Spring Creek Trouble

[Romans 6.23]

Hello all, this is my first post on this forum and I have a few questions regarding fishing tactics for spring creek, as well as some other streams here in Centre County. I have fished SC (spring creek) about 10 times so far this year, each day with varying levels of results. My main form of fly fishing is indicator fishing. It took me about 3 visits to SC, and subsequently getting skunked, to realize adding split shot 16 inches above my first fly, with a dropper fly off of that one is not nearly sensitive enough for the fish on SC. Since those visits, I dived into drops hot nymphing. Drop shot nymphing made much more sense to me as the weight helps connect the flies to the indicator floating downstream of the rig, this allowed a better view into what my flies were doing and if a trout bit them. Shortly after watching a couple YT videos, I tied up a drop shot rig, with 12 inches of 0x to a split ring where my indicator sat, 6 feet of 5x connected to the split ring to the first fly on a dropper, 18 inches down from that was my second fly on a dropper, and 14 inches below this was my split shot. (this is the rig I have fished for the past 2 or so weeks). My first day out I caught 5 nice brown trout in about 2 hours. Although since then my results have been extremely inconsistent I feel and I was hoping for some insight into either what I am doing wrong (most plausible), or if the fish on SC just get finnnicky.

Today, Apr. 23, I fished hard for 4 hours (1pm to 5pm) on the lower section of SC close to Milesburg. The water was perfect, and many bugs were on the rocks and in the air. I only had one hook up to show for this 4 hours of fishing. I tried lengthening and shortening the distance between indicator from 4 to 8 feet. Tried several tried and true flies (size 18 PT,16 scud bug, 18 bwo nymph, and many others). I constantly varied my split shot from 2 b's of weight to 2, 3/0 split shots of weight. I feel I am a solid angler and know good trout water when I see it, but I was thorougly stumped from today and times before when I have also been skunked on SC. I set the hook when my indicator dives below the water (which I believe is the correct technique for drop shot nymphing). Are the fish biting and Im not seeing it on my indicator? Is this normal for SC in the prime time of spring? Is the only solution to euro nymph?

Any and all feedback/questions are welcome. Thanks for your time!

 

[nymphingmaniac]

not sure where you were, but many locations on that part of SC can be tough fishing at 400cfs. fish hold in some inaccessible spots and the water rushes through the more "popular" spots. You have to pick your spots. the amount of weight needed to get down at those flows can put some unnatural movements on the flies. Combine the flows with small flies (18 and 16) and it is tough. Water is rushing, but 8ft is quite a long distance. tie a small nymph off of a larger attractor nymph. considering the number of rainbows a BH prince nymph is a good choice. Finally, the sun was quite bright today, also not ideal. I think you had a few things working against you that when combined led to a tough day.

 

[Romans 6.23]

Im a tall guy (6 4), and pretty experienced at wading so I felt like I was getting into the water most guys are unable to access, especially with the high flows. Does the heavy weight put unnatural movements on the flies even if they are on a 5" dropper of the main line of tippet on the drop shot rig? What size prince nymph do you like? whats your go-to method for fishing the knee/thigh deep runs? Through prior experience on SC, ive found the biggest fish in the stream are sometimes holding in the super fast runs tucked away behind a boulder, does that hold true most of the time? or are they along the edges tucked under a log?

 

[lycoflyfisher]

One safe assumption on Spring Creek, there is a fish under about every rock. There's not much water that is void of fish.

 

[nativebrownie]

You have asked many questions -
A few perceptions from my end:
SC is a gem and many work hard to keep it that way in the midst of growth - I enjoy just walking the paths.
Appreciate that quality and buffered environment.
I have a hard time seeing the quality of a fishing day on SC as related simply to a fish count. That seems at the center of your concern.

Myself, and some that I know, vary our rigs depending on condition - that can be rewarding and fun.
Daniel Shield's Fly Fishing Spring Creek is a gem - looks at the whole picture.
Myself, and many that I know, especially enjoy dries and maybe droppers - and swinging wets downstream.
Depends on conditions ...
Additionally, keep in mind that many quality native trout ecosystem switch on and off - that is the nature of the beast... And what is fun if you can sense those changes...

Enjoy SC - my favorite place to wander - staring at an indicator has its place sometimes...
A friend of mine only fishes dries, wets and terrestrials on SC - he is always smiling at the end of a day.

 

[Romans 6.23]

One safe assumption on Spring Creek, there is a fish under about every rock. There's not much water that is void of fish.

Haha, that is what was bothering me so much. I felt like I tried every trick in the book (lengthening leader, changing flies, changing strike indicator, changing weight, casting close and far away). I dont know what I could have done different, any tips?

