Chocolate Milk.... How Much Longer?

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Giuga10

Giuga10

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2012
Messages
404
Location
Markham
If anyone's been out to the rivers they know how muddy the waters are right now.

I was wondering, how long does it take for them to clear up because I really wanna hit the waters for Trout and Suckers right now.

And BTW how long do the suckers run for?
 
Giuga10 said:
And BTW how long do the suckers run for?
Click to expand...
Only a couple of yards, their fins aren't up to anything more.

Sorry, but questions like that are just a gift!

But seriously folks, I don't know, but I'm sure someone will.
 
The hydro charts will accurately tell you. But generally until the melt finishes or if we get freezing temps again. I'm personally ok with the latter because it'll extend the spring thaw and make for an even better opening week 8)
 
There are a few variables to be considered. Its Spring, the frozen ground is melting and really staining the water. Some tribs will clear faster than others because of size and composition. Smaller, free stone creeks will clear faster than larger systems with larger drainage basins. What type of land a creek flows through heavily impacts its ability to increase "stainage". A creek/river cutting through scarps of clay picks up a lot of sediments which stain the water. For the most part, when fishing Ontario's north shore tributaries, the larger the river, the longer it takes for it to clear.

My advice to you is this, when you do head out and go fishing, take notes of what each river looks like that day in comparison to the others. Slowly but surely you will notice that they all have their own identity and clear at diff. rates. This will help you pin point where you should fish after we get rain, helping you bank more fish.

Its also important to remember that 10 mm of rain during Spring does more damage to the river ( in terms of raising the water levels and staining the water ) than 10 mm would in the fall. Typically, the Earth is much drier in the fall absorbing more of the water, therefore decreasing the run off. During the spring the soil is saturated with water because of the melt...

Hope that helped you gain an understanding of whats going on... its a basic explanation but you can look into it much further if you wish :)
 
Good post, Dozer. To this I would like to add: A river with lots of slope(e.g. the Bighead) will flush out a lot faster than 1 thru flat land---levels will drop and will clear up. A river with 'storage capacity' upstream will go up and down much faster than 1 without. This 'capacity' doesn't have to be a lake. The Minesing wetlands have a big effect on the Notty---the downstream section rises and falls much more slowly than the upstream section.
 
I don't know if this helps but I was hiking trails yesterday with my son at a GTA trib. We started at North of 407. Under the dam and it is murky and flowing. I'm guessing it will start to clear here first before it starts to clear south, no? And as soon as the water slows down, that will pretty much start the clearing thing. We watch trout in the spring here cruising by in clear water. This could be good for the trout opening.
 
Knuguy said:
Good post, Dozer. To this I would like to add: A river with lots of slope(e.g. the Bighead) will flush out a lot faster than 1 thru flat land---levels will drop and will clear up. A river with 'storage capacity' upstream will go up and down much faster than 1 without. This 'capacity' doesn't have to be a lake. The Minesing wetlands have a big effect on the Notty---the downstream section rises and falls much more slowly than the upstream section.
Click to expand...

I don't fish the notty much but I do hear the effect the wetland has on it is great. Some rivers in this area certainly clear and fall faster than other. If one river is to high sometimes you will find another in better shape.
 
all this snow we're getting wont help much either. Colder temps are causing the thawing of the frost line to slow down and the additional precipitation just adds to the mud.
 
Hey guys, this may seem like a pretty stupid question but i'm gonna fire away... in regards to reading the hydrometric data.. i'm guessing the first few days after the water levels rise (depending on the system) a creek will be "blown" or chocolate milk,

do i pretty much have it down.. or is there more to it?
 
that charts says nothing for the water colour, it could look blown on the charts but could be green and higher water level and also vise versa.
 
apz245 said:
Hey guys, this may seem like a pretty stupid question but i'm gonna fire away... in regards to reading the hydrometric data.. i'm guessing the first few days after the water levels rise (depending on the system) a creek will be "blown" or chocolate milk,

do i pretty much have it down.. or is there more to it?
Click to expand...
you can never be 100% sure, but, that sounds accurate. Rise = blown, gullys = gin. Your best action is on the way up, or the way down.
 
It also depends on what you consider to be "blown" did well a a trib last week that was devoid of anglers but not fish. They dont disappear when the water rises, they just dont sit where they usually do.
 
sometimes...the bank you like to stand on could be a nice holding pool for trout when water rises. if trout can hold a spot 2 feet deep of fast running water. I don't see why it would be different when the water rises. When I head to the water and it was "blown"...i'd rather stay and wet a line than turn around and wonder if there was fish there.
 

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