Making a Working Fly Box for the Big 3 Spring Creeks

[salvelinusfontinalis]

This question gets asked a lot. What flies do I bring my first time
to the Letort, Falling Spring or Big Spring or all 3? Here it is.

---------------MAKING WORKING PA SPRING CREEK FLY BOX---------------------
This box is a working box for the major 3 limestone spring creeks in PA. Letort, Falling Spring Branch and Big Spring. The principles of this box is to cover all flies needed and also in order of importance at any given time on the stream and allow you to rotate them out as the season is progressing. In no way, do you "need" to carry all of these flies all the time and the order may mix pending what is hatching. Of course this is all IMO and expereinces.


Carry All Year (Base Box):
Jan - Dec:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 or more Scuds tan,olive,grey size 16-20
5 or more Cressbugs size 14-18
10 PHT Nymphs size 16-28
10 midge lava size 18 - 20 red or olive
20 midge adult dry flies (black,olive,tan,brown,cream) size 18-24
4 Sculpins Olive and black 10 and 8
4 of your favorite streamer any size

***ADD this to box during this season:

***Winter Time:
Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 pink/red san juan worms size 14 - 16 (all winter)
5 BWO Nymphs size 18 (all winter)
20 or more BWO Dry Flies in various patterns 16-22 (all winter)

*BWO hatches, are left only to warm winter days that hit the 50
degree mark. This makes them possible to target and when you
luck onto one, move them to the top of this list. Remember a size
20-22 BWO can look like a olive midge adult. A pink and red san juan
worms can be deadly fished as a midge larva or an aquatic worm.


***Spring Time
March, April, May:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 plus Little Black/Brown Stoneflies size 16-20(March-Early April)
10 sucker spawn cream size 12-16 (all spring)
5 pink/red san juan worms size 14 - 16 (all spring)
20 plus BWO Dries in various patterns 16 - 22 (most of spring)
5 BWO Nymphs size 18 (most of spring)
5 or more Tan Caddis size 16 - 18 (April into Aug)
10 or more Blue Quill size 16 - 18 (April into May)
5 Little Black Caddis size 16 -18 (April)
5 BWO Nymphs size 18 (all spring)

*Start carrying Sulphurs in size 16 in the late spring and drop BWO's. BWO's
become less important late spring/early summer and early emergence sporadic
Sulphurs are possible. Your box is about to change drastically.


***Summer/Fall Time:
June, July, Oct, September, Oct
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 or more Sulphur Dries size 16 (May-Early July)
12 or more Sulphur Emerger patterns 16 - 18 (May-Early July)
12 or more Sulphur nymphs size 18 (May-Early July)
10 or more Bettles size 12 - 16 (all summer)
10 or more Tricos in various patterns (all summer)
10 or more Ants size 16 - 20 (all summer)
6 Grasshoppers size 10 (all summer)
6 Crickets size 12 (all summer)
10 or more Light Cahills size 16 (May-June)
5 or more Tan Caddis size 16 - 18 (April into Aug)
20 plus BWO Dries in various patterns 16 - 22 (end of summer)
5 BWO Nymphs size 18 (end of summer)
5 Cranefly patterns size 18 Yellow,Tan and Orange (all summer)
4 Caterpillars size 10 (all summer)

* Sulphurs are likely one of the best events of the season. Do not miss it.

* Add 20 or more BWO Dry Flies in various patterns 16 - 22 and take out the
Sulphurs in September. BWO's will remain from September to October sometimes,
disappear and come back in the winter.

* After a good frost and its still October your box will start become your winter
time box.

* See Mike Heck's Spring Creek Stratagies for good patterns for these streams.

 

[jdaddy]

PM

 

[BrookieBuster101]

Couldnt sleep huh? But thats all good stuff. The San Juan is a fly that I have not tied in a long time, but they are deadly.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I don't get home from work till about 1:20 AM. ;-)

 

[Fishidiot]

This thread - althought excellent - contains material beyond what would be a good fit with the Beginner's Forum.
As such, it will be moved to the General forum.
Thanks,
Dave W

 

[TimRobinsin]

thanks sal!

I'm printing that one out to keep on file, very cool man!

 

[flythrower]

Awesome. I'm printing out as well. Many thanks!

 

[gfen]

So, are you advising this box for the majority of any and all spring creeks, or just the "Big 3," which are I presume Spring, Letort and...what? Big Spring?

You also suggest using SWJs for midge larva? I'm confused... How small do you make them, exactly, or are you suggesting you can clip down the free ends to not much more over the sz16 hook? As a guy who never carries SJWs, I'm interested in the dual use for them.

 

[buffalo]

Thanks Sal,
I'm printing a copy and doing some tying.

Buffalo

 

[jdaddy]

gfen wrote:

So, are you advising this box for the majority of any and all spring creeks, or just the "Big 3," which are I presume Spring, Letort and...what? Big Spring?

You also suggest using SWJs for midge larva? I'm confused... How small do you make them, exactly, or are you suggesting you can clip down the free ends to not much more over the sz16 hook? As a guy who never carries SJWs, I'm interested in the dual use for them.

Big 3 addressed in second sentence, ya Big Spring.

SWJ is not tied at midge size, though the little pink ones I use on BS are pretty darn small. I guess maybe he is talking about clipping a red one past the two tie in points, thus effectively making a Young type midge. Having said that, I'd just tie up a few Young midges in red and red with flash.

