Falling Spring, Franklin County 7.17.13

[bigslackwater]

I've been to Falling Springs Branch about 5 times starting last summer about this time. Last Wednesday morning, I finally caught one trout!! I've been getting pretty good at fishing freestone creeks and built up some confidence, but these spring creeks are humbling.

In my past visits I have tried the heritage section along Falling Springs Road. This time my plan was to go in town. I went to Limekiln Dr but after seeing one sign that reads DHALO and anther reading "NO TRESSPASSING NOT A PUBLIC THOROUGHFARE" , I decided to move back to Edwards Ave, where I know it's safe. I suspect this sign is meant for the public cutting through their yard and perhaps does not apply to fisherman, but I didn't want to take a chance until I get more information.

Back at Edwards Ave I decided to walk downstream far from the creek and then approach and work my way up. At 7am there were no risers and no hatches that I could see. The fish I did see were laying low and not very active. I tried using some various dry flies and then some nymphs, and then tossed a woolly bugger and continued to be ignored.

Then something happened around 9am. I started noticing tricos (what I believe were tricos) in the air, followed by the sound of trout rising. Soon there was a white cloud of insects and trout rising everywhere! In my four previous visits I have never seen a hatch or a single trout rise. My dry fly selection always seems to be stocked with everything that was hot a month ago. I never got a real close look at the insects but I tried matching the hatch as best I could. My smallest dry was about a size 16. I chose one that was sparsely tied but it still looked huge on the water compared to any naturals. I had one fish hit my fly but I set the hook to fast and pulled it away. In desperation I grabbed a small nymph, about a size 18 (not sure what it is, see pic) and drifted it behind a foam hopper. On my first cast I caught a nice little rainbow on the nymph. That was the only one I caught that morning but it was a huge milestone for me.

I talked to a three other fishermen that morning and they were from around Reading and one guy was from NJ. I tend to run in to people from out of the area and it reminds me that I'm lucky to have this creek so close. I can get there in about 15 to 20 minutes!! The scenery is worth getting skunked sometimes...at least that's what I tell myself!

 

[laszlo]

Nice rainbow. I haven't fished that stream in 30 years but remember it having a healthy tricohatch

 

[dc410]

Wow! Those rainbows out of FS sure are pretty. Congrats on foolin' one of them.

 

[bam]

Pretty bow. Always keep a few griffiths gnats in your box!

 

[bigslackwater]

Right! I had no smaller dry flies or an scuds. That's probably not helping my odds!

 

[pcray1231]

bigslack,

As you probably know, your hatch was almost certainly a trico spinner fall. Nothing was hatching from underneath (they hatch overnight), they were falling from above. That spinner fall will occur in those same locations virtually every morning from the beginning of July through September. It'll be earlier on hot, sunny days. Later on cooler, cloudy or drizzly days. As you get into the fall, it does get later. A heavy t-storm, or lots of wind, during the flight itself is one way it can fall apart.

When it comes later (either later in the year, or due to cool, overcast conditions), it'll be more long lived but less dense. Which usually means less fish rise to it, but a few do, and you can target them for longer.

As with any hatch, if crowds and physical conditions allow you to keep moving, it's always better to keep moving and float it over fresh fish than it is to focus on one pod during the whole thing. Once you get a refusal or a miss, that fish may keep rising but much more wisely.

A size 24/26 spent wing pattern. Black thread body, white or grey poly wings. Split tails. If you tie, it's a very simple tie, even though it's small. It'll catch fish. I use, most commonly, a 10-12 foot leader, including a longish 6x tippet of the softest tippet material you can find. The females actually have black bodies, white abdomens, and sometimes they get picky and want to see that white. But usually all black does just fine.

It's a fun, and reliable hatch to chase. And demands some slack line casts and controlling drag, so if you can find success, you should be more confident during any hatch. And often the large ones don't rise to the small flies, but catching lots of small to average fish is ok with me.

 

[IdratherbePhishing]

Or throw both the female and male in one rig. That's usually what I'll do.