Falling Spring Branch, Franklin County, 5/18/25

[Mikey2006]

Well I made it out again this afternoon for an hour or two. Had a banner day, and caught my biggest ever Falling Spring wild trout.

I started at quarry road again, and fished the hole below the bridge and the first hole above it hard. Not even a sniff, which was frustrating. I did listen to some of the advice I got and tried a dry dropper, which I would have never thought to do in that area, but even though I got some good looking drifts I don’t think I was getting anywhere near deep enough.

At the second pool above the bridge I tied on a black woolly bugger and on my first cast a brown trout which I originally estimated to be 14-15 inches chased it out. I killed the fly and let it drop to the bottom, which did not induce a strike. I kept casting for about 4-5 minutes before he came charging from the depths a for a second time, this time engulfing my streamer and immediately diving back down. I set the hook and right away I realized that landing the fish on light tippet would be a problem. I patiently played the fish and let him make a few hard runs towards the opposite bank before finally turning his head around and guiding him into the net.

Based on the marks inside of my measure net, the fish was 16 inches long. I was shaking so much I could barely stand. This was a fish I never expected to see out of falling spring (although I always thought the quarry road pools might hold some pigs)


After releasing this fish and sitting on the bank for a while soaking it all in, I moved down below the bridge and stood at the head of the pool, swinging my bugger through it. I watched a 13-14 inch brown absolutely destroy my streamer, and I had it hooked for a few seconds before he came unpinned.

After an excellent hour or so at quarry road I drove further upstream. I had a nice fish bump my streamer as I fished it from upstream of one of the bridges, and also had another nice one hooked for a few seconds while fishing some faster water.

I started nymphing again and picked off three rainbows before calling it a day. The largest of the three was a nice fat 10 Incher, which would have made my day all by itself even if I hadn’t landed the big brown. All three rainbows ate a pheasant tail.

I think the secret was downsizing my tippet from 5X to 6X, as that’s the only real thing I did different today than yesterday. That decision lead to some stressful moments where I thought for sure the big brown was going to break me off, but it was ultimately worth it.


While the Falling Spring is definitely in sorry shape compared to what it once was, I guess there are still some nice fish to be caught. I’m still in disbelief.

 

[Mashbill]

you had a BIG day ---- those are beautiful wild fish!

 

[Mikey2006]

you had a BIG day ---- those are beautiful wild fish!

A day I’ll never forget. I’ll probably be chasing another fish like that one for God knows how long, before today I was honestly starting to doubt fish of that caliber even existed in there anymore (evident in my comments yesterday) I also don’t think I’ve ever caught more than 4-5 in a day so it was my best day ever in terms of numbers and size.

 

[Mashbill]

my falling spring memories .... i think it was summer 1990, wife and i were staying at Allenberry - she was pregnant with our 1st. I met this guy while midge fishing on Big Spring up by the beginning of the ditch --- his name was Harrison Steeves III, a biology Prof at Va Tech --- and he was a big terrestrial fisherman. he and wife were staying at AB as well. so we fished together. He asked --- want to go fish Falling Springs? Visiting there from Cleveland and never fished it --- i jumped at the chance.

we parked at the Fishermans Parking lot on Edwards Ave., fished that 1st big pool then continued upstream. crossed over a couple ladders over the barbed wire fence --- then got up to the dairy farm. the old man who owned it was on his tractor, stopped and talked with us ( Mr Skelly i guess ) -- lots of dairy cows all over. there was a HUGE sycamore tree that fell over the stream up closer to the farm, and there was a big dark hole that formed under the tree by the stream side roots. You could see huge dark shadows --- just finning in there. Harrison says ... "watch this " ...

he goes upstream about about 15 - 20 feet, takes his hiking boots off and quietly gets into the middle of the srteam --- has a big woolly bugger on --- and starts stripping line and letting the fly drift down stream ... the woolly bugger gets down to the dark hole ... and he just dances it in the current ... dance, dance, dance ....

then the water EXPLODES -- one of those monsters took the WB --- it was a huge brown --- and it blasts downstream!! Harrison fights his way to the tree --- with fish still on --- and feeds his rod under the tree and grabs it back on the other side! he gains some line, but the fish ( it was bigger than a steelhead ) blasted away again and popped the fly right off. we just stood there staring at eachother.

i'll never forget that

 

