What year di Rt 5 wash out?

I recall it was a hurricane weather system that slammed the coast, then brought a deluge of rain to us up north that washed out the rt 5 road surface at the Elk tubes
 
That rain event changed the creeks like no other I can recall
 
what year was that, and which hurricane system?
 
Hugo???
 
THANKS
 
 
..L.T.A.
 
 
 

Sept 04 hurry cane frances

Was that 04 when all those holes between Rt5 and Cascade Hole filled in?

pensfan1
Was that 04 when all those holes between Rt5 and Cascade Hole filled in?

 
I can't recall
There's been more than a few changes over the years
I remember a winter or two the ice was so thick and thaw so fast with heavy unseasonably warm rain, it made significant changes in several of my Connie spots
 
But can't recall a single rain event that made so many major changes as the year rt 5 washed out.
 
Several holes that were perennial holding spots for large numbers of fish disappeared.
The one at Girardboro park a few hundred yards downstream of the pavilion .
It was a pretty deep cut that held fish year after year....filled in completely.
 
Immediately below the Conrail tubes changed big time too.
Can't recall which direction it went though.
It either went from poor to great, or the other way around..
 
Steritainia by the old bridge abutments area got a major change as well
 
Platz rd  and Folley's .....big changes
(Not to mention all the camper trailers tat got a "bit" wet)
 
That event was certainly the biggest creek game changer I can recall
 
LTA

CAPTAIN HOOK
What year did the tubes all jam with ice and form a lake up to Whitman's bridge ? 70's/80's ?

Would love to see some pictures of that!

Not sure how to post pictures on here, but i found one of route 5 after it washed out.

I'm sure we did PT, not much traffic in those days. Fantastic section of Elk Creek and one of the most scenic. I-90 up to the covered bridge held some beautiful water, holding holes, and fast runs. Well worth the long walk ! Was fortunate to fish it from the 80's on into the early 2000's till it got over crowded and posted. Many a day I never seen another fisherman all day ! It was a well kept secret till the internet showed up.
 
Met a guy fishing there one day in the late 90's and I asked him where he was from he said Maine ! Wow that's a long way, how did you know about this area to fish ? He said I looked up all the info on the internet and just decided to try this stretch. I knew it was over at that point! Took about 7 more years later before it exploded . Drove by my parking area that usually held 2-3 cars and I counted 23 cars there that day ! Wasn't long after that , No Trespassing signs everywhere !       

the power of water is pretty amazing
 
you guys mentioned BIG rocks being moved
there was   a  big concrete square at Streusion (sp??)  Flats  area
In the long straight stretch by parking lot before the creek makes a hard left turn down stream
 
anyway, the chunk was there  "forever" ...I'd "guess" it weighed 1000 pounds or so  .
Not sure if it was that storm, but remember it got moved 100 yrds or more down stream
 
 
..L.T.A.

Hey Capt. I don't have pic's but it did happen. March 1985. I was 12 at the time was fishing with my dad below the access area right before the shell wall. Sucker's where biting  and a few browns. I caught a citation size brown that day. The fish wardens came and told us the jam might break free at any time. Everyone left, the next day on the news I remember watching  a camper blow thru the tubes !!! The next weekend we where back up and remember seeing dead steel all thru the woods behind the old Coho camp at the mud hole.

thunderpole
It makes me sad hearing how good it was back then and to see how it is today

Honesty, if it wasn't for the hordes of weekend anglers, coupled with typical low n clear water, it's still not "bad" fishing by any standard.
 
Many of us regular steel headers go back to the  boom years.
I think we all just became incredibility spoiled, where anything less than double digit days was considered an "off" bite day
 
Double digit days are still common for the top 10% 
But not nearly as common now for us average water frothers like me that needs lots of dumb fish to feel like a troutgawd
 
 
Even worse for those that can only make one or two planned trips a year.
In boom years, it was sure thing they could at least find fish that weren't covered and surrounded shoulder to shoulder
 
 
LTA

dano

CREEKTROLL3
 the next day on the news I remember watching  a camper blow thru the tubes !!! 

Yep,
That video made the national news. 
 

Yes, seeing that trailer get tossed around and then sucked thru the tubes was unbelievable.  Even saw a couple huge propane tanks bobbing along as well - unreal. Made the national news that evening.
 
A fisherman by the tubes reported stone and dirt was washing from above into the creek - - - fortunately, officials examined the tracks, and shut the track down.  The sandstone center support eroded and it collapsed - - happened in March, 1985. The water reportedly was up to 40 feet deep, and actually wasn't caused  from ice buildup, but a damming of the tubes themselves from the washout originating up by the railroad.  
 
