Post Irene CFs on Croton Watershed Streams

[biggamee]

That is definitely a grass carp.  Non-native.  Oh brother... 

Ok so the carp came over the dam and died....but more importantly if its not native..is this a clue why Titicus Brown trout fishing is off?  Just a thought

[KenH]

That is definitely a grass carp.  Non-native.  Oh brother... 

Well, the Common Carp isn't native either, brought from Germany in the 1800s.
The vast majorityof Grass carp are deliberately released sterile fish that won't
reproduce. So it's not a concern like the Bighead and Silvers out in the midwest.

[KenH]

That is definitely a grass carp.  Non-native.  Oh brother... 

Ok so the carp came over the dam and died....but more importantly if its not native..is this a clue why Titicus Brown trout fishing is off?  Just a thought

Grass Carp feed on aquatic vegetation. That's why they are deliberately stocked in weed infested waters to clear them out. Was Titicus so weed choked to be a target of such a program? Also I don't think Grass Carp feeding habits conflict with Brown Trout populations regardless.

[lionpshark]

Titicus is pretty weedy but closer to the shore lines or shallow water

[Nick]

i just looked at the titicus outlet water data, and apparently it just went up 900cfs out of nowhere?  http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=01374821

[AVK]

Yes, I`ve noticed that as well..Might be an extra release? I considered hitting it one of these days but everything more than 300 cfs for Titicus makes fishing difficult.

[lionpshark]

I took a look at the CFs on the major Croton streams to see how they were flowing after Tropical Storm Irene. Since the DEP controls water levels, I was thinking they were releasing a lot of water from the reservoirs into the outlets. That combined with the runoff, I expected it to be high...but not this high. Pretty dramatic differences.


- East Branch (Croton River just below dam): median CF = 63, right now, CF =2460 , gauge height, 7' 3" and falling
- Croton Falls Outlet (Croton River West Branch): median CF = 70, right now, CF = 430, gauge height, 6' 6" and falling
- Amawalk Outlet (Muscoot River): median CF = 19, right now, CF = 241, gauge height, 10' 6" and rising
- Titicus Outlet: median CF = 12, right now, CF = 2,180, gauge height, 8' 7" and peaking
- West Branch Outlet: median CF = 32, right now, 846, gauge height, 4'1" and rising
- Cross River (in Ward Pound Ridge): median CF = 4, right now, 825, gauge height, 6' 2" and falling

The EB is 39X normal flow.  TO is 181x normal flow, but Cross River takes the prize at 206X normal flow!!  

Seeing how Cross River has the only native brook trout population in the area, that's quite worrying. On the other hand, the buildup of silt on all the rivers should be lower after the flooding, right?

For the heck of it--looked at the Esopus Creek up in the Catskills: median CF = 261, right now, CF =59,900, gauge height, 16' 9" but earlier was 21'. The Esopus is 229X its normal flow...I'd say that's got to be a flood.

...I can't begin to imagine the damage. Hope everyone is staying safe.

BKN is this your first time/ season Fly fishing? I have read some of your other reports and it seems like you changed mid this season into Fly fishing and have done pretty well and also sounds like your hooked!!  Good luck and keep posting your great reports

[Brooklynite]

BKN is this your first time/ season Fly fishing? I have read some of your other reports and it seems like you changed mid this season into Fly fishing and have done pretty well and also sounds like your hooked!!  Good luck and keep posting your great reports

lionpshark--yes, its my first season. I took a class and got HOOKED and i've been a spin fishermen my whole life.

AVK--that's exciting to hear TO got some big'uns moving in but it was before the storm. No doubt warm water came over the top of the dam (like it did on all of them) during the storm and fouled up the stream. Either way, sounds like you had a good time in late Aug. The hunt for the +21" continues...

NICK--I noticed the spike in CFS too! and it has to be an extra release...

[AVK]

Check this, very intersting.
http://www.orvisnews.com/FlyFishing/Survival-After-the-Floods.aspx

[lionpshark]

BKN is this your first time/ season Fly fishing? I have read some of your other reports and it seems like you changed mid this season into Fly fishing and have done pretty well and also sounds like your hooked!!  Good luck and keep posting your great reports

lionpshark--yes, its my first season. I took a class and got HOOKED and i've been a spin fishermen my whole life.

What class did you take? How much was it?
How much did your first complete setup come out to in $$$$
If you dont feel comfortable answering thats cool I am just curios thats all. Dont worry I wont be side by side with you on the same stream or river taking up the space LOLOLOL

[AVK]

i just looked at the titicus outlet water data, and apparently it just went up 900cfs out of nowhere?  http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=01374821

If you check the link, you surely know that Titicus has been steadily high recently. OK, that the stream flow level directly affects fishing is the established fact. But in terms of everybody`s personal experience on local streams, all else being equal, does it hold true that flow relative stability, even at high levels, can provide sustained fishing? In normal words, does it make sense to hit this particular stream right now?

[Brooklynite]

i just looked at the titicus outlet water data, and apparently it just went up 900cfs out of nowhere?  http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=01374821

If you check the link, you surely know that Titicus has been steadily high recently. OK, that the stream flow level directly affects fishing is the established fact. But in terms of everybody`s personal experience on local streams, all else being equal, does it hold true that flow relative stability, even at high levels, can provide sustained fishing? In normal words, does it make sense to hit this particular stream right now?

I think there's only one way to be sure, right? One benefit to the increased flow is that titicus browns can now move up the stream to spawn. Its still 406. That'd be considered dangerous, so anyone checking it out should probably stay out of the water and keep on the banks.