The Breeches white fly trip

[chrisdetweiler]

Salmo, I have to agree with your observations on the fish above the dam. We never did crack the code on those fish, and the ones we did manage were indeed on terrestrials. I watched Ed Koch, the Master of the Midge, get schooled one afternoon up there, but then I met a guy one afternoon who was wading down the middle of the stream catching consistently on, of all things, a red egg pattern fished right on the bottom. We had a few days, after being humiliated by the fish above the dam, where the fishing was just silly easy below the dam on nymphs, but that was NOT the norm. Those fish have seen it all and are very well educated.

Chris, the Letort always kicked my butt, and I lost or spooked FAR more fish than I took. I changed the way I counted when fishing there, if I managed to raise one I counted it. I'm completely intimidated by that stream. One day on Falling Springs I came across a young kid, maybe 12 or so, and we got to talking about the Letort. I mentioned how tough I thought the fish were and he claimed to be very successful, to the point where he said he'd be up there later in the afternoon and invited me to come and watch him fish. Maybe that's the attitude you need to take to be successful on the Letort. Good grief, they're only fish!

I don't fish the LeTort year round. There are three specific hatches I try to catch. Just let me know if you ever want to come up and fish it again. If it's the right time of year, I'm pretty confident I can put you on fish. I actuall think it can be easier than the Breeches at times. Key is being there when the fish are rising...

[chrisdetweiler]

Living locally now, almost equal distance from Boiling spring and Pine Grove State park,
I made a decision yesterday to do my first ever trout fishing trip on the Breeches yesterday, and it was pretty much a total disaster. Didn’t take much effort to find the little buggers that were feeding on something, but catching one was a different story. Being a salt water fly guy all my adult life, fishing for trout is another whole ball of wax all together. Stopped in at the fly shop for some free advice, 7X tippet, and a quick tutorial on what fly’s to use (seriously, I couldn’t even see some, and that’s with bifocals) for instantaneous success (his words). What I need is for someone to take me under their wing and show me how it’s done. One last question, do they catch trout in Mountain creek between the lakes at Pine Grove Furnace? Hike the area regularly and it looks very productive.

I fish the breeches most often in the off season when the crowds have diminished. I usually head straight to the slow water to try catching those trout sipping midges. They can be tough. I primarily use two patterns. One is a cdc emerger, the other is a fly with cellophane wings? Not sure the exact name of the material. I will post photos later. I go as small as #24 - #28, although I've tied midges as small as #32. Not sure there is any bebefit to going that small. I've tried going as light as 9X tippet, but it seem to present more problems than it's worth. I now stick to 7X. Keep in mind that those fish are often feeding in the film. If you are seeing their backs and not a traditional rise, you need to get a fly in the film. That's when they are really tough. I've even taken a hook with nothing but a thread body and applied floatant. The flies are so small they will often rest in the film. My other two flies will work in these situations as well, but it often takes many cast before fooling a fish. It really can be challenging, but I love catching rising trout on those tiny dry flies. We've been out there on days when our guides were freezing catching trout on midge dry flies. I love the winter fishing. After a few hours in the stream, we head up to the tavern for for beer and food. Great way to spend a cold February day! Give me a call and I can share some spots up in Pine Grove Furnace as well. 717-418-9842.

Chris Detweiler
Camp Hill, PA

[rinky.dink]

Thanks everyone for the insight.
Chris, like you said they were in the film right on the surface. The foliage is starting to fall from the trees making it even more difficult to get a good drift. I spent today trekking Mountain Creek in PGSF looking for any sign of fish, can honestly say I didn’t see any.
Thanks again folks for your help...
Wayne B.

Mountain Creek

[chrisdetweiler]

I spent today trekking Mountain Creek in PGSF looking for any sign of fish, can honestly say I didn’t see any.
Thanks again folks for your help...
Wayne B.

Mountain Creek has a decent population of wild browns and brookies, but it also gets stocked which brings fishing pressure. I think a lot of wild fish end up being kept along with the stockies. It's worth fishing. Use caddis and ant patterns with droppers. The fishing improves as you work upstream. This is a post I made earlier this summer. The stream should look familiar. ;)

http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/show...-Trout-Fishing

[chrisdetweiler]

I made a decision yesterday to do my first ever trout fishing trip on the Breeches yesterday, and it was pretty much a total disaster. Didn’t take much effort to find the little buggers that were feeding on something, but catching one was a different story. Being a salt water fly guy all my adult life, fishing for trout is another whole ball of wax all together. Stopped in at the fly shop for some free advice, 7X tippet, and a quick tutorial on what fly’s to use (seriously, I couldn’t even see some, and that’s with bifocals) for instantaneous success (his words). What I need is for someone to take me under their wing and show me how it’s done.

Here are some photos of the midge patterns I use on the Breeches. The griffiths gnats are probably #22-24. The other two patterns are as small as #30. The CDC pattern is one of my favorites. I tie the CDC very thick. Once on the the stream, I will often cut it shorter if appears too large. It floats great and is easy to see, but the body is tiny and rests in the film. Very effective on the Breeches.

[McFly]

Thanks to ST, Chris and others who have chimed in on this thread. This is one of the best trout threads I have seen on TF in recent years, especially in that the subject waters: south central PA streams of fame, are as enthralling to me today as they have been since I first saw them as a boy, and, like other Maarlander's , make the drive up to fish whenever possible. Sadly, I missed the WF hatch this year with multiple kids headed to different colleges etc. and no time during the workweek, but I truly appreciate the detailed reporting, it almost makes me feel like I didn't totally miss it. Thanks again, really!

Chris, great gouge on the midge patterns! (and pics!) I have fished in weather warm and cold on that stretch and experienced the same situation where you cast and cast with 8x tippet and finally, something good happens! I wonder if the cellophane wing'd pattern may imitate a flying ant? I witnessed (fairly certain) a flying ant hatch (falling from an overhanging limb) there one evening prior to a WF event some years ago and had nothing in my box to match.

[chrisdetweiler]

I wonder if the cellophane wing'd pattern may imitate a flying ant? I witnessed (fairly certain) a flying ant hatch (falling from an overhanging limb) there one evening prior to a WF event some years ago and had nothing in my box to match.

That's possible. Especially beneath those trees. I usually start with my cdc pattern and switch over the emerger if the fish are picky. Light conditions make a difference too because it is not easy to see. I usually set the hook if I see a rise anywhere in the vicinity. The pattern is a version of theLafontaine halo emerger, but I usually cutt the deerhair back or omit it completely.

http://bakslengen.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/760/

The breeches can be tough when there are multiple hatches coming off. There have been many days on the stream when I didnt know what they were eating. Small terrestrials are always a possibility.Can't say I ever hit a flying ant hatch, but I've heard it can be incredible fishing.