2014 summer of the spring creeks

[trike23]

Ive been at this fly fishing game for some time now but I have to come clean. I have never really fallen in love with the famous PA spring creeks.
I envy all of guys on here that get all gushy when people speak of the letort or big spring or which ever one it is. I simply just never felt that way about these streams. Truth be told most of my time spent on the Letort has been miserable. Not from lack of catching fish but from not being able to navigate the creek and sinking in mud up to my elbows. I will admit I have had some decent days on falling springs and it tends to be my favorite of all the spring creeks I have been to. I have only been to big spring once and never visited beaver creek.
So this summer I am bound and determined to join the club and force myself to love these creeks the way many of you do. I vowed to myself that this summer I will only fish spring creeks. So I figured it would be great if everyone could give me there best tips and advice for these creeks. Give me the good the bad and the ugly. From my little experience I know what I like and dis like about these places. But I know some of you practically live on these streams and have lots of good stories and advice and way more experience than me. Should be a fun thread.

 

[McSneek]

Why force yourself? If you don't really care to fish them then don't. It's fly fishing. It's supposed to be fun, not an arduous task.

 

[geebee]

read mike hecks book.

and i understand the letort is easiest fished from the bank when the ground is good and frozen.

 

[klingy]

I find the intersection of fly fishing history and present fascinating. It gave me a new appreciation for those streams to read Marinaro, Fox, or Shenk and be able to picture the exact stretches they wrote about. It's part of the fun for me to tie and fish the patterns they originated in the Cumberland valley. If you havent already done so, read "fly rod trouting" or "wonderful world of trout" before revisiting the streams to get a good feel for the history behind them. If the history doesn't do it for you, just the chance at catching truly monster trout might!

 

[Fishidiot]

Trike,
I'll second Klingy's comments above.

You might try these creeks in winter rather than summer. The streams you typically prefer will likely not be fishing well anyway and the CV limestoners fish much easier in winter IMO. As far as tips and the good, bad , and ugly....my general advice to CV newbies is to accept that the trout around here are bottom feeders - learn to embrace nymph and streamer fishing. There are some hatches but they are not impressive if you're used to fishing upstate.

There are dozens of threads, many with dozens of posts, about how to fish these creeks mixed throughout the forums here. The Advanced Search function at the bottom of this page is a good place to start.

 

[Chaz]

I can't love the spring creeks, mostly because they are fake fisheries, there are very few with natvies, and the ones that have natives have invasive trout in them too, and that makes them not appealing to me.
I can catch browns anywhere near home and I've just had enough of them. As for rainbows, I don't care much about them either, I can go to the LL and catch them all day. But who wants to spend a whole day fishing the LL.
All of the spring creeks would support healthy populations of large brook trout if they'd get rid off the invasives. But PFBC won't bite the bullet and do what needs to be done.

 

[tomitrout]

All of the spring creeks would support healthy populations of large brook trout if they'd get rid off the invasives. But PFBC won't bite the bullet and do what needs to be done.

:roll:

yeah, ok, so just out of curiousity, exactly what do you propose 'they' do? What magical plan do you have that nobody else has yet thought of that will somehow rid the Letort of those dirty nasty browns and replace them with brookies? Just looking at history, the Letort has already been almost cleared of all life once or twice, and yet the browns came back....how exactly do you think those 'invasives' can be removed so that you can have your precious brookies back?


Regarding the OP, #1 virtue you can have to fish these spring creeks is patience. Patience in all regards, patience while stalking the banks, patience and a level head when stuck in the muck, patience when the hatch isn't there one day, but is heavy the next, and then gone again. Patience to stick with with it, observe and keep an open mind willing to learn something new every time you're there...

 

[BrookieChaser]

I wouldn't force myself to like a creek. I prefer small mountain freestones. I know what I like to fish.

 

[BrookieChaser]

Also, I agree with Chaz on the spring creeks having the ability to hold large brookies. Historically that was the case. Unfortunately the invasives are here to stay.

 

[JackM]

Selective harvest regulations will show you in about 5-8 years which variety of trout is best adapted. So, if the preference is for brook trout, selectively harvest brown, and if brookies gain dominance they deserve it. Of course, with many streams in this category you may need to transplant brook trout from similar waters to jump-start the populations.

I wouldn't mind seeing this tried on select streams.

 

[trike23]

Easy answer as to why I want to force myself to like them. The biggest reason is I hate being defeated and most spring creeks defeat me.In large I feel like I have to conquer this weakness. I usually enjoy a challenge and I hate when I cant master something.Plus It seems like I am missing out on one of the best things our state has to offer fishing wise.

