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Water Temp Watch

Started by Onslow, June 14, 2022, 17:14:06 PM

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Onslow

High temps for the week ending 6/18

Chattooga @ Burrells Ford > 74 degrees . Probably the lower end of trout range.

Cattaloochee @ gage > 67 degrees.  Supports some transient specs.

Mills River 1.5 miles below the forks > 71.5 degrees

Smith @ Martinsville VA >70.3

Little Stony Creek about 5 miles up from Pembroke.  70.2 degrees

Yadkin River @  Patterson NC > 78.2 degrees. This is about 5 miles downstream of reasonable range.

Knapp Creek @ Marlinton WV> 75 degrees

Elk River @ Webster Springs WV >  71 degrees

Bushkill @ Shoemakers PA (spring fed) > 71.5 degrees

Beaverkill at Bush Falls  NY> 69.5 degrees.  Side note, this gage hit the 87 degree mark in August of 2005.  That year was miserable all over in terms of heat and low water.

Middle Fork Tygart @ Adolph WV.  This is a smaller watershed, and the coldest.  64.5.  drains about 20 square miles.  2296 altitude which isn't very high.  Kumbrabow is up the hill, and the whole area seems to have some serious speck potential.

Shavers Fork @ Cheat Bridge WV.  69 degrees.  This is one of the highest watersheds of its size class in Appalachia.

Blackwater @ Davis.  78 degrees WV.  This is a shocker.  This area is one of the coolest and wettest areas of WV.  Perhaps there is some UHI and low canopy issues playing a role here. The location of the gage is in town just above the gorge.  Canaan valley is brookie country.  Water probably cools off in the gorge.

Onslow


Onslow

Update for week ending 6/25.


Still hot in WV. It appears streams in WV are very canopy sensitive. It is interesting Shavers Fork is running warmer than a stream of comparable size in Georgia.  Shavers is at 3500' and Chattooga at Burrells ford is at 2050.  The looch isn't much smaller than Shavers Fork either. It is odd to see WV's crown jewel run warmer than the lower Smith.

Another oddity... Years ago, rainbow trout were stocked in the Bluestone as a part of a university research project.  They did not die due to the heat.  There is currently an active trout fishery at Pipestem.  water temps topped out there this week at 82.  At one time this was DH, but according to the WV stocking status, no fish are being stocked there.

Chattooga @ Burrells Ford > 73 degrees . Probably the lower end of trout range.

Cattaloochee @ gage > 66.2 degrees.  Supports some transient specs.

Mills River 1.5 miles below the forks > 72.5 degrees

Smith @ Martinsville VA > 68 degrees

Little Stony Creek about 5 miles up from Pembroke.  67.2 degrees

Yadkin River @  Patterson NC > 77.3 degrees. This is about 5 miles downstream of reasonable range.

Knapp Creek @ Marlinton WV> 75 degrees

Elk River @ Webster Springs WV >  74 degrees

Bushkill @ Shoemakers PA (spring fed) > 66.3 degrees

Beaverkill at Bush Falls  NY> 66.2degrees.  Side note, this gage hit the 87 degree mark in August of 2005.  That year was miserable all over in terms of heat and low water.

Middle Fork Tygart @ Adolph WV. 65 degrees. This is a smaller watershed, and the coldest. Drains about 20 square miles.  2296 altitude which isn't very high.  Kumbrabow is up the hill, and the whole area seems to have some serious speck potential.

Shavers Fork @ Cheat Bridge WV.  74 degrees.  This is one of the highest watersheds of its size class in Appalachia.

Blackwater @ Davis.  79 degrees WV. 

Dougfish

Shavers Fork is wide open to the sun.
For 15+ miles off that mountain.
"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

Mudwall Gatewood 3.0

Quote from: Dougfish on June 25, 2022, 07:24:21 AMShavers Fork is wide open to the sun.
For 15+ miles off that mountain.


I've only fished Shaver's Fork once, many moons ago in June.  Camped 2 nights and only fished one day if I correctly remember.  It is a beautiful area (birds, altitude, etc.), but the fishing that year at that time was dismal. Fished beautiful water without seeing a fish, until discovering a trib entering from the east.  Downstream of the confluence were trout stacked, facing the incoming cooler water. 

The only other stream where I've seen trout congregating below a cooler trib was on the Beaverkill in NY.  Coming back from an insect meeting in Maine, I decided to stop near Roscoe for a day or 2 of fishing.  It was midsummer but I had no idea that the Bkill warmed that much.  Traveling downstream from Roscoe I saw no anglers.  A mystery until I got down to Horton Run (Creek).  Below Horton there were hundreds of trout crammed into the obviously cooler flow from the trib; it was black with trout, similar to what one would see in the raceways of a hatchery.  You don't fish under these conditions.  I went way upstream on the Willowemoc and found a young kid fishing in much cooler water.   
"Enjoy every sandwich."  Warren Zevon

Onslow

I've seen the trib congregating on the portion of the Linville located on the BRP property.  Like Shavers, the Linville is a high altitude watershed that is very narrow, with scant tribs.  I'm of the opinion any large stream with poor quality or very small tributaries are highly susceptible to collapse, and at best are poor fisheries. Like Shavers, the Linville is also a very warm watershed, partly due to development and canopy removal.

Phil

Yep, The Linville River has gotten progressively worse in the last 30 years and now sucks a huge root.