I think this list applies well to the vast majority of spring creeks, as well as some tail waters. There will be slight variances but pretty much everything on this list is going to work.

 

[gfen]

Can't argue this, with the exception of skipping caddis worm larva patterns.

And yes, he does tell you the three creeks in the second sentence. Whatever. I'm allowed to miss things.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Big 3 addressed in second sentence, ya Big Spring. SWJ is not tied at midge size, though the little pink ones I use on BS are pretty darn small. I guess maybe he is talking about clipping a red one past the two tie in points, thus effectively making a Young type midge. Having said that, I'd just tie up a few Young midges in red and red with flash. I think this list applies well to the vast majority of spring creeks, as well as some tail waters. There will be slight variances but pretty much everything on this list is going to work.

I have just found that over time, the rotation of flies in and out of boxes is a pain. I have separated PA into freestone and limestone. Even more so I have separated the purest of all PA's spring creeks and made them there own category and it makes things easier I think. It will cover you for the 3 Big ones and all the small ones. As jdaddy has pointed out, it will also work on many tailwaters. This also makes life easier. Freestone streams or other watersheds, I just do research and pull flies out of the bins I have and take what I need. Living in SEPA this system has served me well.
If you can find a box big enough, you don't have to remove some summertime flies and this will make life even easier.

Red San Juan worms trimmed do look like midge larva. What you can the do is tie a tandem of a PH Tail------San Juan. Fish, trim and throw midge larva without having to change a thing. It is a short cut but I agree with jdaddy, I like my midge larva to be a bit different than that.

Also, the box is a guideline. By all means, add flies that are effective for you! I just put many of what I like in the mix. I'm not opposed to fish Copper Johns or Hares Ears. Also some of the flies might hatch on Falling Spring but not the Letort. This box is a combination of most all spring creeks. So add what you have seen or have luck with.

Glad you guys liked the concept.

 

[Chaz]

Crane Flies and the Big Spring Baetis.

 

[Chooch]

I am sure you have all the bases covered, but I think it is a little over the top. Everyone has different styles, so to each his own but I think you could get away with half of the patterns and more than half of the number. 90% of the time I carry one box. About 20 flies are scuds, cress bugs and sulphur nymphs. Maybe a 6 sulphur dries and 3 sulphur emergers. About the same for BWO's. 2-3 black sculpins. Maybe a mixed dozen of ants, crickets, hoppers and beetles. A couple caddis patterns. A couple midges and a couple other patterns I will not reveal. The 10% of the time I do not have this box is when I am trico fishing and only carry a small box with tricos and a few terrestials though in. The box is a little bigger than a matchbox. I find stealthy approach and good presentation is far more important than a million patterns.

 

[jayL]

Agreed.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Chooch,

Im not sure if you read the first paragraph but like I said, you dont need to carry all these flies at one time. It is over the top, but shows most all options used or hatching on these kinds of streams.

The 10% of the time I do not have this box is when I am trico fishing and only carry a small box with tricos and a few terrestials though in. The box is a little bigger than a matchbox. I find stealthy approach and good presentation is far more important than a million patterns.

I am confused by this. They do make fly boxes that can hold 500 flies and fit in my small pack that is about 14 inches X 6 Inches.
It in no way hinders movement or casting ability.

No one would ever disagree that presentation and approach are far more important than patterns. Did I suggest such?

All this said, again, this is a guideline. Add your own, subtract flies out, fish with matchbooks, what ever catches you fish.

 

[RowJimmy]

Sal,

I think you should write a book about all this Spring creek stuff.

 

[BPS]

I don't know why, but I really lol'ed @ 'fish with match books".

 

[Chooch]

salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
Chooch,

Im not sure if you read the first paragraph but like I said, you dont need to carry all these flies at one time. It is over the top, but shows most all options used or hatching on these kinds of streams.

The 10% of the time I do not have this box is when I am trico fishing and only carry a small box with tricos and a few terrestials though in. The box is a little bigger than a matchbox. I find stealthy approach and good presentation is far more important than a million patterns.

I am confused by this. They do make fly boxes that can hold 500 flies and fit in my small pack that is about 14 inches X 6 Inches.
It in no way hinders movement or casting ability.

No one would ever disagree that presentation and approach are far more important than patterns. Did I suggest such?

All this said, again, this is a guideline. Add your own, subtract flies out, fish with matchbooks, what ever catches you fish.

I am not suggesting you said presentation and approach are not more important than patterns.

I am not criticizing you approach, as I said in my original post to each his own. I was just offering my approach.

I understand they sell flyboxes that hold 500 flies and are rather sleek. I am just saying who need to carry 500 flies. I have found, through experience, that if a trout on these streams refuse a fly it is not because of the pattern.

These trout are wary, no doubt. But are they selective, I am not really sure. I think we give too much credit to the intelligence of the fish and not enough credit to the difficulty of the water. It is crystal clear with deceptive flow and currents swirling around the weeds. If fish are feeding on sulphurs, and you manage to get a perfect drift I do not think the fish will refuse regardless if it is a comparadun, parachute, thorax or a regular catskill style. Same with hoppers and crickets. Will a trout refuse a size 14 hopper but slam a size 16? No way.

Don't get me wrong, I like your system. I do the same thing for the mountain limestoners because there are way more possibilities you may encounter that to carry all of them all of the time is way too cumbersome. The only suggestion I would make, at least for the LeTort is you should always have at least one sufur dryin you box. I have caught trout every month of the year on a sulfur on top on the LeTort except January.