Big Spring Open water/special reg....Oct 14th

salvelinusfontinalis

salvelinusfontinalis

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Sep 9, 2006
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Well i just couldnt resist after the day of fishing i had a few days ago :-D :-D and i wasent disappointed. the day was beautiful and the fish very active.

i started out fishing large sections of the open water. i never caught a fish in the open section until today. but then again i never tried the tandem rig i used the other day down in the open section. seems to be the ticket! :-D im using a cressbug with a small split shot about 5 inches up from it....then a bh olive scud with a flash back and some small flash in the tail (also a small split shot about 5 inches up from it.) there is about 10-12 inches of tippet between the 2 flies. This rig is my new Big Spring Killer! i caught about a dozen wild rainbows down in the open water and 3 brookies. most fish are taking the scud with a few taking the cress bug. seems a dead drift works best but some fish taking the scud at the end of the drift with a slight twitch working back up to you. I had a blast! and i found a few sections in the open water iam just in love with. This classic limestone spring creek is now added to my list of favorites! I did have one large bow maybe 16-18 inches take my offering 3 times! eachtime he shook loose and after that 3rd strike he was done messin with me :-D another day ill get him 🙂
in the special reg area i did very well also! all fish taking the scud pattern and all fish were fat healthy fish in both sections. i did catch 2 brookies on a red rubberlegged stimulator. looked like stoneflies were coming off around 6 o'clock. although i couldnt tell u what kind.the brookies from this stream are so beautifully colored and some are quiet large.

up at the ditch i also caught quiet a few fish. i did see a huge brown that swam very slowly up the length of the ditch form the beginning to end. it was obvious he was king of the watershed. he meandored very slowly and cautiously....eveytime he came acroos a fish he would make them leave their lie and would then continue swimming upstream. he didnt really want the lie he was just being a bully :-D he eventually found a home underneath tons of built up weeds and roots up by the nursery area. what a beautiful fish who wanted nothing to do with my offerings. :-D he was a very bright gold color and had some deep red on him. what suprised me is even the large rainbows gave way him. like i said he must be the king of the watershed :lol:

iam in love with this stream now and plan on visiting it again in the next few weeks...but i never made it to falling spring or letort with my new "special tandem rig". hmmmmmmm i see a few trips in the very near future......but in the meantime.....here are some pics of my wonderful day at big spring ...enjoy!


rainbow from the ditch a fine fat fish!


big spring brookie from open water

big spring brookie from open water2

brookie from the ditch

brookie from the ditch2

a stunning brookie from the ditch

another stunning brookie from the ditch



open water rainbow...just a little guy 🙂

big spring in the open water

big spring open water brookie

beautiful big spring in the open section

i liked this section of open water

another beautiful spot on big spring

big spring open water

open water rainbow

open water bow liked that cress bug!

beautiful big spring...im in love

makes me wanna go fishin again!
 
Sounds like an unconventional rig. How did you figure that one out? The BH scud is the dropper? Did you get many tangles?
 
yes it is very unconventional. the bh scud was the dropper. as far as tangles i did get a few....but the fish kept me from getting frustrated. as far as figuring it out...trial and error 🙂
 
I was getting a lot of tangles with tandem rigs but since I coated my line to leader connections with the Loon Knot Sense that seems to have gone away.

I was at Big Spring two weeks ago and saw that big brown. I think he just cruises around sizing up who to have for dinner.
 
I've found that the Big Spring produces for on scuds and cress bugs year round. Also flash back pheasant tails. It is really a cool fishery. Apparently, the small grain of the stream bed is small enough for rainbow eggs to get down into and remain safe from predation while not big enough for brown and brookie eggs.

I still remember the first time I fished there (and caught nothing of course) it was mid-july and about 90 degrees. I was wet wading just below the ditch and freezing my *** off. I also remember another day where the entire state was high a muddy from a major storm system from the following day and into the morning. I arrived on BS to find it a tad off color. It is an amazing place.
 
Thanks for the pictures and update. I've never done well on Big Spring, and I've never thought much of the water I've fished there. I also should say that I usually do a drive by when fishing Big Spring. Often times I'm on my way to other waters. I think I need to do some more exploring there. I'm assuming that Big Spring fishes fairly well throughout the winter?
 
well i have to admit im not a regular of Big Spring. But i am very fanatical about limestone spring creeks. having said that i would assume the day i had was unusual and not the norm. fish in big spring are and can be very picky. especially up at the ditch. since it is a limestone spring creek i would assume that it does fish well throught the winter, but u know what they say about assuming :-D
i will admit that there is alot of shallow dead water in big spring .....and where there are holes.....usually there is just one fish in it. Although i did come across a few that had multiple fish in it. IMO the best water is throught the open section....i dont really like the special reg area until u get to the ditch. it is sad what happened to this Very Good fishery back in the day. when i compare it to falling springs and letort it doesnt hold a flame.....but lets be thankful for what is left. its a limestone spring creek and that alone makes it special. the fact it habors brookies, and some get big, makes it even more special. Hopefully someday it will return to its former greatness......until then im happy to fish it now and again. what suprised me was, i was there on a beautiful sunday and only ran into 2 other fisherman all day. Lucky me and lucky stream!

