Conestoga River and Cocalico Creek, Lancaster Co., and Crum Creek, Delaware Co
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Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Biologist Report Conestoga River and Cocalico Creek, Lancaster Co., and Crum Creek, Delaware Co. 2012 and 2013 Warmwater Stream Survey In November, 2012 and October/November, 2013 Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Area 6 personnel sampled Crum Creek, Delaware County (2012), Conestoga River, Lancaster County, and Cocalico Creek, a tributary to the Conestoga, Lancaster County (2013). Warmwater streams in southeastern Pennsylvania and statewide are gradually being surveyed to document warmwater fish communities as part of a greater project that would eventually characterize warmwater stream fish communities throughout the state. At the present time, results also provide anglers with information on new streams or stream segments to explore and fish. Two, four, and six sampling sites measuring 330-440 yards in length were electrofished in Crum Creek, Cocalico Creek, and the Conestoga River, respectively. The sampling sites occurred within stream segments listed in Table 1. Most stream segments except for Crum Creek near Ridley Park and the Conestoga River near Churchtown were characterized as being slow moving with moderately deep runs and glides, sluggish pools and only occasional riffles. Additionally, the majority of the pools ranged from three to four feet deep, but pools were sometimes as deep as 6.5 feet, providing the best habitat for larger smallmouth bass when pool substrates were firm. Sampled stream segments ranged from 20-80 feet in width, with a portion of the Conestoga study reach from Union Grove/Goodville east to Morgantown being the narrowest of the three streams. Sportfish communities primarily consisted of Smallmouth Bass, Rock bass and Redbreast Sunfish. As shown in Figure 1, Cocalico Creek had the highest electrofishing catch per hour (CPUE) for Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, and Redbreast Sunfish, with catch rates of 28 per hour, 91 per hour, and 50 per hour, respectively. Legal size Smallmouth Bass (≥12 inches) were most numerous in the Conestoga River, which also produced the largest smallmouth, a 16 inch fish. Three legal size Smallmouth Bass were also seen or captured in Cocalico Creek, the largest fish captured being 12 inches. Two larger Smallmouth Bass escaped the electrical field, however. Bass populations in all three waters were dominated by 6 to 9 inch fish. Rock Bass eight inches in length and larger were captured in Cocalico Creek and the Conestoga River. The Conestoga River produced the lone Redbreast Sunfish that was approximately seven inches in length. In all twelve to thirty-one unique fish species were captured in the three streams sampled (Table 2). Sixteen warmwater streams have been surveyed by Area 6 Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission biologists since 2007 with the following links identifying past results: 2008 Warmwater Streams Report, 2009 Warmwater Streams Report. The highest electrofishing CPUE for Smallmouth Bass during that time span was 201 per hour from the East Branch Perkiomen Creek. The levee section of Codorus Creek, located within the city limits of York, yielded the greatest CPUE for Rock Bass at 157 per hour and Maiden Creek, Berks County produced the greatest abundance of Redbreast Sunfish, represented by a catch rate of 111 per hour. Small numbers of Largemouth Bass were captured in Crum Creek, Cocalico Creek, and the Conestoga River, primarily in impounded stream reaches with aquatic vegetation present. Six young-of-the-year Largemouth Bass were netted in Crum Creek, three in Cocalico Creek, and five in the Conestoga River. The Conestoga River produced a few adult Largemouth Bass as well, the largest, a 14 inch fish; but most specimens ranged from 7 to 10 inches in total length. Isolated areas of better habitat known to local anglers may have held larger individuals of the aforementioned species in any of these streams, but the electrofishing sites were selected to be representative of typical habitat for each stream. Some pools on Cocalico Creek and the Conestoga River were unwadable and could have harbored larger bass. Yellow and Brown Bullheads were found in two of the three streams sampled in 2012 and 2013. Moderate populations of predominantly Yellow Bullhead were present in the Conestoga River near Goodville and Hinkletown (CPUE =19 and 17 respectively). Also, fair numbers were seen in Cocalico Creek near Denver, Ephrata and Rothsville (9 per hour). Bullheads ranged in size from 2 inches to 10 inches, with the largest found in the Conestoga River. No Bullheads were found during the sampling of Crum Creek. An unusual find was a lone Slimy Sculpin from a small spring along the Conestoga River near Churchtown. Low-head dams continue to block or inhibit movement of fish within the Conestoga River and Cocalico Creek system despite progress made in removing some of the dams over the past decade. The mill dams on these and many other streams in Lancaster County and elsewhere were once associated with agricultural practices. Dams slow the downstream movement of water, which creates a sluggish stream flow that can be favorable to species such as Common Carp, Largemouth Bass, and bullheads. The movement of resident and migratory species, such as White Suckers and American Eels, however, is significantly impeded by numerous dams throughout this system. American Eels, which migrate from the Sargasso Sea as juveniles and utilize rivers and streams as nursery water before returning to the Sargasso Sea to spawn, were present in each of the streams surveyed, but only Crum Creek supported eels of all life stages. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission biologists documented only a few, adult American Eels in Cocalico Creek and the Conestoga River, but this was surprising in that eels are largely blocked from entering the Conestoga system by power dams on the Susquehanna River. These fish may have been some of the relatively few eels that enter the Susquehanna River power dams’ fish lifts along with American shad and other species in spring. While fishing access on some warmwater streams is limited, kayakers and canoeists can navigate segments of the Conestoga River. As always, with safety in mind and before setting out, kayakers and canoeists should familiarize themselves with the waters that they intend to float, including the location of dams, private lane bridges that may not be passable without portaging and access points facilitating take-out and put -in. Figure 1. Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass and Redbreast Sunfish electrofishing catches per hour(CPUE)from Crum Creek (2012), Conestoga River (2013), and Cocalico Creek (2013). Table 1. Upper and Lower Survey Limits of Conestoga River, Crum Creek and Cocalico Creek. Stream Upper Survey Limit Lower Survey Limit Immediately South of Confluence with Cocalico Conestoga River Morgantown Creek Crum Creek East of Media Head-of-tide Cocalico Creek Denver, North of Ephrata Mouth of Stream Table 2. Species Occurrence in elecrofishing samples from the Conestoga River (2013), Crum Creek (2012) and Cocalico Creek (2013). Conestoga River Crum Creek Cocalico Creek Smallmouth Bass X X X Redbreast Sunfish X X X Rock Bass X X X Largemouth Bass X X X Green Sunfish X X Bluegill X X Pumpkinseed X X X White Sucker X X X Northern Hogsucker X X Margined Madtom X X Banded Killifish X X X Blacknose Dace X X Swallowtail Shiner X X X Common Carp X X Cutlips Minnow X X Common Shiner X X Tesselated Darter X X X Creek Chub X Spottail Shiner X X Longnose Dace X X Satinfin Shiner X X Slimy Sculpin* X Yellow Bullhead X X Brown Bullhead X Spotfin Shiner X X Golden Shiner X Hatchery Brown Trout X Bluntnose Minnow X X River Chub X X Greenside Darter X X Banded Darter X Yellow Perch X American Eel X X X Fallfish X X *Slimy Sculpin collected from a stream-side spring John Buzzar Area 6 Fisheries Biologist 9 inch Rock Bass Two Smallmouth Bass .