[Mikey2006]

my falling spring memories .... i think it was summer 1990, wife and i were staying at Allenberry - she was pregnant with our 1st. I met this guy while midge fishing on Big Spring up by the beginning of the ditch --- his name was Harrison Steeves III, a biology Prof at Va Tech --- and he was a big terrestrial fisherman. he and wife were staying at AB as well. so we fished together. He asked --- want to go fish Falling Springs? Visiting there from Cleveland and never fished it --- i jumped at the chance.

we parked at the Fishermans Parking lot on Edwards Ave., fished that 1st big pool then continued upstream. crossed over a couple ladders over the barbed wire fence --- then got up to the dairy farm. the old man who owned it was on his tractor, stopped and talked with us ( Mr Skelly i guess ) -- lots of dairy cows all over. there was a HUGE sycamore tree that fell over the stream up closer to the farm, and there was a big dark hole that formed under the tree by the stream side roots. You could see huge dark shadows --- just finning in there. Harrison says ... "watch this " ...

he goes upstream about about 15 - 20 feet, takes his hiking boots off and quietly gets into the middle of the srteam --- has a big woolly bugger on --- and starts stripping line and letting the fly drift down stream ... the woolly bugger gets down to the dark hole ... and he just dances it in the current ... dance, dance, dance ....

then the water EXPLODES -- one of those monsters took the WB --- it was a huge brown --- and it blasts downstream!! Harrison fights his way to the tree --- with fish still on --- and feeds his rod under the tree and grabs it back on the other side! he gains some line, but the fish ( it was bigger than a steelhead ) blasted away again and popped the fly right off. we just stood there staring at eachother.

i'll never forget that

I think I might know the tree you are talking about. If it’s not the same tree, there’s one just like it that creates a deep, shaded hole. I’ve seen some decent ones (13-14 inches) under there but nothing like the ones you describe. It’s almost impossible to approach it from the upstream side as there are some obstructions on the bank and wading kicks up silt. Not to mention all the weeds that grow all the way up to the surface a foot in front of it, making it almost impossible to drop a fly in.

The closest I’ve ever come to landing one out of that hole was when a nice one was rising on a hot July day last summer, I got a few good casts at him from the downstream side before he eventually swam up under the log. If there are any true giants left, I would bet they would either be in that hole, in one of the three holes by quarry road, or under one of the bridges.

Sounds like it was a magical place back then. It still is a pretty fun stream though.

 

[Mashbill]

i think that big brown you caught today was on a high protein diet of nothing but cressbugs -- the color and spotting is just beautiful

that farm area i noted -- is interesting to me. i went back there in say 1999 ish --- and the whole property was posted --- and i mean POSTED -- with yellow sign almost every 4 feet ... i was disappointed ( heard that when the old man died, the son was on the property and got into a argument with someone about access or something and the son said screw this and posted it ) --- then i went back in spring of 2021 and it was no longer posted --- and it looked like there was a Spa / resort like operation there --- i fished right through with no problem.... i didnt see that big Sycamore over the stream anymore.

i fished a really good trico hatch many years ago on FS --- but downstream, under the rt 30 exit and into town --- i think i was near a hospital ( maybe ??) --- there was a nice run infront of a set back home. Had a ball there. i've read that Falling Spring was VInce Marinaro's favorite trico stream

 

[Mikey2006]

i think that big brown you caught today was on a high protein diet of nothing but cressbugs -- the color and spotting is just beautiful

that farm area i noted -- is interesting to me. i went back there in say 1999 ish --- and the whole property was posted --- and i mean POSTED -- with yellow sign almost every 4 feet ... i was disappointed ( heard that when the old man died, the son was on the property and got into a argument with someone about access or something and the son said screw this and posted it ) --- then i went back in spring of 2021 and it was no longer posted --- and it looked like there was a Spa / resort like operation there --- i fished right through with no problem.... i didnt see that big Sycamore over the stream anymore.

i fished a really good trico hatch many years ago on FS --- but downstream, under the rt 30 exit and into town --- i think i was near a hospital ( maybe ??) --- there was a nice run infront of a set back home. Had a ball there. i've read that Falling Spring was VInce Marinaro's favorite trico stream

sounds like it’s a different tree then. But there is a big one in that area laying over top of a nice hole. The stretch through town that you are talking about is regulated as a delayed harvest and is unfortunately stocked (wish that would stop, but unfortunately if it did I bet the landowners would post it.) Ive caught some wild bows and browns up to 12 inches through there but the good habitat seems to be dominated by the stockies.

