Pretentious Snobby Bastard Fly Fishing!

Fly Fishing BS => The Gravel Bar => Topic started by: Stone-Man on September 14, 2019, 15:57:51 PM

Title: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Stone-Man on September 14, 2019, 15:57:51 PM
Stoney Creek went underground in one spot today and is just a trickle in a few others
If we do not get some serious rain in the next 2-3 weeks,Stoney will be murdered just like it was 9 years ago . There is no rain in the forecast  b';
  And it is just now into it's full recovery from the drought 9 years ago

  Stone-Man
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Dougfish on September 14, 2019, 17:03:21 PM
It's getting dire up here for some marginal streams. We got a wooping 0.2" of rain yesterday. Ugh.
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Phil on September 14, 2019, 18:57:16 PM
Very bad creek conditions here as well. We had a smidgeon of drizzle last night, but nothing that'll help.
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Al on September 14, 2019, 19:34:32 PM
My farmer friends where I deer hunt are singing the same tune b';
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Sedition and Pockets on September 14, 2019, 22:30:38 PM
Back sometime in December, I told a buddy of mine that I figured the rain would stop around the second week of July and we probably wouldn't see it again until 2021. That call is looking spot on at the moment, unfortunately.
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Onslow on September 15, 2019, 06:25:47 AM
I understand some places need some help, but after last year, I'm relieved it has dried out.  I don't think many folk understand the long term ramifications of prolonged excessive rainfall.  Corn and beans need to dry out for harvest, and current conventional home designs in the SE particularly pertaining to HVAC/insulation/crawspaces are inadequate during excessively humid/hot/wet conditions in the SE.  The Yadkin river has FINALLY dropped below 800 cfs, which means I can actually fish it 300 yds from my house...it has been over a year.

I would be very informative to know just how much was spent on mold remediation, roof leaks, and rot repair last year due to the humidity and heat, and not due to flooding/inundation in the SE.  It is probably in the billions.  It has only been in the two months where area crawlspaces are losing moisture, and not adding due to HVAC ductwork condensation. If last year's trend would have continued, the wet weather would have cause catastrophic damage to at least 30 percent of the homes in the SE, and the HVAC code would have had to be re-written.
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Onslow on September 15, 2019, 06:41:52 AM
http://climate.ncsu.edu/climateblog?id=291
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Stone-Man on September 15, 2019, 17:44:18 PM
Yeah , my friend (Onslow)  -- Catch -22 for sure. No doubt that zillions have been spent due to it raining for 2 years. Mold and rot remediation is expensive and a helluva lot of folks cannot afford it.
 Naturally I am concerned about my home creek which will die again within the next 3 weeks without rain.
During the last big drought,everything on the planet ate trout. Coons, coyotes , house dogs, bears,herons, bob cats,house cats etc,etc. And the natural preditors (Mink and Otters) got seriously fat.
 I am totally sure that at least 90% of the adult trout in Stoney Creek died in that drought.

 Stone-Man
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Onslow on September 15, 2019, 19:42:31 PM
The trout situation was pretty grim in 2008 up my way also. Stone Mt. wild trout populations dropped to 30% of the norm.  Smallmouth benefitted during that decade.  Truth be told, the trout fishing up my way is the best I've ever seen on the east slope side.  Deforestation, land development (UHI effect) appears to be affecting waters around Sparta.

I was stunned how low Big Wilson Creek was near Mt. Rogers this weekend.  I live near the Blue Ridge, and it seems Doughton & Stone Mt. are moisture magnets.  It rained at Stone Mt. this weekend.
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Pansyman on September 15, 2019, 20:40:02 PM
JT. My Indian buddy Cochise said you need to do a rain dance.
Take off all your clothes and paint your body with ashes from a fire pit and then put three turkey tail feathers in your hair and dance in a counterclockwise circle three times then reverse course and repeat until it rains.  d:b
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: hcrum87hc on September 16, 2019, 08:07:16 AM
Speaking as our county's road and bridges department's stormwater engineer, I'm torn.  I'd like to see some soaking rains, something like an inch or two spread out over a day or two.  Those give the ground some time to soak some up, and give our stormwater systems a chance to handle the runoff without flooding.  I'm also liking the lack of calls I'm getting from irate citizens. 

On the other hand, I'd like to see some water in our streams.  When I went a few weeks ago, the waters weren't super low, but that's the direction they're heading.
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Mudwall Gatewood 3.0 on September 16, 2019, 17:38:53 PM
This lack of precipitation is a real setback in my neck-of-the-woods.  Besides concern over the fishes and other aquatic critters, I am sure where input occurs there is a concentration of nutrients in certain streams and rivers.  Plus I know these dry conditions are ideal for outbreaks of all kind of bark beetles, blights, and our foe, the hemlock adelgid.  I can think of no good that comes from this drought not even the dwelling-moisture argument, or the drying produce victory, or the reduced flow river-access hardon.
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Onslow on September 16, 2019, 20:05:08 PM
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?VA

Yes, it is a little dry, but if the map is does truly represent current conditions, why all the anxiety?  The Bullpasture is running dead on the 40 year average for this time of year, if not a little more.
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Big J on September 17, 2019, 08:08:11 AM
Quote from: Onslow on September 16, 2019, 20:05:08 PMhttps://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?VA

Yes, it is a little dry, but if the map is does truly represent current conditions, why all the anxiety?  The Bullpasture is running dead on the 40 year average for this time of year, if not a little more.

I think it's more of the fact that we are dry, and there is no sign of relief.  Things aren't dire yet, but another week or two with days getting into high 80's and 90's next week and no significant chance of rain makes the small streams dicey.  I checked a western VA mountain precipitation calendar and they received 1 day of rain so far in September and that was .13" of rain.  The Western VA mountains have been very very dry and been missing a lot of the scattered rain we have been getting in the valley. 
Title: Re: Drought Conditions Here
Post by: Woolly Bugger on September 17, 2019, 22:05:33 PM

Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Rain dance