im researching all the limestonje spring creeks around pa and plan on hitting alot of them so....be ready for some limestoner updates :-D
 
S.f.,

Why are you so free with your info and even specific about your rig?? I consider that kind of knowledge hard won. Maybe, the other fishermen deserve to kind of "pay their dues" also. I will give out some secrets to those who ask kindly on the steam, but I have gotten away from making it all public knowledge. The only thing that seems to happen after a report like that is to see a bunch of cars following you into the parking area of your favorite stream. Think about it.
 
wvwhitetailhunter wrote:
S.f.,
The only thing that seems to happen after a report like that is to see a bunch of cars following you into the parking area of your favorite stream.
Click to expand...

Really, Which stream would that be?
 
tomgamber,

Pick one! My comments are far reaching and could apply anywhere. Ever been to Erie after the fisherie.com reports start to come in? It's always a zoo up there, but making reports about it just adds to the frenzy. Fish often, and be happy.

Shawn Fetter
 
salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
i dont really like the special reg area until u get to the ditch. it is sad what happened to this Very Good fishery back in the day. when i compare it to falling springs and letort it doesnt hold a flame.....but lets be thankful for what is left. its a limestone spring creek and that alone makes it special. the fact it habors brookies, and some get big, makes it even more special. Hopefully someday it will return to its former greatness......until then im happy to fish it now and again. what suprised me was, i was there on a beautiful sunday and only ran into 2 other fisherman all day. Lucky me and lucky stream!

im researching all the limestonje spring creeks around pa and plan on hitting alot of them so....be ready for some limestoner updates :-D
Click to expand...

Interesting, I only fished the Letort one day but my thoughts were that it is overrated. I was in the area two weeks ao for several days. I liked Big Spring a lot and visited each day. How was the stream access in the open area?

WV; we've had similar debates here about posting stream locations but rigs?
 
WV; we've had similar debates here about posting stream locations but rigs?
Click to expand...

That was my point...I don't care if you have the HUMPINATOR :lol: :lol: :lol: if you don't have anywhere to fish it, it doesn't matter.

WV, you can go back and read all the old posts about stream reports if you want...you'll see a lot agree with you and a lot don't.

Frankly, I don't see the harm in reporting on well known streams that are on the stocking list and they even tell you when they stock them...ooohh big secret. Not so much of a fan of even giving out info on a class-A ...but hey, I don't believe I should tell people what they can and can't do either. Usually the first person to say "shut up with the steam reports" is also the same guy who says "its a free country" when someone doesn't like what he's doing. Its all good. 😎
 
Fellow Anglers,

I guess I'm just old-fashioned. One of my favorite lines in "A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT" was the response to the question - "What are they biting on?" The president then said, "The end of my line!!" That was really classic.
 
wow! im curious to what the prpose of the forum is then? if we arent here to learn about flyfishing and discuss techniques whats the point :roll: Big Spring is no secret....its one of the most famous streams in all of pa! discussing a rig and where i caught these beautiful fish is not going to do harm........the fish in this stream are extremely hard to catch.......and i DO invite anyone to try.
from what i have seen on this forum now is people get upset when u have a "secret stream location and now get upset when u post about a VERy well known stream....so i ask WHAT can i post about? :-D
 
what has the forum come to when people are accusing SAL of posting too much info. Jeesh.

Good report, sal. I've never fished a central PA limestoner... and I'm sad to admit it. Perhaps I'll make a run out there sooner than later.
 
Fellow Anglers,

Alright, forget it! Post to your hearts content!! Sorry, I mentioned it!! However, if those Trout at Big Spring stop biting on scuds because of a conditioned response from hook ups - I am personally blaming Sal for giving out there favorite food item!! Ha Ha.
 
:roll:
 
And when they stop eating scuds altogether, and die due to malnutrition...... well, Sal. I'm gonna come knocking on YOUR DOOR!

Thanks for letting the cat out of the bag man. Who'da thunk they should use a scud on a limestoner spring creek!?!

😛 😛
 
jayL,

That's what I thought too!! Thank God Sal let us all in on that deep, dark secret!!!! Now, I guess no one shall remain clueless!
 
wow i think this thread is getting out of contol. :-o WV if ya dont like how i post or simpily got a problem try taking it up with me in a pm. other than that i do believe jayL was bein sacastic :-D
well now its time to make ya guys drool.....did some walking at a local trout stream today and found about 10 brookies all in the 15 inch range (stocked of course), one palomino in the 15 inch range...and 2 very old browns in the 20+ range. going to catch them towmorrow if i get permission. ill be sure to let ya know what i catch them on 😎
 
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