DaFuNK 
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Rain & Walnut
just an update.. was down at Walnut last night and today to see what the stream conditions were and to fish for an hour or so. Rain has had a great effect on the stream so far. Shortening the first fish jump and practically eliminating the second right before the bridge. Sat at the bridge for about 10-15 minutes and counted about 30-40 fish skittering up the flats. Last night their dorsals were catching air, but today the rain has deepened the water, so they are easier able to sneak up to the bridge. Just think.. all the fish i counted escaped that constant bombardment of power bait, spinners and flies and a few probably threw a hook or two. But they made it!  The manchester hole should be prime time for the weekend as hundreds of fish are moving upstream and catching wind for the trench run. The water is cloudy and the flow is hard. Meanwhile, thousands of fish are feeling the cool water and beginning to reinforce the deep wall areas as the early-birds head up stream. Bright streamers, skunks and egg patterns deadly, white/gittering power-baits, cured-roe. Carolina rigs are deadly with floating live & power baits apprx 15"-20" leaders. Live minnies work.. pretty much everything is catching fish at this point... If anyone is planning to come-up from out of town and need some more info, feel free to PM me L8r! FuNK
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flyfishermanPA
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/28 22:20:19
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McFishin
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/28 22:26:36
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dafunk.....your pm box is full..
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DaFuNK
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/28 22:30:05
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fishmonger
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/28 22:40:55
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Good post. I can picture them "skittering" in my head!
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DaFuNK
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/28 22:46:11
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yup.... the hens are so green and silver and the bucks are more black on the top. It's fun to watch them chase each other. The rain has allowed them to really thrive upstream and the hole should be stuffed for the weekend.
Thank the lord for the blessing of rain, I was really beginning to wonder for a while there. Funny thing is, is that we need still more. But what has fell so far has at least allowed them to spread out and get more exercise, and just as importantly it has cooled the water considerably.
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indsguiz
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/28 22:52:47
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But are they hitting dry flies? Inquiring minds want to know!
Illegitimis Non carborundum
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fisherofmen376
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/28 22:57:58
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Jack you won't give up on the dries will ya! Here's hoping you get a few on a dry. May they smack it so hard that they launch themselves in the air!
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19
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DaFuNK
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/28 23:06:00
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You could try this. there's easier ways to catch em though..
but I did have one come up and pound my float which was surprising - and they are definately surfacing.
I've never been able to hook a steelie on a dry fly.. every time they hit the fly my fly floats away and it never goes in the worm-hole. probably my leader or something..
ive caught plenty of stocked trout, gills, pumpkinseeds and bass on dries though! :-)
not saying it can't be dont.. but there are easier ways to hook da chrome fer sure
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indsguiz
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/28 23:08:55
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I just did the math and if DaFunk is correct (and I have no reason to doubt him) if you get 30 fish in 15 minutes and the run continues for 24 hours? That's 2880 fish upstream in a day. Hope it holds up.
Illegitimis Non carborundum
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tippy-toe
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/28 23:42:44
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...and if there is 100 guys at lower Walnut rotating every 5 hours, and each take 3 for cajun smoking.... 
I have the right to remain silent.....I just don't have the ability
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indsguiz
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 01:40:37
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Funk, It's just that I caught my first steelhead on a dry fly and I've caught a few since. But with the increased pressure on the fish keeping them "down" I haven't caught one on a dry in years. So, my goal for the "One Fly" is to catch a steelhead on a dry fly on a bamboo rod that I built. It is do-able my best day was 4 about 6 years ago on Elk at the Cascades. I tried it after I saw some bumping floats and I saw one actually take a float and hold on for about a minute.
Illegitimis Non carborundum
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STEALYS4ME
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 05:43:43
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Thanx dafunk for the honest report we out of towners appreciate it may stop down this weekend on my way home from new york..
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DanesDad
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 06:21:28
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Nice to see an honest report that nobody (so far) is crapping on the OP for putting up.
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MackJ
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 06:37:11
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Thanks for the helpful report. Fish were getting up the waterfall at the top of the hill on Saturday, so it should be good upstream to get some of the pressure off the lower reaches spread out. FishUSA thanks you (I would hope)for contributing positively to the free flow of information that enhances the usefulness of this message board.
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DaFuNK
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 10:35:28
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Update for you out of towners..
up this morning and the weather looks nasty.. lots of rain and wind in the forecast it seems.
lol - deciding on making the trip now, depends on what your meaning of 'fishable' is (heh.. I have a pretty high tolerance and usually just adjust techniques to whichever condition)
if you can find the power to leave the fly rod in the trunk and pull out some weighty carolina rigs then you can catch fish in any conditions. i heard on the news before bed last night SW winds 25-30mph
i havent been down today yet.. but i imagine the stream is swelling and the water is high and it is very windy.
the majority and "first surge" of fish are up to manchester hole and the cool water coming out into the lake will bring in thousands more into the channel...
keep an eye on the weather.. if the high pressure moves in and that storm system is pushed off the lake.. then this weekend should be perfect.