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Streamers can be effective, but bright sunny days in the afternoon can be challenging. I have found sowbug patterns and pt nymphs to typically work, but I am far from a SC regular or accomplished on SC.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

Im a tall guy (6 4), and pretty experienced at wading so I felt like I was getting into the water most guys are unable to access, especially with the high flows. Does the heavy weight put unnatural movements on the flies even if they are on a 5" dropper of the main line of tippet on the drop shot rig? What size prince nymph do you like? whats your go-to method for fishing the knee/thigh deep runs? Through prior experience on SC, ive found the biggest fish in the stream are sometimes holding in the super fast runs tucked away behind a boulder, does that hold true most of the time? or are they along the edges tucked under a log?

Prince Tung bead sz 12 2XL hook typically, but fish sz 14-10
method for knee-thigh high- varies on conditions. I'd start with an indicator from a greater distance and then remove and get closer and tight line
weight- dropper- allows some wiggle from side to side, but it still has to move downstream.
High sun they will hang closer to the bank and right tight to rocks, shaded side if relevant.
There may be a lot of fish in SC, but not all are in feeding lanes
I think you just had multiple small things going against you. As Clint hurdle would say, shower it off (unfortunately, he said that a lot LOL)

 

[Romans 6.23]

Prince Tung bead sz 12 2XL hook typically, but fish sz 14-10
method for knee-thigh high- varies on conditions. I'd start with an indicator from a greater distance and then remove and get closer and tight line
weight- dropper- allows some wiggle from side to side, but it still has to move downstream.
High sun they will hang closer to the bank and right tight to rocks, shaded side if relevant.
There may be a lot of fish in SC, but not all are in feeding lanes
I think you just had multiple small things going against you. As Clint hurdle would say, shower it off (unfortunately, he said that a lot LOL)

Thanks for the info! maybe I should have switched to a streamer, and given up on the nymphing after getting skunked for the first 2 hours. I've been trying to get better at nymphing, but SC doesnt seem very forgiving in that regard. What percent of the time are y'all tightlining? that's something I havent gotten into yet

 

[Dr.J 1952]

I fished the Benner Springs section on Saturday 4/20. I’ve fished it many times over the years. In my opinion, the water wasn’t that high but it was moving fast. I fish 2-3 fly rigs with an indicator. I had enough weight on as I got plenty of snags. I caught one 8” brown by tossing my fly up against the far bank under a bush. It took a Red Dart euro fly. We saw no one else catching anything. Based on other outings on SC, I’d say conditions were less than ideal. Saw few insects. It was also very windy where we were. Also, SC had been very high for at least a week which can put fish down. Sometimes the fish just aren’t biting. That’s why it’s called fishing and not catching.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

When all else fails and you're fishing lower SC, throw on a Niagra Gold Egg (The Bug Shop sells the yarn) as your bottom fly. Apricot and Oregon Cheese are also great colors. Many will use a normal size egg fly (like #12), but I also bring a few micro eggs in #16 as the trout can be finicky given the pressure they get. I don't like it but if I'm not having the best day nymphing, the egg usually saves the day and serves up some surprises too. Sometimes you'll do everything right and it really does come down to fly selection.

 

[Romans 6.23]

Thanks for all this info gents. Is there something I may be doing wrong in my presentation? I try getting my flies and indicator in the seam (easier said than done though)

 

[wgmiller]

It seems like a good option for you would be to hook up with a guide or someone who could help you with your technique. YouTube is a great starting point for seeing how others do it and gaining the knowledge, bu it takes "hands-on" to put it all together. Once you start putting the pieces together the light bulb will come on. As others have said, Spring can be a bit fickle at times and ultimately it may not have been anything you were doing wrong. In the end, it can really be as simple as getting a good drift with a Walt's Worm through fish holding spots.

 

[Romans 6.23]

It seems like a good option for you would be to hook up with a guide or someone who could help you with your technique. YouTube is a great starting point for seeing how others do it and gaining the knowledge, bu it takes "hands-on" to put it all together. Once you start putting the pieces together the light bulb will come on. As others have said, Spring can be a bit fickle at times and ultimately it may not have been anything you were doing wrong. In the end, it can really be as simple as getting a good drift with a Walt's Worm through fish holding spots.

That is not a bad idea, thanks for the input. A question I have is, how do I know if I am getting a "good" drift? Today I plan on getting back on SC and focusing on fishing closer to myself and trying to get my fly and indicator in the same seam. How do I know if I am doing that correctly?

 

[wgmiller]

That is not a bad idea, thanks for the input. A question I have is, how do I know if I am getting a "good" drift? Today I plan on getting back on SC and focusing on fishing closer to myself and trying to get my fly and indicator in the same seam. How do I know if I am doing that correctly?