 

[wgmiller]

The best way to learn those creeks is a.) pick up a book like Mike Heck's and read it, read it, read it b.) pair up with someone who can show you how to fish a limestone spring creek. This could be a half-day trip with a guide or someone from the forum, but being able to watch someone fish it is invaluable.

They aren't any more difficult than anyother trout stream, just different. But there are tips and tricks to catching fish in them and until you learn them, you may get frustrated. The aquatic vegetation is thick and the fish have plenty of food and hiding places in these streams. There are techniques that will increase your success on them (fishing a hatch, fishing terrestrials, etc.). But the most important thing is to learn to think like a hunter and to put time in on the streams. There is no substitute for having the fly in the water!

 

[BrookieChaser]

I didn't have much time to fish this evening, but there were a few fish rising on Big Spring.

 

[salmonoid]

Up until the fall of this year, I can say that I've logged a total of about half a day on any of the famous limestoners, and that was on Fishing Creek, on a familial outing fairly close to Mill Hall. We have some limestoners in Lancaster County but they are pretty impaired, so they don't really offer the traditional limestone fishing experience. There are famous limestoners closer to me than I annually drive to fish freestoners, and I think I have sidestepped them due to the mystique and aura that surrounds them.

I took my first crack at Spring Creek in Centre County earlier this year and was humbled, primarily because my skills are honed at fishing small freestoners (dapping buggers, dropping Adams, etc.). There's no real equivalent on a freestoner to a fifty-yard run that is two feet deep, ten yards wide, and where the entire water column is filled with aquatic vegetation top to bottom, which serves as a trout living complex and eating establishment, all in one. However, once I got over the mental mystique part, I did finally lose a fish during the day, pick up a few fish at night, and then picked up a few fish during the day. There's definitely a lot to learn, and I enjoy the new challenge. A job that puts me in State College on a more regular basis and that puts me 45 minutes closer to the CV limestoners, plus a few more days off from work a year, pretty much guarantees that I'll get a little more practice in during 2014.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I have enough experience fishing both freestoners and spring creeks to make a couple of comments. First, IMO fishing a limestoner is HARDER, period. The trout there have a much easier life( ie more constant water temps and water levels, more cover and LOTS of food to pick from so they are much more selective), thus are more challenging. I love fishing small native brook trout streams but those fish are EASY to catch compared to a wild streambred limestone brown trout. It is easy to get frustrated when you first start fishing those limestoners. I know because I was the one getting frustrated. Hang in there and LEARN the streams and I think you may change your mind about fishing them. I LOVE fishing them now. It's a challenge I enjoy. Good luck and enjoy them also.

 

[troutbert]

My advise is to fish a wide variety of streams in PA. And not get fixated on a few streams.

 

[Chaz]

+1 for Troutbert.

 

[afishinado]

troutbert wrote:
My advise is to fish a wide variety of streams in PA. And not get fixated on a few streams.

I also agree. I have a "home" stream I fish when time is short, but I try to fish all kinds of streams and rivers during the course of the year. I try not limit myself to one stream or one type of stream. Doing this really helps me expand my knowledge and keeps me sharp using many types of techniques to fish, as well as needing to tie and fish many types of flies and use different tackle for each.

 

[pcray1231]

I agree with the variety is the spice of life angle. I love small freestoners and brook trout, but I enjoy any type of fishing now and again. Big freestoners, hatch chasing, limestoners, saltwater, smallmouth, etc.

To be successful, you have to meet the new stream on it's terms. It is not the same as fishing those freestoners. I always see on this board, with people that fish exclusively one type of stream, giving incorrect advise for others. It's good to be well rounded, cause they aren't all the same.

Honestly, I'm not the best resource for those SC limestoners. I've fished them a few times, but far from an expert. I've spent much more time on the more northern limestoners, like Spring, BFC, Penns, etc. They are faster and rockier, and have a structure more akin to a large freestoner. But they still have the limestone water chem and the well fed, picky fish. They might be an easier "transition" for you. You'll be better at reading the water from your freestone experience. But it'll still demand that you get a little more exact with your presentations. They also have very good hatches. Even if you're not about hatch chasing, I strongly encourage you to fish when the fish are rising with abandon sometime. Not fish, I guess, but WALK and observe. It's hard to resist the urge to set up and fish when they're rising, but you can learn a lot about where fish sit that way. Ambush points, current breaks, etc. Then on some other day, when they ain't rising, that's where you nymph.