Kip’s Comments - September 19, 2026

I Won’t Be Going Trout Fishing

After the past few days of excessive rain I had multiple people send me notice that Echo Valley State Park was closed due to flooding. My exploration of the park did not happen until much of the high water had receded. Still, hours later, Otter Creek was raging out of its bank. And the banks have been changed too - there now appears to be a boat ramp due to deposited gravel. Trout streams do not need a boat ramp.

Following is a sampling of what I saw at Echo Valley State Park late this afternoon. It will take some time for conditions to normalize again. I won’t be doing any fishing there for a while. (What do the fish in the stream do when the water comes up so high? Do they go low and let the water flow? Are they pushed out of the area? I wonder….)