Open Water ?

[RapRunR]

How much open water do you have up there Red ? Does the tail water freeze up much or with the water flow is it usually always open there ? All frozen here now except for Tionesta Dam tail water down to confluence with the river.

[Red Childress]

The tailwater section always remains open immediately below the dam. I rarely see the river completely frozen unless the outflow is very low like is now. When you get into Warren, there will be areas of thick bank ice but that flushes when the flow is cranked up.

The Corps of Engineers usually keeps the flow low after much of the river down your way freezes to prevent ice jams in the Oil City area. I expect to see lots of ice on the river by the end of the week but you can always find open water between the Dam and Warren, no matter how cold it is.

I used to use my boat as a battering ram and cut acres of ice into large (manageable) pieces and then push the pieces into the current to flush out the deeper holes. If the ice was too thick to break with my smaller boats, I would get a buddy to drive the boat and I would use a big spud bar and cut perforations in the ice so the boat could bust the weakening chunks out.......those days are pretty much long gone. :)

[RapRunR]

Thx for the info Red. Worse comes to worse i might have to make a trip up that way after the frigid snap if i can't get my fix here. At the tail race do the eyes sit in that pocket after the wall out from the railing to get out of the current in the winter ? You probably don't fish up there since you can't go that far up in with the boat though ?

[Red Childress]

Fish will hold on both sides of the outflow. With the outflow being very low, they will spread out and be very near school of shiners. That entire stretch is a big time trophy water all the way down past the launch. I think there could be a state record walleye caught there during winter months someday, especially after dark.

I used to fish it quite a bit during the summer for muskies but only at nite. There is a ton of food around there and the bites are tough but that is how they get big and fat.