Agree  with Genieman on the creeks changing after those Hurricane events (that was in 2004) - - Elk really changed after those two systems blew through....

CT3 , and Albion, glad to here about the tubes jamming story and what year that was.
Like I said I didn't remember much but did hear about it from several local fishermen back then. Would have been something to witness.
 
They said it created a huge lake ! Yes I did hear about all the dead Steellhead too.
 
Had friends that fished Elk after ice out a few years back and said you wouldn't believe how many dead Steelhead were found crushed along the shores and woods from Winter ice.
 
One has to wonder even with catch and release how many do ever make it back the following year....I'd say less than 1 %
 
Someone posted this photo of Walnut one Winter
You think any fish survived this massive ice flow ? I'd say none !
I don't keep many fish anymore, but I don't criticize people who do, just for reasons like this. 
 
 

jat1007

genieman77

thunderpole
It makes me sad hearing how good it was back then and to see how it is today

Honesty, if it wasn't for the hordes of weekend anglers, coupled with typical low n clear water, it's still not "bad" fishing by any standard.
 
Many of us regular steel headers go back to the  boom years.
I think we all just became incredibility spoiled, where anything less than double digit days was considered an "off" bite day
 
Double digit days are still common for the top 10% 
But not nearly as common now for us average water frothers like me that needs lots of dumb fish to feel like a troutgawd
 
 
Even worse for those that can only make one or two planned trips a year.
In boom years, it was sure thing they could at least find fish that weren't covered and surrounded shoulder to shoulder
 
 
LTA

 
 

agree

 
Welp....that shows you're a pretty smArt kid....
 
 
As far as repeat spawners.. ..I don't think it's ever been many
Maybe 10%??? At best?..maybe...
 
I'd suggest the evidence is right before our eyes every year
Look in the holes....with  the exception of the jacks,  most all the mature fish are cookie cutter size within a pound or two.
 
The smart folks/bio guys tell me a steelie will put on two to three+ pounds a year in the lake
(More in great lake food for them years)
 
As i understand it, they're released as one year old smolts, spend two years in the lake putting on the feed bag and return as three year old adults 
 
The typical 4-6 pounders we see every Fall
One would expect repeat spawners (four year olds) to be 7-9 pound.
 
We just don't see lots of fish in the holes that vary that much in size.
There's generally a few brutes in a hole (those would be the repeat spawners)
But there's never a lot of em compared to the rest.
 
Same year class fish can vary a couple pounds (some eat better/more than others)
For the most part though, the overwhelming majority are same size.
Maybe 10% in the hole are clearly much larger 
 
I think it was Nagy I read that suggested 90% of the drop backs (fish that made it thru a whole season and went back out to lake) die that summer in the lake 
 
Note, this is for lake Erie steel.
It's different on the west coast ocean run steel ..repeat spawners aren't uncommon
 
LTA
 
 

I'm in agreement that repeat spawners are not very common no matter what conditions exist .
It's a nice thought to think that Steelhead you are releasing today will be back next year bigger and more with them but I have serious doubts. I'd say Mother Nature takes the toll more than we imagine. Ice flows crush em , spawning weakens them and their immune systems , stress from being caught and recaught , no food for months, low water conditions, all add to a slim chance to return a year later.
 
Remember N.Y. had a 1 fish limit on Steelhead for many years on certain creeks. Never did you see that help the return numbers the following years. They were always around average every year.
 
Once in awhile you see a trophy fish caught you wonder is that a return spawner or just an odd fish that ate good and never spawned until 4-5 years later? We don't know because no state along Erie has ever done a tagging survey on return fish numbers! I'd say it's minimal at best just like the odds of Steelhead spawning natural.    

CREEKTROLL3
Hey Capt. I don't have pic's but it did happen. March 1985. I was 12 at the time was fishing with my dad below the access area right before the shell wall. Sucker's where biting  and a few browns. I caught a citation size brown that day. The fish wardens came and told us the jam might break free at any time. Everyone left, the next day on the news I remember watching  a camper blow thru the tubes !!! The next weekend we where back up and remember seeing dead steel all thru the woods behind the old Coho camp at the mud hole.

Sorry guys, that was not an ice jam. Spring of 1985 The railroad tube collapsed and stopped up the creek. When they blew it open it washed the camper down and through the tubes. I had been home from the Navy just a few weeks when that happened.