03-31-2023, 06:02 PM
(03-27-2023, 08:18 PM)richyd4u Wrote:(03-20-2023, 11:57 PM)rsnk61 Wrote: Is the ice off at Minersville?
Looking to go last weekend of Mar
We hit Minersville ice-off a few weeks back with none of us getting a single hit all day. The water was gin clear and it was a perfect day, but not a fish to be seen anywhere. Talked with a few other fly fishermen, same story. That reservoir is dead...going to take 3 more wet winters with some good stocking to get it back. Sad.
Just a heads up...Minersville was gill netted on 3/30 and, though numbers are down, quite a few big fish are still there! In a typical/good year, gill nets yield at least 20 trout per net. This year gill nets averaged about 13 trout per net and about 1/3 of all the fish netted were 20+ inches.
Fishing this spring will undoubtedly be tougher simply because of the rising water (if the water muddies with runoff, it will even be tougher) and the availability of a lot of food for fewer fish. But, as the water drops and summer begins fishing will improve some. For me, the growth rates of the fish in there and the reality that quite a few fish are still in the reservoir means it's still worth fishing!
Also, FWIW, wiper numbers are similar to years past.