Spring Creek (Benner area), Centre Co., 4/6/15

[wbranch]

Arrived at 7:15 and 29 degrees, Brrh! Had ice in my tip top for the first hour. Lost count of hookups after sixteen. Landed about twelve. Saw lots of cars, twelve at the Canyon lot and cars all along the road from the end of the Paradise all the way down to Route 150.

Water was a bit stained but the fish were very active to a well drifted bug. Czech nymphed all day with rarely any fly line on the water. Short casts, often the entire striker (or whatever you call the Red Amnesia indicator) was out of the creek. Didn't see very many bend rods though.

Fished until 4:15, felt totally played out and decided since it is going to rain Tuesday to not stay over and head for home.

Lost a pair of prescription Poloroid sun glasses. Reward if found (and they haven't been stepped on or otherwise ruined) and someone sends me a PM.

BTW I had great expectations of seeing Baetis and having good dry fly action. Didn't really happen. I only saw a handful of Olives all day and didn't see any rising fish until 4:00 when I saw two good fish working but so sporadically I was just too tired and didn't have the patience to wait for them to rise again.

 

[BrooksAndHooks]

Nice looking fish, sounds like you had a good day too. I have been seeing olives all over too, but the fish have not been rising to them consistently yet. Still nymphing for the most part. It's definitely heating up though. Thanks for sharing your trip report.

 

[TYoung]

I also fished the same section of Spring Creek yesterday. I saw your glasses at the main parking area. They were sitting on one of the big boulders surrounding the sign. Somebody must have found them and put them there. I left them there because I thought that the owner would come back looking for them.

Just like you, I caught all my fish Euro nymphing a cress bug pattern. I saw a few olives, but with no fish rising to them. The only fish I saw rising looked to be eating midges that were hatching.

I found bunch of golf balls in the slow section right at the parking area at Benner's. I managed to fish out three of them, but there were more that I couldn't reach because the water was too deep. Some idiot kid must of hit a bunch of balls in the creek.

 

[wbranch]

I saw your glasses at the main parking area. They were sitting on one of the big boulders surrounding the sign.

Wow, thanks for mentioning that. I wish I knew someone who lives in the area who could go and see if they are still there. I'd hate to drive 120 miles only to find that they are no longer there.

Where is the sign you are referring to?

 

[JF_]

I'm glad you will be getting your glasses back...

I fished at Benner on Friday; conditions were perfect for a BWO hatch, overcast, a few rain drops here and there, but unfortunately no hatch.

But the trout were looking up. Saw a few risers, but mostly I was just hunting them down in fishy looking places. I managed 7 to net using a cut wing BWO, and missed a bunch more. Only saw a few BWO over a 3-4 hour period.

I'm thinking the main thrust of the spring BWO hatch is over, and we'll just see sporadic hatching from now on?

John

 

[TYoung]

I'm talking about the sign board that the PFBC put up right at the main parking lot at benner's spring. They placed a bunch of boulders around it to keep people from hitting it with their vehicles.

 

[wbranch]

Tyoung,

Okay, thanks, another forum member, Lv2nymph went there this morning and got them for me.

 

[AndyP]

Now thats what I like about this site. Way to go Lv2nymph !!

 

[gunshy028]

Wanted to fish this stream all my life and finally decided to head up on Monday. Being unfarmilar to the area, I went to Fishermans Paradise. Beautiful stream. Fished from below the hatchery bridge all the way up well into the canyon area i think. Had a blast right off the bat with a beadhead pheasant tail nymph. Around 10:00am i started to see many dimples in the slack water above the conservation dept. Hooked caught and missed many on a # 24 olive pupa. Later there were some BWO's coming off but not many and not everywere. All in all had a great day and will be back. I will post pics as soon as I can.

 

[wbranch]

Hello Gunshy,

Happy to see you had a good day on your first outing to Spring Creek. I've only begun fishing it about four years ago and make about 3 - 4 trips every season. I like it because the creek is pretty long and if you are willing to walk a half mile from where you park it is likely you will have a big section of water to yourself.

 

[kobalt335]

How is Spring looking for this weekend after all the rain? Trying to get up there tomorrow.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

Every parking lot will be packed with guys wearing PAFF hats!

 

[wbranch]

How is Spring looking for this weekend after all the rain? Trying to get up there tomorrow.

Look at the USGS gage for Axeman. It will provide almost real time flows. At 4:45 it is at 181 cfs and rising. Check it again in about four hours.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/uv?cb_00065=on&cb_00060=on&format=gif_default&site_no=01546500&period=&begin_date=2015-04-03&end_date=2015-04-10

 

[troutbert]

Forecast for Spring Creek for weekend: Partly crowded.

 

[OldLefty]

The Baetis aren't anywhere near over on Spring. They usually go into May. So much so that, while most anglers think trout are feeding on Sulphurs they're actually taking hatching Baetis. Spring is a bit the exception when it comes to Baetis.

 

[afishinado]

OldLefty wrote:
The Baetis aren't anywhere near over on Spring. They usually go into May. So much so that, while most anglers think trout are feeding on Sulphurs they're actually taking hatching Baetis. Spring is a bit the exception when it comes to Baetis.

No doubt ^

More than once, I've seen baetis hatching on Spring during the Jam, which is mid to late May every year.

 

[wbranch]

Just wanted to share with you all that most fly fishers are a great bunch of guys. Jack Fields (luv2nymph) went out of his way one morning before work and retrieved my prescription Polaroid sunglasses from the parking lot at the relatively new Benner Springs area.

I sent him a prepaid mailer so all he had to do was put the sunglasses in the hard case I provided and drop them off at the Post Office. Jack's kindness saved me $150.00.

Hats off to Jack!

 

[JackM]

Like.

 

[Acristickid]

That is great.