I actually find the wild trout in above 81 to be easier to catch than the ones in the delayed harvest section, probably because the part through town is heavily pressured by the truck chasers.

Down near the mouth where it’s regulated as a stocked trout water, there are some surprising numbers of wild fish. I’ve caught them underneath the old warehouse (before they blocked the hole in the concrete I used to crawl in there on Kennedy street) all the way down to the mouth where it flows into the conococheague. The tiny pockets below and above the falls hold a bunch of wild bows. Ive even caught wild trout in the conococheague several hundred yards downstream from the mouth. These are some of those fish

 

[Wild_Trouter]

sounds like it’s a different tree then. But there is a big one in that area laying over top of a nice hole. The stretch through town that you are talking about is regulated as a delayed harvest and is unfortunately stocked (wish that would stop, but unfortunately if it did I bet the landowners would post it.) Ive caught some wild bows and browns up to 12 inches through there but the good habitat seems to be dominated by the stockies.

I actually find the wild trout in above 81 to be easier to catch than the ones in the delayed harvest section, probably because the part through town is heavily pressured by the truck chasers.

Down near the mouth where it’s regulated as a stocked trout water, there are some surprising numbers of wild fish. I’ve caught them underneath the old warehouse (before they blocked the hole in the concrete I used to crawl in there on Kennedy street) all the way down to the mouth where it flows into the conococheague. The tiny pockets below and above the falls hold a bunch of wild bows. Ive even caught wild trout in the conococheague several hundred yards downstream from the mouth. These are some of those fish

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Check previous DM from me on where you can still find large trout on FSR. I don't know if you fished that section yet, but it has been very reliable (but not easy 😁) over the years. Also curious...how far upstream have you gone from Quarry Rd bridge? You definitely had yourself a day today. Nice work 🤙

 

[sixfootfenwick]

Some of these reports are heart breaking to hear. I have not been to Falling Spring in a long time. Probably 20 years. Even in the early 2000's it had a good head of larger trout in the lower heritage area.

 

[troutbert]

Some of these reports are heart breaking to hear.

It seems like Mikey had good fishing for wild trout very recently.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

It seems like Mikey had good fishing for wild trout very recently.

I'm speaking specifically of the decline of larger fish, not the fishing experience of catching fish.

 

[Mashbill]

so --- with Mikey's Big Day yesterday ( and that was a big day ) ... and all his Bragg'in hero photos --- doesnt he owe us all a frosty cold Straub lager draft at the Legendz Bar over on Hollywell Ave ....?
--- just say'in.

 

[Mikey2006]

Check previous DM from me on where you can still find large trout on FSR. I don't know if you fished that section yet, but it has been very reliable (but not easy 😁) over the years. Also curious...how far upstream have you gone from Quarry Rd bridge? You definitely had yourself a day today. Nice work 🤙

I have fished that sectjon. So far I’ve just gotten a few little rainbows but it does look like it could hold some bigger fish.

I’ve waded from quarry road all the way up to Edward’s avenue. I don’t do that often though, once you get a good ways upstream from quarry there are a few good looking holes and pockets but they are too hard to fish for me. I did spook a 14 Incher up in there recently

 

[Mikey2006]

Some of these reports are heart breaking to hear. I have not been to Falling Spring in a long time. Probably 20 years. Even in the early 2000's it had a good head of larger trout in the lower heritage area.

I wonder what was the last time they surveyed it, that way we could compare it to older data. In the 2006 survey it looked like there was still good numbers of larger fish, I guess it’s possible they hide really well and I’m not seeing them but it sounds like nobody really catches true giants there anymore

 

[Mashbill]

it just might be --- reason why we dont hear of really big ones getting caught there ... is because its SO BLASTED HARD to fish there. i have to believe the lunkers are still there -- and it would be interesting to dedicate a trip to only that --- fish pre- sunrise till morning, evening until dark .... with only big streamers --- short rod, short leaders to cast in those tight spots ... stalk like a real predator.
--- there's got to be a reason Ed Shenk used that short little rod on the Letort.

 

[Bamboozle]

FWIW - One time during a lunch break behind the McDonald's on Rt. 30, we discovered the trout ate the French fry pieces we threw in Falling Springs.

This spawned the creation of two versions of a French Fry Fly, one with and one without catsup made from spun deer hair.

I never got to try it behind that McDonald's, but did I catch a duck at the Run on the plain version.