Spring Creek Trouble

[mossyoakpenn]

Does no one else think the temperature has been too cold and swinging too dramatically to produce a good fishing day here? I live up over the mountain from SC its been 55-60 in the day and 25-30 at night. Seems a little cold to get too excited. We need warmer weather!!!

 

[wgmiller]

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

This is a HUGE mistake a lot of anglers make, including myself at times. You'd be surprised at the number of fish that hold in this type of water!

 

[jifigz]

Does no one else think the temperature has been too cold and swinging too dramatically to produce a good fishing day here? I live up over the mountain from SC its been 55-60 in the day and 25-30 at night. Seems a little cold to get too excited. We need warmer weather!!!

No, I do not feel that. I think the weather, the temperatures, and the hatches are all in compliance to produce some great trout fishing lately.

I haven't been on Spring Creek since March, but I don't think the weather and temps are why someone is struggling right now.

 

[wgmiller]

No, I do not feel that. I think the weather, the temperatures, and the hatches are all in compliance to produce some great trout fishing lately.

I haven't been on Spring Creek since March, but I don't think the weather and temps are why someone is struggling right now.

Particularly since Spring's temperatures are often more on the consistent side due to its groundwater influences.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

I haven't fished SC very much at all apart from the few years I've attended the main JAM, and I rarely ever nymph, but commenting to say I like your user name.

 

[5footfenwick]

Does no one else think the temperature has been too cold and swinging too dramatically to produce a good fishing day here? I live up over the mountain from SC its been 55-60 in the day and 25-30 at night. Seems a little cold to get too excited. We need warmer weather!!!

I couldn’t agree more. Spring and most of the central pa creeks were fishing awesome until Saturday night’s cold front. Combine a bad cold front with dropping water levels and you have a recipe for trout with lips locked tighter than the Bush’s Baked Beans Dog.
Just my two cents. But conditions matter. Now just for fun, try fishing it during the second or third day of a warm spell while it is on the rise. You might not be doing as much wrong as you think. Could just be bad timing. Or poor conditions.

~5footfenwick

 

[wgmiller]

I made it to Spring yesterday for a few hours and it appears to be fishing on-par with my past experiences. I was in the Houserville area, FWIW. Flow was around 105 CFS, clarity and color was great, and the fish were eating. Keep after it and eventually things will start to "click"! Most fish were caught on a #14 copper bead head Walt's Worm with the occasional fish caught on a #18 Frenchie dropper.

 

[Romans 6.23]

Update: Went to the fly shop today, got an indicator leader, and headed out to SC. This was my first ever time tightline nymphing, and wow. I felt like I was cheating. Within 5 minutes of practicing leading the rig through a run, I had a fish on. I only had about an hour to fish, but within that time I caught about 15 fish - and I'm sure I missed plenty. All this to say, DITCH THE INDICATOR. I cant even imagine how many fish hit my flies without it ever registering on my drop shot rig over the last couple weeks.

The rig I tied on was the 0 to 2x RIO indicator leader, about 4 feet of 4x to a uni to uni, tied a 5x dropper above this knot, tied 16 inches of 4x down to another knot, with another 5x dropper, and then about 16-18 inches down from this was where I attached my split shot. Caught pretty much all of my fish on a size 18 PT. I also was using just a 9ft 4wt, but I can definitely see the appeal of a longer, lighter rod. But im just a broke college kid, so thats somewhere down the line. Thanks for all the help and interesting insight

 

[Romans 6.23]

I haven't fished SC very much at all apart from the few years I've attended the main JAM, and I rarely ever nymph, but commenting to say I like your user name.

Thank you sir!

 

[wgmiller]

Update: Went to the fly shop today, got an indicator leader, and headed out to SC. This was my first ever time tightline nymphing, and wow. I felt like I was cheating. Within 5 minutes of practicing leading the rig through a run, I had a fish on. I only had about an hour to fish, but within that time I caught about 15 fish - and I'm sure I missed plenty. All this to say, DITCH THE INDICATOR. I cant even imagine how many fish hit my flies without it ever registering on my drop shot rig over the last couple weeks.

