LV/Flanders area SBRR

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Razorbacker
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Location: Pottersville

LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by Razorbacker » Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:32 am

Since moving from Randolph 3 years ago, I have not been out to this stretch of the SBRR more than a couple times. I maybe stopped in quickly twice last year for an hour total and remember getting a big wild brookie and a nice club brown up in the Elizabeth Lane area. I had more time recently to fish stretch from Naughright to Elizabeth Ln a bit more thoroughly and was very surprised with the physical changes. Old deadfall blockages that used to hold fish with almost a guarantee catch are gone, and new deadfalls in other areas. The biggest surprise tho was the general lack of strikes. I know it is fishing not catching, but I used to kill it in that whole stretch on both wild and club fish, and it has been noticeably non productive for me the few outings. The only fish I caught on this trip were a few stocked rainbows in that little hole right at the Naughright light. State stocked rainbows, not the nice club fish. Yes I know... that is a "no stock" area. These were your standard 12", blunt nose, round fin, scales missing. state stockies. Did one of the trucks have a few left over and dumped them there on the way back to the shop?

Anyone else notice differences in the way that area is fishing lately, or am I losing my touch?

Fishybig
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Re: LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by Fishybig » Fri Apr 09, 2021 10:13 am

It's been going steadily down hill for the last five yrs....I've been steadily noticing more put and take fisherman that dont think twice about taking wild fish....that stretch used to be referred to as the holy water, w 30-50 fish days....unfortunately no longer the case😰

Jerzguy21
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Re: LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by Jerzguy21 » Sat Apr 10, 2021 12:25 pm

Holy Water ! Should have fished it when I found it 55 years ago ! Pools of native Brookies like some places in Canada. Oh well, memories.

Razorbacker
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Re: LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by Razorbacker » Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:32 pm

SO that begs the question... what is different now from 55 years ago, aside from me being 57 instead of 2?! It is generally undeveloped on its immediate banks from Rte 46 all the way down to Long Valley. I am sure there are a few "new" houses along the way but nothing too crazy like strip centers, industrial parks or that nature. It still has good canopy, there aren't farms draining pesticides into the water. Is Budd Lake more shallow and warmer now than back then?

The stream conditions seem better the past couple years since we have finally gotten some appreciable rainfall since 2018, with a lot of the sludge and silt washed away. But where are the fish?? I had hoped the new regs would have kept the weekend warrior bait fishers away and let the wild browns and maybe even some brookies start to thrive, but that does not seem to be the case sadly.

Jerzguy21
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Re: LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by Jerzguy21 » Sun Apr 11, 2021 4:13 pm

There was nothing but farms and woodland in the upper drainage, no developments or paved shopping areas. So, I'm sure there was a much higher summer flow of cool spring waters and lower stream temp. with more constant flows. I doubt anyone even fished for these tiny brookies. I never caught any browns up there that I could remember. That was Bob Jacklins (Jacklins Fly Shop, Yellowstone Montana ) home water growing up, and I didn't ask him about the browns back then. The Anglers Anonymous water down below always held huge Browns.

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lightenup
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Re: LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by lightenup » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:19 am

Used to catch stocked rainbows along Bartley road years ago.

Razorbacker
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Re: LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by Razorbacker » Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:27 pm

Go to the deep hole right at the Bartley/Naughright intersection and you still can! Even tho' it is supposed to be Brown Trout Managed only water now.....

Razorbacker
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Re: LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by Razorbacker » Fri Apr 01, 2022 11:17 am

Resurrecting this thread from a year ago. Yesterday I did my spring scouting trip (meaning with spinning rod to find the fish) through old Claremont TCA area up towards the AA boundary. Nada. Not a single follow, flash, spook, anything. After original post last year, the handful of times I fished it yielded a single brookie, that is it, plus a couple three more of those state 'bows.

Anyone know if a census shock count has been done since regs were changed? I havent caught a wild brown through here in at least a couple years now. Is AA allowed to stock anymore? I used to catch their big Musky Hatchery browns all the time upstream and down.

Downstream of the LV stone bridge still has decent wild browns from my trips through there...

thoughts?

troutfishing4life
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Re: LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by troutfishing4life » Fri Apr 01, 2022 2:00 pm

Sad news!!!!

but the area gets pounded way too hard

troutfishing4life
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Re: LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by troutfishing4life » Fri Apr 01, 2022 2:01 pm

Still fish in there but way harder to find

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Drossi
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Re: LV/Flanders area SBRR

Post by Drossi » Fri Apr 01, 2022 3:22 pm

Razorbacker I've seen some of the same. Somehow last year all I caught was stockers that shouldn't have been there but swam up I suppose. Otherwise it's been a few years since I've had decent wild brown fishing. But the SBR in general kicks my butt so I'm a bad case study on this. I'm going to try to hit it on a dirty water day but that stream spates so much that it's hard to get it when it's brown but not flooded.

I think the real issue is the ground water in that area that should be recharging the river in the summer months gets sucked up 1 well at a time from all the development there over the last how many years. The stream might be buffered and canopied but the flows likely aren't the same as they were even 5 years ago.
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