I tied a couple eggs although I had no idea what I was doing, I just wrapped some orange dubbing around the hook to form a ball and tied it off
Good call.
True confession...In the 80s and 90s, I used to fish The Ditch a ton. I know the fish composition was much different then as opposed to now (hatchery escapees/artificial fishery then vs. exclusively wild trout now), but man did they love egg patterns. Best colors for me were Niagara Gold, Oregon Cheese, Apricot Delight. I sat the egg right on the bottom of the channel and then just watch them vacuum it up. Big fish couldn't stand the egg just laying there on the bottom and would finally give in. Same thing if you drop the egg on a cress bed. After a while, you get tired of it and either switch flies or pack it in. Egg patterns work very well on the Letort, Falling Spring, and Spring Creek too. Point being that while fish in those streams may largely feed on cressbugs, scuds, shrimp, etc., they know what eggs are, and even if they don't, their curiosity gets the better of them and they will hit it. Don't be afraid to experiment/think outside the box when fishing over highly educated fish or wild trout in a small stream. Patience and practice here is key as you will get out of it what you put into it.I've caught them in the Ditch when they are on midges on a Tenkara rod fishing a Purple & Snipe, but hey...
..that's me.
When I was a kid we used to call them Hudson River white fish.
I fished a lot of redworms at Big Spring too. I tied them with red floss on curved scud hooks. Some, I also used red wire with orange floss in the middle. Back then when my eyes were much better, I could track that sucker with ease as it drifted in the plume coming out of the pipe. You know fish were stacked there like cordwood. Catch 50 fish and call it a day because your arm was sore. Glad I got to experience that back in the day. It was fun, but I'm accepting of the fact that the change there was needed, even though the fish below the Ditch are much more stingy these daysMy go to at the Ditch in that same era was a red "worm" fly I crafted from horsehair (from a violin bow) that I washed until it was clear (thanks to Vince Marinaro for that tip), dyed red and wound on the hook.
The fished loved it and so did bluegills elsewhere.
Susquehanna Squid!!!!!!!!
It was all you describe and more! As a teenager, it was fun. Fly fishing is an evolving process. The older you get, the more your tastes change. For me, I went from LL and the Central PA Limestoners to almost exclusively for mountain trout. I occasionally fish Special Reg areas, but my drug of choice is gem mining on blue lines away from everyone else.
My friend was in the delayed harvest section and caught a wild brown today, I’ve caught wild rainbows and A wild brown there but no brooks. In the fly only section I haven’t caught any fish but I’ve only seen rainbows and browns.
I gotta figure out how brook trout got listed in the mixed class A for falling springs then or if it was a mistake. I mean in big spring not counting the ditch you see raimbows cruising around out in the open FAR more than brookies. Would not be suprised if there are a few brookies in there if thats how it is too
Yea i would believe if they are there its incredibly focal if not an error
The 2006 biologist report doesn’t list any brook trout other than one stocked fish. Idk how brook trout would suddenly appear in the creek if they haven’t stocked it at all in like 20 years so maybe it was an error. Also do you know when the last time they surveyed it was?
