salvelinusfontinalis
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2006
- Messages
- 7,284
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.
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.