More great news for the J!

More great news for the J!

PAFBC electroshocking

The LJRA is excited to announce that as a result of the June electroshocking survey (scroll down to the next page), PFBC will recommend that two sections of the J be classified as a wild Class A fishery. Being declared a wild Class A fishery is an important step towards gaining high quality cold water (HQCW) designated use status by PA-DEP.  One location encompasses 4.5 miles of the upper J from Sandy Run to the Rt 220 bridge in Bellwood.  The other 3.2 mile section is located on the lower J from the Barre bridge to the mouth of the Juniata River. 2016 has been an excellent year for the J!

In Memory of Dan Grobe

Photo courtesy of Dan’s good friend and fishing buddy, Frank Gondos.

Dan Grobe loved fly fishing the Little J. His family and friends have made donations to the Little Juniata River Association in his memory. Here is a photo of Dan taken near the “Road Springs” last spring.

December Meeting

December Meeting

The LJRA will meet Thursday December 8th  at 7PM at the Edgewater Inn. The agenda will include updates on a joint venture been the LJRA and AE paper Co in Tyrone to explore the feasibility of modifying the paper mill dam to allow fish passage from the J up into the Little Bald Eagle , continuation of the trout telemetry study in 2017, status of the Little Bald Eagle Creek and the identification of 4.6 miles of Class water in the upper J. Hope to see you there.

Major source of trash thwarted

Polluting junk yard cleaned up

Before clean up. The Upper J flows just behind the tree line of the left
Before clean up. The Upper J flows just behind the tree line on the left
After Pennelec clean up. A new fence will prevent junk from encroaching on the banks of the J
After Pennelec clean up. A new fence will prevent junk from encroaching on the banks of the J

This site on the banks of the upper “J” was covered with junk from an auto salvage operation. LJRA worked with the legitimate landowner, First Energy, to get it cleared. We give our thanks to First Energy/Penelec for finally getting this done! This should greatly reduce the washing of tires and other auto-associated trash into the J during high water events.

November Meeting

November Meeting

The November meeting will be held on Thursday Nov 10th at 7PM at the Edgewater Inn. Come early or stay afterwards for dinner and drinks with your fellow members. Progress on and amendment of our future goals will be discussed. Our guest speaker will be Matt Shank of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.  Matt will present recent research on invasive species in the waters of Pennsylvania. Our streams are threatened with Didymo, mud snails, hydrilla, rusty crayfish and others.

Freeing a vital source of cold spring water for the upper J!

Freeing a vital source of cold spring water for the upper J!

This spring was diverted as a source of water for the Tyrone paper mill since 1935. In August 2016, American Eagle Paper Co agreed to free it at its source, located 2 miles upstream from their pump house in Tyrone. Director Carl Reed and Bill Anderson visited the spring and walked its path to the river. It is now providing much needed 50 degree cold water for an additional 2 miles of the upper J! Kudos to American Eagle Paper Co.

September Meeting

September Meeting

The LJRA met Thursday, September 8th at the Edgewater Inn.  Mike Grim, President/CEO of American Eagle Paper Co. Tyrone, was our guest. The paper mill is the largest consumer of spring water in the watershed. Mike discussed the technological advances at AE that has led to a ~440% reduction in water usage, including eliminating the need to spray heated water into the Bald Eagle. This, and other initiatives (see above) have made the paper mill more environmentally friendly. 

September minutes

Bass flies

Fly of month- Bass flies

bass flies

With the extremely low water conditions and a non-stop heat wave in place (we have 7 more days of temps in the high 80s to mid 90s coming!), it is appropriate that the fly of the month be something used to catch bass. I recently went back to fishing for bass and its  good way to get your fly fishing fix while protecting the resource. The Upper Juanita and Raystown branch are  great places to start and fishing can be done with a 6wt. No need to tie many exotic flies or buy new materials. Heavily hackled wollybuggers and other streamers  are quite effective. Give it a shot and give our trout a rest! Visit the fly of the month page for a materials list. If you have a favorite bass fly please consider submitting the pattern for publication on the site!