Sztoła exploration on the last winter day.
28 February I took day off on my work, to explore small river Sztoła, a tributary of Biała Przemsza.
Polish river name Sztoła originated from German word "stollen" (adit in English), type of horizontal mining shaft. The water in the river coming from underground from mining drainage, here's the name.
Sztoła has very winding course. There's few observation points on the top of sand cliffs, and foot trail going along these spectacular viewpoints.
From fishing prospective, Sztoła was a home for native brown trout. Unfortunately, water in the river is very milky and turbid, due to wastewater from mining enterprise.
There were efforts by nature conservation organization "Przyiacele Białej Przemszy" to restore habitat in the river, by creating spawning grounds for trout in the lower section of the river.
Fine gravel was brought to the river and new spawning cite created in 2011. Unfortunately, according to Przyjacele web page, it served only one year, and later destroyed. The current state of the spawning grounds is unknown.
Now, the river and forest around serves mainly as place for scenic walking, biking, or other activities.
River is narrow, but deep in many places. Here's a shallow place, where it's easy to cross to the other side. The bottom is mostly sandy, with patches of fine gravel, and some grass.
You can see that grass in shallow riffles, even in this milky water. When the river was clear before 2010, the bottom was clearly seen on photos like this.
Due to poor water quality, future of brown trout population is uncertain. Very sad, because the area is very scenic and spectacular, and it could be a top-notch trout fishery, if managed properly.
Polish river name Sztoła originated from German word "stollen" (adit in English), type of horizontal mining shaft. The water in the river coming from underground from mining drainage, here's the name.
Sztoła has very winding course. There's few observation points on the top of sand cliffs, and foot trail going along these spectacular viewpoints.
There were efforts by nature conservation organization "Przyiacele Białej Przemszy" to restore habitat in the river, by creating spawning grounds for trout in the lower section of the river.
Fine gravel was brought to the river and new spawning cite created in 2011. Unfortunately, according to Przyjacele web page, it served only one year, and later destroyed. The current state of the spawning grounds is unknown.
Now, the river and forest around serves mainly as place for scenic walking, biking, or other activities.
River is narrow, but deep in many places. Here's a shallow place, where it's easy to cross to the other side. The bottom is mostly sandy, with patches of fine gravel, and some grass.
You can see that grass in shallow riffles, even in this milky water. When the river was clear before 2010, the bottom was clearly seen on photos like this.
Due to poor water quality, future of brown trout population is uncertain. Very sad, because the area is very scenic and spectacular, and it could be a top-notch trout fishery, if managed properly.
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