Imagine you are a morsel of food, floating down the trout food conveyor. You want to be drifting naturally in the current, at the appropriate depth, appearing as natural as possible. The fly has to be moving at the same speed as the current (which can be a challenge depending on where you are in the water column). There are so many parts to knowing if you're getting a good drift that it's almost tough to explain. The ultimate litmus test is whether or not you're catching fish. With tightline nymphing there is so much that is "instinctual" that it's hard to tell someone how a drift should play out. You're completely mentally engaged with the drift, looking for your sighter to move, feeling for a strike, etc.

 

[Romans 6.23]

Imagine you are a morsel of food, floating down the trout food conveyor. You want to be drifting naturally in the current, at the appropriate depth, appearing as natural as possible. The fly has to be moving at the same speed as the current (which can be a challenge depending on where you are in the water column). There are so many parts to knowing if you're getting a good drift that it's almost tough to explain. The ultimate litmus test is whether or not you're catching fish. With tightline nymphing there is so much that is "instinctual" that it's hard to tell someone how a drift should play out. You're completely mentally engaged with the drift, looking for your sighter to move, feeling for a strike, etc.

Would drop shot nymphing with too much weight affect this natural drift due to the amount of weight dragging along the bottom. Is it possible my flies were moving too slowly? I was switching my weight around constantly yesterday trying to figure it out, and I was getting a pretty decent tick tick tick along the bottom. Does a certain amount of dragging on the rig present the flies naturally because the creek floorbed (where my flies are) is also much slower than the surface current?

 

[nymphingmaniac]

Imagine you are a morsel of food, floating down the trout food conveyor. You want to be drifting naturally in the current, at the appropriate depth, appearing as natural as possible. The fly has to be moving at the same speed as the current (which can be a challenge depending on where you are in the water column). There are so many parts to knowing if you're getting a good drift that it's almost tough to explain. The ultimate litmus test is whether or not you're catching fish. With tightline nymphing there is so much that is "instinctual" that it's hard to tell someone how a drift should play out. You're completely mentally engaged with the drift, looking for your sighter to move, feeling for a strike, etc.

Romans- and remember with indicator nymphing that the flow is faster at the surface. Without aggressive mending, the flies will trail the indicator, especially in fast flows. There are videos that show this. However, even knowing this there are a lot of things you can't control and are hard to predict unless you really know the water (and exact spot) you are fishing. It's a cloudy day most of today. See how you do and move upstream where the water flow is more moderate. There are a number of good places around the 550/spring creek road. The water levels should be quite good there now.

 

[Romans 6.23]

The flow is heavy right now and it sounds like you are trying to fish the heavy flows with heavy weights. Fish the edges and softer water first. Don't even wade to start out until you fish the water close to the bank before wading in. Move around and fish all types of water to find fish. Also give streamers a shot. They are a great way to cover water and find where the fish are.....good luck.

are you finding fish on SC in less than a foot of water in decently fast current? I was figuring it was too shallow and not enough current break for them in that stuff. I could be wrong though

 

[afishinado]

Im a tall guy (6 4), and pretty experienced at wading so I felt like I was getting into the water most guys are unable to access, especially with the high flows. Does the heavy weight put unnatural movements on the flies even if they are on a 5" dropper of the main line of tippet on the drop shot rig? What size prince nymph do you like? whats your go-to method for fishing the knee/thigh deep runs? Through prior experience on SC, ive found the biggest fish in the stream are sometimes holding in the super fast runs tucked away behind a boulder, does that hold true most of the time? or are they along the edges tucked under a log?

The flow is heavy right now and it sounds like you are trying to fish the heavy flows with heavy weights. Fish the edges and softer water first. Don't even wade to start out until you fish the water close to the bank before wading in. Move around and fish all types of water to find fish. Also give streamers a shot. They are a great way to cover water and find where the fish are.....good luck.

 

[Romans 6.23]

Romans- and remember with indicator nymphing that the flow is faster at the surface. Without aggressive mending, the flies will trail the indicator, especially in fast flows. There are videos that show this. However, even knowing this there are a lot of things you can't control and are hard to predict unless you really know the water (and exact spot) you are fishing. It's a cloudy day most of today. See how you do and move upstream where the water flow is more moderate. There are a number of good places around the 550/spring creek road. The water levels should be quite good there now.

Ok thank you. yes, I was stack mending quite a bit. I have a hunch I was simply fishing too far away from myself yesterday - trying to reach out across the current with my line. Today I plan on staying more within a euro range - 2 rod lengths up and one across. I was thinking even if with proper mending, its nearly impossible to get a true dead drift when you are fishing 25+ feet away?