Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Blue Liner Flows Review | USGS Stream Gauges
All water level data originates from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Surface-Water Data, which monitors over 13,000 stream gauges across the U.S. and more than 350 in Pennsylvania. The USGS has been transitioning to a new online interface over the past five-plus years. The updated look and feel have left some old features behind while adding new ones. I hate it.
So, I’ve been on the hunt for a desktop and mobile app that delivers USGS backend data through a clean, easy-to-use interface. Blue Liner Flows offers a solid solution for iPhone, iPad and Mac users, with apps built for both platforms. Most importantly, favorites and preferences sync across devices. There’s a free version, but I’ll be reviewing the $6.99 annual paid version.
Key features include: favorites, state selection, map view, latest data overview, discharge in CFS, discharge in feet, average annual discharge, various time views, weather forecasts, alerts, temperatures (station-dependent), turbidity (station-dependent), and other data specific to each gauge.
I found the app very easy to set up on my Mac. Once configured, all my favorites and alerts synced automatically to my iPhone. You don’t need both devices—an iPhone alone works just fine. I especially liked navigating between the state, favorites, and map views. It’s fast and intuitive. Most views display the key information I’m looking for, including directional arrows indicating whether water levels are rising or falling.
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PFBC Proposes Changes to Delayed Harvest Streams
The Pennsylvania Board of Fish and Boat (PFBC) Commissioners proposed major changes to the existing delayed-harvest-artificial-lures-only (DHALO) stream sections when they met on January 21-22. Anglers who enjoy the special regulation waters will find trout harvested earlier and be sharing these streams with some who will be able to fish live bait year round if these changes go through January 1, 2016.
The current regulations for DHALO waters provide year-round trout fishing opportunities using only flies and artificial lures such as spinners. No bait is allowed. Anglers may harvest fish between June 15 and Labor Day with a limit of three fish a day greater than 9". Less than 96 miles of water and 55 streams make up the DHALO regulations that include stream sections on West Valley Creek, Oil Creek, Neshannock Creek, Black Moshannon Creek, First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek, Pine Creek, Quittapahilla Creek, Laurel Hill Creek and Tulpehocken Creek.
The newly proposed rule changes by board members take the special regulation program in a very different direction. Changes for the DHALO move up the start of the delayed harvest period three weeks to the Saturday before Memorial Day. The daily limit would be set to three fish greater than 7". Bait fishing would be permitted during the new harvest period for all anglers. Finally, anglers 16 and younger would be able to fish with bait year-round.
The PFBC hopes to provide more opportunities for anglers and enhance the fishing experience with these changes. “By expanding the harvest period and allowing the use of bait, we can increase angler success while improving the use of the trout before they are lost to natural mortality in the warmer summer months,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway.
Pennsylvania contains over 85,000 miles of streams and rivers. The PFBC and...
The newly proposed rule changes by board members take the special regulation program in a very different direction. Changes for the DHALO move up the start of the delayed harvest period three weeks to the Saturday before Memorial Day. The daily limit would be set to three fish greater than 7". Bait fishing would be permitted during the new harvest period for all anglers. Finally, anglers 16 and younger would be able to fish with bait year-round.
The PFBC hopes to provide more opportunities for anglers and enhance the fishing experience with these changes. “By expanding the harvest period and allowing the use of bait, we can increase angler success while improving the use of the trout before they are lost to natural mortality in the warmer summer months,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway.
Pennsylvania contains over 85,000 miles of streams and rivers. The PFBC and...
Anglers Choose Pink
Who would of guessed pink would be the favorite color for the new Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s (PFBC) 2015 fishing license button?
There were almost 5,000 votes cast online this fall, and by a significant number decided that pink was the new favorite color. I guess if the NFL can sport some pink shoes an angler show off a pink button. It turns out teal and green were in the hunt.
“Once again this year, our anglers have voted and told us what color they would like to have for the 2015 button,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “With nearly 35 percent of the votes, pink was the favorite among the seven available colors.”
Buttons go on sale December 1 and are available for $5 each. They can be purchased through the PFBC's online store (The Outdoor Shop), PFBC regional offices, and through the network of license issuing agents.
More details can be found at the PFBC website.
“Once again this year, our anglers have voted and told us what color they would like to have for the 2015 button,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “With nearly 35 percent of the votes, pink was the favorite among the seven available colors.”
Buttons go on sale December 1 and are available for $5 each. They can be purchased through the PFBC's online store (The Outdoor Shop), PFBC regional offices, and through the network of license issuing agents.
More details can be found at the PFBC website.
