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Spring Creek Stream Report

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About

The hefty population of wild brown trout in Spring Creek has been well documented. This 22-mile limestone stream has more trout per mile than any other stream in the state, which has made it a popular destination. Almost any day of the year, you can find anglers plying its waters, but many of them find the trout to be tough customers. Indeed, they are difficult fish, but not impossible. To consistently catch trout here, scale down your presentation and focus on getting the most natural drift possible. Also, fish the stream "from bank to bank" because many trout like to feed in the shallows right up against the edges.

Spring Creek rises near Boalsburg in Centre County and flows northeast through State College and Bellefonte before joining Bald Eagle Creek in Milesburg. Unfortunately, this area of the state has experienced rapid growth and development over the past 20 years, which always poses the potential to damage the fishery.

Spring Creek's place in fly fishing history is legendary. For many decades, and even today, anglers come from far away to ply the waters of Fisherman's Paradise, the oldest catch and release section in the United States.

Although Spring Creek has a high trout density, a trout over 18 inches is a rarity. In fact, a wild brown over 18 inches on Spring Creek just might be considered a once in a lifetime fish.

Hatch Information

Spring Creek was once home to a variety of prolific fly hatches, but pollution throughout the 1950s and 1960s greatly impaired the stream, and many of those hatches disappeared. Although the water runs cleaner now than it has in decades, recovery is slow (but steady) and perhaps someday we will see hatches of historic quality and quantity. However, there are still a few dependable hatches on Spring Creek.

April

Blue Quills, Blue-Winged Olives, Green Caddis, Grannoms

May-June

Sulphurs, Light Cahills, Blue-Winged Olives

Summer

Tricos, Blue Quills

Blog Posts About Spring Creek:

Other Articles of Interest:

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