An Interesting Spring Creek

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Obviously for the purpose of not upsetting people I will leave the name of this spring creek out. It is well known though but not for fishing, mostly private and in SEPA.

This particular spring creek is quite an oddball. While it is fairly large and has cool water, it borders on transitional water in the summer. During extended heat waves it registers around 69-71 degrees and it flows into a much larger warm water river that brings loads of different species of fish migrating up into its reaches.

Smallmouth, Large Mouth, large suckers etc...
In the mix is large migrating brown tout. These fish will stack up in pods of 4 or less with suckers and bass. It is hard to tell them apart in the deep pools. You really have to study the shapes of the mouths and it gets difficult to catch them because of all the other fish.

Just wanted to share one thing Ive been doing this summer. However most of my trips have been chasing the LargeMouth I saw in the 10lb range. Its been 2 years now and about a dozen chances, but no dice. Ill get him yet!

Still this particular spring creek intrigues me. Not because of the large browns, they are just a bonus, but there is something about catching big smallies in a clear spring creek.

 

[Prospector]

That’s quite the big fish smorgasbord for what appears to be a small creek. It’s amazing what opportunities exist if you just know where to look!! Very nice fish.

 

[jifigz]

Dang. That seems like a very odd stream for sure. A mixed bag with browns, Largemouth, and smallies in what you describe as a "spring Creek" is very strange and very cool. Just my personal opinion, but 71° is in no way too warm for brown trout to thrive. Maybe too warm to catch them and stress them big time, but browns can easily tolerate that temp and be great. On the other hand, seems a little cool for what LMB would want to be hanging out in during the summer.

 

[klingy]

Just took a walk down there the other day. Very intriguing stream.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

No doubt and my very thought on why its so strange. The only thing i can figure is the bass like the mix of cold/warm at the mouth. Why the venture upstream is beyond me but it is neat as hell . The creek is 100 percent spring creek with weeding and all.

On a side note i dont target these browns during extended heat waves. I did yesterday but the water is in the low/mid 60's the past few days.

 

[drakeking412]

Very cool! Maybe one day I'll stumble into that creek!

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Now your text makes sense to me

 

[JeffP]

I can't see the pictures but would love to.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Anyone else not seeing the pictures?

 

[Acristickid]

I see. Real mixed bag.

 

[lestrout]

I can see the nice pix on Chromebook.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I was really pondering this today.

The creek itself is fairly cool most of the year. During high heat and rain events i imagine it can warm substantially but i still dont get all the bass.

The browns i understand. They are transients that found refuge here because of the larger river warming. The creek has very good overall habitat too so it makes sense.

The bass could have traveled to find forge but im more concerned about the mainstems bass disappearing. Is it possible the bass are vacating an entire waterway for some reason? The bass fishing for adult smallmouth has been poor in this creeks watershed this year.

 

[FarmerDave]

salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
Anyone else not seeing the pictures?

Works fine for me and I have a massive firewall.

The brown is so colorful. Thanks for sharing.

Smallmouth have no problem with colder water. I believe their ideal water temperatures are between 66 and 72, so that stream sounds perfect.

I have even seen them in a small class A, a mile upstream from a where it flows into a class B, which flows into a large river a little over a mile upstream from a major river. I would be very surprised if either of those streams ever get above 70, and the smaller one likely doesn't exceed 65. But to be honest, that is an assumption because I never actually measured the temperature of either. No need to becuase I rarely fish for trout in the heat of summer.

Even if they went in the class B to escape the warmth (which it certainly didn't need to do), why would they leave the small/medium class B that has plenty of forage fish and enter an even colder and very small class A?

Because they could.

 

[troutpout]

Awesome pictures, I don't know of many streams like that but I'm from MO where it's like bass on bass on bass most places. Thanks for sharing, hoping to 'find' it someday

 

[jifigz]

Oh yeah, I've seen smallies way up class A streams that flow into the J. I've also seen a decent sized muskie in a very high gradient class A stream that flows into the Juniata that is no more than 8 feet wide and shallow. It's got waterfalls, brown trout, and apparently at least one muskie that likes to hang there.

 

[Dave_W]

jifigz wrote:
I've also seen a decent sized muskie in a very high gradient class A stream that flows into the Juniata that is no more than 8 feet wide and shallow. It's got waterfalls, brown trout, and apparently at least one muskie that likes to hang there.

Interesting!

On the topic of "mixed" streams in PA the presence of muskies is more common, I think, in western PA. Muskies are native there and found throughout medium and even smaller creeks. In the last fifty years, as they have settled into their introduced watersheds (Susky, Delaware, Potomac etc.) it's probably inevitable that gradually they are moving into smaller tribs from the rivers where they're stocked. They also wind up in streams when they go over dams from the reservoirs where they're stocked.

Muskies can thrive in creeks. There used to be some of them in Spring Creek back in the day, but these were hatchery escapees. Nevertheless, I think the presence of a muskie in the kind of stream you describe is still pretty unusual... but certainly not unheard of. In the upper mid-west there are guys that target muskies that run up trout streams to spawn in the springtime.
Hhmmm....

 

[mcwillja]

That's really cool report.

1. Does this stream see pressure?
2. Are their fishable hatches on this stream?

 

[wildtrout24]

I once saw a pike in the yellow breeches. It was only around 12 inches and was with several trout . At the time I assumed it was a hatchery escapee.

 

[jifigz]

mcwillja wrote:
That's really cool report.

1. Does this stream see pressure?
2. Are their fishable hatches on this stream?

If this is I'm regards to me, I would say the stream sees virtually zero pressure. And hatches, couldn't tell ya. I'm assuming some decent aquatic life given the fish so of course there has to be hatches. Fishable, who knows. I've slammed em on stimulators there before. When a stream is high gradient and fast flowing the browns don't have much time to inspect. It isn't like on some other waters where I see clear refusals when they come up and eyeball it for a second then swim back down. Which, btw, BWO should be happening soon on my favorite local waters.

Also, I'm not too much of a small stream guy. I like bigger water where people are less likely to chase you off of their land with a shotgun...

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I qould say hatches are like any classic limestone stream. Not much other than bwo, sulphurs and midges.
Pressure is light as far as i know.

I have known about this creek a few years but just started fishing it so i could be completely wrong.