Update from the PFBC Big Spring Meeting
The meeting was well attended and the attendees included John Arway and many of the PFBC staff including the Area Fisheries Managers involved with this project. Also present were many prominent names in the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Community who you would recognize as well as local folks and some Big Spring old timers. The meeting presented the plan for a new restoration section in 2013 and proposed some changes for the future. Among the audience, the main source of disagreement, not surprisingly, dealt with the issue of what (if anything) should be done about the rainbows. Here's the short version of the meeting:
-PFBC biologists presented a ppt show describing the flow, cover, and depth changes in the section restored in 2010. The stream is now narrower, deeper, and slower, and has more non-vegetation cover and thus more "optimal" habitat for both brook and rainbow trout. The gravel used to block in the logs in this section is being used by rainbows for spawning and, in the future, smaller gravel should be used as this might reduce rainbow spawning success. Also, dissolved oxygen levels at the lower end of the FFO section and downstream into the ATW section are lower than optimal for wild trout.
-PFBC ppt show describing the electrofishing results of the section that was restored in 2010 and the sections used as control. After the 2010 restoration, brook trout numbers increased (roughly doubled) and rainbow numbers increased in the restored section by a greater margin (roughly four fold). These were the results revealed in the 2011 fish survey. The recent 2012 survey of these same sections revealed that rainbows, although still more numerous in the restored section, had declined a bit in 2011-2012. Brook trout numbers continued to rise in this section and in the upstream control section from 2011 to 2012.
-Over the entire course of the FFO section of Big Spring, as of autumn 2012, the...
-PFBC ppt show describing the electrofishing results of the section that was restored in 2010 and the sections used as control. After the 2010 restoration, brook trout numbers increased (roughly doubled) and rainbow numbers increased in the restored section by a greater margin (roughly four fold). These were the results revealed in the 2011 fish survey. The recent 2012 survey of these same sections revealed that rainbows, although still more numerous in the restored section, had declined a bit in 2011-2012. Brook trout numbers continued to rise in this section and in the upstream control section from 2011 to 2012.
-Over the entire course of the FFO section of Big Spring, as of autumn 2012, the...
Spring Creek Canyon Opens
For anglers this provides access to a stretch of water from the Benner Springs Hatchery downstream to the Fly Fishermen's Paradise. The new parking lot and extended trails provide easy access to these new waters for some. Actually many would sneak in although technically off limits in the past.
The new waters on Spring Creek are a great addition to some of the finest trout waters in Pennsylvania. I really enjoyed the new stretch as I felt I was a little more removed from the population of Happy Valley. Red squirrels, hawks and the canyon take you off the road and connect you a little closer to nature.
More pictures, videos and a canyon map can be found on the PFBC dedication page here. More photographs from Dave Kile have been posted on the Paflyfish Facebook fan page here.
New parking lot
Ron Kohlman of Indiana, Pennsylvania in the Spring Creek Canyon.
PFBC Public Meetings on Draft River Management
Public Meetings Scheduled to Receive
Comments on Draft River Management Plans
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has scheduled seven public meetings to receive comments about the agency’s draft river management plans for the Susquehanna River, the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh and the Delaware River.
At each meeting, PFBC biologists will describe the history of fish management on the particular river, identify the factors affecting the biological health of the river, prioritize the future needs relative to fisheries management, and discuss the proposed future plans. The public will then have the opportunity to provide brief comments.
The meetings are free and the public is encouraged to attend and share their comments with PFBC staff.
An executive summary of each draft river management plan will be available on the PFBC website several days in advance of the meetings. The public can view the executive summary and also submit comments online by following the links below next to each plan.
Dates, Times and Locations:
Susquehanna River - www.fishandboat.com/SusquehannaRiverPlan.htm
• Feb. 12 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., PFBC headquarters, Harrisburg.
• Feb. 16 from 6:30 – 9 p.m., Langone Center, Forum Room, Bucknell University, Lewisburg.
Three Rivers - http://www.fishandboat.com/ThreeRiversPlan.htm
• Feb. 19 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Doubletree Hotel, Monroeville.
• Feb. 22 from 6 – 8 p.m., Franklin Public Library, Franklin.
• Feb. 24 from 6 – 8 p.m., Conference Rooms 301 and 302, Stover Campus Center, Waynesburg University, Waynesburg.
Delaware River - www.fishandboat.com/DelawareRiverPlan.htm
• March 2 from 6 – 8 p.m., Northampton Community College, Room 220, Center Building, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem.
• March 3 from 6 – 8 p.m., Hampton Inn at Matamoras, Main Conference Room, 122 Westfall Town Drive, Matamoras.
The mission of the Fish and Boat Commission is to protect...