The rig I tied on was the 0 to 2x RIO indicator leader, about 4 feet of 4x to a uni to uni, tied a 5x dropper above this knot, tied 16 inches of 4x down to another knot, with another 5x dropper, and then about 16-18 inches down from this was where I attached my split shot. Caught pretty much all of my fish on a size 18 PT. I also was using just a 9ft 4wt, but I can definitely see the appeal of a longer, lighter rod. But im just a broke college kid, so thats somewhere down the line. Thanks for all the help and interesting insight

That's awesome. Yeah, you can tightline with most any rod. The new "Euro" rods are longer and have a more sensitive tip section, which allows better strike detection. As you grow into tightlining you'll eventually ditch split shot and use weighted flies, which allows a direction connection with your flies. There are times when using a "drop shot" technique may work, but for a majority of fishing in PA, one or two weighted flies is enough to get the job done!

 

[Romans 6.23]

That's awesome. Yeah, you can tightline with most any rod. The new "Euro" rods are longer and have a more sensitive tip section, which allows better strike detection. As you grow into tightlining you'll eventually ditch split shot and use weighted flies, which allows a direction connection with your flies. There are times when using a "drop shot" technique may work, but for a majority of fishing in PA, one or two weighted flies is enough to get the job done!

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I don’t really find the euro flies attractive. They just seem boring and characterless imho. No doubt they are effective though. Are the euro flies by themselves really enough to punch through some of the faster currents on SC without split shot?

 

[wgmiller]

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I don’t really find the euro flies attractive. They just seem boring and characterless imho. No doubt they are effective though. Are the euro flies by themselves really enough to punch through some of the faster currents on SC without split shot?

You may not find them attractive, but I can guarantee you the fish do! 🙂 Remember that the "attractiveness" of a fly is more to catch a fisherman than it is the fish. Suggestive flies or flies that just look "buggy" often work quite well, as a fly need not be realistic to work.

As far as some of the Euro ties being enough to slice through the water column, absolutely! Most of them are tied with tungsten beads and may even have a little lead wire behind the bead. The key is to keep the flies slim and not dress them up too much when tying. Some of the most effective flies out there are Perdigon style (Spanish for "pellet"), as they slice through the water column and get to depth quickly.

Perdigon style fly (not my tie)

 

[jifigz]

I made it to Spring yesterday for a few hours and it appears to be fishing on-par with my past experiences. I was in the Houserville area, FWIW. Flow was around 105 CFS, clarity and color was great, and the fish were eating. Keep after it and eventually things will start to "click"! Most fish were caught on a #14 copper bead head Walt's Worm with the occasional fish caught on a #18 Frenchie dropper.

View attachment 1641235674

View attachment 1641235675

Lots of bows in upper spring these days.

 

[pcray1231]

If used to freestoners, one thing about limestoners in general is they can be extremely time dependent. Being there from 1-5 on a sunny day during hatch season can be pretty much useless. But it can turn on like a light and suddenly you can do no wrong. The timing becomes semi easy to predict. If its a sunny day in May, no real use even being there till evening, and if a scorcher, things aint gonna turn on till like the last 15 minutes of the day until its too dark to fish. But clouds or a storm or a drizzle can change things.

 

[Tigereye]

You may not find them attractive, but I can guarantee you the fish do! 🙂 Remember that the "attractiveness" of a fly is more to catch a fisherman than it is the fish. Suggestive flies or flies that just look "buggy" often work quite well, as a fly need not be realistic to work.

As far as some of the Euro ties being enough to slice through the water column, absolutely! Most of them are tied with tungsten beads and may even have a little lead wire behind the bead. The key is to keep the flies slim and not dress them up too much when tying. Some of the most effective flies out there are Perdigon style (Spanish for "pellet"), as they slice through the water column and get to depth quickly.

View attachment 1641235682
Perdigon style fly (not my tie)

I know that one.

My best “natural” perdigon nymphs

www.flytying.ro

I will attest to the effectiveness of that fly as well as others in the article.

 

[Tonykocis]

Spring creek trout get pounded, are your techniques working on other streams? I Euro Nymph and I can tell you the trout on spring creek are very quick, lesson I learned. I was fishing with my sighter about 3 feet from flies. 3 foot tippet. I would get hits but the fish were gone most of the time before I struck. I shortened the tipped up to a measly 15 inches and hooked about triple to fish. The water is shallow and you gotta be fast. Indicator rigs work best in long even riffles where you get a long drift. Euro or tight line is so much better for a small short drift stream like spring creek. George Harvey tight lines for a reason.