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DaFuNK
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 10:37:00
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ORIGINAL: DanesDad
Nice to see an honest report that nobody (so far) is crapping on the OP for putting up.
oh.. i get crapped on here and there.. but i know how to take it and dish it if i have to.. lol
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DaFuNK
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 10:40:59
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ORIGINAL: indsguiz
I just did the math and if DaFunk is correct (and I have no reason to doubt him) if you get 30 fish in 15 minutes and the run continues for 24 hours? That's 2880 fish upstream in a day. Hope it holds up.
wow that seems high to me..i think it depends on the time of day and the water conditions.. i can tell you that 3 weeks ago i counted schools of hundreds of fish.. the water was so low and crystal clear. between 11-12 when the sun was high you could see the large schools.. the rain should definately bring more in.. not because of the water flow, but the temperature. the cool water going into the lake is like a siren's call to the steelhead.. they know its time to move in when they feel the cool water. and the water flow flushes tons of food out into the staging areas..
post edited by DaFuNK - 2009/09/29 10:41:43
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DaFuNK
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 10:44:18
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ORIGINAL: STEALYS4ME
Thanx dafunk for the honest report we out of towners appreciate it may stop down this weekend on my way home from new york..
Do it! this weekend should be perfect.. just watch the weather. wind and "TOO-MUCH rain" are the enemy. stop by poor richards and take home a couple nice smokie's as Erie souvineers.. and maybe splurge on some new tackle and gear.. they have a lot of local-tied flies and rigs that some of us Erie boyz knot up so you know they are great quality.. lol.. and NO i dont work there.. but their cajun flavored smokie is tough to beat
post edited by DaFuNK - 2009/09/29 10:46:55
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350Z&Steelheads
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 10:57:11
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Thanks DaFuNK...
I enjoy your reports and you are dead on in referance to the cajun. Good stuff.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day. 
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cp13
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 11:03:22
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Looks like were definitely getting that 3 inches of rain everyone said was needed, if we haven't already...
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Screamin Steel
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 11:04:27
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Great report, DaFunk. Curious how Elk is looking as it needed alot more rain than Walnut to really make a difference there. Keep the good reports coming, and a few pics are always good to get the blood flowing as well! PR's smoked steelies are awesome....got alot of it until I figured out my own recipe.
post edited by Screamin Steel - 2009/09/29 11:05:14
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MackJ
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 11:07:06
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If the Brandy Run guage is any indication, and it usually is, Elk has probably come up significantly and the fish should have pushed up past route 5 and beyond by now, but certainly within the next 24 hours.
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DaFuNK
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 11:16:15
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i wandered around walnut at rt 5 for a little while.. a few young bucks but nothing more...
most of the action is downstream at this point between manchester and mouth.
as more rain comes and the water gets cloudy though they get harder to see.. especially without sunshine beating down.
this weather is perfect.. it will allow more fish to get further up and faster. sucks to fish in the rain and wind, but we needed a good dose of water to surge the creek up a bit.
weekend should be excellent fishing
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gct069
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 12:34:54
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thank you for the post and info dafunk.im planning on coming up to fish wednesday afternoon and thursday.my parents live not far off 79 in mckean and they just told me elk creek is ROLLING big time....wont be too long before the fish are up that far if the rain keeps up 
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creek-chub
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 12:47:18
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What's your take for the streams for Thursday?
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heyiknowyou
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 14:17:02
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assuming it quits raining... they might have a chance at changing color from chocolate milk. i can actually see blue sky outside now. i'm not sure about the wind forecasts for the rest of the week though, but we're supposed to get two or three days without a large chance of rain
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WaxWorm
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 15:21:32
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I think I read some where steelhead can move 7 miles upstream per day?
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MackJ
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 15:34:58
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ORIGINAL: WaxWorm
I think I read some where steelhead can move 7 miles upstream per day?
Yes, and by the looks of things, they will be spread out well upstream by the end of the week.
post edited by MackJ - 2009/09/29 15:35:16
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D-nymph
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RE: Rain & Walnut
2009/09/29 15:38:10
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ORIGINAL: MackJ
ORIGINAL: WaxWorm
I think I read some where steelhead can move 7 miles upstream per day?
Yes, and by the looks of things, they will be spread out well upstream by the end of the week.
You can't prove that. I think that you are intentionally trying to trick less experienced anglers into believing that the fish will be farther upstream than they really are. By doing this, and them listening to you, you can have less people on the lower reaches of the tribs, leaving more room for you and your buddies. Selfish behavior, Mr. Mack J.
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