Spring Creek, Center Co., 07Feb2009

[albatross]

I had a nice day on Sring yesterday with a great group of guys who frequent this forum (they can self identify). Spring was a little on the low side and the water was clear. Water temps in the low forties, about the same as the air. There was a pretty steady midge hatch from maybe 1 to 4 PM with some rising fish and a brief period of olives.

The stream was loaded with suckers. After trying a number of different flies and techniques, it finally occurred to me that sucker spawn must come from suckers. I tied on a bright yellow crystal meth in about a size 14 and started catching fish. I caught a number of browns up to about 13 inches (pic below) and my last fish of the day was a beautiful rainbow of a little over 17 inches (another pic) that must have been a hatchery escapee, because he didn't fight very well.

I hooked and lost a tremendous brown. It was exciting just to be connected to a fish like that.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Nice fish! Should be pretty close to time for the rainbows to spawn?Egg patters are always a good choice imo early and late season. Still looks like winter has a hold on Pa. from the snow in the pics.

 

[albatross]

GulfGreyHound,

There were places without snow, but given a choice I lay my fish on snow. The snow patches were shrinking yesterday in PA with temps in the mid forties, and even more today with similar temps and a little more sunshine. I took a drive today past some trout streams in the Laurel Highlands and they were all rip roaring with snowmelt.

 

[ryanh]

Not that I ever heard of it but given what you said Alby, and the voracity of brown trout I wonder if a sucker smolt? or streamer pattern would be effective.

 

[David]

Alby broke into '09 with a clinic taking top rod honors for the day matching the sucker spawn hatch...believe me, it was in full swing! I know Bruno had a great day high sticking numerous fish, and some big ones, too. Primarily midging, I caught smaller fish than most, but got some on top.

Photos (in order):
My second biggest fish of the day (the biggest was also a sucker) and the origin of Albies match the hatch.

Nice brownie on a midge pupa

Bruno demonstrating his successful high sticking

Albie with one of his many fish

Nice red spots

Thats a #26 dry midge in his mouth

 

[David]

Ryan,
Akid used a big yellow streamer and rolled a pig, but didn't connect.

 

[tomgamber]

I managed my only trout on my very first cast...I was doomed and it was all downhill from there...nothing but a big ol' sucker after that...was fun to get out though. I have a pic of Alby fighting a monster that broke off before we could get a pic of the fish I'll post tomorrow.

 

[Acristickid]

Nice day- even the skunk and all. Hey I did'nt fall in. Andrew convinced me to use a streamer after I had to clean my dropper nymph after every other cast- ha.

Alby- next time out I will catch some. Your positive attitude paid-off. Looks like the water was much higher today.

 

[Bruno]

Yeah good times - thanks fellas

 

[jayL]

You can see the regular highwater line in the pics of bruno. It's the foot high strip of bank with no vegetation. Yeah, it was up there today, and then some.

 

[reds]

Albatross,
What section did you fish? Ifished from Benner Springs to Rock Run road in the late AM early PM. Only landed one, but lost a few including a large brown. I moved several fish on white sculpin, but no takers.

 

[David]

reds wrote:
Albatross,
What section did you fish? Ifished from Benner Springs to Rock Run road in the late AM early PM. Only landed one, but lost a few including a large brown. I moved several fish on white sculpin, but no takers.

Reds,
We were at Benner Springs as well...we fished both upstream and down...chances are you ran into at least one of us.

 

[JackM]

reds, interestingly, I had a fellow wearing a red jacket pass by on the path. I mistook the guy for Acristic and said something like "there are no damn fish in this stream." He looked at me a little strange and walked on. On the positive side, believing it was Acristic, I might have easily said something like: "Thanks for putting all my fish down ******," just to mess with him, but I'm sure the fellow's reaction would have been more than mere bewilderment.

 

[albatross]

Reds,

I was upstream from about 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM, I'm sure you passed by me, perhaps we even spoke. I spent most of my time in the pool by the hatchery with the two giant Coy swimming around (an orange one and a white one).

Sorry I didn't get to meet you. Its always neat to run into someone from the forum out on the stream.

 

[reds]

I was the tall lanky guy with a green hoodie and dirty gray and maroon hat. I apologized to a fellow for having fished upstream of them. It was nice to be out, but makes me wish i could skip work on Wednesday and go back.

 

[albatross]

David posted my pic above, here's a link: http://www.paflyfish.com/uploads/newbb/1328_498f726d322e1.jpg

I don't remember you by description, but then again I sometimes get lost in my fishing. Hope to actually meet you sometime.

 

[Acristickid]

I will think of you guys when I am out on the water the next 2 days.

 

[David]

acristickid wrote:
I will think of you guys when I am out on the water the next 2 days.

Good for you...going to Candyland to fish chocolate milkshake creek? Typically I'm pretty envious of your travels...not today, though.

 

[Acristickid]

Ha- I did make an adult decision today. It took awhile to convince Shawn though.

 

[littlejuniata]

Nice fish good color butI have never seen a Spring Creek Brown that thin? The trout in the Little J are in fine shape but they still do not have the shoulders of the pre bug kill trout, I would think they are about 80 percent of the prekill in body weight.