Onslow

Update ending week of July 2.  Not much change, except for rebound in warmth up north.  Smith at Martinsville is still cooler than the upper Shavers Fork, lol.

If Anthony and Howard Creek are as warm as Knapp, then the lower reaches of these streams are not really bona fide trout streams. The Greenbrier in Durbin runs cooler, as well as the Gauley in Craigsville. 

I'm amazed how cool the Cataloochee stays being the drainage size is almost 50 square miles.  2457' altitude compared to around 2100 at the Chattooga site. The Chattooga drainage size is about the same as the looch, but the Chattooga has twice the rate of flow due to being one of the wettest watersheds east of the Mississippi.


Chattooga @ Burrells Ford > 72.3 degrees . Probably the lower end of trout range.

Cattaloochee @ gage > 65.5 degrees.  Supports some transient specs.

Mills River 1.5 miles below the forks > 72 degrees

Smith @ Martinsville VA > 69.2 degrees

Little Stony Creek about 5 miles up from Pembroke.  69.5 degrees

Yadkin River @  Patterson NC > 78.3 degrees. This is about 5 miles downstream of reasonable range.

Knapp Creek @ Marlinton WV> 78 degrees

Elk River @ Webster Springs WV >  73.5 degrees

Bushkill @ Shoemakers PA (spring fed) > 75 degrees

Beaverkill at Bush Falls  NY> 74.5 degrees.  Side note, this gage hit the 87 degree mark in August of 2005.  That year was miserable all over in terms of heat and low water.

Middle Fork Tygart @ Adolph WV. 65 degrees. This is a smaller watershed, and the coldest. Drains about 20 square miles.  2296 altitude which isn't very high.  Kumbrabow is up the hill, and the whole area seems to have some serious speck potential.

Shavers Fork @ Cheat Bridge WV.  72 degrees.  This is one of the highest watersheds of its size class in Appalachia.

Blackwater @ Davis.  79 degrees WV.

Woolly Bugger

You cannot view this attachment.
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Dougfish

Smith River at Philpott, 49 degrees.  V:;
"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

Phil

Woolly -- from those water temps in the Damascus area, seems to me like nobody should be trout fishing there no matter what time of day....  :o

Onslow

Max temps of week ending July 8.  Doubt anything will be higher tomorrow.

Not many changes except the lower Smith is seeing brief spikes due to warm water runoff.  The Chattooga has jumped a lot, and the looch has inched up some.

Added the Pigeon River at Canton. This gage is located just above the paper mill, and the river seems to have decent riparian canopy even though the land in the valley is developed.  Temps look cool enough to sustain browns.


Chattooga @ Burrells Ford > 77 degrees . Probably the lower end of trout range.

Pigeon River @ Canton gage > 74.7

Cattaloochee @ gage > 67.5 degrees.  Supports some transient specs.

Mills River 1.5 miles below the forks > 71.5 degrees

Smith @ Martinsville VA > 69.2 degrees for the most part.  Very brief burst up to 75

Little Stony Creek about 5 miles up from Pembroke.  71.3 degrees

Yadkin River @  Patterson NC > 78.7 degrees. This is about 5 miles downstream of reasonable range.

Knapp Creek @ Marlinton WV> 79 degrees

Elk River @ Webster Springs WV >  73.5 degrees

Bushkill @ Shoemakers PA (spring fed) > 75 degrees

Beaverkill at Bush Falls  NY> 76 degrees. 

Middle Fork Tygart @ Adolph WV. 67 degrees. This is a smaller watershed, and the coldest. Drains about 20 square miles.  2296 altitude which isn't very high.  Kumbrabow is up the hill, and the whole area seems to have some serious speck potential.

Shavers Fork @ Cheat Bridge WV.  71.5 degrees.  This is one of the highest watersheds of its size class in Appalachia.

Blackwater @ Davis.  78.5 degrees WV.

Phil

Thanks for putting these up, Ken. Very informative.  'c;

Onslow

#13
Max temps of week ending July 16. 

Elk and Shavers saw significant increases while Dixieland backed off. Shavers is running warmer than the Pigeon @ Canton NC :laugh: 

Chattooga @ Burrells Ford > 73.5 degrees . Probably the lower end of trout range.

Pigeon River @ Canton gage > 74.4

Cattaloochee @ gage > 67.5 degrees.  Supports some transient specs.

Mills River 1.5 miles below the forks > 71.3 degrees

Smith @ Martinsville VA > 69.8

Little Stony Creek about 5 miles up from Pembroke.  68.8 degrees

Yadkin River @  Patterson NC > 77.7 degrees. This is about 5 miles downstream of reasonable range.

Knapp Creek @ Marlinton WV> 77 degrees

Elk River @ Webster Springs WV >  77.3 degrees

Bushkill @ Shoemakers PA (spring fed) > 76 degrees

Beaverkill at Bush Falls  NY> 77 degrees.

Middle Fork Tygart @ Adolph WV. 69 degrees.  Drains about 20 square miles.  2296 altitude which isn't very high. 

Shavers Fork @ Cheat Bridge WV.  75.2 degrees.  This is probably highest altitude watersheds of its size class in Appalachia.  3537' at the gage site

Blackwater @ Davis.  78.1 degrees WV.  Altitude, 3059'

Stone-Man

Thx Ken for putting this up.
And a side note    A section of Stoney Creek here in E Tenn.  has gone underground. And the water on either side of the underground area is very skinny. Will not fish Stoney unless it is at the lower end where there are some deep  holes.

  JT