, pouring Yuenglings into his mouth, gargling, and spitting. He was gagging. He was turning green. Members rushed to his aid. 

“What is wrong, Joe?” a member asked. 

“I don’t know, but after I tried to tie the knot our kind President taught us, I put it in my mouth to wet the knot, as is my practice. It was the worst tasting knot I have ever moistened.”

“Uh, sorry Joe,” President Mohlzahn said sheepishly. “I forgot to tell you, when moistening the turd knot, experts find it is best to dip it in the stream.” The membership knotted in agreement. 

By the way, while some of this knot story is knot true, knot all of it is knot true. 

Don’t ask Sheldon Toombs where he has fished. You are better off asking him where he has NOT fished. The answer would be shorter. Sheldon, a retiree from Ma Bell’s telephone company, resides in Phoenixville. He is a widower who has five grown children (two boys, three girls) and five grandchildren (one boy and four girls). One of his sons follows in dad’s footsteps in that he too enjoys fly fishing. Sheldon has been a member of DJL for “ten or twelve years.” 

Sheldon enjoys both saltwater and fresh water fly fishing, and just a few of his fishing locales will give you an idea of how far he is willing to go to cast a lure. He has been in all of the “major western fishing states, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado…” He has visited Chile, Argentina, Belize, the Bahamas, and is planning a trip to Yucatan in the near future. Of course, he is a Hungry Trout guy. He advises that his favorite spot is Belize for bonefish and permit. 

Sheldon is a fly tier and lends DJL a hand where possible. He has helped with stocking, stream improvement, the Beginners’ Fly Fishing Course, and is a member of the DJL Board of Directors. It is an enjoyable experience just listening to Sheldon tell fishing stories. He is an asset to our group and this issue’s Spotlight proudly shines on Sheldon Toombs. 

Question: When is the best time to go fishing?
Answer: Go fishing when you feel like it. Fishing is like an itch. When you feel an itch, you must scratch it. When you feel the urge to go fishing, make sure you go. It is even more satisfying when you can take a day off of work to do it. 

Question: How do wind and weather affect trout fishing?
Answer: Research has found that trout bite when the wind blows and when it does not. It also tells us that fish rise best on a cloudy day, except when they rise better on a sunny or rainy day.

Question: What fly works best on any given day?
Answer: Go through your fly box and determine which fly you do not have. That’s the one that works best today.

Question: What hook do you recommend?
Answer: A sharp one, but remember, when you lose a fish, blame the hook and tell your companions that you usually use another type.

Question: If I catch a large trout and then release it, how do I get my friends to believe that I caught it?
Answer: You can’t, so you might as well add a few inches to the size when you relate the story.

Question: Where do fish usually lie in a stream?
Answer: In areas which are posted “NO FISHING,” and the land owner is one big, mean, son-of-a-gun.