Comments on Draft River Management Plans
At each meeting, PFBC biologists will describe the history of fish management on the particular river, identify the factors affecting the biological health of the river, prioritize the future needs relative to fisheries management, and discuss the proposed future plans. The public will then have the opportunity to provide brief comments.
The meetings are free and the public is encouraged to attend and share their comments with PFBC staff.
An executive summary of each draft river management plan will be available on the PFBC website several days in advance of the meetings. The public can view the executive summary and also submit comments online by following the links below next to each plan.
Dates, Times and Locations:
Susquehanna River - www.fishandboat.com/SusquehannaRiverPlan.htm
• Feb. 12 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., PFBC headquarters, Harrisburg.
• Feb. 16 from 6:30 – 9 p.m., Langone Center, Forum Room, Bucknell University, Lewisburg.
Three Rivers - http://www.fishandboat.com/ThreeRiversPlan.htm
• Feb. 19 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Doubletree Hotel, Monroeville.
• Feb. 22 from 6 – 8 p.m., Franklin Public Library, Franklin.
• Feb. 24 from 6 – 8 p.m., Conference Rooms 301 and 302, Stover Campus Center, Waynesburg University, Waynesburg.
Delaware River - www.fishandboat.com/DelawareRiverPlan.htm
• March 2 from 6 – 8 p.m., Northampton Community College, Room 220, Center Building, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem.
• March 3 from 6 – 8 p.m., Hampton Inn at Matamoras, Main Conference Room, 122 Westfall Town Drive, Matamoras.
The mission of the Fish and Boat Commission is to protect...
Long Overdue? Catch and Release for some sections of the Juniata and Susquehanna
By Dave Weaver (“Fishidiot”)
October 6, 2010
For many of us in the Pennsylvania smallmouth bass fly fishing community, the decline of the bass fishery in the lower Susquehanna River, and to a lesser degree, the lower Juniata River, has been a source of sadness, concern, and hoped for recovery. While the cause of this decline has been intensely studied by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and other agencies - and these studies
continue, no clear cause can yet be identified. The current studies suggest low dissolved oxygen and low, warm water may be at least partially the culprit in the failure of young bass to survive. Many frustrated anglers continue to debate different theories and possible causes among themselves (quite evident on the forums here on PaFlyFish). Another topic for debate revolves around what measures to implement to limit the decline and perhaps expedite the recovery of bass in these sections of river. Among the most common suggestions has long been implementation of catch and release regulations.
This week the PFBC led by their new Executive Director, John Arway, has announced this new catch and release policy will be put into effect at the beginning of 2011. At that point, all smallmouth bass in the Juniata River downstream of Port Royal, and in the Susquehanna downriver from Sunbury, will have to be released. Undoubtedly, this will be welcome news to many in the angling community. These sections of river have been managed under Big Bass regulations for a decade or so. Although these regulations have been embraced by many, in my opinion they may do greater damage by requiring anglers to release smaller bass and kill bigger fish. In particular, the 18” minimum size limit on smallmouths in effect during the colder months of the year is particularly worrisome to me. It’s not uncommon, especially during the pre-spawn, to see a boat at a ramp with a pair of...
October 6, 2010
For many of us in the Pennsylvania smallmouth bass fly fishing community, the decline of the bass fishery in the lower Susquehanna River, and to a lesser degree, the lower Juniata River, has been a source of sadness, concern, and hoped for recovery. While the cause of this decline has been intensely studied by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and other agencies - and these studies
This week the PFBC led by their new Executive Director, John Arway, has announced this new catch and release policy will be put into effect at the beginning of 2011. At that point, all smallmouth bass in the Juniata River downstream of Port Royal, and in the Susquehanna downriver from Sunbury, will have to be released. Undoubtedly, this will be welcome news to many in the angling community. These sections of river have been managed under Big Bass regulations for a decade or so. Although these regulations have been embraced by many, in my opinion they may do greater damage by requiring anglers to release smaller bass and kill bigger fish. In particular, the 18” minimum size limit on smallmouths in effect during the colder months of the year is particularly worrisome to me. It’s not uncommon, especially during the pre-spawn, to see a boat at a ramp with a pair of...
SE Regional Opening Day - Game On
All waters in Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York counties are open for regular trout fishing season.
All streams in this region are now open for fishing 24 hours a day, creel limits of 5 combined species and a minimum of seven inches. Different rules and regulations apply for other Special Regulation Areas. Please consult with the Summary of PA Fishing Laws and Regulations, distributed by the PFBC for details about regulations on Pennsylvania.
The regular season for the remaining counties is April 17.